Monday, April 23, 2012

In 140 Words or Less: Moneyball Review



Few topics interest me less than baseball. Statistics is one of them.  So it’s puzzling even to me why I picked up Moneyball by Michael Lewis, which combines two nightmare topics into one book. For those unfamiliar with its premise, the book (and movie) is an examination of how Billy Beane, GM of the Oakland A’s, was able to put together a team with an exceptional winning record while having the smallest payroll in the league.

While editing out some redundant themes and processes could have tightened up Moneyball, I was pleasantly surprised at the readability of the book even as a non-economics minded, non-hardcore fan. Lewis wisely focuses on Beane and his players to keep the narrative from feeling too inhuman, and provides a peek into the staunch and sometimes unyielding culture surrounding baseball scouting and management.

 Photo courtesy of Blio Blog

2 comments:

Really enjoyed the book. Thought the movie was just okay. I love Ron Washington.

Was Billy Beane as good-looking in the book as he was in the movie?

Post a Comment

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...