Not since the glorification of the closer - curse you, Tony La Rossa - has any one or two men so fundamentally changed the nature of baseball. [[Bill James]] put together a statistical analyses of the game and published them in a little-known, self-published annual periodical. Billy Beane read them, and then applied them to the wistful, broke Oakland A's. The season that followed saw the team in the playoff contention and also saw them break the consecutive games won record, winning 20 in a row (Typically, the record books list the 1916 New York Giants holding the record at 26, but the team had a tie game in the middle of that run - so, asterisk.) Beane was courted to take over the Red Sox after that season, but turned more money down to stay in Oakland.

James is an interesting character - he penned a great true crime book [The Man from the Train: Discovering America's Most Elusive Serial Killer] - and his mind sifts data like no other. But Beane is the real color in this book, and the team of broken toys he used to put together a 103-win season, using James' work.

If you love baseball, read this book - you'll understand so much better the nature of the modern game. If you love statistics, read this book - few other people have ever taken data so far in any arena.

5 bones!!!!!
Highly Recommended ( )

Sports

Story: 10 / 10
Characters: 9
Prose: 7
Content density: 9

An absolutely incredible book and I don't even watch sports.
Moneyball will probably teach anyone to love data, numbers, and mathematics.

Highly recommended. ( )

Fascinating and gripping read. Interesting that clubs don't take this more seriously, but seeing how it is changing as well. I'd like to maybe read more from Lewis. ( )

This is a great sports book. If you love baseball you have to read this. Everyone can learn from what Billy Beane and the A's did when they decided to question they way baseball players had traditionally been evaluated. Of course those who argue against the new perspective are only afraid that the new philosophy of "Moneyball" proves that they have been doing their jobs wrong the entire time. ( )