Listed to this on audio. Way better than the movie. May re-read someday in hard copy to enjoy even further. Highly recommended.

I found this a tremendously entertaining read. The section on Bill James is just fantastic, articulating the way sport can be used to think about so much more than just sport. Lewis then goes on to demonstrate how this is done by making this book about more than just baseball. To my mind, it's about overcoming entrenched ways of thinking, how even in the most objective of fields equal opportunity is elusive, and how we shouldn't assume that just because they spend big money, organisations are interested in or even capable of high performance. If baseball, with its tables and statistics and player markets, isn't a meritocracy, then maybe nothing is.

Structurally, the book is beautifully put together, with brilliant pacing, themes that run throughout the book and divergences that always last just the right amount of pages. The writing is clear with a level of wit and emotion perfectly suited to popular non fiction. Having said that, as popular non fiction it tends to put forward a particular perspective, rather than present the evidence and help the reader weigh it. I did some research (ie. looked at Wikipedia) and found that some of the criticism of the book pointed to the importance of some scout-identified players to the success of the Oakland As; the lesson of the book is probably closer to "baseball teams haven't thought deeply enough about this" than "THEY'RE DOING IT ALL WRONG!" ( )

What a terrific book! I expected the book to more or less correspond to the movie (which I also enjoyed), but there's a lot of depth to the story that really wasn't covered in the movie version (understandably).

I particularly enjoyed the in-depth stories of the various players that the Oakland A's recruited that literally no one else wanted. Their backstories were fascinating. They were told they would never make it in baseball for one reason or other, and they probably never would have if it wasn't for the A's relentless pursuit of a way to win within their budgetary constraints.

I am a baseball fan, and I do think it helps to have some knowledge of the game to truly appreciate this book. It probably would be dull for those who don't understand the basics of the game. But Lewis does his usual extraordinary job of making the story widely accessible even though it talks about business and mathematics.

One of my favorite (but also most disheartening) parts of the book was the afterward. Apparently, after Moneyball was published, the baseball insiders tore Billy Beane to pieces, accusing him of all sorts of things. He went against baseball orthodoxy, and then had the gall to allow the story of his team's achievements to be published in a book. The afterward basically rips apart the vultures. Good for Michael Lewis for defending Beane, his book, and those who cooperated with bringing us this fascinating story. He certainly has the last laugh because literally every baseball team uses analytics today and those insiders who jeered Beane should be embarrassed and ashamed.

Definitely a don't miss read for baseball fans. In fact, this book makes me wonder what other great baseball writing I may be missing. ( )

Non-fiction about how Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane used sabermetrics to develop winning baseball team at less expense than the wealthier teams in the industry. Published in 2003, we can see much of Beane’s philosophy being practiced now throughout the game. There are fewer sacrifices, hit & runs, and steals, and more emphasis on walks and reliance on statistical probabilities in making decisions. On base percentage plus slugging has upstaged the traditional measurements of RBIs, runs scored, and batting average.

The book is part biography of Billy Beane, part homage to Bill James (the father of sabermetrics), part explanation of the (at the time) unorthodox strategies employed by the A’s, and part a case study in resistance to change. Personal stories of a few A’s players are also included. In 2002, the baseball season covered in this book, the A’s won 102 games and finished first in their division.

Lewis has strong opinions about the effectiveness of past methods, and makes no bones about criticizing scouts, managers, general managers, and pretty much anyone that disagrees with him. This can, at times, be grating, as the former regime has certainly had successes in developing star players. Of course, most of this work occurred prior to the computing age, so they did not have the same tools, and, therefore, it is not a level playing field (pun intended) by which to judge. I did not see the need to come down so hard on some individuals, who are hard-working baseball people with good intentions.

Moneyball is written such that a person does not need any in-depth knowledge of statistics, as the author explains the mathematics in a straight-forward manner, possibly over-simplifying to reach a wider audience. With the benefit of hindsight, it is obvious that baseball has adopted some of the concepts put forth in this book, such as drafting college players more frequently than those in high school and establishing an Analytics Department to evaluate the numbers.

This book will appeal to those interested in the history of baseball or the application of statistical methods to the game. It is a good example of “out of the box” thinking. It will be interesting to see what is next in the drive to gain a competitive advantage now that “analyzing the numbers” is more widely embraced. ( )

The million dollar question was, how could one of the poorest teams in baseball become one the biggest success stories of the year? Not all the teams in baseball have the same resources; there’s a huge discrepancy between them. So it comes down to making the best out of what you have, and nobody does that better than Billy Beane. Beane was a talented baseball player with lots of promise himself before he quit. Where he failed in playing the game, he excelled in recruiting and managing. Using new baseball knowledge and theories that needed testing, Beane was able to cobble together a winning team out of misfits. Before the end of the book, you’ll be pulling for this team of eccentric players.

The Bottom Line: At times riveting and other times dry, this book encourages the reader to think outside the box. It presents information about baseball and statistics in a way that was new at the time. Following the challenges and triumphs of one of the poorest teams in baseball is fascinating. You will be amazed at what can be done with limited funds, and you will be rooting as the team tries to break a record. Recommended for sports fans and those interested in statistics.

For the complete review including Book Club Notes, please visit the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )