And now for something completely different !! Well, not completely but at least not another post about baseball cards this time. For today's post I thought it would be fun to do a book review (sort of) ! When I was in London a few weeks back, waiting for my plane to arrive, I noticed an interesting book at the airport bookstore: Moneyball - The Art of Winning an Unfair Game!
I assume that all you guys know exactly what the story is all about but for a Dutch Card Guy from Europe the only thing I thought when seeing the book was "hey, isn't that the book about the movie with Brad Pitt that's currently playing"! So clearly I was unfamiliar with this story. Well, given that I had read other great books by the same author (e.g. Liar's Poker), I didn't hesitate and bought the book on the spot.
I didn't regret it one bit. It's a great book for baseball fans that gives you a peek behind the scenes of the Oakland A's, its GM Billy Beane and the gradual "acceptance" of "Sabermetrics" in baseball as well as the dynamics of trading players. I really loved the story and the 300-pages were all digested before I knew it !
For me, this was one of the best books I have read about baseball (although that doesn't say much) so I would recommend Moneyball to anyone. I will definitely check out the movie as well at some point and I even think my wife could be joining me as well if I mention the words Brad Pitt !
What are your favorite baseball books ? Which books should I read next ?
The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst
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As They See 'Em by Bruce Weber
where the last two I really enjoyed
Cool, thanks for the tip !
DeleteI also would recommend The Bullpen Gospels. I also enjoyed Jim Bouton's book, Ball Four.
DeleteLastly, if you're looking for a fictional quick read try The Kid who Batted 1.000 by Troom McAllister.
If you're having trouble finding one, I could loan you one from my collection. It's so easy to lose yourself in a good baseball book this time of year.
You can't go wrong with "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Kahn
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips all, will check them all out this summer !!
ReplyDeleteI go through cycles where I'll devour a few books and then don't want to read for awhile. I zoomed through Moneyball. Most baseball books are that way for me. I'll have to try Bullpen Gospels.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was a pleasant translation
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read Moneyball. The movie was great!
ReplyDeleteI have not seen the movie, nor would I probably read the book...
ReplyDeleteThe movie was fantastic.
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