Tuesday, April 3, 2012

And now for something completely different !

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 ?

10 comments:

  1. The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst
    and
    As They See 'Em by Bruce Weber

    where the last two I really enjoyed

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    1. I also would recommend The Bullpen Gospels. I also enjoyed Jim Bouton's book, Ball Four.

      Lastly, 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.

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  2. You can't go wrong with "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Kahn

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  3. Thanks for the tips all, will check them all out this summer !!

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  4. I 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.

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  5. The movie was a pleasant translation

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  6. I'd love to read Moneyball. The movie was great!

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  7. I have not seen the movie, nor would I probably read the book...

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