Two books that I can report on, "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis and "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain, but tonight, boys and girls, I am focusing on the former. "Moneyball" has just been made into a movie which baffles me because the book has little action except for perhaps two or three recounting of two or three particular baseball games. This is not a baseball book about a great star or even a great team, although the Oakland A's are the team of focus here. But unlike baseball books that tout the struggles of one poor kid who claws his way into the big leagues or books that are all about a team's rise to the top, game by game, this book is more about science, statistics and the cold hard facts of players on bases. In fact, a good portion of the book is devoted to a little known self-published baseball writer, Bill James, who created a theory that statistics mean more than a player's record. James' small published pamphlets attracted the attention of a small handful of baseball aficionados and eventually the attention of Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland A's.
I could go on and on and tell you what happens to the A's but that's all history. What I can tell you is that this is a fascinating story about how mathematics and statistics changed a baseball team within one year of play. It also explains how these theories of math and science and numbers are more than mere theories, they are proven realities. The entire phenomenon of "Fantasy Baseball" is based on these statistics, whether the players of these fantasy teams know it or not.
Within the explanation of how these number games can shape teams are stories of different players and different games and different management styles. While the book might not make you see baseball in a different way, it will certainly make you pay attention to a sport that is much more than men hitting, fielding and pitching. Check it out.
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