The Book on the Book: An Inquiry Into Which Strategies in the Modern Game Actually Work

By Bill Felber

Book Overview

Die-hard fanatics will enjoy this comprehensive collection of groundbreaking baseball strategies, analyses, statistics, and studies

"Picking up where Michael Lewis left off in Moneyball, he addresses the central questions of risk, reward, and value--on the field and off--and reveals what it takes to win." -John Thorn, editor of Total Baseball

This unique approach to understanding the "tried and true" methodologies of the game of baseball examines conventional elements like the steal, hit and run, and line-up construction. The Book on The Book offers an exciting critique of baseball by placing an actual dollar value on player performance and rating managers based on their on-field moves to determine who are the smartest tacticians.

No corner of the ballpark is left unturned as author Bill Felber explores the various methods of team-building, on-field values of players, the role and influence of the general manager in team success, and the importance of park effects. In the vein of the late Leonard Koppett and Bill James, Felber uses mathematical and statistical principles to evaluate the wisdom of standard baseball strategies.

Illustrations and a refreshingly engaging style make The Book on The Book the new textbook of baseball analysis.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312332653
• ISBN13: 9780312332655
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

I have to disagree with the other reviewers

I first looked at the reviews of this book after I'd already ordered it. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews first; their uniformly negative ratings might have put me off getting the book. I disagree strongly with these evaluations. The book didn't seem that tedious to me; perhaps the reviewers were looking for something different from what the author was trying to do. The author is trying to present his conclusions on baseball strategy, not just as it needs to be used by players, but also by managers and by front-office people who might decide who should be signed and how much they should be paid. This latter part hasn't been addressed by anyone else that I know. Some of his conclusions on on-the-field strategy may be identical to conclusions already reached by such baseball analysts as Pete Palmer. This doesn't make it less valuable that he enunciate them and give his reasoning. And some of his conclusions are new, or contrary to what other analysts have decided. That's why you want to read other books, not just this one, and come to your own conclusions. One of the other reviewers seems to think everything Felber states is obvious. I think that some things are -- it is certainly more likely that you will strike out if you already have two strikes against you than if the count is 2-1. But what Felber is trying to do is quantify the chances, so that one can come up with a strategy for swinging/taking, and the very fact that his conclusions run counter than the usual strategies certainly means that managers don't think his conclusions are obvious. My take on this book is that it is a valuable addition to my library, unlike the other reviews' ratings, though I certainly would not use this as my only book on the subject.