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Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies from Baseball's Winningest GM | 
 enlarge | Authors: John Schuerholz, Larry Guest
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $5.41
You Save: $19.54 (78%)
New (11) Used (11) from $5.28
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 938182
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1
ASIN: B000IAZP1Q
Publication Date: April 2, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In 2005, the Atlanta Braves won their unprecedented 14th straight National League East title. And behind this success has been the genius of John Schuerholz, whose anti-Moneyball philosophies kept the Braves among the elite teams in baseball for over a decade. Now, Schuerholz pulls back the curtain for the first time, revealing everything from how the Braves traded for Barry Bonds in the early 90s to dealing with John Rockers hateful comments in 1999 to losing pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine to the recent acquisition of superstar Tim Hudson, and, against all odds, how he helped keep the Braves at the top of the baseball mountain. Offering a remarkable and candid view inside one of the most incredible minds in all sports, BUILT TO WIN will make baseball fans worldwide look at the game in a whole new way.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Not much baseball August 11, 2008
I picked up a copy of the book at the local Dollar store and I am glad I didn't pay full price for it. I am not sure if he is surrounded by a group of toadies or what but I have to wonder who gave him any feed back on the manuscript. The man must have a wealth of knowledge about how trades were made, how some people he thought were stars failed and others he thought wouldn't make it did, etc. There were some good stories such as the Bonds to Atlanta trade. I had heard Andre Thomas was involved and he wasn't mentioned so I don't know if the full story wasn't in the book or that was just a rumor.
He had some interesting things to say about Andrew Jones (positive) and some agents (negative) but really nothing about what went on in Kansas City, why that team collapsed or how he worked with Bobby Cox to make trades. He did make some great trades and mentioned a few but not much into the thought process behind them.
I wouldn't know who the intended audience for the book is. It's not for baseball junkies, it's not for business managers, maybe people who want a few tips on management techniques? I don't know but if you are looking for baseball don't expect to find much here.
Disappointed December 2, 2007
I bought this book with the hope of some kind of insight, and some good stories.
It's a decent book, but I could care less about John Schuerholz the poet, I bought the book for baseball.
I was very disappointed, it seems like another book that is an attempt to destroy "Moneyball" in the book market, but fails miserably.
I love the Braves, but left this book feeling pretty disappointed.
 A Limited, Biased View of Major League Baseball November 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
John Schuerholz' book reads as if it was directly dictated to his writer. There are bland recollections of several decades in baseball, but the general themes seems to be pointing out obvious concepts (work together, listen to your staff) to make this a business/management book. Meanwhile, Schuerholz levels repeated jabs at players for being greedy and directly states that agents are destroying the game. These statements are routinely paired with an attempt to bill the Atlanta Braves as a medium-market team without the resources of largest teams. However, Schuerholz argues revenues for the team are modest, without acknowledging that Time Warner, the owner of his team, has cleared hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising by broadcasting Braves games. Sadly, this is a book devoid of self-reflection or insider details.
Written by John's biggest fan July 28, 2007
First of all, I've been a Braves fan for 30 years, so I appreciate the success of the Schuerholz era. Having said that, this book is really terrible.
Schuerholz comes across as a pompous blowhard who wants us to know that he IS the best dressed man in baseball ("dapper" & "stylish apparel" are used in the book), and that he and Tom Glavine know more about wine than idiots like Stan Kasten. In fact, we get three pages on a Chateau La Fleur Petrus Pomerol, vintage 1961 - oh yeah, that's great reading!! Add some incessant name dropping and a pile of Management 101 anecdotes and you get this opus of self-love.
I really thought I'd enjoy this book. It's too bad the big guy didn't stick to baseball and leave the management cliches for someone as impressed with the author's insights as the author himself. It's almost as if Schuerholz is desperately seeking his share of the credit for the success of the team; so much so that he tries to convince the reader that his management expertise is more responsible for the team's success than the organization Bobby Cox had in place when the author arrived in Atlanta. I'm not buying it, John - even though I was dumb enough to buy this book.
Irritating and Cliched July 9, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
An occasionally interesting look into the mind of a successful MLB general manager is marred by insipid management book cliches regurgitated from far better motivational books.
If this book had stuck to the inside stories, it might have been a modern baseball classic, but Schuerholz can't seem to resist slinging tired bromides about commitment and teamwork. When he talks about baseball, Schuerholz is a joy; but when he babbles about his "leadership strategies," this book jumps the rails.
Methinks this book might be a better library or bookstore skim than a take home purchase.
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