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 enlarge | Author: Michael Lewis
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $0.80
You Save: $24.15 (97%)
New (54) Used (108) Collectible (19) from $0.80
Avg. Customer Rating:  379 reviews
Sales Rank: 39611
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0393057658
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570691
EAN: 9780393057652
ASIN: 0393057658
Publication Date: May 10, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Satisfying baseball read with a touch of transcendence January 28, 2008
Mr. Lewis observes that the persistence of Sacred Cows and inaccurate thinking in a market as lucrative as MLB has sobering implications. The reader is encouraged to reflect on the likely discrepancy between his own perceived and actual value in the workplace.
Billy Beane's story of redemption adds to the evidence that Baseball is indeed the manliest and most heartbreaking of games. A good read, especially for a fan.
Engaging, Informative and a Great Read January 9, 2008
Think you know baseball? Think again. This book follows the 2002 season of the Oakland A's, the team with the second lowest payroll in baseball, but one which managed to win more games than any other team in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Moneyball is a fascinating study in how baseball's Old Order, its Established Way of Doing Things, clashed with a new, more rational, data-driven method of making decisions. It's full of the colorful personalities and gripping roller coaster you'll find in any great baseball book. But Moneyball takes you deeper. It takes you "into the numbers" to show how advanced statistics, game theory, and the laws of probability are harnessed by really smart people to make better baseball decisions.
You don't have to be a long-suffering small market fan (like me) to enjoy this book. It's a universal story of how change happens in a change-resistant institution. A great read not only for baseball fans, but for those who are interested in the dynamics of change in many different kinds of organizations.
Beane Ball December 29, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I thought I knew baseball, but it's a new day, baby. Moneyball is actually the biography of one Billy Beane, a former major leaguer and now General Manager of the Oakland Athletics.
The new baseball is a game of numbers where statistics like stolen bases and home runs, don't matter as much as on-base percentage. The title is misleading. Baseball is becoming more of a science than an art.
As a result of Moneyball, nearly every major league baseball team now employs a full-time actuary. The book is an easy read and won't overwhelm you with statistics.
GREAT analysis of stats in an unusual place December 27, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a long time baseball fan, I have been a keen follower of how the Oakland A's have consistently been so good despite having an incredibly small payroll while big-spending teams like the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles consistently flounder. This book helped me understand why.
The use of statistics to predict future behavior is not a new practice. Hedge fund models use these statistics every day. Moneyball shows how statistics can be used in the most unusual places.
One thing that befuddled me throughout the entire book was how a sport so in love with statistics did not use statistics to judge and select players for teams. I know Lewis "fell in love" with the story, but the story is still a good one. How could so many teams consistently spend so much money for such poor results while the A's won on a comparative shoestring budget? The sports world is the greatest example of imitation in the world, but no one seemed to bother benchmarking how the A's won so efficiently.
As for the story, it moves very quickly. Lewis does a good job of explaining the history of sabermetrics and showing how Billy Beane learned from the writings of Bill James. The interplay between the A's "old-school" scouts and the "quant jocks" like Beane and Paul DePodesta shows how hard it was for the quants to gain acceptance.
Baseball is the ultimate endurance test, and 162 games usually shows the true nature of teams and systems. If you are a sports fan with an understanding of business, you'll be able to understand how the use of statistics in baseball can be applied to other business settings. If you know business but have a passing interest in sports, you'll wonder why more teams didn't try the A's approach. If you are a fan of both sports and business, you'll make the connection. All in all, a fantastic and enlightening read.
Well-written, engrossing read. December 10, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An excellent, well-written book examining the use of statistics and analysis to create a winning, baseball team with the smallest possible salary. Michael Lewis is an anomaly, for he is able to deftly weave personal history and technical insight to create an intellectually and emotionally engrossing read. Any lover of baseball, business analysis, or economics will love this book.
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