Ed Recommends: Moneyball

The contempt that the old guard has for the new guard in both baseball and poker is striking. However, the great thing about poker is that there are no barriers to entry, and the best players will always trump conventional wisdom. Not so in the world of Major League Baseball. There are people running teams that are less qualified to do so than people who cannot gain entry into “the club.” These GM’s would be broke if they were poker players, but the inability of the industry means that incompetence is not necessarily punished.

When I started reading this, my mind flashed to a scene from childhood. Me, sitting in the rickety stands of the old Municipal Stadium in downtown Kansas City along side my parents, watching the then Kansas City A’s play a game. It was my first baseball game. My mother was an avid baseball fan and loyal to the A’s despite their ongoing presence in the American League cellar. They were, of course, losing–and dressed in their more subdued home uniforms. They had recently been forced to don a vividly colorful (by the standards then) green and gold road uniform that was quite the get-up. It was yet another weird gambit of Charlie O Finley to try and drum up interest in the team–I guess from both the fans and the team itself.

Of course he eventually moved the A’s to Oakland, where they proceeded to win three World Series in a row. Three, mind you. How utterly annoying. At least Missouri has the Cards–woohoo! (We’ll not speak of the Royals since George Brett retired.)

Looks like a good book—thanks for the recommendation.

Good post. It doesn’t surprise me at all that you liked this book. I think a lot of your writing reflects the same brash, analytical, unconventional thinking that Beane has.

Assuming you’re a baseball fan — have you read the Bill James books? He, of course, is the guy who started it all, and your writing reminds me of his as well.

One quibble with your characterization of Beane’s approach. He looks for market *inefficiencies* where he can get the best players for the cheapest price. But this doesn’t *always* mean young players. Sometimes it’s somewhat older players who never caught on, maybe because they just don’t look right (weird delivery for a pitcher or awkward looking in the field) or they don’t have conventionally attractive stats (not a lot of homers, but draws 100 walks a year).

Good review otherwise. Great site too btw