The Opposition…

Moneyball

Michael Lewis

Discussion: 2014-Oct-Nov-Dec

Why we're reading this: author guest and book mentioned October 4, 2011;
book mentioned by Nate Silver, October 17, 2012
October 28…more
[close] author guest and book mentioned October 4, 2011;
book mentioned by Nate Silver, October 17, 2012
October 28, 2014

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2014-Oct-Nov-Dec

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* December 2014
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 26 views

last updated Dec 24, 2014 10:14AM

* November 2014
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 19 views

last updated Nov 27, 2014 05:17PM

What Members Thought

May 12, 2012 Tim rated it really liked it

Saw the movie on a flight from LAX to Auckland, and immediately wanted to read the book. The book, has like most movie first experiences, more bite, more depth and more heart. That said, the film remains faithful to the spirit of Lewis' writing, so it's worth taking in both.

For an seemingly dry read, this is a fascinating ride through a season with the Oakland A's - a baseball team on a barebones budget, seeking to compete in the Major League

The chapters given to telling the back stories about Saw the movie on a flight from LAX to Auckland, and immediately wanted to read the book. The book, has like most movie first experiences, more bite, more depth and more heart. That said, the film remains faithful to the spirit of Lewis' writing, so it's worth taking in both.

For an seemingly dry read, this is a fascinating ride through a season with the Oakland A's - a baseball team on a barebones budget, seeking to compete in the Major League

The chapters given to telling the back stories about Billy Beane, Scott Hattenberg and Chad Bradford all give humanity to a story about a baseball team. Paul DePodesta, who's at the centre of that analysis is shown as a perceptive and clear thinker, who pairs up well with the fast-talking, ruthless, yet at times contradictory Beane.

The ability of these two to see connections, and pay attention to data that makes a difference and ignore an entire set of success criteria/conventions built around history, heritage and 'gut' feeling, is inspiring.

For me, one of my favourite sections in the book captures this issue. An issue of organizational change that goes far beyond just baseball.

"The problem with major league baseball is that it's a self-populating institution. Knowledge is institutionalized. The people involved with baseball who aren't players are ex-players. In their defense, their structure is not set up along corporate lines. They aren't equipped to evaluate their own systems. They don't have the mechanism to let in the good and get rid of the bad. They either keep everything or get rid of everything, and they rarely do the latter."

The writing is deceptively easy. Lewis has the ability to take a complex and interwoven topic and lay it out in a clear and readable fashion.

The thrill of sport comes from the pursuit of the unknown and the impossible. Whether or not we actually achieve the impossible - the beauty of sport is in the pursuit. Moneyball captures that beauty. The beauty in the numbers. The beauty in the potential of people. The beauty of the next chance.

A fascinating, engaging and enjoyable read. I've never sat to watch an entire baseball game, but I'm prone to, after reading this. ...more

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