Book Review: 'Moneyball' by Michael Lewis

✰✰✰½ The million dollar question was, how could one of the poorest teams in baseball become one the biggest success stories of the year? Not all the teams in baseball have the same resources; there’s a huge discrepancy between them. So it comes down to making the best out of what you have, and nobody does that better than Billy Beane. Beane was a talented baseball player with lots of promise himself before he quit. Where he failed in playing the game, he excelled in recruiting and managing. Using new baseball knowledge and theories that needed testing, Beane was able to cobble together a winning team out of misfits. Before the end of the book, you’ll be pulling for this team of eccentric players.

The Bottom Line: At times riveting and other times dry, this book encourages the reader to think outside the box. It presents information about baseball and statistics in a way that was new at the time. Following the challenges and triumphs of one of the poorest teams in baseball is fascinating. You will be amazed at what can be done with limited funds, and you will be rooting as the team tries to break a record. Recommended for sports fans and those interested in statistics.

Book Club Notes: Well, our second foray into the HYBRID book discussion format was an improvement. Again, half of us chose to attend in-person, while the other half joined us via Zoom. Initially, we were excited about this topic and book. Yet, actually reading it proved challenging as several of our members got bogged down in the technical aspects of the writing. The movie, on the other hand, was fantastic! The movie was able to show the human side of the topic, while the book focused on the technical aspects of statistics. On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest: the movie garnered 4.25 stars, and the book received 3.9. Recommended for book clubs interested in sports and statistics.

On a positive note, discussion questions for both the book and movie are plentiful, so I didn’t have to create my own. Here are some links to check out: LitLovers and Sports Engine.

Details: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. Paperback published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2004. 336 p. ISBN: 978-0-393-32481-5