Particularize Books In Favor Of The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Original Title: | The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |
ISBN: | 0743227220 (ISBN13: 9780743227223) |
Edition Language: | English |
Bill James
Paperback | Pages: 1024 pages Rating: 4.25 | 5240 Users | 103 Reviews
Mention Regarding Books The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Title | : | The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |
Author | : | Bill James |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 1024 pages |
Published | : | June 13th 2003 by Free Press (first published 1985) |
Categories | : | Sports. Baseball. Nonfiction. History. Reference |
Commentary Concering Books The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
When Bill James published his original Historical Baseball Abstract in 1985, he produced an immediate classic, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “holy book of baseball.” Now, baseball's beloved “Sultan of Stats” (The Boston Globe) is back with a fully revised and updated edition for the new millennium.Like the original, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is really several books in one. The Game provides a century's worth of American baseball history, told one decade at a time, with energetic facts and figures about How, Where, and by Whom the game was played. In The Players, you'll find listings of the top 100 players at each position in the major leagues, along with James's signature stats-based ratings method called “Win Shares,” a way of quantifying individual performance and calculating the offensive and defensive contributions of catchers, pitchers, infielders, and outfielders. And there's more: the Reference section covers Win Shares for each season and each player, and even offers a Win Share team comparison. A must-have for baseball fans and historians alike, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is as essential, entertaining, and enlightening as the sport itself.
Rating Regarding Books The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Ratings: 4.25 From 5240 Users | 103 ReviewsArticle Regarding Books The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
Required reading for a modern fan.What a ride! As far as historical baseball reference books go, "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract" is second to none. Admittedly, most people don't find terms like "baseball" and "historical abstract", particularly exciting, so don't make this your next book club read. It's not meant for everyone. However, it is the perfect bedside book for the passionate fan with a healthy respect for stats.The 1000 page tome contains fascinating anecdotes, statistical wizardry, clever writing,
Great book. The all-time rankings, overall and by position, are fun to read through. I wish there was a 2015 update. Id like to know where James ranks Derek Jeter on the all-time shortstop list, likewise Ivan Rodriguez on the catcher list, etc. James uses some excellent concepts, like secondary average (which is meant to capture a similar thing as OPS) and the basic idea that you need to look at players stats in comparison to the other players playing at the same time. A .320 batting average in
Bill James again brings original insight to historical debates without losing track of what makes baseball the best sport. His closing sections that rank players through the ages will remain readable and valuable for years, and James's own open reconsideration of stands he once took is a testament to his value as a thinker and writer.
Love this stuff! I could talk about sabermetrics ALL DAY! In fact, I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine who hates OPS, and I proved why it was important--not to prove that Pujols is better than Johnny Damon, for example, but to show that Gehrig was better than Foxx--in fact, MUCH better. So, anyway, I digress, as Bill James does. A critic has said that James is wasting his brilliant mind on baseball, but of course there's no such thing as wasting anything re: baseball. His writing
Interesting analysis, especially what the playoffs would have looked like using todays metrics
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