I've been listening to the Effectively Wild podcast for a little over two years and every morning on my way to work, Sam Miller and Ben Lindbergh have more than adequately filled my 45 minute or so drive. Last summer, there was a void, as the 'daily podcast from Baseball Prospectus' turned from something I could listen to every weekday to something that was much more sporadic.
What caused me great consternation then has led to considerable anticipation now. Sam (of Baseball Prospectus) and Ben (of fivethirtyeight) are set to release their book debut within the next couple of weeks. The Only Rule Is It Has to Work is the story of two analytically minded baseball writers trying to put together a winning team in the Pacific Association (an independent league).
Not only would I read anything these guys put out considering our substantive podcast relationship, but as someone who used to work in the front office of an independent team, I'm very excited to read about their experiences. My observations of our independent league Baseball Operations department was that it was largely about simply filling out the rosters. Little attention was paid to putting forth the best product on the field - rather it was finding anyone who might either be local or have a slight bit of name recognition.
Needless to say, I'm very excited to get my hands on this book. I suggest you check it out.
Currently reading: Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter
Next up: Big Data Baseball by Travis Sawchik
Friday, April 29, 2016
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Amazon Digging - 9/20/2015 edition
Let's make this a regular occurrence. I'm always digging through Amazon trying to find the upcoming titles that have been announced for pre-order. We've seen a good number of new ones come through since our last post a month or so ago. Here's some of the new stuff!
Tim Kurkjian hasn't put anything out since 2008, but I remember loving his first book when it came out. He's got a new title coming out in May - 'I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game we All Love'. I wouldn't say I'm fascinated by them, but I'll definitely give this a read when it comes out.
Ron Darling is one third of the best broadcast trio in baseball and wrote the wonderful book 'The Complete Game' back in 2010. He and co-author Daniel Paisner have a new title coming out in time for baseball season next year called 'Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of my Life'.
After reading Molly Knight's wonderful 'Best Team Money Could Buy', I can see myself getting on a bit of a Dodgers kick. The Dodgers teams from the 50's seem to be well documented, but author Michael Leahy is tackling the 60's with 'The Last Innocents: The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960's. I haven't seen his name pop up too many times for baseball writing, so this should be an interesting one to read.
'The Baseball Meat Market: The Stories Behind the Best and Worst Trades in History' by Shawn Krest seems as if it will be a fun (and unpleasant for those impacted by the worst trades) read for baseball fans who love to get behind the scenes in the front office. It promises to tell stories about affected GM's and even teams that have been uprooted as a result of them.
I've already mentioned a couple of these before, but they've seemed to gain some traction and look like compelling reads:
'The Cardinals Way' by Howard Megdal (for Mets fans who haven't read his 'Wilpon's Folly', you should definitely do that, too)
'Finley Ball' by Nancy Finley
'Baseballism: Life Lessons from the Greatest Game Ever Played' by Travis Chock
Currently Reading (baseball) - 'Intangiball' by Lonnie Wheeler
Currently Reading (non-baseball) - 'Junkyard Planet' by Adam Minter
Tim Kurkjian hasn't put anything out since 2008, but I remember loving his first book when it came out. He's got a new title coming out in May - 'I'm Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game we All Love'. I wouldn't say I'm fascinated by them, but I'll definitely give this a read when it comes out.
Ron Darling is one third of the best broadcast trio in baseball and wrote the wonderful book 'The Complete Game' back in 2010. He and co-author Daniel Paisner have a new title coming out in time for baseball season next year called 'Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of my Life'.
After reading Molly Knight's wonderful 'Best Team Money Could Buy', I can see myself getting on a bit of a Dodgers kick. The Dodgers teams from the 50's seem to be well documented, but author Michael Leahy is tackling the 60's with 'The Last Innocents: The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960's. I haven't seen his name pop up too many times for baseball writing, so this should be an interesting one to read.
'The Baseball Meat Market: The Stories Behind the Best and Worst Trades in History' by Shawn Krest seems as if it will be a fun (and unpleasant for those impacted by the worst trades) read for baseball fans who love to get behind the scenes in the front office. It promises to tell stories about affected GM's and even teams that have been uprooted as a result of them.
I've already mentioned a couple of these before, but they've seemed to gain some traction and look like compelling reads:
'The Cardinals Way' by Howard Megdal (for Mets fans who haven't read his 'Wilpon's Folly', you should definitely do that, too)
'Finley Ball' by Nancy Finley
'Baseballism: Life Lessons from the Greatest Game Ever Played' by Travis Chock
Currently Reading (baseball) - 'Intangiball' by Lonnie Wheeler
Currently Reading (non-baseball) - 'Junkyard Planet' by Adam Minter
Friday, September 18, 2015
Oregon Baseball Reading
Work has brought me this weekend to Portland, Oregon. After watching the brilliant Netflix documentary 'Battered Bastards of Baseball' and wondering if there was any baseball-relevant sightseeing to do in Portland or the surrounding area, I did a quick bit of research on some required reading if you want the history of Oregon baseball.
It was a big news story this past June when Civic Stadium in Eugene burned to the ground. The former home of the Emeralds and others had a long and storied history and was best captured in the book 'Eugene's Civic Stadium' by Joe Blakely.
Terry Simons gives a comprehensive history of baseball in Portland with 'The Children of Vaughn: The Story of Professional Baseball in Portland, Oregon'. From the Mavericks, to the Beavers, then the Rockies and then back to the Beavers, the city has certainly seen it's share of franchises and attempts to revive baseball in a borderline MLB town.
While I won't be able to get out and see the sights this weekend - there is still plenty of reading to do!
It was a big news story this past June when Civic Stadium in Eugene burned to the ground. The former home of the Emeralds and others had a long and storied history and was best captured in the book 'Eugene's Civic Stadium' by Joe Blakely.
Terry Simons gives a comprehensive history of baseball in Portland with 'The Children of Vaughn: The Story of Professional Baseball in Portland, Oregon'. From the Mavericks, to the Beavers, then the Rockies and then back to the Beavers, the city has certainly seen it's share of franchises and attempts to revive baseball in a borderline MLB town.
While I won't be able to get out and see the sights this weekend - there is still plenty of reading to do!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Subway is a Liar
Making my way through Molly Knight's excellent new book, The Best Team Money Can Buy. So far, loving the background on the Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw, and the detail she provides on his pregame routine.
Directly in conflict with the Subway ad we see seemingly every half inning.
Subway must really be pushing jalapenos and vinegar.
Seriously though, the book is a great read so far.
Around 2 p.m. he would arrive at the field and make himself a turkey sandwich with cheese, pickles and mustard, and grab a side of potato chips.
Directly in conflict with the Subway ad we see seemingly every half inning.
Subway must really be pushing jalapenos and vinegar.
Seriously though, the book is a great read so far.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Remember When with Ed Randall & Rico Petrocelli
One of the true joys of running errands on a Saturday morning is catching Remember When with Ed Randall and Rico Petrocelli on SiriusXM. Errands took a bit longer than usual this week, so I got to catch his interviews with Filip Bondy and Dick Flavin.
Filip was promoting his recent book 'The Pine Tar Game' and detailed some great Brett stories from over the years. It's a fascinating moment in time from baseball history.
Flavin was excellent as always while promoting his new book 'Red Sox Rhymes: Verses and Curses'. Teammates was always one of my favorites and his stories about Ted Williams are always great. He read a few passages from the book and it looks like one that Red Sox fans will enjoy.
Filip was promoting his recent book 'The Pine Tar Game' and detailed some great Brett stories from over the years. It's a fascinating moment in time from baseball history.
Flavin was excellent as always while promoting his new book 'Red Sox Rhymes: Verses and Curses'. Teammates was always one of my favorites and his stories about Ted Williams are always great. He read a few passages from the book and it looks like one that Red Sox fans will enjoy.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Stuff to Look Forward to - Amazon Digging
Titles that are being released at the start of next season are already starting to appear on Amazon for pre-sales.
Here's some of the highlights of things to see in 2016.
Here's some of the highlights of things to see in 2016.
The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of Baseball's Most Valuable Commodity by Jeff Passan
There will be more, undoubtedly, and I'll do my best to find them early. Remember, Amazon does the pre-sale guarantees, so the price you see now will likely go down as you get close to release.
Please post in the comments if you find an upcoming title you're excited about!
REVIEW - Baseball Maverick by Steve Kettmann #mets #mlb
This book has been sitting on the nightstand for quite a while (through no fault of the book itself) and I've been making my way through it over the period of a couple of months. I'm pretty sure that had I finished the book a couple of weeks ago before the recent string of Mets successes, I'd be much more skeptical of the Alderson love. But, given that I finished it in the midst of some positive Mets feelings, I've come out of it with a deeper appreciation for the job that Sandy has done rebuilding the farm system and changing the culture around the team.
This title flew under the radar when it first came out. Despite knowing of Alderson's past front office roles, I was wondering why someone thought that his life and career justified such a deep dive. Say what you want about a bad contracts for Chris Young Michael Cuddyer and more, Alderson is clearly a very intelligent and thoughtful executive. The deeper dive into his A's days was definitely a highlight - seeing how a lawyer with the right connections could parlay those connections into such a dynamic career was fascinating.
What I enjoyed the most (and what Mets fans surely will, too) is the insight into his day to day workings with the team and it's players. There are some entertaining one-offs of Sandy expressing frustrations with players (Throw a goddamned fastball, Gonzalez Germen) and potential players (dinner with Jay-Z and wondering what to do with Stephen Drew ('Is this guy worth $11 million more than Ruben Tejada?'))
The insights into the evolution of pitchers Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard are especially timely and certainly worth reading.
Kettmann has taken a subject that many would have thought might not justify 334 pages and delivered some great anecdotes that thinking baseball fans will find insightful. Now would be a good of a time as any to pick this one up, provided that the Mets can keep the good times rolling. If they fall flat again, you may find yourself extra confused about the misfortune of the Mets. I guess we'll continue to blame the Wilpons.
Coming up next: TBD
Maybe Uppity by Bill White
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