The Bill James Gold Mine 2009
by Bill James
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bill JamesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-17
ISBN: 0879463694
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: ACTA Publications
Book Reviews of The Bill James Gold Mine 2009
Book Review: The book is one a kind
Summary: 5 Stars
Reviewing the book for what it is and not what some people would prefer it to be (i.e., a revival of the Abstract): it's hand's-down a 5-star book.
Like last year's model, this year the book contains data from the Bill James Online site and nuggets of analysis provided by Bill and astute readers. The book also has an end-chapter of dialogue lifted from the Ask Bill section of the website:
- On why Bonds wasn't on a major league team: "He has one-dimensional skills and a poor reputation as a teammate."
- On why Bonds wasn't on a major league team even though he had the best OPS+ the previous year: "Somebody asked me why he wasn't in the majors and I gave an honest answer. It's not my fault the man can't run, field, throw, or get along with people."
- On giving baseball players a hard time for foot-in-mouth disease: "I am reluctant to place onto baseball players a burden that we do not place on ourselves. And yes, baseball players sometimes say stupid [stuff] because they don't realize the world didn't start the day they were born, but then, so do I, I suspect. I think everybody does."
The meat of the book, though, for most readers, will be the essays. What's special about the essays, and what makes the book a must-have, is that they are truly essays that you wouldn't find anywhere else -- not just because they have Bill's voice and clarity, but because they have Bill's unique perspective. Simply put, things often occur to him that don't occur to other analysts, and he has a talent for taking a slightly idiosyncratic perspective and crafting it until it applies to a broader sabermetric and historical appreciation (and application). For instance:
- His essay on stolen bases isn't just about when and if to steal, but how the stolen bases benefits each team, in light the team's make-up: do the teams that should steal most often actually do so?
- His "What If" essay is a fantasy about constructing an entirely new major league, with direct fan participation, GM elections, roster keeper rules, etc., following the observation that "almost everything that exists is an accident of history." It's a thought experiment that blends Bill's analytical talents and unique authorial voice. It has no bearing whatsoever on fantasy baseball, which is why you would never read something like this elsewhere, but it's an unforgettable essay.
- There is an essay called "Whoppers," that uses Tim Johnson's firing -- as a consequence of lying about military service -- as an opportunity to discuss human fallibility, rehabilitation, self-righteousness, and how rare genuine compassion is. In regards to Johnson and guys like Bonds, Rose, McGwire, Clemens: "I'm not saying it's right [...] I am saying it is self-righteous to pretend that I don't have the same human failings that these guys do, and further, if you are insisting that you don't have them, I don't believe you."
The reaction to last year's Gold Mine seemed to focus on whether the book was what people had expected it to be. For better or worse, the book is not the Abstract. It is, however, essential reading, and a book that could change the way you look at baseball, and life. That's worth 5 stars.
(For those who want more essays, there are plenty on the website.)
Summary of The Bill James Gold Mine 2009
For decades, the name Bill James has been synonymous with cutting-edge baseball statistical analysis. In his latest work, James lives up to that reputation with the The Bill James Gold Mine 2009 a groundbreaking collection of original essays, statistical profiles, and hidden nuggets of information worth their weight in gold. In seventeen original essays and numerous new statistical measures, Bill James goes beyond the numbers and provides the witty, irreverent, and stingingly accurate analysis for which he has become (in-)famous.Baseball Books
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