Bill James Handbook 2009

Author : Bill James Number of Pages : 512 Publisher : ACTA Publications List Price : $23.95 Amazon Price : $12.99 Used Price : $17.63

Product Description

Every year, thousands of avid baseball fans eagerly await The Bill James Handbook the best and most complete annual baseball guide available. Full of exclusive stats, this book is the most comprehensive resource of every hit, pitch and catch in Major League Baseball's 2008 season.

Key features include:

• Exclusive! Fielding Bible Awards
  
• New Relief Pitching
  
• Manufactured Runs Analysis
  
• Young Talent Inventory
  
• Manager's Record
  
• Baserunning Analysis
  
• Career data for every 2008 major leaguer (and a few bonus players) with more statistical categories than any other book
  
• Pitcher Projections
  
• Hitter Projections
  
• Team Efficiency Summary
  
• Player Win Shares
  

Customer reviews

Statistics by .. DeeJoy (Southern Oregon)
This book is page after page of baseball stats. Is that a fun thing for anyone to read? Surprisingly, for two people I know and love, this book is a beautiful thing. I almost sent it back to Amazon thinking it was a mistake even though it had been requested for Christmas!

For the True Baseball fan Only... if you are a fan it is a Must by .. Michael A. Greenberg (New York)
The Bill James Handbook Is a Baseball Fanatics Dream. Every year it gets better and better, and more and more stats that you could spend two years fully digesting are added in to the already abundance of stats overflowing from the book. Every Player to play a Major League game in 2008+Important Injured players that Missed the season but Probably will play in 2009 and major foreign signings are given Year by Year stats. For Players with two or less calendar seasons in the majors their entire carrier is listed including Minor league stats. If a Player has played in three or more Calendar years (Even if they are still considered a Rookie) Only their Major league Stats are listed, Plus The latest season's Minor league Stats (If their are any) If a Player played for two or more teams in a given year the combined total is listed. Then later in the stat section Each Individual team He played for has the stats broken down, Team by Team. Fielding Stats are Available. Overall it is a tremendous book. The Casual Baseball fan won't understand much of it, But the crazy Baseball Fanatic (Like Me) Will get a Wealth a Information from this book. Enjoy.

BILL JAMES HANDBOOK 2009 by .. James F. Decoteaux ()
I have ordered this book for the past 3 years.The information you find
in this book is great. If you are looking for different types of baseball stats then this is the book you want.

always well done by .. barry dean friery ()
bill james always does a great job. a wealth of info at your fingertips.

The first baseball annual of the offseason is a great one by .. Eric Simon (New Jersey)
Kim: Looks like you got another !@#$ing book in the mail.
Me: The new Bill James Handbook is here! The new Bill James Handbook is here!
Kim: [not quite under her breath] Loser.
Me: ::grinning like a goon::

That conversation may not have actually taken place, but it might as well have. I've nearly filled an entire bookshelf with baseball annuals, including six separate editions of the BJH. In a vast sea of baseball annuals, the BJH distinguishes itself from the pack by -- among other things -- hitting the streets just after the World Series ends. This year's edition was available on November 1st, and I think I may have received my review copy a day or two before then, even. I'm still not sure how they get it finished and shipped so quickly; I think it has something to do with elves.

First off, the Fielding Bible awards are back, and Carlos Beltran was honored as the top defensive centerfielder, beating out former Mets Carlos Gomez and Mike Cameron, among others. A panel of ten "experts" voted on the awards, including Bill James, John Dewan, Joe Posnanski and Rob Neyer. David Wright finished tied for fifth at third base (Adrian Beltre won), Jose Reyes finished tenth at shortstop (Jimmy Rollins) and Johan Santana was the sixth highest-ranked pitcher (Kenny Rogers). The voting was somewhat subjective, though I suppose each panelist reached his conclusions using whatever means he considered the most meaningful. The objective counterpart to the awards are Dewan's plus/minus leaders, which would seem to cut into his profits on the forthcoming Fielding Bible 2009. Jose Reyes appears on neither the leaders nor the trailers list, so we may actually have to wait for the FB2009 to know how he actually rated. From the "Kinda Looks Like a Misprint" department, Chase Utley was 47 plays better than average at second base, which is mind-boggling. Also mind-boggling: Pat Burrell was -73 in left field from 2006-2008. Do. Not. Want.

As usual, the BJH devotes near 300 pages to the career registers of every player who was active in 2008. I understand why they include it, and it's theoretically handy to have that kind of information on hand, but in practice I just find it negligibly useful. All of that information -- and much, much more -- is seconds away on the internets. I've got a desktop and a laptop (and an iPhone), so there's rarely a time when it's more convenient to look up a player's statistics in a book instead of hopping online. Maybe I'm on an island here, but I'd prefer they save some trees, cut the career register, and maybe add a few more Bill James articles about the prior season in order to flesh things out a little bit.

The time I save by not looking at the career register I can spend on the 2008 baserunning statistics, which are just fascinating to me. If we can accurately measure runs created on the basepaths, there's no reason they shouldn't be included in a player's total value when we're quantifying his contributions to the team. Offense is X, defense is Y, and baserunning should be Z. The BJH's baserunning stats measure each player's ability at:

* Going first-to-third on a single
* Going second-to-home on a single
* Going first-to-home on a double
* Advancing on outs
* Not getting doubled off
* Not grounding into double-plays

All of those factors are thrown into a mixer which spits out a base runs gained/lost. That number is combined with stolen base gain/lost to arrive at a total baserunning gain/lost, expressed in runs. Carlos Beltran cracked the top ten with +35 base runs, which you can add to the list of things he does extraordinarily well. Jose Reyes was at +32. Derek Jeter was -13. Willy Taveras led all big leaguers with +70 base runs. Dioner Navarro trailed everyone at -39. As a team, the Mets were fourth in the majors with +85 base runs. The World Champion Phillies were first overall with +114 base runs.

The relief pitching section is also neat, as it breaks down saves into different types (easy, regular, tough), and also includes things like stranding inherited runners, pitching on consecutive days, high-leverage situations, long outings blown save/win situations, and some other stuff. A "tough save" is defined as one in which a reliever comes into the game with the tying or go-ahead runs on base. Tough saves were only converted successfully 22% of the time in 2008. The Mets' bullpen served to drag that number down a bit by going 0-for-8 in tough save opportunities.

We've also got a section on manufactured runs. This goes a bit beyond productive outs by determining actual runs that scored as a result of "productive" outs. A manufactured run, per the BJH, is "(a) any run on which two or more of the bases come from something other than playing station-to-station baseball, or (b) a run that scores without a hit, or with only infield hits". They're further separated into deliberately manufactured runs (runs that involve a stolen base, a bunt, or a pinch-runner) and non-deliberate manufactured runs (one that don't include the aforementioned managerial decisions). For whatever it's worth, the Mets manufactured more total runs -- 207 -- than any other National League team, and just shy of the 213 manufactured by the Twins. Yay! Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are the top two manufacturers in the NL, craftily assembling 42 runs and 37 runs, respectively.

The book goes on and on. We've got managerial records, park factors, comprehensive ballpark statistics (Shea Stadium suppressed RHB batting average more than any NL park outside of San Diego), lefty/right splits for batters and pitchers, esoteric stat leaderboards (David Wright had the second-highest NL OPS among players under 25; Mike Pelfrey led the NL in GIDP/9 with 1.30; Oliver Perez was the most extreme flyball pitcher in all of baseball;), career win shares, and the Young Talent Inventory (Wright and Reyes are both among James's top ten players under 27). We also get 2009 projections for batters and pitchers.

If that weren't enough, there's also career targets (formerly known as the Favorite Toy), which evaluates the likelihood of certain players hitting certain milestones. For instance, Jose Reyes has a 31% chance of reaching 3,000 hits and a 5% chance of reaching 4,000 hits. Alex Rodriguez dominates this section, and has a 49% chance of breaking Barry Bonds's career homerun record.

There's really just an astounding amount of information in here, and it's very easy to get lost within it for hours at a time. I urge you to pick up your own copy and support the folks that make this and other great baseball books possible.

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The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

Author : Bill James Edition : Revised Number of Pages : 1008 Publisher : Free Press List Price : $26.00 Amazon Price : $6.71 Used Price : $4.87

Product Description

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.

Customer reviews

How Baseball Can Improve Your SAT Scores ... by .. Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.)
... in both Math and Reading! Baseball is more than a sport; it's a literary tradition, a portal into American social history, and the finest set of exercises available in personnel management. My baseball-loving son, now only months from high school graduation, improved his SAT math score from junior to senior year by 85 points, not be taking the Princeton Review course but by studying the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.

You'll find this weighty volume full of the quirks and foibles that elevate Our National Pastime from mere gladiatorial combat to a blend of ballet, psychodrama, and interpersonal bonding. I gave a copy of this great compendium of stats to my son for his birthday five years ago; now he's planning to carry that copy away with him toward adulthood, so he thoughtfully gave me a new copy of my own for Christmas this year.

Insightful and Entertaining, but Win Shares needs an overhaul by .. Peter Hoag (Watertown, Mass.)
I'm a long-time fan of Bill James and purchased this book several years ago. It has the analysis, insights, passion, reverence, and irreverence that are trademarks of his work. Recently I purchased the Win Shares book, admittedly years after it was published. Since the concept of Win Shares is the underpinning for the ratings in this book, I'd like to share some of my comments regarding this approach.

1. As others have mentioned, the insistence of James of allocating 52% of Win Shares to defense (pitching and fielding) and 48% to offense is arbitrary and yields distorted Win Shares values for the players. It would seem to me to be logical to assign the proportion of Win Shares to offense based on the relative value of the team's offense to the defense. For example, this formula could be used to evaluate the percentage of Win Shares that goes to the offense. A/(A+(2*B)-C) where A is runs scored (adjusted for park factor), B is average team runs scored for the league, and C is runs allowed (adjusted for park factor). Using this technique, the Blue Jays in 2008 have a formula that resolves to 721/(721 + (2*775)-616), or rounded to 44% . Therefore 44% of the Blue Jays Win Shares of 2008 would go to their offense and 56% to their defense. Using the same formula for the Texas Rangers of 2008 yields 61% of Win Shares that go to offense and 39% to defense. It seems reasonable to assign the values this way because the Blue Jays clearly won more games because of their pitching, and the Rangers won more games because of their hitting. Of course, this will make the Win Shares of individual players more accurate as well as the Ranger's hitters, for example, clearly deserve more than 48% of the team's Win Shares. James at one point mentions that he wouldn't want the percentage of pitching Win Shares to go above 58%, because the effect of that could cause some offensive players to have negative Win Shares. But that seems to be pointing out a flaw in the Win Shares offensive calculation rather than a rationale for keeping the pitching share at around 52%.

2. For middle infielders, a percentage of the evaluation is based on assists, which makes sense. There is an "expected number of assists" for a shortstop(or second baseman) that is based on a) the proportion of assists that typically go to a shortstop on a league basis, as well as b) an adjustment for the number of inning a left-handed pitcher was on the mound. Then the actual number of assists for a player is evaluated against the expected number giving the Assists Scale. This is good as a start, but the formula would seem to be inaccurate to the extent that your fellow fielders are either quite good or quite bad. For example, take 2 shortstops from two different teams with the exact same fielding ability. Player A has a great fielding second-baseman and third-baseman next to him. Player B's fielding counterparts are sub-par. Using the formula, it would seem to me that Player B would end up with a higher number on the Assists Scale merely because his second baseman and third baseman are waving at balls that Player B's fellow fielders would field safely. Player B would then have more opportunities to make plays himself. Therefore Player B would end up with a higher percentage of his team's assists and therefore look better on the Assists Scale, despite being no better than Player A. Fielding has a zero-sum aspect to it that makes it hard to evaluate a players' assists (or putouts) in isolation. If a system, such as this one, only look at plays made (such as assists), then we are trying to extract opportunity (plays that could be made) from outcome(actual assists), which is a futile task, it would seem to me. Using the "expected number of assists" described above goes part of the way to show opportunity, but does not take into account the fellow fielders, as I mentioned. I don't have a solution to this, but it is a limitation of the formula.

3. In evaluating player ratings, James evaluates players by a combination of total Win Shares and Win Shares during a player's peak years. A Win Share value for a player of (for example) 30 consists of perhaps the first 20 points consisting of value below replacement level, then perhaps the next 5 points are above replacement but below average, and the final 5 would be above average. A player who plays a longer career would tend to have more of their Win Shares consisting of value below average and below replacement value points. Therefore if you compared two similar players on lifetime Win Shares, the one with the longer career would have more Win Shares even if he had less value above replacement value for his career. James also uses Win Shares during a player's peak years on the theory that we tend to evaluate players on their best years rather than their total career. He says that by using a percentage (I forget what it is) of the peak Win Shares value with a percentage of the lifetime Win Shares for a player, we get the best of both worlds. But I think that using a formula that includes the peak Win Shares merely mitigates some of the problem with total Win Shares, specifically the fact that players with longer careers get overvalued. I think if there was a way to extract the portion of Win Shares that is above replacement level, then that value could be totaled for each season, and the new statistic of Total Win Shares Above Replacement Level (TWSARL?) could be used as the player rating. The combination of total Win Shares and peak win shares is not as coherent to me, as it combines two different things, as well as having the limitation I mentioned.

I'm still getting to understand the Win Shares approach, but these are my initial impressions. Win Shares is an ambitious, worthy idea, and James' implementation and formulas are quite impressive. As he says, it turns the usual method of player evaluation upside-down, and puts players contributions in context of the team, which has been more naturally understood in other team sports like football and basketball. I think, however, that his approach caused some unexpected compromises and rationalizations to be made to pull it all together, which is implied by my comments.

I must say again that the New Historical Baseball Abstract is another ground-breaking and essential book from Bill James , despite my reservations on Win Shares

The essential baseball book by .. J. Duker (Bala Cynwyd, PA United States)
If a baseball fan were to be stuck on a deserted island with only one book, this should be it. James here is at his best, with history, statistics and analysis presented in his unique manner. This book can be read for long stretches, but its' format makes it perfect for grabbing a few minutes here and there. The only problem is that is was published in 2001; it would be wonderful to have updated player rankings based on what has occurred since then.

An awesome book to have on your shelf by .. John J. Franco (Swissvale, PA United States)
I have probably read this book 100 times. I still have the original hard cover and it is looking pretty worn, but it is one of my favorite things on my shelf. So, be warned, if you don't like books that you'll thumb through constantly, this book isn't for you.

James goes through the history of baseball in a decade-by-decade format, listing the best teams, players, and lots of interesting tidbits. Then he goes into the player rankings, #1 through #100 at each position. It will make more sense if you've read Win Shares, but honestly, even if you haven't, you'll be fine. Sometimes he doesn't give any explanation for why a player ranks where he does, other than their stats at the end of the section for that position. But even so, it's a great read.

James also includes a (controversial) section on the top 100 players of all time, with explanations for why each player ranks where they did.

If you like learning about the history of this great game, or just want to discover some players you've never heard of, this book is for you.

Bill James Has Completely Lost It. by .. HLWCMencken (Audubon, NJ United States)


Bill Jame's 100 greatest players the NEW list starts around page 358 and reaches peak idiocy on page 360 where he explains that Lou Gehrig wasn't in the top ten because if he and Ruth were so good why did they only win 4 pennants in the 10 years they were teammates. What a NIMROD.

Then HE DOESN'T PICK ONE CATCHER IN THE TOP 40.

Even worse and probably the most heinous change was the move of Warren Spahn from TENTH, now get this, to 36th. Spahn won his first game at the age of 25. He won 363 games. He won 20 games 13 times.
__________________

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James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights (Pivotal Moments in American History)

Author : Richard Labunski Number of Pages : 352 Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA List Price : $15.95 Amazon Price : $9.10 Used Price : $6.50

Product Description

Today we hold the Constitution in such high regard that we can hardly imagine how hotly contested was its adoption. Now Richard Labunski offers a dramatic account of a time when the entire American experiment hung in the balance, only to be saved by the most unlikely of heroes--the diminutive and exceedingly shy James Madison.
Here is a vividly written account of not one but several major political struggles which changed the course of American history. Labunski takes us inside the sweltering converted theater in Richmond, where for three grueling weeks, the soft-spoken Madison and the charismatic Patrick Henry fought over whether Virginia should ratify the Constitution. Madison won the day by a handful of votes, mollifying Anti-Federalist fears by promising to add a bill of rights to the Constitution. To do this, Madison would have to win a seat in the First Congress, which he did by a tiny margin, allowing him to attend the First Congress and sponsor the Bill of Rights.
Packed with colorful details about life in early America, this compelling and important narrative is the first serious book about Madison written in many years. It will return this under-appreciated patriot to his rightful place among the Founding Fathers and shed new light on a key turning point in our nation's history.

Customer reviews

Political history at its finest by .. Lehigh History Student ()
James Madison and the Bill of Rights is another great addition to the Pivotal moments in American history series. The author does an excellent job of laying out what would happen had the bill of rights not been enacted and the path taken in Madison's evolution to the bill of rights. The author does an excellent job of taking the reader through the stages of the constitutional convention, the ratification process (focusing mostly on Virginia which was the pivotal lynchpin in getting New York's acquiescence) and then the formation of the new government followed by the development of the bill of rights. For those interested in political history this is a must read for the analysis on how the Bill of Rights and our early government was formed. This is a great starting point and an excellent primer for some of the more detailed works that follow. I strongly encourage everyone to read not only this entry into the series but the entire pivotal moments series for a true understanding of the major paradigm shifts in American history and how they impacted the development of the American psyche and were essential in our development of an American identity. In this case it is the codification of American liberties and the struggle to define those liberties that shed light on the values of the founders and the cautios nature of a limited government.

Detailed Political History by .. K. Bolen (Seville, OH USA)
I think you have to be very interested in politics (as I am) to enjoy this book. It was a fascinating and detailed look at some of the arguments for and against creating a Bill of Rights, including debates over the extent of state rights vs. a federal government. Extremely well researched and worth the time to read for the wealth of information.

A New Perspective by .. Bill Rhatican (Alexandria, Va. USA)
Dr. Labunski captures the emotion, immediacy and intensity of the debate over the Bill of Rights as only a journalist of the day might be expected to write. A truly new perspective on Mr. Madison as "vote counter" and "political strategist."

Tedious recounting of events without much analysis or perspective by .. Howard Schulman (Providence, RI)
I hate saying bad things about other people's books because I know how much hard work goes into each one, though I have to advise the reader of this review to find another book if you're interested in the creation of the Bill of Rights. If it weren't for this book being on audio disc I would never have finished it. It's very boring and flat. The material is doubtlessly interesting, and I imagine that depending upon the author's take on the subject, this book could come out in many different, yet equally interesting, permutations.

My strong criticism it that it is the book has no incisive analysis of the subject, nothing to make it read, no sense of perspective,...how this subject played out in the bigger scheme of things and over time. The epilogue was equally disappointing, offering the scantiest description of how the ideas contained in the Bill of Rights affected future generations. In fact, I was eagerly looking forward to reading the epilogue, it was the only thing keeping me going, and I was disappointed.

So, what we get is just a simply recounting of the events, without much to make the writing interesting. It really gets tedious and boring, sounding like a straight reading of an official transcript or diary especially when the author describes the proceedings of the Virginia Constitutional ratifying Convention and other similar events, which is what a lion's share of the book is.

Any suggestions??

Democracy in Action by .. Benjamin T. Dewolfe (Charlotte, NC United States)
"James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights" was a very enjoyable read, and one that I would definitely enjoy reading again. It is full of detail, but doesn't lack on readability either. Unlike some of the reviewers, I enjoyed the details of weather conditions and felt that this information was important to telling the struggle for the Bill of Rights as weather was a huge obstacle to travel in that time. I also was able to better picture what it would be like to sit in a hot, sultry, building with no ventilation (as when the windows had to be closed due to the noisy streets) and spend hours discussing how much power the constitution would grant the federal government or if it indeed would greatly infringe on individual liberties.

Lets go out on a limb, and say that James Madison probably wouldn't make it in politics today. He was 5'4", shy, soft spoken, and portrayed by the author as extremely timid when speaking in front of a large group. He also "flip-flopped" on his stance on the Bill of Rights, which at that time seemed to be democracy working (Today he would probably be eaten alive); Madison seems to not only believe passionately about the importance of a strong federal government, but evolves to believe just as passionately about the protection of the people's individual rights (Thus- A Bill of Rights). OK, it could be argued that he had to compromise and promise support of a Bill of Rights to get elected, but the author seems to feel that Madison truly believed in their importance. The story of Madison is very interesting and even for his time he seems to be somewhat of an underdog whose passion, intellect, and love for his country allowed him to prevail over his short-comings. His election to the House is nothing but fascinating as once again the cards were stacked against him (Thanks to Patrick Henry who gerrymandered his district so that he would likely lose).

The story of Virginia's constitutional congress was every bit as fascinating, and it can be said that human nature and the psychology of politics had many similarities then as it does now. Many people had passionately different philosophical views of what government should and shouldn't be. As could be argued today, both sides had some good points. It was interesting how fear seemed to perpetuate both sides passion. The Anti-Federalists being fearful of a monarchal type of government invading on individual liberty, and the Federalists fearful that individual states wouldn't have economic power or the ability to defend themselves. The author portrays the high-stakes decision of Virginia ratifying the constitution without a Bill of Rights. He points out that if this hadn't happened, George Washington wouldn't have even been eligible to serve in the new government. Anyways, the story of our founders verbally battling it out in a theater in Shocco-Bottom in Richmond is also well portrayed. For anyone interested in American history and politics, I would recommend this book as a must read.

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The BILL JAMES GUIDE TO BASEBALL MANAGERS: From 1870 to Today

Author : Bill James Number of Pages : 352 Publisher : Scribner List Price : $30.00 Amazon Price : $44.99 Used Price : $8.98

Product Description

A comprehensive guide thoroughly debunks the mystery of professional baseball management and its personalities, includes essays on everything from Casey Stengel's impact on attendance to relief pitching, and provides sidebars, statistics, and cartoons. 30,000 first printing.

Customer reviews

Great Book by .. Jeffrey C. Bullock ()
Some people complain that James relies on numbers too much sometimes - this book took some writing and research, and uses very little in the way of numbers - I also wish it would've been available in paperback one day but that isnt likely to happen. James writes about a number of famous managers and their managing tendencies - I'm curious to how he got his info and where from on their tendencies - if you need to find a book on baseball managers, this is the one to buy.

SO GOOD; WHY IS IT OUT OF PRINT? by .. R. Cryan (Virginia)
Why is this book is out of print?
Why did it never go paperback?
I'm a fan of nearly all Bill James' work; but this is his best. I found it in the public library and had to buy my own copy online for about $30, used.
This is absolutely Bill James' most effective integration of numbers and age-old baseball questions. He must have been very pleased to write this and very disappointed that it didn't find a more enthusiastic audience.
Let's hope he ignores the sales numbers, goes with his gut, and puts out a new edition.

Left me wanting more... by .. CPUsports (Eastern Seaboard)
This was a good effort from Bill James, butit left me wanting more. There were a lot of key managers that could have been addressed in greater detail

he's done it again by .. Brian Maitland (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Without a doubt, Bill James is THE man who can best shed light on those forgotten heroes of yesteryear and today along with focusing on what or who are the greats. By tackling the subject of mgrs. he's added another feather in his cap regarding baseball history. The book is simply chock full of astute observations, great stats, and even better off-the-wall stories. The way the book is laid out also does not overwhelm you because it covers the entire history of the game. James breaks it down by decade and gives you a good feel for the eras and the managers who made them. I can hardly wait to see what James tackles next.

A great book about a neglected topic. by .. ()
There are a few other books that deal exclusively
with baseball managers and I've read most of them.
None deal with the subject as objectively or with as
much detail and enthusiasm as Bill James' new offering. Besides the
celebrated managers of baseball history such as Stengel,
McGraw, Mack and others, there are great pieces on lesser
known managers such as Bill McKechnie, Fred Haney, Spencer
Abbot and Billy Southworth. James also details a few objective
ways to discuss and evaluate a manager's accomplishments.
The book maps out the trends of various managerial strategies
such as the sacrifice bunt and the use of a bullpen. Anyone who
loves baseball will find this book hard to put down. And it'll make
you think. As James says "managers are fascinating people" and this
book makes for many hours of fascinating reading.

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Astride a Grave (James, Bill, Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur Novels.)

Author : Bill James Number of Pages : 208 Publisher : Countryman Pr List Price : $21.00 Amazon Price : $8.95 Used Price : $2.97

Customer reviews

Not your standard police procedural by .. Debbie Tam (Omaha, NE)
I came across the author, Bill James, initially because of my love of another author, Peter Turnbull. But unlike his Scottish colleague, James' approach to the police procedural is quite different. Astride a Grave is part of the Detective Colin Harpur series. I must admit, it was the first James' novel I have ever read and perhaps this puts me at a slight disadvantage. But if you are looking for a police procedural that will take you through the nuts and bolts of a mystery - from patrolman, homicide division, forensic pathologist, forensics specialist etc.- this book will disappoint. It will not run you through "procedure" though James is classified in this genre. This particular novel is still a fine read however. It details the aftermath of a bank heist and the parties involved with an extremely compelling criminal, Panicking Ralph Ember, as the main focus. His character drives this novel and as you read you are caught up in his dilemma. Though the book is billed as a Harpur series novel, it is this criminal that is the real main character and James has written a complex character that you will keep your interest and keep the pages turning. I must admit, however, because Ember made for such a fascinating character, the police characters are not as interesting and therefore the book would fail if characterized strictly as a police procedural. The novel would be more accurately described as a crime novel, a very good one at that.

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