The Championship Formula: How to Transform Your Team Into a Dynasty
346819
The Championship Formula: How to Transform Your Team Into a Dynasty - This is a great resource for anyone studying this kind of material
4894332
Evolution of the Game is a well written book for the football enthusiast or coach wanting to learn more about the game or wanting to find a new play. I have been coaching football for 12 years and came across formations/plays in this book I never knew about. Frank Francisco's passion for football coupled with his four decades of coaching makes this a must read. I'm learning a lot from it and will definitely use it as a reference. I highly recommend it.
416285
Joe Pisapia, the Swashbuckler of fantasy baseball, has given us a treasure chest of fantasy info in The Fantasy Baseball Black Book 2015.  He created RPV (if ya don't know, it's in the book) which gives us a fresh view and take on the fantasy landscape. RPV is pretty simple formula to evaluate players and their relative worth in the game.  Joe applies this application to all types of leagues, roto, points, auction, and DFS.  He breaks down players by position, talks about strategy, and how to manage and maintain your roster throughout the season.  Basically this book has everything you need... and it's 4 bucks.  So, if you are not in my leagues I highly reccommend giving this a read.  If you are in my leagues, well, forget this, by a magazine that was printed months ago, tear out the top 300 player list, and I'll see ya on draft night....
3691769
A Winning Formula
Sports + Wall Street + Analytics + Terrific Writing = A Winning Formula
The information contained in this book combined with all the free tools on the authors website (www.bookwormsports.com) taught me to focus on what really matters on the football field and the basketball court. Changing The Games analytical methods provided the numbers I needed to verify my hunches. Before, I was just guessing. Now, I know what to look for.
1184350
This is a book about how to build a team that wins consistently, while embodying strong personal values.

There are few of the show-offs, egoists, tantrum-throwers, and bullies that populate so much of today's dollar-driven sports world. Instead, there are players who want to play on the greatest rugby team ever and are willing to do whatever it takes. Yes, rugby. Because this book is about a team from New Zealand that has dominated the sport since early in the last century.

And, that's what makes the book a good read. Because it's not about the excess and bravado of North American sports. It's about being humble, leaving ego at the door, supporting your teammates, learning what it takes to play on a TEAM instead of as an attention-grabbing star.

At its core, this tries to be a business book - using the team's rules, codes and behaviors to inform business practice. And, for me, that's always a bit of a stretch - because in business there are no hard and fast rules, no fixed positions, or time limits. And, there are women, which changes the dynamics.

Having said that, this is an enjoyable read that is a refreshing change from the coach or super-player sport/business books that are all too often dotting the airport book stores.
2810904
I especially like the perspective of changing the team from within by starting with yourself. While I didn't find it ground breaking, I would still recommend this book for anyone interested in team dynamics or wanting to learn techniques for changing dysfunctional teams.
1762709
This book is tough to review because people have different expectations with sport psychology books. If you are looking for a neatly organized system of beliefs, principles, and exercises to begin applying to your game tomorrow this might not be the book for you. Maybe you should check out With Winning In Mind or 10-Minute Mental Toughness? With that said, I loved this book. Once you start it you might not be able to put it down. Its a motivational book that weaves sports psychology principles into stories to illustrate the importance of each principle. This book inspired me to write down an effective system of beliefs and checklists I can go through before a game. The important part is the system and beliefs are mine.
228023
Excellent book on overcoming adversity and turning it into championships. Introduced it to our company associates with terrific reviews. A game changer.
2962755
This book fills the missing void for coaches who are trying to produce world champions. When the conventional methods of periodization are exhausted and the athlete's technical and physical abilities are reaching near flawless and outstanding levels, this book provides the formula for spurring further adaptation. Because true high level athletes require more stimulus to further sports results, this book provides the reasoning for, and gives creative methods to continue to push towards the genetic potential of the athlete. The ideas in here may also spur more conversation for more methods to create new special exercises to further increase the speed of movement in athletes.

This book may be hard to understand but it is for a reason. These methods used with the wrong level of athlete will destroy them or hamper further improvement. But they are very powerful for the high level athlete. Therefore, it takes a TRULY high level coach (w/ a background of extensive education in biomechanics, physiology etc.) to take the information in here and give it practical application in the right time, right athlete and right sports.

A genuinely PRICELESS piece of literature.
3314705
Excerpt from review at Winging It In Motown - Full review here:
http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2014/8/19/6043393/book-review-rob-vollmans-hockey-abstract-2014

New to this year's version are contributors Tom Awad and Iain Fyffe. While both were mentioned heavily in last year's version, this time around they're full contributors and each have written several sections of the new book. This creates several positives for the book. For one, it makes the project feel more open and approachable. While Vollman did a great job last year (and another great job in this version) of referencing existing expertise to bolster the analysis, having extra contributors takes it away  from feeling like just one gatekeeper presenting the overall state of hockey analytics. Additionally, the differences in each author's voice adds a bit of refreshing variety.

The separation of the voices to give the book a bit more of a community feel also helps in how Hockey Abstract is laid out. Where last year's book had the feel of a "fun" part and a separate technically heavy part, the way this one is laid out mixes the two ideas extremely well.

Returning are attempts to find the best skaters and goalies in the league at various specialties and the team usage charts I've come to love. These already-strong staples have been bolstered by additional considerations which I feel have added value, especially the team-by-team section which factors in the usage charts, additional context, and even rates each team on 13 categories identified as important to success. Additionally, the new contributions include interesting discussion pieces such as Fyffe's study on what factors lead to a player's induction into the Hall of Fame from different eras. I was also extremely satisfied to see he took the time to show the scores for not-yet-eligible players because I found myself constantly wondering where Nicklas Lidstrom stands by his measures (because any measure that wouldn't have him as a stone-cold lock is one I'd easily dismiss).

Probably one of my favorite parts is the section dedicated to shot quality which takes a very serious look at trying to account for how much more dangerous one shot can be compared to another, which has long been a contentious issue in discussions which include possession metrics used in attempts to quantify player contribution.

The technical stuff has survived the new layout, but instead of being pushed down in the book where it was necessary to anchor the analysis while staying out of the way of the fun, it's now mixed into each section where the conversation would naturally call for such study. I found that the logical progression of the analyses are easy to follow while answering the questions which popped up over the normal course of each section.

Read more here:
http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2014/8/19/6043393/book-review-rob-vollmans-hockey-abstract-2014
4002285
After reading this book you will surely ask yourself a couple of questions, mostly during watching games. Is it really possible for a team 3 or 4 goals behind after first half to still win the game after 90 minutes? Maybe, as sport is unpredictable. But it's not about unpredictability, but about fixing. With loads of empirical evidence this book is a must-read for people obsessed with football. It shall act as a cold water spilled on ones head. Too much money inside for the game to stay clear.
4715453
Dave Pelz presents an empirically derived system to improve the short game.  It is clearly  explained and is logically sound. After practicing his system for several hours, I am contacting the ball more consistently in the short game.  I am sure it will take many more hours of practice to see the improvement I hope to see in my short game.
4886175
First off, this game is amazing!  The dynasty mode is one of the best i've ever seen.  Now, would anyone happen to know how you can transfer an unlocked player?  I've unlocked Phil Niekro, but i am unable to figure out how to get him to be able to play in a game?  with any suggestions, or answers, please contact me.
2963326
Former NBA player and coach Phil Jackson tells the story of his final year coaching the Los Angeles Lakers. From receiving new players such as Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to the fued between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O' Neal. Phil begins from the beginning of the season, from teaching the new rookies the art of the triangle offense, and also to dealing with the alligations put forward on Kobe. Phil also talks about his personal life, from the divorce of his wife, to dating the boss's daughter. Phil explains how the team, that won 3 consecutive championships, slowly fell apart from self leadership and egos.

  I would recommend this book to all fans of the NBA. Phil Jackson is an inspiritational coach and his story alone is worth reading. "The Last Season" offers insight to how a wonderful team was created and fell apart and the story of the leader throughout five years of the Lakers, and three amazing victories. Phil Jackson's accomplishments in the game of basketball are regarded as a must to read.
4542579
This was my first year buying the Prospect Handbook and I was not disapointed. Great analysis, reviews and projections for the top 30 prospects on each team. Plus, the top 100 prospects and organizational rankings. This is the perfect companion for the best information on all of your team's future stars.
1994676
In many ways, this is a book similar to those written by Malcolm Gladwell. In 2013, the Pirates were at a "tipping point".Their GM and Manager needed to win or be fired. They, along with non-baseball playing math nerds, sought out "outliers", players who out-performed their peers in ways that other teams didn't recognize. With considerably fewer resources, the GM and Manager were confronting a "David and Goliath" battle.

To beat those odds, Clint Hurdle not only had to abandon much of what he considered important  like a pitcher's Win Loss record and ERA, and batting average as the most important metric for position players, he had to convince his coaches and next his players. To do this, Hurdle integrated the stat people with the scouts, as well as with the coaches. How Hurdle did this is explained in this very readable book. Although the specifics here deal with baseball, in a general way, it would be useful for businesses, especially those which need to be re-organized.
273773
To enjoy this book, you have to like either statistics or sports. Preferably both: *The Wages of Wins* is a crash course in *Freakonomics* for the really, really motivated guys in your fantasy baseball league.

 But even if you only like competition and not the numbers, *The Wages of Wins* (Stanford Business Books) lives up to its subtitle, "Taking Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport."

 It takes measure by using plenty of numbers -- authors David Berri, Martin Schmidt and Stacey Brook are economists, after all -- but also by relegating most of the statistics to the (lengthy) footnotes. And it keeps a sense of humor: There's a running joke about the NBA and its "short supply of tall people."

 Economists are such cards. But they're also capable of exploding a few sporting myths: Can owners use giant payrolls to buy themselves championships? (No.) Don't fans prefer leagues that are competitively balanced? (Not really.) Does having a superstar lead to increased ticket sales? (Only for the other teams.)

 Turns out that superstars don't help their teammates play better, don't perform better in crunch time, don't elevate their game during the playoffs. Oh, and NBA coaches and scouts basically don't know what they're doing: With draft prospects and veterans both, they overemphasize the value of scoring while greatly undervaluing things like shooting percentage, assists and rebounds -- you know, the stuff that wins games.

 Quarterbacks, moreover, aren't anywhere near as essential to a team's won-loss record as the NFL's rating system implies. One of the book's funniest passages is the account of how the NFL came up with its convoluted, inaccurate quarterback rating.

 Naturally, in among all the standard deviations and regression analyses and Gini Coefficients, the authors devise their own methods for rating quarterbacks and power forwards. The math isn't impossible to follow, and it's fun to watch Philadelphia 76ers guard Allan Iverson being used as a whipping boy. (Sure, he's a scoring machine, but only because he coughs up the rock a lot and shoots with no discernible conscience.)

 Still, if you're "not the competitive type" and not a bean-counter, what does *The Wages of Wins* have to offer? The performance measures devised by Berri et al. aren't applicable to regular Joes, mostly because mid-level managers don't usually rate their employees in 17 separate statistical categories. But stats, the authors remind us, measure all the things that players are doing when we're not watching. Your wages for reading *Wins*? A healthy distrust of the conventional wisdom. Whatever we're sure about is probably wrong.