In a league of it's own
589907
Secretary clearly doesn't appeal to everyone. Some people would view Lee and Mr. Grey as troubled people with a mental disorder. Some just take it with a sense of humor. But Lee really says it best when she explains how she found love that feels right for her. Nowadays everybody generalizes everything, saying that something or other applies to everyone. Clearly this isn't true, and it's about time more people realized it. Secretary is a beautifully funny, yet serious movie. The performances are astonishing, and why Maggie Gyllenhaal didn't win the Golden Globe is beyond me.
4325369
The New Historical Baseball Abstract isn't a perfect book. It has way too many typographical errors. Bill James's wonderfully cogent analysis sometimes gives way to moralistic railing about the state of the world today (his mini-essay on "professionalism" in the Steve Carlton entry veers into a critique of the Great Society), some of which has little to do with the topic at hand.
The biggest flaw is the introduction of Win Shares, his new statistic that rates the overall worth of a player's contribution, counting it as a percentage of the team's overall victory total. It isn't straightforward enough to explain; in fact, it isn't explained in full at all. For that we have to wait for a book called Win Shares, to be published in the spring.
Bill James has no peer as a logical writer, analyst or researcher, so I'm quite confident (...).
The first section, The Game, is largely similar to previous editions of the book, with the welcome addition of a series of essays called The Greatest Team What Ever Was, which discusses different ways of evaluating which teams are the greatest in history. He reaches no final conclusions (though, oddly, he never mentions the 1939 Yankees as one of the best one or two teams ever, which the recent Baseball Dynasties unequivocally does), but it's plenty entertaining.
James's writing remains uniquely satisfying. He can switch between withering sarcasm and groan-worthy punning, between thoughtful analysis and curt dismissal, like no other writer. The comments about Cecil Fielder's and George Scott's weight are alone worth the price of the book.
Finally, James's book makes you want to read more good baseball writing. For some worthy titles to take on, just pay attention to the excerpts he cites. I know I'll be buying Whitey Herzog's You're Missing a Great Game and Mike Sowell's The Pitch That Killed, right away.
232245
A great read about an insignificant game made more than just significant by the players (and managers) involved.
4223467
Good stuff for Fantasy baseballers and for just plain fans who follow individual players and stats.  I really enjoy Nate Silver's work here and on his political website fivethirtyeight.com  His numbers help temper your "can't miss" expectations with down-to-earth statistics.  My only quibble with this book so far is that the players are arranged in it by the team with which they ended last season.  This makes it hard to compare third-basemen, for instance, because you have to look at every team's pages and then dig to find some guys who are not listed where you are now expecting them to be. The intro tells you this and mentions an "index" of players that will help you find these players, but my copy of the book seems to be missing that index.
1553194
I moved to San Diego the year after they won their AFL Championship and immediately followed this team and the new league.  Having followed this team weekly it was interesting to see the historical perspective of this upstart league.  I fondly remember collecting the football cards of Jack Kemp, Keith Lincoln, Paul Lowe and Tobin Rote.  But this league is more known for it's famous characters such as wrestler Ernie Ladd, Cookie Gilchrist and Joe Namath.
This book allows the players to talk of their experiences, as there are liberal quotes throughout.  It tells the story of a poorly financed league that played exciting football that eventually required the conservative, more established NFL to merge.  A great example of how upstart the league was is the Miami Dolphins.  Ownership was given to Minnesota attorney, Joe Robbie, who struggled to make payroll and among other mismanagement stories, managed to turn the franchise into the only undefeated team ever and make his family a fortune.
Overall, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys football.  Players such as Joe Namath and the owners and founders in this league did more than you can imagine turning football into the enjoyable shoot-out now enjoyed by everyone.
2498357
Any baseball fan will recognize the town of San Pedro de Macoris as home of some of the major leagues' biggest stars, often touted by play-by-play men as DR's baseball factory. The rise of the town's (and the island's) pipeline to MLB is the subject of Kurlansky's book, and he does a passable job of chronicling how an obscure fishing and sugar town came to host the gaggle of major league scouts and the handful of MLB-funded developmental leagues that it boasts today.

Those are the subtitular "changes" that baseball has brought. But, almost in contradiction of his title, Kurlansky focuses on the many ways that the town remains unchanged. Specifically, it continues to be largely poor with an endemic lack of economic opportunity nearly as pervasive today as it has been throughout the Dominican history that Kurlansky painstakingly recounts. On that note, there is some heavier history -- especially in the early portions -- don't expect an early summer, back-to-baseball kind of read.

Kurlansky's book is more about what San Pedro de Macoris is, what forces formed it, and the stories of some of the stars who have "gotten out" than it is about any broad-based changes brought by baseball.

As above, his conclusion is that San Pedro is a poverty-stricken place. Fair enough, but he spends a lot of time on things like "kleptocracy" and meddling in domestic politics by the US and other developed countries. Paradoxically, it is these same forces -- specifically, the US professional leagues -- that offer Macorixeans the "way out" that Kurlansky seems to be touting, if not celebrating.

Likewise, there is little evidence of what the Dominican stars who have "escaped" have done to renivest in their hometown other than some passing references to one-off. Indeed, former players working as scouts are the only individuals who seem to take an interest in the town and its youth, although theirs is largely self-interest in service of the major league teams that pay them for finding and securing talent.

One of the more interesting angles Kurlansky takes is on the disparate impact that American racism has had on the rise of Dominicans in MLB. For example, he recounts that ways that Dominicans were able to ascend more quickly than American blacks in the majors because they were given a pass for being "Latin" instead of black. on the negative side for the Macorixeans, he also laments the labeling of players from DR - and around the Caribbean - as "hot heads" or "dandies," from the 1960s (with players like Marichal in the wake of his bat attack of Roseboro) to today and the well-publicized Alou comments about wild-swinging Latin players.

In the end, Kurlansky does not do enough to demonstrate how "baseball changed the Dominican town of San Pedro de Macoris." I'm not even sure - after reading his book - that I would buy that it has. He also goes very heavy on politically-slanted history and I think it may grate on some. I can admit that could be a reflection on American defensiveness about some of his conclusions and interpretations of history. But, it is also a commentary on the author's discipline and his unwillingness to remain mostly on the track he sets out.

I would have liked to see Kurlansky focus on one or two players more closely. He winds up with an impressive compendium of Dominican talent and back stories, but they are mostly characterized by vignettes. If you change the sports and the town, you have Friday Night Lights, an example of a book that was able to grab ahold of sports and mine the larger social context without leaving the characters and story hooks that are required to keep a reader focused.
3121313
I discovered my Major League Soccer fandom about one year after the author, who mirrors my own thoughts about the on-field product's improvement over the last decade.  After a second season of following the league and my adopted favorite team, I feel as though I too have learned to love MLS and appreciate a fan as skeptical as I once was taking the time to write an encouraging book for America's domestic league.
1478135
Year two of my franchise and I'm having trouble stopping. After playing all three baseball games for the X-Box (Triple Play, ASB, WSB) I can say without thinking, WSB beats them both. Triple Play is just plain bad. ASB is very good, almost as good as WSB, but it doesn't offer as many features. Now, back to WSB. Fans of the 2k series of any sport will instantly be familar with the layout of the menus of the game, simple to navigate. I have yet to find a real flaw in the gameplay. It's very easy to pick up and play, the batting, pitching, and fielding all goes very well. The graphics are excellent, the player faces are copies of their real life counterparts. The commentary lives up to the standard that the 2k series has set so far.
One of the games best features is it's franchise mode. For those of you that don't know, it really puts you in the game, you sign coaches, bump up the minor leaguers, sign free agents, and all very easily, not the same clumsy menus of NFL 2k2. I played two seasons as the White Sox, the first went pretty bad, but the second was half decent after I drafted some potential and made some trades. I also beefed up my pitching staff. It really makes you feel like you own the team.
Lastly, for those of you who are very picky on accurate rosters, you'll be pleased. The rosters are, from what I've seen, accurate within very recently.
Overall, this is the baseball game I'd recommend for anyone. If you have doubts, rent it first, but, you probably won't regret buying it.
3674452
The game is a bit of a victim of its own success.  I got it for my family for Christmas and we played a few times.

Game Play
Basically, you put all of the heavy cardboard letters down the center of the game board, in order.  The letters are only consonants, no vowels.  Then the opposing team reads a category and your team has one minute to choose a word that fits the category, and to move each letter contained in the word towards your side of the board.  Once letters have been used three times, they become your team's for the game.  Otherwise, they can still be used by the other team and pulled towards their side.  A team wins when they have captured 7 letters.  There is strategy involved, because you're pressed for time to choose the longest word that contains as many letters as possible on the board.  And sometimes you'll need to play defensively, pulling letters back from the other team's side.

Our Experience
It really only takes about one minute to understand.  We had a great time playing, but since I have a very competitive family, more than once a team was questioned as to whether their word fit the category.  And of course there isn't a moderator, so things got a little heated.

Pros
-High quality board and letters
-Easy to learn
-Quick to play
-Can be played with any number of players

Cons
-No moderation can lead to debate
-If teams are large or have dominant players, less vocal players can feel left out

Bottom Line
It's a great family game and I highly recommend it.
2722642
Travel Team is an underdog story about Danny Walker, the shortest twelve-year old in Middletown.  Danny is a gifted basketball player, but hes got some big shoes to fill.  His absentee father is a former pro ballplayer who might be best known for taking the local youth league to the national championships.  Dannys family situation is interesting enough, but the real story begins when Danny fails to make the towns travel team of top ballplayers when the coach thinks that hes just too short to compete.

When Danny starts to think about taking a year off from basketball, his dad steps back into the picture and offers to start up an alternative ball team.  He and Danny then set about assembling an unlikely team made up of Danny, a few other misfit kids, and even the unthinkable.a girl!  After a series of losses, it quickly becomes clear that this team will never win an actual game.  Until, all of a sudden, they actually do!

I don't want to give away too much of this book, because its worth reading for yourself.  It reminded me of all of Matt Christophers books that my classmates and I used to race through.  So many kids like to play sports, even though only a very small percentage will grow up to play professionally.  Theres so much that young people can learn from sports, and one of the most important things they can learn is how to lose well.
169774
In many ways, Yowamushi Pedal is a typical sports manga: a team of atheletes work together to take the crown. Yet it has this charm that makes it stand out from the field.

Case in point: Tadokoro. Sure, on the cover, he looks as if hes ready to punch you in the face and will have a good time doing it. Yet he actually is a nice guy, training out his underclassmen and even trying to help Makishima learn how to carry on a conversation with Onoda. He may seem strict, but he truly shares in the others victories and defeats. Tadokoro is rapidly becoming one of my favorite fat plump big guys in manga.

In Yowamushi Pedal Volume 3, the first-years and the second-years were competing for spots at Inter-High. The curly-haired second-year, Teshima, was in the midst of blocking the underclassmen, but Imaizumi and Naruko placed their bets on Onoda. Quite frankly, I was rooting for the hardworking Teshima and Aoyagi. I mean, we already know the younger three are all prodigies, and the pair really wanted to race once with their dear senpai.

After thats resolved at the start of Volume 4, Onoda starts to wonder if hes worthy of being on the team. What snaps him out of his funk isn't some loud scolding but a moving scene in which Kinjou shows him what being a member of the Sohoku Bicycle Club means. As they say, actions are louder than words, and its this sort of scene that makes Yowamushi Pedal so wonderful.

I wasn't quite as interested when the story went to check in on Hakone, the reigning champs, and Manamis attempts to be the first first-year on the team ever. We then go back and see a race between Sohoku and Hakone. The result was certainly surprising, and I find myself looking forward to the now-captains rematch rather than Onoda and Manamis reunion.

The mangas biggest weakness is still its art. Many times, art in long-running manga is significantly weaker  almost awful  than the later volumes. I hope it does improve because right now its still a strange combination of typical shounen sports, old-fashioned 70s/90s manga, boys love, and doujinshi. (Makishima also looks as if he stepped out of a Tim Burton flick.) The art has a sketch-like vibe to it. While some sketching looks great, too much and it looks messy. It also still feels like Watanabe is more comfortable drawing the backgrounds than the characters. The bikes and backgrounds seem picture perfect, but Onoda has exactly one shocked expression that is used constantly. Im hoping Watanabe finds his groove, as while Yowamushi Pedal is still easy to read, its definitely below the high standard of the main story.

Even with the influx of sports manga lately, Yowamushi Pedal should find a way onto your shelves. Both the main characters and the author himself have a purehearted passion for bicycle racing that shines on every page. Even if you don't go on bike rides, take Yowamushi Pedal for a spin.

- Krystallina
2243861
Lefty Gomez was one of the faces of one the greatest franchises in sports history.  He played on the field and interfaced in the clubhouse with some of the luminaries of the Yankees in their Golden Age.  Though rivalled by the Yankees of 1950's and early 1960's, the teams Gomez pitched for fielded Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and later, Joe DiMaggio.

Gomez emerged as their Ace, but also as their money pitcher, a performer who can be counted on for the really crucial games.

But, Gomez also emerged as a personality on a team of players devoid of color.  Lou Gehrig, for instance, through his greatness, was a conservative, habitual man.  Gomez was a fun-loving, rollicking personality, but also a caring, intuitive friend.

This book does not lionize him.  He had his warts, and this bio explores them.  He also had his times of crisis...adultery, a public divorce trial, and raging alcoholism at one point.  Yet, his humor carries him through both his pitching career, and the end of his career, and his second career as a salesman for Wilson.  His native intelligence, sharp wit, and down to Earth approach took him far throughout his life.

This is a fitting bio of an icon of an earlier age that not many know about.  Looking back at his career numbers, he might be considered a fringe Hall of Famer, but his place on a team that can be considered by many to be the best of all-time is indisputable.

In a time in sports where vivid personalities in sports were hailed by some of hte greatest sportswriters in sports history, Gomez emerges as one of the favorites, and one of the most decent and likable.
2126043
This film seems to echo much of my inner baseball geek's internal monologue.

Though I tend to side with the Sabermetrically inclined, I do feel like there are some things that make players great that don't show up in a slash line, and this film humanizes this.

Plus Clint Eastwood rules.
2159255
This is a novel with a story within the main baseball one, widening its appeal. The characters are strong and one can love 'em and detest 'em accordingly as there are more than simple heroes here.
399155
This is not one of the stronger books in John R. Tunis' eight-part Brooklyn Dodgers series, sad to say.  Tunis continues with his penchant for centering his story around a rookie, as is the case in all the Dodger books  except "World Series" and "The Kid Comes Back," which  continue the focus on Roy "The Kid From Tomkinsville" Tucker.  The designated rookie this time is a young pitcher named  "Schoolboy" Johnson, who will remind fans of the young Don  Drysdale.  Similar to Bones Hathaway in "Rookie Of The Year" and  Cecil McDade in "Highpockets," Johnson is headstrong and full of  himself (neither of which endears him to his teammates).  After a strong  start, he starts getting batted around a bit and has to deal with  self-doubt for the first time.  Again, not the strongest Tunis effort  because the ideas have pretty well been worked before.  However, the  writing is solid.  One intersting note is that the book first came out in  1958, the real Dodgers' first year in LA.  Try to find references to  Brooklyn in this one.  Worth reading and having because it completes the  series.
4271894
I like this bat a lot and it is a favorite bat on my coed rec league team. My only "complaint" is like any bat, if you don't hit the ball solidly and just get a piece of it, it's not going to do much haha. But once you connect right on, watch it soar!
2779624
Building his or her own real baseball team is a dream for many fantasy baseball players.  For two editors of Baseball Prospectus (the current and former editors), that dream becomes a reality when they were allowed to run the baseball operations of the Sonoma Stompers of an independent league in California. The adventures of Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller running this team during the 2015 season are captured in this excellent book.

Given their occupations and obsession with statistical analysis, the duo tries to assemble the roster completely through their spreadsheets (even calling some of their prospects spreadsheet guys) but soon come to realize that some old-fashioned scouting and legwork will work as well.  The comparisons to Moneyball are inevitable and they actually provide some of the more entertaining passages from the book. For example, one of the funniest lines of the book states that if the As were a collection of misfit toys, as Micheal Lewis wrote, then well be building a team out of toys that got recalled because they were choke hazards.  I was in tears after reading that line.

Some of the passages are also more serious or even poignant such as some of the exchanges between Sam and/or Ben and the players or the manager. When trying hard to sell a strategy such as a defensive shift or using a closer for more than just the ninth inning, the guys realize that there has to be some trust in the instincts and knowledge of baseball men like the manager and scouts. There is a lot of compromise on these types of conflicts throughout the Stompers season.

This format is a winner for the book as it is one that anyone who is a baseball fan, whether a stat geek or an old-school believer; casual fan or addicted seamhead, young or old, should add to his or her baseball library. It will entertain, inform and delight all readers of baseball books.

I wish to thank Henry Holt and Company Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.