I feel like a bit of a failure as a baseball fan in having taken so long to finally read this. It's tremendous, and it is almost as much of a book about business as about baseball. Lewis does a wonderful job bringing the reader into the tenseness and behind-the-scenes decision making and back stories. But it is truly the idea of undervalued assets that makes the book click and makes it so much more than just a baseball book.

Not only is Billy Beane’s Athletics team of the early aughts a true “David Vs. Goliath” story but it’s also an interesting case study on how so many people could be doing something so wrong for so long due to things like “tradition”. The idea that sabermetrics could help baseball teams succeed was around since the 1970’s and it took 30+ years for it to be implemented and now it’s the standard for most teams. You just can’t believe that people were trying to “sell jeans” as they say in the book, instead of looking at cold hard data. It really makes you wonder what other industries are out there that are one billy beane away from flipping everything on its head. A lot of the book goes into detail about a few specific players that Paul depodesta, Beane’s right hand man in Oakland, once called “an island of misfit toys” and a little bit of their backstories which i thought dragged a tad bit if I’m honest and is probably the only minor thing i could criticize about this otherwise fantastic read.
Good book, great lesson.

A fascinating story, a talented writer and baseball - what's not to love? Fun to read even if you've already seen the movie. Loses a star for bursting all of my baseball fan bubbles.

If you haven't already seen the movie, you ought to see the movie. And after you have seen the movie, you ought to read the book. I loved the film adaptation, it adds magic and melancholy to the story. This book stands out to me not because it's a good underdog story (though it is a very good underdog story), and not because it's a good non-fiction story (and it is a very good non-fiction story), but because of the symbolic power and universality of its core message: there is unseen value in every human being.

People are overlooked and undervalued because of all kinds of perceived flaws such as age, appearance, personality, and other superficial attributes. What makes Billly Beane and Paul DePodesta such great heroes in this story is how they see past the superficiality and bring out the value of people like Chad Bradford, Scott Hatteberg, Jeremy Brown and Kevin Youkilis. The chapter on Hatteberg alone made the $5 Kindle Book worth the money I spent. The epilogue on the pudgy Jeremy Brown is touching, especially the way it's depicted at the end of the film: he doesn't realize that he has just hit a home run.

My recommendation comes with the condition that you must be willing to tolerate baseball clubhouse language. I was too into the story to really notice, but the semi-frequent use of the f-word may be the only thing some people see if they read this. They won't know what they're missing.

Where has this book been all my life!? It’s a whopping 21 years old and somehow I managed to miss out on this gem.

I guess I never stumbled upon this classic because, I’ll be honest here, I REALLY hate baseball. But I found myself absolutely loving this book. It grabbed me from the very first page and didn’t let go. Who knew a book about baseball could be such a rollercoaster ride of intrigue?

What makes “Moneyball” so appealing is that it’s the super-ultimate underdog story: a gigantic, ragtag crew of misfits, banding together, flipping the script, and toppling the establishment. It’s like watching a real-life superhero team-up movie, where every underdog gets their moment to shine, and they all rise to glory together in one epic, triumphant smackdown.

What makes “Moneyball” even more special is its timing. With all the dismal news we've been exposed to lately, this book is a much-needed shot in the arm of a good old-fashioned feel-good story. And the best part? It’s non-fiction. These events actually happened, which makes the story even more compelling.

The story centers on the Oakland Athletics and their general manager, Billy Beane. Beane and his team of misfits challenge the traditional norms of baseball using sabermetrics, a method of statistical analysis. Instead of relying on the usual big-budget strategy, they focus on overlooked players with big flaws, but still with hidden potential.

Lewis does an amazing job of giving us a front-row seat to all the excitement as these renegades remake the world of baseball. His writing is sharp and engaging, making complex statistical concepts not only understandable but also fascinating.

One of the things I loved most about “Moneyball” is how it humanizes the players and staff. These aren’t just athletes; they’re individuals with dreams, flaws, and incredible resilience. These players were guys who had been chewed up and spit out by the traditional, man-of-steel, gifted athlete system. Lewis brings their stories to life with such vivid detail that you can’t help but get invested in their journey.

Take, for example, the section where Beane, drafts Chad Bradford, a pitcher with a quirky submarine style. Bradford was ridiculed by most teams because of his freakishly twisted style, but Beane saw his potential. The way Lewis describes Bradford’s rise from obscurity to a key player is truly inspiring. It’s classic underdog.

Another great section is when Beane and his team pick up Scott Hatteberg, a former catcher with a damaged elbow. Most teams would have written him off, but the A’s saw an opportunity. After a lifetime behind the plate, they had the audacity to transform Hatteberg into a first baseman, and he became a crucial part of their lineup.

Lewis balances the technical aspects of baseball with human stories, making the book accessible to both baseball enthusiasts and newcomers like myself. You don’t need to love the sport to appreciate the ingenuity and heart that went into the A’s revolutionary approach.

Reading “Moneyball” gave me a needed shot of hope for this troubled world. It’s about more than just baseball; it’s about challenging the status quo and believing in the potential of the overlooked and underestimated. This book is a celebration of the underdog, and it's just a darn inspiring read.

This would probably have been a more interesting read if I had read it a while back--before the movie and before all the other books I've read that cited to it. Or maybe if I knew anything at all about baseball.

Still, no one writes about Michael Lewis and this is a very interesting book. Although I am not sure the conclusions still stand. I've read and heard some pushback on purely statistical draft picking. Though the theory that we are too biased to trust our own guts is eminently provable.

An inside look at some of The Good Stuff

The story about the great former Seattle Mariner Jaimie Moyer is enough to justify the cover price of this book. Baseball just has better stories than any other sport. Period!

I read this back when it was first published and I was a Seattle Mariners fan at the mercy of the success of the Oakland franchise. I remember Oakland’s 20 game streak while our own position in the division evaporated into thin air. I learned a lot about baseball and so recommend this book to fans.

Now I live in Spain and I think the same process could translate to European football. I see so much of the game, so many different facets that seem to be played on pure tradition instead of deciding whether or not it is effective. I also see a lot of players who seem horribly over-priced and over-valued. I hope my home club of Valencia Club de Fútbol takes notice of Billy Beane and company.

Michael Lewis is such a skillful writer that he embarrasses most of the “literary” writers out there who plod along writing their little self-indulgent introspections while rarely leaving the confines of academia. The lesson they should learn is to get out and learn something new to write about.

So here's the thing: before I started reading, this book had everything going against it for me. Despite my love of sports, I don't like baseball (at all) and I don't watch it. I know the basics of the game but otherwise, really don't know anything about the game and only recognize the names of really famous players. I don't like math or statistics (which are a big part of baseball and in a small way, this book) and I don't generally love nonfiction, though I do read it, it's not more than a couple books a year.

But several people had talked about this book, and how much they enjoyed it, not just because of the story but the broader business ideas that could be taken from it. Truthfully, I didn't really care a lot about that either (I guess I'm just not big on "bettering" myself :P ) but I downloaded the sample randomly one day, out of curiousity. I didn't open the sample right away but waited until a day when I was looking for something random to read, and opened this one without any conscious reason.

And I was hooked. The author, Michael Lewis, is an excellent and riveting storyteller. He has the amazing talent of taking what should have been a story I had no interest in, and made it compelling. I read this book nonstop for two days (nonstop as in, I didn't read anything else in between, as I generally do when I'm reading nonfiction. A nonfic book usually takes me weeks or months to finish).

Truthfully, while I thought some of the takeaways that could be applied to other business were interesting, I didn't read it for inspiration, nor did I particularly find any. But I did think the history that Michael Lewis was really fascinating, and his ability to make this a story of human interest and draw the reader in is what makes this such a great read.

Also, I have to say, the epilogue (which is obvious was not in the original book but was later added to a new edition) was almost my favorite. It's like the best response to reviewers and people who hated the book without even reading it.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes baseball, nonfiction, or is just looking for a great human-interest story that drags you along for the ride.

Read this for the nostalgia, and it very much delivered. I loved how dramatic it was tbh, but there are definitely times it's clear this was written by a white man 20 years ago. Will probably re read in 5 years when I'm sad about the A's again.

Not just the best non-fiction book about sports ever written, but is this the best possible explanation of the scientific method?

i love baseball