Money Ball - Michael Lewis

[Myth465]

Money Ball

Anything by Michael Lewis is a must read inmo (and Seth Klarman's). I read this book after his recommendation. He said its the best book about Value Investing that's not an investing book. Its about a guy who builds a team with cheap players using unconventional metrics and methods.

Highly recommended. I plan on seeing the movie, hopefully they have done a good job with it and it works as a good substitute.

[seshnath]

Money Ball

Anything by Michael Lewis is a must read inmo (and Seth Klarman's). I read this book after his recommendation. He said its the best book about Value Investing that's not an investing book. Its about a guy who builds a team with cheap players using unconventional metrics and methods.

Highly recommended. I plan on seeing the movie, hopefully they have done a good job with it and it works as a good substitute.

My views exactly.

I thought this was one of his best books and I have an autographed copy (from 2008 CFA Conference in Orlando)

[vinod1]

Do you need to know anything about baseball to make sense of this book? I wanted to read this book for a long time but I have next to no knowledge of baseball.

Thanks

Vinod

[enoch01]

Do you need to know anything about baseball to make sense of this book? I wanted to read this book for a long time but I have next to no knowledge of baseball.

Thanks

Vinod

A basic knowledge of baseball is helpful, but it's not essential to understand the thesis.  I highly recommend the book.

[VAL9000]

Do you need to know anything about baseball to make sense of this book? I wanted to read this book for a long time but I have next to no knowledge of baseball.

Thanks

Vinod

I knew next-to-nothing about baseball and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Michael Lewis is the kind of author that can take a subject that you have no knowledge of and make you feel smart about it while he teaches you.  You won't feel like you know nothing about baseball after reading it.

And yeah, it's all about value.

[Kraven]

I am a big baseball fan and loved the book.  It is one of my all time favorites in both the business and sports categories.  Michael Lewis can write just about anything and make it enjoyable. 

Another book in the same vein is "The Extra 2%" by Jonah Keri.  It's similar to Moneyball and tells how a couple former Goldman Sachs colleagues took over the Tampa Bay Rays and using Sabermetrics (the topic of Moneyball) they took the team from from worst to first.  They even made the World Series although were decimated by the Phils.  There is an interesing little forward from Mark Cuban on how he did similar things with the Dallas Mavericks.

[seshnath]

Do you need to know anything about baseball to make sense of this book? I wanted to read this book for a long time but I have next to no knowledge of baseball.

Thanks

Vinod

Vinod - I know/knew nothing about baseball even after reading the book. 

[meiroy]

I am a big baseball fan and loved the book.  It is one of my all time favorites in both the business and sports categories. Michael Lewis can write just about anything and make it enjoyable. 

I second that.

[SouthernYankee]

One of the great things about the book was the reaction from the reporters who cover sports. A lot of them hated it, because Billy Beane was removing (trying to) the emotional aspects of scouting and trying to make it into more of a science (numbers and outcome based). Sounds like value investing, no?

[seshnath]

One of the great things about the book was the reaction from the reporters who cover sports. A lot of them hated it, because Billy Beane was removing (trying to) the emotional aspects of scouting and trying to make it into more of a science (numbers and outcome based). Sounds like value investing, no?

Exactly!!!! I thought Billy Beane was the Ben Graham of his craft.