Synopses & Reviews
Arguing about the merits of players is the baseball fan's second favorite pastime and every year the Hall of Fame elections spark heated controversy. In a book that's sure to thrilland#8212;and infuriateand#8212;countless fans, Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall, probing its history, its politics and, most of all, its decisions.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Arguing about the merits of players is the baseball fan's second favorite pastime and every year the Hall of Fame elections spark heated controversy. In a book that's sure to thrilland#8212;and infuriateand#8212;countless fans, Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall, probing its history, its politics and, most of all, its decisions.
Review
George F. Will Bill James has a genius for igniting fascinating baseball arguments, and an enviable talent for winning a lot of them. This book demonstrates why, were there a Cooperstown for baseball conversationalists, James would already be enshrined there.
Review
Daniel Okrent Once again, typical James: informative, insightful, amusing, and utterly persuasive. It will, I should add, be absolutely infuriating to the remaining baseball Luddites who don't realize what a genius Bill James is.
Review
Richard Corliss andlt;Iandgt;Timeandlt;/Iandgt; For 452 sizzling pages, the game's premier stats solon and most passionate fan stir-fries the old debate about who does and doesn't deserve to be [in the Hall of Fame].
Review
Dan Gutman andlt;Iandgt;Newsdayandlt;/Iandgt; Let's just let Bill James decide who belongs in the Hall of Fame. He's proven that he knows more about baseball than anybody in the whole world....
About the Author
Bill James made his mark in the 1970s and 1980s with his andlt;iandgt;Baseball Abstractsandlt;/iandgt;. He has been tearing down preconceived notions about America's national pastime ever since. He is currently the Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. James lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, Susan McCarthy, and three children.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;CONTENTSandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1. Hundreds of Visitors a Yearandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. 76 Trombonesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. Cacophony and Confusionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. So, Whadda We Do Now?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5. Institutional History -- the Hall of Fame in the 1940s and 1950sandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6. Scooterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7. Methods -- Introduction and Justificationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8. Drysdale and Pappasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9. Similarity Scoresandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10. Myer and Hermanandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11. Argumentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12. Gordon and Doerrandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13. Institutional History -- the Hall of Fame in the 1960s and 1970sandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14. Hall of Fame Standardsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15. The Negro Leaguersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16. Tinker and Davisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17. Priddy and Rizzutoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18. The Time Lineandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19. Overviewandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;20. Catfish and Luisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21. Fibonacci Win Pointsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22. The Keltner Listandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23. What Is the Hall of Fame?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24. Institutional History -- the Hall of Fame since 1980andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25. Stephens and Rizzutoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26. Round-Upandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;27. Charlie Hustle and Shoeless Joeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;28. Active Playersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;29. In a Better Worldandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;30. Reese and Rizzutoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;31. Don Drysdaleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32. Election Dayandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Index