[randyflycaster]

I'm no longer much of a baseball fan, but I loved this book, especially the way a few individuals came to see the game and its statistics in different and revolutionary light. I know this is a stretch, but the book reminds me of the way Einstein, Darwin and other scientists changed the way we see the world.

I also loved the mini-biographies of several players who made it to the major leagues even though most scouts thought they wouldn't. Their stories are inspiring.

So to me, this book is a beautiful blend of statistics and personalities. In the end, I saw that the two go hand in hand.

I did, however, have mixed feelings about the book's central character, Billy Beane. I found him interesting, but I can't say I liked him, even though I appreciated that he tried to run an organization in a new way, a way that was partly born from his own failures as a player. In fact, that's what I found most interesting about this book: the way the ideas of two men who experienced failure and rejection, Beane and Bill James, came together and brought the team with the lowest payroll within a game of the World Series.

There are several compelling themes to this book. It's certainly multi-dimensional, as there are different levels to it.

Randy