The Book on the Book : A Landmark Inquiry into Which Strategies in the Modern Game Actually Work

Diehard fanatics will enjoy this comprehensive collection of groundbreaking baseball strategies, analyses, statistics, and studies


Baseball fans all across America will delight in this fascinating analysis of strategies and statistics. This unique approach to understanding the "tried and true" methodologies of the game of baseball examines conventional elements like the steal, hit and run, and line up construction. The Book on the Book offers an exciting critique of baseball by placing an actual dollar value on player performance and rating managers based on their on-field moves to determine who are the smartest tacticians.

No corner of the ballpark is left unturned as author Bill Felber explores the various methods of team-building, on-field values of players, the role and influence of the general manager in team success, and the importance of park effects. In a more controversial section, new tactical approaches to the use of the pitching staff contradict the more generally accepted practices.

In the vein of the late Leonard Koppett and Bill James, Felber uses mathematical and statistical principles to evaluate the wisdom of standard baseball strategies. Illustrations and a refreshingly engaging style make The Book on the Book the new textbook of baseball analysis.

BILL FELBER is executive editor of The Manhattan (Kan.) Mercury. A native of Chicago's south side, he graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in journalism and has worked in that field for more than three decades. He is a member of the board of directors and treasurer of Associated Press Managing Editors. A baseball historian and researcher for 20 years, he has authored studies for Total Baseball and other publications on numerous on-field and off-field aspects of the game.