I have to confess, I saw the movie before I read Michael Lewis' Moneyball. Before the movie came out I had this book on my to-read someday list. The movie moved it up and I was recently able to pick up a copy.
Perhaps because of the Oakland A's recent successes, I must say I found nothing particularly controversial in Billy Beane's ideas of how to build a baseball team. I independently came to the conclusion years ago that on-base percentage is a more valuable stat than batting average. Of course, I'm not as good with numbers as Beane and Paul DePodesta nor am I involved in the management of a Major League Baseball team.
Being a tad mathematically challenged, there were a few parts of the book that flew over my head as Beane assembled his low budget - high win team. That didn't keep the book from being a real page turner and hard to put down. Michael Lewis writes well and makes concepts clear while holding the reader's interest. Even having seen the movie didn't spoil the read. Beane's not the sympathetic character he is in the movie and he appears to miss a few things along the way but he's still a striking figure.
If you are an A's fan, a baseball fan, a math or business whiz, or just interested in a good read then Moneyball would be well worth your time.
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