08/27/2018Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Blunders ) revisits the Sept. 8, 2017, game between the Oakland A’s and the Houston Astros, which started as a blowout but ended as a nail-biter. Neyer’s sharp play-by-play is a hook for extensive color commentary on changes in the sport, including the increases in home runs and strikeouts; the rise of infield shifts against pull hitters; the proliferation of specialist relief pitchers; uniform and hair-styling fashions; and the tsunami of stats, right down to the velocity and launch angle of every batted ball, that now dictates baseball management. Along the way he profiles the players, recapping their journeys through the minors, trades, injuries, and comebacks. Neyer’s tome is the anti-Moneyball , with a well-informed but skeptical take on sabermetrics and the science of baseball performance: in his telling, well-planned trades and top draft picks fizzle, last season’s bum becomes this season’s star, and statistical certitudes always bow to lady luck. It’s a ramble, but Neyer’s deep knowledge and punchy prose—“The guy on the mound might be throwing aspirin pills, almost too fast to see”—make the book a treat for dedicated fans. (Oct.)
Neyer, in a rare feat, captures the humor and humanity in the game, as well as what makes the revelry and rivalry of baseball so special.” — Library Journal
“If Marcel Proust had been a 21st century baseball analytics expert…” — New York Journal of Books
“A smart, original, insightful look at all the nooks, crannies, and nuances that make the game of baseball so beautiful—and so fascinating. I’ve always loved Rob Neyer’s passion for the National Pastime. Power Ball brings that forth in vibrant colors.” — -JEFF PEARLMAN, author of The Bad Guys Won
“Sweet, funny, and thoroughly original, Rob Neyer’s rendering of an otherwise meaningless game is an incisive and prescriptive analysis of the game’s past, present, and future.” — -JANE LEAVY, author of The Big Fella
“Any book in which Jose Altuve is mentioned eighty times, Fenway Park eleven times, Roger Clemens seven times, and Vinny Castilla gets a shout-out is good for me. Neyer is painting a picture of baseball today, but like the pictures at Hogwarts, the characters are always in action. The game emanates forward from the players themselves. Pete Incaviglia drops in to make a point. Is it the best sports book of the year? It might be. Let’s say it is; I don’t have one out. No skin off my nose. Three hundred pages of heaven. Matt Chapman is mentioned twenty-eight times.” — -BILL JAMES, author of The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
“Power Ball provides the best coverage of the modern game since Moneyball by clicking the + button and zooming in on one game between two franchises at the cutting edge of the fascinating changes. Come for the insight, stay for the riveting narrative spun by the best baseball writer in the business.” — -DARYL MOREY, general manager of the Houston Rockets and cofounder of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
“Baseball is the greatest sport not because of its past, but its glorious present. Rob Neyer captures baseball in all its complications and nuances, taking it apart and putting it back together again, reminding us why it remains as powerful and vital as it has ever been. Like a great baseball game, it’s a read I never wanted to end.” — -WILL LEITCH, author of Are We Winning?
“Whoever says baseball never changes hasn’t read Power Ball . You may not like 13-man pitching staffs, or exit velocity, or the Chase Utley rule—but it’s hard not to like Rob Neyer’s way of exploring these and scores of other aspects of what he calls Postmodern Baseball. As this particular game unfolds before you, he’s the perfect companion in the seat next to you in the bleachers.” — -DANIEL OKRENT, author of Nine Innings
“The scope of this book ranges…engagingly, from the potential impact of climate change on the game and the influence of social media on players, to the evolving fashions of player uniforms and hair styles… Mr. Neyer’s prose is sharp and colorful and based on a deep understanding of the game…Mr. Neyer…presents a frank and realistic take on Postmodern Baseball’s newfound obsession with the “science” of baseball.” — -The Wall Street Journal
If Marcel Proust had been a 21st century baseball analytics expert…
New York Journal of Books
Whoever says baseball never changes hasn’t read Power Ball . You may not like 13-man pitching staffs, or exit velocity, or the Chase Utley rule—but it’s hard not to like Rob Neyer’s way of exploring these and scores of other aspects of what he calls Postmodern Baseball. As this particular game unfolds before you, he’s the perfect companion in the seat next to you in the bleachers.
A smart, original, insightful look at all the nooks, crannies, and nuances that make the game of baseball so beautiful—and so fascinating. I’ve always loved Rob Neyer’s passion for the National Pastime. Power Ball brings that forth in vibrant colors.
Any book in which Jose Altuve is mentioned eighty times, Fenway Park eleven times, Roger Clemens seven times, and Vinny Castilla gets a shout-out is good for me. Neyer is painting a picture of baseball today, but like the pictures at Hogwarts, the characters are always in action. The game emanates forward from the players themselves. Pete Incaviglia drops in to make a point. Is it the best sports book of the year? It might be. Let’s say it is; I don’t have one out. No skin off my nose. Three hundred pages of heaven. Matt Chapman is mentioned twenty-eight times.
Sweet, funny, and thoroughly original, Rob Neyer’s rendering of an otherwise meaningless game is an incisive and prescriptive analysis of the game’s past, present, and future.
The scope of this book ranges…engagingly, from the potential impact of climate change on the game and the influence of social media on players, to the evolving fashions of player uniforms and hair styles… Mr. Neyer’s prose is sharp and colorful and based on a deep understanding of the game…Mr. Neyer…presents a frank and realistic take on Postmodern Baseball’s newfound obsession with the “science” of baseball.
Power Ball provides the best coverage of the modern game since Moneyball by clicking the + button and zooming in on one game between two franchises at the cutting edge of the fascinating changes. Come for the insight, stay for the riveting narrative spun by the best baseball writer in the business.
Baseball is the greatest sport not because of its past, but its glorious present. Rob Neyer captures baseball in all its complications and nuances, taking it apart and putting it back together again, reminding us why it remains as powerful and vital as it has ever been. Like a great baseball game, it’s a read I never wanted to end.
Rob Neyer is the author and narrator of this sprightly, informative commentary on the evolution of Major League Baseball. Neyer has covered the MLB in various capacities since the mid-1990s, and his wealth of knowledge is well established. Listeners will be further delighted by his accessible writing style and high-quality narration. There are imperfections, as one might expect from a reader who does not specialize in narration. However, Neyer sounds entirely at ease delivering his own work. His passion for baseball and sense of humor are ever present, and his insights are essential for understanding the contemporary game. The structure of the audiobook further adds to its appeal. He uses a single game from the 2017 season to explore broader trends and history. A.T.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Rob Neyer is the author and narrator of this sprightly, informative commentary on the evolution of Major League Baseball. Neyer has covered the MLB in various capacities since the mid-1990s, and his wealth of knowledge is well established. Listeners will be further delighted by his accessible writing style and high-quality narration. There are imperfections, as one might expect from a reader who does not specialize in narration. However, Neyer sounds entirely at ease delivering his own work. His passion for baseball and sense of humor are ever present, and his insights are essential for understanding the contemporary game. The structure of the audiobook further adds to its appeal. He uses a single game from the 2017 season to explore broader trends and history. A.T.N. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
