Rating: 
Summary: An Enjoyable Read
Review: This book, like nearly all of Neyer's writing, was an extremely enjoyable read for the money. (Note: I purchased the book at a discounted price of $11.95.) It can be read in one burst, as I read it, or over a long period of time.This is an excellent book for the knowledgeable baseball fan who is not statistically inclined. While Neyer uses statistical analysis such as Bill James' Win Shares to create his lineups, he does this in the background. This gives the casual fan the pleasure of reading the book without being concerned about the methodology. At the same time, however, using Win Shares results in some lineup positioning that might be controversial to the casual fan. For example, the exclusion of Larry Bowa from both of the Phillies first and second shortstop positions forces the curious reader to question his exclusion. (The answer, given by Neyer, is that Bowa walked infrequently and had few extra-base hits, leading to a lower value to his team than mere batting average would suggest.) In sum, this is a fun little book that can - but doesn't have to - make you think.
Rating:
Summary: More of a Bathroom book
Review: This is a book that is not intended to sit down and read from cover to cover. Instead, just open it up, browse to a team, and read what Rob Neyer has written. This is a must book for a baseball fan. If you like to sit with friends and discuss baseball teams and players then this book will give you good info.
Rating:
Summary: More of a Bathroom book
Review: This is a book that is not intended to sit down and read from cover to cover. Instead, just open it up, browse to a team, and read what Rob Neyer has written. This is a must book for a baseball fan. If you like to sit with friends and discuss baseball teams and players then this book will give you good info.
Rating: 
Summary: The sum is greater than its parts
Review: This is not a book to be read in a few sittings or over the course of a week. Of course, that didn't stop me. Neyer's comprehensive lists, anecdotes and essays capture baseball's most alluring charm: the stat. No other sport can be catalogued, compared, debated like baseball. And very few writers or fans break down the details better than Neyer or deliver the results in a more manageable and reader friendly manner (by very few writers I really mean Bill James and that's only when it comes to breaking down the numbers). Breaking teams and organizations into multiple categories (iron glove stands as my favorite) is a simple idea that Neyer flushes out with nuanced details and sound logic. Just get the damn book. It's really good.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but controversial
Review: ~Anyone who has a knowledge of baseball can easily pick the best first baseman in New York Yankee history: Lou Gehrig. But how about the best centerfielder? Mantle, or DiMaggio? In my lifetime, I've been a fan of both, so either one might qualify... and yet, whichever you leave out, you're leaving out one of the Yankees' greatest players. By restricting your all-time best Yankee team to one at each position, you're forced to choose, and yet, at other positions (like left field or third base), the~~ best one you can find is nowhere near the SECOND-best centerfielder. (I'm assuming, when I talk of left fielders, you consider Babe Ruth a RIGHT fielder, as Neyer does: he played left on the road and right in Yankee Stadium!) I'm sure there are similar problems with other teams; I know the Yankees best, so I gave Yankee examples. But this is the problem with any book of this type. Still, it's fun to look at the lists in this book. I'm not sorry I bought it. 4 stars, yes... but certainly~~ not 5.~
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