Pay As You Play

[RedMersey]

I've been thinking about ordering this, as I find his blog posts insightful and interesting. Have any of you read it, and find it worth a recommendation?

[Rimbeux]

DH has it...

 

 

I might read it over Christmas, got a couple of others to get through first including 'Why England Lose'. Moneyball was good insight, if a bit self regarding and crusading

Edited November 26, 2010 by Rimbeux

[RedMersey]

So Moneyball was an interesting read even without ever having watched baseball?

[Rimbeux]

So Moneyball was an interesting read even without ever having watched baseball?

 

Indeed, one of the key points behind it was not watching the game funnily enough, the GM would spend gametime in the gym or driving around being updated on the score via PDA, never watching.

 

The point it was trying to make was that so much of the received wisdom over how you recruit and select players and the strategy of the game was not backed up with evidence and facts, and in many instances contradicted by the facts. It was about 'feel' and time spent in the game versus examination of the facts and data.

[_00_deathscar]

I haven't read moneyball, but I suspect that the methods used to gauge whether the player was a success or not would not necessarily translate to football. Football is far more subjective and lends itself to less statistical analysis in comparison to baseball.

[Rimbeux]

I haven't read moneyball, but I suspect that the methods used to gauge whether the player was a success or not would not necessarily translate to football. Football is far more subjective and lends itself to less statistical analysis in comparison to baseball.

 

 

Probably right, Cricket would be closer. One of the key points is also a dispute between the received wisdom of how you measure player success and the sabermetrician view, they concentrate on different areas. What's the relevance? There is probably huge inefficiency and the same reliance on feel and chance in player recruitment in football also, get a load in and see what sticks. Some people maybe way ahead on this already.