Author Topic: "The Extra 2 percent" - reviews and discussion  (Read 5505 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39415
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
"The Extra 2 percent" - reviews and discussion
« Topic Start: March 09, 2011, 05:48:49 PM »
I've yet to order the book, and frankly, I have to get ready for my roto draft and do my taxes before I indulge.  But this sounds like a must read.  Even if you are not into sabr / stats stuff, it is interesting to see how the Rays try to get an edge on everything as the new regime tries to dig themselves out of the hole the D-Rays were in.

Below is a link to an interview with Jonah Keri, Expos fan and author. There is so much here about having the guts to deal top prospects, scouting and development, not wasting MLB time when players aren't ready to perform, to little things like training the ushers to be polite, that the book looks like a great read.

Q&A with Jonah Keri, in Boston.com

Offline Lintyfresh85

  • Posts: 35130
  • World Champions!!!
I ordered it in February... should arrive today.

Then again, I thought it was going to arrive yesterday... so who knows when it'll come.

Can't wait though, I'm sure it'll be a great read!

Offline HalfSmokes

  • Posts: 21606
Just ordered it, I was going to go via Kindle, but hard cover is less that 1 dollar more and I don't like to take the kindle to my throne room

Offline PANatsFan

  • Posts: 37398
  • dogs in uncensored, nudes in gameday
Just ordered it, I was going to go via Kindle, but hard cover is less that 1 dollar more and I don't like to take the kindle to my throne room

Never have, never will.


Offline The Chief

  • Posts: 31799
    • http://www.wnff.net
you guys are such prudes

Offline HalfSmokes

  • Posts: 21606
I like my reading material there when I have to go instead of having to find it on the way

Offline PANatsFan

  • Posts: 37398
  • dogs in uncensored, nudes in gameday
you guys are such prudes

I just don't crap where I eat, and I eat while reading my kindle.

Online Kevrock

  • Posts: 13788
  • That’s gonna be a no from me, doge.
Thanks for the reminder, I just placed my order.

Offline MarquisDeSade

  • Posts: 15101
  • Captain Sadness
Excellent.  Another addition to the "52 Books in 52 Weeks" list.

Offline blue911

  • Posts: 18486
Excellent.  Another addition to the "52 Books in 52 Weeks" list.

I've been trying to read Milton's Paradise Lost, it's like 52 verses in 52 weeks.  :?

Offline Lintyfresh85

  • Posts: 35130
  • World Champions!!!
Alright, book came today!

Online JCA-CrystalCity

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 39415
  • Platoon - not just a movie, a baseball obsession
I've been trying to read Milton's Paradise Lost, it's like 52 verses in 52 weeks.  :?
Eric or Bradley?

Offline houston-nat

  • Posts: 19050
I've been trying to read Milton's Paradise Lost, it's like 52 verses in 52 weeks.  :?

Good luck, dude. I've read... uh... 3 lines of that.

Offline blue911

  • Posts: 18486
Good luck, dude. I've read... uh... 3 lines of that.

I will have to outlive Methuselah at my current pace. I wish they made a coloring book edition.

Offline MarquisDeSade

  • Posts: 15101
  • Captain Sadness
It could be worse, you could be reading this:


Offline Lintyfresh85

  • Posts: 35130
  • World Champions!!!
Vicent Naimoli = Ted Lerner

Offline Nathan

  • Posts: 10726
  • Wow. Such warnings. Very baseball. Moderator Doge.
Just ordered it, I was going to go via Kindle, but hard cover is less that 1 dollar more and I don't like to take the kindle to my throne room
Never have, never will.


you guys are such prudes
The kindle, Nook Color, and iPhone all 3 have internet access.  WNFF is my most visited site.  You do the math.

Offline PANatsFan

  • Posts: 37398
  • dogs in uncensored, nudes in gameday
The kindle, Nook Color, and iPhone all 3 have internet access.  WNFF is my most visited site.  You do the math.

The thing that makes me go :spaz: is the Nook Color. It's a piece of trash.

Offline Lintyfresh85

  • Posts: 35130
  • World Champions!!!
Kasten and Nats get mentioned early in the book.

In regards to Rays signing Chuck LaMar former Braves FO member... and how lots of former Braves FO men went on to fail after leaving...

"The Washington Nationals raved about landing Stan Kasten as the team's president, pointing to his tenure as president of the Braves. They made no mention of Kasten's spotty track record with the Atlanta Hawks, which included some glory years in the 1980s with Dominique Wilkins but also curious decisions like making a zillionaire out of Jon Koncak, a player who could best be described as the opposite of Dominique Wilkins."

Offline tomterp

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 33783
  • Hell yes!
It could be worse, you could be reading this:



Nothing wrong with studying a little Microeconomic theory.  Why did he buy that?  What was he thinking? 

Offline MarquisDeSade

  • Posts: 15101
  • Captain Sadness
Nothing wrong with studying a little Microeconomic theory.  Why did he buy that?  What was he thinking?  

We used it in both of my graduate micro classes and it made me want to hunt Hal Varian down and personally thank him for not torturing me with his Micro book.  If you're reading Mas-Colell for fun you need to commit yourself to St. Elizabeth's immediately.  Seriously, everything about this book is torture - the material, the font, the book itself (it weights around 4lbs).  

I'm going through my notes and it (Mas-Colell) again for a refresher before my interviews start.  Good thing most of these jobs are straight econometrics, I don't think I could handle having to spend that much time obsessing over utility functions.  Instead it'll be variance inflation factors, differential item functioning, collinearity, and logit models.  Lucky me.

Offline tomterp

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 33783
  • Hell yes!
We used it in both of my graduate micro classes and it made me want to hunt Hal Varian down and personally thank him for not torturing me with his Micro book.  If you're reading Mas-Colell for fun you need to commit yourself to St. Elizabeth's immediately.  Seriously, everything about this book is torture - the material, the font, the book itself (it weights around 4lbs).  

I'm going through my notes and it (Mas-Colell) again for a refresher before my interviews start.  Good thing most of these jobs are straight econometrics, I don't think I could handle having to spend that much time obsessing over utility functions.  Instead it'll be variance inflation factors, differential item functioning, collinearity, and logit models.  Lucky me.

I can't comment on the book itself, but I always found economics generally to be a fun and enlightening field of study.  Maybe when you are an accountant, that's a matter of perspective.   :-[

I had 15 Econ hours in undergrad, another 6 in grad school, it was a relief from the accounting stuff at times.

Offline MarquisDeSade

  • Posts: 15101
  • Captain Sadness
I can't comment on the book itself, but I always found economics generally to be a fun and enlightening field of study.  Maybe when you are an accountant, that's a matter of perspective.   :-[

I had 15 Econ hours in undergrad, another 6 in grad school, it was a relief from the accounting stuff at times.

There is a TON of great stuff in economics, especially in game theory.  Graduate level microeconomics, for me at least, is about the most painful subject matter out there.  So much of non-game theory micro is so tautological it makes me want to scream.

Offline Evolution33

  • Posts: 5093
    • Blown Save, Win
Good book. I enjoyed it and you should read it. I wrote a full review here http://blownsavewin.com/?p=1376. I couldn't help but relating a few things to the Nats as it sounds like the Nats are trying to do some of the things the Rays did, but with a bigger budget. Anyways it is an entertaining, fun read.

Offline hammondsnats

  • Posts: 37394
It could be worse, you could be reading this:

the thing about ethics is ...



so sounds like a good read