Moneyball

I have to admit:  I don't really like baseball.  I always enjoyed attending games, but that's mostly a reflection of my desires to eat food I never otherwise touch, and people watch.  So I surprised myself in reading (and enjoying!) Michael Lewis' Moneyball:  The Art of Winning An Unfair Game.  

Moneyball is a bit of baseball history, biography, and economics combined. In it, Lewis tells the (true) story of Oakland Athletics' General Manager Billy Beane, and his ability to buy and sell players based upon what's often viewed by the rest of baseball as obscure and/or meaningless player statistics.  Lewis posts a sharp contrast between Beane's strategy and the rest of the league, particularly teams like the New York Yankees, who can afford millions to buy whatever great players they like.  The successful Beane, alternately, spends little money in selecting players which have little appeal to most GMs, but who've repeatedly proved themselves capable of taking the Athletics to the playoffs.

Note:  Scheduled release date for the film version of this book (starring Brad Pitt) is January 10, 2012.