Money Ball by Michael Lewis

I wouldn't even know about Money Ball by Michael Lewis if my son, Colin, was not majoring in sports management at college. He is the person whose passion for baseball pushed me to learn how to watch and understand the game. Unfortunately, being a single mother is not the best set-up for even a very talented ball player because the schmoozing that goes on at the dug-out and over the beers afterward is a fathers' prerogative. So, when I started reading Lewis' description of how the traditional scouts thought and how that approach led to a disappointing major league career by Billy Beane, I found it fascinating. It was the back-story that cause his "Aha!" moment when he encountered the statistician's perspective on what measurable factors predict major league success. This triggered how he was able to make the Oakland A's become a winning team on a shoe-string budget - at least in comparison with other major league franchises. While I got bogged down a bit in the middle of the book, not knowing all the names and situations because I am not a consummate baseball fan like my son, I think this is an important book for anyone involved in organizational change to read. Personally, I do not think that paradigm shifts happen without the Billy Beane synergy in which some personal dynamic combines with a revolutionary approach.