About this item
"A delight for baseball lovers" (Kirkus Reviews) and "one of the most significant baseball books of the year" (Bob Costas) Ahead of the Curve uses stories from baseball's present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic.Forget batting average. Kill the "Win." Say goodbye to starting pitchers. And please, please stop bunting. MLB Network anchor and commentator Brian Kenny provides "an excellent, entertaining read for the all-around baseball fan" (Library Journal) and shows how baseball has been revolutionized - not destroyed - by analytical thinking. Most people who resist logical thought in baseball preach "tradition" and "respecting the game." But many of baseball's traditions go back to the nineteenth century, when the pitcher's job was to provide the batter with a ball he could hit and fielders played without gloves. Instead of fearing change, Brian Kenny wants fans to think critically, reject outmoded groupthink, and embrace the changes that have come with the sabermetric era. In his entertaining and enlightening book, Kenny discusses why the pitching win-loss record, the Triple Crown, fielding errors, and so-called battling titles should be ignored. He also points out how fossilized sportswriters have been electing the wrong MVP's and ignoring legitimate candidates for the Hall of Fame; why managers are hired based on their looks; and how the most important position in baseball may just be "Director of Decision Sciences." "Prepare to have your brain and your assumptions challenged. Guided by data and a deep love of the game, Brian Kenny takes a cutting-edge look at where baseball is and where it is going" (Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated) . Illustrated with unique anecdotes from those who have reshaped the game, Ahead of the Curve is "a great story about the game in the age of information and technology" (Billy Beane) .
About the Author
Brian Kenny is an Irish writer with a passion for history, politics and left of centre ideas.My particular interest is in writing about less well known Irish people who have been involved in left wing, trade union and socialist politics in Ireland in the 20th century. The big guys can write for themselves, but the less well known need to be brought into the limelight a bit more.To date I have written 3 biographies - Joe Deasy, Sam Nolan and Tony Heffernan- all of whom were active on the left in Ireland over the last 80 years. Joe Deasy. for example, was active from the 1940s until his recent death in early 2013.They all have great stories to tell , both about Ireland, and what it was like to stand up against a conservative society, dominated by the Catholic church and right wing politicians.Essentially, I am writing about people who were up agains the odds and fought to make a difference. Sometimes they lost but they kept going.They are all worth remembering and its my job to make sure their stories are told.
