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It's not actually all that big, but this is apparently part of a series of "Big" baseball books that ESPN columnist and sabrematician Rob Neyer is writing and it certainly is chock full of blunders. Mr. Neyer wisely gives himself wide scope on what a blunder consists of, so that he can discuss everything from trades to draft picks to lineup and game strategy decisions. Each of the essays is pretty short and the statistics used to back up his arguments aren't overwhelming, so it makes for rather easy and episodic reading--an ideal bathroom book for baseball fans. Personally, I couldn't avoid the temptation to skip around and read about the blunders that affected my favorite teams -- the Mets and Red Sox -- the most. For instance, he makes an awfully good case for the trade value of Jim Fregosi, who we Met fans have never forgiven for costing us Nolan Ryan. Perhaps the most interesting piece though is on an apparent complaint by players for the 1945 St. Louis Browns that playing one-armed outfielder Pete Gray cost them the pennant. You'll find an unusual tidbit or two like this one that you'll particularly enjoy and many controversies that you're more aware of that Mr. Neyer manages to settle once and for all in this most enjoyable book.


(Reviewed:)

Grade: (B+)


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Sports (Baseball)
Rob Neyer Links:

    -AUTHOR SITE: RobNeyer.com
    -EXCERPT: February 26, 1935: Braves sign Babe (Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders)
    -EXCERPT: August 30, 1990: Bagwell for Andersen (Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders)
    -EXCERPT: December 9, 1965: Reds trade Robinson (Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders)
    -Rob Neyer (Wikipedia)
    -ESSAY: If Don Sutton Was Great . . . (Rob Neyer, 12/13/05, Baseball Analysts)
    -ESSAY: Neyer, Kettmann, Davidoff, & Amazon: Oh, what tangled webs... (Rob Neyer, September 6, 2004)
    -ESSAY: Clutch Hitting (Rob Neyer, December 17, 1999, ESPN.com)
    -INTERVIEW: The Interview: Michael Chabon (Rob Neyer, July 29, 2005, ESPN.com)
    -INTERVIEW: Rob Neyer and Baseball's Blunderous Past (Maury Brown, April 05, 2006, Hardball Times)
    -INTERVIEW: Fast Chat: Big-League Buffoonery (Bret Begun, June 5, 2006, Newsweek)
    -DISCUSSION: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (James Surowiecki & Rob Neyer, June 2003, Slate: Book Club)
    -DISCUSSION: Handicapping the Yanks: Why the Red Sox shouldn’t get too confident: Three baseball experts—Fox commentator Tim McCarver, ESPN.com writer Rob Neyer, and a longtime American League scout who asked to remain anonymous—weigh in on the Yankee year ahead. (Ben Mathis-Lilley, March 7, 2005, New York)
    -INTERVIEW: with Rob Neyer (Oregon Stadium Campaign)
    -INTERVIEW: with Rob Neyer (Al Dente, May 06, 2003, BRONX BANTER)
    -INTERVIEW: Stepping into Da Box ... Rob Neyer (Batter's Box)
    -INTERVIEW: Swimming Against the Mainstream: An interview with Rob Neyer (Royce Webb, 8/24/01, SportsJones)
    -ARCHIVES: Rob Neyer (ESPN)
    -REVIEW: of Review: Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders by Rob Neyer (Steve Treder, May 30, 2006, Hardball Times)
    -REVIEW: of Review: Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders (Chad Finn, Boston Globe)
    -REVIEW: of Review: Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders(David Damiani, American Enterprise)
    -REVIEW: of Review: Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders (Baseball Bookshelf)
    -REVIEW: of Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups: A Complete Guide to the Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Players to Ever Grace the Major Leagues by Rob Neyer (Mick Doherty, Batter's Box)
    -REVIEW: of Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups (Ron Kaplan, Bookreporter.com)

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