Who's Better, Who's Best in Baseball?: Mr. STATS Sets the Record Straight on the Top 75 Players of All Time

by Elliott Kalb

Guaranteed to spark debate among baseball diehards with its controversial pick for #1 "Elliott Kalb's work is beyond excellent. He thinks in story lines and uses numbers to make compelling and often... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071445382
• ISBN13: 9780071445382
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 443 Pages
• Weight: 1.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great read

This is a book that will appeal to all baseball fans and stat junkies. My own personal opinions on that overall list aside (I am a diehard Giants fan, but I don't think Barry Bonds is that best overall player). The first review here basically states everything one needs to know before buying this book. However, I have a problem with some people saying that certain facts Kalb states in the book as false. The record for most runs scored in a sub-.280 season by Schmidt IS the record. Records in baseball now are generally called as such based on every game played post 1901, when the two league system was invented, thus beginning the sports' modern era. The rules were completely different before this time, and even after, certain things were not changed until a few years later. Hell, when Nap Lajoie set the record for average in a season, he did so in a year that foul balls were not considered strikes, and this was after 1901. Thus, Schmidt holds the modern day record, which, except in a few instances (Cy Young, Cap Anson, to name a couple), is what players today are judged by. When we are comparing players in a sport that has such a rich and diverse history as baseball, one must take into account that era in which the players played and rate them based on how they compared to their peers. How many homeruns would Aaron have hit had he played in the launching pad in Atlanta for a larger portion of his career? Would Ruth have hit 700 homeruns playing in a less condusive park to his particular talents? How would Ted Williams final career numbers have looked had he not lost five years in his prime fighting in TWO different wars, and would he finally, without argument, be considered the greatest hitter who ever lived? How about Johnny Mize and Hank Greenberg; would their numbers be even more impressive considering they also lost three-four prime years in a war? And honestly, why is Alex Rodriguez ranked so high and Manny Ramirez so low? Ramirez has just slightly better career stats in most every offensive category in fewer career at-bats. Defensive skills aside, does that really rank Ramirez, that man who will set the career mark for RBI, 60 spots lower than A-Rod? One gripe I have is that the list, even the final twenty-five spots he summarizes at the very end to make up the best hundred, he only includes one NPO player, Sadaharu Oh, deservedly so, but what aboout Shigeo Nagashima? I can name at least eight other Japanese leaguers who deserve to be on this list. READ THIS BOOK and make your own arguments.

Great Book, Very Informative and Entertaining

This is a great book for any baseball fan. What Kalb writes about current players Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, and Pedro Martinez is timely and places them in proper historical perspective. I bought this book for three teenaged fans, and they all loved it, too. Be prepared when the debates start about which players are best.

Classic Book

I dig Elliott Kalb's Books big time. His Basketball Book was on point & This Baseball Book is another Winner. Barry Bonds is the Greatest Ever to me as well.Josh Gibson was so ahead of his time it ain't even funny. I enjoy how Elliott Kalb breaks things down & he makes you look at all the possiblitys.He is a very gifted writer & I dig how He challenges you on players.

Here He Goes Again

As with Mr. Kalb's basketball book, I find it super hard to agree with his picks. Barry Bonds as the best player ever in baseball is too much for me to swallow. But as with his basketball book, it's the DETAILS of his arguments which I find so interesting. I don't have to agree with Elliott in order to find his arguments interesting. He sold me that Josh Gibson was the best catcher ever. I hadn't thought about it, but I now agree Roger Clemens is the best active pitcher today. And I'll never forget his "Better Analogy" for Sandy Koufax to Elliott's own wife Amy ("both born on Dec. 30th and wild in their 20's"). Buy this book if you want to sound intelligent in arguing who the best players of all time are.

Totally Awesome Book for teens

I just got this book in time for the baseball season, and it is the best book I've ever read. Kalb makes great points about Bonds being better than everyone else, but I loved some of the other chapters even more. Josh Gibson the greatest catcher of all time? Pedro Martinez ahead of Randy Johnson? This is a great book for people who want to get to know about the top players of all time.