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The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games
Simon & Schuster
August 2015
On Sale: August 11, 2015
290 pages
ISBN: 1451696027
EAN: 9781451696028
Kindle: B00P434E78
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction Sports
A unique and refreshing ode to the โlittle thingsโ that represent baseballโs heartbeatโthe player who, in countless ways, makes other players better.
Intangiball tracks the progress of the Cincinnati Reds through five years of culture change, beginning with the trades of decorated veterans Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. It also draws liberally from such character-conscious clubs as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays. Author, sportswriter, and eternal fan of the game, Lonnie Wheeler systematically identifies the performance-enhancing qualities (PEQs) that together comprise the โcommunicable competitivenessโ that he calls โteamship.โ
Intangiball is not designed to debunk Moneyball, but rather to sketch in what it left out: โWhat order is there to a baseball world in which a struggling rookie benefits not a bit from the encouraging words of the veteran who drapes his arm around the kidโs shoulders; in which Derek Jeterโs professionalism serves none but him; in which there is no reward for hustle, no edge for enthusiasm, no payoff for sacrifice; in which there is no place for the ambient contributions of David Eckstein, Marco Scutaro, or the aging, battered Scott Rolen; in which shared purpose serves no purpose?โ
Intangibles, as it turns out, not only ennoble the game; they help win it. And this is the book every fan must read.
 Media BuzzFresh Air - NPR - September 8, 2015
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