Intangiball

June 8, 2015
Plenty of baseball books focus on sabermetrics and the application of statistical analysis to evaluate players. Far fewer are dedicated to such player intangibles as hustle, leadership, professionalism and passion—character traits that elevate teams yet are impossible to quantify. Wheeler (who has collaborated with Hank Aaron and Mike Piazza on their autobiographies) explores how intangibles matter by tracking the Cincinnati Reds’ transformation from a struggling team, revolving around selfish superstars Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, to champions of the National League Central Division in two out of three seasons. Wheeler attributes that success to the arrivals of Joey Votto and Scott Rolen, less renowned but more team-focused players. He uses the acronym TEAMSHIP (toughness, execution, accountability, moxie, supportiveness, history, intensity, and passion) to define his target “intangibles.” Not surprisingly, Derek Jeter is the subject of an entire chapter, and the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles receive nearly as much attention as the Reds. Despite long-winded passages and an overemphasis on validating his premise, there’s no denying Wheeler’s found fertile ground here with a thoughtful companion to Michael Lewis’ Moneyball.

June 1, 2015
Sportswriter Wheeler-co-author of memoirs by Hank Aaron and Mike Piazza, among others-makes the case that baseball statistics should be examined in tandem with the intangibles of a player's character when assembling a winning team. The author does not reject the approach of Moneyball, but he does claim it requires supplementing. A former Cincinnati journalist, Wheeler focuses on the Cincinnati Reds more than any other team, but he provides examples of players with excellent character and less-desirable character from across Major League Baseball. In the author's view, Derek Jeter, the recently retired shortstop for the New York Yankees, is exemplary: a player who leads through the example of physical dedication as well as verbal leadership among his teammates. MLB players must stick together in close quarters through a 162-game season, which means far more intense interactions than in other professional sports. When a team's stars fail to mesh well with other players on the field and in the clubhouse, that team might fail to claim the championships it has the talent to win. In the case of the Reds, Wheeler demonstrates how the additions of stars Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn backfired, while signing relative unknowns such as Joey Votto paid dividends. In addition to analyzing the characters of players, the author delves into the psyches of managers, general managers, and other team decision-makers, explaining how various philosophies about taking character into account have produced wildly varying results. Never does Wheeler make the case that the character factor on a team guarantees success, but he is convinced that signing players who mesh well significantly improves the odds of winning. His examples tend to become repetitious after he has stated his theme numerous times, and his writing style is often overly cute, with too much wordplay. However, the author is always clear and readable. A good book for baseball fans who already know, or think they know, about the specific players named.

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June 15, 2015

We have all heard certain baseball players described as possessing all of the intangibles. But what are these characteristics? Wheeler, coauthor of several baseball books such as Long Shot and Sixty Feet, Six Inches, tries to pin down these elusive qualities. He examines teams built not according to the popular trend in advanced statistics but at least equally according to team chemistry and the concomitant abstract qualities of team members. His anecdotal accounts of what makes up the intangibles revolve around stars such as Derek Jeter but also less-famous players such as David Eckstein, Kevin Millar, and Jonny Gomes. Describing them, the author repeatedly returns to such phrases as "sacrifices his batting average to advance runners in any way possible," "always hustles," "is always prepared," "offers encouragement to teammates who are struggling and calls out slackers," etc. VERDICT There are no quantitative methods for proving the nature of intangibles, but fans who are growing tired of the Moneyball trend in baseball will appreciate Wheeler's account of the place of heart, drive, hard work, and team-first attitude in the national pastime.--Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Maybe it's only appropriate that a book about baseball intangibles should be so uncertain in its focus, but Wheeler still offers a strong counterbalance to the culture of sabermetrics that has all but kidnapped Major League Baseball. Derek Jeter, who retired after last season, epitomizes the player who brings to field and clubhouse the intangibles that Wheeler most valuestoughness, execution, accountability, moxie, supportiveness, history, intensity, and passionthough Wheeler profiles a number of other players, active or retired, who also delivered these qualities, such as Scott Rolen, Chase Utley, and David Eckstein. Oddly, or perhaps conveniently since he lives outside of Cincinnati, Wheeler focuses inordinately on the Reds, whose recent successes don't compare to those of, say, the Giants, Red Sox, or Cards. Still, there's more than enough substance here to nourish MLB fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)