Posted by Dave Studeman
John Dewan's newest book The Fielding Bible—Volume II has just arrived from the printer and is now available at the ACTA bookstore in Skokie. Maybe you don't live near Skokie (I hear the Internet is actually available outside of Illinois!), but if you purchased yours already, it's in the mail.
I contributed a little bit to this year's Bible, so I shouldn't write an official review or anything like that. But I can't help it: I've got to tell you that I think it's fantastic. John has converted his plus/minus statistics from outs saved to Runs Saved, which brings a new dimension to the figures. Plus, there are a lot of insightful essays, including some from Bill James, other new stats and player capsules. The book is 400 pages deep, and there are very few wasted pages in it. Look for a special excerpt at THT early next week.
So, I can't really review it, but I strongly recommend you buy it. Yes, the distinction is lost on me, too. Oh well. You can help THT by buying it through this link.
Dave was called a "national treasure" by Rob Neyer. Seriously. Comments about this article can be sent to him through the miracle of e-mail.
