Baseball Dynasties: The Greatest Teams of All Time

by Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein

Book Overview

It's a debate nearly as old as the sport itself. Sure, there have been plenty of great baseball teams--but which was the best ever? While it seems like an unwinnable argument, the authors of Baseball Dynasties have risen to the challenge. They took the top fifteen teams of the twentieth century, ran them through rigorous statistical analysis, and threw in some good old-fashioned opinion in their quest to determine, definitively, who was the greatest...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393320081
• ISBN13: 9780393320084
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 388 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book for any baseball fan

Basically, if you read and like Rob Neyer from espn.com, then you will like this book. The book depends heavily on statistics in the decision-making process, including the use of SD score, which Neyer and Epstein developed for this book. It gives an accurate way to compare teams across generations. They also focuse on several seasons around one focus season, rather just looking at the one great season.Even for those not highly interested in stats, this is a good read. The team chapters gives great history, and the sidebars provide info on what was happening around the league in the given year, among other things. There is also a glossary provided to aid in questions about what various statistics mean. The concluding chapter allows the authors to compare and contrast the various teams, as well as to criticize their selections and methods. I feel this lends credibility to the discussion.. And you may be surprised at who they choose as the greatest team of all-time..

May settle some debates and start others

All across the US (and anywhere else major league baseball is talked about), the debate rages on about who the greatest major league team of all-time is. In sports bars, around office water coolers, in classrooms, or even family dinners, fans argue about whether or not the '27 Yankees could beat the '98 version or how would the '75 Reds fare against the '54 Indians? As the authors point out in their forward, we as fans appreciate winning. Well yeah it's boring as hell to watch bad teams.This book takes a look at and attempts to "rate" the greatest baseball teams of the 20th century, starting with the 1906 Chicago Cubs and finishing with the 1998 Yankees. Not only do they list the all-time great teams, they also devote a chapter to teams "just missing the cut." Using a statistical analysis not used before, the authors come to some interesting conclusions. Both authors felt that the '27 Yankees (generally considered to be the best team of all-time) to be number 2 or 3 on their lists, just for example.What I also liked were chapters devoted to the greatest teams of the 19th century, the greatest Negro league teams, and also a section about the team the authors felt was the best minor league team if all-time, the Baltimore Orioles of the 1920s (many players on this team later played for the '29 Philadelphia A's). There's also a chapter devoted to the worst teams of all-time and while one would immediately think of the '62 Mets, amazingly enough, they were only about the fifth worst team. Scary but true.Each chapter also contains sidebars about noteworthy events of that season, the team's descriptions, features on notable players, and even books written about the particular teams. While statistically-oriented, it's still a fascinating and well-researched book devoted to baseball's greatest teams.

Serious analysis but still a good read

Early in the book, Neyer and Epstein make the offhand remark, "...popular myth holds that the truly good teams are the ones that win the close games. That's complete bullsh--... Truly great teams... blow away their competition." I was skeptical of this thesis at first. If a team wins 90 games by the score of 8-4, why are they better than a team that wins 90 games by the score of 5-4? But little by little, the authors made a pretty good case to convince me, their key words being "truly great" teams. The book utilizes a lot of math, with such calculations as "Pythagorean Winning Percentage" and "Standard Deviation Score." If you are scared away by sabremetric geek-dom, beware... The book is full of it. But I assure you, 99% of these calculations are totally valid. Many of them, will open up your mind and challenge your baseball assumptions.For example, I went into the book as a great proponent of the sacrifice bunt (unlike the authors) and "little ball." I still think that both are underused, even in this era of inflated offense. However, I will now concede that such dynasties are substantially LESS compelled to relinquish any of their 27 outs in a game. Again, truly great teams BLOW AWAY their competition. They don't need to waste time by bunting a guy into scoring position.Some other reviewers have accused the book of being humorless. Certainly, one-liners occur with less frequency than they do in Rob Neyer's Espn column. I think this is a product of the authors wanting to be taken seriously. Anybody can write a book in bar-room vernacular saying the "'98 Yankees were better than the '75 Reds, Blah, Blah, Blah..." BASEBALL DYNASTIES clearly strives to be THE authority on the subject... and what the hell is wrong with being ambitious? While certainly not comical, I found the book to be a good read. I was reading two other baseball books at the time (both much less dense and math-based), but I still kept coming back to Neyer/Epstein. Moreover, the arguments in each chapter are balanced by compelling anecdotal observations in the sidebars.In the end, the authors do rank the 15 greatest teams of all time, and also devote a chapter to teams that barely miss the cut. Without giving too much away, let's just say that they rank Earl Weaver's Orioles higher and Tony LaRussa's A's lower than just about anyone would expect.If you're a serious baseball fan, or strive to become one, treat yourself to this book. I can't imagine a much better book of its kind.

Objective and Insightful

I have only praise for Baseball Dynasties. The previous reviews expressed just about everything I wanted to say about the book so I won't bore you by repeating them. I read it twice the week I bought it and since then, I have carried it around in my backpack for nearly a month just hoping for those free moments that will allow me to browse through a chapter or two. I'm a stat-head but I also have a great love of baseball history and this book is very satisfying in both respects. If you enjoyed books such as Bill James's Historical Baseball Abstract or Baseball Managers, I am confident you will enjoy this one as well.

So which team is the greatest? Read and decide for yourself

Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein's new book, "Baseball Dynasties", is thoroughly interesting examination as to which Major League Baseball teams are the greatest of all time. If you are familiar with Neyer's espn.com baseball columns, you will find the both writing style and content similar to the website. Neyer and Epstein use various statistical measures, such as projected wins, OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage), and standard deviations (better or worse than the league average in a category) to make objective arguments about the quality of various teams. In addition, the authors also present a number of interesting stories about each team that capture the allure baseball has for many people. The book focuses on great 20th century MLB teams, but chapters on 19th century teams, Negro League teams, and the century's worst teams, are also included.Overall, the book is written in a easy-to-read style, and although the book is loaded with statistics, they only embellish, rather than distract from, the stories about the dynastic teams. This book will refuel the debate as to which team is the greatest of all-time. One other thing, both Neyer and Epstein agree on the overall greatest team of all-time, and it ISN'T the 1927 Yankees. So who is it? Read and find out.