The Bookshelf Conversations: Joan Ryan

June 19, 2020

Amazon.com: Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team ...Ever since Moneyball came out in 2003, most books analyzing the national pastime dealt with cold hard numbers. Putting a team together, it seems, is a lesson in math.

But according to veteran journalist and author Joan Ryan, it’s a science. Chemistry, to be precise. (Full disclosure: I was never very good in that particular area of my education.)

Ryan, who wrote in various capacities — most notably sports — for the San Francisco Chronicle for many years, was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. Her sports columns and features earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the National Headliner Award, and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Award, among other honors.

She is also the author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters as well as collaborating with Bengie Molina on his memoirs/tribute to his father, and basketball coach Tara VanDerveer.

After a couple of false starts due to household plumbing issues (mine) and a dog emergency (hers), we were able to enjoy an entertaining conversation about her new book, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry. Eureka!

 

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Tagged as: Barry Bonds, Joan Ryan, Jonny Gomes, San Francisco Giants

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