Broadcasting + scoreboard = Sportscasting?

I quite enjoyed Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) and the follow-up, SuperFreakonomics. Not that I’m great at economics, but I love the analysis stuff.

So it was kind of a “eureka moment” when I discovered Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won, by award-winning economist Tobias Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim, a writer for Sports Illustrated. Now granted, Scorecasting is not wholly about baseball, but I’m bending the rules a bit here.

I’ll be offering my own review shortly, as well as a podcast interview with both authors (I hope), but in the meantime, feast your eyes on some these:

From The Wall Street Journal. Upshot: “…while Messrs. Moskowitz and Wertheim aren’t always right, it often takes some thinking to figure out why, and that makes this book a worthwhile and diverting read. The authors hope they’ll “settle a few bar fights,” adding: “With any luck, we’ll start a few, too.” I suspect they’ll stand a good chance— especially in Wrigleyville.”
Bruce Weber, a New York Times writer and author of As They See ‘Em: A Fan’s Travels in the Land of Umpires, wrote this one. Upshot: “I do wish the authors had been less rhetorically presumptuous in attributing behavioral predilections to groups of people and even individuals on circumstantial grounds. Most of their conclusions are, after all, subject to debate.”
NPR’s “Weekend Edition” ran this segment. WGBH, this.
Allen Barra’s review appeared in several venues, including NJ.com. Upshot: ” ‘Scorecasting’ will change the way you watch sports, but don’t start reading it during a game; you’re liable to get lost in it and miss the action. I’m not giving anything away because you’ll want to read exactly how they arrived at their conclusions.”
AZSnakepit, a Diamondbacks community blog, concentrated on the baseball aspects in its review. Upshot: “If you’re only a baseball fan, this book has plenty to keep you interested, but it will be much more enthralling if you’re someone who knows about football and basketball too…. The book refutes some conspiracy theories, supports others, and may even start a few new ones. I highly recommend this book, because all sports fans may gain a few insights into how – and why – things play out the way they do.
Wired.com posted this interview with Wertheim.
Steven J. Levitt, co-author of the Freaknomics books, weighs in on his NY Times blog.
Leonard Lopate chatted with both authors. You can here it here: