Vol. III,
Issue #4 - December 2015
**
Books to Die For and Become a Baseball Guru
**
(on this page are special books linked to the
game of baseball or Strat-o-matic)
{
Wolfman:
This
webpage contains various books we have uncovered that provide a
greater knowledge of the game of Baseball or Baseball Statistics.
So far there has only been one book published specifically about
Strat-o-matic by Glenn Guzzo but there are other books written by
other individuals who are involved with the game of baseball who
have played
Strat-o-matic. To assist our members, we have a special
agreement with Acta Sports, a sports book publisher in Chicago
that any books they sell or distribute, our members receive a
10% discount. We intend to add more books to this page in
future Issues.}
Books that we Recommend
Acta Sports
This publisher specializes in publishing books about all
type of sports and has been around since 2003. They are
the publisher for example for two books by Glenn Guzzo
(including "Strat-o-matic Fanatics"), the amazing books by Bill
James and John Dewan - "Fielding Bible". They have been involved
with Baseball Statistics since 2006 and have a connection with
the organization called STATS which also features the most indepth
statistics related to Baseball. We have negotiated with
Acta Sports to give our members a 10% discount on all of your
purchases with them. To find the specific book you want, just
click on the link below and it will take you to the webpage of
that e-book, of course you can look around for the other books
too.
How does this discount work?
We are told if you go to the page link we provide below our
discount code of
"SOMB" will automatically be entered for you
but when you go to your shopping cart, underneath the last book
to order is an area titled "Promo Code", if "SOMB" is not shown
in that area, type it in and hit submit, the price of all your
books will be updated to include the discount. This special
discount is only for our members. And if you visit the ACTA
Sports website (www.actasports.com)
and see other baseball books you like, again use this Promo Code
to continue to receive a discount on any books you order.
Below are eight important
baseball or SOM related books (two by Glenn Guzzo) that we
recommend for you to take a special look at:
Strat-o-matic Fanatics -
Glenn Guzzo
(Normal Price:
$14.95 with Newsletter Discount
$13.45)
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/WolfmanRecommends/Guzzo-SOMFanatics.htm
(The History of Strat-o-matic as told through its
creator Hal Richman and the baseball board game became the icon
of the industry opening the company up to create other sports
games plus stories from various gamers)
-- Wolfman Note:
A Review copy is coming and we will review this book in a future
issue of our newsletter to give you our perspective - but this
is the only book we know that has ever been written exclusively
about Strat-o-matic!
----------------------
The New Ball Game - Glenn
Guzzo
(Normal Price:
$14.95 with Newsletter Discount
$13.45)
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/WolfmanRecommends/Guzzo-NewBallGame.htm
(Understanding Baseball Statistics of the Causal Fan -
as the use of statistics becomes more popular as well as
complex, Mr. Guzzo takes the reader in hand providing a friendly
explanation of such.)
----------------------
How Bill James Changed
Our View of Baseball - Bill James
-- Subtitle: The Inspiration Behind Moneyball
(Normal
Price: $19.95 with Newsletter Discount
$17.95)
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/WolfmanRecommends/BillJames-ChangedBaseball.htm
(Stories by various Baseball Authors and Sports
Writers, General Managers and more how their view on baseball
and life was changed by the legendary theories of Bill James)
-- Wolfman Note:
A Review copy is coming and we will review this book in a future
issue of our newsletter - many people have told us that Bill
James is a master about discussing baseball and looking at it in
a unique and different way - this is one of his new books!
Also in our November 2015 issue, John Dewan shared with us a
chapter he wrote for this book (click
here)
----------------------
The Bill James Handbook
2016 - Bill James
(Normal Price:
28.95 with Newsletter Discount
$26.06)
http://www.actasports.com/billjames2016/
(type in when you order, the promotion code: SOMB for
your 10% discount)
(The first, best, most complete annual baseball
reference guide available. Full of exclusive stats, this book is
the most comprehensive resource on every hit, pitch, and catch
in Major League Baseball's 2015 season--and includes player
projections for 2016. There also exists a spiral bound version
for $5 more.)
-- Wolfman Note:
We hope in the future to get
a copy of this book to review for our members. For any of our members who are in a
draft league with the new 2016 cards coming out next year, this
is and will be a key key book to help you prepare for building your team
as his handbooks have been every year before and each year, they
add new information and insights.
I personally look forward to pour through its amazing contents
and especially look at the projections for 2016!!
The Bill James Handbook
2015 - Bill James
(Normal Price:
28.95 with Newsletter Discount
$26.06)
http://www.actasports.com/billjameshandbook2015/
(type in when you order, the promotion code: SOMB for
your 10% discount)
(The first, best, most complete annual baseball
reference guide available. Full of exclusive stats, this book is
the most comprehensive resource on every hit, pitch, and catch
in Major League Baseball's 2014 season--and includes player
projections for 2015. There also exists a spiral bound version
for $5 more.)
-- Wolfman Note:
In the March 2015 issue of
our newsletter we will have a complete review of the new edition
of this stellar book. For any of our members who are in a
draft league with the new 2015 cards coming out next year, this
is a key key book to help you prepare for building your team.
I personally look forward to pour through its amazing contents
and especially look at the projections for 2015!!
See our review of this edition of Mr. James handbook at:
http://www.ultimatestratbaseball.com/USBN-3-2015/BillJamesHandbook-BaseForecaster-Rookie Review-March2015.htm
----------------------
The Fielding Bible Volume
III - John Dewan & Ben Jedlovoc
(Normal Price:
$24.95 with Newsletter Discount
$22.45)
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/WolfmanRecommends/FieldingBible3-Dewan-n-Jedlovec.htm
(The Fielding Bible -- Volume III is a thorough
compilation of the latest breakthroughs in defensive analytics
from Baseball Info Solutions. With information previously
exclusive to major league teams, Volume III is 100% new material
that builds on the well received Volumes I and II. Included are
comprehensive defensive evaluations, a study on the
effectiveness
of the "Ted Williams shift", the new Timer Plus/Minus system,
and updated Defensive Runs Saved numbers that estimate the value
of each fielder in Major League Baseball.)
----------------------
Other Key Books
by Other Publishers/Authors
Baseball
Prospectus 2014 - The Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts
Publisher:
Wiley General Trade,
release January of 2014
(Price:
24.95)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1118459237/baseballpro07-20/ref=nosim/
(Featuring the Industry Leading Projections and
Comments for more then 2100 players for the 2014 Major League
Season with over 20 contributors. See our review in our March
2014 issue.)
----------------------
Special E-book from
Wolfman Shapiro
"Secrets of the
Wolfman"
(Offered by
donation, to read more go to:)
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/Secrets-of-the-Wolfman-d.htm
(This is the first e-book written by Ultimate Strat
Baseball editor Wolfman Shapiro which provides a very
comprehensive telling of how he built his championship team, the
Skokie Wolfmen, to become the CBA (Cyber Baseball Association)
champion in 2012, also feature on the SOM website where they
show pictures of other SOM gamers who were champions with
trophies. He holds nothing back and reveals all of his
strategies which have led his team in the CBA to 6 out of 7
playoff appearances (missing out once in an extra death match by
one game) and three World Series appearances. In honor of the
first SOM On-line Baseball Convention in September of 2013, he
is offering this book to anyone just for whatever donation you
wish to give. The e-book is in a PDF format.)
----------------------
Ron Shandler's 2015
Baseball Forecaster - Ron Shandler
(Normal Price:
$25.95)
http://www.baseballhq.com/content/ron-shandlers-2015-baseball-forecaster
(The 2015 Baseball Forecaster, published annually
since 1986, is the first book to approach prognostication by
breaking performance down into its component parts. Rather than
predicting batting average, for instance, this resource looks at
the elements of skill that make up any given batter’s ability to
distinguish between balls and strikes, his propensity
to make contact with the ball, and what happens when he makes
contact -- reverse engineering those skills back into batting
average. The result is an unparalleled forecast of baseball
abilities and trends for the upcoming season and beyond.)
----------------------
Signed Book by Willie
Mays Aikens to the USBN Members
"Safe at Home: Willie
Mays Aikens by Gregory Jordan"
(This is the first book we, at the USBN, have received
as a gift from an ex-baseball player. In our November issue,
2014, Wolfman will give a review of this book. We have
received signed copy #24. The note from Mr. Aikens to USBN:
"To Wolfman Shapiro and the members of the Ultimate Strat
Baseball Newsletter. Best of luck to the team at the Ultimate
Strat Baseball Newsletter. I pray God will continue to bless the
whole group. Willie Mays Aikens 09-23-2014."
Now let's
share a bit about the book from its book jacket:
In 1980, Willie Mays Aikens became the first major league
baseball player to hit two home runs in two separate games in
the same World Series. But ignoring the advice of his
savvier teammates, Aikens drove himself out of baseball and into
one of the longest prison sentences ever given a
professional athlete -- 20 years and eight months. ...
Safe at Home is one of the most intimate and culturally
relevant biographies of an athlete ever written. Using extensive
interviews with Aikens himself, his family, friends, teammates,
cellmates and dealers. We found this book available on
Amazon. Also the book is available directly through Mr.
Aikens via his website at:
www.willieaikens24.com.
or you can contact him by email at:
aikenswillie24@yahoo.com , he is also on facebook and
twitter as well. )
