Bests-rating

I was looking for a present for my baby's first birthday and was overwhelmed with the choices in the store. I looked at the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 2003 and it greatly simplified the process for me. It not only told me which toys one year olds enjoy, but how best to use the toys from an educational standpoint. I can't imagine ever purchasing a toy for a child without first looking at this book. I would highly recommend it.

This crew never stops. Thankfully, there are people in this world who spend the time actually helping parents. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, 2003 is as great as ever. I can't even imagine how they rate all these toys, books, videos, cd-roms, etc. Once again Toy Portfolio, 2003 is excellent. Their recommendations have become my bible. I share this book with every parent I know and I have yet to find any parent who hasn't gone out and bought it for themselves. Thank you so much and I look forward to 2004.

This is an excellent guide to choosing an alternative health care option. It marries the option with the ailments so readers can see what options work best with their specific concern. The cost of treatment is invaluable when making a choice and for comparison when talking with providers. This one is a keeper for your personal bookshelf!

In The Best Of Baseball: The 20th Century's Greatest Players Ranked By Position, sports journalist, author, and baseball fan Warren Wilbert has used a set of criteria designed to present a comprehensive review of player performance and rank the country's all-time greatest players of the twentieth century. Strongly recommended as an essential, core title for personal and academic sports history collections, The Best Of Baseball begins with an informative introduction outlining and explaining the criteria used. Also provided are statistics such as Total Player Ratings, Fielding Runs, Batting Averages, Batting Runs, Earned Run Averages, Pitcher's Defense, and more.

Thinking that what we have here is just another book that gives you the 50 best at whatever sport, in this case basketball? Well before you say yes, you might want to open the book and see what you may have missed.

The book uses a unique concept of ranking within the guard, forward and center groupings, rather than the overall 50 best players. Picking the 13 best guards, 21 best forwards and 16 best centers and the task is certainly a tough one.

Along with each person selected you have a great explanation about the player and what makes him or her one of the best 50 players. After reading the book you and your friends can spend hours discussing which players are in the wrong order and you'll have plenty of facts to back you up.

From Pete Maravich and Michael Jordan, to Julius Erving and Larry Bird, there is sure to be someone you remember. This is the perfect gift for any sports fan and a great collectors item for any basketball enthusiasts.

Ken Shouler's list of 100 top baseball players comes with statistics and arguments to back up each of his claims. Shouler is particularly partial to onbase percentage and slugging percentage, as are most Sabermetricians. The list Shouler produces is convincing, and well articulated. The problem with Shouler's list is that he does not adjust enough for changes in the game across eras. The 1930's saw the highest offensive outputs of any decade until the 1990's. The big numbers put up by hitters in the thirties leads Shouler to vastly overrate Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. Players in pitching rich eras are likewise penalized, most notably Mickey Mantle. Shouler notes that Mantle hit over 100 RBIS only four times. But if we normalize those stats to a league where 750 runs a years is the average, Mantle ends up with 10 seasons over 100 RBIS. But no system has been able to fairly evaluate these changes over time until the recent publication of the Win Shares system in the New Bill James Historical Abstract. While I found the Win Shares system more useful, I still found Shoulers' book an excellent reference and a good guide to judge against other lists of top players. Highly recomended!

No sport provokes arguments over its best of all time more than baseball, and this book is a great argument-starter. Ken Shouler definitely supports his choices for the greatest of all time, and wisely separates pitchers and position players. I think he believes a little too strongly on slugging average, but his choices are defendable. And he puts Cal Ripken Jr in the top 30, where he belongs, unlike The Sporting News, which placed him at 78. And although I think he overvalued players like Ted Williams and Pete Rose and undervalued players like Honus Wagner and Tris Speaker, I totally agree with Ruth #1 and Gehrig #3. Overall, a great baseball book!

Baseball is by far the most discussed sport in America and with the coming of the new millennium everyone wants to give you the listing of the 100 best players of all time. Well stop listening to others and grab this book and let ken Shouler explain his choices.

In 320 pages you are blessed by the author's ability to not only give you the best 100, but also show you why they are the best. The book is broken down in the 75 best players and the 25 best pitchers and for the first time someone is right on track.

Using statistics rather than popularity, Shouler shows how Babe Ruth really is the best of all time. I read this book in just over two hours and have re-read it several times since. A fascinating piece of work and one of the most complete books I have ever read.

Greats like Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Mays, Schmidt, Hornsby, Foxx, Cobb, Brett, Carlton and 90 others are covered in this certain collector items for every baseball or sports fans. This may be the one book all others are measured by - well done!

This book is loads of fun to the NFL enthusiast. All eras of the NFL are included (from the 1930's to the present day) as well as all positions (except kickers and punters -- I guess none of them were among the top 100 players). Each entry gets a full two pages -- one a beautiful full-color picture and one a page-long description of that player's special talents and accomplishments. Each player also gets a "Top 10 list" -- a list by a colleague or coach of the best players, most intense players, smartest players, etc. -- including that individual.

The selection and ranking of players was as unbiased as possible. The editors began with 300 names, which they then reduced to 100, and from which each selected his top ten players, without ranking them. After tabulating the results, the editors then ranked the top 10. Then the voters selected their next 15 players, compared notes, and ranked numbers 11-25. They did this with 26-50, 51-75, and 76-100. Is the book still subjective? Undoubtably. You can't objectively compare linemen to running backs to receivers to quarterbacks and objectively identify the overall best players. But the editors did their best to be objective.

The top 10, in order from #1, are Jim Brown, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Johnny Unitas, Don Hutson, Otto Graham, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, and Bob Lilly. I would give this book 5 stars, except that John Elway only comes in at #16, which IMHO is about 15 slots too low (but that shows you where I grew up :-) (Also, Bronco fans should be sure to look on the last 2 pages for an extra special treat.)

All in all, this is a fun book about some great football players. Whether or not you agree with the rankings, you gotta admit: all of the top 100 were/are great players!

How do you go about picking the greatest 100 football players of all time? There are going to be agreements about who should be on it, and lots of disagreements about who should or shouldn't be on it. This book tackles an extremely difficult job and comes out a winner. Whether or not you agree with all the choices here, you have to admit they picked some damn good ones.

Each page contains pics and a bio on the player. They list Jim Brown as number 1. Funny how just the other night I was in a local sports bar, and a man sitting next to me said "Jim Brown was the greatest player I ever saw." Obviously, this book agrees with my "friend." In fact, the book's forword is written by Brown.

In addition to TSN's Top 100 players listed in numercial order, there's also a "timeline" of when these players were active. Also listed are TSN's all-decade teams. Leafing through the pages brought back memories of players I have watched and enjoyed, and of players whose exploits I only read about years after their careers ended.

So do you agree with all the choices in this book? The only way to find out is to buy it and judge for yourself. I guarantee it's well worth the money.

I Enjoyed this Book but Lists aren't Important.Cuz you can never say who would rule any given Time Period.I think all People Selected are Winners.of Course their are some who didn't make the list and therefor they should be acknowledged as well.

GREAT BOOK, GIVEN AS A GIFT AND HE LOVED IT. READS IT AVIDLY EVERYDAY. WIFE TOLD ME HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT. I AM SURE IT WILL BE LOVED BY THE AVID BASEBALLL FAN. MAKES A GREAT GIFT OR IF YOU ARE JUST BUYING IT FOR YOURSELF ENJOY EVERY PICTURE AND LINE YOU READ.

Baseball is my favorite sport, and I love debating the greatest players of all time just like everyone else. And The Sporting News does a solid job of ranking the players, and offering why. The pictures are a wonderful addition to the text. And while they overvalue players like Rogers Hornsby and Pete Rose and undervalue players like Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, and Stan Musial, the idea of the book like this is to provoke arguments. Foolishy, they did not separate pitchers and position players, and I wish they would have written a little bit more about each player, but overall this is a great book. One final note: For the most part I believe that baseball's greatest players came from the bygone days, but Cal Ripken's 78 ranking in this book is an absolute travesty. He is a top 30 player. Overall, a great book.

Like their pro football book, this book selects what The Sporting News' editors felt who were the greatest 100 baseball players of all time. And it's very difficult to argue too hard with their choices. Babe Ruth at #1 is in my opinion a no-brainer. Ruth really saved the game at a time when it desperately needed a hero and he forever changed the way the game was played with his towering home runs on the field and his "carousing" off it. The book also features a nicely written foreword by the #2 all-time best player, Willie Mays. How honored I am that I got to see him play in his prime some 30 plus years ago as a boy.

I like that the choices in this book are unaffected by race, scandal or personality. Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, and Oscar Charleston of the Negro League made this list. It's truly sad that so many talented ballplayers were kept out of the majors because of their race. Joe Jackson, is another "Top 100 member" who of course was banned after the Black Sox scandal. Others like Ty Cobb, who was a notorious hothead in his day are also here.

Reading through the book brought many smiles to my face as I recalled watching so many players, like Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Willie McCovey (my all-time favorite), Ernie Banks, and Hank Aaaron just to name a few.

So many excellent choices, this book is well-done and a great momento to all the athletes who have made baseball the game it is today.

Unlike other baseball books that rates players this one uses a system that is fair and unbiased. The Chapter comparing pitchers of today and years past shares many interesting details and facts. The Chapter rankings from 1-150 certainly give much more credence to who the best pitchers actually were. The biographies of the players are enlightening.

It seems that this song has been heard before many times./ A lot of what appears here is haphazard and re-cycled.

My wife got me this book for my birthday, and it seemed like a book right up my alley. I love baseball, and I love keeping track of players from the past, and where they travel during their careers. This book does a wonderful job of bringing together lists of players for all the current (and some historical) teams. Rob Neyer picks the best players on a team, a "B" team of greatest players, then other categories like "Best Single Season", "Gold Glove", "Iron Glove", "Past their prime", "Traded Away", and others. I, of course immediately looked at the two teams I'm most familiar with, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Texas Rangers. I read those, and it was a like "COOL!"; I loved seeing all these player names. I was excited about reading this book, so I started in from the front of the book.

And that's where the problems started. For awhile, it was cool reading all the lineups and players. But after awhile, the amount of players I'd never heard of really sucked the enjoyment and rush I got when first picking up the book out of me. I had to force myself to finish it, and while I can put the book in the "I enjoyed it" group, it's not by much. I'm 38 as I write this in October 2003, and a lot of the players are people I'd never heard of, and as the pages wore on, it just became a big mishmash of players that I dint' care to be reading.

I did enjoy the sections on players who joined the team past their prime (like Pete Rose in Montreal, Richie Ashburn for the NY Mets, things like that). But overall, as one other review I read about this book said, "...my eyes started to gloss over".

If you're a stat hound, you'll probably dig this book. I don't want to sound like I'm totally dumping on it, it was enjoyable, but wasn't something I could read quickly, nor something that I can say I'd want to read again, although I will keep it around as a "reference" book of sorts. Kudos to Rob Neyer for the extreme research I'm sure in putting all this together.

Among baseball fans, it's always fun to "pick" the "all-time best players" at any position. And Neyer in this book has taken what he feels to be the all-time best lineups for every current major league team, as well as teams that started in one location and moved elsewhere (like the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Brooklyn/LA Dodgers, NY/SF Giants, Wash Senators/Texas Rangers, etc.). While you may not always agree with his choices, Neyer in my opinion has done a wonderful job with these "lineups." He also has a lineup of 'best individual seasons,' a gold glove team and an "iron glove" team (for worst fielders), his "all-bust" teams, rookie teams, traded away teams, and his "used to be great" teams. Having followed baseball since the late 1960s, I vividly remember many of the names in this book, as well as knowing numerous others whose names appear here. Some of the associated vignettes with each team are also fascinating. Like the story of David Clyde, the 18-year-old pitcher for the 1973 Rangers, or "Generation K" of the 1995 Mets. Or how the Devil Rays' management philosophy in Neyer's opinion has contributed to them having some terrible teams. Or how the famous line about the late, lamented Washington Senators, "first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League" really isn't all that true.

Neyer gives a lot of credit where credit is due. His "iron glove" teams are at times a hoot. Neyer mentions the infamous Johnie LeMaster of the Giants at shortstop on their "iron glove" team, Jose Offerman his counterpart for the Dodgers, Eddie Matthews at first base for the 1967 Astros, and so on. His all-rookie teams include notables like Mark McGwire for the '87 A's (well doh) and Stan Musial for the 1942 Cardinals. For some long-time teams, he lists 2 greatest lineups. At the end of the book is a section that features each team and its starting lineup from year to year, along with their manager.

Any fan, whether they be casual followers or students of the game are going to love this book! It's a good one.

When I first picked up the book, I saw Shaq as the #1 NBA player of all time, and I said "are you kidding me?" Well, Elliott Kalb isn't kidding, and he makes a great case for O'Neal that I hadn't thought of. Time and time again in this book, you'll read arguments which you haven't though of. Rodman as one of the top 50 players? Walt Frazier behind George Gervin? Chamberlain ahead of Russell? MICHAEL JORDAN AS #3!!?? My friends, co-workers, and I can't stop arguing about these choices. But one thing is for certain: if you read the arguments, you'll be better prepared to defend or attack your position. The research is as in-depth as you'll ever see on a sports book. Like Kalb's ratings or not, you'll be talking about the contents of this book throughout the NBA season.

I have read this book and love reading the reviews of it almost as much as the book itself! Many basketball fans consider themselves an authority on the subject, but Mr. Kalb clearly is a true one! Nobody will agree with his choices as is very obvious from the reviews. However, anyone with the guts to name the top players so vehemently and with so much ammunition is a must read for even the most moderate basketball fan. I have seen Elliott Kalb on a few of his televison appearances and all I can say is THIS MAN KNOWS BASKETBALL!! I am sure you will not agree with his rankings 100% and might even get pretty mad at him...... but read the book and see for yourself!

Man, it was refreshing to see Shaq get his props. But more than that, listen to the man--this book has got some great arguments and brings up games and playoff series that bring you back to what you were feeling when those games were being played. Did anyone see the All Star Game? Kalb had the star of stars pegged! If the Lakers win it this year; it's because of the big guy. He is the difference in the entire league. But, back to the book. This guy is obviously a Celtics fan. He puts Cousy ahead of West??? DeBusschere isn't even in the top 50? Bird ahead of Magic? But you know--I'd love to debate him on those and other issues. He's like some guy you meet in a bar, and want to talk sports with all night. Buy the book, and see for yourself. This is a must-read.