The Ratings Game

Book Description

What are credit rating agencies? Many people paying for ratings and ratings reports do not fully understand what they are buying and how these agencies really work. Ratings agencies wield immense power over the fate of individual corporations, countries, and whole economies, yet their workings are remarkably opaque. Many events over the past decade, such as the Asian crisis and the demise of certain financial institutions have highlighted some of the limitations of ratings agencies, and raised questions as to their accountability and the level of service they provide.
In this comprehensive account of the workings of the rating agencies,Andrew Fight explains the role played by ratings agencies, how ratings are obtained, the methodologies through which organisations are assessed and the wider consequences of these decisions.

Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups : A Complete Guide to the Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Players to Ever Grace the Major Leagues

Average customer rating:

The poor man's Bill James
Sit down & dip in
An Enjoyable Read
Interesting, but controversial
Not as good as I hoped

Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups : A Complete Guide to the Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Players to Ever Grace the Major Leagues
Rob Neyer
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743241746

Book Description

You love to argue about the game and its players, delving into baseball history and lore in search of support for your points of view. You'll find plenty of food for thought -- and argument! -- in Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups.

• All-time Red Sox starting pitcher -- Pedro or the Rocket?

• Gold Glovers -- who looked like one, who was one, and who ought to have been one?

• Lopsided trades that'll sting forever, and phenoms who seemed so real

• Classic nicknames -- from "Charlie Hustle" to "Big Hurt" to "The Mad Hungarian"

Neyer presents a series of lineups for each franchise -- from the All-Time and the All-Rookie to the All-Bust and the Traded Away. In notes, sidebars, and essays, he explores the careers of players both famous and obscure. The book includes information on all thirty current teams, as well as a special section covering legendary clubs like the Brooklyn Dodgers and Washington Senators. Neyer's Big Book is an unparalleled reference for settling the debates that arise every day in the lives of baseball fans.

Customer Reviews:

The poor man's Bill James.......2005-10-24

I enjoyed this book very much. Neyer, Bill James' protege, isn't as good a writer as James, but he's still better than most baseball writers. The Big Book is highly enjoyable. Neyer's selections, for the most part, are pretty reasonable. I certainly don't agree with all his choices, but this is an excellent book most baseball fans will find informative and interesting.

Sit down & dip in.......2004-09-20

At the risk of being slightly indelicate, this is the perfect "smallest-room-in-the-house" book for the inveterate baseball fan. Whether it's memories from your childhood, thought-provoking fodder for argument or hilarious nicknames (and their provenance) you're looking for, this book has it all and much more. An easier read (and a more manageable size) than some other weightier baseball tomes, it is both a pleasure and an education to read.

An Enjoyable Read.......2004-05-12

This book, like nearly all of Neyer's writing, was an extremely enjoyable read for the money. (Note: I purchased the book at a discounted price of $11.95.) It can be read in one burst, as I read it, or over a long period of time.

This is an excellent book for the knowledgeable baseball fan who is not statistically inclined. While Neyer uses statistical analysis such as Bill James' Win Shares to create his lineups, he does this in the background. This gives the casual fan the pleasure of reading the book without being concerned about the methodology.

At the same time, however, using Win Shares results in some lineup positioning that might be controversial to the casual fan. For example, the exclusion of Larry Bowa from both of the Phillies first and second shortstop positions forces the curious reader to question his exclusion. (The answer, given by Neyer, is that Bowa walked infrequently and had few extra-base hits, leading to a lower value to his team than mere batting average would suggest.)

In sum, this is a fun little book that can - but doesn't have to - make you think.

Interesting, but controversial.......2004-05-02

Anyone who has a knowledge of baseball can easily pick the best first baseman in New York Yankee history: Lou Gehrig. But how about the best centerfielder? Mantle, or DiMaggio? In my lifetime, I've been a fan of both, so either one might qualify... and yet, whichever you leave out, you're leaving out one of the Yankees' greatest players. By restricting your all-time best Yankee team to one at each position, you're forced to choose, and yet, at other positions (like left field or third base), the best one you can find is nowhere near the SECOND-best centerfielder. (I'm assuming, when I talk of left fielders, you consider Babe Ruth a RIGHT fielder, as Neyer does: he played left on the road and right in Yankee Stadium!)

I'm sure there are similar problems with other teams; I know the Yankees best, so I gave Yankee examples. But this is the problem with any book of this type.

Still, it's fun to look at the lists in this book. I'm not sorry I bought it. 4 stars, yes... but certainly not 5.

Not as good as I hoped.......2004-04-10

I just bought Rob Neyer's new book called Big Book of Baseball Lineups. I haven't read it all, and I might never do so. I am disapointed with it. In fact I think the name is a misnomer. It should be called the Big Book of Baseball Rosters. Part of my beef with the book is that I feel misled somewhat. I thought the book was going to be a resource type book in which Neyer actually lists batting lineups and does analysis on them. I would have enjoyed that. For starters almost nothing is out there on batting lineups. In terms of historical facts and stats that is probably one of the last frontiers to conquered.

Anyway back to the book. The book is actually a team by team ranking of players by position. Unfortunately though he doesn't show us his formulas or any hard stat type analysis as to why he made his choices. Personally I think Neyer is at his best when he is doing just that. Nor does he do an in-depth list, he only lists the top two players for each position. So you are left wondering many times where he ranks one of your favorite players. Nor does Neyer look at players from the 19th century. That one is not a huge deal but for some teams you are eliminating some great players and history. Neyer also has some other lists. Such as all-rookie, single season, best defensive, worst defensive, homegrown, traded away, flops, washed up, and nickname. Reading that you might think that he has a lot of informative pieces of info to share about a wide variety of players. Again, unfortunately he does not. His analysis for each selection is about one sentence without much detail. In otherwords a "blurb". Again no real analysis, no numbers or history to go with his selections. No real info on other players who did not rank at the top of the list.

In the back of the book he has a huge list of all-time rosters year by year for each team based on primary position. Unfortunately (I'm saying that a lot for this book, which I guess goes to show you how disappointed I am with it) this is not new info nor hard to find. It is done in almost the exact same manner as the one widely available and tons more informative at Baseball-Reference.com. To make up for the somewhat dry content that is the heart of this book Neyer adds extremely short little essays (about 2 paragraphs worth) on each page and a larger essay and the end of each teams section. For the short essay's Neyer has informed the reader that he tried for baseball items that were not column knowledge. So for instance in the Yankee section there is no essay about Ruth. There is an essay about Dimaggio and Mantle but (and this is the problem with almost all of the short essay's) there is very little analysis and his findings are very general and bland. In the Dimaggio&Mantle essay he talks about how in the 50's Dimaggio was ranked as the 4th greatest OF (Mantle wasn't ranked because he had only played 2 seasons), then 25 years later Dimaggio is still ranked as one of the best OF and Mantle is again not mentioned. His analysis is that today we have a better understanding of these players and we know better now. To prove this point he shows there OPS and picks a few categories and tells you how many times the led their league in it. That's all well and good but the problem is he does all that in three sentences. Nor does he look deeper. Why? Because he can't, becuase these essays must fit the small section they are provided with. So for me I felt cheated a little bit by these essays because there were some that left me wanting him to expand more upon but he didn't. For instance in the Cubs section Neyer has an essay about Palmeiro and Grace. In the end he says that it became apparent that there wasn't going to be enough room for both of them (which is probably true) and that the Cubs traded the wrong one away (again it is probably true). But it is the last sentence that leaves me wanting more. Neyer states that because the Cubs felt they needed a "closer" they ended up trading the wrong guy. It is true that Raffy was traded for a closer. But if it was apparent that one of them was going to leave town wouldn't it be more interesting to find out why the Cubs let Raffy go instead of Grace? Again though Neyer cannot elaborate. The essays at the end of each team section is probably the best part of the book because it is basically having 30 or so brand new Neyer articles at your fingertips. Though again Neyer leaves to statistical work on the cutting room floor. In fact to me it seems that Neyer was making a concerted effort to make this book appeal to the most general of baseball fans. He avoided almost completely "stathead" type stats and formulas nor did he every really get down and dirty with the stats. I guess in terms of marketing trying to appeal at the most basic level is good. But I think people like Bill James have proven that statistical type baseball books can sell. Though it is possible and probably true that Neyer doesn't have the credentials yet to write books in the style of James and get them published.

Book Description

Since 1901, over 5,600 pitchers have toed the rubber in baseball's major leagues. Of them only 369 have won 20 or more games in a single season. (Only 168 of those to win 20 games have been able to repeat the feat, further illustrating how difficult it is to reach that plateau.) Season-by-season, this reference work documents major league 20-game winners from 1901 through the 1996 season (including the Federal League 1914-1915). A brief synopsis of each pitcher's season is provided, along with his complete pitching statistics. Some of the pitchers who won 20 games were all-time greats, but, interestingly, many were journeymen who had one great season. The work also shows the changes in the game, from the deadball era when pitching dominated to the present when the lively ball has made the 20-game winner even rarer than before.

Baseball Prospectus 2006: The BP Team of Experts on Baseball Talent

Average customer rating:

The Baseball Information Derby
Best overall baseball book ou there
Sophmoric nonsense
Calling all fantasy team owners.....
The Book which tells you why your instincts for Baseball are true

Baseball Prospectus 2006: The BP Team of Experts on Baseball Talent
Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761139958

Book Description

Fans and fantasy league players, get your inside intelligence from the same source as many Major League front offices—BASEBALL PROSPECTUS.BASEBALL PROSPECTUS 2006 provides unprecedented original performance analysis of over 1,600 players, from stars at the top of their game to prospects vying for Rookie of the Year. It offers:

The Baseball Prospectus team of cutting-edge analysts includes Mark Armour, Andrew Baharlias, Jim Baker, James Click, Clifford J. Corcoran, Clay Davenport, John Erhardt, Gary Gillette, Steven Goldman, Thomas Gorman, Gary Huckabay, Jay Jaffe, Rany Jazayerli, Christina Kahrl, Jonah Keri, Mark McClusky, Dave Pease, Dayn Perry, Nate Silver, and Keith Woolner.

Check out www.baseballprospectus.com for year-round baseball coverage.

Customer Reviews:

The Baseball Information Derby.......2007-01-11

Simply, the best annual publication about major league baseball. Hardball Times would be #2. Somewhere in the dust is the rest of the field.

Best overall baseball book ou there.......2006-07-30

Love Baseball prospectus 2006. Great info and stats. I personally like the humor the authors do in there player Analysis. Makes it fun to read, not just a dry paragraph about numbers. Best part about the book is it is for real baseball fans and roto geeks. Both will enjoy the book.

Sophmoric nonsense.......2006-07-08

This is a horrible example of sophmoric "witty" commentary paired with the idiocy of stat-based evaluation. If irrelevant asides were not enough, they are mostly wrong as regards players from the team I follow closely, the Oakland A's. Take the notes on Houston Street ("never will be in the Lidge/Rivera class"), Zito ("overrated"), minor leaguer Travis Buck (stupid comments on his name, totally inappropriate), Ander Ethier (overmatached in the big leagues). Where their prognastications are reasonable, a simple extrapolation from previous years (anyone could do it in their head) would suffice, not some pseudo sophisticated computer program. I hate this book.

Calling all fantasy team owners............2006-07-03

This is the one book you need before draft day! Oh, and if you're just a major league baseball fan, especially one that knows that there is a lot more to find in the statistics than meets the eye, this book is for you. If your eyes glaze over when you try to decipher statistics, this book makes it easy to understand all you really need to know....oh, and love the snark!

The Book which tells you why your instincts for Baseball are true.......2006-06-02

This is a page turner. The stats that are introduced tend to support the hueristic beliefs that a true baseball fan already has. As a Phillies fan and a former fantasy league member who drafted teams based on what is now known as a Sabermetrics, I was pleased to see how my former beliefs (I had some good teams in the 80s and 90s before I quit) could be validated by recent research.

Folks,

I love this book.

Average customer rating:

it keeps getting better and better
Average

Dating Game #4: Ex-Rating (Dating Game)
Natalie Standiford
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316158763

Book Description

Best friends, Madison, Lina, and Holly created The Dating Game as a way to get credit for their Interpersonal Human Dynamics course (a fancy name for Sex Ed). Now they've become sought-after online matchmakers for their whole school! The Dating Game has gotten too hot to handle -- at least for the school's principal and parents. After Mads, Lina and Holly come off like junior sex experts on a local radio interview and their controversial new feature, Ex-rating -- where exes rate their former boyfriend/girlfriend -- brings in scandalous responses, the Dating Game is banned from the school's computers. But Mads, Lina, and Holly aren't giving up without a fight -- even if it means being expelled!

Customer Reviews:

it keeps getting better and better.......2006-06-16

In the fourth installment of the Dating Game series, Ex-Rating, Mads, Lina, and Holly struggle with more than trying to find true love. Mads is outraged when the principal of their school decides to not sponsor the web-site anymore. Mads will do almost anything to change his mind. Lina is finally over Dan, and instead realizes her feelings for Walker, but it's too late, Walker has a girlfriend. Or is it? Holly's relationship with Rob is better than ever, until she gets swept up in his sister Julia's wedding, having to make all the decisions for her, not having any time for anything else. Forget can true love survive high school... can they survive high school at all?

Average.......2006-03-25

This is yet another installment in this series. While I thought these books were moderately funny in the beginning - they are starting to feel boring to me.

The storyline is essentially the same with the girls trying to find their soulmates - while at the same time trying to matchmake everybody in their school.

The problem with this book is the corny dialogue. The whole opening chapter with them being interviewed was just so painful to read. The author seemed to be trying to be cute and funny and the result was that the characters simply sounded stupid. This is a theme that would repeat over and over throughout this book. I think its time to retire this series.

Overcoming the Rating Game: Beyond Self-Love, Beyond Self-Esteem

Average customer rating:

True meaning of success is defined here.
very informative
Excellent book to overcome inferiority complex
Let go your ego!
Short and sweet.

Overcoming the Rating Game: Beyond Self-Love, Beyond Self-Esteem
Paul A. Hauck
Manufacturer: Westminster John Knox Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Self-Esteem | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Applied Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0664253105

Book Description

Feelings of inferiority are as universal as the common cold and cause as many problems with health and happiness. To help combat these negative feelings, Hauck discourages individuals from rating themselves and encourages self-acceptance, skills improvement, and gaining respect from others.

Customer Reviews:

True meaning of success is defined here........2007-01-25

I found the following messages of the author especially valuable:

1. We are succeeding always as long as we are learning.
2. Doing badly is a valuable experience for learning.
3. Doing things correctly tells us what we want to repeat.
4. After much discipline and hard work, our performance will come closer to our potential ability, and this process is defined as success.

So in stead of measuring myself against others, I should measure my performance against my potential.

very informative .......2006-08-17

This is a very informative book on self rating. After reading this you'll know a great deal about self acceptance, self love and self esteem. The book is quite short, but that's a good thing, because the author doesn't beat around the bush, he goes straight for the meat in as few words as possible. The one thing that disappointed me a little was the lack of exercises. Throughout the entire text he presented on exercise, saying that that is all you need, but in my opinion, a few more would be nice. As a result, I'm thinking about getting a few more self-esteem books by other authors as supplement.

Excellent book to overcome inferiority complex.......2003-12-25

This is the best book I have ever read on Self-esteem.The essense of the book is not how to develop self-esteem but how to get rid of it and develop self-acceptance.Paul Hauck gives numerous examples on ill effects of self-rating.He points out self-esteem is sickness.But Hauck doesn't mean to devalue the value of achievement and enormous benefits it begets.He urges us to develop achievement confidence instead of self-confidence.This book can eliminate the inferiority and superiority complex we all suffer from.Excellent book built on REBT framework which can change one's life for good

Let go your ego!.......1999-12-04

I now believe that most emotional disturbance is a result of this thing called "self-esteem/worth/" and their evil twin "ego". Social fears can be attributed to the idea that we will somehow be magically diminished in some way as human beings if people disapprove of us. This book is a great start in demolishing that foolish idea. Another great book that covers this subject is "Overcoming the Myth of Self-Worth" by Richard Franklin.

Short and sweet........1998-01-12

The book is insightful, and well-written. I reread it any time I'm feeling a bit depressed or down. Outlines the basic princliples of rational-emotive therapy.

Average customer rating:

Rules of the Radio Ratings Game
Robert Balon
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 080581048X

Kreditrisikomessung: Statistische Grundlagen, Methoden und Modellierung

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Kreditrisikomessung: Statistische Grundlagen, Methoden und Modellierung
Andreas Henking , Christian Bluhm , and Ludwig Fahrmeir
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Statistics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 3540321454

Book Description

Jeder Kredit birgt für den Kreditgeber ein Risiko, da es unsicher ist, ob der Kreditnehmer seinen Zahlungsverpflichtungen nachkommen wird. Kreditrisiken werden mit Hilfe statistischer Methoden und mathematischer Modelle gemessen. Nicht zuletzt vor dem Hintergrund Basel II hat die quantitative Kreditrisikomessung in den letzten Jahren enorm an Bedeutung gewonnen.

Dieses Buch schließt die Lücke zwischen statistischer Grundlagenliteratur und mathematisch anspruchsvollen Werken zur Modellierung von Kreditrisiken. Es bietet einen Einstieg in die Kreditrisikomessung und die dafür notwendige Statistik. Ausgehend von den wichtigsten Begriffen zum Kreditrisiko werden deren statistische Analoga beschrieben. Das Buch stellt die relevanten statistischen Verteilungen dar und gibt eine Einführung in stochastische Prozesse, Portfoliomodelle und Score- bzw. Ratingmodelle. Mit zahlreichen praxisnahen Beispielen ist es der ideale Einstieg in die Kreditrisikomessung für Praktiker und Quereinsteiger.

Sire Ratings 2005-2006: An Update to Exploring Pedigree

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Sire Ratings 2005-2006: An Update to Exploring Pedigree
Mike Helm
Manufacturer: City Miner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Exploring Pedigree Handicapping's Newest Frontier

ASIN: 0933944306

Cigar Aficionado's: Buying Guide : Ratings & Prices for More Than 1200 Cigars

Average customer rating:

Nothing more than a few tips for the beginner smoker
very informative, but no illustrations, hard to locate
A must for any cigar enthusiast!

Cigar Aficionado's: Buying Guide : Ratings & Prices for More Than 1200 Cigars

Manufacturer: Running Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1881659496

Customer Reviews:

Nothing more than a few tips for the beginner smoker.......2002-02-27

This was the first cigar book I bought, and I outgrew it within a week. Most of the information it presents can be found on the Internet.

I learned a lot from the chapters that introduce basic cigar shapes and wrapper colors and discuss how to store, cut, light, and smoke cigars. But the meat of the guide, the index of cigar ratings, most of which was done in 1996 and 1997, wouldn't be very useful in a cigar shop today. I've found my local tobacconist's advice to be much more helpful.

I learned more about alcoholic beverages from this book than I did cigars. Cognac and brandies, port, scotch and Irish whiskey, rum, and bourbon each have a chapter dedicated to them. Those unfamiliar with these drinks will learn a little about their distinguishing qualities. Unfortunately, there are no suggestions in this book about matching cigars with drinks, but Cigar Aficionado has since posted articles about cigar and drink compatibility on its Web site.

The final few pages of the guide are a personal cigar tasting log in which all but the most occasional of smokers would quickly run out of room. You can of course transfer the basic format of the tasting log to a notebook, or purchase a separate tasting log (tasting log software for PC's and palmtops is available too).

If you're very new to cigars and happen to see a copy of the CA Buying Guide at your local library, go ahead and borrow it. If you want a book about cigars for your bookcase, I'd recommend The Good Cigar by Jeffers and Gordon. Other than that, take advantage of the wealth of information on the Internet.

very informative, but no illustrations, hard to locate.......1999-02-09

This is a very informative book, but unfortunatly, unlike "Cigar Aficionado" magazine, illustrations of the cigars are not included with the reviews, so at times, due to the lack of conformatity in categorizing cigars sizes, it is slightly difficult to identify a specific cigar. Since cigar manufactors have so many different lines with very similiar lenths and ring sizes it is difficult to locate a specific cigar without a lot of flipping around, the reviews are catagorized by "size name", (ie. corona, robusto, ect.), which can differ from manufactor to manufactor.

A must for any cigar enthusiast!.......1998-12-23

If your looking for a good novel, you need to look elsewhere. If you are interested in learning more than you ever wanted to know about cigars, then you've found your book. Cigar Aficianado is one of the leading authorities on the world of cigar's and cigar smoking. The Buying Guide is so much more than that. It includes tips on cutting, lighting, and smoking, liquers that go well with cigars, ratings of cigars, as well as names and addresses of fine tobacco stores and cigar friendly restaurants from around the U.S. This book was a gift to me from a friend and it makes a wonderful gift. If you are an avid cigar enthusiast or just an occasional partaker of the finer pleasure of cigars, you will want to add this book to your collection.

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