Review of “How to Win a Grand Prix”

 While most of my viewing of auto racing is that of NASCAR races, I am learning a lot about F1 racing through books. The best of those books so far is this one by a former engineer and strategist who takes the reader inside F1 teams. 

Title/Author:

“How to Win a Grand Prix: From Pit Lane to Podium” by Bernie Collins

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: While drivers get the glory and attention during Formula One races, there’s a huge team of mechanics, engineers and strategists who compose a team of which the drivers of the cars are just one person. This book by former Aston Martin engineer and strategist Bernie Collins is a fascinating look at the work of these men and women that is vital to the success of any F1 team.

Collins, who is now a broadcaster for Sky Sports coverage of F1, got her start after graduation with McLaren. After describing her early career, she takes the reader to various offices, booths, hospitality sites and the pit wall when describing the many jobs and duties of each worker. Of course, since she worked as first an engineer and then a strategist at her next team, Force India and then Aston Martin, she writes the most about these jobs.

The level of detail the Collins describes for these jobs can seem overwhelming to the new or casual fan of racing. The amount of work these teams do to design and build a car is vividly described in these passages. The same goes for the calculations, data analysis and strategy that she did both in an office and at the track. I felt her writing about this job was the best, as she took the reader along for what her “typical” week would look like, from meetings to the free practice runs to qualifying and finally to race day. Everything from the best laps to pit to tire performance was meticulously planned and described in these chapters. 

When I downloaded this book I expected it to be more of a description of the jobs behind the pit wall during a race. I am glad it was so much more than that as I learned a lot about the inner workings of an F1 team. Even if your preference for auto racing is another avenue like NASCAR or Indy cars, pick up this book and read about the workings of a racing team. 

I wish to thank Quercus for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/How-Grand-Prix-Bernie-Collins/dp/1529437598/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U5RO9BCNH9QR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.A-aQ2pQxp8_G-iZVMLr0EBKYLyQoAow3madvmGnpNVOuQLjIkLxqI7iXXC_sBJYN.ua4GIUFIhdsnoNvNBCBztBZ-1iczb9zLyAajPe0MREo&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+to+win+a+grand+prix+bernie+collins&qid=1730414797&sprefix=How+to+win+a+grand+prix%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1 

Review of "Masters of Modern Soccer"

While I have never been an avid soccer fan, I have casually followed the sport and have become a fan of Grant Wahl, a soccer writer for Sports Illustrated since the mid 1990's. When I saw he has a book coming out this spring and advance copies were available for review, I jumped on the offer as soon as possible. Mr. Wahl did not disappoint as this was a fantastic book on the modern game.  Here is my review of "Masters of Modern Soccer"

Title/Author:

“Masters of Modern Soccer: How the World’s Best Play the Twenty-First Century Game” by Grant Wahl

Tags:

Soccer, Football (European), coaching, strategy

Publish date:

May 1, 2018

Length:

304 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Long-time players and fans of soccer will notice how different the contemporary game is compared to the matches played in the 1970’s and 1980’s. There are several reasons for this, most notably the changes in responsibilities of the positions and the use of analytics. America’s premier soccer writer, Grant Wahl, interviewed seven men who are the premier people in their position or job in international soccer and the result is this excellent book.

This book has been compared to the best-selling baseball book “Men At Work” by George Will. In that one, Will broke down baseball by writing about various jobs done by people in the game and wrote about how the best performers handle that job.  Wahl does the same thing for soccer as he interviews the best players and management personnel.  The players are American midfielder Christian Pulisic, Mexican forward Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez, Belgian centerback Vincent Kompany, Spain’s Xabi Alonso and German goalkeeper Mauel Neuer.

Their insight into the game makes for compelling reading as they each share what they do to be the best at their position.  Whether it is how Kompany positions himself in relation to the opponent’s best goal scorer, the “Wow moments” Pulisic provides to fans or the drills on which Neuer works to improve his reflexes, each section is a lesson in how today’s game is played and why the sport has changed so much over the last few decades.

These changes are noted often by Wahl as he talks about positions that are no longer in vogue, such as the sweeper, or how drastically the skills have changed in order to be an elite player.  This is clearly evident for a goalkeeper, where Wahl writes that shot blocking, once considered the primary job of the keeper, is now only one of several skills at which a goalkeeper must excel. Neuer’s insight backs up this assertion.

Coaching and management get the same treatment as players do in this book as Belgium coach Roberto Martinez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc are also interviewed and share their secrets for success as well. The biggest takeaway from these chapters was also mentioned in some of the players’ chapters.  The used of advanced statistical analysis is just as prevalent in professional soccer as it is in other sports, again most notably baseball. There is even a reference to “Moneyball” in the book as much like the Oakland A’s, Borussia Dortmund does not have the same financial resources like some other clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid or Barcelona.  As a result, they do some creative thinking in the front office and Zorc’s insight will provide readers with some new information about this part of the sport.

Written with American readers in mind, this work is truly a masterpiece of the modern game. Wahl was the first author to write a soccer book that became a New York Times bestseller with his 2009 biography of David Beckham. This book could very well become his second.  If a reader has any interest in the sport, no matter how much or how little, this is a book that must not be missed.

I wish to thank Crown Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/masters-of-modern-soccer-grant-wahl/1127023621?ean=9780307408600

https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Modern-Soccer-Worlds-Twenty-First-Century/dp/0307408604/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=  

Review of "Ahead of the Curve"

Baseball has entered a new stage in which computers and analysts are just as important to a team's success as scouts and managers. Between advanced statistics and new ways of thinking when managing a game, the old line of thinking is becoming questioned more and more each season.  This book on the new way of reading statistics and managing some game situations is a terrific read that everyone who enjoys baseball should read.  Here is my review of "Ahead of the Curve." 

Title/Author:

“Ahead of the Curve: Inside the Baseball Revolution” by Brian Kenny

Tags:

Baseball, strategy, statistics

Publish date:

July 5, 2016

Length:

368 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Brian Kenny built a following when he worked as a baseball analyst at ESPN and his reputation as an outspoken commentator has grown even larger since he moved over to the MLB Network. One reason for this is his continuous questioning of traditional statistics and strategy when evaluating players and the best course to take during certain game situations.

In this entertaining book, he explains many of his positions in a manner that might make some fans uncomfortable, but will certainly be topics of discussion the next time a reader wants to debate the merits of a bunt or if it is wise to not have a team’s best relief pitcher not appear in a game unless it is the ninth inning and the team is ahead by three runs or less.

Those two examples are just a small sample of the types of conventional wisdom he questions and then provides an alternative based on statistics, logic and analysis. While this may sound fairly dry, the writing and creativity is entertaining.  For example, in his explanation of why it is not good strategy to leave a starting pitcher on the mound as long as possible and then not put the best reliever into the game until the ninth inning in a “save” situation, he calls his alternative strategy “Bullpenning.” In this chapter, just about every piece of conventional wisdom is thrown out and a new idea, based on statistical analysis is proposed.  The reader may or may not agree with Kenny’s radicalism, but it is written in such a manner that one will at least acknowledge that it is something to consider.

Kenny’s attack on old-school values is not limited to strategy – it also goes into statistics that have been the basis for awards, big-money contracts and even votes for the Hall of Fame. There are great write-ups on each of these three topics, along with several others, on why the stats that most fans are familiar with (home runs, batting average, the Triple Crown and so on) are poor indicators of a player’s value and talent and instead more advanced statistics such as WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) are much better.  There are many new statistics used in which a reader, including this one who has been one of those who has relied on the traditional statistics, may need explanations, which Kenny includes at the end of the book.

What really sets this book apart from others touting these advanced statistics, or “sabermetrics” as first coined by Bill James (who Kenny calls one of the seven most influential people in the history of the game), is the writing style.  Yes, Kenny questions those who are slow to embrace these changes, but when the traditional statistics and strategy works, he acknowledges it. An example is when early and mid-20^th century writers elected worthy players to the Hall of Fame, which are backed up with advanced analysis not available at that time.  Therefore, it is not a complete vilification of those who have not embraced the new wave of analysis – but at times the criticism of this line of thinking can be biting (but not snarky).

This book is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the game. If the reader is one who has embraced sabermetrics, he or she will love findings like those on which big-money free agents were worth the big contract and which ones were busts. If the reader is one who held on to traditional thinking, like this reviewer, then the solid research, reasoning and logic explaining why those values need to change will make the reader at least think, if not embrace these ideas.

I wish to thank Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

https://www.amazon.com/Ahead-Curve-Inside-Baseball-Revolution/dp/1501106333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467247250&sr=1-1&keywords=ahead+of+the+curve

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ahead-of-the-curve-brian-kenny/1122858654?ean=9781501106330