In Pursuit of Pennants

Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball

Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt

Narrated by John T. Arnott

Available from Audible

Book published by University of Nebraska Press

The 1936 Yankees, the 1963 Dodgers, the 1975 Reds, the 2010 Giants—why do some baseball teams win while others don’t?

General managers and fans alike have pondered this most important of baseball questions. The Moneyball strategy is not the first example of how new ideas and innovative management have transformed the way teams are assembled. In Pursuit of Pennants examines and analyzes a number of compelling, winning baseball teams over the past hundred-plus years, focusing on their decision making and how they assembled their championship teams.

Whether through scouting, integration, instruction, expansion, free agency, or modernizing their management structure, each winning team and each era had its own version of Moneyball, where front office decisions often made the difference. Mark L. Armour and Daniel R. Levitt show how these teams succeeded and how they relied on talent both on the field and in the front office. While there is no recipe for guaranteed success in a competitive, ever-changing environment, these teams demonstrate how creatively thinking about one’s circumstances can often lead to a competitive advantage.

Mark L. Armour is the author of Joe Cronin: A Life in Baseball, the editor of The Great Eight: The 1975 Cincinnati Reds, and a coeditor of Pitching, Defense, and Three-Run Homers: The 1970 Baltimore Orioles.

Daniel R. Levitt is the author of Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty and The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy.

REVIEWS:

“Read this book for its treasure trove of baseball history and because it is a damn good read.”

—G. Louis Heath, ARETE

“The book is exceptionally well-researched, -reasoned, and -argued, and also exceptionally well-written.”

—Rob Neyer, Just a bit Outside

“In Pursuit of Pennants is by far the best treatment of the building of baseball teams. It belongs in easy reach on every baseball researcher’s desk or bookshelf, and it’s going to be there for a very long time.”

—Jan Finkel, Inside Game

“Baseball fans across the board that dedicate the time to reading this book will enjoy it.”

—Gregg's Baseball Bookcase

“Armour and Levitt have given the reader an inside look into the different cultures and challenges facing professional sports executives. Their management styles might differ, but the objective never changes: ‘Be a consistent winner.”

—Pat Gillick

“A rare combination of a must-have reference book and engaging storytelling by distinguished baseball historians Armour and Levitt.”

—Vince Gennaro, president of the Society for American Baseball Research and author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball