Great Reads
May 14th, 2009 by Nut
In case you didn’t know, there are at least two things that make up a great writer: read a lot and write a lot. There are other tips, but that’s not what today’s post is about.
Today is about some of the great stuff I’ve been reading recently. These are all great articles and some of them have to do with sports, which are a huge passion of mine, especially baseball.
Whether you enjoy sports or not, these are fantastic pieces of writing:
- How David Beats Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell: This is a great look at how average or mediocre teams can equalize the playing field. Specifically, Gladwell looks at basketball and why the full-court press isn’t used more in the sport. A fantastic read.
- Brain Games by John Colapinto: The full article isn’t available online, but see if you can find the technology issue of the New Yorker, because this long article is really a fantastic read. Maybe it’s just me, but I find visual cognition theory and neurology fascinating. This article profiles Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, who came up with mirror therapy as a way to help relieve phantom-limb pain. This reminded me of why I love reading Oliver Sacks so much, especially his The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. This may sound too scienc-y to some, but it’s a fantastic look at how our brain adapts to things like losing a limb.
- Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell Have a Tete a Tete:A fun read that spans several topics. Enjoy reading two great writers talking shop about stuff they’re both passionate about. Oh and they even drop a mention of Michael Lewis. What a trifecta!
- Plate Discipline So Important Nowadays by Jerry Crasnick: As I’ve said before, I’m a huge fan of Moneyball and OBP as a measure of how productive a baseball player is. This article takes a closer look at what being patient at the plate actually means and what it’s like for a player like Jeff Francoeur, who is a born hacker. Especially since his teammate, Chipper Jones, is one of the best/most patient hitters in the game. If you loved Moneyball, you’ll enjoy this.
Agreed. Moneyball is one of my favorite books, and I’ve been trying to plow through the Bill Simmons/Malcolm Gladwell back-and-forth.
The article by Michael Lewis in the New York Times (I think) a few weeks ago about Shane Battier was also a good read.
Right on Brad. I dropped a heads up on the Battier piece here: tinyurl.com/bdj2yu