The first human
Subtitle: the race to discover our earliest ancestors
By: Ann Gibbons
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 306
ISBN-13: 9780385512268
Subjects: Fossil hominids; Human evolution
Description: Bill James has been called "baseball's shrewdest analyst" (Slate) and "part of baseball legend" (The New Yorker), and his Baseball Abstract has been acclaimed as the "holy book of baseball" (Chicago Tribune). Thirty years ago, James introduced a new approach to evaluating players and strategies, and now his theories have become indispensable tools for agents, statistics analysts, maverick general managers, and anyone who is serious about understanding the game. This book tells the story of how a gifted outsider inspired a new understanding of baseball. It delves deeply into James's essential wisdom--including his surprising beliefs about pitch counts and the importance of batting-order, thoughts on professionalism and psychology, and why teams tend to develop the characteristics that are least favored by their home parks. It also brings together his best writing, much of it long out of print, as well as insights from new interviews.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [283]-294) and index.
Table of contents: title: Map: the cradle of humanity; title: "First Human" fossil finds by year; title: Time line: the human family; title: The fossil hunters; title: African trailblazers; title: Continental divide; title: The early ancestor; title: Drawing bloodlines; title: Lucy, the late ancestor; title: Defining humans; title: Banishment; title: The lady of the lake; title: A view from afar; title: The root ape; title: West side story; title: Turf wars; title: Toeing the line; title: Millennium man; title: Toumai; title: Bones of contention; title: Habitat for humanity.