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Reviews
The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports by Jeff Passan
adbond's review against another edition
3.0
Solid stories, but I never got much payoff. It's probably that there's no answers to the questions posed, which I get, but still left me feeling like there was a lack of cohesion for the entire book.
jbmorgan86's review against another edition
4.0
The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is the most valuable piece of tissue in professional sports. The MLB spends billions of dollars on pitching arms every year, but there is an epidemic of torn UCLs. The only possible repair is the infamous Tommy John surgery. More and more players are requiring Tommy John surgery (and at a younger age).
This book is to baseball what Game Brain and the film Concussion are to the NFL. Passan investigates every possible detail of this epidemic. The book is filled with anecdotes from current MLB players, stories about the history of the Tommy John surgery, tales of abuse in little league travel teams, stories from Japan's Nippon League, etc.
To say that this book is thorough is an understatement. I felt like I had gotten the full story by the 50% mark, but it kept going. Eye opening and enjoyable but a bit too long.
This book is to baseball what Game Brain and the film Concussion are to the NFL. Passan investigates every possible detail of this epidemic. The book is filled with anecdotes from current MLB players, stories about the history of the Tommy John surgery, tales of abuse in little league travel teams, stories from Japan's Nippon League, etc.
To say that this book is thorough is an understatement. I felt like I had gotten the full story by the 50% mark, but it kept going. Eye opening and enjoyable but a bit too long.
eldiente's review against another edition
4.0
Audio - this consideration of the travails of a ligament just a couple of inches long is an interesting peek into the stresses - physical and emotional - of baseball pitchers. I enjoyed the author's use of personal stories to illustrate the process from injury to rehabilitation to eventual recovery (or not).
I was surprised to learn how slow Major League Baseball has been to launch investigations into causes and remedies for the arms of their most valuable commodity. It is reminiscent of how the National Football League is slow to even consider CTE as a workplace hazard.
I was surprised to learn how slow Major League Baseball has been to launch investigations into causes and remedies for the arms of their most valuable commodity. It is reminiscent of how the National Football League is slow to even consider CTE as a workplace hazard.
evybird's review against another edition
4.0
A bit too much Trevor Bauer for me but otherwise really great! I learned a lot.