View source for Bill James

{{Short description|American baseball writer and statistician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Similar names|Bill James (disambiguation)|William James (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bill James
| image = Bill James 2010.jpg
| caption = James in 2010
| birth_name = George William James
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|10|5}}
| birth_place = [[Holton, Kansas]], U.S.
| alma_mater = [[University of Kansas]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Baseball historian|statistician}}
| known_for = [[Sabermetrics]]
| years_active = 1977–present
}}
'''George William James''' (born October 5, 1949)<ref name= "khs" >{{cite web |url=https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/george-william-bill-james/18177 |title=George William "Bill" James |last=Pierron |first=G. Joseph |date=November 2012 |website=Kansapedia |publisher=[[Kansas Historical Society]] |access-date=2023-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bill James |url=https://www.kshof.org/team/bill-james |website=kshof.org |publisher=the Middle Pin Designs |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref> is an American [[baseball]] writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books about baseball history and statistics. His approach, which he named [[sabermetrics]] after the [[Society for American Baseball Research]] (SABR),<ref>Steve Sullivan, State of the Art: The Actuarial Game of Baseball, http://www.contingencies.org/mayjun04/stat.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927011510/http://www.contingencies.org/mayjun04/stat.pdf |date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> scientifically analyzes and studies baseball, often through the use of statistical data, in an attempt to determine why teams win and lose.

In 2006, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named him in the [[Time 100|''Time'' 100]] as one of the most influential people in the world.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1187260,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618114907/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1187260,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 18, 2006 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=April 30, 2006 |title=Bill James |access-date=April 26, 2010 |first=John |last=Henry}}</ref> In 2003, James was hired as senior advisor on Baseball Operations for the [[Boston Red Sox]] and worked for the team for 17 years during which they won four World Series championships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.billjamesonline.com/im_moving_on/|title=I'm Moving On &#124; Articles &#124; Bill James Online}}</ref><ref name=Anderson>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/bill-james-announces-retirement-from-red-sox-after-17-years-with-front-office/|title=Bill James announces retirement from Red Sox after 17 years with front office|last=Anderson|first=R.J.|date=October 24, 2019|work=CBS Sports|access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref>

==Early life==
James was born in [[Holton, Kansas]]. He joined the [[United States Army]] in 1971. After his service, he graduated from the [[University of Kansas]] in 1973 with degrees in English and economics, and in 1975 with a degree in education.<ref name= "khs" />

==Career==

===''The Bill James Baseball Abstract''s===
An aspiring writer and obsessive fan, James began writing baseball articles after leaving the [[United States Army]] in his mid-twenties. Many of his first baseball writings came while he was doing night shifts as a security guard at the [[Stokely-Van Camp's]] pork and beans cannery. Unlike most writers, his pieces did not recount games in epic terms or offer insights gleaned from interviews with players. A typical James piece posed a question (''e.g.,'' "Which pitchers and catchers allow runners to steal the most bases?" ), and then presented data and analysis that offered an answer.<ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Bill |date=2010 |title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=9781439106938 |access-date=July 23, 2014}}</ref>

Editors considered James's pieces so unusual that few believed them suitable for their readers. In an effort to reach a wider audience, James began self-publishing an annual book titled ''The Bill James Baseball Abstract'', beginning in 1977. The first edition, titled ''1977 Baseball Abstract: Featuring 18 categories of statistical information that you just can't find anywhere else'', presented 68 pages of in-depth statistics compiled from James's study of [[box score]]s from the preceding season and was offered for sale through a small advertisement in ''[[The Sporting News]]''. Seventy-five people purchased the booklet.<ref name=michael>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oIYNBodW-ZEC|title=Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|first=Michael|last=Lewis|author-link=Michael Lewis|year=2004|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=0393066231|pages=65–66}}</ref> The 1978 edition, subtitled ''The 2nd annual edition of baseball's most informative and imaginative review'', sold 250 copies.<ref>Lewis (2004), p. 73.</ref> Beginning in 1979, James wrote an annual preview of the baseball season for ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'', and continued to do so through 1984.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Belth |first1=Alex |title=How Esquire Discovered Bill James |url=http://classic.esquire.com/editors-notes/how-esquire-discovered-bill-james/ |website=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]].com |access-date=2017-05-22 |date=2016-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230182832/http://classic.esquire.com/editors-notes/how-esquire-discovered-bill-james/ |archive-date=December 30, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The first three editions of the ''Baseball Abstract'' garnered respect for James's work, including a very favorable review by [[Daniel Okrent]] in ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124493/index.htm |work=CNN |title=He Does It by the Numbers |date=May 25, 1981 |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204030220/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124493/index.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> New annual editions added essays on teams and players. By 1982 sales had increased tenfold, and a media conglomerate agreed to publish and distribute future editions.

While writers had published books about baseball statistics before (most notably [[Earnshaw Cook]]'s ''Percentage Baseball'', in the 1960s), few had ever reached a mass audience. Attempts to imitate James's work spawned a flood of books and articles that continues to this day.

===Post-''Abstract''s work===
In 1988, James ceased writing the ''Abstract'', citing workload-related burnout and concern about the volume of statistics on the market. He has continued to publish hardcover books about baseball history, which have sold well and received admiring reviews. These books include three editions of ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'' (1985, 1988, 2001, the last entitled ''The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'').

James has also written several series of new annuals:
* ''The Baseball Book'' (1990–1992) was a loosely organized collection of commentary, profiles, historical articles, and occasional pieces of research. James's assistant [[Rob Neyer]] was responsible for much of the research, and wrote several short pieces. Neyer went on to become a featured baseball columnist at [[ESPN]] and [[SB Nation]].
* ''The Player Ratings Book'' (1993–95) offered statistics and 50-word profiles aimed at the [[fantasy baseball]] enthusiast.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090221035535/http://actasports.com/detail.html?&id=9780879463403 The Bill James Handbook] (2003–present) provides past-season statistics and next-season projections for Major League players and teams, and career data for all current Major League players. Results for the [[Fielding Bible Awards]], an alternative to the [[Rawlings Gold Glove Award|Gold Glove Awards]] voted on by a 10-person panel that includes James, are also included.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Franklin Gutierrez wins the 2008 Fielding Bible Award for best fielding right fielder in Major League Baseball
| date = October 30, 2008
| url = http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081030&content_id=3655084&vkey=pr_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110916161440/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081030&content_id=3655084&vkey=pr_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = September 16, 2011
| work = cleveland.indians.mlb.com
| access-date = November 18, 2010
| quote = Cleveland Indians third-year man Franklin Gutierrez won the 2008 Fielding Bible Award for right field in an announcement made November 1, 2008, in The Bill James Handbook 2009.
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| title = Yadier Molina leads fifth annual "Fielding Bible Awards"
| first = Aaron
| last = Gleeman
| author-link = Aaron Gleeman
| url = http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/01/yadier-molina-leads-fifth-annual-fielding-bible-awards/
| work = NBCSports.com
| date = November 1, 2010
| access-date = November 18, 2010
| quote = Voted on by a 10-person panel that includes Bill James, Peter Gammons, Joe Posnanski, Rob Neyer, and John Dewan as well as the entire video scouting team at Baseball Info Solutions, the award sets out to recognize the best defensive player at each position, regardless of league.
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101103232951/http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/11/01/yadier-molina-leads-fifth-annual-fielding-bible-awards/
| archive-date = November 3, 2010 | url-status = live
}}</ref>
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100316224509/http://www.actasports.com/detail.html?&id=9780879463205 The Bill James Gold Mine] (2008–2010) was a collection of new essays and never-before-seen statistics, as well as profiles of players and teams.
* Playing off the name of the earlier series, ''Solid Fool's Gold: Detours on the Way to Conventional Wisdom'' (2011) was a mixed collection of both baseball-related and miscellaneous pieces, culled from the Bill James Online archives (see below).

In 2008, James launched [http://www.billjamesonline.com/ Bill James Online]. Subscribers could read James's new, original writing and interact with one another—as well as with James—in a question-and-answer format. The web site also offered new "profiles" of teams and players full of facts and statistics that hoped to map what James has termed "the lost island of baseball statistics". On June 9, 2023, James wrote an article for the site announcing that it would soon be closed in order for James to "focus on other projects".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billjamesonline.com/a_sunset_over_the_hill/ |publisher=Bill James Online |date=June 9, 2023 |title=A sunset over the hill}}</ref>

===STATS, Inc.===
In an essay published in the 1984 ''Abstract'', James vented his frustration about [[Major League Baseball]]'s refusal to publish play-by-play accounts of every game. James proposed the creation of Project Scoresheet, a network of fans that would work together to collect and distribute this information.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840428&id=EaBSAAAAIBAJ&pg=6795,3730203 |title=Top Secret: Project Scoresheet to bring hidden facts to the fans |first=Glenn |last=Miller |newspaper=[[Evening Independent]] |date=April 28, 1984}}</ref>

While the resulting non-profit organization never functioned smoothly, it worked well enough to collect accounts of every game from 1984 through 1991. James's publisher agreed to distribute two annuals of essays and data—the 1987 and 1988 editions of ''[[Bill James Presents The Great American Baseball Statbook]]'' (though only the first of these featured writing by James).

The organization was eventually disbanded, but many of its members went on to form for-profit companies with similar goals and structure. [[STATS, Inc.]], the company James joined, provided data and analysis to every major media outlet before being acquired by [[Fox Network|Fox]] Sports in 2001.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140515/BLOGS04/140519841/stats-llc-sold-to-private-equity-firm |title=Stats LLC sold to private-equity firm |first=Danny |last=Ecker |magazine=[[Crain's Chicago Business]] |date=May 15, 2014}}</ref>

==Innovations==
Among the statistical innovations attributable to James are:
* [[Runs created]]. A statistic intended to quantify a player's contribution to runs scored, as well as a team's expected number of runs scored. Runs created is calculated from other offensive statistics. James's first version of it was: <math display= "block" >RC = \frac{(H+BB) \times TB}{AB+BB}</math> Applied to an entire team or league, the statistic correlates closely (usually within 5%) to that team's or league's actual runs scored. Since James first created the statistic, sabermetricians have refined it to make it more accurate, and it is now used in many different variations.
* [[Range factor]]. A statistic that quantifies the defensive contribution of a player, calculated in its simplest form as (A is an [[Assist (baseball)|assist]], PO is a [[Putout (baseball)|putout]]): <math display= "block" >RF = \frac{9 \times (A + PO)}\text{Innings}</math> The statistic is premised on the notion that the total number of outs that a player participates in is more relevant in evaluating his defensive play than the percentage of cleanly handled chances as calculated by the conventional statistic [[fielding percentage]].
* Defensive Efficiency Rating. A statistic that shows the percentage of balls in play a defense turns into an out. It is used to help determine a team's defensive ability. The formula is: <math display= "block" >DER = 1 - \frac{H + ROE - HR}{PA - K - BB - HBP - HR}</math>
* [[Win shares]]. A unifying statistic intended to allow the comparison of players at different positions, as well as players of different eras. Win Shares incorporates a variety of pitching, hitting and fielding statistics. One drawback of Win Shares is the difficulty of computing it.<ref name= "tht-interview" >{{cite web |url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/bill-james-interview/ |title=Bill James Interview |work=[[The Hardball Times]] |last=Jaffe |first=Chris |date=February 4, 2008 |access-date=February 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207094539/http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/bill-james-interview/ |archive-date=February 7, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Pythagorean expectation|Pythagorean Winning Percentage]]. A statistic explaining the relationship of wins and losses to runs scored and runs allowed. The statistic correlates closely to a team's actual winning percentage. Its simplest formula is: <math display= "block" >\mathrm{Pythagorean ~ W\%} = \frac{R^2}{R^2+RA^2}</math>
* [[Game score]] is a metric to determine the strength of a pitcher in any particular baseball game. It has since been improved by [[Tom Tango]].
* Major League Equivalency. A metric that uses [[Minor league baseball|minor league]] statistics to predict how a player is likely to perform at the major league level.
* The Brock2 System. A system for projecting a player's performance over the remainder of his career based on past performance and the aging process.
* [[Similarity score]]s. Scoring a player's statistical similarity to other players, providing a frame of reference for players of the distant past. Examples: [[Lou Gehrig]] comparable to [[Don Mattingly]]; [[Shoeless Joe Jackson|Joe Jackson]] to [[Tony Oliva]].
* [[Secondary average]]. A statistic that attempts to measure a player's contribution to an offense in ways not reflected in batting average. Secondary averages tend to be similar to batting averages, but can vary wildly, from less than.100 to more than.500 in extreme cases. The formula is (ISO is [[isolated power]]): <math display= "block" >\mathrm{SecA} = \frac{BB+(TB-H) + (SB-CS)}{AB} = \frac{BB + (SB-CS)}{AB} + ISO</math>
* [[Power/Speed Number]]. A statistic that attempts to consolidate the various "clubs" of players with impressive numbers of both home runs and stolen bases (e.g., the [[30–30 club]] ([[Bobby Bonds]] was well known for being a member), the [[40–40 club]] ([[Jose Canseco]] was the first to perform this feat), and even the 25–65 club ([[Joe Morgan]] in the '70s)). The formula is: <math display= "block" > \mathrm{PSN} = \frac{2 \times HR \times SB}{HR + SB}</math>
* Approximate Value. A system of cutoffs designed to estimate the value a player contributed to various category groups (including his team) to study broad questions such as "how do players age over time".
* "Temperature gauge" to determine how "hot" a player is, based on recent performance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nesn.com/2011/08/bill-james-explains-new-temperature-gauge-statistic-to-determine-how-hot-or-cold-a-hitter-is.html |work=NESN |title=Bill James Explains New 'Temperature Gauge' Statistic to Determine How Hot or Cold a Hitter Is |date=May 7, 2012 |access-date=June 25, 2012}}</ref> The gauge has been used in [[NESN]] Red Sox telecasts and has provoked mixed reactions from critics.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsofboston.com/2011/09/22/movie-review-moneyball-starring-brad-pitt-and-jonah-hill/ |work=Sports of Boston |title=Movie Review: "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill |date=September 22, 2011 |access-date=June 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918180211/http://sportsofboston.com/2011/09/22/movie-review-moneyball-starring-brad-pitt-and-jonah-hill/ |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Although James may be best known as an inventor of statistical tools, he has often written on the limitations of statistics and urged humility concerning their place amid other kinds of information about baseball.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/3503 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212065721/http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/3503 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2009 |title=SportsNation:Chat with Bill James |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> To James, context is paramount: he was among the first to emphasize the importance of adjusting traditional statistics for [[Batting Park Factor|park factors]] and to stress the role of luck in a pitcher's win–loss record.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?page=mlbdk2k10ballparks |title=Ranking The Ballparks |first=Tristan H. |last=Cockcroft |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=March 18, 2010}}</ref> Many of his statistical innovations are arguably less important than the underlying ideas. When he introduced the notion of [[secondary average]], it was as a vehicle for the then-counterintuitive concept that [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] represents only a fraction of a player's offensive contribution. (The [[Runs Created|runs-created statistic]] plays a similar role vis-à-vis the traditional [[runs batted in|RBI]].) Some of his contributions to the language of baseball, like the idea of the "[[defensive spectrum]]", border on being entirely non-statistical.

==Acceptance and employment in mainstream baseball==
[[Oakland Athletics]] general manager [[Billy Beane]] began applying sabermetric principles to running his low-budget team in the early 2000s, to notable effect, as chronicled in [[Michael Lewis (author)|Michael Lewis]]' book ''[[Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|Moneyball]]''.

In 2003, James was hired by a former reader, [[John W. Henry|John Henry]], the new owner of the [[Boston Red Sox]].

One point of controversy was in handling the relief pitching of the Red Sox.<ref>[[#prospectus2005|Baseball Prospectus 2005, pp.69–70]]</ref> James had previously published analysis of the use of the [[closer (baseball)|closer]] in baseball, and had concluded that the traditional use of the closer both overrated the abilities of that individual and used him in suboptimal circumstances. He wrote that it is "far better to use your [[relief ace]] when the score is tied, even if that is the seventh inning, than in the ninth inning with a lead of two or more runs." <ref>[[#prospectus2005|Baseball Prospectus 2005, p.66]]</ref> The Red Sox in 2003 staffed their bullpen with several marginally talented relievers.<ref name=prospectus2005_69>[[#prospectus2005|Baseball Prospectus 2005, p.69]]</ref> Red Sox manager [[Grady Little]] was never fully comfortable with the setup, and designated unofficial closers and reshuffled roles after a bad outing. When Boston lost a number of games due to bullpen failures, Little reverted to a traditional closer approach and moved [[Byung-hyun Kim]] from being a starting pitcher to a closer.<ref name=prospectus2005_70>[[#prospectus2005|Baseball Prospectus 2005, p.70]]</ref> The Red Sox did not follow James's idea of a bullpen with no closer, but with consistent overall talent that would allow the responsibilities to be shared.<ref name=prospectus2005_69 /> Red Sox reliever [[Alan Embree]] thought the plan could have worked if the bullpen had not suffered injuries.<ref name=prospectus2005_70 /> During the 2004 regular season [[Keith Foulke]] was used primarily as a closer in the conventional model; however, Foulke's usage in the 2004 postseason was along the lines of a relief ace with multiple inning appearances at pivotal times of the game.<ref>[[#prospectus2005|Baseball Prospectus 2005, p.64]]</ref> [[Houston Astros]] manager [[Phil Garner]] also employed a relief ace model with his use of [[Brad Lidge]] in the 2004 postseason.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.chron.com/unofficialscorer/2008/03/sabermetrician-bill-james-on-cbs-60-minutes/ |title=Sabermetrician Bill James on CBS' '60 Minutes' |first=Zachary |last=Levine |newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=March 31, 2008}}</ref>

During his tenure with the Red Sox, James published several new sabermetric books (see [[#Bibliography]] below). Indeed, although James was typically tight-lipped about his activities on behalf of the Red Sox, he is credited with advocating some of the moves that led to the team's first [[World Series]] championship in 86 years, including the signing of non-tendered free agent [[David Ortiz]], the trade for [[Mark Bellhorn]], and the team's increased emphasis on [[on-base percentage]].

After the Red Sox suffered through [[2012 Boston Red Sox season|a disastrous 2012 season]], Henry stated that James had fallen "out of favor [in the front office] over the last few years for reasons I really don't understand. We've gotten him more involved recently in the central process and that will help greatly." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/05/bill-james-to-assume-a-more-prominent-role-in-the-red-sox-front-office/|title=Bill James to assume a more prominent role in the Red Sox front office|work=HardballTalk|date=September 5, 2012}}</ref>

On October 24, 2019, James announced his retirement from the Red Sox, saying that he had "fallen out of step with the organization" and added that he hadn't earned his paycheck with the Red Sox for the last couple of years.<ref name=Anderson /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/10/24/red-sox-front-office-bill-james-departs-after-falling-out-out-of-step-with-the-team/|title = Bill James departs Red Sox after falling 'out of step' with team|date = October 24, 2019}}</ref> During his time with the team, Bill James received four [[World Series ring]]s for the team's 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 World Series titles.<ref name= "tht-interview" />

== Other writing ==
James has written two [[true crime]] books, ''Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence'' (2011) and - together with his daughter Rachel McCarthy James - ''[[The Man from the Train]]'' (2017). The latter is an attempt to link scores of murders of entire families in the early 20th century United States to a single perpetrator. Those murders include the [[Villisca axe murders]]. The Jameses propose a solution to the murders based on the signature elements these killings share with each other.

James is a fan of the [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|University of Kansas men's basketball team]] and has written about basketball. He has created a formula for what he calls a "safe lead" in the sport.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 17, 2008 |title=The Lead is Safe |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2185975/ |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]}}</ref>

== In culture ==
[[Michael Lewis]], in his 2003 book ''[[Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|Moneyball]]'', dedicates a chapter to James's career and sabermetrics as background for his portrayal of [[Billy Beane]] and the Oakland Athletics' unlikely success.

James was inducted into the [[Baseball Reliquary]]'s [[Baseball Reliquary#Shrine of the Eternals|Shrine of the Eternals]] in 2007.<ref name= "BRSOTE Inductees" >[http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees" ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919092503/http://www.baseballreliquary.org/awards/shrine-of-the-eternals/shrine-of-the-eternals-electees |date=September 19, 2020 }}. Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14.</ref>

James was profiled on ''[[60 Minutes]]'' on March 30, 2008, in his role as a sabermetric pioneer and Red Sox advisor. In 2010, he was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100806&content_id=13101452&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy |title=Cashman among Irish HOF's 2010 class |first=Didier |last=Morais |work=[[MLB.com]] |date=August 6, 2010}}</ref>

James made a guest appearance on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' 2010 episode "[[MoneyBART]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nesn.com/2010/10/sabermetrician-bill-james-pokes-fun-at-himself-on-the-simpsons.html |title=Sabermetrician Bill James Pokes Fun at Himself on 'The Simpsons' |author=Hurley, Michael |publisher=[[NESN]] |date=October 11, 2010 |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> He claimed "I've made baseball as fun as doing your taxes."

[[Steven Soderbergh]]'s planned film adaptation of ''[[Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game|Moneyball]]'' would have featured an animated version of James as a "host".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/06/exclusive-steven-soderbergh-to-use-animated-bill-james-character-in-moneyball/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508100104/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/05/06/exclusive-steven-soderbergh-to-use-animated-bill-james-character-in-moneyball/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2009|title=Exclusive: Steven Soderbergh To Use Animated Bill James Character In 'Moneyball'|work=MTV News}}</ref> This script was discarded when director [[Bennett Miller]] and writer [[Aaron Sorkin]] succeeded Soderbergh on the project. Ultimately, [[Moneyball (film)|the 2011 film]] mentions James several times. His bio is briefly recapped, and Billy Beane is depicted telling John Henry that Henry's hiring of James is the reason Beane is interested in the Red Sox general manager job.

==Controversies==
===Dowd Report controversy===
In his ''Baseball Book 1990'', James heavily criticized the methodology of the [[Dowd Report]], which was an investigation (commissioned by baseball commissioner [[Bart Giamatti]]) on the gambling activities of [[Pete Rose]]. James reproached commissioner Giamatti and his successor, [[Fay Vincent]], for their acceptance of the Dowd Report as the final word on Rose's gambling. (James's attitude on the matter surprised many fans, especially after the writer had been deeply critical of Rose in the past, especially what James considered to be Rose's selfish pursuit of [[Ty Cobb]]'s all-time record for base hits.)

James expanded his defense of Rose in his 2001 book ''The New Historical Baseball Abstract'', with a detailed explanation of why he found the case against Rose flimsy. James wrote "I would characterize the evidence that Rose bet on baseball as...well, not quite non-existent. It is extremely weak." This countered the popular opinion that the case against Rose was a slam dunk, and several critics claimed that James misstated some of the evidence in his defense of Rose. [[Derek Zumsteg]] of [[Baseball Prospectus]] wrote an exhaustive review of the case James made and concluded: "James' defense of Rose is filled with oversights, errors in judgment, failures in research, and is a great disservice to the many people who have looked to him for a balanced and fair take on this complicated and important issue." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=16999 |publisher=[[Baseball Prospectus]] |date=October 31, 2002 |title=Evaluating the Dowd Report |first=Derek |last=Zumsteg}}</ref>

In 2004, Rose admitted publicly that he had bet on baseball and confirmed the Dowd Report was correct. James remained steadfast, continuing to insist that the evidence available to Dowd at the time was insufficient to reach the conclusion that it did.

===Paterno controversy===
On November 4, 2011, [[Jerry Sandusky]] was indicted for committing sex crimes against young boys, which brought the [[Penn State child sex abuse scandal]] to national attention. On December 11, 2011, James published an article called "The Trial of Penn State", depicting an imaginary trial in which Penn State defended itself against charges of "acting rashly and irresponsibly in the matter of [[Joe Paterno]], in such a manner that [they] defamed, libeled and slandered Paterno, unfairly demolishing his reputation." <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billjamesonline.com/the_trial_of_penn_state/?AuthorId=3&Month=12&Year=2011|title=The Trial of Penn State}}</ref>

On July 12, 2012, the [[Freeh report]] was released, charging Paterno and three other University officials with covering up reports of sexual assaults and enabling the attacker to prey on other children for more than a decade, often in Penn State facilities. Soon afterwards, during an interview on ESPN radio, James claimed that the Freeh report's characterizations of Paterno as a powerful figure were wrong, and that it was not Paterno's responsibility to report allegations of child molestation to the police. "[Paterno] had very few allies. He was isolated and he was not nearly as powerful as people imagine him to have been." <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/20968/sox-advisor-bill-james-defends-paterno |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=July 12, 2012 |title=Sox advisor Bill James defends Paterno}}</ref> When asked if he knew anyone who had showered with a boy they were not related to, James said it was a common practice when he was growing up. "That was actually quite common in the town I grew up in. That was quite common in America 40 years ago." <ref>{{cite web |url=http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/14/bill-james-doubles-down-on-the-joe-paterno-defense/ |publisher=[[NBC Sports]] |date=July 14, 2012 |title=Bill James doubles down on the Joe Paterno defense}}</ref>

The July 2012 interview comments were widely criticized.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deadspin.com/5925694/someone-actually-thinks-the-freeh-report-exonerated-joe-paterno-and-its-bill-james |publisher=[[Deadspin]] |date=July 13, 2012 |title=Someone Actually Thinks The Freeh Report Exonerated Joe Paterno, And It's Bill James}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/kirk-minihane/2012/07/16/should-bill-james-be-fired |publisher=Sportsradio WEEI |date=July 16, 2012 |title=Should Bill James Be Fired?}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lincolnmitchell.com/blog/2013/10/17/bill-james-gets-it-wrong-on-penn-state |publisher=The Faster Times |date=July 18, 2012 |title=Bill James Gets It Wrong on Penn State}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://deadspin.com/5926087/bill-james-showering-with-boys-was-quite-common-in-america-40-years-ago |publisher=[[Deadspin]] |date=July 15, 2012 |title=Bill James: Showering With Boys Was "Quite Common In America 40 Years Ago. |access-date=July 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718034303/http://deadspin.com/5926087/bill-james-showering-with-boys-was-quite-common-in-america-40-years-ago |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Rob Neyer]] wrote in defense of James.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/7/16/3161844/bill-james-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky|title=Bill James and Joe Paterno|last=Neyer|first=Rob|date=July 16, 2012|publisher=sbnation.com|access-date=September 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719090120/http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/7/16/3161844/bill-james-joe-paterno-jerry-sandusky|archive-date=July 19, 2012}}</ref> James's employer, the Boston Red Sox, issued a statement disavowing the comments James made and saying that he had been asked not to make further public comments on the matter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/20987/james-asked-to-curb-paterno-talk |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=July 16, 2012 |title=James asked to curb Paterno talk}}</ref>

===" Replaceable players "controversy===

On November 7, 2018, James participated in a [[Twitter]] conversation regarding comments made by agent [[Scott Boras]] about teams" [[Tanking (sports)|tanking]] ".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/11/07/red-sox-senior-advisor-bill-james-thinks-all-baseball-players-are-replaceable/ |publisher=[[NBC Sports]] |date=November 7, 2018 |title=Red Sox senior advisor Bill James thinks all baseball players are replaceable}}</ref> James wrote:<blockquote>If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on; in three years it would make no difference whatsoever. The players are NOT the game, any more than the beer vendors are.</blockquote>This was arguably consistent with thoughts James had publicly expressed prior to his affiliation with the Red Sox. In an article in ''The 1988 Bill James Baseball Abstract'', he had written:<blockquote>This nation could support, without any detectable loss of player quality, at a very, very minimum, 200 major league teams.<ref>{{cite book |last= James |first= Bill |title= The 1988 Bill James Baseball Abstract |publisher = [[Ballantine Books]] | isbn= 0-345-35171-1 | page= 21}}</ref></blockquote>Nonetheless, in the context of James's association with the Red Sox front office and baseball's checkered labor history (including alleged collusion amongst the owners in the previous offseason to curb free agent salaries<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sportsagentblog.com/2018/11/08/guest-post-continued-collusion-predicted-for-2018-19-mlb-free-agent-class-jeff-borris |publisher=Sports Agent Blog |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Continued Collusion Predicted for 2018-19 MLB Free Agent Class}}</ref>), the tweets were taken by many as inflammatory. [[Major League Baseball Players Association]] executive director [[Tony Clark]] called James's comments" reckless and insulting ".<ref name=" nytimes-replaceable ">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/sports/bill-james-twitter.html |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Bill James, No Stranger to Controversy, Believes His Current One Is ‘Unfortunate’}}</ref> Other active or former players also objected.<ref name=" nytimes-replaceable "/> James told the ''New York Times'':<blockquote>I don't know that the idea that the game endures and we're all just passing through it is inherently an offensive idea. But if I phrased it in an offensive way, that was not my intention.<ref name=" nytimes-replaceable "/></blockquote>The Red Sox responded by issuing a statement saying:<blockquote>Bill James is a consultant to the Red Sox. He is not an employee, nor does he speak for the club. His comments on Twitter were inappropriate and do not reflect the opinions of the Red Sox front office or its ownership group. Our Championships would not have been possible without our incredibly talented players — they are the backbone of our franchise and our industry. To insinuate otherwise is absurd.<ref name=" nytimes-replaceable "/></blockquote>

==Personal life==
James married Susan McCarthy in 1978. They have three children.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inspecting A History Of Infamy In 'Popular Crime' |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/05/14/136244180/inspecting-a-history-of-infamy-in-popular-crime |access-date=27 June 2024}}</ref>

In January 2024, James announced that he had suffered a [[stroke]], which hampered the use of his right hand.<ref>{{Cite tweet|user=billjamesonline|number=1750953956547694689|title=About a week ago I suffered a stroke. I am more or less OK. I am not in ANY pain. I can walk normally and take care of myself, but my right hand is messed up and interferes with my ability to do things like tweet. Thank you all for your support.|date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
;Baseball
* ''Bill James Baseball Abstract'' (annual editions published 1977–1988)
* ''[[The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]'' (1985; revised edition 1988) {{ISBN|978-0394537139}}
* ''This Time Let's Not Eat the Bones'' (1989) {{ISBN|978-0394577142}} (selection of comments from Abstracts and articles)
* ''The Bill James Baseball Book'' (annual editions published 1990–1992)
* ''[[Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?|The Politics of Glory]]'' (1994) (revised as ''[[Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?]]''), {{ISBN|978-0684800882}}
* ''The Bill James Player Ratings Book'' (annual editions published 1993–1996)
* ''The Bill James Guide to Baseball Managers'' (1997) {{ISBN|978-0684806983}}
* ''Bill James Present STATS All-Time Major League Handbook'' (1998; 2nd ed. 2000) {{ISBN|978-1884064814}}
* ''Bill James Present STATS All-Time Major League Sourcebook'' (1998) {{ISBN|978-1884064531}}
* ''[[The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract|The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]'' (2001) {{ISBN|978-0684806976}}
* ''[[Win Shares (book)|Win Shares]]'' (2002)
* ''Win Shares Digital Update'' (2002) (PDF form only)
* ''[http://actasports.com/bill-james-books/handbook/ The Bill James Handbook]'' (annual editions published 2003–present)
* ''[[The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers]]'' (2004, with co-author [[Rob Neyer]]) {{ISBN|978-0743261586}}
* ''The Bill James Gold Mine'' (annual editions published 2008–2010, {{ISBN|978-0879463205}}, {{ISBN|978-0879463694}})
* ''Solid Fool's Gold'' (2011), {{ISBN|978-0879464592}} (articles from Bill James Online website)
* ''Fools Rush Inn'' (2014), {{ISBN|978-0879464974}} (more articles from Bill James Online website)
;Crime history
* ''Popular Crime – Reflections on the Celebration of Violence'' ({{ISBN|978-1-4165-5273-4}}, published 2011)
* ''[[The Man From the Train]]'' (2017), {{ISBN|978-1-4767-9625-3}}

==Books about James==

* ''The Mind of Bill James'' (2006) ISBN
* ''How Bill James Changed Our View of Baseball: by Colleagues, Critics, Competitors and Just Plain Fans'' (2007) {{ISBN|978-0879463175}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
* [[Baseball Prospectus]]
* [[Defensive spectrum]]
* [[Keltner list]]
* [[Similarity score]]
* [[Win shares]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book |author=Baseball Prospectus |author-link=Baseball Prospectus |title=Mind Game: How the Boston Red Sox Got Smart, Won a World Series, and Created a New Blueprint for Winning |year=2005 |publisher=[[Workman Publishing Company]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-7611-4018-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v8AFaonsYEoC&q=mind%20game%20baseball%20prospectus&pg=PP1 |access-date=March 3, 2011 |ref=prospectus2005}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=[[Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game]] |author-link=Michael Lewis (author) |first=Michael |last=Lewis |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |date=April 10, 2003 |isbn=0-393-05765-8 |location=New York |pages=45–47}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.billjamesonline.com/ Bill James Online] –interactions with James through statistics, articles, conversations and more
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111204112758/http://members.cox.net/sroneysabr/JamesIndex/ Works of Bill James]
* [http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2008/04/podcast-bill-james-legendary-baseball.html Audio interview] by [[Jesse Thorn]], public radio program ''[[The Sound of Young America]]'' (April 29, 2008)
* Chronister, Levi (April 25, 2004). [http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/apr/25/grassroots_guru/" Grassroots Guru "]. ''[[Lawrence Journal-World]]'' (Lawrence, KS).
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015841/http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=26 Interview at Baseball Digest Daily – Part I], ''[[Baseball Digest]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070818093016/http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=26 Interview at Baseball Digest Daily – Part II]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070823185454/http://www.baseballdigestdaily.com/bullpen/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=26 Interview at Baseball Digest Daily – Part III]
* McGrath, Ben (July 14, 2003). [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/07/14/the-professor-of-baseball" The Professor of Baseball "]. ''[[The New Yorker]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070629225203/http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110010232 ''Wall Street Journal'' profile]
* {{cite news |first=Daniel |last=Okrent |author-link=Dan Okrent |title=He Does It by the Numbers |date=May 25, 1981 |url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124493/1/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204030205/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124493/1/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |pages=<!-- |access-date=July 18, 2008 -->}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/rwas/index.php?category=11&id=2066 |publisher=White Sox Interactive |title=Dick Allen:Another View |first=Craig R. |last=Wright |author-link=Craig R. Wright}} – contrary to James
* [[Alan Schwarz|Schwarz, Alan]] (July 18, 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20061012175456/http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/25thanniversary/261957.html#bjames" 25 For 25: Don Fehr, Peter Gammons, Pat Gillick, Bo Jackson, Bill James "]. ''25 for 25: Stars in the ''Baseball America'' Universe''. [[Baseball America]].
* [[John W. Henry|Henry, John]] (May 8, 2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100903180637/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1975813_1975844_1976446,00.html" Scientists & Thinkers: Bill James "]. ''The 2006 Time 100''. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''.
* [[James Surowiecki|Surowiecki, James]] (June 10, 2003). [http://www.slate.com/id/2084193/" Moneyball Redux: Slate talks to the man who revolutionized baseball. "]. ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''.
* Lederer, Bill (February 28, 2005). [http://www.baseballanalysts.com/archives/2005/02/breakfast_with.php" Breakfast with Bill James "]. Baseball Analysts (baseballanalysts.com).
* {{LCAuth|n82087559|Bill James|18|}}

{{Sports rating systems}}
{{Fantasy sports}}

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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American statisticians]]
[[Category:Baseball statisticians]]
[[Category:Baseball writers]]
[[Category:People from Holton, Kansas]]
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[[Category:American male novelists]]