This Time Let's Not Eat the Bones: Bill James Without the Numbers

Known for his annual Baseball Abstract , James here puts aside his persona as a sabremetrician (read statistician) and presents excerpts from that publication and from his articles in Esquire . The book is divided into five sections, four of which deal with various teams, players and other figures in the sport, mostly managers. The bits and pieces here, some only a sentence or two in length, make fragmented reading. The fifth section, titled ``Essays,'' offers longer, interesting pieces, particularly selections like ``A History of Being a Kansas City Baseball Fan'' and ``On Salary Arbitration Cases.'' Readers who are already devotees of James will find this a pleasurable book; others will be less impressed. (Apr.)