Don Boudreaux (and Russ Roberts)--Cafe Hayek
Boudreaux is an economics professor at George Mason University, and my idol. The first time I read him, his pithy with and sarcasm entrenched in an incredible intelligence drew me in immediately. My quick research of him led me to his faculty website, and to the syllabus of his introductory economics class. It is the best syllabus I have ever read, containing the best theory of teaching, and the most equitable grading system. His writing continues to expose fallacies in reasoning, lapses of critical thinking, and the complete departure from lucidity prevalent in today's society and government.
Nate Silver, Five Thirty Eight
Silver graduated from the University of Chicago with an economics degree, then proceeded to create the most accurate baseball statistical projection system to date, using little more than the mostly untapped power of excel, and a lot of mental fortitude. His latest work is the political website, FiveThirtyEight, which tackles any political question Silver deems worthy of his time in an in-depth manner. On the surface, Silver provides quantitative answers to usually non-quantified areas. Underneath, to those with statistical backgrounds, he is really doing groundbreaking work.
Morgan Ensberg, Blog
Ensberg is a former Major League baseball player, most notably for the Houston Astros. I recently found his blog and have found it wonderfully insightful, thoughtful, and surprising. He talks about the real reason baseball games are slow, money, not slow players; he talks about the best leader he's ever met, Jeff Bagwell; he talks about the minutiae involved with stealing a base; he talks about the mental aspect of speed.
David Brooks, NYTimes Opinion Column
Brooks writes with a golden pen, able to make current events topics feel like fiction. He illustrates both sides of an issue, which is so hard for anyone writing about politics. I don't always agree with him, but he's earned my respect, and I'll keep reading him.
Ross Douthat, NYTimes Opinion Column
Douthat evokes the same kind of reaction from me as Brooks. Very intelligent and persuasive, and able to express ideas in a lucid and almost story-like form.
Jim Peterson, RE: Balance
I'll warn you right off the bat, he writes about accounting. And not just financial statement, debits and credits, Sarbanes Oxley type accounting either. Peterson tackles current accounting issues in more depth, delving into the ramification of short selling rules, lack of competition among audit firms, and more. He definitely writes for an extremely segmented readership, but to those he should be revered.
It's a baseball site, but to anyone interested in sabermetrics, or simply the most cutting-edge ways to analyze baseball, Fangraphs has it all. Some may argue for Baseball Prospectus, The Hardball Times, Baseball Musings, The Baseball Analysts, or others, but Fangraphs boasts a large and impressive stable of writers, moving that frontier ever forward.
Tom Tango, Inside The Book
Jack Zdurinciek made me a believer the day he hired Tom Tango. The effect Tango is having on the Mariners would be similar to if: a failing company during the Industrial Revolution hired Eli Whitney, the Cherokee Indians during the trail of tears hired Samuel Colt, the Russians during really any war they've ever fought hired Napoleon, or midgets attempting to pick apples from high trees hired Isaac Newton. Tango is the best in his field, combining encyclopedic baseball knowledge with sound theory and an ability to test it with high level statistics. It's a potent combination.
