Steele is basically a Vegas guy, gambler, but his book is information packed, and he has a consistent methodology and several ways of approaching how to gauge how good teams are.

He is the ONLY preseason mag publisher to do so. As a results, he’s usually more accurate (who cares), but more important, the book just has a ton of information with which to make use of if you’re used to it. The first time I saw it I ran from the magazine rack in horror and confusion, not to return for another year. But the second time around I muscled up and its been worth it. The 2004 version is hanging together by a few threads… well, glue or adhesive pieces, whatever it is that they use to put magazines together.

At fist glance you won’t be impressed, but look at it daily over the course of a season and it starts to unfold a lot better. Mind you, its less observational and more secular in approach, so predictions are less about what he sees, but rather what his accumulated data tell him. Its a sound approach. I’m blabbering, but it’s cool, all hte other mags are just good for features more or less, in our view. Side stories and whatnot.

The Phil Steele guide? Hmm…we’ll have to take a look at it. From the sound of it, it could be a dangerous acquisition.

First off, nice use of the audioblog, we like it and may have to try it ourselves. Is it easy to setup, or do you have to jump through a bunch of hoops?

Next, although we haven’t really gotten ourselves into the preseason mags/rags of late, we’re addicted… ADDICTED to the Phil Steele guide. Basically nothing comes close. I’ll take your lead and take a look once again at the other mags this year and had planned some kind of cynical look at them, but you’ve beaten us to the punch and hell if we don’t just get lazy anyway.

Anyway, look forward to more from Pepidemiology, curious about a lot of the fight songs out there I’ve vaguely heard but don’t necessarily associate with the various programs who don’t play every freaking Saturday.