Moneyball

The Conning Tower ^ | July, 14, 2003 | Trentino

[Davis]

There are only seven or maybe eight themes for fiction, so I've been told. All the stories you've ever read or heard are merely variations of them. Dubious, but what the hell.

Who can resist the theme of the reprobate redeemed by love? Is there anything more satisfying than seeing the haughty hoist--blown up--defeated by hubris? Me, I'm fond of a subset of virtue triumphant, goodness rewarded, namely, the defeat of ignorance by intelligence. I recently discovered a fine instance of that theme, and, marvelous to say, it's nonfiction, a true tale.

It's the book, Moneyball by Michael Lewis, and it's ostensibly about baseball. I take that back--it is about baseball--but it's not just about baseball. No, it doesn't strain for cosmic significance and it's not the slightest bit preachy. It tells the story of Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland A's. It's focused on the 2002 season. It's a terrific story, and it's well told.

Mr. Lewis introduces us to some surprising truths about baseball. We've all known since childhood that walks are not used to compute a player's batting average. So, if in 100 times at the plate, a batter should draw 10 walks and hit safely 30 times, his batting average would be 30 divided by 90, expressed as a percentage, .333, a very good average. But that batter has been given no positive credit for the 10 walks he drew...MORE

[The Dude Abides]

Great book! Especially the chapter about Scott Hatteburg.

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[JohnnyZ]

What's in the Hatteberg chapter? Hatte has a .721 OPS year-to-date . . . maybe acceptable for a catcher but not for a 1st baseman.

[jpl]

What's in the Hatteberg chapter? Hatte has a .721 OPS year-to-date . . . maybe acceptable for a catcher but not for a 1st baseman.

What's kind of funny is that the A's entire offense pretty much sucks this year. Their success thus far has been almost entirely due to their amazing starting rotation, which I think will actually be a considerable help should they make the playoffs again. It's unfortunate though that they have basically no chance of keeping these starters long-term.

[general_re]

Nice handle ;)

MAUDE: You can imagine where it goes from here.
DUDE: He fixes the cable?
MAUDE: Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey.

[JohnnyZ]

What's kind of funny is that the A's entire offense pretty much sucks this year

Well, Dye has been terrible & hurt and Tejada has been sub-par, but other than that I think they just don't have the guns offensively.

Whereas the Red Sox played a little Moneyball of their own, picking up Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, and Todd Walker, who have helped make them the best offensive team in baseball. :)

[The Dude Abides]

In the chapter called "Pickin' Machine", Lewis recounts the story of a young Red Sox catcher, Hatteburg, who grew up idolizing Don Mattingly. During his rookie year in the final game of three against the Yankees, he was asked to pinch hit and finally given the chance to play against his childhood hero. He worked the count full, or to three and one. He could think of nothing but being one ball away from trotting down to first and chatting with Mattingly. As fate would have it, Hatteburg ripped the next pitch into the gap, an easy double. Halfway to second, he pulled up and returned to first. He looked up at Mattingly and said, "Howya doin' Don?". According to Lewis, for the next three minutes or so Hatteburg lived his dream listening to Mattingly taunt him and his rookie mistake of not taking the easy double. Hatteburg would later score. Mattingly would retire from baseball just a couple of weeks later.

[rmgatto]

What about wins per million dollars of payroll?

[Ready4Freddy]

"But that batter has been given no positive credit for the 10 walks he drew..."

Sure he is, in calculating on-base percentage.

[JohnnyZ]

What about it?

[hrhdave]

But his batting average doesn't show it. Before Bill James and the boys forced the recognition of the importance of on base percentage, no one bothered about it.

Billy Beane'ss influence is apparent and working for the Red Sox this season.

[rmgatto]

I haven't done the numbers, but I wonder how Oakland is doing this year with wins per payroll dollar as compared with the all other teams.