Here is the opening to my Sunday column about Billy Beane, wheeler-dealer: We were talking about Oakland A’s closer Grant Balfour the other night on CSN Bay Area and how Balfour needed surgery and won’t be ready for another month or so. Host Jim Kozimor asked the relevant question: If Balfour can’t return in four weeks, is Oakland in a pickle — not that he used the word “pickle.” Kozimor, Barry Tompkins and I batted around — bunted around? —… Read More »
Huge congrats to Billy Beane for being named Executive of the Year. He did a masterful job.
This Sabean topic sure has legs. I appreciate how passionate all of you are either pro or con on Sabean. Here’s a quiz. Rate these five GMs in order of best to worst and give a reason: Baalke, Sabean, Beane, Myers, McKenzie. I will stay out of the discussion. This topic belongs to you. And thanks for playing.
When I posted an item praising Brian Sabean yesterday, I knew I’d get some negative response. Fair enough. Some people even wrote that Billy Beane is a better GM and that the Giants winning the World Series under Sabean doesn’t mean all that much. Let’s be clear about this. Winning the World Series means everything. In baseball there is nothing more important. Beane has not won a World Series. That means he has not accomplished what Sabean has. There is… Read More »
On Thursday, the A’s held their season recap just as the Giants did across the Bay. I just finished reading the coverage of the A’s post mortem in the papers and I was struck by a major difference. The Giants articles stressed what happened and what will happen with the team. The A’s articles led off with Billy Beane news. You know the deal. He will return to the A’s and he won’t go to the Cubs, etc. So, twice… Read More »
Stan has asked why I haven’t written about Moneyball the movie or addressed Art Howe’s complaint that he was misrepresented in the movie. I have not seen the movie and do not intend to — although I read the book. I don’t think I can comment on a movie I haven’t watched. I don’t want to see the film because, from what I’ve read, it partly fictionalizes the events of that season and the people involved — a season and… Read More »
Sorry for the tardiness of this post. Here is my Saturday column, about “Moneyball” the movie, a film I have not seen — a film I may not see. I haven’t decided yet. I am not critiquing the movie, obviously, but I am critiquing the idea of the movie — as in what in the world gives here? I also am criticizing the idea of the Oakland A’s — as in what in the world gives here. To read my… Read More »
Down below I’ll give a link to Jeff Fletcher’s piece on the Myth of Moneyball. As you know, Jeff is a baseball writer supreme. I mean supreme. He currently edits both the A’s and Giants magazines and he wrote a longer piece on this subject for the A’s magazine. It will appear in a few weeks. What I am linking to will give you an idea of certain misconceptions about Beane and Moneyball, misconceptions which I think will be perpetuated… Read More »
The A’s generally make more news off the field than on the field. Such is the case today. There are reports (rumors, speculation) Beane might leave the A’s and become the GM at the Cubs. Or is it the Dodgers? Let’s play this game and say the Cubs are interested in him and Beane is interested enough in the Cubs to leave the A’s. I have two reactions. 1. This is very bad for the A’s. It shows the team… Read More »
Grant wrote a piece on the A’s which ComcastSportsNet BayArea just posted. He wrote about the A’s dilemma. The A’s can’t hit; we know that. So what should they do? Maybe they should bag the season and play out the schedule with what they have. Or maybe they should get at least one hitter. If they want a hitter they have to give up something. Grant suggests pitching. To read his analysis click here.
