‘Moneyball’ joins ranks of great baseball movies
Whitney Siders
A & E Editor
For all of the baseball-lovers and movie-watchers alike, “Moneyball” could easily become a new favorite. In my book, it already ranks in the same group as “The Rookie,” “The Natural,” “For the Love of the Game” and “Field of Dreams” (to name a few favorites). The movie is based on a true story that was centered around Michael Lewis’s book, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.”
The Oakland Athletics are indeed in an unfair situation. Oakland is the lowest-salaried Major League Baseball team, and general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) is desperately searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.
In the wake of what looks like another downhill season for Oakland, Billy is looking for a change. The deck is definitely not stacked in Oakland’s favor as the team approaches the new season. Aside from the annual financial constraints, this year poses more of a challenge because they are losing their best three players to better teams. The team’s recruiters are now working frantically in attempt to replace these key players whose roles will not easily be filled.
In one of the opening scenes Billy is sitting at the head of the table with the recruitment staff, who are functioning as they always have. They make crucial decisions based on their years of experience, reputations of individual players, and of course, and perhaps most importantly, their own intuition. Billy’s frustration is evident as he is becoming aware that their “old-school” methods simply are not working anymore.
Sometimes important changes come in unexpected packages. While meeting with the general manager of the Cleveland Indians, Billy discovered what he thought was the solution to his problems. Peter Brand, played by Jonah Hill, a pudgy and unathletic young man with a degree in economics from Yale, doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of person who would be making revolutionary changes in the world of major league baseball.
Pete’s statistically based analyses of players did not appeal to the recruitment staff. Spreadsheets full of numbers don’t mean much to the guys who physically interact with potential players. After some confrontation which led to Billy firing the head recruiter, the team was assembled based around Pete’s system.
Anyone who had any existing knowledge about the game of baseball thought Billy had lost his mind. The team was essentially full of misfits. For example, the intended first baseman had never played the position before and he can’t even throw the ball due to elbow injuries endured while catching.
Perhaps more ridiculous is the team’s pitcher: his awkward side-armed throw is downright unnatural. Furthermore, they have a 36-year-old player who should undoubtedly be going into retirement. As ridiculous as this combination seemed, Pete assured Billy that other teams overlook hidden talents because of unfavorable characteristics such as injuries, quirky techniques and age.
After beginning with an 11-game losing streak, Billy decided to take matters into his own hands. He could rally the players, but he couldn’t force the coach, Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), to play the players according to the design of the plan, unless he took drastic measures. At this point Billy’s personal life was weighing on every decision he made. Billy was completely aware that if his plan failed, he would not only lose his job, but the potential of finding employment afterwards would also be nearly impossible. When it was evident that he had nothing else to lose, Billy took charge.
Despite initial skepticism, all of the puzzle pieces finally fall into place. After the rocky start, the Oakland Athletics ends up breaking records with a 20-game winning streak. Billy has accomplished the impossible, using a method that had never been used before in the history of the sport. Even though the season ends with a loss, the team an evolutionary impact on the sport of baseball.
The final scene with Billy and Pete ties everything together, displaying how baseball can mirror the most valuable life lessons. Billy’s response, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” accurately describes the sentiment you are left with at the end of the movie. Put simply, whether you are a fan of baseball or not, “Moneyball” is a must see.