Michael Lewis: The AN Audio Interview and August Contest Winner

What the Marlins are doing this year on a $15 million payroll is amazing, but they would be totally out of the playoff chase in the AL (or even the NL in almost every season). And as bright as their future looks, improvement is not a given for a young team (see Cleveland Indians 2006).

He praises the all mighty braintrust in A's Camp and then says, in short, they got lucky to find these three market trends undervalued.

I say, pishaw!!!

Training:  Any team that puts Joe Blanton on an excersize bike is in the dark ages in terms of effecient training.  (1) Exerbikes convert muscle fiber from type IIb to I, from fast twitch to slow.  Don't believe me?  Ask Lance armstrong, with his legs the size of pile drivers, for his verticle leap.  I doubt one could see sunshine under there.  (2) I have heard Rich Harden talk about his three sets of 10 work outs.  Thats antiquated Joe Wieder body building BS.  Good for slow twitch build and bulk.  Without adequate recovery, you are asking for muscle tears. (3) machine asist weight room.  Oh, thaaat's a good idea. Lets get these boys really strong muscle bellies wihtout the tendon and ligament strength to support the power.  You need to move in three deminsions, and put loads on your joints and grip to increase the stregth of the connective tissue.  The A's approach leads to injury, or predisposes to injury.  Those boys are like Frankenstien out there, a collection of body parts.

Injury prevention: from pre-hab, to better rest, better traveling conditions, to better food options, the A's are not even scratching the surface.  

Psych testing:  The Indians and Orioles are really pioneering in these departments, testing correlations in psych make up with success.  Orioles had disqulified Artur Rhodes from ever closing while he was still in the minor leagues.  had the fastball, but not the mentality, to support it.  Wow, that was an expensive mistake we could have avoided.  

Minor leagues:  Can't teach someone better strike zone judgement?  The A's incentize taking balls by advancing people?  that sounds a little archiac.  There was a time when people said skiing could not be taught.  That is was inborn, or learned too early to teach.  You were put on a mountain, and if you came down well, well, then you were a skier.  Someone then broke down the composite movements of skiing from sucessful skiiers, realized that they all did certain things, and that those skills could be isolated and taught.  Get to work boys.  

I don't want to be the Marlins.  2 WS victories in 10 years and look at their attendance.  I wouold rather own the A's who did not win, but always compete.  That puts fans in seats, not occasional runs with sucessive fire sales.  That is NO WAY to run a team if you are the owner, and cr*ppy if you are a fan.  Yeah, it sucks the A's are always going ot have to be more clever.  But then again, they have less to lose.  

There is the story about the man who is condemned to death and tells the king that he can train a horse to talk.  The king gives him a year, and a horse.  The man's cell mate asks him if he is crazy, adn the man replies "alot can happen in a year.  The king may die.  The horse may die.  There might be a revolution, or invasion.  Or the horse may talk".  Well, a lot can happen in a year.  The A's need to hold on.  The Owners, or the MLBPA might change the rules of the game again.  There might be an innovation in another aspect besides numbers.  We might figure out the best drafting strategy.  Michael Lewis knows derivatives.  He does not know nutrition, training, psychology, or any of the other possibilties which might free the A's.  I am not giving up yet.  

By the way Billy Beane, if you are reading this, I can improve the training of your players considerably. Stronger, less muscle, fewer injuries, less time, faster recovery.  Its not rocket science, its just that the people who are writting about weight lifting have supplements to sell, and an agenda to push.  Just give me a call.