The Moneyball Review Post (SPOILERS AHOY)
by Kyli on Sep 23, 2011 4:00 AM PDT
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PrintSo. It's out. Officially. Even though I know a number of people have already seen it, it's now FOR REALZ in the theaters. And therefore, you should come in here and discuss it. There are spoilers here. Lots of spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled, go somewhere else.
Y'all knew I'm the kind of girl that would be there at midnight. It was so incredible to walk into a theater and be surrounded by fellow A's fans, dressed in their usual game fare -- jerseys and hats and beads everywhere. And chanting. And even the wave, which can be forgiven (this time).
It's a movie about the A's. So yeah, I loved it.
I knew going in that there was no way they'd be able to make it like the book -- that was obvious. I was fairly happy with how they streamlined it, focusing just on the Billy Beane thread with only bits of all the lovely little stories that Michael Lewis had branching off of it. It saddens me to lose all the little moments that I love so much -- Hatty fielding tennis balls hit by his wife, Bradford's backstory, Beane's Swisher infatuation, Jeremy Brown getting the call about being drafted. A necessary evil, but it still worked for me.
The thing that makes me happiest? The fact that I have never seen anything so beautiful as the grey concrete of the Coliseum stretched out on the screen. People may think our park is ugly, but I find her... lovely, in her own way. So many films don't have the luxury of their actual local being used (see: Coach Carter, where Richmond looks like LA, because it is). The fact that Oakland is so clearly stamped across the visuals of the film? Made it feel as much like a love letter to A's fans as a movie.
And speaking of visuals, there is a reason Wally Pfister has shiny awards. Oh my god, I think this is the... prettiest looking baseball movie ever. I would have loved more of the swanky game footage. And I looooovelovelove how they wove in the archival footage, it was WAY more than I expected and it threw me straight back into 2002.
I was concerned going in that when Hatty hit that HR (THAT IS THE BIG SPOILER, GUYZ), that I'd start to cry. And I didn't have to worry about that, not really. ...'Cuz the tears started streaming down my cheeks during Game #18. (Oops)
I wish it had more Chris Pratt. He is so good as Hatty, it needed a little more. And maybe some Mecir. And while I get why they cut the draft scene, since getting into all the exposition about the draft picks would be a LOT, but it's my favorite bit in the book. The Rincon phone convo sort of conveys about Billy what the draft does, the thrill of the chase, but... not enough.
The pacing seemed... okay, slow, but I kind of got into it. I saw a reviewer point out that it's similar to the pacing of a baseball game, and it's true. It's kind of slow and chill without actually stopping, and with moments of excitement that rise and fall quickly. And it gave me time to look at all the little things in the background, the bits and pieces that just made it authentic. It could have cut a little more early and stretched out the season a little more, gave us more of a taste of game #19, more of the progress of Hatty into a serviceable 1B. Maybe "Peter Brand" trying to get Youk off Billy if he leaves.
For all the mass media has been huffing and puffing about how this movie is badly timed, about it being a failure based on the fact that the 2011 A's are -- screw that. Seeing it, I think, reminded me of exactly WHY it's good that it's released now. Sure, it would have been AMAZING had this come out a few years ago, saaay... after the 2006 season. With the first round monkey off our back, and the team that should have failed without Hudson and Mulder making it there, the Moneyball boys of Swisher and Blanton a part of it. That would have been some MAGIC right there.
But this way... I think it's a reminder. That no matter what the 2011 A's do, it doesn't diminish how special and magical that 2002 team was. That just because everyone else will judge you for losing that last game of the season, doesn't mean that the season vanished, that the story wasn't there, that their judgement even matters. Those early 2000 squads were something pretty unique, and I'm thankful for Moneyball reminding me of that. Nothing that happened this season can take away from that.
So c'mon, AN. A lot of you are seeing it today, if you haven't already.. What did you think? Is Brad going to get his Oscar? Are you gonna see it again? Is Kyli going to have to hide in Chris Pratt's bushes with a pair of binoculars?
EDIT: Hey, critics seem to like it! Yay!
The NY Times have a few ish with it, but seem rather positive.
The Contra Costa Times/Mercury News/Whatever Else conglomerate gives it 4 stars and are so in love with it.
Peter Hartlaub at the SF Chronicle didn't like it, the lone dissenting voice, but given that he doesn't know who Grady Fuson is, nor the existence of our former sometimes-broadcast home of KICU TV 36, I'm not sure I care.
Even the Boston Herald likes it.
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ahem.
Wally Pfister
BARELY KNEW HER
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
They mention Furbush in the movie erroneously
When Brand is speculating on guys Dombrowski might want to give up for Pena (I believe that is the scene. Either that one or the one where he is trying to work out the Rincon trade.) Furbush, if it the same guy who is pitching in 2011, was 16 at the time. If it is this guy, then he was out of baseball in 2002.
I believe they also mention Anderson (not Brett, but a generic reference to an Anderson) who, given the prior error, may have meant to be our BA.
Other than that, it is ZOMG awesome. I have heard nothing but positives, and even the Yankee fans who were sitting next to me when I saw it said it was one of the best movies they had seen in several years, period.
I didn’t have a problem with pacing; it’s not one of those movies where you’re glancing down at your watch. It’s a developing movie. Also, one thing I found curious (and refreshing) is the utter lack of background music and sound effects. There’s sound when there needs to be sound, but other than that, it’s got a very documentary-drama sort of feel.
It is 100% worth seeing. Probably the best baseball movie I’ve seen outside of “A League of Their Own”, and it might be better than that.
"I'll guarantee this: The A's will have a better season in 2012." - George Zimmer
really??
"I'll guarantee this: The A's will have a better season in 2012." - George Zimmer
by cuppingmaster on Sep 23, 2011 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions
It's when they are discussing trading Rincon
“How about this guy?” says Billy, and laughs. “Just for his name alone. Furbush!”
Other minor baseball errors
- The 2002 ALDS clincher was during the day.
- Jeremy Giambi, catastrophically, was already on the team by 2002.
- Carlos Peña wasn’t exactly traded for “a reliever.”
July 5, 2002: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Oakland Athletics with a player to be named later and Franklyn German to the Detroit Tigers. The New York Yankees sent Jason Arnold (minors), John-Ford Griffin and Ted Lilly to the Oakland Athletics. The Detroit Tigers sent Jeff Weaver to the New York Yankees. The Detroit Tigers sent cash to the Oakland Athletics. The Oakland Athletics sent Jeremy Bonderman (August 22, 2002) to the Detroit Tigers to complete the trade.
- Peña was also, by no means a potential ROY/All-Star in his rookie year. He accumulated just 0.4 WAR (according to baseball ref) in Oakland and ended the year at 0.5.
But I’m nit-picky like that. Other than that, loved the movie.
"He's listed as day to day, but then again, aren't we all?" — Vin Scully
Yeah, I think we all spotted the Jeremy liberty
As we all know about his famous lack of slide
by Rebuilding Season on Sep 23, 2011 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I appreciated that the altered Jeremy Giambi timeline spared us having to see that on the big screen.
Seeing Jeter’s ugly mug was all my poor little heart could take.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
The scene where Billy tells Jeremy he's been traded
is one of my favorites. Because that meant Jeremy was not on the team anymore.
"He's listed as day to day, but then again, aren't we all?" — Vin Scully
Also...
I remember it being Denny Hocking catching the final popup out, but in the movie it’s Corey Koskie. They did get it right that it was Ray Durham making the last out though.
And yeah, I know it was a day game too – I was there.
Wisconsin's #1 A's fan!
http://athleticsforlife.net/
I went to the local park during the 9th inning of ALDS Game 5 (so it had to be light out. I was mad we were losing. I used to take losing almost as hard as Billy.)
I had a decent hitting session and put some baseballs over the fence. Then I heard the crack of Ellis’ bat, and we were back in the game. Unfortunately, it was not to be. (I was driving through Esparto when we got our sweet revenge four years later.)
by player20 on Sep 27, 2011 12:16 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Other really nit-picky thing
The McFarlane figures of Eckersley and Fingers on Howe’s desk didn’t exist in 2002. I know, I’m a nerd.
by throwmonkey on Sep 24, 2011 5:42 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh thank god, someone else noticed that.
I was pretty sure those were more recent, but I wasn’t certain the year on them.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
I noticed that also
And, in one scene “Peter Brand” was wearing an A’s road hat with the black under-brim. Those didn’t exist until just before the 2007 season.
Jack Cust: Nothing but true results…. career .813 OPS
by Athletics fan and runner on Sep 25, 2011 7:03 AM PDT up reply actions
When they were going through a bunch of those player faces and names on the computer I saw Matt Cain's name listed with the Giants
In 2002 he was just starting out in Rookie ball, wouldn’t have even made his pro debut when they were looking through all of this.
Yeah, there were other discrepancies – it was too light when it was in the 4th inning of win #20 and other things have been mentioned that were tweaked, but overall I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. It was well made.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
The computer...
Was just all of the different players in the minor leagues of the database that they had. Albert Pujols was there too.
Maybe so, but even still, like I said Cain hadn't even pitched in the minors yet at that point
At least Pujols was coming off a ROY season in 2001.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I caught all those errors also
But they didn’t really matter to some. I explained them all to my wife and she said they were unimportant relative to the story.
I didn’t like the focus on Howe choosing Pena over Hattebeg because I think it was a bit misleading. But the stretching the truth of Pena’s trade, leaving out the demotion, focused that story more.
Jack Cust: Nothing but true results…. career .813 OPS
by Athletics fan and runner on Sep 25, 2011 7:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, that part really irked me.
mainly because it gives ammunition to those idiots who continually knock Beane for trading Pena away. Pena couldn’t bat his weight in 2002, not to mention, he didn’t become the player that he is today until 5 yrs later..
Re-sign Josh Willingham now!
by sf drift king on Sep 26, 2011 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions
In the aerial shot of the Coliseum complex
They should have airbrushed the “Oracle” sign off of the Arena. The arena was sponsorless until 2006 (I think)
Also, when Beane tells John Henry to excuse him because he just lost the ALDS in five “for the second straight year,” I wanted to scream “third straight year!”
by Glorious Mundy on Sep 25, 2011 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Oracle
That was blatantly bad and such an easy fix. Even my OAK history challenged bf caught that one!
You pried yourself away from The Franchise to go see it?
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
Rotten Tomatoes...
Pre coming out it was at 91%…
now its at 95%…never seen this before……
SF Chronicle - Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub of the Comicle managed to bring it down a percentage with his poor review of the film. It’s not a coincidence that he’s a Giants fan and hates the A’s. As of now, he’s the only “top critic” on Rotten Tomatoes to not like the film.
by uci anteater on Sep 23, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Thanks for clarifying...
Ebert gave it 4 out of 4 stars……….
FUCK HIM
This is an invitation for CJ Wilson to go and have sex with himself.
by Leopold Bloom on Sep 24, 2011 2:34 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
heh i got this d-bag Hartlaub po'd at me on twitter this morning
lmao
what a clown
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 24, 2011 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Hartlaub is the Chronicle's best reviewer, IMO, and no d-bag
His reviews are far more thoughtful and cognizant of film history and theory than Mick LaSalle’s. (LaSalle, for example, has admitted that he never revises past reviews, as if it’s a point of pride to cling to one’s initial opinion. I have a hell of a lot more respect for, say, Lester Bangs, who wrote at least two pieces just on Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music over the years, or Pauline Kael, who was as arrogant as they come, but willing all the same to rethink her opinions.)
Hartlaub’s problems with the movie are completely well-taken, e.g., his complaint that the movie minimized the importance of the Big 3 to the team’s success.
There is an evening coming in/Across the fields, one never seen before,/That lights no lamps. -- Philip Larkin, from "Going"
by Ray of Lite on Sep 24, 2011 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Anyway, Mick LaSalle aside (how I do get carried away), I agreed w/ Hartlaub's take.
There is an evening coming in/Across the fields, one never seen before,/That lights no lamps. -- Philip Larkin, from "Going"
by Ray of Lite on Sep 24, 2011 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
he missed the forest for the trees
a hollywood movie is never going to cover every single little thing, it got pretty much every detail right despite this.
if he wants to nitpick about details then he should discuss the book, which did discuss the big 3.
he obviously had an agenda on this piece, evidenced by his review sticking out like a sore thumb on rotten tomatoes. 94% approval aside from a few whiners like him.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 24, 2011 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree, a movie can't cover every little thing, but it didn't get every detail right
Just for starters, the depictions of Art Howe and Paul DePodesta were inaccurate at best, unfair at worst.
There is an evening coming in/Across the fields, one never seen before,/That lights no lamps. -- Philip Larkin, from "Going"
I think
Hartlaub’s criticism didn’t go far enough. Not talking about Hudson/Mulder/Zito takes away from what made those teams good in the first place, and Tejada and Chavez were among the best in the league at their positions (each with 34 HR for crying out loud). Hernandez was no slouch either.
“Island of Misfit Toys” is cute and all but it makes everyone watching that movie (except you folks of course) think that Hatteberg was the guy that won the pennant for them.
Was there any truth to the clubhouse scenes, like Beane chewing the team out for celebrating after a loss? It seemed odd that he talks at one point about needing to stay detached from the players and then there’s a montage of him giving guys pep talks about drawing walks.
Where have you gone, Steven Revetria? A bandwagon turns its lonely eyes to you.
"118 elements, and still no stanfurdium"- carp, paraphrased
"That one's on me."- Madison Bumgarner
by natteringnabob on Sep 25, 2011 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Saw it last night
And it was pretty much EVERYTHING I had hoped it would be.
Although…I think I was expecting more of an emphasis on the Streak…it seemed like they went from talking talking talking fighting with Howe to OMG THEY’VE WON 12 STRAIGHT and then 18 and then bam its’ the 20th game. That was really abrupt, but that’s only a fanboy nitpick I guess.
one silly thing – they misspelled “Mecir” as “Jim Mercir” in the credits. A movie based on specific players and what not, I wouldn’t have expected to see that….
but in all, pretty much exactly what I was hoping it’d be.
On the other hand, they could have thrown restraint to the wind and did some cheesy Streak montage with John Fogarty playing over it.
What they did was a bit understated, but I look at it this way: 20-game winning streaks don’t explode in your face, they kind of creep up on you…
Sisko: All right Niners, let's hear some chatter!
Kasidy: Hey batterbatterbatterbatterbatter!
Leeta: Hey batterbatterbatter! Batterbatterbatterbatter!
Worf: DEATH TO THE OPPOSITION!!!
by CmdrKhraanik on Sep 24, 2011 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions
maybe it's the cover art
on the album that looked like the Giants old logo, or maybe it was the Kidsongs version that my little sister used to watch on tv but I have really grown to dislike “Centerfield.”
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
I Fear Mecir
won’t be too happy with the misspelling…
SAMCRO: Sons of Anarchy, California Raiders of Oakland
by oaklandSMASH on Sep 26, 2011 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions
I'll bet Huddy is laughing about it, given the number of time Jim blew a games for tim.
"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."
Roger Ebert loved it
This is really a movie about business. None of the individual players have major roles. The drama all happens in the mind of a general manager and his numbers guy. They bet against tradition and in favor of numerical analysis. That goes against a century of baseball history, although for all of those years, fans have thumbed through their baseball almanacs and issued mind-numbing statistical theories on talk shows. What the numbers crunchers demonstrated is that a computer can assemble a team better than human instinct.
"He's listed as day to day, but then again, aren't we all?" — Vin Scully
Uh...
In the 2002 season, the nation’s lowest-salaried Major League Baseball team put together a 20-game winning streak, setting a new American League record. The team began that same season with 11 losses in row.
Did I miss something? What team is Ebert talking about?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 23, 2011 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Fantastic
My favorite scene, actually, ironically, was when the A’s lost to the Twins in the ALDS. I’ve never been more angry while watching a movie; I wanted to kick the seat in front of me. The Twins win one game to win the series, and everyone is chirping up about how Moneyball was a fun experiment and doesn’t work, and that the A’s were exposed as frauds. It rekindled how mad I get when I was living at the time (and I still get to this day) when I meet baseball people who clearly just don’t get it.
by Rebuilding Season on Sep 23, 2011 11:03 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
so this is pretty funny. plot suggestions for the next moneyball from brisbee. i bet he was tempted to play up the WS in the giant’s one but he went for hilarious instead.
http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/9/23/2441202/moneyball-movie-baseball-palladium
HAHA
J.D. Drew walks through the Red Sox clubhouse with his agent, Scott Boras
Drew: Hold on. I want a Coke.
He stops in front of a vending machine, and pushes a button. The machine spits a dollar bill out at him.
Boras: That’s a dollar, man.
More dollar bills shoot out at Drew.
Drew: What?
Boras: Welcome to Boston.
"He's listed as day to day, but then again, aren't we all?" — Vin Scully
I, too, was hoping to see a draft scene
If only to figure out what the hell Milo looked like.
"He's listed as day to day, but then again, aren't we all?" — Vin Scully
If you have the time,
here’s my (long) review. Stephen Bishop (David Justice in the film) actually re-posted it on Twitter, so that’s cool. :)
by Johnny Bravo on Sep 23, 2011 1:34 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
WEIRD! what is the lonesome brad poster saying to the japanese market that they need to populate the scene so?
by AV on Sep 23, 2011 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions
It is odd, huh?
This is an invitation for CJ Wilson to go and have sex with himself.
by Leopold Bloom on Sep 24, 2011 2:38 AM PDT up reply actions
I respectfully disagree. I like the contrast of the one man and the packed crowd.
To me, it’s an example of how the sport can unite us, but each individual will inevitably take something different away from the experience. I hope that makes some kind of sense. It’s partly why I hope to catch this movie in a small crowd, so I can appreciate the moments and memories a little better.
by player20 on Sep 24, 2011 2:28 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
it does make sense what you’re saying. it’s kind of what i’m saying, but you’re taking it up from your personal POV (how you read the image and what you like about that) and i’m bringing it up from the cultural-values reading of it. they’re hand in hand. and i can see why you read what you read and liked it that way. so i’m wondering, what did the japanese read in the green one that turned them off? there must be something about this shot of a lonesome man detached from all other human contact that while we can still read it as a positive cultural image for us it’s apparently unappealing to the japanese market. so i wonder how they read the image. i hate speculating, but what if it’s something like heros don’t really have value unless they’re heros for society. like, here the story might be “dude of singular vision does thing nobody else ever did” and there it’s “dude of singular vision does thing nobody else ever did which made the people happy when he shared it with them.”
by AV on Sep 24, 2011 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions
heroes* i guess. though it still looks like i’m writing it in spanish and i keep wanting it to be heros.
by AV on Sep 24, 2011 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Another excellent point of view, AV.
While I’m typing this, the poster does remind me of the book, where Billy is often alone watching the game (or in his car getting updates), away from the crowd. Once again, peoples’ observations translate into different interpretations.
by player20 on Sep 24, 2011 5:18 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
And I really wasn't disagreeing with what you said, AV, I was just saying that I didn't think it was odd.
However, I am glad that this conversation was the result of the mixup.
by player20 on Sep 24, 2011 5:21 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
i didn’t think we were disagreeing. just describing to each other our sides of the same coin. and, to clarify, i didn’t think the japanese poster in and of itself was weird/odd. it was that there seemed to be a necessary visual translation that was striking to me.
wait. in a separate conversation, one purely about design techniques and not culture, i would say the japanese poster is weird. i don’t like it that i viscerally feel like i’m looking pysically down when i look at brad, and when i look at the crowd i’m looking up. when i put the two together, i feel like i’m standing on a platform that holds seats and that brad is sitting on, and that entire platform is tipping backwards.
then, and this goes for both the japanese and french typesetters, please don’t stretch or squeeze the fonts! bad typography, bad!
I love the amount of green on the American posters because the outfield grass = baseball to my mind.
But that Japanese poster is pretty sexy.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
One Day and Moneyball has gone GLOBAL baby
I took this photo on my teevee waching the Arsenal match this morning:
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 24, 2011 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
disagree. i’m about to nominate it to photoshop disasters for literally making me nauseous through mixed perspectives.
by AV on Sep 23, 2011 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions
It doesn't make any sense
Billy Beane doesn’t watch games.
by Rebuilding Season on Sep 23, 2011 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I loved it!
As a new NRAF, it made me horribly homesick— completely agree with the idea that it made the Coliseum look awesome.
As for the timing part— or that the A’s didn’t win a World Series— I’d argue that the post-climax part of the movie really evoked a real ambivalence. I did become an A’s fan during the Moneyball years, so maybe it’s more my fandom than the movie. Still, copy/pasting from a review I did:
The fact that these A’s didn’t win a championship in these years (or, uh, since too) does lessen Beane’s star a bit. And I really, really liked how the movie tackled that—instead of changing it around, that it did really capture that the A’s didn’t succeed, and despite the attempts to rationalize it—either by giving it credit for the Red Sox’s success in 2004, or by noting the respect Beane had earned by season’s end—it still hangs out there. And I would say that nearly all A’s fans from that time have that ambivalent feel as well—as much as we’d love to say that these smarts, the incredibly talented 2001 and 2002 rosters assembled on the cheap won championships, what we’re left with is that sense of "what could have been," that a potential championship could have been won had Jeremy Giambi slid (sigh), had Billy Koch not sucked it up to A.J. Pierzynski (sigh), had Eric Byrnes touched home plate (sighhhhhh). This is magnified because over on the other side of the bay, some idiot GM whose own fans excoriate him for handing out massively overpaid contracts to some players randomly signs a bunch of cast-off veterans during the season to fix a roster that had glaring offensive holes, and magically gets a World Series ring in the process despite having most of his team’s payroll on his bench or not even on the postseason roster (NO, I’M NOT BITTER).
But even the movie’s rationalizations of "this story is worth the telling, really!," that ambivalence, that bittersweetness, stands out. And I actually really like how it evokes that. Because while the neat, tidy ending is inspiring, real life experiences rarely end neatly and tidily. As much as intelligence, ingenuity have the potential to carry you places, it’s no guarantee for success. And I think that ambivalence that I felt at the movie’s end—and I would guess that most watchers would feel, though maybe to a lesser degree—is a fact of life. And I do give Moneyball props for showing the Twins celebrating, of focusing on Beane’s gloominess post-season, because I feel that confronts the spirit behind the story head-on, instead of making it into a cliché. Maybe it’s only because I really, really, really, really, really (REALLY!) wanted this team to win, but struggling with that really evoked a true emotion—an emotion that I feel far more often than that I feel after Hoosiers, for example.
by Trocmagic on Sep 23, 2011 6:24 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Awesome review
Where can I see it on its own?
Jack Cust: Nothing but true results…. career .813 OPS
by Athletics fan and runner on Sep 25, 2011 8:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Just about as good as I thought they could make it
For me, it’s really though to rate this because I not only lived through the events, I was consumed by them. I understood that they really had to put the emphasis on the acquisitions for the 2002 seasons, any A’s fan knows the pieces that they already had were just a huge a part of the success of that season with the big 3 pitching, Cory Lidle (God rest his soul) having an insane August, and of course Tejada’s MVP season. I think we remember a lot of the events developing in different ways. I remember how amazing the August 25 game against the Tigers was and how close the 20 win streak was to never being. Harang just didn’t have it that day, and the A’s had to come back down 7-3 in the 8th inning on the road. It was the first game in the streak that a reliever picked up the win. I remember not being in much panic mode even if the A’s were 10 games back since we all knew they started way worse (8-18) the year before and still made the playoffs.
Of course, they had to try to build a compelling story behind it since it is a movie. That’s what they did a good job of creating, and I can see how they were making this appeal to everyone. I honestly just got emotional just reminiscing about that year. I remember it being the year that would be the last I would spend in the house that I grew up in. I had flashbacks of songs like “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World and “Soak Up the Sun” by Cheryl Crow. I found it very appropriate what Brad Pitt as Billy Beane said in the movie, there is a romanticism about baseball.
This movie has surpassed every other baseball movie in my book...
Sandlot, Rookie of the Year, The Rookie, 61*, and even Field of Dreams are lower on the list now that Moneyball is out.
I absolutely love this movie! I will definitely be going again!
Wade Hines
Bull Durham is its only competitor for the title
Maybe Eight Men Out, I’ll have to watch that one again to see.
by Glorious Mundy on Sep 25, 2011 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Before my time
I’ll put it in on my to-watch list.
by Glorious Mundy on Sep 26, 2011 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
epic
I would have enjoyed seeing a little more momentum building regarding the streak and a skosh more character development of people besides Billy, but I loved it overall. I thought Philip Seymour Hoffman was outstanding as Art Howe.I also loved the real footage and Fosse/King audio.
I think featuring (even if slightly) the other American League teams like the Yanks and Indians will make it ultimately more endearing to non A’s fans.
I enjoyed the real footage also
I felt myself wanting more of it for Hatteberg’s trip around the bases in game 20.
Jack Cust: Nothing but true results…. career .813 OPS
by Athletics fan and runner on Sep 25, 2011 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Best baseball movie ever
saw it in a sold out theater in Giants territory. Line out the theater for at least an hour. Full of Giants fans. I was one of only 2 or 3 people wearing A’s gear. Loud ovation at the end of the film, everyone loved it. So freaking surreal to see all this hype and all these people turning out to see a movie about our A’s of all teams.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 23, 2011 11:59 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Looks like Joe Morgan voted in your poll
""Expelliarmus!" said Eckstein, attempting to knock the bat out of Matt Kemp's hands, just before Kemp laced a single to center." -Ken Tremendous
I'm holding out until next week- the end of the season.
Can’t wait for Moneyball Day 2012, when the fans get to cheer for their ‘02 team just one more time. As for the movie, I’ll hit an early morning screening, hopefully near empty and with few distractions. The DVD will be an automatic must-buy.
by player20 on Sep 24, 2011 4:36 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
o snap
“The Yankees are paying you $3.5 million to play against them.”
"We lose to Stanford in many sports, but if you want to make a Cal team quit, bring a weapon."
--Coach Clark
i’m gonna guess you’re not talking about eric chavez.
by AV on Sep 24, 2011 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Better than what SF is paying Rowand to stay at home
by player20 on Sep 24, 2011 12:14 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Saw it last night
in a sold-out theatre in Austin. It certainly makes me feel homesick reading some of your accounts of chanting “Let’s Go Oakland” in the theatre. I was debating trying to start a Tejada chant, but as I was the only one there with A’s gear on I thought it would be a bit weird.
In any case, I was very pleased with the movie. I don’t think it was just for pure nastalgia, though the only part I teared up was when they showed Tejada’s walk-off in Game 18 that I was at. As a person who works in stats, I of course was hoping for a little more of that, but I understand that would be too hard to incorporate into a movie. But I think it incorporated the feeling of many A’s fans, “Yes, something special happened. Yes, it changed the game. But no, because they did not win the World Series they never got full credit.”
Of note, I went with a few Rangers fans and they appreciated the movie (they especially liked that Wash has a semi-prominent role). I also went with non-baseball fans, and even they enjoyed the story. To be honest, I don’t see how somebody without an appreciation for the game would enjoy it, but in my limited sample size everybody was happy.
by Henduland in Texas on Sep 24, 2011 9:30 AM PDT reply actions
Jerry Seinfeld approves
http://twitter.com/#!/JerrySeinfeld/status/117381918898667520
Praise from other fans
I haven’t seen the movie yet (planning to go on Tues.) but my friend who is a diehard Yankees fan texted me to “Go See It!!” He said it made him “love baseball even more.” When I replied I thought it would be “boring” to any other fans, he said no,“it’s about baseball.”
So I really look forward to it now (Brad is hot, even if he looks nothing like Billy Beane).
"We're not the doormat anymore" —Dallas Braden, 4/22/10
7:15pm showing tonight
In Chico, CA. The line snaked back and forth three times. Only ever seen that for some big effects movie, usually one you take your kids to.
I was seeing a non-Moneyball movie today (le gasp!)
but on my way out I snuck into the two screens that were showing Moneyball at the time.
They were both over 80% full.
I was so happy. :D
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
Saw it today in Giants territory
Good crowd. I was outnumbered by people wearing those ugly colors.
I could especially relate because in addition to being an A’s fan at the time I was a divorced father, and the movie shows that Beane makes his big decision on that basis. Oddly, the reason I finally picked the A’s over the Giants after years of rooting for both was that the Coliseum was a better place to take my kids on Sunday afternoon than nasty Candlestick, and when the Giants moved to AT&T, good seats weren’t exactly part of a divorced-dad-on child-support budget.
The movie was pretty unfair to Art Howe and the scouts, though.
Ultimately, the movie will help the A’s by adding to their legend as lovable underdogs. But the book hurt them. Michael Lewis sandbagged Billy Beane by playing to his big ego, not only into giving up some secrets the A’s had kept since Sandy Alderson’s days, but into making unflattering portrayals Howe, scouts and other GM’s that make them pretty careful in dealing with him.
Good crowds for Moneyball in Charlotte
We saw the movie last night- I was surprised at how large the crowds were, not sellouts but larger than normal crowds. Since we were the only ones wearing Oakland A’s apparel, it was hard to tell if many in the crowd were baseball fans or if most were simply there to see Brad Pitt take his shirt off (which he didn’t ). Overall, my reaction to the movie was that it was entertaining, but having lived through every second of that wonderful yet disappointing 2002 season, it was hard to be totally objective about the movie. Hopefully, the movie will grow a few more fans, especially in the bay area.
The greenmachine
Comments over final out of Twins series...
I know the voice isn’t, but is the quote Joe Morgan?
by AsFan72 on Sep 25, 2011 9:09 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
sure seemed like it was supposed to be Morgan
by Johnny Bravo on Sep 25, 2011 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
The voice even sounded like Morgan
I doubt that was an accident.
An odd experience
Counting the errors became part of the fun. In some cases, I understood why they had things wrong (dramatic license and all that). In other cases, such as acquiring Jeremy Giambi when he was on the team or not knowing that A’s openers are played at night while the 2002 elimination game against the Twins was during the day, it annoyed me.
I’m probably too familiar with the events and even some of the scenes. I’ve been in the Fenway Park box (which is where the media sits) on a tour while on vacation last year.
The trouble with a fact-based movie like this is that it’s a bit hard to take seriously repeated scenes in which characters are portrayed as clownish buffoons. The portrayal of Howe and the scouts became increasingly absurd, especially on a successful team that had been built through the draft, not that the movie even mentioned that.
The film tries to cover an awful lot ground without doing any of them (except, perhaps, to “Peter Brand”) justice. The film was at its most effective, for me, when it showed real footage – because that brought it all back. For a movie focused on Beane, the movie didn’t take advantage of the bravado he displayed in the book, outside of a few scenes, the Rincon trade being the highlight.
But for all my gripes, it gets two key things right.
The first is the difficulty of challenging established ways of doing things. While the scout scenes were over-the-top, there were plenty of other scenes that drove home the point. Nobody likes people who rock the boat. And at the time, that is what the A’s were doing, even if only by necessity.
The second is the anguish of being an A’s fan during the past decade and a half, and during that period in particular, when the team when toe to toe with the big-money monsters and almost – but not quite – knocked them off. It’s a downer, but almost all teams lose anyway, and nobody gives you any credit if you don’t win a championship. This theme, while especially resonant for A’s fans, is pretty universal – and it’s not just about the A’s or baseball.
just saw Moneyball, i really liked it!!!
felt a bit sorry for Art Howe tho…fun to experience the streak again….great film : )
One more thing...
When they opened with the Yankee footage at the beginning of the movie, I felt like screaming and walking out lol.
Wade Hines
Wifey and I saw it in Pleasant Hill on Saturday night
I recognized a few people that I had seen at games, and there were a handful of us wearing A’s gear. People started cheering at the streak, and everyone cheered when the credits were rolling. I was very impressed with the attention to detail. Yes, there were a couple of big errors (Jeremy Giambi, the Peña trade), but I was looking at things like a mic from TV36, player’s batting gloves, whether they were gonna mess up and put gold trim around the last name on the back of Beane’s 1989 jersey, advertisements around the Coliseum, etc. I think the biggest tear jerker for me was hearing Bill King’s radio calls. It really brought me back to those moments being crowded around a radio in the back of the restaurant because the TV in our bar only got 2 channels.
My wife and I got married in October 2004 and she didn’t go to her first baseball game until the 2005 season so it was her first experience seeing what those years were about. She has heard my stories and seen some of the footage but this is the first time in a long time that she has initiated conversations about baseball. We’ll be seeing the film again very soon.
"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Grand Master Bruce Lee
Saw it in San Jose on Friday Night
It was awesome and I got this stuck in my head.
Perfect song for an awesome movie…
SAMCRO: Sons of Anarchy, California Raiders of Oakland
Holy crap, me too
Perfect, perfect song/performance for the movie, and Pitt’s reaction to her playing it in the guitar store was so genuine.
by Glorious Mundy on Sep 26, 2011 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I really liked the scenes when the daughter sings that song.
Except that the song was released in 2008 (which I didn’t know till I looked it up earlier today). I did think while watching the movie that the song was more recent than 2002, so it took me out of the moment for a bit, but since it works so well in the movie, the anachronism doesn’t bother me too much.
by whiteshoes40 on Sep 26, 2011 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Saw it in Santa Cruz on Sat night
Packed house, standing room only. I think I was the only one in a A’s hat, although there were a few A’s fans I could tell.
Worst off-field decision the A’s have made in 10 years was letting Greg Papa go, he did great play-by-play and hearing his voice (quite a bit of Papa footage, including a quick cameo) made my almost as nostalgic as hearing Bill King’s voice.
When Hatte hit the HR in Game 20, a voice from the back yelled “Go Giants!” <>
by SantaCruzSurfer on Sep 26, 2011 12:49 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Historys most lopsided trades as renegotiated by Billy Beane
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/historys-most-lopsided-trades-as-renegotiated-by-oakland-as-general-manager-billy-beane#.TnyRZH1PcNs.twitter
by SantaCruzSurfer on Sep 26, 2011 1:24 PM PDT reply actions
saw it friday night in philly
and I too was woried that anyone outside of A’s fans would find it boring and slow but at the end of the movie the entire theatre broke out in applause which I personally have not witnessed in ages. I thought Jonah Hill deserves an oscar for his performance….he just brought it and meshed with brad pitt awesomely…..i thought it was pretty funny that they turned to royce clayton to portray his counterpart from across the bay (miggy)…overall loved it, miss the colliseum and the fans, and will be going to see it again tomorrow night :)
I caught it today at noon (first showing, discounted) in Sacramento
Decent crowd, though obviously nowhere close to full. It was a lot more full than the typical first showings I catch, though. Funny thing was I noticed a lot of more elderly women there and laughed to myself. Someone else had mentioned Pitt being popular with them.
There was some applause when the movie ended. I think a couple of the bigger laughs came during the Hatterburg/Justice scene in the kitchen area and the Rincon trade sequence.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
the thelma and louise crowd, 20 years later…
[ducks]
by AV on Sep 27, 2011 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions
My first viewing experience was a bit different.....
I went to the midnight showing in Downtown Disney with the people that were there for the AN SoCal games last weekend. There were about 10 people in the theatre and we were 6 of the ten! So – I missed out on the excitement of a full theatre of baseball/bay area fans. I am happy the movie is doing well and I hope word-of-mouth keeps it on the leaderboard. I enjoyed the movie – but was oddly distracted by the familiarity of the team, the names, the events, the Billy Beane. I was trying to decide if the Pitt performance was as wonderful as the early reviews have suggested. I was fascinated while appalled by seeing the clubhouse – I wanted to take in every detail since I have never seen that part of the Coli before. I was horrified by clubhouse scenes and thought about how much we need a new facility – because that place was ugly and devoid of any JOY! How difficult it must be to try to crystalize the whole season in a few choice events and build the character of Beane so that people NOT familiar with the team would get it. I think some casual viewers and might miss the message of the film – the A’s are THE BACKDROP for how they had to “adapt or die”. I love that Beane did not take the money and run – but I also think that our present malaise is created by the fact that other teams have adpated and we are now seeing how teams playing Moneyball with money puts us at a disadvantage again. Favorite scenes, of course, included the footage and audio of the day – but I loved the scene with DJ in the cages. Heh – he got told! I am going to see it again…..in some ways I kind of wish I didn’t know the facts and details. But I love my team, I am glad Beane was/is our GM, I am not digging not signing Willingham – but I am gonna support them no matter what.
AN Tailgate = Euphemism for food porn.
The Clubhouse Scenes were filmed in a studio
Everything else is authentic Coliseum. The source for this was the last Oakland Athletics magazine.
Saw it in Portland, Oregon on Friday night
My daughter and I wore our jerseys and my buddy was geared up, too. Everybody clapped at the end. It was awesome!
"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." -Jessica Rabbit
by A'sfansince1970 on Sep 26, 2011 8:48 PM PDT reply actions
Which theater were you at?
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Sep 27, 2011 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions
This movie will bring Oakland a new stadium!
And, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Brad Pitt put’s a bid in to own the A’s!
"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." -Jessica Rabbit
by A'sfansince1970 on Sep 26, 2011 8:49 PM PDT reply actions
"I wouldn’t be too surprised if Brad Pitt put’s a bid in to own the A’s!"
Why do you say that?
Last of the Ninth - Photography
The A's are a sad orphan team that needs to be adopted.
I would totally be down for a Pitt-and-Jolie owned A’s, just for the hilarity.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
They'd be adopting another poor, undernourished, 3rd world child?
"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."
Life imitating art imitating life.
by player20 on Sep 27, 2011 12:21 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
figures. i’ve been scheming all week to take the 12:45 showing at jack london 9 ($5 on tuesdays!), but there was a pile of work i my inbox this morning. so i hedged and hedged about how i could jam all the work in and still go. but no, i’m a good little laborer and thought i should do my duty right and unhurried, and skip the movie for today.
…well guess (like to the minute) what time they started jack-hammering the sidewalk exactly across from my 2nd story office window and just how much work i’ve actually done since then.
My old newspaper clippings from the Streak
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 30, 2011 12:46 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Can I use this picture for the front page sometime in the next few weeks?
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
by baseballgirl on Sep 30, 2011 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions
for shizzle!
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 30, 2011 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
And I love the "Gints falter in 9th"
"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."
I don't have as many papers as johnjahafanclub does but here's what's in my collection
I had a couple from Dave Stewart’s no-hitter as well but I think those are long gone. Here’s what I do have.
Stuff from #s 17, 18 & 19:
Covers of a few papers for #20:
And the sports sections (Oakland Tribune & Daily Review were the same):
Also, a link to a few pics that are somewhat related. Back in March of 2004 the little local paper of the town Hatteberg lived in, Gig Harbor WA, ran a three-part story and the writer happened to come across a few pics I’d posted of him. He asked if they could use something for the story and I said sure as long as they sent me a copy. These aren’t enough to read the whole story but it was cool to see something of mine in print for the first time. This was before I bought my first DSLR:
http://www.murkworks.net/~james/Sports/Athletics/Papers/Hatteberg/
Last of the Ninth - Photography
by Flashfire on Sep 30, 2011 3:02 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
love it
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Sep 30, 2011 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions
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