"Moneyball" Strikes Out

On Sunday, February 26th, millions of viewers tuned-in to watch the Academy Awards. Up for Best Picture were 3 films about France, 2 about adultery, 1 about terrorism, 1 about the Civil Rights Movement.....and one about the economics of baseball. "Moneyball," a film which was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, left that night with none. A feature aired during the middle of the night discussed "Field of Dreams," a baseball film which also missed out on Best Picture, Best Score, and Best Screenplay. The announcer told the audience that no baseball film had ever won Best Picture and questioned if "Moneyball" would break the losing streak.

Other than "Moneyball," all the films tackled issues filled with drama and intensity. While I watched the Oscars, I couldn't help but notice how differently the films were discussed. Much time was spent hailing the genius of "The Artist" and the prolific career of Meryl Streep."Moneyball" looked like a AA-player moving up overnight to be the Yankee's starting-pitcher in the World Series. In other words, absolutely and totally out of place.

If baseball is the Great American Past-Time, then why have its cultural depictions always been so verily shafted? In The Great American Novel, Roth tethers baseball to American culture while also addressing its critics. While discussing the GAN with Smitty, Ernest Hemingway mocks the idea of a GAN about baseball. My interpretation of what he said is that baseball is a low-brow distraction. While it is the "Great American Past-Time," it is just a group of men running around the bases at the end of the day.

Until recently, I had really never thought about baseball's role in American culture as anything more than natural. The cliche that baseball is as American as apple-pie always struck me as just that. But in reality, all of these myths are entirely historical. Baseball has been socially crafted as the Great American past-time, but when we're faced with the serious issues of the world it takes a backseat in our minds. "Moneyball" was shafted at the Oscars because it's subject-matter was seen as more"fluffy" and "sentimental" than the hard-hitting films about adultery, France, and the Civil Rights Movement.

WWBBD? or, What Would Billy Beane Do?

After the Boston Red Sox's horrendous last season, David Ortiz("Big Papi") commented that he might be interested in leaving the team. When asked about the New York Yankees, he said he respected them as a team and "it's a good situation to be involved in." The rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox is a cultural norm, understood by anyone intimate with baseball. Because of this statement made back in October, the salary negotiations that occurred between Ortiz and the Sox were understandably precarious.

On Monday(Feb. 13th) Ortiz asked for $16.5 million and the Red Sox offered $12.65 million. In the end, the two settled for a $14.575 contract for one year. That takes care of this year, but I think this will be a crucial season for the Red Sox in keeping Ortiz on their lineup. Once this contract is up, Ortiz has the option to leave to wherever he may please. 

In relation to Moneyball, I find this whole arrangement completely counterintuitive and the team in a real state of upheaval. First, longstanding GM Theo Epstein decided to work for the Cubs this year. Then, manager Terry Francona left. Replacing two of the primary decision makers on the team would be like ejecting Billy Beane and all of his right-hand-men and putting strangers in their places. 

In Moneyball, Billy Beane used his dollars wisely to keep the best players for the time being. Instead of choosing players who were already famously successful, he chose underdogs and molded them into stars. The Boston Red Sox have wholeheartedly ignored that logic in favor of two others: Boston spirit and Yankee hatred. None of the press releases mentioned this directly, but I believe the primary reason for the large contract agreement was the mention of the Yankees. Though it was a brief mention, Ortiz did intimate he would be interested in playing for the New York Yankees. 

Players trade loyalties all the time, and as seen in Moneyball, most coaches favor money in exchange for player loyalties. Boston is a little different in the sense that trading(or even worse, losing) a player to the Yankees is an affront to the Red Sox Nation. Johnny Damon went from being nicknamed "Jesus" to "Judas" overnight when he traded to the Yankees. Because of this sense of Boston allegiance, the threat of losing Ortiz might have been enough to offer him a large contract. 

In this situation, what would Billy Beane have done? I think he would have told Ortiz to get the hell out. It's doubtful there are any DHs in the minor leagues who can hit like Ortiz, but I think he would have tried to find someone who could eventually be competitive. Billy Beane wouldn't say that some players are one in a million, but I think the case could be made for Ortiz.