My skills:

1.       Industrial Engineering. College educated. 3+ years experience. (See:IE RESUME.)

1.1.    Plant Layout and Analysis – in prior jobs, I developed Autocad floor layouts, redesigned and projected future assembly, manufacturing and warehouse configurations for facilities in the 400,000 square foot range.

1.2.    Capacity Studies – determined maximum operating capacity under current methods and evaluated future expectations based on customer’s needs and programs.

1.2.1.        In Manufacturing, molding press time, WIP storage along with outsourced product information helped define maximum capacity of a facility under current paradigms.

1.2.2.        In Warehousing, limitations were based on usable docks, dock space, turns of inventory, reserve slots, forward pick slots, pallets moved per hour and cases selected per hour or day.

1.3.    Budgetary Analysis – developed operating budget for 380 personnel at various operating and employee performance levels in a food distribution center.  (Annual budget of $16.1 million dollars.)

1.4.    Project Management – oversaw $250,000 facility modification project to increase SKU count by 20%, pick-to-pallet density and full utilization of storage space while maintaining current 24-7 operation levels for Kroger Co. in a food distribution center. (Sample: Excerpt of IWI Project.)

1.5.    Database Management – incorporated current labor standards package and Access database program tools to create a more useful reporting program for senior management and employee usage.  Co-developed automated incentive program to address employee incentive package and reduce errors in reporting, recording and payout.

2.       Technical Writing. 4 years experience with several projects using statistical analysis, organizing research and creating graphics for a business plan, baseball history book and labor standards manual. (See: Freelance Resume.)

2.1.    Business Plan – Consignment shop business applying for a SBA loan. (See: Neat Repeat’s Business Plan.)

2.1.1.        SWOT Analysis, Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Historical Financials compiled in plan.

2.1.2.        Ownership history, resume, competition analysis, market demographics and consignor study completed.

2.2.    Baseball Book – Utilize quality control-like measurements to define shifts in baseball play. Incorporated research from over 400+ sources, utilized databases for statistics capture and integrated biographical and pictorial information to add depth and flavor to project. (See: Chapters of Bringin’ Gas and Dialin’ 9 here.)

2.2.1.        Hitting across eight, 14-year eras

2.2.2.        Pitching across eight, 14-year eras

2.2.3.        Negro League History and Biographies

2.2.4.        Ballparks & Stadiums across the Eras

2.2.5.        General Management, Scouting and Sabermetrics

2.2.6.        Franchise histories (Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox)

2.2.7.        Managers, Broadcasters & Umpires (not included in file)

2.2.8.        Salary Escalation

2.2.9.        World Series overview (not included in file)

2.2.10.    Performance Enhancers & Drug usage in The Steroid Era

2.3.    Labor Standard Manual - wrote guide to help supervisors understand the concepts of performance ratings, time studies, safety factors and incorporated incentive plans.

2.3.1.        History of time studies and how they should be used

2.3.2.        Proper ways to take a time study and regard for the employee (allowances for fatigue)

2.3.3.        Considerations for safety, delays and poor machinery (downtime) when applied to labor standards

2.3.4.        Usage of MTM, MOST, MSD and other pre-determined time standards

3.       Blogger. 3 Years experience. (Yahoo 360, Blogspot and Wordpress sites.)

3.1.    Current Events, Politics, Economics, Sports, Biographies, Personal History and Entertainment are the primary blogs on these sites.

3.2.    Limited experience is SEO techniques.

3.3.    Limited design experience of website.

I consider myself a self-starter and able to find ways to get the job done.

But I am not looking for just a run-of-the-mill opportunity. The positions and projects I have engaged in have increased my desire for a meaningful, challenging and motivating career path. Not staying put in an office or cubicle or walking the floor of a warehouse. Those things are daily tasks; not conducive to my personality or my variety of interests.

I can be employed to figure out the answers/options.

Compile information and design or develop a vision of what it should be.

Work towards an ultimate goal; and see it through to its conclusion.

And the compensation…that can be discussed later.

I, like many others, have short suits or lack a trump card in this most recent hand of life. I am looking to deal myself a better hand to bet on. I hope you’ll stake me in this game called work, a job, a career, a destiny.

Sincerely,

Jason

BORED WITH BASEBALL? A'S GM BILLY BEANE

Thanks to SPORTSbyBROOKS for this gem:

In his baseball notes column this week, Tracy Ringolsby of The Rocky Mountain News writes that Oakland A's "genius" general manager Billy Beane may quit his job.

Ringolsby writes that Beane may leave the A's to take a similar job in professsional soccer. A's owner Lewis Wolff also owns the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS. Ringolsby also reports that highly regarded A's assistant general manager David Forst has turned down all potential job interviews. Why? Because rumor has it Forst may be replacing Beane as early as next year.

The San Francisco Chronicle actually wrote about Beane's fascination with soccer back in February. The article described Mr. Moneyball as being interested in seeing if his small-market strategies could be applied to soccer. In turn, several European World Cup soccer teams reportedly sent representatives to Oakland to observe Beane's "Moneyball" techniques.

If Billy Beane ever left one of the most secure jobs in baseball to run a SOCCER team it would truly be one of the most stunning stories in baseball history.

The Oakland A's continue to stay competitive year after year even though they have one of the lowest budgets in the MLB. Once again, the A's are in contention of winning the AL West and securing a possible Wild Card position in the playoffs. Whats amazing is that the team really has no standout player and are constantly bringing up no name players from their farm system as well as picking up free agents who seem to always produce for them. The team seems to always have great pitching which is also why they are always contending. The way they do this is because of their strategic general manager, Billy Beane, who practices the art of Moneyball. Billy knows how to make a good deal, but what he doesn't know is how to keep good players. In the last 10 years, the A's have gotten rid of great players such as Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Miguel Tejada, Jermaine Dye, Jason Giambi, Johny Damon, Jason Kendall, Mark Kotsay, Nick Swisher, and Barry Zito although he has not turned out that great for the Giants! Most of these players have gone on to do very well for their new teams although some have faltered. If the A's could stick with a team that could have time to gel together, they could easily contend for a World Series Championship. It may help when the team eventually moves to Fremont which will hopefully give them some more money to spend on creating some long term contracts. Regardless, I enjoy watching the A's play, but I don't like watching players that play so well for the team leave the next year!

If you haven't read Moneyball yet, please do so. Go here, and buy the book, or just go to your local library and pick it up. I'm currently reading it for probably the 20th time, and it's still as good as it was the first time. So without further ado...

We'll start right at the top. Billy Beane is still chugging along as the General Manager of the Oakland A's, and it looks like he has started yet another masterful job in Oakland. At the end of the 2007 season he traded away Dan Haren and Nick Swisher to bring back a bevy of prospects, including DBacks top prospect Carlos Gonzalez and White Sox top prospect Fautino de los Santos. This was supposed to signal a rebuilding effort, but the A's are just 4.5 games back of the Angels as of June 23rd.

His AGM at the time, Paul DePodesta took over as GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but in 2005 he was let go after the Dodgers suffered through their worst season since 1992. DePodesta was subsequently hired by the San Diego Padres as the Special Assistant for Baseball Operations. He has also started a blog, titled "It Might Be Dangerous...You Go First." David Forst, who joined DePodesta in the video room, is now the AGM of the A's, and is being strongly considered for the Seattle Mariners GM position.

Scott Hatteberg, who had a nice chapter written about him in the book, and became perhaps my favorite player in baseball, posted OBPs of .342, .367, .334, .389, .394, and in 2008 was designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds to make room for Jay Bruce. The Mariners and Mets have shown interest, but he has not caught on. He is doing a nice job for my sim league team, for what it's worth.

Ok, onto the draft picks, which, for me, is the main event....

Nick Swisher (picked 16th overall), as noted above, is now a member of the Chicago White Sox. Swisher has definitely panned out, posting relatively low batting averages, but high OBP's, as well as walking nearly as much as he strikes out.

Joe Blanton (24th overall), Beane called him the best pitcher in the draft. He hasn't quite lived up to that, but he did post a 123 ERA+ in his rookie year. Blanton has been the subject of trade rumors ever since last winter, and when he goes, the Moneyball era basically goes with him.

John McCurdy (26th overall), McCurdy was a shortstop at Maryland, but Beane wanted to convert him to second base, thinking "he could be the next Jeff Kent." Jeff Kent he was not. McCurdy never made it past AA ball, and his career high OPS was just .739, which he posted as a 25 year old in the California League. McCurdy retired in 2006 with just 33 career minor league homers.

Benjamin Fritz (30th overall), Beane judged Fritz to have a brighter future than Jason Isringhausen, whom he was essentially replacing. Fritz has been decidedly unspectacular, now as a 27 year old with AA Erie in Detroit's system. Fritz no doubt had problems dealing with the offensive environment in the California League, but he doesn't even have a 2:1 career K:BB ratio.

Jeremy Brown (35th overall), Brown was the most controversial of all the prospects. It was Brown who inspired the line "We're not selling jeans here." A catcher who "owned the Alabama record books" Brown was seen as a later round guy for most scouts, but the A's pushed him all the way up into the sandwich round. Brown got 10 major league at bats, and posted solid minor league numbers. He also inspired many articles, including this one (notice some of the awful comments, too bad I didn't comment back then.) and this one. That last one was satirical (I think) but it's not far off from the rejoicing that some "Old time" baseball people did when Brown couldn't hack it, although that was mainly because of health and defense. Still, Jeremy Brown deserved a lot better treatment than he got.

Mark Teahen (39th overall), It was said about Teahen that "If you want to talk about the next Jason Giambi, this could be it." Teahen hasn't supplied the power - his career high is 18 homers - but his OBPs, until this year, have been very good. If Teahen was a third baseman his numbers would look much better, but he has been bumped around, playing both corner OFs and a little first base, and he's on my sim team just like Hatteberg, maybe there's a pattern.

Steve Stanley (67th overall), Judged by the naked eye to be better in CF than then-incumbent Terrence Long, Stanley didn't get to prove it. In his last full season, 2005, Stanley had a line of .290/.364/.391 in AA.

Mark Kiger (158th overall), When Kiger was offered a contract, an Oakland scout said he said "Thank you, thank you," then remarking "I think he just wanted to play ball." Kiger has a career OBP of .372 but the power hasn't been there, as he only has one season of double digit homers. Kiger also famously made his way onto the A's 2006 ALCS roster.

Brant Colamarino (218th overall), Paul DePodesta remarked that Colamarino might "be the best hitter in the country." Beane was also informed that Colamarino had "titties," which is one of the better quotes in the book. Needless to say he hasn't quite panned out, but as a 23 year old he did have a .373 OBP and 19 homers combined between high A and AA ball.

Others of note: The A's that year also drafted Shane Komine, who made some big league starts for them, and they drafted, but did not sign: Trevor Crowe, who for a time was Cleveland's top ranked prospect, JR Towles, who is Houston's top prospect, and 1208th overall they selected Jonathan Papelbon.

Normally at the end I would say I hoped you liked reading this as much as I liked writing it, but to be honest if no one reads this post it will still be my favorite thing I've ever written, and it was very fun to find out how the fortunes of these young men have changed over the course of 6 years.

In a recent interview Joe Sheehan, a writer for the Baseball Prospectus, described how a new area of focus for baseball teams executives is on health and injuries.  It is increasingly difficult for teams to differentiate themselves based on their ability to identify and evaluate talent, so those teams that avoid injuries and keep their best players on the field have a huge advantage.  Every day a high-priced player is out with an injury represents salary dollars that could have, potentially, been allocated to a player on the field actively helping his team win.  He cited the New York Yankees; currently last in the American League East, paying a combined $41 million dollars to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Both players have spent significant time on the disabled list. 

The challenge is the same for any business: are you doing enough to keep your best players on the field and contributing to your success?

And it’s not just about whether your employees are present or absent, it’s about whether they are able to work at peak capacity.  Sheehan noted that during the offseason the Boston Red Sox test the fitness and capacity of their pitching staff when they are at their most healthy and rested. During the season the pitchers are monitored to ensure that their health never moves too far from this baseline; if it does they give them some extra time off to stave off injury and keep them rested for the stretch run.

How many businesses do the same thing to make sure their most valuable employees avoid burnout? Employees have a finite amount of vacation every year, but are they using it?  For many organizations the most important employees are so valuable the company can’t afford for them to take meaningful time off. But how much damage is done to the long term prospects of the company if these employees aren’t operating at peak capacity when they are really needed or if they leave the firm entirely?

An easy way to measure this is to look at the accrued vacation of employees. Are many taking so little vacation that they are “maxing out” their vacation or sick-time accruals, leaving valuable time off on the table?  What percentage of accrued vacation is actually used by employees on an annual basis?  Does this vary by performance? Do high performers take more or less time than low performers?  If so, what are the implications?

Companies have increasing amounts of data to assist them in identifying talent.  Given this, the next generation of winners may be those firms that can figure out how to keep their employees operating at peak capacity when they really need them and provide them some relief when they don’t.  Can your company do this? 

Each morning starts with a perusal of the box scores, recaps and standings on ESPN's major league baseball "scoreboard". From there one can jump to player stats, team stats, season stats, and pretty much anything you could want, short of having the phone number of Bill James. I focus on a handful of teams: the Seattle Mariners, because I lived there for half my life and still think they can go all the way; the Boston Red Sox, my newly adopted team, winners of two World Series in four years; the Baltimore Orioles, mostly from an ancient loyalty to my approximate birthplace, and proximity to Maryland's Eastern Shore during those golden years at Washington College in Chestertown, and because Brother Dave goes to lots of games; the Washington Nationals, because they are the Senators reincarnate, although my interest rapidly declined after lots of losing; and lastly, the New York Yankees (?). I look at how the Damn Yankees do only because I love to see them lose. (There is something salubrious, for me at least, about splenetic Yankees owner George Steinbrenner getting furious when his team is beaten; his chip-off-the-old-block son Hank looks to follow in the micro-management mold, and is sure to earn as little respect as his dad among baseball people.) The best days are when the Bosox beat them, due to the age-old rivalry. Funny, here in Scotland you see a fair number of Yankee baseball hats on the heads of Scots. Michelle has some pretty choice words to describe the Yankees, and came close a couple times to telling off big burly Scots wearing those caps with the distinctive "NY" logo. Michelle and I believe they don't have any idea what bums the Yankees are; they just wear the hats because they know it has something to do with the States.

Which reminds me, if you have never read Michaels Lewis's book "Moneyball", let me tell you it's a fascinating refresher course in baseball managing strategy, and throws new light on baseball statistics. It came out in 2003 but is still valuable, and sits nicely on the shelf next to his other works on sports, economics and winning vs losing. For those new to baseball it is an excellent primer, and I recommended it to my students majoring in business as a guide to the world of winning with limited resources.

But what prompted my post today was the surprising performance of the Orioles. They're sitting on top of the AL East! Holy cow! New manager Dave Trembley must be doing something right. Last year, and the year before that, they finished the season TWENTY-SEVEN games out of first place. Hometown fans must be enjoying the reversal of fortunes, since for the last home-stand series of games, attendance averaged just over 80% of capacity. Baltimore's Camden Yards is one of my favorite ballparks, with great views, a friendly crowd -- the opposite of the hostile beasts found at Yankee Stadium -- and lots of excellent food like Maryland crab cakes. There's lots of new talent, since I look at the box scores and don't recognize more than one or two of the Baltimore players, which is weird since I used to know the names up and down the line-up. And while I hope to tag along this year with Dave to see the O's again at Camden Yards, I also can't wait for my first glimpse of Boston's Fenway Park when I move to "The Hub" this summer. Cool.

Lastly, a team I have my eye on is the Arizona Diamondbacks. One interesting baseball stat that leads me to this is the difference between the runs scored and runs allowed. The Orioles sit at the top of the NL West division holding a three-run difference, while the D-backs sit on top of theirs, with a whopping fifty-four-run difference. Arizona had until recently led the majors in this category by a ton, until the Cubs largely caught up with a recent three-game series against Pittsburgh, in which they outscored the Pirates by TWENTY runs, and who now hold a forty-two-run difference. Baltimore will have to do a lot of things right to keep their lead in the AL East, if they can only maintain such a narrow margin of victory.

What a great performance!  After two weeks of painful losses, Arsenal picked themselves up off the floor came out and played their game,  scored two great goals, and (most importantly) kept a clean sheet.

There were some surprising squad changes with Theo and Kolo starting at the right, Song in central defense, and Lehmann in goal.  But right from the start, the squad looked assured and prepared for the game.  The whole world knew that Steve Koppel was going to play route one football and that, so far this season, that has been Arsenal's Achilles.  When the first pass came to Kitson though, Song dealt well with it and from there the team always looked unlikely to concede.  Jens didn't even have to make a save until well in to the second half.   Good stuff from the defense there.

Arsenal's first goal came from the man people have loved to criticize all season: Adebayor.  Of course, he didn't do it alone!  Theo went on a bit of a run, passed to Kolo, who lobbed in to Ade and the big man showed his superb touch by controlling the ball with his thigh.  Then it was "cool as you like" as Ade slotted home his 27th goal of the season.

There could have been more goals too, Song had a gilt-edged chance and just nodded wide of the net, Cesc had what seemed like a dozen chances (in reality it was just 3), van Persie hit the woodwork on a superb free kick, and even Theo got into the act by having a shot saved by the crossbar.  Oh well, shit happens and getting down about the "profligate" shooting when the team wins 2-0 just makes you seem like a moron.

The second goal came when Gio (who looked very assured in the middle and seems to have come out of his "funk") was teed up by Cesc and decided "what the hell!" and had a shot.  To be fair to Hanneman, I think he'd have stopped that goal had it not taken a deflection.  Oh well, shit happens when you shoot at goal.

It's pretty clear that what some of these players need is a consistent run; Song's miss, Theo's miss, Robin's miss, all were by inches.  Next week, I really believe that van Persie free kick finds the net, Theo will get a goal, and with a run of a couple games we might even see Song get a goal.

In defense, Lehmann had a couple of very nice saves and apart from a moment of confusion where Bendtner lost his mind and failed to make an easy play on a corner kick (the WHOLE team yelled at him for it too!) the defense looked solid.  I'm not foolish enough to make a prediction based on two games but I have to say that Song looks much improved over last year.

After the match, the Boss was rightly pleased with his team but the fans were in their usual form.

We responded well after massive, massive, massive disappointment, it is very important for us, because the next season starts now.

So next season Walcott will be a starter?  Cool!  He had another good performance and has clearly put in the work to deserve the chance.  Who knew that hard work would pay off?  I thought you were supposed to complain to the press and then demand a transfer to a lesser team.

Some of the fans though, just seem to be missing the point, or all three of the points really.  Arsenal should have won 34-0?  Really?  You still riding Adebayor's back after that great goal and goals in 3 of four Champions League legs?  REALLY?  Saying that the manager who has won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups has lost the plot.  REALLY REALLY?  I think I speak for a lot of supporters when I say: fuck off and support Man U.  And that's the last I'm going to talk about that.  Have a go at whomever you like, it's only going to make you look like a tiresome little cunt.

There was some bizarre post-match controversy as Cesc was mis-quoted and the press ran with a bunch of stories saying that Cesc wants to leave.  Tipped as captain one day, packing his bags for Barca the next; is that the British version of "fair and balanced?"

Continuing in the vein of "fair and balanced," ESPN is reporting that disgraced former Tottenham, Leeds, and Milwall manager George Graham is calling for Arsenal to buy 4 huge stars to compete with Man U.  Saying that Arsenal need to strengthen everyone in the middle but that he doubts they have the resources to buy 4 big stars.  Of course, Arsenal cannot afford to do something like that unless they get some rich benefactor who is willing to put huge piles of debts on the backs of the club and its supporters.  Honestly?  That model is failing left and right -- just look at the turmoil surrounding Liverpool.  So, go fuck yourself George: I wonder if Usmanov paid him to make those comments.

Spending loads of money isn't the surefire road to success: just ask Billy Beane or, hell, have a look at the success of Arsene Wenger.

Anyway, that's it for today.  Tomorrow I'll resume regular service on my top 5 players of the season.  See you all then!

"De Luca confirms that he wants to adapt it and seems enthusiastic about the kind of movie it could become."

January 31st is approaching at breakneck speed.  "I think you mean March 31st, you f***ing idiot."  Hahaha, yeah I guess so.

50 years, dog. The Giants have been in San Francisco since 1958.  Candlestick was pretty awesome, though. Remember the AstroTurf? And that weird open area behind the left field fence?  There were some spectacular spazz-out home run ball chases by the folks in the left field seats.  I mean to tell you -- those were good. What about the chain link fence for the home run boundary?  What about your face?  Why are you so ugly?

Check this out, though:  The Giants lost to their AAA club in Fresno last night.   That just means that we have the best farm system in the major leagues.  Actually, I don't follow it that close. Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are decent pitchers out of Fresno. 

Zito got tagged for 8 hits and 3 earned runs in 6 and two thirds innings. 

 Here, check this out again:  Zito came from the Oakland A's farm system.  Oakland has a very interesting philosophy on scouting and whatnot.  They study percentages and practice ancient rituals of animal sacrifice to obscure idols.  No, they don't perform sacrifices; the only sacrifice is a pop fly or a bunt. Hahaha.  Seriously, they think slugging percentage and on-base percentage is more important than RBIs and home runs.  I think it's calledMoneyball.  Whatever. Buy the book.  But do you know where Oakland plays thier AAA ball?  Sacramento, dog.  That's right -- the River Cats at Raley Field, baby.  THE PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE!

So yeah, that's where I'm going to be, dude.  Listen to this, once again:  The Las Vegas 51's ( as in Area 51) , Albuquerque Isotopes (as in Sandia Labs),  The Salt Lake Bees  ( as in I went to a game there when I was working on a dam in the Uinta Mts. back in 1995. Nice ballpark. Good time) , The Nashville Sounds ( as in that sweet pedal steel sound)  The Portland Beavers (as in sweet beavers)   etc.....

TRIPLE-A  BALL!

Introducing Jeff Ma ... noted new age 'sports' statistician

co-founder of ... PROTRADE

and - last but not least - one of 'the former MIT guys who took Vegas for millions' ...

and whose story is being told in the major motion picture due for wide release Friday, March 28, 2008

... '21'.

IT WAS with a good deal of interest that we saw some English newspapers singing the praises of Billy Beane
recently.

Readers with better-than-average recall may remember some time ago we mentioned Beane, a baseball manager of some repute with the Oakland Athletics, and the book written about him by Michael Lewis, Moneyball.

Here’s the 30-second version: the book explains how Beane decided to ignore the hunches and gut instincts of baseball scouts in favour of the hard currency of statistics and percentages when it comes to picking players.

The result? The Oakland Athletics are a relatively successful team because they choose players whose career stats can more or less guarantee reliability. Beane is a great believer in players who can get on base, for instance, rather than those with huge home run totals; though the latter may draw applause, the former can get their teams into a position to win games.

Beane’s approach is appreciated by many top sports figures on this side of the world. The American addressed a football conference in England before Christmas attended by Alex Ferguson, Sam Allardyce, Martin O’Neill, Alan Curbishley and Howard Wilkinson.

The sharp-eyed will immediately see the weakness, however, when it comes to applying a statistic-based approach to fluid field games such as soccer.

Baseball is a series of recurring set pieces whose formality lends itself to minute comparative analysis. Every player has a prescribed role and the game is based on the accretion of detail and figure, while ascribing responsibility for individual plays is a serious issue when it comes to scoring.

By contrast, some of the best work done by a holding midfielder may not involve touching the ball at all. A
fearsome tackler sitting in front of the back four encourages opposition
players to try the wings rather than the centre, but post-game statistics won’t reveal that.

Beane’s approach comes under attack in other ways, too. The Oakland Athletics aren’t one of the richer baseball teams around, so success for them is relative: getting into the play-offs is the height of their ambition, but a World Series title is beyond them.

To win a trophy, you need money, for one thing, but you also need players who dare greatly rather than just accumulate healthy statistics: flair players. Stars. To put this in perspective, one of Beane’s biggest admirers in the soccer world is Aidy Boothroyd — a paragon of honest effort but not likely to have to buy much silver polish.

For our money, objections to the Moneyball model centre on its smudging of the romantic sense of identifying talent. Seeing ability in the raw and knowing that it will blossom is a rare skill in and of itself, and the men who can do it are an unusual breed.

Everyone knows the famous telegram sent by scout Bob Bishop to Matt Busby about the young George Best: “I have found a genius.”

Now, it’s easy to say that the man who identified George Best as a good footballer wasn’t exactly splitting the atom, but it isn’t always that easy.

In the 1940s, baseball scout Tom Greenwade pulled over at the side of a road in Oklahoma to watch some youngsters play a casual game. He was on his way to another town, and another prospect, but before he restarted his car he had spotted Mickey Mantle, one of baseball’s all-time greats.

That sensation, of discovering a star before he really begins to shine, isn’t something that can be determined by figures and averages; it’s dictated by instinct and evaluation, an appreciation built up over years of observation.

And that’s something that comes through in Moneyball, the conflict between the grizzled old-school scouts and the fresh-faced number-crunchers whose philosophies collide in debates over which players should start and which should stay on the bench.

Still, recognising talent has always been an unusual business. They say when Walter Scott’s son was growing up, he had no idea of his father’s fame, but when he was told Scott senior was a genius, he wasn’t surprised; he just thought that that genius applied to
another area altogether.

“Aye,” said young Scott. “When we’re hunting he’s commonly the first to see the hare.”

contact: michael.moynihan@examiner.ie

2007-2008 Holinger Power Rankings
FoxSports NBA Power Rankings
Yahoo! Sports NBA Weekly Power Rankings

And, yet ... there are still divergent opinions about Houston's long term prospects for

i) making the playoffs this season (in the ultra difficult Western Conference);
ii) going beyond the 1st Round of the Playoffs; and, eventually,
iii) winning a 3rd NBA championship.

Rocket's Moneyball approach paying dividends (Mar. 13)

Kenny Smith - the Rocket's prospects without Yao (Mar. 6)

Q1. What's ahead for the Rocket's version of NBA Moneyball?

A1. The current edition of the Rockets are built to (i) withstand a season-ending injury to their dominating #1 Center, (ii) win their fair share of regular season games, and (iii) even put together an historic 21-game winning streak ... but, unfortunately, just like the principles of "MoneyBall" tend to run out of steam, annually, in the MLB post-season tournament ... so, too, will such a fate befall an outfit in the NBA that adheres to this 'statistical-based' methodology for constructing its team with designs on 'going the distance' in June.

As Moses Malone first alluded to, 25 years ago ... it (only) takes, "4, 4, 4 and (today) 4" wins to capture the NBA championship ... and, MoneyBall-based teams, not built along these lines to begin with, are simply not equipped to get the job done right in this type of "quadruple 7-game series" environment.

NBA championships are won by teams that can ...

I) Rebound, Defend and play efficient Offensive basketball, in a balanced way; with,

II) either 2 or 3 super 'star' players who can both (a) create and (b) take advantage of the different mis-match situations that exist on the floor, due to their unique and complimentary skill sets.

Without Yao, this no longer applies to the Houston Rockets.

Just watch & see.

Originally Aired: March 11th 2008 at 8:00p.m.

___
Topics Discussed:

- Championship Week / Selection Sunday (NCAA BB)

- Binghamton Bearcats Mens Basketball

America East Tournament Loss

Season Recap

Mike Gordon

- Houston Rockets Go Streaking

- Billy Crystal on the Yankees?

- 'Graveyard'

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Fun Facts:

• The flyer hanging in front of the table is for the university's Chabad Purim Carnival, an event sponsored by Box Seat Central.

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Weekly Credits Clip:

Houston Rocket players do their best Dikembe Mutombo impression ----------

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Back to Season Two

The discussion is based on the premise that judging teachers using a value-added analysis is the equivalent of a system that judges baseball players using a sabermetric analysis.  Actually, even that summary is not entirely accurate because what Michael Lewis wrote about in Moneyball is not so much a system or form of analysis as it is an orientation.  Billy Beane, J.P. Ricardi, Theo Epstein and all of the other new baseball G.M.'s who've espoused Moneyball-like approaches, believe that there are inefficiencies in the market.  That is, there are data available that, when subjected to appropriate statistical analyses, might surface players who are undervalued based on more traditional forms of judgment.  These forms of player valuation, when added to the more traditional/standard methods, allow teams with less resources and less payroll flexibility to find players who are most cost-effective. 

The key there is the italicized segment.  Critics of the Moneyball/Sabermetric approach (including Murray Chass) have the wrong impression that it is intended to replace more traditional/standards of player valuation.  That's simply not true.  Sabermetric analysis is an additional weapon in the arsenal of baseball decision-makers. 

Applying that back to the proposal by New York City proposal, I have no problem using value-added analysis as an additional measure to hold teachers (and principals?) accountable.  It should never be the single criterion for any important decision about an individual teacher.  But, the data are there, so let's look at them.  As one principal says in the NY Times article:  “This should simply be one more way to think about things,” said Frank A. Cimino, the principal of P.S. 193 in Brooklyn, who said he was participating in the experiment. “It is going to tell you some things you don’t know, but it will miss the other things that go on in a classroom.”

What tidbits will you find in the first edition? Entirely too many people know who Kosuke Fukudome is. We are very optimistic about our favorite teams. Chad thinks Scott Boras is a butterface. A-Rod is still a consensus candidate for #1 fantasy baseball pick. Peter Gammons can do no wrong and we don't agree on what should be done with the DH.

1) Who is your favorite team?

Steve: Florida Marlins

Tom: Detroit Tigers

Jon: NY Mets

Chad: Detroit Tigers

Pat: Chicago Cubs

Dan: Boston Red Sox

Aaron: Detroit Tigers

Damon: Detroit Tigers

Bryan: Boston Red Sox

Ryan: Detroit Tigers

2) What is your prediction for your team's record and how far will they advance in the playoffs (if they make it)?

Steve (Marlins): 81-81 if they stay healthy, no playoffs.

Tom (Tigers): 94-68, something in that ball park. Admittedly, I'm just grabbing the 07 Yankees record, since the NYY led the league in runs, which I hope (expect) the Tigers to do this year, but I have serious concerns about the pitching staff (healthy, particularly, with Rogers and Bonderman, and a thin bullpen) and could see an 07 Yankees-like team ERA in the mid 4 range as well. Considering the Twins were gutted by the loss of Santana and the ChiSox continue to make stupid moves, the AL East is much stronger than the Central, so 94 wins is probably conservative, at least I hope.

Jon (Mets): 95-67, World Series Champs.

Chad (Tigers): 140-22+ World Series Champs (why are they even playing the season . . . just give the Tigers their rings now.)

Pat (Cubs): Cubs should make the playoffs, either as division winners or as wildcard team. I would hope that they could at least win the first series.

Dan (Red Sox): 103-59, World Series champs (again).

Aaron (Tigers): 101-61, World Series Champs (±5 wins based on DD tweaking the pitching or not).

Damon (Tigers): 92+ wins...represent AL in World Series.

Bryan (Red Sox): I'll say 93-69, and first place in the AL East. I think they can repeat as champs, so I'll predict that they will. I'll also say that if they fail to make the World Series it will be at the hands of the Indians.

Ryan (Tigers): 99-63. Division Champs (by 4 games over Cleveland); American League Champs. Loss in World Series (to the Dodgers or the Mets).

3) Give me one player to watch from your team and one player to watch from the league at-large.

Steve: Hanley Ramirez - most underrated player in baseball, put up better numbers last year than Rollins. King Felix Hernandez could have a historic season.

Tom: No reason to be cute - Miguel Cabrera. I'm hoping he makes a run at the doubles mark playing in the CoPa, and I'm hoping his presence in the lineup produces an '08 season for Ordoñez more comparable to his career highs of '07 than his pre-'07 averages. League at large - Juan Gonzalez? Joke. My proximity to Wrigley might skew my answer, but if Kosuke Fukudome has half the success this year that a few others left-handed Japanese stars have had in the MLBs, the Cubs might finally have the left-handed bat they desperately needed last year. (apologies to Daryle Ward and Jacque Jones)

Jon: Duaner Sanchez - if he's healthy again, the Mets bullpen improves greatly from last year. Cole Hamels - if he takes another step forward, he could be unhittable.

Chad: Brandon Inge - he is angry and he is the best all-around athlete in baseball. Kosuke Fukudome - Fukudome = nuff said

Pat: Derrek Lee is due for a bounce-back year. His wrist should be fully healed by now and with the Soriano, Ramirez and the Japanese import, he should see plenty of good pitches and have a ton of RBI chances. At large it will be interesting to see how both Haren and Santana do in the NL. Also, interesting to see how Ryan Braun does in his sophomore effort.

Dan: Jacoby Ellsbury, i.e. the reason Johan Santana isn't pitching for the Red Sox. Had a monster end of season and postseason, legitimate five tool player, and will easily take the starting job from Coco. Nick Swisher. Everyone's been waiting on him to fulfill the Moneyball potential, he's finally in a lineup that can protect him, in a park that cannot protect baseballs.

Aaron: Dontrelle Willis. One, because I can't believe he'll be in a Tiger uniform. Two, his stats have been in decline and he's moving to a better hitters' league. He's at a crossroads in his career, IMO. He could end up anywhere from an above average starter to a set-up role. Santana/Haren. NL hitters are gonna get it and they don't even know it.

Damon: Watch for Dontrelle Willis to get off to an extremely hot start for the Detroit Tigers, similar to Bronson Arroyo 2 years ago when he was traded from Boston to Cincinnati. Subsequently, he will fade in the 2nd half when AL hitters adjust to his unusual wind-up. Kosuke Fukudome will help the Chicago Cubs run away with the NL Central. After that, all bets are off.

Bryan: Clay Buchholz - With Schilling on the shelf, Clay looks like the man for that 5th spot in the rotation. He is projected to be a #1 starter someday, and with a MLB no-hitter already under his belt, it will be interesting to see if he can live up to some of that hype at the age of 23. Joba Chamberlain - Even if he is as dominant as a starter as he was as a reliever, will the Yankees blow enough late leads to consider this a mistake? The Joba/Rivera combo kept the Yankees from crumbling last year, and one has to wonder if it will be their demise in a loaded American League.

Ryan: Gary Sheffield - Last year he was injured, but this year, injury or not, we learn that he is no longer an elite player; he's above average at best. (Note: Regardless of Sheffield's performance, because offense won't be a problem, D-Train is the key) Underachievers: Ryan Braun - He endures the infamous "sophomore slump." Derek Jeter - Shows signs of age, fails to play 140 games, fails to hit double digit home runs, and fails to hit .300. Carlos Pena - Fails to hit 25 home runs. Break-outs: Matt Kemp (if he plays every day) and Hunter Pence. (Note: Johan Santana and Dan Haren are going to dominate in the NL)

4) In any order, name three players you would consider for the number one overall fantasy draft pick. Write "forget it" if this information is classified.

Steve: Reyes, A-Rod, Magglio Ordoñez.

Tom: A-Rod, Cabrera, Reyes

Jon: (Editor's note: No answer.)

Chad: A-Rod, Miguel Cabrera, Johan Santana

Pat: A-Rod, Ryan Howard, Matt Holliday.

Dan: Gayrod, Santana, Reyes

Aaron: Probably only A-Rod and Miguel Cabrera, but not sure yet.

Damon: Forget it.

Bryan: Hanley Ramirez, A-Rod, Jose Reyes

Ryan: Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez, Johan Santana

5) Who are your three favorite baseball writers? Explain if necessary.

Steve: Bill Simmons, Tim Kurkijijigan, Peter Gammons.

Tom: Ken Tremendous, Junior, Dak, and, no sadly, I'm not kidding. But of the "non-blogging" variety I like Tim Kurkjian and very little else.

Jon: Matt Cerrone (metsblog.com), Rob Neyer, Ken Tremendous.

Chad: I can't read so no comment on this one.

Pat: I usually just listen to them but - Peter Gammons, Buster Olney, Jayson Stark.

Dan: Olney, Gammons, Will McDonough (Boston Globe, deceased).

Aaron: Gammons, Ken Tremendous, and Keith Law. Locally, I like Danny Knobler (Mlive.com) although at times he's woefully inept (like the trade deadline).

Damon: Peter Gammons, Tim Kurkjian, Danny Knobler (Tigers beat writer - knows all).

Bryan: Peter Gammons - because he ALWAYS has the most information. Buster Olney - because his blog on the four-letter is an amazing resource.

Ryan: Peter Gammons, Ken Rosenthal (trade rumormonger), Ken Tremendous

6) Would you like the leagues to establish the same rule with regard to the DH? Which way, pitcher batting or DH?

Steve: Leave as is.

Tom: Even though most baseball fans I know have an opinion on this, I don't really care about it, so I guess the answer is no. I'm fine with different rules-- baseball doesn't pride itself on uniformity of rules (hence the different dimensions at parks, etc.), and I can see both sides-- the purist in me likes all players to play both ways, whereas the American League fan in me would rather watch Gary Sheffield hit than having the 9 spot be a sure out, or watch Doug Drabek pull a hammy sliding into third. In short, I'm fine with how it is.

Jon: No DH.

Chad: If I had to pick, then I prefer making the pitcher's hit because it adds another element to coaching strategy. However, I am fine with NL having pitchers hit and AL with the DH because it adds an interesting twist during inter-league games and the World Series.

Pat: I would prefer no DH, but that will never happen considering the players union and how it basically allows inept fielders who can hit to continue their careers and pile up that cheddar.

Dan: No, keep it funky, gives coaches something to do.

Aaron: Straight DH. I get the whole "intricacy of the game idea" or "tradition" argument, but really, who cares? There's nothing more annoying than seeing the bottom of a NL order have two outs with the runners on and the SP coming up early in the game or 0-1 outs and knowing he's going to sacrifice. What's exciting about that? The pitchers look ridiculous 95% of the time they actually try to get a hit. Two other reasons. People make the argument that the DH allows guys who can't field to extend their careers. I would argue that not having it allows 80 mph chuckers like Glavine, Wells, Moyer, and so on to stay in the game far too long. These guys aren't good anymore and the fact that SP run to the NL late in their careers is evidence. It's harmful to the NL's competitiveness. The MLBPA would likely approve the NL DH, as well.

Damon: Yes, pitcher batting.

Bryan: I'm biased because I follow an American League team, but I like the DH and think both leagues should adopt it. Would football be better or worse if the Kicker had to play QB every tenth drive? Sure, there might be more strategy involved if that was the case, but it would not make for a better product. (Editor's note: Bryan made the point I was trying to make in roughly 15,000 less words.)

Ryan: Yes, and I'd prefer the pitchers hit, but it will never happen. The MLBPA will never allow it because they need to keep the Matt Stairs of the world employed. Also, kids specialize as pitchers at a fairly young age (and in the minors) so the drain on offense would make the game less enjoyable to the casual fan who does not appreciate the intricacies of the NL style of play. I actually think it's more likely that they'd switch to the DH in both leagues in order to keep offense up, but that's not at all likely either.

7) Describe Scott Boras, A-Rod, and Joe Morgan in one word or term.

Steve: Boras - unconscionable; A-Rod - amazing; Morgan - moron.

Tom: Boras - exploiter; A-Rod - Hall of Fame; Morgan - Dave Concepcion.

Jon: Boras - Douche; A-Rod - awesome; Morgan - entertaining.

Chad: Boras - Butter-Face (good body but his face is ugly), A-Rod - HOT!, Joe Morgan - Bankteller-Syndrome (pretty face but he has a big ass).

Pat: Boras - Narcissistic a-hole; A-Rod - stat-driven; Morgan - senile.

Dan: The problem.

Aaron: Boras - misunderstood; A-Rod - incredible; Morgan - ignorant.

Damon: Boras - ass; A-Rod - ass; Morgan - dumbass.

Bryan: Boras - boring (i heard him speak a few months ago); A-Rod - too intense; Morgan - muteworthy

Ryan: Boras - Over-the-top (and full of himself); A-Rod - Individual (and full of himself); Joe Morgan - incompetent (and full of himself).

8.) What non-favorite team do you like to watch play?

Steve: Colorado last year, great mix of vets and young guys who were exciting to watch.

Tom: Actually, there are a lot, but I'll narrow it down to the Angels and Cubs-- the former because I love Vlad Guerrero and think that the Angels have constructed a nice balance to their lineup and rotation, and the Cubs because I live a half mile from Wrigley, have always appreciated their tradition as a kid, and like their pitching staff (even without Prior/Wood, now).

Jon: Cubs - baseball games at Wrigley are as good as it gets.

Chad: Chicago Cubs because Wrigley is awesome and it is so fun to root for them to finally win it all but you know deep down they are never going to do it.

Pat: Braves - grew up watching them on TBS, top 5 favorite teams, should have won at least 1 more WS - see Twins, f-ing game seven and Yankees, losing four straight after up 2-0 - what the F?

Dan: Cubs, because it's incredible how many ways they can find to lose a baseball game.

Aaron: Probably Milwaukee. I like watching young talent.

Damon: If not watching Detroit, I love watching Boston. I could watch Papi bat all day long.

Bryan: Yankees, because i enjoy their losses almost as much as Red Sox wins.

Ryan: I like to watch the Dodgers so I can listen to Vin Scully call the game without the unhelpful color commentary guy. I also like to watch the Marlins and all of their young talent. I can't stand watching the White Sox because of Hawk.

9) On-going PED investigations - important or ready to move forward?

Steve: Relevant but exhausting.

Tom: Incredibly important if it leads to the league getting serious about testing all players and adopting some of the methods used by the World Doping Agency-- utterly irrelevant if the only outcome is name-smearing and blame-shifting.

Jon: Important, until people learn to own up and not lie.

Chad: I am in favor of MLB setting the rule that if a player gets caught on the juice, then he is done. No chance for reinstatement, ever. That would send the proper message. I know that is never going to happen so let's just move forward.

Pat: Could care less. Lets just move on.

Dan: Important that it's out there as a real threat, but now it's pure grandstanding - time for my tax dollars to fix a few potholes.

Aaron: Ready to move forward. Yes, it is important, but at this point minutiae of the arguments is well beyond what I could ever care.

Damon: Important...very.

Bryan: PED investigations should only stop when the game is cleaned up...which it's not. I just wish it would focus more on the present/future than on the past. Trying to pretend PEDs are a past problem will put us in the same position 15 years from now.

Ryan: Important to the game and to history, but I'm ready to move on because they aren't being done in a meaningful way (and never will be) without full cooperation from both the owners and the union.

10) Who is best and worst GM in the game?

Steve: Best - Dave Dombrowski (DET); Worst - Jon Daniels (TX).

Tom: Best - Dave Dombrowski, bias or not-- one of the few GMs that I think has shown he can succeed in any economic environment. Could Cashman succeed on the Marlins or Royals? Beane on the Yankees/Red Sox? Mark Shapiro is pretty sweet, too. Worst: Brian Sabean. The Giants under his guidance have been pretty successful despite him.

Jon: I liked Jocketty best, but I think he's out of work. Jim Duquette, if he' still the top guy in Baltimore is terrible. He traded Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.

Chad: Dave Dombrowski = Best, Brian Cashman = Worst.

Pat: Billy Beane/whoever runs the Braves - best. Not sure about the worst.

Dan: Best: Gotta say Theo, two World Series in four years, in that town, with that history...no small feat. Worst: Steve Phillips. I don't care if he's not a GM, he's still the gold standard.

Aaron: Dombrowski, with the addendum I like what the Brewers and Royals are doing. Worst: tie between Kenny Williams and Jim Bowden.

Damon: Best - Doug Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers; Worst - Jim Bowden, Washington Nationals.

Bryan: While I love Theo Epstein, he does have the 2nd highest payroll to work with. I think Billy Beane is among the best, for the way he keeps the A's competitive every year. Mark Shapiro seems to know what he's doing in Cleveland as well. As far as the worst, I'll say Ed Wade of the Astros based on the things he did with the Phillies over the last decade and the questionable moves he's already made in Houston.

Ryan: Best - Dave Dombrowski (second - Billy Beane). Worst - Wayne Krivsky (Dave Littlefield finally got fired).

In our next installment we will predict division and wild-card winners as well as our fantasy team's finish, discuss what went right and wrong in our fantasy baseball drafts, compare the league structure of MLB vs. other sports, unveil sleeper teams, make bold predictions, and more.

The Oakland A's today announced that they have agreed to terms with free agent catcher Matt LeCroy on a minor league contract. LeCroy will be a non-roster invitee to spring training. The A's also announced that non-roster invitee catcher Jeremy Brown announced his retirement....Brown was a non-roster invitee with the A's this spring after batting .276 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI with Triple-A Sacramento last year. He made his ML debut with the A's in 2006 and went 3 for 10 (.300) in five games.

No biggy. Players retire all the time.
Except in this case, Jeremy Brown has a unique place in the game's history. He was a source of inspiration for Michael Lewis' neo-classic, Moneyball.
From MVN.com:

There have been plenty of above-average catchers that just couldn’t make it stick in The Show before being forced into retirement. There have been very, very few people that had a book written about how they played a part in a shift in the way an entire sport works. Moneyball, like it or not, has been an incredibly influential book — likely the biggest baseball book since Jim Bouton’s watershed tome “Ball Four.”

Mainly because I'm an A's fan, but also because I've read Michael Lewis' book Moneyball, which followed A's GM Billy Beane through much of the 2002 season. The book is generally about Beane's baseball philosophy, which Lewis named with the title of his book.

The moneyball concept was/remains controversial within the game because it kind of goes against a lot of what passes for conventional wisdom when it comes to baseball. It's essentially a scientific approach to the game, which is why I like it. You have a set of data (statistics), which you can use to measure on-field performance, and to some degree, predict how a player will perform in the future.

Beane didn't really come up with the concept himself, but he was among the game's first GMs to implement it. And anyone who decries the use of statistics need look no further than the 2007 Boston Red Sox, world champions built on the moneyball model.

The story I linked is interesting because it talks about Jeremy Brown, a college catcher who Beane was high on and wanted to draft in 2002. Few others in the organization or even the game liked Brown, basically because he was fat. The "conventional wisdom" is that fat players can't be good players.

But the stats said otherwise - in college, Brown absolutely killed the ball. Brown wasn't on anyone else's radar, and Beane knew he'd be able to take him in the amateur draft without any trouble, and so he did.

Lewis' book kind of gives the impression that Brown was a couldn't-miss prospect, but that wasn't really the case. Lewis chose to highlight Brown because he was a good example of Beane's philosophy, as well as the probably more important aspect of Beane's strategy, which was to search for players and qualities that other teams were undervaluing and to stress those in our approach to putting together a team.

But it caused a lot of backlash from the anti-moneyball crowd when Brown didn't really pan out. If you look hard enough, you'll find scads of ill-advised articles about how Brown was an example of why Beane failed. That's an insane argument, but it's one that many sportswriters love to make. What can you do?

But the point was that Beane assembled his baseball organization different than anyone else at the time. And it paid off - from 1999 to 2006, Oakland posted a winning record each year, impressive for a team amongst the league's bottom-dwellers as far as payroll. It's also notable that several successful franchises seem to have emulated or built upon Beane's philosophies (the aforementioned Red Sox, as well as the Yankees) since 2002.

It's unfortunate to see Brown retire - reading the book kind of made you root for him to be a success, but there's still hope that he could resurface with another team that doesn't have two catchers ahead of him in the organizational depth chart. The story of his retirement from pro ball, in any case, kind of puts an unfortunate end to one of the cooler baseball stories I've read in a long time.

For more information about Lewis' book, click here.

Kotsay, 32, will serve as a short-term solution for the win-now Braves as the A's have agreed to pay over $5 million of the $7.33 million remaining in the final year of a three-year contract extension signed with the A's in 2006.

I like this move for the A's who have already tradedRHP Dan Haren and OF/1B-S Nick Swisher in their rebuilding efforts.  They may still move 2B-R Mark Ellis, RHP's Joe Blanton, Huston Street, Rich Harden and maybe even franchise-face 3B-L Eric Chavez before Spring Training, or early in the 2008 season.

Oakland General Manager Billy Beane has done a great job of rebuilding a farm system that was thin.  Now, their farm system is among the best in the game.  Still, as Blez of Athletics Nation points out, the problem the A's now face is as much a result on a lack of emphasis on scouting and player development, as portrayed (perhaps exaggerated) in Michael Lewis' Moneyball, as anything.

As for the Braves, Kotsay will offer a decent lead-off candidate and center field defense if his back holds up, stepping in for long-time Brave centerfielder Andruw Jones.  Kotsay has had trouble staying healthy and in the past three seasons has hit .267/.321/.388.

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I'm of the belief that the Cleveland Indians are long overdue for a mascot change.  Chief Wahoo is a gross sterotype of Native-Americans, but now to change the name of their field from Jacobs Field to Progressive Field is just strange to me.  David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks points out this irony. 

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John Sickels rates the Cleveland Indians' and Colorado Rockies' farm systems.

In this article from Slate.com, Tom Scocca wonders if Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics and the "protagonist" of Lewis' analysis of front-office management, consider the possibilities of players "using," when he assembled his teams:

As Beane says elsewhere in the book: "Power is something that can be acquired.... Good hitters develop power. Power hitters don't become good hitters." Oakland, with its limited funds, wouldn't spend payroll to buy power hitters. Instead, it invested in cheaper, patient hitters. And those hitters, it seems, bought the power themselves.

Did Beane have steroids deliberately or explicitly in mind? He was talking about his hopes of drafting someone who could be the next Jason Giambi. And Jason Giambi, the 2000 American League MVP, was juiced. So was his younger brother and Oakland teammate, Jeremy. So, according to Mitchell, was the A's other MVP, Miguel Tejada, who asked for and received steroids and testosterone from teammate Adam Piatt. And Oakland's veteran pickup David Justice ("an extraordinary ability to get on base was more likely to stay with a player to the end of his career than, say, an extraordinary ability to hit home runs"). The Oakland locker room, the report says, was an open-air drug market.

But "Where were the steroids in Moneyball," asks Scocca? "They were out of sight, where the baseball world wanted them to be. This is not a reflection on Lewis' reporting, even. The book advanced people's understanding of baseball, on the terms in which people were willing to think about baseball at the time. It accurately named and explained the batting approach that defines this era: power hitting channeled through strict strike-zone discipline."

The Slate story includes links to other illuminating pieces on the MR, including Bonnie Goldstein's "Hot Document of the best material in the Mitchell report" and a group of Slate writers and editors who discussed the implications and innuendos of the report.

I've always been a big fan of Swisher and I'm surprised that Billy Beane has really let him go (especially after reading about his love for Swisher in Moneyball). He's a fun player to watch. Actually, when I visited Seattle for the first time in late July, I was able to catch a Mariners series (on TV) against the A's, and I saw Swisher knock 3 home runs out within 2 games (July 26-27).

His numbers are certainly respectable (his OBP and SLG are phenomenal) to this point, yet I feel that he's poised to have a breakout year (with an even better batting average and more home runs).

He was hampered by some injuries last season, so if he can continue to improve next year, he could be one of the better options in the OF or at 1B.