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Post by Allen Wiener on Feb 4, 2012 23:14:35 GMT -5
Finally got around to watching the excellent baseball film. I am really puzzled that I remember so little about this period or of Billie Beane, the A's record 20-game winning streak, and other things. It's probably the best baseball movie I've ever seen & the most realistic. If you're a BB fan, you need to see this and decide for yourself. Pitt's excellent in it and so is the supporting cast. If you saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote, you won't believe it's the same guy playing manager Art Howe; a real chameleon of an actor (which is to say, excellent!). I understand that Howe is not happy with the film or the book it was based on, but I don't think he comes off badly in the film; his character is very realistic as a manager with only a one-year contract and who is part of the old baseball establishment that reisists what Beane was trying to do. Don't be overly concerned about inaccuracies here and there; this is Hollywoodized, but I don't think it detracts from the film's representation of this side of the sport. I agree with this sportswriter's view: msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/hollywood-version-of-moneyball-entertaining-but-not-exactly-accurate-091411
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Post by TRK on Feb 26, 2012 9:58:35 GMT -5
Finally caught this movie last night. I thought it was very good. Nice portrayal of a guy who tried to move baseball past that tired old mega-money sham that it had turned into. That scene toward the end where Beane and his assistant were on the phone, negotiating trades with several other clubs, was manic in its intensity. Pitt has been on a roll since "Burn After Reading," and I really enjoy watching him these days.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Feb 26, 2012 10:03:41 GMT -5
I agree, Tom; also a very well edited movie. My daughter's in grad school now studying for an MBA and one prof. actually assigned this movie as an illustration of "thinking outside the box" and challenging long-held beliefs.
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Post by loucapitano on Feb 26, 2012 15:17:51 GMT -5
I loved the movie too. The term "Moneyball" is used consistantly by many of our Yankee announcers and sports radio talk show hosts. They're constantly comparing moneyball with the old fashioned Yankee system that generally believes in big money for free agents. But, I think, this year, the Yanks may pull in the lavish bucks and run their version of moneyball. Their trade of AJ Bernett to Pittsburgh gives me hope. Of course, everything is reletive. But the AL East looks to be very competitive with Boston and Baltimore resurging. So we'll see how much of the moneyball practice actually takes hold. Can't wait for April. Lou
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Post by Allen Wiener on Feb 26, 2012 19:34:06 GMT -5
Me too, Lou, although I cannot share your optimism about the Orioles; hope I'm surprised though. Meanwhile, I'm putting my money on the Nats to be much improved and possibly even in contention. At least they'll keep the fans around here interested, which is more than the O's have done for the past 25 years.
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Post by Valerie Hyatt Martin on Mar 7, 2012 21:25:29 GMT -5
I loved this movie. I'm not a fan of movies which I know is weird, so when I say I've watched this 3 times...it means something. My son loved it too. He listens to sports talk radio and heard too many callers say it was a bad or boring movie. This is his proof that there are too many "Band Wagon Fans" of the Texas Rangers. He and I sat at games for years with low attendance, losses etc. I kinda agree. If you really love the game, this movie is fascinating and it is about "the game" and the history of the game. One of the reasons I enjoy baseball is how slow and methodical it is. I count on it to be consistent. Watching Billy Beane discuss change with the scouts, the players and the coaching staff in that measured, predictable environment was entertaining.
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