Okay.
Also, this is hilarious. (But I fear, kids won't get what I'm saying here)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Moneyball and Life: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
'Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game' is a 2003 book written by Michael Lewis about the Oakland A's baseball team and its manager, Billy Beane. The book focuses on Billy's modern, sabermetric approach to building a competitive team in a league where Oakland's revenue just cannot compete with the rest of the MLB. The movie starring Brad Pitt was released earlier this year, and will be released on DVD/Blu Ray on Jan. 10. I cannot stress enough how awesome this movie was.
In fact, this is what this particular entry is about.
I know most of you are not interested in baseball, but I'm not focusing on the actual game of baseball here. I'm focusing on the idea that the film chose to support. The idea that yes you- the little guy CAN take on the machine and 'win'. Yes, you can change the rules of the game- especially when the game is being played to put you at a disadvantage.
The film stars Brad Pitt as Beane, who is living with the ghost of his own short-lived, failed, baseball career haunting him, forever regretting his decision to play in the majors and sacrifice his full scholarship to Stanford. His failed marriage, and his daughter now living with his ex-wife and her effeminate new husband, and he's the general manager of the Oakland A's. The Oakland A's are in a bad shape. They consistently grow great players, but since they don't have much money- the players they train and "farm" are snatched away by larger and richer teams. Beane has beaten himself up so much over his shitty life that he blames the team's failures on his own bad luck.
But then something happens, (I'm not going to tell the movie) and it snowballs into Beane changing the way the sport is viewed and played. He decides to go against all the pros and all the folk that tell him he won't win and take a chance on what he feels is right. Since the odds were heavily stacked against him from the beginning, this is not an easy path to take. He is constantly flanked by opposition, most of it from his own team. As I sat there in that theater absorbing the film, I couldn't help but feel like I could relate to Billy in so many ways. Sometimes our lives can present us with choices we have to make that at first seem like great decisions, but then you find yourself twenty years later regretting those decisions and you feel like you're at rock bottom because of them. ...well at least that's how I felt watching it. After Beane applies his method, there's no immediate change- in fact the team slumps worse than before, but then in that 11th hour, the team goes on to accomplish a record breaking 20 game win streak. (which actually happened in 2002- film's based on a true story, guys) You find yourself now cheering for the underdog as the defunct ragtag A's are now playoff bound, Beane's finally believing in himself.. and then well...
Just go look at sport's records to find out what happened next. Hint: They didn't make it to the championship. Hey, not all endings are happy.
So is the lesson 'Moneyball' trying to teach us is: 'Winning' isn't everything or better yet, recognize what true victory is? The legendary Vince Lombardi used to say that (winning) it's the only thing. But what if Lombardi was wrong? What if other things mean more, last longer, have more significance than victories, not only in life but also in the particular lives of the people who play the games?
*spoiler alert*
At the very end of the film, Beane is just about to give up, because he's facing the reality that he can't win. He just CAN'T. He faces the decision to walk away from his dream of just 'winning' one time and chasing a better paycheck and a stress free life. Then he pops in a CD that his daughter made for him- and she sings THIS SONG. The actress, Kerris Dorsey does a great job, but she alters the outro lyrics from the original song which go
I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show
to her own version which goes:
You're such a loser, Dad
You're such a loser, Dad
You're such a loser, Dad
Just enjoy the show
In pro sports, and sometimes life, there's no epithet worse than 'loser' However, in this context, it's not really an epithet at all. It's a term of endearment, a message of love from a daughter to her Dad, and more importantly from the filmmakers to us ...It doesn't matter if the Oakland A's didn't win the World Series. It didn't matter if Billy Beane was, and still is, a "loser" according to the traditional standard. He's a WINNER because he raged against the machine. Billy fought the good fight and because his daughter loves him enough to sing him a song, and tease him, he has won in the end.
Take a look at your own life. There are probably things you wish could go better or decisions you've made that led to some crappy situations, or some downright defeats. I'm constantly reminded how much I've failed in so many aspects of my life, but you know what? I'm reminded that none of that matters when I tweet that I'm having a crappy day, and I get 20 concerned phone calls before the end of the afternoon, or I throw a birthday party and folk come out and party with me and make me feel like the man of the year. You're not going to 'win' them all. No one does.
However if you do what you feel is right, and you put forth a solid effort, you work hard, and you recognize your TRUE victories, you'll always be a winner. Apply this to your own life.
You too can 'win' the unfair game.
Kerris Dorsey's version of the show. It's SO adorable. (The actual song begins around 2:25 after the trailer)
In fact, this is what this particular entry is about.
The film stars Brad Pitt as Beane, who is living with the ghost of his own short-lived, failed, baseball career haunting him, forever regretting his decision to play in the majors and sacrifice his full scholarship to Stanford. His failed marriage, and his daughter now living with his ex-wife and her effeminate new husband, and he's the general manager of the Oakland A's. The Oakland A's are in a bad shape. They consistently grow great players, but since they don't have much money- the players they train and "farm" are snatched away by larger and richer teams. Beane has beaten himself up so much over his shitty life that he blames the team's failures on his own bad luck.
But then something happens, (I'm not going to tell the movie) and it snowballs into Beane changing the way the sport is viewed and played. He decides to go against all the pros and all the folk that tell him he won't win and take a chance on what he feels is right. Since the odds were heavily stacked against him from the beginning, this is not an easy path to take. He is constantly flanked by opposition, most of it from his own team. As I sat there in that theater absorbing the film, I couldn't help but feel like I could relate to Billy in so many ways. Sometimes our lives can present us with choices we have to make that at first seem like great decisions, but then you find yourself twenty years later regretting those decisions and you feel like you're at rock bottom because of them. ...well at least that's how I felt watching it. After Beane applies his method, there's no immediate change- in fact the team slumps worse than before, but then in that 11th hour, the team goes on to accomplish a record breaking 20 game win streak. (which actually happened in 2002- film's based on a true story, guys) You find yourself now cheering for the underdog as the defunct ragtag A's are now playoff bound, Beane's finally believing in himself.. and then well...Just go look at sport's records to find out what happened next. Hint: They didn't make it to the championship. Hey, not all endings are happy.
So is the lesson 'Moneyball' trying to teach us is: 'Winning' isn't everything or better yet, recognize what true victory is? The legendary Vince Lombardi used to say that (winning) it's the only thing. But what if Lombardi was wrong? What if other things mean more, last longer, have more significance than victories, not only in life but also in the particular lives of the people who play the games?
*spoiler alert*
At the very end of the film, Beane is just about to give up, because he's facing the reality that he can't win. He just CAN'T. He faces the decision to walk away from his dream of just 'winning' one time and chasing a better paycheck and a stress free life. Then he pops in a CD that his daughter made for him- and she sings THIS SONG. The actress, Kerris Dorsey does a great job, but she alters the outro lyrics from the original song which go
I want my money back
I want my money back
I want my money back
Just enjoy the show
to her own version which goes:
You're such a loser, Dad
You're such a loser, Dad
Just enjoy the show
In pro sports, and sometimes life, there's no epithet worse than 'loser' However, in this context, it's not really an epithet at all. It's a term of endearment, a message of love from a daughter to her Dad, and more importantly from the filmmakers to us ...It doesn't matter if the Oakland A's didn't win the World Series. It didn't matter if Billy Beane was, and still is, a "loser" according to the traditional standard. He's a WINNER because he raged against the machine. Billy fought the good fight and because his daughter loves him enough to sing him a song, and tease him, he has won in the end.Take a look at your own life. There are probably things you wish could go better or decisions you've made that led to some crappy situations, or some downright defeats. I'm constantly reminded how much I've failed in so many aspects of my life, but you know what? I'm reminded that none of that matters when I tweet that I'm having a crappy day, and I get 20 concerned phone calls before the end of the afternoon, or I throw a birthday party and folk come out and party with me and make me feel like the man of the year. You're not going to 'win' them all. No one does.
However if you do what you feel is right, and you put forth a solid effort, you work hard, and you recognize your TRUE victories, you'll always be a winner. Apply this to your own life.
You too can 'win' the unfair game.
Kerris Dorsey's version of the show. It's SO adorable. (The actual song begins around 2:25 after the trailer)
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