Moneyball

In 2002, the Oakland Athletics had a problem. Their three best players had just been bought up by richer teams, and their general manager, Billy Beane, was stuck with a $41 million payroll against the Yankees' $125 million. Conventional wisdom said there was no way to compete. So Beane decided to ignore conventional wisdom entirely.

This film, directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, follows Beane as he teams up with Peter Brand, a Yale economics grad who believes that baseball's old scouting methods are obsolete. Together, they build a team from castoffs and misfits, players with high on-base percentages but low market value. The old guard, including manager Art Howe, fights them at every turn. But as the A's start winning, the system proves itself.

Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances as Beane, a man haunted by his own failed playing career and driven to prove that data can beat money. Jonah Hill, in a career-changing dramatic role, plays Brand with quiet intensity. Philip Seymour Hoffman brings gruff resistance as Howe. The film cost $50 million to make and grossed over $110 million worldwide, earning six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. [edit]

The 2001 season ends in disappointment for the Oakland Athletics. They lose the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees, and then watch their stars, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Jason Isringhausen, leave for bigger contracts. Billy Beane, the general manager, visits Cleveland to discuss a trade and meets Peter Brand, a young Yale graduate working in the Indians' front office. Brand shows Beane a new way to evaluate players: using sabermetrics, focusing on overlooked stats like on-base percentage rather than traditional scouting reports.

Beane hires Brand as his assistant GM. Together they identify undervalued players: Scott Hatteberg, a catcher whose arm is shot but who gets on base; David Justice, an aging veteran; Chad Bradford, a submarine-style pitcher no one wants. The A's scouting staff, led by Grady Fuson, is hostile. They see players' physical flaws and ignore the numbers. Manager Art Howe refuses to play the new acquisitions, preferring his own lineup. Beane forces his hand by trading away Howe's preferred players, leaving him no choice.

The season starts badly. The A's lose game after game. Beane, unable to watch, paces in the gym while the team plays. He is haunted by his own past, once a can't-miss prospect who never fulfilled his potential. His daughter Casey lives with him part-time, and she sees his obsession. The media mocks the A's approach. But slowly, the wins start coming.

In August, the A's begin an incredible run. They win 20 games in a row, tying the American League record. The streak silences critics and validates Beane's system. But the film does not end in triumph. The A's enter the playoffs, and the season ends with another early exit. Beane is offered a record $12.5 million contract to run the Boston Red Sox, a team with deep pockets that wants to implement his methods. He must decide: take the money and resources, or stay in Oakland with his daughter and unfinished business.[edit]