Movie Review: "Moneyball"

We went to a matinee this afternoon to see "Moneyball," starring Brad Pitt, who also produced the film. It was excellent! I can't say enough about it, really. Go see it, if you can. Rent it on DVD when it comes out. It is well worth your time.

Moneyball tells the true story of the 2002 Oakland A's and how they re-engineered their approach to fielding a team because they could not afford the Yankees' business model of paying top dollar to great players. The general manager, Billy Beane, played by Pitt, teams up with a Yale economics graduate/baseball fan to select players based on a complicated computer analysis. The team's scouts and manager vehemently oppose the idea, and the players don't take it very seriously either, until Beane shakes things up. Suddenly they are winning -- in fact, they start breaking records for wins. It's very exciting.

But the movie isn't strictly about baseball. It also addresses Beane's relationship with his 12-year-old daughter, whom he quietly adores. Baseball is used as a metaphor for what happens when a person believes in himself, or fears failure. It's a great, great movie.

[In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that I was once a baseball junkie. For three years of my life (ages 13-16), 3rd baseman Hall of Famer George Brett and the Kansas City Royals were my drug of choice. I went to as many games, grand openings, and ribbon cuttings as I could and baked cookies for George at Christmastime. I subscribed to the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated and carefully clipped every picture and article from the Kansas City Star to paste in my scrapbook. George Brett posters adorned the walls and ceiling of my bedroom. I even followed the team on a road trip to Chicago, staying in the same hotel. Yes, I was a groupie.

Little did I realize that despite our seemingly insurmountable age difference of 11 years, George would eventually marry a girl three years younger than me. Alas, I was too old for him!]