Death Of A Nation

"You can't say enough about him. Obviously, he's a freak. He's like a superhero. He's like that in real life, too, and I think that's why everything about him is so endearing, because he is a genuine person and people here love him, and there's a reason why." - Josh Beckett

"We always thought he was going to be a great hitter." - Ron Gardenhire

"I knew he was capable of a lot. But contending for the MVP every year? That’s amazing." - Johnny Damon

The Hero of a Nation.

The Man Who Took Down the Evil Empire.

Big Papi.

Cheater.

Red Sox Nation is in mourning as their beloved sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz have been outed as PED users for being on the now infamous 2003 "confidential" steroids list. Ortiz and Ramirez join Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez in having their names leaked from this list. Someone who has this list is seemingly toying with Major League Baseball at this point, releasing new names just as we begin to forget about baseball's little steroids problem. I almost feel bad for Papi, and then I remember that he may be the biggest fraud of them all. Bigger than Sosa, or McGwire, or Palmeiro.

Do you want to know what Ortiz's reaction was when he was linked with "unwitting" steroid use in 2007? These quotes appeared in a Boston Globe article by Jackie MacMullan:

"I'm angry, bro," he declared. "I'm going to be angry for a while."

"I just want to know," he said. "What have I ever done for people to question my integrity? Why do people who have never met me want to [expletive] me up? Why would you want to hurt someone who has tried to do the right thing, be available to the media, to be respectful to the fans?"

"It is a very delicate situation, this steroid stuff," Ortiz said. "It's serious stuff. It is no joke. You cannot just say someone is a steroid user with no proof. That is dangerous."

You were angry Papi? You have tried to do the right thing?

Excuse me while I induce vomiting.

How different is this from what we heard from Big Papi the last couple days?

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll let you know,”

"I want to talk about this situation and I will as soon as I have more answers."

"I have already contacted the players association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true. Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive."

Gee, Papi doesn't seem to have quite the care-free, fun-loving attitude that he is known for. You know, the gregarious nature that made him the hero of a nation. Funny that he is surprised by the test result, since the Mitchell Report said that players were notified of their presence on the 2003 PED list by the player's union.

So, either the Mitchell Report, or David Ortiz is lying. You decide. You know what, maybe David Ortiz is just forgetful, like his countryman Sammy Sosa. Maybe now would be a good time for Papi to forget English and keep quiet for a while.

Sure, we knew Manny was a user. He isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, he did test positive in a new era of enhanced testing. So seeing his name revealed on the 2003 list is not a great surprise. That's just Manny being Manny, once a cheater always a cheater.

But Big Papi? Never. He's so beloved by the Nation! He's a clubhouse leader, a media darling, a pillar of the Boston community. You can now add a few more descriptions to Papi's list.

A cheater, a hypocrite, and even worse, a fraud.

Seriously Papi, did you think you could run and hide forever? Did you think that your past use would just fade away into memory? Or is his ego so inflated, that he thought he could cheat, lie about it, and never have to face the consequences?

Nothing makes me happier than to see the talking heads at Bristol and the Nation scrambling to do damage control because the savior of Red Sox Nation is now forever tainted. Are there any fans out there more annoying than the Nation? They pass themselves as the common man, while living in the biggest mansion on the block.

They are much better than you normal sports fans. They care more. They know more. They have a better history. They have a better stadium. They have the cool kid GM. They have guys like Youk, and Millar, and the Bloody Sock, and Manny Being Manny, and Big Papi! They get to have an entire frickin' nation! They aren't like the Yankees fans, who have to cheer for evil guys like Clemens and A-Rod. They aren't like Cubs fans, who drink themselves silly in Wrigleyville. They are THE NATION!

Excuse me for a minute while I stab my eyes out with burning ninja death stars.

With all of the love and praise that has been showered on Ortiz and Ramirez, and Red Sox Nation, especially after the titles of 2004 and 2007, it brings me great joy to see Manny and Papi exposed. No one in this decade in sports has been put on the pedestal of Big Papi, especially by the Eastern Sports Network (isn't that what ESPN stands for?) I can't wait for the Papi exclusive with Peter Gammons. I can't wait for the boos to start to reign down from stadiums across the country. I can't wait for the Nation to be brought back to earth, with the rest of us normal sports fans. Yes, your guys cheated too.

It was embarrassing to watch Skip Bayless this morning try to make excuses for Ortiz. Yea, sure, maybe he unknowingly digested something he shouldn't have. Maybe he's clean and just made a mistake. We should take David Ortiz at his word.

Pardon me while I pour burning sulphur into my ears.

The 2004 and 2007 World Series titles for the Nation are now forever tainted. Don't try and tell me "oh, well everyone was using, so it must be ok." Yes, and if everyone started stealing from grocery stores then that would be ok too, right? Yes, I realize that players on every team had steroid users on them. Does that make the behavior right? Does that excuse Papi for parading around pretending to be the ONLY clean megastar of our generation? Are we just supposed to forget the lies and the frauds? Are we supposed to only remember the man that self-righteously proclaimed he was the one man in baseball we could believe in?

What are fans going to remember about those championships? Are they going to remember the joy that the Curse of the Bambino was finally broken? Or are they going to remember that a bunch of lying, cheating, roided up hitters finally brought them their championships.

The curse of the Bambino must have been a heavy burden to bear for Red Sox Nation.

The curse of Manny and Papi may be much greater.

Go ahead and have your two championships, and take your tainted memories with them.

Don't Wake Me Til It's Over

Brett Favre must have realized he hadn't been in the news the last few days because today he announced his retirement from football again...or more like the suspension of his comeback campaign, or his unretirement from being retired?? I don't know anymore, and neither do 95% of sports fans. He must have been jealous that Mike Vick and Plaxico Burress had stolen his thunder in dominating the NFL headlines this week. Can you imagine if Brett Favre did something heinous like accidently shooting himself, or was found to be the ringleader of a backwoods cockfighting ring, he'd never be out of the spotlight! Please Brett, be my guest.

Today, again, centered on Favre's indecisiveness about a comeback with the Minnesota Vikings. Everyone except the Favre diehards, apparently located entirely within the national football media, is sick of this guy. So it comes as little shock that nobody outside of the WWL and Peter King cares that Brett Favre announced today that he won't come back to the Vikings this year. Recently here at RSS we've been big on multipart series, and believe me, I could do 10 parts on why Favre has proven time and again to be the most selfish, self-centered yet somehow revered superstar of our generation. However, the fact that Favre is doing a great job on his own destroying his legacy allows me to show restraint. I'm sure Brett will give me plenty of opportunities in the future.

The funniest tidbit from today's "news" is Favre calling this the "hardest decision I've ever made". Excuse me while I find something sharp to stab my eyes out. Just like retiring from the Packers was such an emotional, tear-jerking moment, and failing to lead the Jets to the playoffs was so terrible. Give me a break. They only were tough because Favre came out looking like a washed-up loser who doesn't know when to ride off into the sunset. I can't wait until Favre sees Sage Rosenfels throw 3 picks on Opening Day and suddenly has the "itch" to play again, that'll buy another 48 hours of headlines. Have you ever seen a "retired" athlete be so desperate to keep his name in the limelight?

I give Favre credit in this sense, he didn't take the easy way out and become just another talking head. He's managed to control the most powerful entity in sports (ESPN) from a farm in Podunk, Mississippi. I'm sure the time will come when Favre joins one of the major networks so he can be a permanent fixture on TV; I'll just need to jab a Q-tip into my brain, then I'll be ready. Until that time comes, everyone should just ignore the once immortal, now tarnished Brett Favre and keep on the lookout, because the next team he sinks his hooks into could be yours!

In This Economy... Even Moneyball Is Broke - Part III

The final part of the Moneyball Trilogy examines the A's most recent form. The year was 2006, genuis GM Billy Beane was at the top of his game once again, reinforcing himself as one of the brightest minds in the game. The A's were top contenders after a series of "shrewd" moves. However, just as fast as the A's were back on the scene, they were gone. Did the Mad Scientist of Moneyball spend too much time in the lab? Or did he actually blow up the building? RSS reports, you decide. (is that used by anyone?)

We begin Part III at the close of the 2006 season. The A's have actually won a playoff series but were swept in the ALCS by the Detroit Tigers. Beane was able to add vets such as Jason Kendall, Jay Payton, Milton Bradley and Frank Thomas to a lineup of young stars like Swisher, Crosby, Kotsay, and Ellis. Barry Zito was surrounded by a new emerging Big 3: Rich Harden, Dan Haren, and Joe Blanton. It seemed the A's were back in line for a run at the top of the AL West. However, after the 2006 season it fell apart again.

Zito left for free agency. Manager Ken Macha was fired. Beane traded away Kotsay, Swisher, and Kendall for a group I like to refer to as the Milk Carton Gang, because that's the only place you'll ever see them. Oh, and Billy also finished off any hopes of a second A's dynasty by trading away the Not As Big But Still Fairly Large 3 by dealing Haren to the D'Backs in Dec '07, and Blanton to the Phillies and Rich Harden to the Cubs respectively in the middle of the '08 season. Would you like to see the list of outstanding, promising, future All-Stars that the A's got for the NABBSFL 3? I knew you would.

Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, Josh Donaldson, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, Matthew Spencer, Brett Anderson, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, Carlos Gonzalez. (Go ahead tell me who is on the left, you can look it up too, I'll wait.)

Hmmm, so Billy Beane traded a dynamic pitching trio for a group of players that could best be described as journeyman, if it wasn't offensive to journeyman players, twice.

As a result of these moves the A's were underwhelming in '07 and '08 finishing under .500 both years. Why absolutely nuke a team that had just won the team's first playoff series since 1990 to oblivion, especially after you blew up the A's too soon 4 years earlier. Why quit on good young pitchers like Haren, Blanton, and Harden? Why trade away half your offense? Why give up on another established group of players after a couple of so-so years? Why do one of the hardest things in sports and rebuild... again?

The same questions can be asked this year. Why give up on Matt Holliday after 4 months in Oakland this season? Better yet, why bother trading for him in the first place?

And so here we are on July 27, 2009. The A's are in another rebuilding phase. Will they reach the playoffs anytime soon? No. Where have all the previous rebuilding projects got Oakland? Nowhere. Is one playoff series win worth all of the trades and tinkering? The constant building up and blowing up? If the A's do make a run, wouldn't A's fans just be waiting for Beane to dismantle another contender? Maybe he should just save A's fans the time and just stay in rebuilding mode - permanently.

If all of this analysis is just too much to digest, let's simplify it. Here is a list of players that have passed through Oakland during Billy Beane's tenure:

Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Jason Isringhausen, Keith Foulke, Ted Lilly, Rich Harden, Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Cory Lidle, Esteban Loaiza, Aaron Harang, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, David Justice, Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Eric Byrnes, Andre Ethier, Eric Chavez, Jason Kendall, Mike Piazza, Milton Bradley, Scott Hatteberg, Frank Thomas, Nick Swisher, Matt Holliday, etc.

These are just some of the names that have come and gone from Billy Beane's puppet strings. None of these great major leaguers left Oakland with a WS appearance, let alone a championship ring. Isn't that the biggest condemnation of Beane and Moneyball? That this massive number of extremely talented players could come and go from Oakland without sniffing a championship.

How could A's fans expect success when so many All-Stars have been sent packing for what-ifs, could-bes, and never-weres? How long will it be until 2009 rookie All-Star pitcher Andrew Bailey is traded by Beane for a new wave of livestock on the Moneyball farm? For all of the praise that has been showered upon Billy Beane, there is one glaring wart about Moneyball:

None of these moves have worked!!!!!

Then again, maybe the Beane loyalists are content that he had the fanciest and nicest assets throughout the decade, and that winning titles isn't realistic. Sorry, but success is measured in championships, and sometimes those assets and stock portfolios don't always come through, especially in this economy.

One thing is clear when truly taking an in-depth look at Billy Beane. He has an itchy trigger finger. Maybe the hype and fame surrounding Moneyball went to his head. He's too concerned with moving pieces around on the chessboard that he forgets he's about to get checkmated. It's almost like trading pieces and players and prospects is a temptation Billy Beane can't resist. He's the kid playing Madden on XBox360 that has to build the perfect dynasty. Maybe he's too smart for his own good. Or maybe his system of Moneyball just doesn't work.

Ironically, over at ESPN.com, an in-depth story just went up today by Howard Bryant about Billy Beane and the Moneyball A's. I wasn't surprised to see a largely sympathetic view towards BB and the A's, considering how idolized Beane has been over the years.

Yes, he has been a revolutionary mind, yes he has changed the game of baseball, but what has Moneyball produced for Oakland A's fans? A famous, well-respected GM? A possible movie about their team? Not to cut down all the VORPies, but the Indians in Major League II got farther than Moneyball ever did, and they had to go through Jack Parkman.

Again, this is not a personal attack against Billy Beane. Bryant references folks around baseball taking pleasure in the recent struggles of the A's. I am not one of those guys. But, I do want to take a fair and balanced (whoops there I go again) account of the Moneyball Era and cut through the hype and fame that have hidden the true success or failure of Moneyball.

I'm sure that Billy is a nice guy, and perhaps he is a victim of his own brilliance, maybe he didn't ask for the burden that Moneyball has brought. But, one quote from Beane in 1999 got my attention about what is wrong about Beane and Moneyball:

"What I want," he told me that day 10 years ago, "is to be the baseball equivalent of Bill Walsh, where you have a tree of guys who worked for you, the same way I worked for Sandy, running teams all over the league. That to me is pretty cool."

Does he say he wants to win? No! Is this not a problem for warm-blooded American sports fans?? His main concern is his own legacy. A Billy Beane tree. Fame and fortune. Is winning a World Series ever in the discussion in Howard Bryant's article? No.

Maybe the legacy of Moneyball is that Billy Beane got what he wanted. He's the most famous GM in all of sports. He owns a share of the team. He gets paid to speak all over the world. His philosophies are now wide-spread among the major leagues. His disciples now run teams of their own. Brad Pitt was supposed to play him in a movie.

It's just a shame that for all the fame and adoration and legacies that Billy Beane and Moneyball have produced that Oakland A's fans never got what they wanted.

A championship.

In This Economy... Even Moneyball Is Broke - Part 2 of 3

Well... thankfully Part I did its job and stirred up quite the discussion didn't it. Of course, this isn't a personal attack against Moneyball, Billy Beane, or baseball's new wave of creatures from their mother's basements known as sabermetricians (sorry I just can't leave out that mother's basement line, it's solid gold). Thinking outside of the box and breaking the status quo is what we love best here at RSS. Emotions and loyalties may run high from progressive baseball minds when it comes to Moneyball, but will the facts about Mr. Beane and his A's persuade the VORPies? Without further adieu, Parts II and III addresses the specific moves Billy Beane has made, where the A's have been, where they are, and where they are going, thanks to Moneyball. (I didn't anticipate needing 3 parts, but consider this my masterpiece... or epic failure)

First off, give Billy Beane credit. He built a darn good ballclub in Oakland that competed consistently. From 1999-2006 their worst season was 12 games above .500. However, Beane's A's could never close the deal. The question that needs answered is did Beane's constant moving and shaking help or hurt the A's in the grand scheme of the Moneyball A's?

Let's initially look at the A's roster from their first run of playoff appearances from 2000-2003. Here, they won 3 AL West titles and made the playoffs each year, but failed to advance out of the first round.

The pitching staff was led by the Big 3 of Zito, Hudson, and Mulder throughout this run while Tejada and Giambi slugged their way to MVP awards before walking away in free agency. Even though the names changed, the lineup constantly produced enough to hold up their end of the bargain and get the team to the postseason.

But, with a stacked pitching staff and a loaded lineup, the A's could never get out of the first round. They lost twice to the Yankees including the memorable 2001 ALDS when Derek Jeter stole the show with his flip (left) and dive into the stands. In 2002 and 2003 they managed to lose the ALDS with homefield advantage to Minnesota and Boston respectively. However, its clear Beane was going for it. Good players like Damon, Dye, Justice, Lilly and others were added to the roster in this time frame and contributed. To this point, I would have been drinking the Billy Beane kool-aid with everyone else. However, things changed after the 2004 season when the A's missed the playoffs and the division crown by 1 game.

After the 2004 season Billy Beane did the unthinkable, he broke up the Big 3.

Within 3 days in December 2004, 2 of the Big 3 were dealt as Mark Mulder was sent to St. Louis and Tim Hudson was shipped to the Braves. I dare anyone to tell me one player of consequence the A's received in return besides Dan Haren from those deals. You know who else the A's got for 2/3 of one of the most vaunted pitching trios in history? Juan Cruz, Dan Meyer, Charles Thomas, Daric Barton, and Kiko Calero. (they aren't going into Cooperstown anytime soon)

Oh, and that one player of consequence, Dan Haren? He was traded in December 2007 for a ragtag group of hit or miss prospects from Arizona that have all fared about as well as Bob Uecker thus far in the bigs.

The 04-05 A's had restocked with good young players like Crosby, Ellis, Kotsay, Byrnes, and Swisher. While they had lost Giambi and Tejada, the lineup was still producing. So why did Billy Beane pull the plug on the A's incredible run in December of 2004? Why commit yourself to rebuilding by trading away Mulder and Hudson, especially in December? Why not try another run with a team that had made the playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years and missed the postseason by one game the year before? Surely, he could've seen where the team was at in July and got much more for his aces? Wasn't it too early to start over?

So what is the legacy of the Big 3 Era in Oakland? A lot of near misses, and a lot of promising prospects that fizzled out faster than Todd Van Poppel. Hudson, Mulder, and Zito are mere ghosts of Oakland's past and reminders of the glory days of Moneyball. Little did anyone know that the Big 3's time in Oakland would be as good as it would get for the rock star GM and his Moneyball A's. But hey, no one could see the economic collapse coming either, right?

The final part of the Moneyball Trilogy coming soon looks at the A's since their only playoff victory this decade in 2006. The A's were successfully rebuilt by that time, or were they? Were they only rebuilt for the demolition expert GM to be overanxious to start from scratch again? The 2006 A's stand as a symbol for what haunts Billy Beane and the Moneyball A's. In Part III we look at the A's most recent struggles and the fate and ultimate verdict of Billy Beane and the Moneyball A's.

Soccer Saturday Night

We'll take a break from the moneyball debate to bring you thoughts on the world of soccer. Mr. Yoder 2 and I were at Columbus Crew Stadium to watch a fantastic game between the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC. The Crew got two goals in the 76th and 92nd minute from Stephen Lenhart and Jason Garey to pull out a dramatic 3-2 victory. It was an enthralling contest from start to finish as the Crew now own the MLS' longest ever home unbeaten run of 19 games and move into first place in the Eastern Conference. Here now some random thoughts from the beautiful game. (Free of David Beckham, I promise)

-Disappointing that most Toronto FC fans boycotted the game in Columbus after an incident involving fans from the first meeting in March (above). Only about 100 were present tonight compared to over 2,000 at this year's season opener. One TFC fan was tased outside of the stadium and others were arrested after fights broke out in the parking lot. As a Crew fan, I may be a tad biased in this regard, but if TFC fans proclaim to be the best and most passionate supporters in the league, then man up and come to Columbus. It's not like police acted unjustly to Toronto fans involved in fights and damaging Crew Stadium property. To boycott a game over a minor incident seems petty and childish. Too bad their beloved Reds could have probably used the support in the heartbreaking loss tonight.

-On the world stage, Manchester City made two more marquee signings by swooping Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal and Carlos Tevez (right) from Manchester United. These are great moves by City on two fronts. First, it gives them a pair of top drawer strikers with loads of Premier League experience who should complement each other well. Secondly, they weaken their rivals at the top of the league by signing two players with a chip on their shoulder wanting to get back at their old clubs. They would do well to sign a defenseman though.

-A blockbuster in the making as it looks like Inter Milan will swap Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o plus extras. Imagine Carmelo Anthony being traded for Dwayne Wade. Hard to say who gets the better end of this deal as both are world class players. However, one has to wonder why Barca manager Pep Guardiola would want to tinker with an offense that was so dominant last season in winning the Spanish treble (La Liga, Copa Del Ray, Champions League). Eto'o gives Inter a proven CL striker, but will the pretentious Big Z be able to mesh effectively with Henry and Messi in Spain and finally break through in the CL?

-English giants Liverpool and Chelsea must hold on to Xabi Alonso and John Terry respectively if they are want to seriously compete in England and Europe next season. The money from Real Madrid and Man City are tempting for the Reds and Blues respectively, but Alonso and Terry are both critical to their teams' success. Alonso is a maestro in the center of the park for Liverpool and his presence allows Gerrard his desired freer role closer to Fernando Torres and Terry is the heart and soul of Chelsea's defense. Letting them leave means kissing any sort of meaningful hardware goodbye this season.

-Finally, the Gold Cup Final tomorrow pits bitter rivals Mexico and the US together from Giants Stadium. While both sides are throwing out younger players and second teamers, don't underestimate the importance of this game. With soccer gaining steam in the States, Bob Bradley's men would do well to win the North American title and continue their impressive summer. Also, the winner gains bragging rights and plenty of confidence heading into the crucial WC Qualifying showdown at the Azteca on August 12. I'll pick the US to win tomorrow 2-0 on goals from MLSers Stuart Holden (left) and Robbie Rogers.

Moneyball lives, as proven today

Silly Simple Mr. Yoder I, I know you’ve baited me into this.

Unfortunately I cannot allow you to try and attack a concept you don’t even understand. It’s unfair to the blog, it’s unfair to Billy Beane, it’s unfair to the English language, and most of all its unfair to the kids.

I’ll chose to ignore:

1. You’re statement “Moneyball is Broke,” as it makes no sense and is clearly just some ignorant buzz title that means nothing.
2. The fact that Moneyball isn’t designed to win a championship, but to compete yaer after year in an unfair market. It’s like a burger stand trying to stay afloat amongst a Wendys, a Burger King, and a Mcdonalds, the point isn’t to put the other guys out of business, but to stay in business.

Moneyball has, is, and will continue to be overwhelmingly successful.

Let’s first look at your assertion that while Moneyball builds winning ball clubs from 2000-2006 (the better half of a decade), that it can’t win championships.

Lets start by clearing one thing up, the Major League baseball playoff system is absolutely absurd, and in no way crowns the best team in baseball as the ‘World Champion.’ Instead, Major League baseball awards the eight best teams through a process that includes 162 contests, to compete in a miniature tournament that at the absolute most see’s them play 19 games.

One undeniable truth is that in baseball, small sample sizes tell us absolutely nothing. It is a game of percentages where failure is an inevitable part of the game…this is why it takes 162 games to decide who is the best team in baseball, not less than 20.

For years before the Wild Card the most important title in baseball was the pennant, not the World Series. The World Series was a bonus, a novelty.

After all, how could you decide who was the best team in such an absurdly small sample size?

Seven games…One week.

In the last week the two best hitters in baseball have been Miguel Montero, a catcher for the Diamondbacks, and Garret Jones, a utility player for the Pirates.

Montero: .440 4 HR 9 RBI 1.462 OPS
Jones: .379 4 HR 6RBI 1.369 OPS

Compare that to two superstars, Josh Hamilton and Evan Longoria.

Hamilton: .200 1 HR 4 RBI .5600 OPS
Longoria: .120, 2 HR 6 RBI .6180 OPS.

In the last week, or seven games, Hamilton and Longoria have been far worse players than Montero and Jones, however it is clear that Montero and Jones are not better players. This is because it is a small and random sample size.

So to talk about the Oakland Athletics performance in the playoffs is absurd. That would be like trying to figure out the 2008 presidential election by polling only Wasilla, Alaska.

One however might question if the team was built to be good enough to win a championship. Lets review the accolades.

They had the pitching. Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson all led the league in wins once. Zito won the Cy Young one year, and Mulder and Hudson were both runner ups to the Cy Young in various years as well. Keith Foulke, the A’s closer, led the league in saves once. Clearly looking at this the A’s had the pitching staff to build a championship team around. If there is one way to win a small sample, short playoff series, it’s to try and have the best pitching possible. The A’s, for years, had dominant pitching.

The A’s also had a potent line up. Centered around plus players and premium positions, the A’s rallied around their stars Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. Chavez of course provided great defense as a perennial Gold Glover, and Tejada won an MVP and led the league in RBI. Not to mention, Moneyball itself manufactured a line up that was incredibly potent for the amount of money spent on it. So the teams had the bats and the gloves to win a championship.

Oh…and they were lead by manager Art Howe, who won manager of the year, so they had the leadership.

Quite simply, the A’s lack of World Series is what it is, a fluke. It was unlucky. They were not the first team ever to have a competitive team for a series of straight years without winning a World Series.

In fact their counterpart, the New York Yankees have had high-level winning seasons from a period of 2001-2008. They won 0 World Series in that time frame. Were they bad teams? No, they were very very good teams that got very very unlucky. Same leadership, same stars as the team that won four straight World Series the four years leading up to those dates.

Mr. Yoder I references the Marlins  as a team who is more successful than the A’s because they do not use Moneyball. If trading away your best players, getting top dollar prospects for them, and coordinating and raising those prospects until they are in a position to compete for a championship isn’t Moneyball than I’m not exactly sure what is.  At least the A’s made it last the better part of the decade where the Marlins have always been a one-year flash in the pan.

So what’s been going wrong the last two/three years for the A’s?

Well let’s look at their plan. Amass a great deal of cheap talent, and go on a run where they are continually competitive while being at a disadvantage in the market place. Well they did that. Their talent grew up though, and while they whiffed at their shot at the title they got a hell of an output from their cast of characters.

Now the A’s are again rebuilding but being extremely competitive while doing it. Ten games below .500 is incredibly good for a team that is ‘rebuilding,’ just ask the Padres or the Nationals. But think how much better they would be if their calculated decisions hadn’t taken the unlikely turn they did.

The A’s decided to invest in Chavez instead of Miguel Tejada. It was the smart choice, Chavez was younger, got on base at a much higher rate, and played stellar defense. However, inexplicably, and against the percentages,  Eric Chavez has had an impossibly bad last two years.

Chavez 2007: 90 Games, .240/.306/.446, 15 HR, 46 RBI
Oakland 2007: 76-86

Chavez 2008: 23 Games, .247/.295/.393, 2 HR, 14 RBI
Oakland 2008: 75-86

Hmm…Weird

The Moneyball tradition continued today as the A’s managed to trade Holliday, a player who was gone after the end of the season anyways, for the Cardinals number one and number five prospects. Wow, what a steal. 

In This Economy... Even Moneyball Is Broke - Part I

Mr. Yoder II inspired me to take an in-depth, out of the box view at sports with his look at why the Cleveland Cavaliers are better off without LeBron James. For my part, I'll take on one of the golden calves of professional sports - Moneyball. For all of the praise of this new age of baseball thinking, is it worth its weight in gold? Or does a critically acclaimed GM and a best selling book hide the true facts about the A's and Moneyball?

The big news out of baseball today is the trade of Matt Holliday from Oakland to St. Louis for three prospects. While most of the focus will be on the Cardinals successfully finding a guy to protect Albert Pujols in the lineup and make them an NL pennant contender, let's take a look at the flip side of this trade and view it from the Oakland A's perspective.

Moneyball is broke.

Now, before all of the stat-crazed, VORP loving, Bill James worshipping, more sophisticated baseball fans of today start writing in the hate mail from their mother's basements (ok the mother's basements joke is just too easy, I apologize), lets analyze the facts. The new wave of baseball thinking which focuses on higher on base percentages, and enough new stat acronyms to make the IRS jealous might be trendy and progressive, but what has it produced on the field for the team that made it so popular?

This is not a discussion about the viability of "Moneyball principles" and teams like Boston who have succeeded while applying scary new ideas like Sabermetrics. I don't recall being able to shell out $50 million dollars to TALK to Dice-K as a "Moneyball principle." I'm not writing this on my typewriter from the Baseball Old School, nor am I a curmudgeon afraid of change. This needs to be a discussion about the man who started a baseball phenomenon - Billy Beane (right), and an honest assessment of his results.

The book Moneyball is a detailed view of how a team with an inferior payroll (Oakland) can compete with teams that are able to outspend them to a much greater degree. Of course, Beane and the A's experienced a good deal of success from 2000-2006 winning 3 AL West titles and making 4 playoff appearances. But, with all of the praise that the A's and Moneyball have received over the years how many championships have the A's won?

None.

How many World Series have the A's appeared in?

None.

How many playoff series have the A's managed to win in Beane's tenure?

One.

Compare this record to less fancied, low payroll teams who have accomplished more than Beane's Athletics. Franchises like Florida, Colorado, Houston, and Tampa Bay have all either won a World Series, or a league pennant, without having to write the book on Moneyball, something the A's have not accomplished.

Additionally, since 2007 the A's haven't exactly been lighting up the American League. They had almost identical records of 76-86 and 75-86 (don't know where that 162nd game went) the last two years. This year, the A's sit in the cellar of the AL West at 40-56, 16 games out of first place. These three seasons have come right after the A's most successful season when they were swept in the 2006 ALCS by the Detroit Tigers.

Moneyball has brought the Oakland A's and Billy Beane a lot of things. Publicity, notoriety, a model for other franchises, the respect of sabermetricians and progressive baseball minds, and even a possible movie with Brad Pitt starring as Billy Beane are just a few. (By the way, how is the A's story compelling? Scrappy underdog franchise fights for their livelihood against Evil Empire and gets swept by the above average Tigers? Heroic GM continually trades his best players to avoid slipping beneath mediocrity? Are these compelling?! It's going to take a lot of Hollywood's creativity to craft a riveting motion picture out of the Moneyball A's.)

Anyways, outside of all of these accomplishments and plaudits Beane has received there is one thing that Moneyball hasn't brought the A's.

A championship.

In Part II we'll analyze the actual transactions that Billy Beane has made over the years. With the A's in the midst of a 3 year slump, will the aura of Beane and moneyball ever lose its shine? When looking at the moves Beane has made over the past several seasons it's obvious that the Moneyball approach of the A's front office is going the way of the rest of the economy - in the tank.

The Case Against LeBron in Cleveland-Part II

Yesterday in Part I, I laid out the off-court issues which have plagued LeBron James this summer and why James's unsettling behavior has become worrisome for Cavs fans. Today in Part II, I'll make the case that the Cavs will never reach their goals on the hardwood while the King is still ruling the Cleveland Cavaliers. That's right, I'm boldly going where no sane man has gone before, predicting that LeBron James will never win a championship in Cleveland. But, not just because of the strange trends in LeBron's behavior, but because the Cavs simply won't be good enough.

Before I begin with Part II, I have to thank LeBron James for adding one more episode to his long strange summer. Today, news broke of the admission of marijuana use by James in high school because he couldn't deal with his increasing fame. Oh wait, that just gives him more in common with the other X% of the NBA that smoke the reefer, my mistake. Anyways, let's really get down to the heart of my "crazy" prediction, the fact that LeBron will simply not be able to lead his "hometown" Cavs to the title Cleveland craves desperately.

Naturally, we have to start with the King's on-court performance in the 2009 Conference Finals against Orlando, which exposed the weaknesses of the Cleveland LeBrons. The first explanation for the loss was the inability of Cleveland to match up with Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis. The truth is, the Cavs had the perfect player to match up with these long, quick forwards; a guy 6' 8", strong as a linebacker, and quick as a point guard. The only problem was, LeBron James wasn't up to the challenge of playing defense. Do you think Michael Jordan, or even Kobe Bryant would let the same player continuously torch his team in a playoff game? Of course not. But, every time the Cavs needed a stop in the series, LeBron came up empty. Until LeBron decides to raise his defensive game to an all-NBA level, this team will suffer.

The Cavs offense wasn't much better in the Conference Finals. Sure, LeBron averaged 38.5 PPG over the 6 games, but his great numbers hide how truly awful the Cavs offense was against a below-average defense, save Dwight Howard. In actuality, the Cavs were one miracle shot away from being swept by the Magic. Role players like Delonte West and Mo Williams were never in rhythm because LeBron constantly dominated the basketball.

At the end of close games, it was the classic Cavs offense, give the ball to the King at the top of the key and let him go 1 on 5. Guess what? That offense hasn't really succeeded in the NBA Playoffs, ever! When LeBron wasn't getting stripped by Mickael Pietrus or stuffed by Dwight Howard, he was dishing to his now meek supporting cast who failed to deliver. On the other hand, Michael Jordan installed confidence in role players like Paxson, Kukoc, and Kerr so that they could deliver in crunch time. Even Kobe began to trust his teammates more in this postseason, helping the Lakers win the title.

What good is a superstar if he can't make his teammates better when it counts in the postseason? Anyone can put up great numbers and a lot of wins during the regular season, but no player is good enough to win an NBA Championship on his own. As long as LeBron is in Cleveland, fans can expect the same failures to repeat themselves time and again. LeBron will try to carry the burden on his own, and will continually fall short.

Also, don't be fooled into thinking the personnel moves LeBron has made this offseason will help matters next season. That's right, Danny Ferry is only a puppet GM at this point, catering to the King's every wish. Would any other GM be willing to commit $50 million to an offensively inept role player like Anderson Varejao...wait, don't answer that. LeBron clearly has orchestrated personnel moves in Cleveland for the last two years because the franchise doesn't have a choice. LeBron is certainly behind the foolish signing of his friend Andy and the trade for the Big Q, which of course, won't pan out as well as the surely hilarious pregame escapades and press conferences. To put it bluntly, the Cavs and the fans of Cleveland are hostages of the King, with no choice but to submit to his will, or risk losing him. If that's the case, would losing him really be the worst thing to happen to Cleveland?

If the past few months have proven anything, it's that things have maxed out for the Cavs and LeBron James. Now, I concede that losing LeBron James in the summer of 2010 would be initially a devastating financial and emotional blow to the Cavs and the city of Cleveland. But, the question true fans of the Cavs, not just fans of LeBron, must consider is the long-term health of a franchise that is held hostage by one player.

There is currently no athlete under as much pressure to deliver a championship to his city than LeBron and that pressure will only mount with every passing day that LeBron doesn't deliver a title. We've already seen how erratic LeBron's behavior has been this summer, think of how much more potential adversity faces LeBron and the Cavs when they fail to reach the promised land.

Think of the freedom LeBron, the Cavs, and the city of Cleveland would experience if each wasn't dependent on the other. LeBron would be free to become the global icon he desires without the pressure of being Cleveland's messiah. The Cavs would eventually be able to build a complete team, again a TEAM, that could once again compete for a championship. And finally, the fans of Cleveland would be saved the torture of reliving the nightmare they are doomed to witness...the false hope of the hometown boy winning it all, only to be let down time and time again. Although, maybe the King's Witnesses would rather be continuously crushed by Cleveland sports heroes, they're probably used to it by now.

The Case Against LeBron in Cleveland-Part I

So, after reading that headline, you may be thinking I am either a) crazy, b) trying to be different, or c) have nothing else to talk about during the dog days of summer. But actually, I am beginning to honestly believe a mutual parting of the ways between LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers one year from now may be in the best interests of King James and the Cavs. In Part II, we'll examine how LeBron's increasing control over the franchise may be negatively impacting the Cavs on the court. In Part I, we'll consider recent developments that call into question the King's ability to lead his loyal subjects while carrying the weight of Cleveland on his shoulders.

While LeBron is by all accounts a model NBA citizen and person, certain controversies have begun to engulf James as he is placed more and more under the microscope (and no, I'm not going to count his wearing a Yankees cap a controversy). As the pressure and scrutiny of not winning a championship has mounted, so have instances of strange behavior from LeBron. The first instance that raised eyebrows was LeBron's "take his ball and go home" attitude after losing to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 playoffs. While the rest of his teammates congratulated Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, LeBron stormed off the court showing all the traits of a sore loser, not a gracious superstar. Keep in mind, this wasn't the Bad Boy Pistons who did this, it was a guy with a respectable record, the face of the NBA.

In what has become a pattern, LeBron only compounded his error, justifying his actions by saying, "I'm a winner." When this "explanation" fell flat, he had his new PR man, David Stern, apologize for him to the media, and allegedly the Magic and his fans. Clearly, the blow of not winning the title when his team was the overwhelming favorite must have made LeBron not think clearly. One can easily forgive him for being a poor sport once in his career. However, this episode was only the first act in LeBron's strange summer.

The next controversy surrounding the King occurred only a couple of weeks ago, surrounding the Cavs attempt to sign free agent swingman Trevor Ariza. A source close to Ariza disclosed LeBron had personally assured Ariza he would be staying in Cleveland after 2010. However, the source claimed Ariza only saw it as a recruiting tool and the former Laker signed instead with the Rockets. Clearly LeBron and his handlers didn't like this suggestion of a commitment to Cleveland, because later that day sources close to the King rushed to deny that LeBron gave Ariza any such assurance.

Now, why would LeBron be in such a hurry to cause angst among his fan base? Why not let the comment just float in the media and be forgot about the next day in the 24 hour news cycle? Why stoke the flames and only feed the paranoia that you are, in fact, planning on leaving the Cavs after 2010 unless that's what you actually are considering?

How do you think this sequence made Owner Dan Gilbert and the Cavs front office feel? The Cavs have gone all-in with LeBron James, but it looks like the King doesn't want to push his chips to the middle of the table. Why as a franchise invest your livelihood into someone with one foot in Cleveland and one foot in the open market? If you are a teammate, why would you give your all to a team leader who isn't committed to the franchise after the current season; a leader who thus far, has been unable to lead his team to a title and has shown questionable judgment in the face of adversity. Why as a fan rest your hopes and dreams on someone who is not 100% tied to staying until the job is done; who, even if he signs an extension, will always be tempted by the brighter lights of a bigger stage?

And finally today, the latest episode in the summer of LeBron's discontent, the top-secret film of the banned Nike Camp dunk finally came out. This story is without a doubt the most puzzling of Lebron's tumultuous off-season. After being "dunked on" by a Xavier sophomore at a skills camp, LeBron huddled with Nike officials and attempted to confiscate all known videos of the event, so as to not harm what is left of King James invincible image. Instead, the fiasco has only gone to confirm his new image as a paranoid, image-conscious sore loser.

So, what was the big deal? Every basketball fan has seen a thousand more embarrassing dunks; the guys in front of the camera don't even give a reaction on the tape! After his failure in the postseason though, LeBron didn't want to risk taking a hit to his image, so he and Nike tried to cover it up, managing to turn an obscure YouTube clip into a national sports story.

This summer, since losing his best chance so far at a championship, a pattern has been established of LeBron James panicking under adversity. He didn't know how to take losing to Orlando, he jumped at the chance to not commit to a future in Cleveland, and he gave us a window into the lengths he will go to protect his image.

Cavs fans may ask themselves how LeBron will react this year if a rookie like Tyreke Evans actually does put LeBron on a poster, or someone like Kobe Bryant shakes him for a game-winning jumper. Or, in a worst-case scenario, if the Cavs struggle during the season and again fail to win the NBA title, what will LeBron do? Will he try to get Mike Brown fired? Will he walk off the floor on his teammates? Of course these are extreme suggestions, but they are much more realistic after this chain of events.

The King has always stated his goal as winning a championship for Cleveland. But, after the off-court events of the summer, one has to question if becoming a global icon is actually higher on his list of priorities. If that's the case, won't LeBron always be tempted by the brighter lights and bigger stage of New York or L.A., even if he does resign with Cleveland next year. Won't the pressure to win it all in his "hometown" grow on LeBron each successive year until he just can't take it anymore? These are questions LeBron, the Cavs front office, and the fans have to ask themselves. In Part II, I'll lay out the on-court case for the Cavs without LeBron James, that is, if Nike doesn't abduct me first...

5-4-3 Baseball Roundup - 2nd Half Kickoff

With the trade deadline looming and the 2nd half of the season in full swing what better time for our 5-4-3 Baseball Roundup. This week Mr. Yoder I (red) and II (black) take their turns at the dish discussing the players to watch in the second half, teams that need to make a move, and managers on the hot seat.

5 Players To Watch In The 2nd Half

1. CC Sabathia - Remember his heroics in Milwaukee in the 2nd half last season? He went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 7 Complete Games, and 3 Shutouts. Thus far in the Big Apple he's a respectable, but understated 9-6 with a 3.66 ERA. In order to keep pace and ultimately surpass the BoSox, Sabathia will need to call on his Milwaukee form to lead the Bombers.

2. Albert Pujols - Of course, most of the media attention on Albert Pujols in the second half of the season will be his quest for the Triple Crown, the first since 1967. However, what has been understated is what happens to the Cards if Pujols starts to slip from his amazing start. With his almost historic production, the Cardinals are still even in the L column with the Cubs. Any drop in production could lead St. Louis to missing out on the playoffs.

3. Pedro Martinez - Welcome back Pedro. Surprisingly, the Phillies signed him and then instantly put him on the 15-Day DL. Honestly, anything positive from Pedro would be a bonus for Philadelphia this season given his injury-plagued end with the Mets. It's a risk relying on him down the stretch, but the Phillies are good enough to afford to play high stakes poker with the former Cy Young winner.

4. Milton Bradley - The $30 million headache for the Cubs has to turn around his attitude, and more importantly, his production at the plate if the Cubs have any hope of reaching the playoffs. Bradley is hitting a shocking .239 with only 6 HR and 21 RBIs overall, with even worse numbers from the left side. He's already gotten one hitting coach fired and is now being personally tutored by Lou Pinella to find some of his form from last year. While it might be unfair to blame all of the Cubs problems on Bradley, a hot streak would undo a lot of the damage.

5. Josh Hamilton - The hero of last season's HR derby struggled in the 2nd half last season, admittedly partly due to the hangover of his derby swings. This season has seen Hamilton battle injuries and struggle mightily (.240, 7HR, 27RBI). With Texas still in the AL West race it'll be up to Hamilton to help the Rangers overcome their annual late summer fade.

4 Teams That Need To Make A Move

1. San Francisco - With the help of young players like Pablo Sandoval (above) and an amazing pitching staff, the Giants have been one of the pleasant surprises this season. However, offense has always been a problem by the Bay and they'll need to add a bat (Aubrey Huff?) to hold off Colorado and others for the NL Wild Card.

2. Texas - The surprise of the baseball season so far is the Rangers being a legitimate threat to the Angels in the AL West. As of tonight they sit only 3 games back, but need to shore up their pitching if they want to make a run at the division title. I challenge anyone except the baseball nuts to name me 1 starter after Kevin Millwood and 1 bullpen pitcher after Frank "chair toss" Francisco. They have to add some depth to this young pitching staff to last to late September.

3. Chi Sox - GM Kenny Williams' favorite childhood game show must have been Let's Make A Deal. The MLB's Monty Hall is always a mover and a shaker at the Trade Deadline. He's already tried and failed to make a deal for Jake Peavy, so expect him to possibly add another arm or bat for the stretch run to overtake Detroit in the AL Central.

4. St. Louis - Every year, the Cardinals seem to get the most out of the least talented roster among NL contenders. While they are currently 1st in the mediocre Central, they need an impact trade if they want to seriously compete with the Dodgers and Phillies for the NL pennant. Mark DeRosa was a nice start, but another starting pitcher and a corner outfielder could make this team the NL favorite.

3 Managers On The Hot Seat

1. Joe Girardi - The Yankees manager is by nature always on the hot seat, its a part of the job. In fact, I'm surprised Girardi survived a year without making the playoffs. The Yanks' have had a good run of form recently, but they need to make the playoffs if the Girardi/Cashman regime is to stay in place. Hank Steinbrenner doesn't exactly seem to have the patience of Job, at least the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

2. Lou Piniella - As a Cubs fan, I can really empathize with Sweet Lou and this team's struggles. However, Lou and Jim Hendry were behind the offseason addition of a left-handed bat (who turned into Milton Bradley) and the shakeup of a 97 win team. While injuries have played a part, Pinella's inability to break through to slumping hitters like Soriano and Bradley have led to frustration, which is becoming more and more evident every day in Pinella's postgame comments. If the Cubs go down in flames, especially in transitioning to new ownership, I could see Pinella walking away from the Wrigleyville circus.

3. Eric Wedge - Frankly, Wedge should have been fired a long time ago. Ever since the ALCS loss to the Red Sox a couple years back the Indians have fallen in the tank. GM Mark Shapiro should take some of the blame because talent-wise the team is nowhere close to where they were two years ago. Cleveland needs a major shakeup, sooner rather than later.