For years now, Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane has been hailed the king of GMs, but is he worthy of this title? The Athletics have a resolute philosophy of developing talent in their farm system and not wasting money on over-priced free agents. Beane brought this system to the A’s and it seemed to work, but as A’s fans look back over the last decade, how much success has this philosophy really brought them? Since Beane took over in 1997, Oakland has won a total of one playoff series. If the goal was to reach and win a World Series, then Beane has certainly come up short. That’s not to say Beane’s strategy did not pay dividends. From 2000-2004, the Athletics won at least 91 games every season and made the playoffs four out of those five years. They lost in the first round every one of those years, but nonetheless, they made the playoffs. They developed strong starting pitching from their farm system and they used every inning out of those young arms. Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito are three of the most notable pitchers to come through the A’s system and subsequently be traded away as their free agency approached. Beane knew he could not compete with teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, who have nearly unlimited funds. Thus he did the smart thing and traded his pitchers away right before they hit the open market. He wasn’t going to be able to sign them, but by trading them, at least he got something in return. Continue reading “Does Money Ball Work?”
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Oh What A Game!
If you didn’t stay up until the end of Tuesday night’s MLB All Star Game, you missed out on some great defense (well except for Dan Uggla’s three errors), some nasty pitching, and some incompetent hitting. Before I get to the crazy extra innings and the managerial headaches that made this game thrilling to watch, let’s take a look back at the opening ceremony and first nine innings at Yankee Stadium:
The evening began with 49 Hall of Famers parading from the outfield to their respective positions as the crowd roared. The All Star starters then joined those Hall of Famers at their positions one by one as they were introduced to the New York crowd. As a Red Sox fan, I value Fenway much more than Yankee Stadium, but I cannot say that Yankee Stadium is not a magnificent ballpark. The third oldest ballpark in baseball, it is the House That Ruth Built and has been the home for as many memorable moments as any place in history. From boxing to football to the New York Yankees themselves, Yankee Stadium has been a cathedral for sports. With only half a season remaining in this amazing place’s life, it is only right that it hosted the 2008 All Star Game. It is only right that the greatest collection of players ever assembled in one place at the same time, was assembled in Yankee Stadium during its final year. And it is only right that the 2008 All Star Game was the longest All Star Game in baseball history as the Stadium became home to yet another instant classic. Continue reading “Oh What A Game!”
Josh Hamilton: The Real Winner
I’m guessing that even if you wanted to watched the Home Run Derby last night, you may not even know that Minnesota Twins’ first baseman Justin Morneau won. That’s because Morneau wasn’t the main story. He wasn’t even a story. The night belonged to Josh Hamilton and rightfully so. Unfortunately for Hamilton, his historic first round performance did not result in a Home Run Derby victory. The Texas Rangers’ outfielder hit a record 28 home runs in the first round and didn’t even have to hit in the second round since he had already clinched a spot in the finals (he took a couple of hacks anyways though). The finals didn’t go so well for Hamilton as he smashed just three home runs and lost to Justin 
Morneau who hit five homers in the final round. In the end though, Hamilton walked away with something much more important than the trophy: He walked away with the respect and admiration of everyone watching.
Hamilton was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 1999 MLB Draft and was the Rays’ top prospect until he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He lost years of his life to his addiction. He didn’t play baseball and his major league baseball career, all of that potential, seemed to have come to an end. He didn’t even workout, because he spent so much time using needles. Yet, in a harsh confrontation with his grandmother, Hamilton finally came to realize his problem. He turned to God, faith, and Christianity to change his life. All of a sudden, Hamilton was back on the rise. He straightened his life out. He hung out with better people and stayed away from drugs at all costs. Even today, Hamilton brings someone with him wherever he goes, because he doesn’t trust himself. Continue reading “Josh Hamilton: The Real Winner”
Danny Vinik 