I actually wrote this entry on Google+ first... then realized nobody will read it there. So here's a modified version for the 12 of you checking in on a Saturday morning.
I saw Moneyball last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's great fun for those of us who like inside baseball, but it also works for the non-baseball enthusiast. Brad Pitt as Billy Beane was a great idea.
Because this is the not-so-distant past, and based on real events in a sport I follow closely, I kept comparing the data in my memory bank with what I saw on the screen. It was close, but Moneyball seemed to suffer from selective memory syndrome and cherry picked the data to fit the mold.
I remember that 2002 Athletics team. Primarily, I remember their first three starters and an MVP shortstop. The movie barely mentions those four:
- Barry Zito
- Tim Hudson
- Mark Mulder
- Miguel Tejada
Those were the big 4, am I right? Instead the movie primarily focuses on:
- Scott Hatteberg
- David Justice
- Chad Bradford
Still a great movie, but very misleading. No mention of Hatteberg playing DH in the beginning, there's a scene where they decide to get Jeremy Giambi after the 2001 season, Hollywood stuff like that.
But see it anyway. Great flick.
