"Moneyball" the movie

“Moneyball” the book is one of the greatest baseball books out there and is now a movie starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane. Beane must figure a way to put together a championship team in 2002 after winning 102 games in 2001 and losing 3 key players to free agency. Beane embraces Jamesian computer-generated analysis over old school scouting to selecting players, whether by drafting, trading or signing through free agency. After a dreadful start to the 2002 season, the A’s turn things around and eventually win the AL West, winning 20 games in a row along the way.

Movies frequently don’t do justice to books, but director Bennett Miller does a great job of telling Beane’s back stories in addition to the amazing story of how the Oakland A’s almost took down the Evil Empire of the New York Yankees not once, but twice, on a shoestring budget as compared to the money fountains the Yankees use to cash whip their players.

The whole cast put forth best efforts in this movie. Pitt stars as Beane, and Jonah Hill is his dorky, economics degree holding Assistant GM. Brent Jennings as Ron Washington is but one of several scouts who appear in the film capturing the essence of the methods of crusty, road weary scouts.

There is another big reason why Red Sox fans will be interested in this movie. Before there was Theo, there was Dan Duquette. Beane was courted as Duquette’s successor. Arliss Howard does a great job of portraying John Henry, and there are familiar scenes of Yawkey Way and Fenway Park, (including the press box from which this humble scribe has had the pleasure of covering a game.) Find out why Beane turned down Henry’s lucrative offer.

The Fenway and Henry scenes were unexpected but quite satisfying to this Sox fan, but there was one reason in particular why I made it out to see this movie on its opening weekend. I had the opportunity to be an extra in this movie during filming of the scenes in game 20 (of the win streak) and just had to see if I made it to the final cut. I’m the guy wearing the A’s hat.

Click here for the trailer.

Book Review: "Knuckler" by Tim Wakefield (with Tony Massarotti)

“Knuckler” is the biography of Tim Wakefield, longtime Boston Red Sox knuckleball pitcher, written by Wakefield with Tony Massarotti. It tells a great story of his progression from his backyard in Melbourne, FL, fiddling with the pitch in high school and college, and through the 2010 season. Wakefield has experienced a number of highs and lows throughout his career. Highs include his dominating rookie year in 1992 with the Pirates, his outstanding 1^st year with the Sox in 1995 in which he won 16 games, lost 8 and sported a 2.95 ERA, and being named to the 2009 AL All Star Team by Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. Lows include the disappointing end to his rookie season in which he may have won the Rookie of the Year award if not for his last pitch of the season, his sophomore slump, and the Boone pitch.

I don’t need to know what a celebrity eats for breakfast, or if he wears boxers or briefs, and thankfully Massarotti stays away from most of Wakefield’s personal life. He includes stories about and from other great knuckleballers including Tom Candiotti, Charlie Hough, Hoyt Wilhelm, Wilbur Wood, Joe Niekro and his brother Phil, who wrote the Foreword. He tells of his relationships with the Niekros, and how they mentored him, and were there for him during his slumps. Read about his endless humanitarian work with the Franciscan Hospital for Children and The Jimmy Fund, and his winning of the Roberto Clemente Award.

A knuckleball pitcher is a completely different breed of animal from other pitchers, and Massarotti gets it. A knuckleballer is not defined by ERA and WHIP statistics. They may have pedestrian statistics, but are priceless in their other contributions. A knuckleballer can start, close, short or long relieve, or perform in the most dreaded of pitching roles- the mop-up man. Wake has done ‘em all and lived to tell about ‘em all. Two of the most telling of all Wakefield’s statistics are his 3222.1 innings pitched and his 2152 strikeouts. I’m sure Billy Beane would drool over Wake’s ratios of IP/$ and K/$.  Although he performs best in a starting role pitching every 4 or 5 days, he has taken many hits for the team including shuttling between the bullpen and the starting 5, starting on short rest in emergencies, sacrificing his post-season starts for emergency relief, and the aforementioned ‘mop-up man’ role. On more than one occasion, Wake has been ‘left in the barrel’ on days his pitch wasn’t working, soaking up innings to give the bullpen a much needed rest. Days like those don’t help out a knuckleballer’s bottom line, but Wakefield time and time again puts the team interests above those of his own. Despite his on field charity work, and the many games of little run support from the offense, Wakefield has been able to amass a tidy 200-179 won-loss record, giving him a quite respectable .528 winning percentage.

The book is a great story and an easy read, I was able to blast through it, twice. Massarotti does have a couple of annoying habits- including inserting phrases with questionable grammar in awkward places separated by dashes- and an inconsistent use of italics. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book for any Red Sox, knuckleball, or baseball fan to read.

 Wake and Fenway West's own Matt O'Donnell

WEEI Telethon San Francisco area game watching parties

August 30th and 31st are the dates of this year's WEEI Annual Telethon:

Each year, Boston Red Sox and Jimmy Fund fans across the country team up to help us strike out cancer! By hosting viewing parties at bars and homes all over America, these dedicated supporters are helping to spread the word about the Radio-Telethon state by state. Click on the map below to see where you can go to watch the Radio-Telethon and cheer on the Sox in your home state.

There will be 2 Game Watching Parties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Karen Doherty, Red Sox Nation/CA governor, will be hosting a party at 4 pm on Tuesday, August 30th in San Mateo. Details can be found on the Facebook page, and on MLB Blogs Network.

As previously posted, The 2nd Annual Rock & Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with The Cancer Sucks Band and Planet Waves~ A Tribute to Bob Dylan will take place at The Connecticut Yankee on Wednesday, August 31st. Benefit info is also posted on MLB Blogs Network. Game time is 4 pm (PDT) with the music scheduled to start about 9-9:30 pm. (Ya just never know how long a good ol' Sox-Yankees game will last!)

In addition to The Cancer Sucks Band and Planet Waves, MA native and Sox fan Chris Rowan (Rowan Brothers), Ozzie Ahlers (Jerry Garcia Band, Craig Chaquico), and Tim Flannery (3B coach of the SF Giants and a fine musician in his own right) are on the bill for this very special show.

Curses! Foiled again! (Sox win)

Tim Wakefield was thwarted yet again in his quest for his 200th MLB win tonight in Minnesota despite allowing only 3 earned runs in 7 innings pitched. He struck out 4 Twins and did not walk any. Alfredo picked up a BS, but also earned the win. Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3- 9th inning.

Offensively, the Red Sox mashed 17 hits, count 'em, 17 hits. Ortiz led the attack with a 4/5 performance, including a go-ahead single in the top of the 9th inning. One night after going 4/4, Marco Scutaro notched 3 more hits in 4 at-bats. Jed Lowrie will have his work cut out for him.

Red Sox 8 Twins 6 BOX SCORE

More A-Rod Shenanigans

Strippers, steroids, and now stuff for your nose and stogies at a poker game. Well, he's not being accused of snorting cocaine or smoking cigars, but in a story from according to ESPN, he was in attendance at an illegal poker game in Miami in which he lost a large sum of money, and in which cocaine was used and violence broke out.

MLB is not amused, and is considering suspension.

The 2nd Annual Rock & Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Fenway West and The Connecticut Yankee present the The 2nd Annual Rock & Sox Benefit for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on Wednesday, August 31st. The Yankees descend upon Fenway Park at 4 pm (PDT.) Come on down to watch the game, and then stick around for dinner and a show!

Last year, we raised over $1200 for these 2 fine organizations. Let's try and beat that this year!

You don’t have to be a Red Sox or baseball fan to enjoy The Cancer Sucks Band and Planet Waves as they raise funds for The Jimmy Fund and The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These 2 organizations have been closely affiliated with the Boston Red Sox for many years. This year’s Benefit is part of DFCI’s ’50 State Game Watching Parties’ which coincides with WEEI’s Annual Telethon. CSB will perform a short set of Red Sox, baseball and classic rock covers by Neil Young, John Fogerty and others. Planet Waves will take the stage to finish off the night with their Jam Band Tribute to Bob Dylan. Planet Waves was the house band at Pat Nevins’ recent Bob Dylan 70^th Birthday Celebration, ‘Doing Dylan’, at the sold out Ashkenaz in Berkeley.

Cancer Sucks Band 2011 and Planet Waves SPECIAL GUESTS:

Tim Flannery, 3^rd base coach of the SF GIANTS

Chris Rowan, (Rowan Brothers)

Pat Nevins, (Workingman’s Ed, Ragged Glory)

Dave Stein

Ozzie Ahlers, (Jerry Garcia Band, Craig Chaquico)
Mitch Stein, (CRYPTICAL)
and spoken word poet Sam Flot

The Cancer Sucks Band 2010 performs 'Dirty Water' by The Standells:

No, this can't be! No way! PITTSBURGH?!

I went to take a look at the MLB standings and had to clean the screen after the spittake when I saw this:

PITTSBURGH IS IN 1ST PLACE!

I had to check the calendar, yes this is July, not January 19th, there were no white lines around me when I woke up, and my name wasn't in the obituaries. I am not making this up! Click on the graphic and it will bring you to MLB.com Standings for July 19, 2011.

Wow. The 1st ball game I ever went to was at old Forbes Field, so I've had a soft spot for the Pirates ever since. Them and the Giants, too. That makes both of my favorite NL teams in 1st place, and of course my favorite AL and MLB team is in 1st place.

But Pittsburgh? Really?!