Some of our readers had a good laugh yesterday, as some Cubs beat writers struggled to find angles to write about on the first day of camp. Some resorted to columns and blog posts about Theo Epstein’s connection to the movie “Moneyball” with the Academy Awards just around the corner.
It’s one thing if Epstein doesn’t have any interest in seeing the Oscar nominated film, but it is interesting to me that he still hates everything about it. He clearly hasn’t gotten over the fact that Billy Beane spilled the beans on the sabermetric revolution.
In a Sports Illustrated article surrounding the release of the film, Epstein's distaste for making statistical analysis mainstream became all too clear.
"Lewis was working on a book about baseball's nascent information age, but Epstein wanted nothing to do with him. 'I can't believe Billy is letting him write this book,'" the article read. "Billy Beane, Oakland's general manager, had granted Lewis access to his front-office operations, which meant revealing how the A's were mining information from statistical analysis, a tool used extensively at the time by only the Athletics, Indians, Blue Jays and Red Sox. 'He's handing out the blueprint.'"
You would have to think at some point some of that blueprint would have made it’s way around baseball anyway. Epstein did have a point though, what was the point of sharing that info with everyone at the time?
It was a strategy that was helping clubs like the A’s compete. Was it all ego on Bean’s part?
Yesterday Epstein spoke about the subject again; Patrick Mooney of Comcast sensed he wasn’t too happy to talk about it. Epstein and co. will quickly learn that the Chicago media loves to push nonsense.
I get the sense however this management team will put that to an end rather quickly.
“We’re just trying to teach the game the right way,” Epstein said. “I wasn’t a huge fan when certain proprietary information was made available to the public in the first place. Instead of a handful of clubs knowing certain things within a year or two, 30 clubs knew. It’s not my cup of tea. “But it sounds like they made a really good movie and a lot of people got entertained. That’s terrific, but it’s baseball time, not movie time.”
Either way Theo and his front office need to find the next way to outsmart the rest of baseball.
If they haven’t already.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Moneyball, Theo Epstein
I read the book many years ago and thought it was a great new
way to draft players. If you look careers of the top picks from
that draft it was not to good. I put more trust in Theo's new
scouting/drafting dept. No one system is the correct one.
I like the fact that the Cubs now have a front office that is going about things the right way. No more priests with Holy Water, no more strangling goats, no more blowing up baseballs. Finally, people in place that know how to run a baseball team. And I like the fact that they're trying to bring some swagger to the Cubs. How about changing the cute bear cub logo to a snarling bear with a bandana, or something like that?
Yes, I love that too. I really think Theo thinks these guys are off the rockers already and he won't be afraid to let them know it. Bear with a bandana? Got to think about that one :)
Please no more "Cubbies" also change the Cubbies logo.
While we're at it, might as well lose those horrible Matrix-food gray road uniforms. Hate those damn things.
I've always liked the 1969 uniforms myself.
Christ, they're bland. Like Chris O'Donnell eating oatmeal in Connecticut bland. And half the teams have the exact same color road jerseys just with a different logo. Way too cookie cutter and makes me think they're the cheapest to produce for jersey sales.
I'll take pinstripes at home and blue away every time.
Have to get away from the cute image. Better uniforms would help
I would like the readers feedback on the new "Cubs Way" philosophy.
I believe him when says everybody from the DL to the majors will be
doing things only one way. By the time they reach the majors they should know how to things the correct, and only, way. This
includes running hard on every ball hit.
emjr, like your topic quite a bit, and so fully agree with ditching the "Cubbies" culture and improving the uniforms a bit. Keep 'em classy though (read: "not Marlinesque). So let's start:
1. Move on from Harry. As painful as this will be for many, it's time to end that nostalgia. Do it gracefully and be subtle.
2. Semi-related: END the celebrity 7th inning stretch and replace the experience with something completely different; say, a live musical performance in the new pavilion area.
There's a lot right with the Cubs, Wrigley Field and Chicago. Let's build on that and ditch the nonsense.
Yes and yes. However, I can see the marketing department having a tough time letting go. I will try and talk to Wally over there and get some answers on some of this stuff.
Nice to see Selig sign off on the Burnett deal and drag his feet on the compensation issue.