Game Changer

1) What was the “Moneyball”approach that Billy Beane and Peter Brandt applied to the Oakland Athletics 2002 season? Was it an “art” or a “science”? What single statistic did they boil their value consideration down to? (In class research/discussion)

Billy Beane and Peter Brandt took an all new approach to baseball. Instead of looking at the player through scouts and guessing the rise of a star, they looked at the statistics (mainly on base percentage) of each player and built a team that would get on base. The Oakland A's had the smallest amount of money to work with in the MLB, they were a $30 million team while they were up against teams like the Yankees, a $120 million team. By use of "science" the Oakland Athletics became a winning team, eventually breaking the winning streak by winning 20 games in a row.

2) What is the equation used to calculate OBP? (In class research/discussion)

The equation used to calculate OBP (on base percentage) is:
                (Hits + Walks + Hit by Pitch)_________
(At Bats + Walks + Hit by Pitch + Sacrifice Flies)

3) What is design? (In class research/discussion)
The definition of design is an open ended idea. In lueu of that, I have decided to provide a few general definitions. Here they are:
Noun - A plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment, or other object before it is built or made.
Verb - Decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), typically by making a detailed drawing of it.
Synonyms - noun: intention, scheme, draft, project, purpose; verb: plan, project, scheme, intend, draw, sketch.

4) Describe 3 situations where movie characters (intentionally or not) applied a step from the PLTW 12 Step Design Process. Explain both the (a) situation as well as (b) how the step is relevant:

1 - As the scouts were brainstorming to try to chose star players to fill the spots of the three stars they lost, Billy Beane was concerned that the scouts were not focusing on the problem. He continued to try and get the scouts to define the problem and then solve the problem.

2 - As the Oakland A's where gaining a winning team, Billy Beane cut Giambi due to his bad team moral. Along with Giambi, other changes were made in the team line-up as time went on. Beane was exploring possibilities in the team, considering further development of ideas. He used knowledge gained by the Moneyball technique to make his decisions.

3 - Peter Brandt's idea to use the Moneyball tachnique was revolutionary to the world of baseball. Billy Beane saw the possibility of creating a winning team with the small budget he had. This selection of approach was locked into place when Beane and Brandt overroad the ideas of the scouts and put together a team within their budget that had a better chance of winning than before.



5) What is “Leadership”? List the three aspects of leadership that we come up with in class. (In class research/discussion)

The definition of "Leadership" can be worded differently to everyone. Here is one definition. "Leadership" is the act of providing guidance and direction to anyone in need. Someone who has "Leadership" capabilities not only can, but wants to head a group, team, etc. without having to be forced to. Granted some are "forced" into a leadership position, but that does not mean that they are correctly suited for the job.

1 - Direction
2 - Alignment (managerial)
3 - Comittment (Personal Example)


6) Describe 3 circumstances from the story where a character exercised effective leadership:

1 - The scouts were brainstorming ideas about what players would replace their three star players. Billy Beane continued to providing direction to get scouts to get them to define the problem so that they could solve the problem.

2 - Billy Beane continued to exercise his power by deciding the team players. He, along with Peter Brandt, managed the team. Although Beane made the final decisions, putting the team on the right course to continue their win streak and head into the last for the last game the most prepared they could be. Beane stayed with the team through thick and thin, making decision for the better of the team, not for himself.

3 - Despite all of the critics and all the people who just didn't believe, Billy Beane continued to exercise his techinique. At some points he may have been thinking it might not work, but then he would turn around and say, no, it is going to work. Beane showed that what other people think is not neccessarily correct. The coach for the Red Sox said that being the first at doing anything, whether it is successful or not, is always critisized. The facts may support it, people get stuck in their ways and are not ready for change.

7) According to the movie, what was the A’s record at the start of their winning streak? 

The A's record at the start of their winning streak was 76 : 51 (wins/loses).

8) What does this ratio simplify to (roughly)? The ratio is roughly 1.5 : 1 (wins/loses).

9) How long was the A’s record setting winning streak? The A's had a 20 game win streak.

10) Given the A’s win/loss ratio at the start of the streak (listed two questions above), what are the odds of winning 20 games in a row? Run the numbers. (In class research/discussion)

The chances of winning 20 games in a row is 0.0000346% or 3.5 x 10^-5% chance. In other words, it would take 177.9 years to achieve a 20

11) Based on your calculation, do you think the A’s got lucky or was there something to the Moneyball approach?

I believe that, based on my calculations as well as intellect, that the Oakland A's had something with the Moneyball approach. The streak was based on Moneyball approach because all the numbers prove the statement correct. More games were won, the 20 game win streak, when the technique was put in place. Since no one else used this kind of "technology,"it made it hard for teams based off of star players to fight back. If luck had any part, it is not anywhere near as evident as the numbers are.


12) Did Billy Beane strictly apply the “science” of Moneyball to his management approach? Was there an “art” to his efforts as well? Describe a circumstance where he broke from the Moneyball approach to make a positive change for the team.

For the most part, Billy Beane stuck to the "science" of the Moneyball approach. Although, in a few instances he stayed from the idea. One instance was when he fired Giambi even though he was a perfect candidate for the Moneyball system. Beane fired the player because he had a bad moral that was bringing the team down.

Bonus Question: Money Ball was originally a book. What author wrote the book? What other books has this author written? Is there a theme to his writing?

The author of the original Money Ball book was Michael M. Lewis. He has written many books that have caught the eye of many producers in Hollywood. "Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life" and "The Blind Side" are two of his more famous books. Lewis has recently optioned the rights to "Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life" to Disney inorder for a movie to be made out of it. Michael Lewis seems to have a general theme about his writting. He speaks on life and the hardships and how to handle certain pressures that we face. He also speaks of money in different ways.


It's "Oscar Season", will Moneyball win the Oscar for any of the categories it's up for?
"Moneyball" had a fighting chance at the Oscars, but just couldn't pull through. It had a base of good ideas as well as a great cast that was able to execute the parts nicely. Since this one of the few movies I have seen that were up for the Oscars in Moneyball's category, I do not have a base to rate Moneyball off of. Overall, I believe Moneyball was a good movie that is on the list of "Should See."