Tribe Watch '13 (Week 20)

Record: 66 - 58

Standing: Second in AL Central (7 games behind Detroit)

Well anything the Tribe did this past week would have been an improvement over the week before so I guess we should be positive, but I sure would like to see this team playing better than they are right now. After dropping the opening game to Minnesota, they managed to take the next two and the series, which is what they should do against lesser opponents. After heading out west, however, the Indians could only manage to win one game against the A's. Oakland is a decent team, so there's no shame to losing two games to them in their place, but it is just frustrating because they currently sit ahead of us in the Wild Card standings, so it would be have been helpful to gain some ground on them. Right now it seems like our focus should be on earning one of the wild card slots as Detroit shows no signs of relinquishing first place before the end of the year. Our efforts to procure a playoff spot begin this week as we finish up our west coast road trip with a three game set against the Anaheim Angels. Then we finally head back home to take on the Minnesota Twins in a weekend series. Neither of those teams are making the playoffs this year, so we need to rack up a lot of wins against them. Despite our recent struggles, it is still great to be playing meaningful baseball this late into the season. As the Indians try to make that late season push, I'll be there with them each step of the way rooting them on. Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 6)

Record: 20 - 15

Standing: Tied for first in the AL Central

Wow, another amazing week for the Indians. Two weeks ago they were in languishing in last place and have now won 12 of their last 14 games and have now gotten into a first place tie with Detroit. The past week began with an impressive four game sweep of the A's. The series wasn't without some controversy, however. A blown call by the umpires in Wednesday's game earned national attention and potentially cost Oakland the victory in that game. Then the Indians got a big test this past weekend as they faced the Tigers in Detroit. After dropping the first game, the Tribe came back and won a couple of close games on Saturday and today. Winning close is an extremely good sign that this team can be competitive for the whole season and potentially have success if they make the playoffs. One of the things that has been so remarkable during this good stretch by the Indians is their ability to get big hits with two outs. You gotta love a team that never says die and believes they are in every game regardless of what the score is. The Indians will look to maintain their momentum as they deal with another busy week. It all begins with a traditional doubleheader tomorrow against the Yankees to make up a pair of games that were washed out a few weeks ago. The Indians will then make a brief two game visit to Philadelphia to play the Phillies. We handled the Phillies when they played in Cleveland a couple weeks ago, so they'll no doubt have revenge on their mind. Then the week will wrap up with a trip back home to play against the Seattle Mariners. Whenever we can beat up on a team managed by Eric Wedge, I take extra glee in that. Things are starting to get really exciting in Cleveland, so let's show this team that we're behind them. Despite their impressive play, the stadium hasn't been very full. Let's hope that begins to change. Go Tribe!!

Beane counter

After a long drought (for me) of going to the theater, I finally made it there for a cool deal being offered by Regal Cinemas - a 2 for 1 double feature of Moneyball and The Ides of March (review forthcoming). Both films were ones I was highly anticipating, but for various reasons had not yet seen.

We'll begin with the baseball drama, Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt as Oakland A's GM, Billy Beane. The film focuses on the 2002 baseball season where Beane attempted to put a winning team on the field despite having one of the lowest payroll's in the league and losing star players left and right to teams (like the Yankees) who could afford to pay these players higher salaries. Beane devises a new way of scouting talent after meeting Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill), a young, Ivy league grad, who was working with the Cleveland Indians organization; A fact I did not know. (Once again, the Indians find a way of giving up talent both on the field and in the front office).

Together, Beane and Brand begin to adopt the philosophy of Bill James, a statistician who had developed a formula to evaluate players' worth from a different way. One of the biggest factors that they focus on in the film is a player's on base percentage. In general, you'll score more runs if your team consists of a lot of players who find a way of getting on base (whether by a hit or walk). While this discussion and usage of statistics to create a winning team could have been dense and dull, it's not. Director Bennett Miller, along with Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and Steve Zallian, who co-wrote the film do an excellent job of getting the Moneyball philosophy across in a simple manner that could be understood by everyone. Personally, being a guy who likes statistics, I actually wish they would have discussed the number crunching even more, but I'm perfectly fine with the way its depicted.

The film's best scenes come from the intereactions between Beane and those who disagree with this new approach. Most of the A's scouts are incedulous towards his way of thinking since it spit in the face of the way they had evaluated talent. This method made them virtually obsolete. Also against Beane's philosophy is A's manager, Art Howe. He's played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in a terrific performance. While not the most postive portrayal, Hoffman does a nice job of coming off as grizzled and bitter. The scenes he has with Beane are engaging and really help in making you root for Beane.

While it takes some time, Beane's system begins to work much to the surprise of everyone else. One of the best things about this movie is the usage of actual media coverage throughout the season. We hear comments from sportscasters, radio hosts, and fans analyzing both the team's early struggles and their improvement as the season progressed. You really get a sense of how little everyone knows about sports when you're not actually inside the organization. It's catharic to listen to so-called analysts be completely off base when it comes to identifying why a team succeeds or fails.

Watching the film, you learn how Beane's desire to have this philosophy work is so personal. Through flashbacks the film shows how Beane himself was supposed to be a 'can't-miss' prospect who never panned out in the big leagues. You see how he's driven to prove the flaw in scouts' analysis and wants to avoid making personal connections with talent because of the possible pain it can bring. If the film has a weakness, and its minor one, it's that the film has a few too many introspection shots involving Pitt staring off in the distance contemplating. I get what they were going for, but I also feel its a bit overdone.

Overall, this is one of the best baseball movies out there and it hardly features any game play. At its core, its an underdog story that anyone can get behind. If you know anything about baseball and the recent history of Oakland, you'll also know that while Beane's story has not personally had the perfect ending, the imprint his Moneyball approach has had on the game is evident throughout the league. Like last year's The Social Network, I love the theme of individuals thinking outside the box and watching the rest of the world struggle to comprehend the ramifications of such an idea. Like a good utility player, Moneyball is versatile in providing something entertaining for a variety of audiences. Its ability to do so makes this film a home run. Grade: A