Chapter 11: The Human Element
This is part 11 of the blog for Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis. Feel free to join in the discussion of the book.
One game. Chapter 11: The Human Element takes place during game 20 of the A's record-breaking win streak of the 2002 season. For the penultimate chapter of this bestseller, I struggled to determine what purpose it served.
We hear again how Beane does not like watching the A's play live. He wanted to dart out to take in a couple of his A teams go at it. But MLB being what it was, he was coaxed into remaining so he could advertise the team with all the networks who were on the bandwagon for the win streak. Afterwards, he followed the game from the clubhouse along with Lewis.
What did we learn? Sometimes baseball is a game played by humans who defy what Beane has quantified. That is not surpising. The A's opened up to an 11-0 lead with the ace, Tim Hudson, on the mound. Over the next several innings, the Royals tied the game at 11-11 as we hear about how Beane's star, Scott Hatteberg, has the night off, the middle man, Chad Bradford, who lost his focus, and Art Howe, who sometimes just screws things up. In the end, Hatteberg wins the game in a pitch-hitting role with a bat that he should not be using.
And thus we limp into the end of the book. While it was entertaining to "see" the game from an angle we don't usually see baseball, this chapter does not play well into the ideas of Moneyball.
Also blogged on this date . . .
- First Utter: Making Chili - 2008
- Fisking Lautenberg - 2008
- Pi - 2008
- Misty - 2008
- Trade Shows - 2008
- Most Secure Job - 2007
- McGreevey To Confess - 2007
- What is a Locationless Cache? - 2006
- Chapter 12: The Speed of the Idea - 2005
- Weird NJ: Statuesque - 2003
- The Red Bank? - 2003
- It's the same only different!!! - 2003
- DA Ponds - 2003
- What was your first baseball game attended? - 2002
Tags: Moneyball