MoneyBall (based on true events) - 2011

American League Division Elimination Series. NY Yankees vs Oakland A’s, Oct. 15, 2001. Yankees won.

After missing his own shot in the major league dug-outs, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) has created a some what comfortable life and career as the Oakland Athletics’ General Manager. It’s a good life and a good job, but Billy isn’t satisfied with ‘Almost’ anymore, he wants to win the championship. The World Series.

But Billy has a problem, the team has been drastically gutted of it’s 3 top key players and now he has to replace them. The Oakland A’s are a low budget baseball club, and the owner can’t afford to buy star ballplayers. So Billy has to find another way to even the odds and bring this team to victory.

His obstacles : 1^st, a tried and trusted well experienced team of player scouts, who are all use to doing things by the look, the Old Fashion way. But tight funds can only buy certain looks. HA! And so goes the battle of the blackboard. And 2^nd, the team manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is also well experienced but threatened by the weakness of his short-term contract. Art is hell bent on managing the players as ,HE sees fit. And is willing to defy undermining direction in the wake of securing his own future.

Billy sets out to a meeting with Mark Shapiro (Reed Diamond) to negotiate the possible sale of replacement players. But to his surprise, he spots a far more valuable asset in Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), special assistant player analyst for the Cleveland Indians. Finally, someone who understands what Billy means but can’t seem to explain.

Billy buys Peter and together they upset and remold the Oakland A’s into a totally different team, by using analytical statistics generated by the players ability to get on base. The plan seems fool proof until Art refuses to use the new recruits. Now Peter’s strategy is publically failing as the A’s suffer early losses game after game and the critics begin to mock their every move. Billy decides to clean house by trading off the players that stand in the way of his vision, and force Art to use the new replacement players, which then sets them all on a totally different course. A winning road to victory. And a new Longest Winning Streak World Record of 20 consecutive games.

Moneyball is a Must See movie for young and old. It is a real life, never ending true story that has continued even into 2012.