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Baseball Primer Newsblog— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I’ll Save You, E(L)!...and make sure you rent The Perils of Pauline DePodesta with Adam Dunn as the evil Snidely Whip-lasher!
If it weren’t for Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, Scott Hatteberg doesn’t know what he’d be doing today.
“I could be working at a Blockbuster somewhere,” said Hatteberg
...Beane appreciated Hatteberg’s approach at the plate, and the experiment to turn Hatteberg into a first baseman was the basis for a chapter in the 2003 best-seller “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis about Beane.
Hatteberg said teammate Adam Dunn even bought the book just so he could read that chapter and make fun of him.
“I liked the part about his wife hitting him fungoes,” Dunn said. “That’s the only good part about that book.”
Repoz
Posted: June 21, 2007 at 08:57 AM | 53 comment(s)
Related News: General, Cincinnati, Oakland
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I wouldn't take 162-0 in trade for the Sox 2005 WS win. Maybe that's just me.
Boy, is the joke ever going to be on Dunn when he gets sent to Oakland next week
The funny thing is, that Dunn is the ideal Moneyball guy according to Michael Lewis' version of the philosphy. You'd think he'd like a book where a guy with his talents is appreciated instead constantly criticized and subject to trade rumors.
It could be that I just don't value things correctly, but that 20 game win streak was an insane amount of fun, and the last 5 games especially were as tense as any postseason game I've seen. And, of course, win #20 was insane. I'd probably still take a WS, but lots of teams have won a WS. Only 2 teams have won 20 in a row.
I was born in '72, so I only really have '89 and, after the earthquake, it was hard to get into that series. So I really have never experienced the true joy of a WS win. (Weirdly, when the earthquake first hit, my first worry was that the power went out and I was going to miss the game. My second worry was that my stacks of baseball cards were going to fall off my shelf. 5 seconds later, I was more worried the fat lady upstairs--literally--was going to fall through the ceiling and kill me.)
I wasn't criticizing Dunn, BTW. I just thought he'd raed that book and think to himself, "Man, there is a place whwere fat guys who hit home runs and strike out a lot are loved! I only have to click my cleats together 3 times and say There's no place like Oakland. There's no place like Oakland. There's no place like Oakland." Of course, we already have our Dunn: Cust ops+ 164 Dunn +135 I know it won't last, but that's just crazy.
Interleague series between the two. Is it the first time the Reds and A's have played since the 1990 Series? First time in Oakland? Who cares?
Um, because despite the fact that we all read Moneyball, most folks haven't, and Hatteberg's return to Oakland makes for a nice little human interest story in the mainstream Cincy paper.
Despite the number of objects flung across the room in October of 2000...2001...2002...2003, I gotta agree that the twenty game streak at least takes the sting out of, if not makes up for, the considerable playoff heartbreaks. It's the most fun I've ever had as an A's fan, #20 was easily the most awesomely communal sporting event I've attended, and it's one of the rare times that there was a palpable excitement about the A's in the Easy Bay air during the regular season. Add to that the number and variety of unlikely ways to win: a mess of scoreless outings from Cory Lidle (Cory Lidle!), Tejada's string of big hits, three wins from your closer, the comeback win in Detroit...even John Mabry was playing well. What a lot of fun.
Hatteberg was a big part of that, and I'll always have good memories of him because of his role on that team.
maybe hatte should be a GM, and brian sabean should work at blockbuster.
(proud game 20 attendee, RF bleachers)
(hatte is a F'ing legend)
Agree. Does anybody remember his quote from the All-Star game in 2002? Some reporter asked him if he knew he was the youngest player on the NL All-Star team. He replied, "I'm also the funniest and most handsome." (Or something like that.)
The funny thing is, that Dunn is the ideal Moneyball guy according to Michael Lewis' version of the philosphy. You'd think he'd like a book where a guy with his talents is appreciated instead constantly criticized and subject to trade rumors.
Given that the biggest basher of "moneyball" is the ultimate "moneyball" player (Joe Morgan), I am begining to believe that high-OBP guys objecting to "Moneyball" is the baseball equivelant of "Stockholm Syndrome"
What the crap? Is he being traded? Did he get angry about how long it is taking him to come back from injury and shiv Swisher?
What the crap? Is he being traded? Did he get angry about how long it is taking him to come back from injury and shiv Swisher?
Holy crap. It looks to be legit. I'm flabbergasted. What the hell happened? Keith Law? Are you out there, brother? What's the scoop?
I will sacrifice my Hank Aaron bobblehead to the Gods of Irony if MB is getting DFA'ed for throwing chairs. How cool would that be?
Maybe Beane'll trade him to the Raiders.
Sure, he's talented, but when:
1) He's hurt all the time
2) he's a free agent to be
3) Kotsay, Buck, and Swisher can handle the OF, with the surprisingly healthy Shannon Stewart in a backup role.
You really don't need him.
Where does he go? I'd like to see him with the Orioles. Maybe the Giants, White Sox, or Cardinals take a chance on him.
Maybe they opened up a spot for designated a**h*le by moving Barrett first. Seems like the Cubs need an outfielder like they need another 2B though.
Unless a Bradley deal has been in the works for a bit and just on hold for him to get healthy.
Of course, I am just babbling away on the internet, so whose to say.
I can't imagine who would want to trade for him, though. It would have to be a contender, as he's going to be a free agent, but what contender needs him? Chavez is beat up and the A's will need to call somebody up to play third. With Kotsay back and Cust playing well, I guess MB is the odd man out. This is all guesswork on my part, though. I was hoping MB would get healthy and lead a second half charge. With the Angels a little dinged up now, it's time to make a move. Weird. It's fun following a Beane run team, though. There jsut aren't any leaks in the organization so stuff like this comes out of nowhere.
Geez, I hope not. I'd rather keep a slot open for Snelling if he ever gets healthy. Or for Kermit the Frog. Anybody, really.
The Yankees.
Well, not "need", but right now they really, really, really could use another OF who can hit, with Damon hurt -- and then someone can slide into the DH spot when Damon comes back.
I can see that. They can get him cheap, too, but is Torre prepared to deal with him? This is going to be interesting. I wonder what Gary Sheffield thinks of all this? :)
Last I saw Kermit, he was shooting heroin, giving Ralph the Dog a hummer and strumming his guitar AND strumming his guitar, if you kow what I mean. Youtube is effed up. I'd still take him on the A's before Dukes, though.
I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not the father of post-pubescent girls in the greater Sacramento area.
Bradley: "I learned it by watching you!"
Announcer: "GMs who throw chairs have players who throw chairs."
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