No, I’m here because I can review the part about baseball for my fellow baseball wonks. Is it worth seeing just for the parts about baseball? Does it say anything interesting about baseball, about the soul of a scout? Is this something that a baseball nerd can appreciate?
Oh, god, I want this guy so bad. Maybe if the Red Sox take him, we can work out a draft-and-trade deal.
That was an actual line from the movie. There might be spoilers after this. I’ll do my best to avoid them, but, again, I watched Trouble with the Curve so you don’t have to. You’re probably safe having it spoiled.
That line was uttered by the ostensible enemy of the movie, a stat-lover played by Matthew Lillard. There was no draft-and-trade worked out, unfortunately. It probably didn’t work under the salary cap.
I don’t need to see him play! I’ve got it right here on my computer.
That was another quote. It really was! It was in reference to a high-school player who the Atlanta Braves were considering with the #2 overall pick. Lillard wants him because of his sweet, sweet high-school stats. His mind is made up, and he doesn’t want to send Eastwood to scout the player. Why bother? The stats, man. The stats.
He couldn’t turn on a typewriter, let alone a computer!
Another actual quote. And it’s about Clint Eastwood’s character, who is an old and dumb scout who is old and dumb because he can’t even make a decision on a high-school player based on his stats. Because this is how baseball works in 2012.
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1. Mark Edward Posted: September 22, 2012 at 03:27 PM (#4243081)No, but there is a scene where Billy Beane throws the President of the United States across the room.
That's absurd. I don't see the phrase 'overrated reliever' anywhere near that sentence.
To be fair to the Movie on this point, Timberlake told the Sawx not to take the kid because Eastwood told him the kid sux, Eastwood also told him that the Braves wouldn't be taking him - so of course Timberlake tells the Sawx that, they pass and the Braves take the kid... So yes, it would certainly look to a neutral observer like Timberlake got taken.
The "hot" prospect is played as a selfish egotistical jerk, a complete one note role, I think it's based upon some negative reporting regarding Bryce Harper's makeup prior to that draft...
One problem (among many) is that you have a posse of scouts trailing this kid, but it doesn't look like any of them ever try to, you know, get to know him, talk with him, his friends, his family... What's really odd is that the movies simultaneously points out that scouts do try to get and know the guys they're scouting- that was the basis for Eastwood's and Timberlake's relationship, pl;us it was the basis of a minor plot thread regarding a failing prospect who'd been scouted by Eastwood.
I think the prospect was supposed to be a mash-up of Brown and Bryce Harper...
But yeah, no one pays attention to HS stats, I assume every HS hitter drafted batted .450+ and the pitchers are drafted mostly on MPH anyway...
How could you draft a HS guy on stats?
1: Sample size- worse than college
2: Quality of competition, probably more variable than college
3: park factors- ludicrously variable- I mean you have parks with no fences- no grass, crab grass and bushes, rocks...
4: umpiring- again ludicrously variable
absolutely ludicrous, there is no way, there is no way a stathead would suggest it either (well I'd hope not)
Klawview
They don't think that we're smart enough to notice, or that we're interested enough to care even if we pick up on it.
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