And THAT is why I read this blog.

However, I read “Moneyball”, “The Extra 2%”, “Built To Win” and “Feeding the Monster” and have a valid point of reference to critique the subject. Harrelson and Stone do not due to laziness and willful ignorance.

And to your point, if the lack of a ring means you cannot be part of the conversation, the silence should have started with them.

I agree that Lewis criminally underrates Sandy Alderson, but if you don’t credit a GM for players he drafted himself, than what do you credit him for?

one of the other main tenants of the book (that gets much less press because beane has reversed his stance somewhat since then ) was that the a’s drafted college players because they were “safer bets” to develop than high school players.

while it’s a simplification, the thought was that it was easier to see their ceiling and how close they were to it by seeing the extra years they were in college. so, it’s just lazy and ignorant to say hudson, mulder, zito, and call it a day. there was far more to it than that. all three were college players and hudson was a 6th round pick.

Stone’s entire post-season experience – the 1979 World Series line – 2 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 BB’s, 1 IBB and 2 K’s

I love it when people without a ring and a record of failure in post-season play criticize others that don’t have a ring on their finger.

Unless of course it lasts more than four hours.

Yes other teams hoave done it.
2 other teams:

26 games — New York Giants
1916 (1 tie, Ties are excludesd from the MLB records)

21 games- Chicago Cubs (THE CUBS???)
1935

And
20 games- Oakland A’s
2002

So umm Yep, it is a big deal.

Thanks for the link to your translation of the Tao te ching. It strikes me as a nicely elegant job – was just comparing it to the classic 1963 D. C. Lau translation and it reads beautifully alongside of it. I studied under a very fine translator of Chinese texts named Raul Birnbaum when he spent a year as visiting professor at Fordham University more years ago than I’d care to consider – did a semester on early forms and documents of Chinese Buddhism with him, so although I don’t have your linguistic background (I was studying Sanskrit instead) I’m not a complete neophyte on these matters. I think you’ve done a fine job here and appreciate your making it available. I didn’t see it on Amazon but would like to order a hard copy – got a link for that?

Best,
OG

Stone on the A’s success: “I’m sure there are other teams that have won 20

Really? No one has won 20 in a row, it was a pretty big deal at the time.

admit they’ve seen nor read neither

Woot, that keeps the streak alive to 1392635239 consecutive criticisms of the book without actually reading it. Way to go Hawk and Stone! Your prize is over there in line behind Joe Morgan once he figures out how to turn on a computer.

Smells of sour grapes, to me. They might have had a different take had the movie been “MoneyBroadcaster”, and the facts be damned so long as George Clooney played Harrelson and Robert DeNiro as Stone. I’m sure the grapes wouldn’t have so sour, then. Beane should shake their hands; no publicity is bad publicity and these guys are doing him a favor.

An old Chinese poet whose work I’ve translated once reminded us that whatever is stiff and rigid is of death; whatever is supple, flexible, and changing is of life.

Nonsensicality: completely expected.