People are overlooked for a variety of biased reasons and perceived flaws: Age, appearance, personality. Bill James and Mathematics cuts straight through that. Billy, of the twenty thousand notable players for us to consider, I believe that there’s a championship team of twenty five people that we can afford. Because everyone else in baseball undervalues them – like an island of misfit toys.
~Peter Brand, Moneyball
Current number of pennants A’s have won under Beane’s watch–0.
Any other baseball executive would have been canned a long time ago. Beane’s reign is just an extended con,
Yeah, but when you get Brad Pitt playing you on the big screen, you become the stuff of legend, thus ensuring job security.