Where are Moneyball's major players

Where are Moneyball's major players

Where are Moneyball's major players, Billy Beane is a former MLB outfielder who played for the A's, Tigers, Twins and Mets. Beane's most valuable contribution to baseball isn't as a player, but as a GM and talent evaluator. As GM of the A's, Beane gained notoriety for his use of baseball metrics to build the team's roster. 

This use of sabermetrics ran counter to conventional baseball wisdom and changed the way teams did business. The practice was chronicled in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," published in 2003. Billy Beane vice president oakland athletics, 

As Billy Beane's assistant GM and second in command, Paul DePodesta also had major influence on the Oakland A's emergence as a powerhouse team. Paul DePodesta Vice President of player development and scouting for the New York Mets,

Where are Moneyball's major players, BJ Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir are three players who eventually proved Billy Beane didn't always bat .1000 when evaluating future talent. Beane didn't have the desire to take any of these players and all of these players have proven themselves in the majors. Prince Fielder last year, Scott Kazmir released by the Angels on June 15,

Beane saw something special in Kevin Youkilis and coveted him for the A's. The union wasn't meant to be, however, and Youkilis stayed with the team who was developing him the Boston Red Sox.

Mark Teahen was drafted by Beane and the A's but never played for the 'Moneyball ' honcho. Teahen was traded to the Royals a trade for which the A's received Octavio Dotel. Mark Teahen traded to the Toronto Blue Jays,

Bobby Crosby stepped up to the challenge and became the starting shortstop for the A's when Miguel Tejada left for the Orioles after the 2003 season. Crosby was good enough in his rookie season to win rookie of the year the first A's player to accomplish that in the Moneyball era. Crosby left the A's for the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2008 season. diamondbacks release bobby crosby, Bobby Crosby rookie of the year,

Nick Swisher began the statistical climb immediately following his rookie season in Oakland in 2004. He contributed in the A's line-up until he was traded to the White Sox in 2008. Nick Swisher album Believe,

Joe Blanton was brought up to the A's to shore up the rotation after Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson were both traded from the roster. Blanton showed promise in his first years in Oakland. From 2005-2007, Blanton improved statistically but was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.

Chad Bradford played a role for Beane's team from 2001 until 2004. As a reliever, Bradford had three good years in Oakland until he was traded to the Red Sox following a statistical slump. Chad Bradford retired coach Mississippi,

After Mark McGwire's departure via trade, Jason Giambi assumed the role of starting first baseman for the A's. Although Giambi had been with the team since 1995, it wasn't until 1999 that he really began to hit his stride. Giambi's best years for Oakland came in 2000 and 2001. Giambi won the AL MVP in 2000 and almost won the MVP in 2001 but most importantly he helped the A's get to the playoffs both of those years.

The A's drafted Eric Chavez in 1996. The third baseman was a slugger at the plate and a stalwart defensively, winning six Gold Gloves in six seasons. After 13 years with the A's, Chavez left for the Yankees as a free agent.

One of the earlier acquisitions for Beane, Miguel Tejada made his way to the A's late in the 1997 season and became the starting shortstop in 1998. As projected, Tejada's statistics began to back up his athletic promise. In 2002, Tejada had his best season and helped propel the A's into the playoffs. Miguel Tejada released by giants,

Jason Isringhausen joined the staff in Oakland as a relief pitcher in 1999. In 2000 he had one of his best statistical seasons for any A's closer in history, helping lead the team to the playoffs.

Tim Hudson rounded out the trifecta of talented, young pitchers that starred for the A's during the Moneyball era. Right out of the gate, Hudson tore up major league baseball, going 11-2 in his rookie season and winning 20 games in his second. The A's traded Hudson to the Atlanta Braves in 2005.

Mark Mulder benefitted from being part of the 'Moneyball' Oakland A's. Teaming up with Barry Zito and Tim Hudson, Mulder helped the A's reach the MLB playoffs from 2000 to 2003. mark mulder analyst on espn baseball tonight,

Barry Zito developed into a monster talent with the Oakland A's. Zito won a Cy Young award in 2002 two years after his major league debut. The magic ran out in Oakland for Zito after the 2006 season — he was traded to the San Francisco Giants. Barry Zito back on the mound, Barry Zito Cy Young Award, San Francisco Giants,

Source: foxsports

Marlins Leo Nunez allegedly played under fake name

Marlins Leo Nunez allegedly played under fake name

Marlins Leo Nunez allegedly played under fake name, The Associated Press reports that the Florida Marlins closer and Dominican native has been playing under an assumed name for all seven of his years in Major League Baseball and is actually older than the age that's listed by the team.The news came to light on Thursday as Nunez returned to the Dominican Republic to sort the issue out and was placed on the Marlins' restricted list. It probably goes without saying that he is not expected to pitch for the Marlins the last week of the season. Nunez was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000 and played four years with the Kansas City Royals before landing the closer's job in South Florida in 2009.

From the Associated Press:

One of the people said Nunez's real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo and he's 29, a year older than listed in the team media guide.

Though Thursday's news was sudden, it shouldn't come as a total shock. Young players in Latin America have been known to forge identification or assume other identities in order to appear younger and secure better signing bonuses. Back in 2009, Sports Illustrated revealed that a 19-year-old Washington Nationals prospect named Esmailyn Gonzalez was actually a 23-year-old named Carlos Lugo. The fraud prompted the FBI to investigate the possible skimming of foreign players' signing bonuses and the incident cost GM Jim Bowden and front office assistant Jose Rijo their jobs. Lugo, meanwhile, returned to the Nationals under his correct name this year for extended spring training.

How this will all sort out for Nunez/Oviedo is anybody's guess, but there's a lot at stake for him. After saving 92 games for the Marlins over the last three seasons, he's about to enter his third and final year of arbitration and would enter free agency in 2013.

Source: yahoo

Match abandoned in Uruguay after linesman is hit with a roll of paper

Match abandoned in Uruguay after linesman is hit with a roll of paper, Linesman Hit On The Head By Roll Of Paper During Nacional vs Universidad de Chile Copa Sudamericana Match. Nacional’s match at home to Universidad de Chile in the Copa Sudamericana was abandoned after a linesman was struck by an object thrown from the crowd.
Universidad de Chile were dominating the game at the Parque Central stadium on Wednesday, leading 2-0, when one of the linesmen was hit in the 47th minute by a roll of paper, which Uruguayan media suggested came from a cash register.

The official was knocked to the ground and received treatment for several minutes before the referee called the match off.

The South American Football Confederation (CSF) said that it would meet later in the week to decide on the outcome. Universidad won the first leg 1-0.

1985 bears and white house

1985 bears and white house, “Better late than never” must be on the lips of the members of the 1985 Bears team. They are finally getting the acknowledgement and the honor that was long due to them. More than two decades after they blazed the NFL with a 15-1 season and then managed to win the Super Bowl XX in classic style, they have now been invited to the White House. They are going to be honored for their trail-blazing feat that they managed to pull off in 1986.The 1985 Chicago Bears are all set to go to the White House on the 7th of October for a ceremony in which they would be honored. Many of the sports personalities and sports analysts are of the strong opinion that the 1985 Chicago Bears team was perhaps the greatest team of all time.

After their remarkable victory they were supposed to be honored in the White House but it never happened unfortunately due to the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion that took place on the 28th of January 1986. All the crew members of the space shuttle lost their lives and thus all ceremonies were postponed for a while.

Source: thaindian

NFL Power Rankings Week 3

NFL Power Rankings Week 3, So, what do we know after Week 2 in the NFL? Well, it's clear the Packers and Patriots are entrenched atop ESPN.com's Power Rankings, while the Browns, Colts and Seahawks have the look of season-long bottom dwellers.

Answers about other teams are not so clear. The Bills are 2-0 and jump 11 spots this week but still have not cracked the top 15. We'll know much more about them after they host the Patriots this week. The Titans are just behind Buffalo after moving up eight spots, with a bad loss and a good win to their credit. And what to make of the surprising Redskins, who are in the top half of the rankings at 2-0?

Our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, NFC West blogger Mike Sando and AFC East blogger James Walker) have thoughts on other big movers, such as the Texans, Broncos, Chiefs and Jaguars

Additional clarity will hopefully come out of the Week 3 schedule, which features Green Bay at Chicago, Atlanta at Tampa Bay and Washington at Dallas on "Monday Night Football."

Read more: espn

Randy Moss the Mossiah

Randy Moss the Mossiah, On the afternoon Randy Moss, the Mossiah, was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans, Nashville was singing. In the moments before the Titans officially claimed Moss off waivers Wednesday, it was dreary in the city, raindrops were falling, clouds raced across the open expanse of the gray sky, it seemed like winter was near.

But Thursday. the sun was out, there were no clouds, and one of the two best wide receivers to ever play the game -- Jerry Rice is still the best -- will be suiting up for the Titans come next Sunday in Miami. Thirteen years after the Tennessee Titans passed on Randy Moss in the 1998 draft, making wide receiver Kevin Dyson the top wideout taken that year with the 16th overall pick, Moss is finally in Nashville. Over the last decade and change, the Titans' decision to pass on Moss has been a lingering point of discussion in the city. Would Moss, in a Titans uniform, have altered the often-staid offensive philosophy of head coach Jeff Fisher? As Moss racked up 948 catches, 14,778 yards, 153 touchdowns and counting, Titans fans couldn't help but watch the highlights and sigh. He could have been the Titans, if only they'd taken the risk to draft him.

Meanwhile, Dyson, the man Tennessee did draft, is now the head coach of a suburban Nashville high school team. Dyson went on to tally 178 career catches, 2,325 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. It wasn't that Dyson was a bad player, just that he was always inextricably linked to Moss in the mind of Titans fans. When Dyson came up a yard short to end the 2000 Super Bowl, who among us didn't think during the long winter that followed, would Moss have scored there?

As Steve McNair came into his own at quarterback and began to throw the ball down the field -- eventually sharing the MVP with Peyton Manning in 2003 -- the Titans' own limitations at wideout became even more glaringly apparent. What might McNair have been capable of producing in his career with a player of Moss' stature lining up out wide? If only, Titans fans lamented, we'd taken Randy Moss back in 1998 with our 16th pick in the first round. Moss was still on the board until the 21st!

Woe is us, Tennessee fans thought, we're constrained to the dustbin of wide receiver history. Year after year, the Titans failed to have a game-breaking wideout, the curse of passing on Randy Moss. Give us your Yancey Thigpens and Carl Pickens, your David Givens and Tyrone Calicos, all of whom arrived in the city with great promise, only to be dashed on the rocks of mediocrity along the shores of downtown's Cumberland River. Where, oh where, was a wide receiver who could make the crowd stand and cheer? Alas, it seemed possible Tennessee would never have one at all.

Read more: aolnews

Adrian Peterson Nickname Purple Jesus

Adrian Peterson Nickname Purple Jesus, Adrian Peterson has a signature upright running style that is rare when combined with his power and agility. Peterson burst onto the NFL scene in 2007, racking up over 1,300 yards in his rookie season, earning him this moniker.