Monday Update: The film brought in $20.6 million during its opening weekend, good for second place. It’s the largest opening weekend for any baseball movie, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

Just enjoy the show.

You’ll understand that when you see the new Brad Pitt baseball movie Moneyball, a film that’s really not just a baseball movie — it’s a drama that’s one part sports film, one part business film and, without a doubt, a Film that will resonate for a few people for different reasons.

I have a few, which are reflected in my collection as well as moments in my career.

Sports fans probably all know how the Moneyball philosophy — finding undervalued talent via non-traditional statistical analysis vs. gut feeling and traditional methods — has worked out for the Oakland A’s and GM Billy Beane since 2002. And we all know the outcome of that season, too.

But the film’s finish — its message — is quite special.

To me, pair of moments — one on the field, one not — make the underlying message of the movie clear. And, of course, it’s perfectly fitting that, of those two moments, one actually happened and the other is a bit of a Hollywood creation. (Neither of these is the real-life Hollywood moment in the film — Scott Hatteberg‘s home run that clinched Oakland’s record 20th consecutive win. That’s “the moment” for those thinking it’s just a baseball movie … )

Moneyball is not just about sports — it’s about life. And, more importantly, there’s a reminder that the haves and have-nots are part of that, especially as seen in baseball. The film makes that aspect quite obvious in its opening moments after it opens with a Mickey Mantle quote.

“It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing your whole life.”

Immediately after that, the film recaps the 2001 American League Division Series in which Beane’s small-market A’s were sent home by the New York Yankees in five games, noting the payroll disparity right on the screen to etch it into viewers’ minds. (It’s about a $80 million difference.) For a long-time Oakland A’s fan, seeing that much Yankee — that much Derek Jeter — at the start of an A’s film was painful. At least The Flip wasn’t shown — that would have made me ill, and it would have messed up some of the Hollywood “adjustments” made about the 2002 A’s roster and season, which most of the film focuses on.

Reason 1: Moneyball resonates with me because I’m an A’s fan. (And I have the baseball cards to prove it!)

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My first encounter with Michael Lewis‘ best-selling book, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, came on May 26, 2003, in a Waterstone’s bookstore in the Atlanta airport — all these years later my receipt remains my bookmark. I examined the magazine section of the store, finding nothing that appealed during a lengthy layover. I headed to the sports section and one book’s starkly designed red and white spine with an unusual name jumped out at me from the shelf.

I flipped through the book, discovering it was about the A’s — I hadn’t heard about the book as I was living deep in college football territory at the time, Tuscaloosa, Ala., home of the Alabama Crimson Tide — and flipped through the pages, landing at Chapter 5.

The chapter’s name? “The Jeremy Brown Blue Plate Special.”

After reading a bit, I quickly realized it was that Jeremy Brown, the Crimson Tide’s catcher who had been drafted by the A’s in 2002.

Needless to say, I bought the book — and it became one of my favorites, if not the favorite of my collection. It was $25.39 well spent.

Reason 2: It resonates because of some unexpected hometown ties.

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I remember the day Brown was drafted pretty well working in the sports department of The Tuscaloosa News – it was June 4, 2002, to be precise. I was working the front page of the sports section (click here to see it) and we had to re-do everything when Brown surprisingly was taken in the first round — just the third first-rounder in the history of the program. While the headline I wrote read “A’s draft Tide catcher in first round,” the story behind how that happened is found in the book, where Oakland’s drafting strategy is chronicled along with the rest of its team-building philosophies.

Beane’s discussions with the scouts about Brown — which didn’t make the movie (save for perhaps a single line) — weren’t flattering. An excerpt:

“This kid wears a large pair of underwear,” says another old scout.

“Okay,” says Billy.

“It’s soft body,” says the most vocal old scout. “A fleshy kind of a body.”

“Oh, you mean like Babe Ruth?” says Billy. Everyone laughs, the guys on Billy’s side of the room more happily than the older scouts across from him.

“I don’t know,” says the scout. “A body like that can be low energy.”

“Sometimes low energy is just being cool,” says Billy.

“Yeah,” says the scout. “Well, in this case low energy is because when he walks, his thighs stick together.”

“I repeat: we’re not selling jeans here,” says Billy.

“That’s good,” says the scout. “Because if you put him in corduroys, he’d start a fire.”

How Brown was such a high draft pick, despite not being a top prospect, was because the Moneyball philosophy valued the ability to get on base more than other aspects of the game. Plus, the team agreed to draft him early so it could save money and sign him for less than the typical player at that spot.

Ultimately, though, Brown never lived up to his billing — he retired in 2008 at age 28 with a total of 10 at-bats in the major leagues. Yet, of all the big-league talent talked about in the book taken in the “Moneyball Draft” — New York Yankees All-Star Nick Swisher (my favorite player; make that Reason 3) and former Phillies starter Joe Blanton, for example — only Brown has a moment on the big screen where he is mentioned by name.

I won’t give away what happens in the film, but it’s an embarrassing play — yes, it happened — that is a metaphor for what Beane had just accomplished with the A’s. It’s also a play prompts one of the more memorable lines from Pitt — one that might end up being quoted by fans for some time.

“How can you not be romantic about baseball?”

Reason 4: Jeremy Brown’s redemption. (Makes me feel much better about that late-night game-used bat purchase on eBay some time ago … I like it even more now.)

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As a player, Beane was a bust. His playing career is quickly recapped in a few scenes to bring the point home in the film. However, his temper was showcased a bit, too  — though perhaps not as much as in the book — along with his competitive outlook of how he wanted to win it all in Oakland so they could show how they had changed the game.

Anyone who has opted to chase achievements or set goals for their career — or make decisions about their path in life — can appreciate this, especially if you’re one of the “have-nots” trying to become a “have.” Same goes for the use of data and analysis in gauging one’s success vs. traditional, formulaic thinking — that’s something that anyone in the business world should relate to.

One has to wonder whether Beane’s disposition has tempered through the years and whether his decision to not take the Boston GM job resonate with him to this day. Interestingly, the details from real life — he took the job and then didn’t — did not make the film.

Reason 5: Beane’s disposition and drive — and how it perhaps evolves. (Makes me a bigger fan, reminding me of the baseball cards I still need!)

The second moment of the film, one partially created for dramatic effect, suggests that Beane’s outlook might have changed or that he’d decided to just enjoy the show, enjoy his accomplishments, enjoy life — perhaps that’s a message to those watching in the theater.

But that’s all I’ll say as I don’t want to give away anything about the film’s final scene. Instead, I’ll recommend that you just enjoy the show.

I know I did.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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MORE MONEYBALL & MEMORABILIA

This month’s Beckett Sports Card Monthly — The Sports Movie Issue

Sept. 19 — Collecting Moneyball won’t be too tough

Aug. 10 — Second Moneyball teaser poster arrives

July 21 — Coming soon … Moneyball and its memorabilia

Oct. 21, 2008 — Casting Moneyball — the movie

Columbia Pictures recently signed a writer and director for a big-screen adaptation of the best-selling baseball book Moneyball, which explores the unorthodox scouting and business procedures of the small-market Oakland A’s and General Manager Billy Beane.

Who’s possibly in line to play Beane? Brad Pitt.

While I’m not buying that one, I’m no casting scout so I did the next best thing — I scoured the Internet for some mug shots (not the cards below) and went to myheritage.com and used its Celebrity Face Recognition software to cast the flick …

Billy Beane, A’s General Manager
As a player, he was the can’t-miss prospect who did just that. He was a bust — which is perhaps one of the reasons he defies conventional wisdom with scouting. (Well, that and the fact that his team is constantly a few million short … ) The book focuses on his role during the 2002 draft.

Key card: None, really, but his 1986 Donruss card is one of his RCs.

Casting call (actual names generated from the site based off his images): Dennis Quaid, Emilio Estevez, Colin Farrell, Patrick Dempsey, Rick Schroeder, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Andie McDowell.

My pick: While Farrell’s bristly vocabulary is probably accurate given the contents of Moneyball, I just can’t pick him. Quaid? He’s been in too many sports movies. Spacey? Beane is no Lex Luthor — he’d have a World Series title by now. And while I’d love to see Andie McDowell pull it off — and playing Beane would be the antithesis of Bridges’ The Dude in The Big Lebowski – I think maybe Pitt might be the man compared to this list. If not, I’ll go with Schroeder.

Nick Swisher, outfield/1st base
The star player of Moneyball the guy that Beane and the scouts could agree on was Swisher — a player that was so much of a high on Beane’s want list that he didn’t scout him in person fearing that would tip his hand to others.

Key card: 2002 Bowman Draft Chrome.

Casting call (actual names generated from the site): Short-haired Swisher — Chris Noth, Annika Sorenstam, Dwight Eisenhower, Johnny Damon, Mel Gibson, Benicio Del Toro, Leo DiCaprio. Long-haired Swisher — Tom Brady, Edward Norton, Ruben Studdard, Rose McGowan.

My pick: I’d have to bet that this movie would show the “evolution” of Swisher from prospect to longhair — he grew out his hair to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a program that makes wigs for cancer patients — and then end with his shocking trade to the Chicago White Sox in January. Really, Damon (whose exit via free agency gave the A’s the draft pick used for Swisher) makes most sense here given his follicular exploits — except Swisher is more of a talker. And while Studdard and McGowan are interesting picks, we need some star power in this part. Let’s go with DiCaprio.

Joe Blanton, pitcher
Like Swisher, this former University of Kentucky star was one of the key players from the Moneyball draft for the A’s — and like Swisher he’s no longer with the team. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies this season and may have a World Series ring to show for it later tonight.

Key card: 2002 Bowman Draft Chrome.

Casting call (actual names generated from the site): Apolo Ohno, Tom Welling, Snoop Dogg, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon.

My pick: Hmm. Is the facial recognition software working? Blanton’s not built like any of these guys — I don’t call him Fat Joe for nothin’. We can’t have a Smallville Superman trumping the star of the movie. (Well, unless you think Blanton is the star … like I said, he might have a World Series ring later tonight.) Man, I don’t like any of these picks — how ’bout Philip Seymour Hoffman? They’re at least built alike …

Jeremy Brown, catcher
This University of Alabama star famously was the “fat-bodied” catcher who wasn’t among Baseball America’s top 25 at his position — yet the the A’s drafted in the first round.

An excerpt from the book:

“This kid wears a large pair of underwear,” says another old scout. It’s the first time in two days that this old scout has spoken. …

“Okay,” says Billy.

“It’s soft body,” says the most vocal old scout. “A fleshy kind of a body.”

“Oh, you mean like Babe Ruth?” says Billy. Everyone laughs, the guys on Billy’s side of the room more happily than the older scouts across from him.

“I don’t know,” says the scout. “A body like that can be low energy.”

“Sometimes low energy is just being cool,” says Billy.

“Yeah,” says the scout. “Well, in this case low energy is because when he walks, his thighs stick together.”

“I repeat: we’re not selling jeans here,” says Billy.

“That’s good,” says the scout. “Because if you put him in corduroys, he’d start a fire.”

Key card: 2002 Bowman Draft Chrome.

Casting call (actual names generated): Owen Wilson, Pedro Martinez, Sophie Marceau, Cameron Bright.

My pick: What is it with Pedro popping up on here — does his agent have that much pull? And as much as I’d love to see Marceau pull off this part, something tells me that the jeans scene above would be problematic (unless there’s a product placement sponsor), so I’ll go with Bright — since he’s only 15 it could add to the role of the already-retired Brown.

Mark Teahen, 3rd base/outfield
A’s fans never really got to see what he could do — he was part of the trade that landed the A’s Octavio Dotel – but he’s done relatively well with the lowly Kansas City Royals the last few seasons.

Key card: 2002 Bowman Draft Chrome.

Casting call (actual names generated): Lionel Richie, Ernest Borgnine, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Willem Dafoe, Hugh Jackman.

My pick: What? Perhaps he looked older in the photo I submitted. Let’s go with Vin Diesel and presume that Teahen wants to blow up McAfee Coliseum in action star-style when he plays his former franchise in one late-movie sequence.

Casting other players of note …

Tim Hudson: Freddie Prinze Jr., Ludacris, Wyatt Hanson. … Uh, the only serious option here is Prinze.

Mark Mulder: Matthew Fox, James Van Der Beek, Richard Gere. … Only one man is Mulder. It’s this guy.

Barry Zito: Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey, Seann William Scott. … Zito has it all — and lost it, something that Iglesias, Lachey, and Scott can identify with. Zito’s filthy rich but has lost his game. Iglesias lost Anna Kournikova (we think), Lachey lost Jessica Simpson. And Scott, a ka Stiffler? Not sure he had anything to lose — and he might be able to play Zito, after all. He showed off some serious Zitoesque guitar skills in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Skinny Jason Giambi: Rebecca Romijn, Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher, Hillary Swank. … I don’t care if BALCO wasn’t a part of this book, skinny Giambi will make his way into the story. And Swank has the acting chops to pull off this role.

Bulked-up Jason Giambi: Ruben Studdard, Willie Nelson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Derek Jeter. … I know it’s facial-recognition software, and it can be finicky, but man. I’ll take Studdard with a lot of creative license — think Kingpin in Daredevil.

Bobby Crosby: Matthew Perry, Isaac Hanson, Ralph Nader, Dolph Lundgren, Matt Damon. Hmm … I hated Friends, so it’s either a Hanson (Mmm-bop!), Ivan Drago, or Damon. Forget that, I’ll go with Ben Affleck — he was the bomb in Phantoms, yo.

Have any choices of your own? Let this Oakland A’s fan know …

Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.