Okay, let me just clear this up - I don't understand baseball and I generally avoid watching sporty movies but well....let's just say - that this happened.  Yes, K.M will be back next Wednesday.

Synopsis

Billy Beane has some salary constraints.  He can't get the best people for his team because well, he just can't afford it.  He meets up with a young Yale graduate at a meeting who has this hypothesis that using statistical analysis he can get the best team together to actually win.  He hires him and they go ahead putting a team together made up of baseball left overs from other teams.  Baseball players from the bottom of the barrel.  What eventually happens?  Well you have to watch the movie to find out.

Why Should You Watch This Movie?

Wow, first there are so many lessons that one can take from this movie as a spiritual person and namely they are:

a) When we are down to the last drop - God is up to something.  Most of these players had given up , many of them had flaws, many had been dropped on the side by the world standard - they were not good  enough or too old or too christian or too hick but there was something that was within them that when given the opportunity to shine.  They shined.  God is always up to something even at our lowest and last moment. 

b) It goes beyond numbers.  Okay, I admit, I was a bit fascinated by the theory that some mathematical/ statistical theory could predict how a person will do in a game.  It seemed pretty similar to saying that some one's GPA could predict how successful a person can be. It didn't take into account environmental factors and how that could actually influence how successful or not a person can be.  That was the implicit lesson  to be learnt.  According to statistics - they should have won the championship but they didn't.   According to statistics, these players should have been chosen by top teams but they weren't.  The environment and who you surround yourself with can influence who you are, how you think and how far you go.  I believe there is a bible verse about this. 

c)  We all have our inner battles - the major battle is ensuring that your inner battle does not take over your whole world.  Each of the main characters had battles they were fighting with.  Billy Bean had his inner demons - he was accepted into an IVY league university but chose not to pursue it because he was persuaded by a scout that he had what it takes to get into the big league.  It didn't work out and all he was working with was his high school diploma.  This made him harder and he had some inner resentments against scouts and even though he never said it, he wanted to prove all scouts wrong by saying that their experience do not count but rather numbers and stats could.  This demon affected everything he did and nearly swallowed him but one of the things I will have to give to Billy is that he knew when to reel it in and focus on what was at hand.  How many of us have our own little demons and how do these demons affect how we view life and what we do?

d) Nothing wrong with being different:  When Billy decided to accept the hypothesis of a Yale  graduate with no experience.  He knew that he was doing something different.  He was stepping out of the baseball status quo.  He was thinking out of the box and he was going to face resistance and did he face resistance.   But, he stuck to this and his little Yale graduate because a) he felt there was something to this hypothesis b) he felt that there was a need to shake things up in baseball.  The game of Baseball, baseball players, scouts and coaches had gotten a little too comfortable and there was a need to try something different.  Because he was willing to try something different, his team went really far, players that everyone had given hope on became major ones and he introduced a new way of looking at baseball which was picked up by other teams. 

Basically, today's message is this :  Be different.  Stand for what you believe.  Deal with your demons.  If you can't deal with them ensure it doesn't affect your present. Be careful  about the environment you place yourself in and who you have in your circle. The only time to give up is at your last breathe.  God is always up to something positive and wonderful in your life if you can just give him a chance. 

Go, watch the movie and let us know what you think.  Remember this is documentarish......

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Brad Pitt	...	Billy Beane
	Jonah Hill	...	Peter Brand
	Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Art Howe
	Robin Wright	...	Sharon
	Chris Pratt	...	Scott Hatteberg
	Stephen Bishop	...	David Justice
	Brent Jennings	...	Ron Washington
	Ken Medlock	...	Grady Fuson
	Tammy Blanchard	...	Elizabeth Hatteberg
	Jack McGee	...	John Poloni
	Vyto Ruginis	...	Pittaro
	Nick Searcy	...	Matt Keough
	Glenn Morshower	...	Ron Hopkins
	Casey Bond	...	Chad Bradford
	Nick Porrazzo	...	Jeremy Giambi