You might know him as a genius. Or maybe as a revolutionary. Or maybe you simply know him as the general manager of the Oakland Athletics. One way or another, you know Billy Beane.
He is arguably the most famous executive in sports, a byproduct of Michael Lewis' best-selling 2003 book Moneyball (also an upcoming motion picture), which detailed how he was able to compete annually with baseball's financial powers on a strict budget and introduced many fans to sabermetrics.
Beane stopped by FanHouse to chat with fans Friday afternoon. Read the transcript after the jump.
Billy Beane: Hello everyone.
Brian: Bill James has weighed in on the BCS vs. Playoffs debate in college football, its off topic but I was wondering Billy's opinion on the whole thing especially in light of his comments in Moneyball about baseball's playoffs being essentially a crapshoot?
Billy Beane: I'm a huge college football fan and in particular the USC Trojans, being from SoCal. The most recent college footballs easons have left me unfulfilled. I'd be in favor in either a playoff system or a final game after the bowls are done to determine a national champion. But I speak as a fan and realize logistically it's not that easy to do.
Robert: Billy, do you feel you still have the same competitive advantage as you did during the "Moneyball" period? Or do you think too many other teams have started using the same methodolgy? Thanks.
Billy Beane: That's first to assume we had any advantage. There is no question that the people running baseball teams now are an incredibly bright group and they continue to get better and better at what they do. When you think of the Red Sox, and you think of not only how bright, young and passionate they are about their jobs, but they also have the revenues to ultimately create you realize the challenges that we and other small markets face in an effort to compete.
Brian: Thank you sir
Bill: Billy, have you updated your "little white box" hand-held scoreboard to a more high-tech equivalent?
Billy Beane: I'll gamecast on my BlackBerry now.
Robert: Billy, would you be in favor of a salary cap in baseball?
Billy Beane I'll pass on that one.
Jake: How much of a relief was it to finally see Matt Holliday homer? Do you expect him to be better the rest of the way?
Billy Beane: I'm sure it was a bigger relief to Matt than us. Matt's track record and given the fact he's in the prime of his career suggests he'll be fine. His early season power outage is probably because he's been pressing.
Brian: With his hot start to the year at AA, do you see Adrian Cardenas moving to AAA soon and possibly getting a look in September?
Billy Beane: Everyone is excited about the start that Adrian has gotten off to at Midland. He's a guy, obviously given who we traded to acquire him (Blanton), he's a guy we think highly of. As far what happens down the road, it's too early to say. But he's certainly ont he right track.
Brian: What is the update on Jason Giambi? Is he playing tonight or will he be out a couple of more days?
Billy Beane: No update on Jason yet. We don't think his leg problems are serious.
skdub: You've had plenty of opportunities to run clubs in a bigger markets (with bigger payrolls), why stay in Oakland?
Billy Beane: From a profesional standpoint, I enjoy the challenges. From a personal standpoint, my whole life is in California with my family and my wife's family.
skdub: Have you seen Steven Strasburg in person, and what do you think? Is he worth all the hype?
Billy Beane: I haven't had the opportunity to see him in person, but I've seen plenty of video. It's hard not to be impressed.
thomas: How would you compare the players of today, and the players of 30 years ago, Do you think the talent is diluted, and efforts aren't what they should be?
Billy Beane: I think the players of today are better than the players of 30 years ago, just like in any sport. The players 15 years from now will be better than the players of today. Baseball, because of the salaries and the length of a baseball player's career, the game is attracting some better and better athletes, not just from the U.S. ,but from all over the world. As we continue to grow the game internationally, you'll even see greater players and greater athletes.
Brian: What are your thoughts on changing the way the draft is run. Would you be in favor of being able to trade picks?
Billy Beane: I would be in favor of trading draft picks. I think it would create more opportunities for teams and more flexibility. I think it would create more interest from a fan's standpoint. That being said, I do think it is something you'd have to really study before you implemented it to make sure that you don't create some unintended consquences.
Billy Beane: Lotta questions. Let me think.
Bobby: Will the A's be adding a left-handed reliever to the team, after the demotion of Jerry Blevins and Josh Outman's return to the rotation?
Billy Beane: Ideally we would like to have a left-hander in the pen, but I think first and foremost we want guys who can give us outs, whether they are right-handed or left-handed. That being said, despite the lack of a left hander in the bullpen we've been very pleased the way our bullpen has performed.
Jacob: Which other teams do you think fly under the radar in terms of talent evaluation and squeezing more out of a dollar? I think the Marlins do a tremendous job.
Billy Beane: I think there are a lot of teams who are very good at and maybe don't get the recognition, but I would certainly agree with you about the Marlins. They are as good as anbody when it comes to identifying young talent. Larry Beinfest has done a tremendous job in turning over that roster year after year.
Bruce: Do you think revenue sharing has helped the smaller market teams like Tampa Bay, Kansas City...etc ?
Billy Beane: Revenue sharing has certainly helped. It's not a perfect system as it is, but hter eis no question it has been a big boost for smaller market teams.
jon welland: Who is going to win more games in 2009: dallas braden or tottenham hotspur?!
Billy Beane: For our sake, I hope it's Braden. But 'Arry Rednap's late push has the Spurs raising the bar a bit.
Brian: What are your thoughts on the way Brett Anderson and Cahill have pitched so far? Didn't Cahill get skipped the last time around?
Billy Beane: I think to this point it's what you would expect from two very young pitchers entering the major leagues. They've had some very positive moments and some moments they'll certainly learn from. We think veyr highly of both of them and they are both on their way to outstanding careers. We also understand we're going to have to be very patient with them.
Reggie: I noticed that Doolittle is playing the outfield for Sacramento. Is this where you see him playing at the Major League level or is it more a result of Barton playing AAA?
Billy Beane: It's more a result of Daric being there as well. These are two young players we thnk very highly of, plus it might help Sean and create some versatility for us down the road.
Billy Beane: OK guys, I've got to get back to work. Thanks for your questions.
