Hattie. Not Pena.
What's up, skip?
How you doing? Good, how you doing, man?
Get some sleep last night?
As the A's hit the field, we are ready for baseball.
First one out of the dugout is rookie sensation Carlos Pena,
one of the few bright lights in this lineup, taking his spot at first base.
Billy, quick question. Do you expect these guys to produce more or--?
Not now. What's the reason for the slump?
Get down.
Is losing fun?
No.
What are you having fun for?
That's what losing sounds like.
Are you okay, Dad?
You're doing it again. What?
You're worrying about me.
You're in last place, Dad.
Do I look worried? Yeah.
Because you're getting on an airplane, and those things crash all the time.
Please stop worrying about your dad.
We're all set. Okay.
I love you. Love you too.
All right. Your dad's not in trouble.
Okay.
Yeah.
Suzanne, get me Ed Wade. Okay.
Coffee on? Yes.
Good morning. Good morning, Billy.
Oh, hi, Louisa.
I need Ed Wade for Billy Beane. Hi.
Please hold.
What's up? Wade's on 2.
Ed? Hello?
Ed, it's Billy. Billy, what's up?
Look, I need a little help on defense. Okay.
I'm willing to trade Jeremy Giambi for it.
Really? What?
Mm-hm. Who you got? What?
Well, let me think. What are you doing?
Cleaning house.
Mabry? Maybe what?
No, Mabry. Hold on.
No. Why not?
Because you can't trade Jeremy Giambi.
He'll be fine, Ed.
Why do I get the feeling you're picking my pocket?
I'm not. You're picking mine. Giambi's name alone is worth more.
What's wrong with him? Nothing.
Can we say it's done in theory and start drawing up the paperwork?
Okay, but you're gonna have-- Great.
He was gonna say something else.
When you get the answer you're looking for, hang up.
Suzanne. Yes?
David Dombrowski. Okay.
And Pena's going too. I don't think you should do that.
I really don't think you should do that.
I want Hatteberg in the lineup tonight.
You need to take a minute.
I think you seriously need to think about what you're doing.
Because you're upset. Okay.
What am I missing?
These are hard moves to explain to people.
Why is that a problem, Pete?
Don't make an emotional decision, Billy.
David Dombrowski's on 3.
Look, we're gonna shake things up.
Dave. Pena's going on the block. You're my first call.
Because he's making the rest of the team look bad.
He's gonna be a Rookie of the Year.
Probably an All-Star. He's an All-Star, Dave.
No. I want a reliever and cash.
Okay. You got five minutes, Dave. I'm not waiting.
Billy, Pena is an All-Star, okay?
And if you dump him and this Hatteberg thing doesn't work out, you know this is--
This is the kind of decision that gets you fired.
It is.
Yes, you're right.
I may lose my job.
In which case I'm a 44-year-old guy with a high school diploma
and a daughter I'd like to be able to send to college.
You're 25 years old, with a degree from Yale
and a pretty impressive apprenticeship.
I don't think we're asking the right question.
I think the question we should be asking is,
do you believe in this thing or not?
I do.
It's a problem you think we need to explain ourselves.
Don't. To anyone.
Okay.
Now, I'm gonna see this thing through, for better or worse.
Just tell me, do you project we'll win more with Hatteberg or Pena at first?
It's close...
but theoretically, Hatteberg.
What are we talking about, then?
Dombrowski's on again, on 3.
Yeah?
Okay, that'll work.
Great. I need one more thing.
Soda. Yeah, I don't want my guys paying for soda.
I want you to stock my machine for three years.
I'm serious.
Great. It's a deal.
Go tell Pena he's gotta pack.
You want me to tell Pena? Part of the job.
What about Giambi? You want me to tell him too?
I'll tell him.
Excuse me, Carlos? Yeah?
Can I speak with you a minute? Yeah.
Carlos, you've been traded to the Tigers.
This is Jay Palmer's number.
He's the traveling secretary for the team.
He's expecting your call. He'll take care of everything.
Is that it? Yes.
Okay.
Art, you got a minute?
Yeah. Take a seat.
You can't start Pena at first tonight. You'll have to start Hatteberg.
I don't wanna go 15 rounds, Billy.
The lineup card is mine, and that's all.
That lineup card is definitely yours.
I'm just saying you can't start Pena at first.
Well...
I am starting him at first.
I don't think so. He plays for Detroit now.
You traded Pena?
Yeah.
And Menechino, Hiljus, Tam are all being sent down.
You are outside your mind. Yeah. Cuckoo.
You wanted to see me? Yeah, Jeremy, grab a seat.
Jeremy, you've been traded to the Phillies.
This is Ed Wade's number. He's a good guy, the .
He's expecting your call.
Buddy will help you with the plane flight.
You're a good ballplayer, Jeremy,
and we wish you the best.
Jeremy's gone too.
You're killing this team.
Art, I can do this all day long.
Hey.
You agree with this?
Hundred percent.
You want this door closed?
Scotty H. Sir?
Go field some grounders. Yes, sir.
Everybody, listen up.
You may not look like a winning team...
but you are one.
So...
play like one tonight.
Oh, shit.
When you're getting your pitch, you're hitting .625, massive.
You're crushing the ball.
But when you swing at things-- Your pitch is middle-in.
When you're swinging low and away, you're batting .158.
Every at bat's like a hand of blackjack.
Every card that's dealt, your odds change.
So every first-pitch strike, your batting average goes down about 75 points.
Seventy-five points.
He should throw 100 pitches before the fifth.
You wanna knock that starter out.
I want you taking at bats off the 10th and 11th pitcher by the end.
This is your basic breakdown of the pitches,
where you should be hitting them, why.
So you want us to walk more? Good question. Yes.
Mr. Justice.
Had a few thoughts. Yeah?
Yeah. Gonna teach me some things?
Excuse me?
Never seen a talk to players like that.
You never seen a who was a player.
Huh.
We got a problem, David? No, it's okay.
I know your routine.
It's patter. It's for effect.
But it's for them, all right? That shit ain't for me.
Oh, you're special?
You're paying me 7 million bucks a year, man, so, yeah,
maybe I am, a little bit.
No, man, I ain't paying you 7.
Yankees are paying half your salary.
That's what the New York Yankees think of you.
They're paying you $3.5 million to play against them.
Where you going with this, Billy?
David, you're 37.
How about you and I be honest about what each of us want out of this?
I wanna milk the last ounce of baseball you got in you.
And you wanna stay in the show.
Let's do that.
I'm not paying you for the player you used to be.
I'm paying you for the player you are right now.
You're smart. You get what we're trying to do here.
Make an example for the younger guys.
Be a leader.
Can you do that?
All right. I got you.
We're cool?
We're cool.
Scotty H.
Yo, what's up, D.J.? Picking machine.
How you liking first base, man?
It's coming along. Picking it up.
You know, tough transition, but I'm starting to feel better with it.
Yeah? Yeah.
What's your biggest fear?
A baseball being hit in my general direction.
That's funny. Seriously, what is it?
No, seriously, that is.
Well, hey, good luck with that.
Be social out there.
Social. Social. Like a greeter at the Gap.
Guy steps into your office, chat him up.
You're well-read. You went to school.
Yeah. Have some fun. Relax.
Everyone wants to attack. Quit trying to attack.
Let the game come to you, man. There's no clock on this thing.
This is a war of attrition.
If I take more, I could even take a few strikes, but I'll get walked more.
You get on base, we win. You don't, we lose.
And I hate losing, Chavvie. I hate it.
I hate losing more than I even wanna win.
And there's a difference.
No bunts. Bunts is an out.
Even if the third baseman is back? No bunting whatsoever.
If someone bunts on us, throw it to first.
Don't be a hero and go to second.
Let them make the mistakes.
When your enemy's making mistakes, don't interrupt them.
They're giving you an out. Just giving it to you.
Take it. Say thank you.
Another thing. No more stealing.
That's what I do, what you pay me to do.
I pay you to get on first, not get thrown out at second.
This is a process. It's a process, it's a process. Okay?
Jason takes it, goes to second for the only out, and the A's get a run.
Jermaine Dye homers again, his second in two games.
And the A's are still hanging in. We'll get you scores here.
The A's pull within two of the Angels for the wild-card chase.
The Reds have now dropped five in a row
as Oakland beats them in the beginning of this series 5 to 3.
Tejada walks.
Ball four.
Ball four and Hatteberg walks.
What is happening in Oakland? The A's have won seven in a row.
A lot of excitement. What a winning streak.
But how about the calming influence of Art Howe?
When you say "your source," if it's not me or Peter, they don't know.
Right. It's not a perfect roster.
But right now, Art Howe is the reason this team is winning.
He deserves the credit. Great, thanks. Bye.
Did you hear that?
I heard "seven in a row." You get the Cleveland matchups?
Yeah, right here.
Voos. Billy.
That smell is getting worse. I'm on it.
What are we doing? Splitting it in half?
Both sides of the plate. Got it.
Huddy. Mix it up. Yes, sir.
Trust your slider, yeah? Yes, sir.
You guys quit distracting him.
You couldn't hit that shit last night with a paddle.
You gotta see more pitches.
All right, Billy. Patience.
Hey, David. Hey, Billy.
Great at bats. Thank you.
Really quality. Thank you.
Chavez coming in. The ball gets past Guiel.
The A's, from 5-nothing down, now lead 6 to 5.
The Oakland A's are completely out of hand at the moment.
They are an -best 17 and 4 this month.
They also took back-to-back series at Boston and at New York.
Remember when they traded Jeremy Giambi in June
and everyone thought they'd just given up?
Actually, not so much.
Suzanne, get Shapiro on the phone.
You thinking Rincon? His season's done. He's lost faith.
I think he's gonna dump him. Hard-core.
Shapiro on 2.
Mark, Billy. Let's be honest.
A premier setup man isn't gonna get you closer to the play-offs.
Are you referring to Rincon?
He's a luxury you can't afford, man.
And you can? There's half a million on his contract.
And we've got at least one other suitor.
By "at least one," you mean one.
Who is it? I'd rather not say.
San Francisco. San Francisco.
I'll call you back.
What do you think we can get for Magnante?
Nothing.
What's left on Venafro's contract? Two seventy-five.
Suzanne, get me Sabean on the line.
Get the Giants interested in Venafro, Mark's only got one buyer for Rincon.
Us. On 3.
Saby-Sabster, it's Billy. What do you think of Venafro?
I can let you have him for almost nothing.
Why would you do that? Because I'm amazing.
I want a couple bucks and a sweetener.
Throw in, say...
Anderson. Anderson.
I like Anderson. No, you don't. Nobody likes him.
I don't know why I'm doing this. But let's do it.
Venafro for Michaelson. Anderson. I don't know his name.
I'll think about it. Think about it and call me back.
Get Shapiro on.
Shapiro's on 2.
Mark. You can't afford him, Billy.
You sure about that?
I get the impression the market for Rincon is softening.
Huh? I could be wrong,
but I'd call whoever's interested
and see if they're still interested. Call me back.
What about the Mets for Venafro? You offered him to the Giants.
Suzanne, Steve Phillips.
Between Bonds, Kent, Nen, Snow, San Francisco's never gonna do it.
Totally agree. We just need them to cool on Rincon.
Phillips on 2. Steve-o, it's Billy.
I hear you're looking for a reliever. I can give you Venafro.
I can make it quick and easy. What's the angle?
No angle. Who am I getting fleeced for?
Hang on a sec. Uh, Bennett, maybe?
How old? Twenty-six.
Twenty-six, Double-A? Forget it.
Duncan, no.
No. Furbush, no.
Eckerton? Eckerton? Eckerton.
Eckerton.
I like Eckerton. You don't even know who Eckerton is.
Is Venafro hurt? No, he's fine, he's fine.
It's just an issue for us.
Last couple times, he got hammered. Not his fault.
That was us. We misused him. It's Steve.
I'm almost done. Steve Schott.
Look, Steve-o, let me be straight with you.
Here's the deal. I'm getting Rincon. It's a done deal.
I heard the Giants-- Giants want Venafro for Michaelson.
Anderson. I'd rather deal with you.
You can give me Eckerton and $225,000 in cash,
and the Giants can't.
I'll think about it. Think about it.
But whoever calls me back first gets Venafro.
Schott hung up.
Oh, I want this one.
Why isn't anybody calling?
Shapiro's on 2.
Yeah?
Okay, let me talk to my owner. I'll call you back.
Get Steve on the phone. Schott or Phillips?
Why would we call Phillips? Phillips has gotta call us.
Tell him I'm on the other line.
Hi, Mr. Schott, it's Peter Brand. I apologize for putting you on hold.
Billy asked me to call you back. Tell him we want 225,000 for Rincon.
Billy says he needs $225,000 for Ricardo Rincon.
Please.
Yes, I added the "please" at the end.
Okay. Let me-- Hold on one second, please.
Tell him I'll pay for him.
But when I sell him back for twice the amount next year, I keep the money.
Okay, so Billy says he'll pay for Rincon himself.
But when he sells him for more money next year, he's keeping the profit.
Thank you very much. We'll call you back. Thank you.
Come on. Come on.
Suzanne, call Shapiro ba-- Never mind, I got him right here.
Mark. Yeah.
Listen, I don't want Rincon pitching against me tonight.
Tell him to change clothes and send him over. I got you the money.
Yup.
Great.
I don't wanna dampen the mood at all, but since we picked up Rincon...
We gotta send someone down.
Mags. Hey, Billy.
I know I've been struggling lately.
But second half of the season, definitely turn it around. Ricky and I--
Mike, I need you to stop getting dressed.
Traded?
I'm sorry for the crap news.
I know it hurts.
Mike, I can't have 26 guys in the clubhouse.
I get it. I get it.
Okay. Thanks.
Hey, Ricardo.
This must be a bit of a shock, I guess.
Mabry hits one deep to right-center field.
Racing back, Fick can't get it.
It bounces to the wall. One run is in. Two runs are in.
Mabry, on one pitch, has shot the A's in front.
Strike three called. Twelve straight wins for the Athletics.
Man alive, was it hairy.
Something strange is now happening in Oakland.
You cannot argue that point. Twelve straight.
They're making a joke out of the American League.
They were in Detroit today-- He throws to first.
And that's the sound of 14 straight victories.
Fourteen, the longest run this year.
It has slingshot the A's into first in the West. A nice streak.
This team was written off.
How do you explain, otherwise, the victories they've come up with?
The Oakland A's are gonna win 16 consecutive games.
This is the longest win streak in baseball, folks, in 25 years.
The A's have won 16 in a row.
We're going to 20! We're going to 20!
To have a winning streak of this duration, you have to be good,
but there's an element of randomness to it.
The 1927 Yankees, Ruth, Gehrig,
Murderers' Row, some people still say the best team ever.
Longest winning streak for them that year? Nine.
You guys try to analyze it from a numbers standpoint.
I'm telling you, there is no explanation for what's occurring right now.
Do you have superstitions going on?
Do you do things so you keep the streak alive?
The all-time record of 20 does not seem impossible anymore.
The A's were on page one ofthe New York Times.
They are the story in sports in this entire country.
Two-two pitch, here it is.
Swing and a miss! Struck him out! Number 17!
It's taken 71 years.
The Oakland A's have tied the Philadelphia A's.
The all-time franchise record 17 straight
and baseball's longest winning streak since 1953.
The A's are two wins away from tying the American League record.
It's gone! It's gone! Tejada wins it! Do you believe it?
Eighteen wins in a row!
You could replay these 18 games a hundred times over.
And nobody wins 18 straight again.
It defies everything we know about baseball.
The most amazing thing you could imagine
happened over the last four days at the Coliseum.
Tejada, up the middle. The A's have won 19 in a row!
The 1906 White Sox,
the 1947 New York Yankees have company.
Nineteen in a row.
The A's have a date with destiny.
They're going for the all-time American League record,
20 games in a row.
We're going to 20! We're gonna take the record to 20, baby!
Don't tell me the score, Pete.
No, Billy, it's me.
Sharon? Yeah.
You have a second? Yeah, what's up?
Well, I didn't actually expect you to pick up.
I was gonna leave a message.
Um, Casey and I, we're here and watching the game at home.
And I just wanted to say...
you did good, Billy.
We're really proud of you.
I appreciate it, Sharon.
Thank you. Good luck.
Okay.
Oh, Casey wants to talk to you. Hang on.
Are you on your way to the stadium?
No, I'm on my way to Visalia to see our minor-league team.
Turn around, please, Dad. No way, Jose.
Turn around. Come on, Dad. Nope. Not gonna happen.
You're not gonna jinx it.
I'll talk to you later, sweetheart. I love you.
Shit.
you missed a lot.
And the pitch to Raul Ibanez. Strike one.
I think my recap will be simple.
The A's scored six in the first, one in the second, four in the third.
And people would be shocked if you just did that. Heh-heh-heh.
Eleven to nothing, the A's do lead.
Shit. Foul off the foot of Ibanez...
Let's go, Oakland!
Oakland! Here we go, Oakland!
Two.
Safe.
number 18, left fielder Raul Ibanez.
Safe.
A nice cushion, but you don't wanna give teams life
and let them wedge their way back in, even when you're--
Nobody out, the bases loaded.
And Art Howe on the way to the mound to make a pitching change.
And this game is still in a state
where it could get out of control for the Athletics.
We're all told at some point we can no longer play the children's game.
We just don't know when that's gonna be.
Some of us are told at 18, some of us are told at 40, but we're all told.
Mike Sweeney with runners at first and third.
It's an 11-to-7 game, the A's in front.
Tam peering in for the sign.
Two out. Runners at first and third.
And the 3-2 delivery.
It's weird, Billy.
You wanna give up baseball to become a scout?
I'm not a baseball player.
Are you sure this is what you want?
The crowd is roaring. Koch is ready. One-two pitch.
Alicea puts it in play, a looper to left field for a base hit.
Around third, tearing for the plate, here comes the tying run.
Sliding safe. And the ball game is tied at 11-all.
Holy Toledo.
The A's have blown an 11 -to-nothing lead.
This is the specter of a development that has been lurking now
ever since the five-run fourth inning by the Royals.
And the A's date with destiny is on hold right now.
Hatteberg. Hattie.
Grab a bat. You're hitting for Byrnesy.
Come on, let's go. Get yourself loose.
number 10, Scott Hatteberg.
In your typical A's fashion. They want a base runner here.
Scott Hatteberg is so adept at drawing walks.
He's looking for Hatteberg to get on base,
maybe bring in a pinch runner.
Let's go, Oakland!
That one is gone!
And it's 20 consecutive victories for the Oakland Athletics
on an unbelievable night
when they lost an 11 -to-nothing lead
and now they win it.
The crowd comes back to insane life.
How do you explain it?
Crazy. Just plain crazy.
Hatteberg is mobbed at home plate.
In 103 years of American League baseball,
the Athletics have accomplished what no one has before.
They have won 20 consecutive games.
It's hard not to be romantic about baseball.
This kind of thing, it's fun for the fans.
It sells tickets and hot dogs.
Doesn't mean anything.
Billy, we just won 20 games in a row.
And what's the point?
We just got the record.
Man, I've been doing this for...
Listen, man.
I've been in this game a long time.
I'm not in it for a record, I'll tell you that.
I'm not in it for a ring.
That's when people get hurt.
If we don't win the last game of the Series,
they'll dismiss us.
Billy-- I know these guys.
I know the way they think, and they will erase us.
And everything we've done here,
none of it'll matter.
Any other team wins the World Series, good for them.
They're drinking champagne, they get a ring.
But if we win,
on our budget, with this team...
we'll have changed the game.
And that's what I want.
I want it to mean something.
The A's going to the play-offs with the West Division title.
Forgive the A's if they're not celebrating.
They have been here before,
when Oakland went up two games to none on the Yanks in the ,
and went nowhere after losing three straight.
With a win today over the Twins, Oakland moves into the
for the first time since 1992.
But remember one thing.
Percentages hold up over a season, but for one game, one at bat,
throw the percentages out the window.
What the Minnesota Twins exposed is the fact that the Oakland A's
were fundamentally not a sound baseball team.
They had a flawed concept that started with the general manager
and the brain trust thinking they could reinvent baseball.
You can't approach baseball
from a statistical, bean-counting point of view.
It's won on the field with fundamental play.
You have to steal, you have to bunt, you have to sacrifice.
You gotta get men in scoring position, and you gotta bring them in.
And you don't do that with a bunch of statistical gimmicks.
Nobody reinvents this game.
Yeah.
Due respect to the Coliseum, but this is a ballpark.
Yes, it is.
We're gonna have some lunch in a little bit.
Why don't I have some coffee sent up?
Denise?
Thank you, Denise.
Thanks. You're welcome.
You know, it's her birthday and I need to get her a present,
but she's usually the one that does that for me.
So do you have any ideas?
Scarf.
You mean like wool?
No, I meant what women wear with... You know, decorative.
Ah. And where would I get something like that?
No disrespect, I just lost in five for the second year in a row.
Get her a bowling ball for all I care.
Right.
Well, Steve told me he's offering you a new contract.
Yes.
So why did you return my call?
Because it's the Red Sox.
Because I believe science might offer an answer to the Curse of the Bambino.
Because I hear you hired Bill James. Yup.
You know, why someone took so long to hire that guy is beyond me.
Well, baseball hates him.
Well, baseball can hate him, you know.
One of the great things about money is that it buys a lot of things,
one of which is the luxury to disregard what baseball likes,
doesn't like, what baseball thinks, doesn't think.
Ah. Sounds nice.
Well...
I was grateful for the call.
You were grateful? Yeah.
For 41 million, you built a play-off team.
You lost Damon, Giambi, Isringhausen, Pena,
and you won more games without them than you did with them.
You won the exact same number of games that the Yankees won,
but the Yankees spent 1 .4 million per win,
and you paid 260,000.
I know you're taking it in the teeth, but the first guy through the wall,
he always gets bloody.
Always. This is threatening not just a way of doing business,
but in their minds, it's threatening the game.
Really, what it's threatening is their livelihood, their jobs.
It's threatening the way that they do things.
Every time that happens,
whether it's a government, a way of doing business, whatever,
the people who are holding the reins,
they have their hands on the switch,
they go batshit crazy.
I mean, anybody who's not tearing their team down right now
and rebuilding it using your model,
they're dinosaurs.
They'll be sitting on their ass on the sofa in October
watching the Boston Red Sox win the World Series.
What's this?
I want you to be my general manager. That's my offer.
Heads up.
What was that?
Sorry. I don't know. What the hell was that?
You knucklehead.
How was Boston?
Impressive.
Did Henry make you a good offer, at least?
Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. What was it? What was it?
Doesn't matter. What was it?
That makes you the highest-paid in the history of sports.
So?
So what?
I made one decision in my life based on money.
And I swore I would never do it again.
You're not doing it for the money.
No? No.
You're doing it for what the money says.
And it says what it says to any player that makes big money.
That they're worth it.
What a dump.
I really wanted to win here.
I really did.
I think you won pretty big, Billy.
Pete, we lost.
We lost.
It's only been a few days. Give yourself some time to get over it.
Man, I don't get over these things.
Ever.
Come with me to the video room. I wanna show you something.
No, man, I'm not up for film right now.
Come on. Seriously.
Come on, Billy. Come on.
The Visalia Oaks
and our 240-pound catcher, Jeremy Brown,
who, as you know, is scared to run to second base.
This was in a game six weeks ago.
This guy's gonna start with a fastball.
Jeremy's gonna take him to deep center.
Here's what's interesting,
because Jeremy's gonna do what he never does.
He's gonna go for it.
He's gonna round first and he's gonna go for it.
Okay?
This is all of Jeremy's nightmares coming to life.
Aw, they're laughing at him. And Jeremy's about to find out why.
Jeremy's about to realize
that the ball went 60 feet over the fence.
He hit a home run and didn't even realize it.
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
It's a metaphor. I know it's a metaphor.
Okay.
Pete, you're a good egg.
I'll call you.
Hey, Dad, this is the song I told you I'd record.
Please don't show it to anyone else.
Let me know if you change your mind and stay in California.
If not, you're a really great dad.