12/21/24
September 29, 2011
Art Howe Disgusted by 'Moneyball': How does former Oakland A's manager Art Howe feel about his portrayal by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the new movie Moneyball? "They couldn't have demeaned me more. It's disgusting. I'm hurt by it. My reputation is altered by it. People who don't know me are going to think that's the real Art Howe. I don't know how you can get away with saying it's a true movie."
I work with Mike Magnante (cut from the A's near the end of the book - I haven't seen the movie yet). We've discussed the events over lunch several times, and there's little he disputes about events in the book, though he does take issue with "Moneyball" as as effective strategy for winning in the playoffs. Mike met with the director before shooting, and it was made clear to him that it's a movie meant to sell tickets and tell a good story - and that perhaps some truth would be tossed out. A big inaccuracy is that MLB players start vesting into the pension from day one in the big leagues - being a few days short of ten years when your career ends is mathematically insignificant as far as your future compensation.
posted by sbacharach at 04:57 PM on September 29, 2011
I had a feeling he was not going to feel flattered by being portrayed as a manager who was only looking out for himself and having absolutely no interest in doing anything new.
Actually, I got a semi-sympathetic view of Howe from the movie. Sure, he butts heads with Beane about Hatteberg and other roster manoeuvres, but they did a good job explaining that with:
1) His demand for a contract extension at the beginning of the movie, and explaining it as "trust".
2) His comment about "interviewing for a position in the winter". If he lands a job outside of the A's, it'll be based on his traditional approach instead of this new-fangled one that Beane thrust on him.
posted by grum@work at 09:02 PM on September 29, 2011
I had a feeling he was not going to feel flattered by being portrayed as a manager who was only looking out for himself and having absolutely no interest in doing anything new.