Our Presentation

I definitely liked our presentation because it was involved with accounting scandals. As an accounting major, it was nice researching some extreme cases of fraud. I didn't know when we began that Rahm Emmanuel was involved in the Freddie Mac scandal, and it was interesting to learn that he played a part in it. I also enjoyed studying the Worldcom scandal, an to see what happens when a leader becomes demanding, and forces results by any means. I learned from our project what can go wrong when profits are the only thing that matters, and ethics are pushed out the window to get them.

NFL Lockout Presentation

I have to admit this was my favorite presentation, mostly because its content was something I was already aware of. I closely followed the events during the spring and summer, and it was nice to get some more info on it. I feel like I have a better understanding of the information after learning the things I did in class. I have a better understanding of the negotiation process, and how both sides handled the negotiations, and the communication problems that rose during negotiations.

Book Report 5

Book Report Section 5

The final segment of Moneyball ends with Michael Lewis describing how a pitcher can excel with a very unusual delivery, and goes in how the Oakland A’s, with an underpaid roster, managed to set an American League Record by winning twenty straight games.

Chapter ten goes into great detail how Chad Bradford, a pitcher with an underhanded delivery, came to pitch in the major leagues. He started playing baseball young, and made it onto his high school baseball team despite lacking any sort of real talent. In order to get some kind of use from him, Chad’s coach took him to a pitching clinic and showed him someone throwing side-armed. Chad took to learning this method of pitching, and spent his winters throwing pitch after pitch to get this side-arm business down.

Chad could have continues to pitch side-armed and never mastered it, although he had something that changed his throwing even more. Chad’s father had a serious stroke when Chad was only two years old. After being told he’d never walk again, he not only walked, but when Chad turned seven, he could play catch, although he could only send the ball back underhanded. During his high school years, when Chad was practicing his side-arm pitching at home, his father would play catch with him. This led to the best advance in Chad’s career, with his arm sinking lower and lower with each pitch, and eventually he came to throw completely underhanded, knuckles touching the dirt when pitching.

This delivery was very different than the norm, and although Chad couldn’t throw with any kind of velocity, all of his pitches had great movement, even his fastballs. He played junior college baseball, and eventually went on to play in the minors. But he got stuck paying for a minor league team in Calgary, famous for the high number of home runs hit in its crisp Rocky-Mountain air. But Chad spent years playing in this exact stadium, and his home runs allowed numbers were far lower than the other pitchers who regularly played on the field. This showed Chad’s advantage, as his movement kept hitters guessing, and the air in the stadium negated velocity, so Chad excelled. Paul, Billy’s assistant, took notice of Chad and finally grabbed him for pitching in the big league, finally giving Chad a chance.

Chapter eleven discusses the psychological tactics of Billy Beane and how he tried to manipulate his players to produce the results he wanted. It discusses his attempts with Chad Bradford, as Chad had undeniable skill, but had almost no self confidence, which could affect his performance. Billy tried many things to raise his confidence, and finally helped him by questioning his faith in Jesus. If Chad believed in Jesus, whom he had never seen, how couldn’t he believe in his talent, which he had witnessed firsthand? This was one of the many ways Billy would reach out to satisfy psychological needs his players had. Billy could read people, and know when they were underperforming. The chapter then jumps to the last game in the A’s bid for twenty straight wins. After leading 11 to nothing, the score came tied at eleven. Scott Hatterberg, after leaving the dugout assuming he wouldn’t get any playing time, being called upon to pinch hit. He comes through with a walk off home run and the Oakland A’s set the AL record.

The final chapter discusses the problems the A’s inevitably faced each post-season. They were built for the long haul, and not to win close games over a stretch. So when the playoffs came, and manufacturing runs became important, the A’s floundered. Billy would seem detached, saying it was his job to reach the playoffs, and anything after was just luck. The A’s never reached the World Series any of these playoff appearances, but the success of the A’s could not go unnoticed. How could a team with no money compete with the Yankees and Red Sox? How could they win a division against richer teams? By changing the way you fill a roster, and knowing how to make value out of nothing, Billy Beane created a formula for winning without money.

(Section 5, Chapters Ten, Eleven, and Twelve, Pages 217 – 280)