Billy Beane How can you not get romantic about baseball?
Played by Brad Pitt 
Moneyball (2011) · 25 quotes
Moneyball (2011) · 25 quotes
Most-quoted character in Moneyball (2011): in 18 of its 25 quotes
Most scenes with: Peter Brand (9), Grady Fuson (3), John Henry (2)
You get on base, we win. You don't, we lose. And I hate losing, Chavy. I hate it. I hate losing more than I even wanna win.
More lines from Billy Beane
1 quote Billy Beane Scenes with Billy Beane
16 scenes Billy Beane Guys, you're just talking. Talking, "la-la-la-la", like this is business as usual. It's not.
We're trying to solve the problem here, Billy.
Billy Beane Not like this you're not. You're not even looking at the problem.
We're very aware of the problem. I mean...
Billy Beane Okay, good. What's the problem?
Look, Billy, we all understand what the problem is. We have to...
Billy Beane Okay, good. What's the problem?
The problem is we have to replace three key players in our lineup.
Billy Beane Nope. What's the problem?
Pittaro Same as it's ever been. We've gotta replace these guys with what we have existing.
Billy Beane Nope. What's the problem, Barry?
Barry
We need 38 home runs, 120 RBIs and 47 doubles to replace.
Billy Beane Ehh! [imitates buzzer] The problem we're trying to solve is that there are rich teams and there are poor teams. Then there's fifty feet of crap, and then there's us. It's an unfair game. And now we've been gutted. We're like organ donors for the rich. Boston's taken our kidneys, Yankees have taken our heart. And you guys just sit around talking the same old "good body" nonsense like we're selling jeans. Like we're looking for Fabio. We've got to think differently. We are the last dog at the bowl. You see what happens to the runt of the litter? He dies.
There is an epidemic failure within the game to understand what is really happening. And this leads people who run Major League Baseball teams to misjudge their players and mismanage their teams. I apologize.
Billy Beane Go on.
Okay. People who run ball clubs, they think in terms of buying players. Your goal shouldn't be to buy players, your goal should be to buy wins. And in order to buy wins, you need to buy runs. You're trying to replace Johnny Damon. The Boston Red Sox see Johnny Damon and they see a star who's worth seven and half million dollars a year. When I see Johnny Damon, what I see is... is... an imperfect understanding of where runs come from. The guy's got a great glove. He's a decent leadoff hitter. He can steal bases. But is he worth the seven and half million dollars a year that the Boston Red Sox are paying him? No. No. Baseball thinking is medieval. They are asking all the wrong questions. And if I say it to anybody, I'm-I'm ostracized. I'm-I'm-I'm a leper. So that's why I'm-I'm cagey about this with you. That's why I... I respect you, Mr. Beane, and if you want full disclosure, I think it's a good thing that you got Damon off your payroll. I think it opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities.
Scott Hatteberg [Responding to being asked to play first base for the Oakland A's]
I've only ever played catcher.
Billy Beane It's not that hard, Scott. Tell him, Wash.
Ron Washington It's incredibly hard.
Billy Beane Would you rather get one shot in the head or five in the chest and bleed to death?
Are those my only two options?
Billy, can we talk?
Billy Beane Yeah.
Billy Beane You're unhappy Grady. Why?
Wow. May I speak candidly?
Billy Beane Sure. Go right ahead.
Major League Baseball and its fans...they're gonna be more than happy to throw you and Google boy under the bus if you keep doing what you're doing. You don't put a team together with a computer.
Billy Beane No?
No. Baseball isn't just numbers. It's not science. If it was anybody could do what we do, but they can't cause they don't know what we know. They don't have our experience and they don't have our intuition.
Billy Beane [dismissively]
Ok.
Billy, you got a kid in there that's got a degree in Economics from Yale. You got a scout here with 29 years of baseball experience. You're listening to the wrong one. Now there are intangibles that only baseball people understand. You're discarding what scouts have done for 150 years, even yourself?
Billy Beane Adapt or die.
This is about you and your shit, isn't it? 20 years ago some scout got it wrong. Now you're gonna declare war on the whole system.
Billy Beane Whoa! Ok! Ok! Ok! Ok! My turn. You don't have a crystal ball. You can't look at a kid and predict his future any more than I can. I've sat at those tables and listened to you tell those parents "When I know, I know. And when it comes to your son. I know." And you don't. You don't.
[sighs]
Ok. I don't give a shit about friendships, this situation or the past. Major League Baseball thinks they way I do. You're not gonna win. And I'll give you a nickel's worth of advice, you're never gonna get another job when Schott fires you after this catastrophic season you're about to set us all up for. And you're gonna have to explain to your kid why you're working at Dick's Sporting Goods.
Billy Beane I'm not gonna fire you, Grady.
**** you, Billy.
Billy Beane Now I will.
Billy Beane I want Dye in right, Justice DH'ing, Peña on the bench, Hatteberg at first, and anyone but Mags first out of the pen.
Art Howe You want Peña on the bench?
Billy Beane That's right. So you can play Hatty.
Art Howe Peña is not only the best first baseman on the roster, he's the only first baseman on the roster.
Billy Beane Listen to me, Hatty gets on base more than Peña. In fact, twenty percent more.
Art Howe And his fielding?
Billy Beane His fielding does not matter.
Art Howe I've heard enough of this.
Billy Beane Have you?
Art Howe And I, uh... I disagree with you, plain and simple. And moreover, I'm playing my team in a way that I can explain in job interviews next winter.
Billy Beane Art, you got a minute?
Art Howe Yeah. Take a seat.
Billy Beane You can't start Peña at first tonight. You'll have to start Hatteberg.
Art Howe Yeah, I don't want to go fifteen rounds, Billy. The lineup card is mine, and that's all.
Billy Beane That lineup card is definitely yours. I'm just saying you can't start Peña at first.
Art Howe Well, I am starting him at first.
Billy Beane I don't think so. He plays for Detroit now.
Art Howe You traded Peña?
Billy Beane Yeah. And Menechino, Hiljus, Tam are all being sent down.
Art Howe You are outside your mind.
Billy Beane Yeah. Cuckoo.
Jeremy Giambi
[knocking on door]
You wanted to see me?
Billy Beane Yeah, Jeremy, grab a seat.
Billy Beane [Jeremy sits down]
Jeremy, you've been traded to the Phillies. This is Ed Wade's number. He's a good guy, he's the GM. 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.
Billy Beane [Jeremy sighs, and exits]
Jeremy's gone, too.
Art Howe [shaking his head in disbelief]
You're killing this team.
Billy Beane 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 twenty games in a row.
Billy Beane And what's the point?
We just got the record.
Billy Beane 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...
Billy Beane 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.
Billy Beane I don't know. Pete, would you have taken me in the first round?
What?
Billy Beane After we talked, you looked me up. Would you have taken me in the first round?
Yeah, I looked you up. You...you were pretty good.
Billy Beane Cut the crap, Pete. Would you have taken me in the first round?
...I would've taken you in the ninth round. No signing bonus. I think that would've convinced you to take that scholarship.
Billy Beane [brief pause]
Pack your bags, Pete. I just bought you from the Cleveland Indians.
I wanted you to see these player evaluations that you asked me to do.
Billy Beane I asked you to do three.
Yeah.
Billy Beane To evaluate three players
Yeah.
Billy Beane How many did you do?
47.
Billy Beane Okay...
Actually, 51. I don't know why I lied just then.
[Pointing to numbers on a white board]
Using this equation in the upper left... I'm projecting that we need to win at least 99 games... in order to make it to the postseason. We need to score at least 814 runs in order to win those games... and allow no more than 645 runs. [Pulls out code from a computer]
Billy Beane What's this?
This is a code that I've written for our year-to-year projections. This is building in the intelligence that we have to project players.
Billy Beane Okay.
It's about getting things down to one number. Using the stats the way we read them... we'll find value in players that nobody else can see. People are overlooked... for a variety of biased reasons and perceived flaws. Age, appearance, personality. Bill James and mathematics cut straight through that. Billy, of the 20,000 notable players for us to consider, I believe that there is a championship team... of 25 people that we can afford, because everyone else in baseball undervalues them. Like.... an island of misfit toys. [Pulls up a player's statistics] Billy, this is Chad Bradford. He's a relief pitcher. He is one of the most undervalued players in baseball. His defect is that he throws funny. Nobody in the big leagues cares about him because he looks funny. This guy could be not just the best pitcher in our pen... but one of the most effective relief pitchers in all baseball. This guy should cost $3 million a year. We can get him for $237,000.
Billy Beane Guys, you're still trying to replace Giambi. I told you we can't do it, and we can't do it. Now, what we might be able to do is re-create him. Re-create him in the aggregate.
The what?
Billy Beane Giambi's on-base percentage was .477. Damon's on-base, .324. And Olmedo's was .291. Add that up, and you get... [snapping his fingers and pointing at Pete]
Do you want me to speak?
Billy Beane When I point at you, yeah.
1.092.
Billy Beane [snapping]
Divided by three.
.364.
Billy Beane That's what we're looking for. Three ballplayers... three ballplayers whose average OBP is... [snapping]
.364.
Billy Beane [Entering the office; to his secretary]
Suzanne, get me Ed Wade on the phone.
Suzanne Okay.
Billy Beane Coffee on?
Suzanne Yes.
Billy Beane Good morning.
Suzanne Good morning, Billy.
[Billy knocks on Perter's office door and Peter meets Billy in Billy's office] [Sits down at Billy's desk]
What's up?
Suzanne Wade's on 2.
Billy Beane [Answers the call on speakerphone]
Ed?
Ed Wade
Hello?
Billy Beane Ed, it's Billy.
Ed Wade
What's up?
Billy Beane Look, I need a little help on defense.
Ed Wade
Okay.
Billy Beane I'm willing to trade Jeremy Giambi for it.
Ed Wade
[Intrigued]
Really?
Billy Beane Mmm-hmm. Who do you got?
Ed Wade
Well, let me think.
What are you doing?
Billy Beane [Mutes speakerphone; to Peter]
Cleaning house.
Ed Wade
Mabry?
Billy Beane [Unmutes speakerphone]
Maybe what?
Ed Wade
No, Mabry.
Billy Beane Hold on. [Mutes speakerphone, looks at Peter]
No.
Billy Beane Why not?
Because you can't trade Jeremy Giambi.
Billy Beane [Unmutes speakerphone]
He'll be fine, Ed.
Ed Wade
Why do I get the feeling you're picking my pocket?
Billy Beane I'm not picking your pocket, you're picking mine. Giambi's name alone is worth more.
Ed Wade
What's wrong with him, Billy?
Billy Beane There's nothing wrong with him. Now can we say it's done in theory and start drawing up the paperwork?
Ed Wade
Okay, but you're gonna have--
Billy Beane Great. [Hangs up]
I think he was gonna say something else.
Billy Beane When you get the answer you're looking for, hang up. Suzanne?
Suzanne Yes?
Billy Beane David Dombrowski.
Suzanne Okay.
Billy Beane Peña's going too.
I don't think you should do that. I really don't think you should do that.
Billy Beane I want Hatteberg in the lineup tonight.
Billy, I think you need to take a minute. I think you seriously need to just think about what you're doing. Because you're upset.
Billy Beane Okay. What am I missing?
These are hard moves to explain to people.
Billy Beane Why is that a problem, Pete?
Don't make an emotional decision, Billy.
Suzanne David Dombrowski's on 3.
Billy Beane Look, we're gonna shake things up. [Picks up the phone] Dave, Peña'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.
Billy Beane He's an All-Star, Dave. No. I want a reliever and cash. Okay. You got five minutes, Dave. I'm not waiting.
Billy, Peña is an an All-Star, okay? And if you dump him and this Hatteberg thing doesn't work out the way that we want it to, you know this is the kind of decision that gets you fired. It is.
Billy Beane 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.
Billy Beane It's a problem you think we need to explain ourselves. Don't. To anyone.
Okay.
Billy Beane 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 Peña at first?
It's close. But theoretically, Hatteberg.
Billy Benae
What are we talking about then?
Suzanne Dombrowski's on again, on 3.
Billy Beane [Picks up the phone]
Yeah? Ok, 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. [To Peter after hanging up] Go tell Peña he's gotta pack.
You want me to tell Peña?
Billy Beane Part of the job. [Stuffs a Twinkie in his mouth]
What about Giambi? You want me to tell him too?
Billy Beane [Mouth full]
I'll tell him.
[Leading Beane through a tour of Fenway Park]
Due respect to the Coliseum, but this is a ballpark.
Billy Beane Yes, it is.
So why did you return my call?
Billy Beane Because it's the Red Sox. Because I believe science might offer an answer to the Curse of the Bambino. [Henry laughs] Because I hear you hired Bill James.
Yup. You know, why someone took so long to hire that guy is beyond me.
Billy Beane 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 likes, what baseball thinks, doesn't think.
Billy Beane [Laughing]
Sounds nice. Well, I was grateful for the call.
You were grateful?
Billy Beane Yeah.
For $41 million, you built a playoff team. You lost Damon, Giambi, Isringhausen, Peña, 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 are 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 they do things... and every time that happens, whether it's the 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 their ass on the sofa in October watching the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. [Slips Beane a piece of paper]
Billy Beane What's this?
I want you to be my general manager. That's my offer.
Billy Beane [Billy has returned from Boston, and his offer is revealed as the largest in general manager history]
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.
Billy Beane 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.
