Oakland Controversy to Yankee Pride

"Moneyball" comes out this weekend, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. We follow Billy Beane (Pitt) as he confronts management teams with his new way of drafting baseball players. I am no expert in baseball (sports in general elude me), but this single controversial action allegedly took the soul out of baseball. Beane changed the sport irreparably by choosing players great in only one thing, creating a niche team. The soul of baseball was at stake, so let's find a classic with baseball soul.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1942.

Let's keep the baseball theme intact. Even biography can stay, but that whole controversy thing needs to go. Let's stretch that into a tragic tale of human fate. Now let's add one of the most beloved players of all time. A tale of tragedy, but a glimmer of what makes baseball great.

Baseball fans, I'm talking about the 1942 classic "The Pride of the Yankees."

Producer Samuel Goldwyn famously called this movie, "box office poison," but the film became one of the most popular movies of the time. We experience the tale of Lou Gehrig, who rose to stardom for the Yankees in the 1920's. We follow him from boyhood, and connect greatly by the time he reaches adulthood (as an adult, he is played by the impeccable Gary Cooper). When he discovers he has a fatal neurological disease, he tearfully bids farewell to a crowd of adoring fans.

The Final Stretch:
If you see "Moneyball" this weekend, you may not fully understand what Beane is destroying. The tradition and camaraderie of baseball was at stake, and that was built on the shoulders of players like Lou Gehrig. Beane changes baseball forever by making it more mechanical, and "The Pride of the Yankees" shows exactly how big of a loss this could be. The soul of baseball is something precious, and we see that in the sad farewell of a proud Yankee.