Realistic View of the Front Office

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2012)

This film does a great job of introducing us to one of the most unconventional factors in the world of baseball. That is, the career of Billy Bean, who was the kind of general manager who had the gift of putting a team together based on normally overlooked talents. Along the way he and his financially gifted cohort (who really knows baseball) must face a hundred years of baseball tradition. They are cut off at every point by the manager who selfishly plays it safe, looking only after himself. The point is that a baseball season is longer than long and a great many nuances contribute to success. The strength of this movie is the realistic portrayal of the baseball world, particularly the relationships among the players and the front office. It also shows that a general manager, despite a position of importance, can still be seen as an insignificant person when things don't go well. It's truly, "What have you done for me lately?" The interesting thing is that a mediocre ballplayer and unknown GM made changes that affected baseball forever.