Moneyball - A 5 live Sport Special
Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in Moneyball
Moneyball. If you hadn't seen the posters with Brad Pitt looking out at you, there's every reason for you to think that it was the title of a forthcoming James Bond movie. Or a trick shot in pool. Or a clever pitch in baseball. Actually tonight's programme on 5 live contains elements of all three. It's the film of a book, rooted in baseball, embracing a philosophy which initially was written off as a bad joke. But it changed the way sport is played. All over the world.
If that sounds dramatic, that's at least one reason to listen. Another is to hear how many of the leading British coaches are now playing the numbers game and reaping the benefits, inspired by the true story of Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team who confounded the sport in 2002 by succeeding with players that nobody else wanted.
Using statistics to analyse performance to suit a budget dwarfed by most rivals, Beane built a team that went on a record-breaking 20 game unbeaten run. "Trust the data, strip the bias," as he put it in his interview with me. "We had to find a different way of doing things to allow us to compete."
Steve McClaren, former England manager, introduced Sir Alex Ferguson to the secrets while working as his assistant at Manchester United. Damien Comolli, learning under Arsene Wenger when working at Arsenal, became an instant convert after reading the book and uses data constantly in recruiting players in his role as Director of Football at Tottenham and now at Liverpool. Aidy Boothroyd, so successful in taking Watford and Ashley Young into the Premier League describes it as like Alice in Wonderland. "You go down a rabbit hole, examining every little piece of detail."
You'll hear from all three in the programme as well as from Peter Moores, coach of cricket's 2011 County Champions, Lancashire, who defied the critics last season with one of the smallest, value squads on the circuit.
For Billy Beane, it was a classic Hollywood tale of the rise of the underdog. And if Brad Pitt chooses to play the lead role, you've got to be onto something good. Join Colin Murray and me from 9pm tonight on BBC Radio 5 live to find out why.
Let us know what you think of the programme and your view on stats in sport.
Related Links
Ed Smith reviews Moneyball on theToday programme
How statistics shaped a Hollywood blockbuster - Alistair Macgown's BBC Sport blog post on Moneyball
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