TOW #4 (IRB)- Moneyball By Michael Lewis

The first part of Moneyball by Michael Lewis consists of a thorough explanation as to who Billy Beane is. In the first section, Lewis talks about Beane's baseball promise, his rise to the MLB, and then his eventual downfall into an angry General Manager (GM) of the Oakland Athletics (A's). While seemingly just summarizing his life, Lewis, a credible non-fiction author and financial journalist, uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to make simple backstory into something interesting and connectable. In this first section, Lewis' purpose is to essentially introduce Billy Beane, and paint a picture as to what the context of Moneyball truly is. One way that Lewis makes something like baseball seem more connectable is by using extended metaphors. Throughout the introduction, Beane compares baseball prospects to sports cars. He writes, "They feel more like sports cars being taken out for a spin than they do like young men being tested"(5). He continues this metaphor throughout this chapter as to make the foreign subject of baseball scouting something more relatable to the average reader. In addition to using extended metaphors, Lewis uses a lot of direct quotations to solidify his points. Because Lewis is retelling a story, he needs to make it seem as real as the actual events. In order to accomplish this goal, he uses quotes from people involved such as Joe Torre, and even Billy Beane himself. The use of direct quotes makes the story more believable and as though the reader is reliving the events. Personally, I think that the two strategies make Moneyball a much more connectable non-fiction piece as the direct quotes and extended metaphors make me feel the experience much more than a simple summary of the events. Although the book is so far just a summary of the events, the way in which Lewis makes the book more connectable makes something that would be dry, something interesting and involving. 

The Real Billy Beane