TOW #8 (IRB) Moneyball By Michael Lewis

The second half of Moneyball by Michael Lewis talks more about Beane's successes as a baseball manager, and how exactly he goes on his large win streak. Compared to the beginning, the second half of the book talks more about the managerial aspect to baseball as opposed to the first half's discussion about Beane's life. Lewis does a great job of describing Beane's life as a manager by putting the reader into the action of the clubhouse. Instead of simply just talking about the events, Lewis almost makes it seem as though the reader is experiencing the events for himself or herself. Lewis uses a plethora of rhetorical devices to make simple baseball events into something interesting and connectable. In the second section, Lewis's purpose is to describe the genius of Beane as a GM. In order to do this, Lewis takes the reader through the GM process to show them how difficult it is to manage a team. In the text, Lewis describes many things going on at the same time to show how much Beane has to control. For example, one moment Lewis talks about the pitching issues of the team, and then the next Lewis talks about the batting changes Beane has to make. In showing the overwhelming tasks, Lewis shows that being a GM in baseball is quite a difficult task. Another strategy Lewis uses is he uses allusions to the lives of baseball players. For example, before Beane is about to get a player, Lewis describes the life of the player. After considering the player, Lewis writes, "Chad Bradford grew up the youngest...."(223) to show the backstory of the player. This strategy makes the reader realize that there are many things that go into the consideration of players. Also, as the first part did, Lewis uses direct quotes from actual people in order to make the book seem as real as the actual events. For example, Lewis quotes, "Pitch games that were meaningless" said Moose"(225) By using direct quotes, Lewis makes the story much more believable and relatable. Personally, I think that these strategies make Beane seem like a very accomplished GM, and also make the reader able to connect with what actually happened. I think that because of Lewis's use of rhetorical strategies and devices, I was able to read this book much quicker because it was much more interesting and connectable. Moreover, Lewis's use of rhetorical devices made the story more interesting and connectable