17 May, 2012 (updated 2 minutes ago).
| Billy Beane | |
|---|---|
 Beane in 2006 |
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| Outfielder | |
| Born: March 29, 1962 Orlando, Florida |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 13, 1984 for the New York Mets | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1989 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .219 |
| Hits | 66 |
| Runs batted in | 29 |
| Teams | |
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As Player
As General Manager
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William Lamar "Billy" Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager (GM) and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics. Prior to his front office career, he played for the New York Mets (1984–85), Minnesota Twins (1986–87), Detroit Tigers (1988), and Oakland Athletics (1989). He joined the Athletics' front office as a scout in 1990, and was named GM after the 1997 season.
A first round draft pick, Beane's playing career failed to meet the expectations of the scouts, who projected him as a star. In his front office career, Beane has applied statistical analysis to players, known as sabermetrics, which has led all teams to reconsider how they evaluate players. He is the subject of Michael Lewis' 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was made into a 2011 film starring Brad Pitt as Beane. Pitt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Beane.
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Beane grew up in Hollywood, Florida and San Diego, California, the child of a career military family.[1][2] His father, a naval officer, taught him how to pitch.[1] At Mt. Carmel High School (San Diego, California), he excelled at baseball, football, and basketball, but gave up football to avoid an injury that could prematurely end his baseball career.[1] Despite this, Stanford University tried to recruit Beane on a joint baseball-football scholarship as the quarterback who would replace then-sophomore John Elway for the Stanford Cardinal football team.[1]
Because many teams believed Beane would attend Stanford and not sign with a professional team,[1] Beane fell to the 23rd overall pick in the 1980 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft where he was taken by the New York Mets, who were enamored of Beane's talent. The Mets had three other first round picks that year, allowing them to risk Beane not signing.[1] Beane decided to sign for $125,000 after a trip to visit the Mets clubhouse.[1] Beane notes his decision to sign with the Mets instead of going to Stanford as the "only decision he would ever make in his life about money."[1]
Believing Beane to be a more refined player than their top first-round pick, Darryl Strawberry, the Mets assigned Strawberry to play rookie ball, while Beane was assigned to the Little Falls Mets of the Class-A New York-Penn League.[1] Beane struggled and was unable to make the adjustments that were necessary when playing tougher competition.[1]
The Mets promoted Beane to the Lynchburg Mets of the Class-A Carolina League in 1981. They promoted him to the Jackson Mets of the Class-AA Texas League in 1982, and he remained there until 1984, when he received his first promotion to MLB, appearing in five games for the 1984 New York Mets. In 1985, Beane spent most of the season with the Tidewater Tides of the Class-AAA International League, getting called up to the 1985 Mets for eight games. He batted .284 for the Tides in 1985, leading the team with 19 home runs and 77 runs batted in.[3] Following the season, the Mets traded Beane with Joe Klink and Bill Latham to the Minnesota Twins for Tim Teufel and Pat Crosby, a minor league player.[4]
The Twins entered spring training prepared to give Beane the job as their starting left fielder over incumbent Mickey Hatcher, but he dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness.[5] Beane appeared in 80 games for the 1986 Minnesota Twins, batting .216.[6] Beane also appeared in 32 games for the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League. The Twins sent Beane to their new Class-AAA affiliate, the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), after spring training in 1987.[7] After batting .285 for Portland, Beane received a call-up to the Twins after the September 1 roster expansion.[6][8] He appeared in 12 games for the 1987 Minnesota Twins. The Twins won the World Series that year, giving Beane a special place in Major League history.
The Twins traded Beane to the Detroit Tigers for Balvino Galvez during spring training in 1988.[9] He made the Tigers' opening day roster that season as an injury fill-in,[10] and was optioned to Toledo in late April,[11] now serving as Detroit's Class-AAA affiliate, where he spent most of the season. Beane appeared in six games for the 1988 Tigers. Granted free agency after the 1988 season, Beane signed with the Oakland Athletics, appearing in 37 games with the 1989 Athletics, batting .241 in 79 at bats.[12] Beane spent most of the season with the Class-AAA Tacoma Tigers of the PCL. He resigned with the Athletics for the 1990 season,[12] and he was sent down to the minor leagues at the end of spring training.[13]
Weary of the lifestyle of a minor league player, Beane approached Athletics General Manager (GM) Sandy Alderson a day after he was reassigned to minor league camp in April 1990 and asked for a job as an advance scout.[1][14] Beane held this position through 1993, when he was promoted to Assistant GM of the Athletics.[15]
In 1995, team owner Walter A. Haas, Jr. died. New owners Stephen Schott and Ken Hofmann ordered Alderson to slash payroll.[1] As a result, Alderson began focusing on sabermetric principles toward obtaining relatively undervalued players.
Beane succeeded Alderson as GM on October 17, 1997.[16] He continued Alderson's crafting of the Athletics into one of the most cost-effective teams in baseball. For example, in the 2006 MLB season, the Athletics ranked 24th of 30 major league teams in player salaries but had the 5th-best regular-season record.[17]
Despite their regular season success, the Athletics have struggled with winning in the playoffs under Beane. The Athletics reached the playoffs in four consecutive years from 2000 through 2003, losing in the American League Division Series each year. They won their first playoff series under Beane in 2006 when they swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series, but were subsequently swept by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. Other low payroll teams, such as the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins and the 2008 American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays, have appeared in the World Series.
After the 2002 season when the team won 20 games in a row, a major league record, the Boston Red Sox made Beane an offer to become their GM, but he declined.[18] On April 15, 2005, Beane received a contract extension to remain with the Athletics as its general manager through 2012, and new team owner Lewis Wolff awarded Beane a small portion of the team's ownership.[19]
Since their 2006 playoff appearance, the Athletics have not made the playoffs or finished above .500, which has triggered criticism of Beane and his approach in some quarters in baseball, especially in 2009. One possible explanation for his recent lack of success is that other general managers have followed his lead and are now using the same approach he does.[20] Beane largely dismisses criticism of his approach, saying about his philosophy:
| “ | It's all about evaluating skills and putting a price on them. Thirty years ago, stockbrokers used to buy stock strictly by feel. Let's put it this way: Anyone in the game with a 401(k) has a choice. They can choose a fund manager who manages their retirement by gut instinct, or one who chooses by research and analysis. I know which way I'd choose.[21] | ” |
Illustrating this example, Beane began concentrating on high-school players (a group he once largely ignored) in the MLB draft, considering them to be heavily undervalued.[21] He and other like-minded GMs also changed their draft strategies to focus more on defensive skills, which had become undervalued in the years immediately after the Moneyball revolution. This new emphasis on defense was displayed in 2010; although the Athletics finished at .500 and again missed the playoffs, they led MLB in defensive efficiency (percentage of balls put into play by opponents that resulted in outs) and allowed the fewest runs in the AL.[22]
In February 2012, the Athletics extended Beane's contract through 2019.[23]
Beane has been married twice. He has a daughter from his first marriage and twins from his current marriage.[21] Beane attended the University of California, San Diego during the baseball offseasons of his playing career.[24]
On January 4, 2007, the software company NetSuite named Beane to its board of directors. NetSuite co-founder Evan Goldberg cited Beane's ability to combine facts with instinct as an important factor in the decision to involve him in the company.[25] Beane also served as a consultant for, and also appears in, the video game MLB Front Office Manager.
When the Athletics ownership group agreed to purchase the reincarnation of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, Beane, who is an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League, began developing a system for objectively analyzing soccer players. He has agreed to help the Earthquakes front office develop a method for building a cost-effective team, as the salary cap in MLS is even more restrictive than the Athletics status as a small-market team in Major League Baseball.[26]
Due to his team's success despite its low payroll, Beane was the subject of author Michael Lewis's 2003 best-selling book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The book discusses Beane's methods as the GM of the Athletics and how he, along with Harvard-educated statistician Paul DePodesta,[27] used sabermetric principles to run his team in a cost-effective way. According to the book, this allowed him to be successful despite his financial constraints. The book and Beane's methods have influenced the way many think about the game of baseball, including other teams and even players.[28] He was played by Brad Pitt in the 2011 film Moneyball, based on the book of the same name.[29]
In December 2009, Sports Illustrated named Beane as number 10 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade in all sports.[30]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billy Beane |
| Major League Baseball general managers by team | ||
|---|---|---|
| American League | ||
| East Division
Dan Duquette (Baltimore Orioles) |
Central Division
Kenny Williams (Chicago White Sox) |
West Division
Jerry Dipoto (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) |
| National League | ||
| East Division
Frank Wren (Atlanta Braves) |
Central Division
Jed Hoyer (Chicago Cubs) |
West Division
Kevin Towers (Arizona Diamondbacks) |
|
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David Nuno goes to Oakland and chats it up with Brad Pitt and Billy Beane about their new movie, Money Ball.
Brad Pitt and Billy Beane discuss their involvement in the new movie "Moneyball."
Billy Beane has to look beyond traditional statistics like Batting Average and RBI. Instead relying on overlooked statistics like On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage.
Moneyball ESPN Karl Ravech Brad Pitt
On the eve of the UK release of the film "Moneyball", Sports Analytics TV is delighted to present an interview with Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane. This is the man who is regarded as the founding father of modern sports analytics and arguably pioneered the use of the discipline in the sports industry as we know it. His amazing story is told in the film produced by Sony Pictures, which is based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis. Sports Analytics TV sent our US based reporting team to interview Billy Beane at the Oakland Coliseum and he gave us a range of fascinating opinions.
Billy beane sports analytics sports office
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III, former Major League Baseball player and current general manager & minority owner of the Oakland Athletics is interviewed about: • Moneyball • Liverpool FC • His relationship with John Henry, Tom Werner • His film During his career, Beane applied statistical analysis to players, known as sabermetrics - which led to many teams reconsidering how they evaluate players - Liverpool FC being a prime case, through his relationship with LFC owners John Henry & Tom Werner. Billy was the subject of a Michael Lewis' book in 2003 on baseball economics called Moneyball, which was also recently made into a film starring Brad Pitt who played Beane & is due for release in the UK on the 19th March 2012. Brilliant & fascinating interview.
Visit the official site at moneyball-movie.com
brad pitt jonah hill philip seymour hoffman drama
July 30, 2006: Before Billy got down to questions, he took the time to say a few words. Ken Korach sits to the right. Audio is horrible, but whatcha gonna do?
Considered one of the most progressive and talented baseball executives in the game today, Billy Beane has molded the Oakland Athletics into a perennial postseason contender since assuming the general manager's duties shortly following the 1997 season.
Billy Beane Moneyball Michael Lewis Statistics
July 30, 2006 -- Athletics Nation Day 2006 guest speaker and A's GM Billy Beane talks about third baseman and multiple Gold Glove winner Eric Chavez's leadership qualities. Oakland Athletics Journal camera operator: wella
Considered one of the most progressive and talented baseball executives in the game today, Billy Beane has molded the Oakland Athletics into a perennial postseason contender since assuming the general manager's duties shortly following the 1997 season.
Billy Beane Moneyball Baseball Brad Pitt
July 30, 2006: Ken Korach and Billy Beane talk about A's fans at the Coliseum
July 30, 2006: Billy Beane shares his thoughts on Bobby Crosby with Athletics Nation.
PeteAbe: Kevin Youkilis, true to form, walked in his first plate appearance for Pawtucket. Quick, call Billy Beane
anggaraPU: I hate losing more than I even wanna win. (Billy Beane, Moneyball-2011)
zeffanthaher: "I made one decision in my life based on money. And I swore I would never do it again." –Billy Beane #Moneyball
FootballRascal: My £ is on either Alan Pardew as he has done a Billy Beane (kind of) or Brendan Rodgers for the style of football-who do you want #LFC fans?
mike_is_bored: @michiganlions Maybe Billy Beane needs to go in there and show them what losing sounds like.
AWALLACH18: @Buster_ESPN billy beane does it again
JaeJoMin: RT @DelicateSword: "When your enemy's making mistakes, don't interrupt him." - Billy Beane
TheeArwa: RT @DelicateSword: "When your enemy's making mistakes, don't interrupt him." - Billy Beane
ianomccabe: Billy Beane told them to sack Comolli?
VideoEzy_SG: New release #3 - out in stores today Moneyball (Rating: PG13) Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's... http://t.co/sbDtTbOI
MrBentley9: Billy beane is the new home boy
Davidstan76: @DaveM__ Chris kamara has been recommended by billy beane .. Shhh I'm ITK
skeatx: Hot news! Billy Beane recommended Sam Allardyce to John &Tom for #LFC, and they are amazed abt his fabled capability of managing RM &Barca
ArtoMart3: RT @yumasharpie: @muddigger55 billy beanE has never won a world series #kissmyass
yumasharpie: @muddigger55 billy beanE has never won a world series #kissmyass
RustyBurns54: Everything started going downhill when I started watching the game. Gonna have to take a page out of Billy Beane's book and...
Edigail Que: Announcement came during Yahoo!'s "Big Data, Big Solutions" session at Internet Week, keynoted by Billy Beane of "Moneyball" fame, followed by industry panel discussion featuring speakers from Digitas, Neo@Ogilvy, Citibank, Axciom and others Big data—and how to analyze and leverage it—was a recurring theme running through Yahoo!'s "Big Data, Big Solutions" session this morning on the opening day of Internet Week New York. The session kicked off with an inspiring keynote from Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's and hero of the film "Moneyball." Beane shared how his innovative analysis of player data helped him reshape his team to compete more effectively against much richer clubs, and how baseball, like marketing, is a game won or lost by the ability to read data. Following Beane, Yahoo!'s newly appointed Executive Vice President of the Americas Rich Riley took the stage, where he introduced "Genome from Yahoo," a new custom audience buying solution that leverages big data and insights to help advertisers get the most out of their media investments. Genome, which will be available as of July 1, comes at a time when marketers are at a crossroads ---the amount of data and technology options available is overwhelming. Which data set is most complete and reliable? If I commit to a technology solution will it really help me get better results? At the same time, media planning and buying techniques are becoming outdated. Riley noted Genome will help turn "the overwhelming amount of big data confronting marketers into audience data and actionable insights that will help them run successful campaigns. With Genome, we will offer a more holistic approach that provides the content experiences that consumers want, and the audience insights that marketers desire." Read More » Trends in 2012 Elections Advertising: Angela Riley of Wolff Olins Editor's Note: The Yahoo! Advertising blog recently asked several agency leaders one question: "What are some key trends you're seeing in political advertising this election season?" Here is the response from Angela Riley, Strategy Director for Wolff Olins, who talks about what brands and politicians can learn from each other to better engage consumers---and constituents. For Politicians and Brands, It's Essential to Be Clear, Consistent and Authentic Like a short-lived advertising campaign, political messaging platforms can evaporate into the ether without ever resonating with the voting public. Perhaps, like the all-too-common one-off approach of a glossy advertising campaign to appeal to an audience, politicians react to public sentiment and rush to get a message out before they've figured out what they really stand for. Politicians can take a page from well-loved brands, which stand for something clear, authentic and desirable. Think Target and the democratization of chic, or BMW - the ultimate driving machine. Think too of the Obama-Biden presidential campaign of 2008 standing for "Hope" and "Change" — similarly clear, authentic and hugely desirable (given the public sentiment at the time). So how can a political candidate get at the authentic, aspirational heart of what they stand for? One of the classic tools in defining a brand is to "bleed the truth out of" two fundamental components: what the world needs and what's special about you. If we apply that discipline to the world of politics, it could be helpful for candidates to think about "what the world needs" from their party perspective, and "what's special about you" from their candidate perspective. And this is where brand strategy could learn a lesson from the world of politics — to engage with consumers you have to be clear, consistent and authentic. What the best politicians do well is use consistency and authenticity to appeal to constituents. Kitchen table chats are a traditional tactic for politicians to get inside the home and heart of their voters (albeit used most often during election cycles). Read More » Ad of the Week: Battleship Takeover on the Yahoo! Homepage Con sonar! Universal Pictures has deployed a fleet to bombard the Yahoo! homepage with a slick, cinematic custom takeover for its new summer tentpole film "Battleship" "You sunk my battleship!" The ubiquitous phrase from the popular board game has taken on new meaning in Universal's film of the same name. Loosely inspired by the game but with an extraterrestrial twist, "Battleship" stars Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights"), Alexander Skarsgård ("True Blood"), Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, and Liam Neeson. Helmed by actor-turned-director Peter Berg ("Very Bad Things," "Friday Night Lights," "The Kingdom," "Hancock"), "Battleship" will dock at a multiplex near you on Friday, May 18. To tide movie fans over in the meantime, a rich media custom takeover did just that to the Yahoo! homepage on May 8 in literally explosive style. No sooner do you arrive than the homepage comes under attack from behind in a clever cinematic overlay that blows open a hole in the top half of the page to show a quick succession of clips from the film. Read More » ABC, Lexus and Yahoo! Offer Innovative Rewards to Engage Fans of TV’s “Revenge” Fans watching final episodes can win vacation getaway in "second-screen" sweepstakes Most of us watch TV while using our smartphones and tablets at the same time. ABC, Lexus and Yahoo! are leveraging that trend to engage fans of the TV drama "Revenge" in a new way---the industry's first "second-screen" sweepstakes that rewards viewers of the season's final two episodes with a chance to win a week-long beachfront vacation at the Hamptons, the show's locale. Here's how it works: Viewers can enter the vacation sweepstakes via a second screen---their smartphone or tablet---using IntoNow from Yahoo!, a mobile application that makes it easy for friends to connect around their favorite TV shows. To enter, all fans have to do is fire up the app while watching the show's season-ending episodes on May 16 and 23. The app will give viewers the chance to engage with the show in new and compelling ways, including new videos, show trivia games and real-time Twitter feeds from the cast and crew. Read More » Internet Week Set to Take Over New York City to Showcase What’s Hot on the Web Yahoo! Takes Center Stage with a Big Lineup of Content and Speakers Internet Week New York may have begun in 2008 as a "festival" celebrating the Web and the digital community in New York City, but it's quickly grown into one of the world's leading digital industry conferences. The 2012 edition, set for May 14-17, is expected to draw more than 35,000 digital enthusiasts of every kind, from advertisers to entrepreneurs to social media gurus. And it seems fitting that Yahoo!, the premier digital media company, will lead the way at this premier event as its title sponsor and a major presence on panels and at podiums all across the agenda. Throughout the week, Yahoo! will be a major presence at Internet Week New York's Headquarters, the main meeting place for event attendees. It features galleries, content theaters and a digital playground---stop by for cool displays of Yahoo!'s online content, audience solutions and more. Here's an overview of our Internet Week activities that we hope you'll attend … or follow on our blog, Facebook and Twitter pages: Monday, May 14: "Big Data, Big Solutions": The explosion of data, technology and other factors are making the buying and selling of digital advertising ever more challenging. Yahoo! is sponsoring a keynote speech and an industry panel to explore fresh ideas and solutions for the industry. Register here. Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A's, will deliver an informative and inspirational keynote on how he used data in revolutionary ways to help his team compete and win against rivals with much bigger budgets---as depicted in the popular movie "Moneyball." Next, a panel including our own Peter Foster, general manager, Audience and Performance Advertising, and senior leaders from Acxiom, Citibank, Digitas and Neo@Ogilvy will discuss how marketers can navigate through the online advertising ecosystem to build brand value, influence purchase decisions and drive revenue. Panel moderator is Forrester's Joanna O'Connell. News alert: Attendees will also hear a special announcement from Rich Riley, Yahoo! executive vice president of the Americas. (If you can't make it, the panel will be broadcast via LiveStream and we'll have full coverage here.) Read More » Beyonce, Baby! vs. Beyonce’s Baby: Match Type Makes the Difference between Tix and Pics Kenshoo's Will Crew gives tips to search marketers on planning your match-type strategy I was fortunate to be a part of the recent Yahoo! Search and Bing Advertiser Forum in San Francisco. A lot of good ideas, tips and strategies were floating around the room that day. We at Kenshoo were particularly interested to hear about newer developments with match type and negative keywords that adCenter has introduced lately and it got us thinking, too. All search marketers know how important it is to make good decisions about match types and to select negative keywords carefully. Sometimes these lessons are really obvious and hit us over the head, and other times there are nuanced choices that can make all the difference in quality score and bottom-line results. The importance of negative keywords When talking with people about the importance of negative keywords, I like to pull examples from the entertainment industry because they're so easy to understand. What, for example, has 50 Cent done to search results for the deep discount industry? What does one expect when typing in LMFAO? Are cab companies now forced to optimize differently because of Death Cab for Cutie? And what impact does the band Civil Wars have on documentarian Ken Burns? Kenshoo works with many advertisers in the entertainment industry who need to leverage this kind of intelligence constantly to keep their leading position. By taking advantage of various match types and negative keyword features within adCenter, we've seen improvements in click-rates and volume of qualified traffic. Read More » Win a Chance to Meet Oakland A’s Manager and “Moneyball” Mastermind Billy Beane at Internet Week Beane to Keynote Yahoo!'s "Big Data, Big Solutions" Panel at Internet Week in New York on May 14 Billy Beane has a fascinating story that marketers can look to for inspiration, and during the Yahoo! Big Data, Big Solutions panel at Internet Week, he'll share that story. If you've ever wanted to chat box scores, stats and strategies with this charismatic, unique thinker, now's your chance. Yahoo! can put you backstage with Billy before his keynote address for a special VIP meet and greet. Billy's Story After spending several seasons as a professional baseball player, Beane joined the front-office ranks as a scout, eventually working his way up to general manager of the Oakland A's. There, Beane harnessed the power of data to transform a small-budget, small-market team into a competitive force against baseball's super-funded, big-market franchises — a dramatic story famously chronicled in the 2003 best-seller Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and the critically acclaimed 2011 movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt. The Big Data, Big Solutions Panel at Internet Week Despite the increasing shift to digital media and all of the data, insights and optimization opportunities it affords, marketers still face a similar underdog situation when competing against bigger budgets and louder voices. The answer isn't necessarily to outspend, but to use data to your advantage. But in the past few years, the buying and selling of digital ad inventory has become more of a challenge for many reasons, including the explosion of data. Yahoo! will host a panel discussing ways in which marketers can navigate through the complexities of online advertising to achieve results that build brand value, influence purchase decisions, and grow revenue. The session will open with Billy Beane's keynote, followed by a major news announcement from Yahoo! and conclude with a discussion featuring panelists from Forrester Research, Citibank, Acxiom, Ogilvy, Digitas and Yahoo!. Read More » Yahoo! Goes All Out for 2012 Olympics Coverage Expanded programming and features offer Olympian opportunities for advertisers Gold-medalist Dan O’Brien will join Yahoo!’s London Olympics team There are legendary Olympic athletes whose very names symbolize excellence in their events---like Jesse Owens in sprints and Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics. Yahoo! is already earning a gold-medal reputation for peak performance in the event of-online Olympics coverage. For the last three Games, Yahoo! has been the world's leading online destination for Olympics news and features. At the last Olympics, the 2010 Winter Games, the Yahoo! Olympics site drew more than 32 million unique users, outdrawing both NBCOlympics.com and ESPN.com, which drew 19 million uniques apiece. Now Yahoo! is expanding its efforts even more for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London this October. And that spells Olympic-sized opportunities for advertisers. "Yahoo! dominates Olympics coverage with our unique storytelling; this year will be no exception, and we will be bigger and better than ever before," said Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo! executive vice president, head of global media. "Our angle is to cover the stories behind the stories with our own exclusive talent, including multiple former Olympians - across screens, across the globe." Yahoo!'s comprehensive 2012 Olympics coverage will include: Yahoo!'s Olympics home page will feature breaking news, daily recaps and the most up-to-date photo galleries from London Yahoo!'s "Memorable Moments" editorial series will celebrate the most compelling stories in Summer Games' history, such as Carl Lewis' four gold medals in Los Angeles and Michael Phelps' record eight gold medals in Beijing. The stories will be retold through video, photos and stories that live on Yahoo!'s Olympics hub; the series debuts in June. Read More » Three Best Practices for Mobile Rich Media Campaigns Try these proven techniques to boost your campaign performance Yahoo! has run dozens of mobile rich media campaigns for advertisers in industries ranging from finance to autos and entertainment to CPG. In working with brands, creative agencies and mobile rich media vendors, three best practices have emerged that can boost the performance of a mobile rich media campaign. Interactive ads see higher engagement rates Rich media ads on Yahoo! Mobile that employ interactive tactics see banner click rates as high as 15%, including: Expandable panels provide more space to tell a compelling story about your brand, product, or service, and can feature video or other dynamic content Touch experiences on smartphones include tapping, pinching, swiping, tilting and shaking Sharing options allow ads to take advantage of social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, and communications tools like email and text messaging Use smartphones' built-in capabilities to make ads stand out Location and communications features drive transactions; in one recent campaign, 40% of users that expanded the ad panel clicked on the store locator option. GPS can drive consumers to local businesses with maps, directions, and local deals Communicate with your customers by enabling click-to-call, text messaging, or email in rich media ads Cameras not only take photos, but can also serve as a gateway to augmented reality, QR codes, and in-store barcode scanning Read More »
Stiven Denkovski: 8 Things Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From The Movie 'Money Ball' May 4, 2012, 3:21 pm Rhondalynn Korolak Yahoo!7 8 Things Every Entrepreneur Can Learn From The Movie Money Ball Post Comment tweet Email Print Rating: Rate It Sign in to rate It’s an unlikely source for great business advice. A story about Billy Beane, the general manager of a major league baseball team at the bottom of the ladder – the Oakland A’s. Crushed by the big budgets and big name players of teams like the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians, Beane is forced to take a risk and do something no team has done before – abandon traditional recruiting methods and employ computer-generated analysis to acquire and trade players. And in doing so, he changed the face and landscape of the game forever. The following quotes from the movie were never really meant for you and your business and yet, they reveal some fantastic truths about life and success that will make you a better owner and leader. 1. You're not solving the problem. You're not even looking at the problem. It is very easy for you to be distracted by all the issues and rhetoric swirling around the actual problem. The more you (or others) have personally invested in the status quo, the more you will be prevented from seeing the real problem for what it is. Seek advice and perspective from people outside your industry — those inside will be emotionally attached to the way things have always been done and thus, they have become part of the problem. Your number one objective is to determine what the actual issue is, and solve it. You don’t have time to get caught up in meetings talking about why it is a problem or re-engineering band-aid fixes that have not cured it in the past. 2. We've got to think differently. Your business really isn’t that different from the Oakland A’s baseball team. If you’re a start up or a small-mid size business, you’re likely working under some tight (and possibly unfair) resource constraints. If you want to grow and to challenge competitors that have much deeper pockets, you need to level the playing field or you need to change it completely. It is impossible to beat anyone if you insist on letting others dictate the terms. You must start by thinking differently. What would need to change in order for you to have the advantage? What can you do differently right now to achieve your objective? How can you adapt or modify your approach to get what you want? Playing the game on your competitor’s terms is no longer a viable option. It can only lead to frustration and failure. 3. He passes the eye candy test. He's got the looks - he's great at playing the part. Success often depends on good scouting and recruiting. A common mistake that most of you will make is to recruit team members that you like (and have something in common with during the interview) or who look the part. In order to ensure the survival of your business, need team members that can actually do the job that you need them to do. It doesn’t matter whether the candidate has 15 years of experience at a multi-national or comes highly recommended from so-and-so. None of that amounts to a hill of beans if they cannot do the job. If you want to boost your success this year, get the right people on your bus. If you need a good hitter (someone who can close business) don’t hire a semi-retired catcher who is charming in the interview. 4. Your goal shouldn't be to buy players, your goal should be to buy wins. It is important to get the right people on your bus. However, in order to do that, you need to figure out exactly what needs to get done and hire people who can do it. Don’t get caught up in fancy titles, big salaries, stock options and what looks good to the outside world. If you want to be successful you must be in the business of plugging gaping holes and buying outcomes. If you need more customers and sales, hire someone that you know can and is incentivized to close business. It doesn’t matter what you call him, what matters is that he can produce the result that you need to survive and thrive in your business. 5. Why do you like him? Because he gets on base. Step 1 – figure out what success looks like for the role you need to fill. Step 2 – don’t hire anyone without a proven track record of achieving that outcome. Step 3 – Get rid of (or trade) anyone who can’t fulfil their role or who is polluting the office environment. 6. Where on the field is the dollar I'm paying for soda? It is good to be frugal and smart with your money but it never pays to be penny wise and a pound foolish. If you want to grow your business profitably, focus on the items that will have the biggest impact on your bottom line and cash flow first. There’s no point focusing on shaving one or two thousand dollars off your fixed expenses if you’ve got $25,000 tied up in dead or slow moving inventory. To make good decisions and take action that boosts your bottom line, you need to measure and track your financial KPIs regularly. 7. I'm not paying you for the player you used to be, I'm paying you for the player you are right now. While you might get away with recruiting based on potential, in the end, you can only reward based on results. Time and time again I have seen business owners struggle with the decision to let salespeople, who are not meeting their targets, go. The decision is really a very easy one. Someone has to go. It’s either them or you. You can’t win a baseball game without putting runs on the board and you can’t build a successful enterprise without hitting sales targets consistently. 8. It's day one of the first week. You can't judge just yet. Patience is a virtue. Don't pass judgment judge too soon. If someone's not performing or the team is not quite gelling, take some time to investigate, ask questions and make adjustments. All changes to the team will have a natural breaking-in period. Too much tolerance can become a vice. Good performers tend to contribute value very quickly – both in terms of their attitude and work ethic. The typical 3 month probation period is more than enough time to make a fair evaluation. When the writing is on the wall, have the confidence to cut your losses and move on. Despite the Oakland A's disadvantaged revenue situation, Billy Beane took his team from bottom of the ladder to World Series contender in just a few months. By re-evaluating the strategies that produced wins on the field, they built a winning team with only one-third of the salary budget of the New York Yankees. To do this, they had to do more than just play better a better game of ball. They had to transform the playing field completely.
Matt Barash: Some days just begin with a rap session with Billy Beane and end with Amber Rose shakin her money maker by your side. Um, yeah.
Jeremy McQuown: When your enemy's making mistakes, don't interrupt him." -Billy Beane
Kay Hollenbeck Hoflander: Sluggerr says--"Royals Win! Royals Win!" But to me, I just have to say that they are starting to remind me of "Money Ball" and Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics. It's too early to tell, but there are signs.
Andrewstuart Trevallion: I got Guitar Lesson on Wensday with Billy Beane Teacher
DirectAgents Int: Check out our Direct Agents Digital Marketing fan page for photos of today's Internet Week 2012 with guest speaker Billy Beane!
Crystal Allison: Billy Beane kicks off internet week for Yahoo!
Hanson R Hosein: http://storytelleruprising.com/2012/05/14/sitting-next-to-billy-beane-watching-him-watch-brad-pitt-in-moneyball/
Timothy Paone: Billy Beane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Beane#section_1
Pah Chin Hee: John Henry (to Billy Beane): "... You won the exact same number of games that the Yankees won, but the Yankees spent one point four million per win and you paid two hundred and sixty thousand. I know you've taken it in the teeth out there, but the first guy through the wall. It always gets bloody, always. It's the threat of not just the way of doing business, but in their minds it's threatening the game. But really what it's threatening is their livelihoods, it's threatening their jobs, it's threatening the way that they do things. And every time that happens, whether it's the government or a way of doing business or whatever it is, the people are holding the reins, have their hands on the switch. They go bat shit crazy. I mean, anybody who's not building a team right and rebuilding it using your model, they're dinosaurs..." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/
Shabbus Bueno: "how can anyone think that this game isn't romantic" billy beane speaking of baseball~
Michael Coons: A LITTLE LATE, DON'T YA THINK? DEPT: Heading to the gym downtown Oakland, I notice a huge billboard on auto row advertising the movie THE TOURIST - COMING DECEMBER 10!! Umm...is Oakland now part of Nepal or something? You guys get movies 2 years later than anywhere else USA? Here's a tip...Don't go see it, it's really bunk...oh, there's a movie called MONEYBALL about the Oakland A's Billy Beane coming out to you soon...probably December 10...2014...
Christa Cavanah: Billy Beane is on my flight to NY. Should I tell him I loved Moneyball even tho I am a die hard Giants fan?!
Dave Crockett B S: Billy Beane just did a commercial for a San Jose Ford dealership...anybody else think this is a not-so-subliminal message?
Mary Juergens: we just watched Moneyball- it was great! wow!! especially if you like baseball.. never knew the history of the Oakland A's, philosophy of Billy Beane and how he changed the game.....
Ryan Rosati: Inge is finally out of town and is filling the Billy Beane system perfectly. Good fielders, while hitters seem like they're using a bat that is upside down (except against tigers bullpen pitchers) Now can we please cut Raburn who is a waste of outs? -_-
Ken Ferry: Brandon Inge last 5 games: 7 for 19, 4 HR, 16 RBI. Can someone say change of scenery! Billy Beane once again looks like a genius! What was the sabremetrics stat he dug up on Inge? I'm dying to know!
Logan Perkins: watched moneyball today and now watching the tigers vs A's and looks like Andy Dirks is messing up Billy Beane's formula
Doug Seaman: "I hate losing ! In fact, I hate losing more than I like to win !" Billy Beane in the movie MONEYBALL.
Prateek Dhall: "the problem that we're trying to solve is that there are rich teams and there are poor teams...then there's 50 feet of crap....THEN there's us ! " - Billy Beane
Richard Flittie: Debra White Plume about a minute ago · . Kyanne Dillabaugh Cody Hall There will be pre-rally gatherings leading up to the big gathering in Rapid City on Monday, May 21st. This is to spark interest for those attending and not yet decided if they will attend the March in Rapid City. Stop 1: Wednesday, May 16th meeting at the Enemy Swim Community Center in Sisseton, SD starting at 2:00pm EST. Contact info is Shawn Campbell 605-467-3203. They will be having prayer, a sweat and feed. Stop 2: Thursday, May 17th meeting at the Eagle Butte pow wow grounds in Eagle Butte, SD 2:00pm MST. Vern will be present to thank everyone who will be caravanning to the black hills and saying thank you to the local residents of Eagle Butte for showing their support. Contact info is Cody Hall 605-484-8867. A prayer before the event will take place, and a feed will be provided. Stop 3: Friday, May 18th at the Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge, SD starting at 5:00pm MST. . Contact info is Annie Beane 605-867-2536. A prayer before the event will take place, and a feed will be provided. The day of the big March and Rally in Rapid City is Monday, May 21st. We are asking anyone from all tribes who were mistreated by the Rapid City Regional Hospital to come forward introduce yourself and briefly describe your mistreatment. Vern has always stated that he wasn't the only one mistreated at that hospital and has asked those of you who have been mistreated or discriminated upon to come forward. We look forward to meeting everyone who supports Vern Traversie's case.
Vinny Bochicchio: "How could you not be romantic about baseball?" -Billy Beane, Oakland A's GM.............I just watched Moneyball....The Book was Better, The Concept is still very Questionable..........
Chris Jarvis: It's hard not to be romantic about baseball-Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III (born March 29, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager (GM) and minority owner of the Oakland ...
Billy Beane Vice President, General Manager. Considered one of the most progressive and talented baseball executives in the game today, Billy Beane has molded the ...
A s G.M. responds to Howe s intimation that unflattering portrayal was his doing
News, Photos and Information about Billy Beane ... RSS feeds allow Web site content to be gathered via feed reader software.
Former A's manager Art Howe has been on the offensive over his portrayal in the film Moneyball, based on the book of the same name. If you've seen the film,
Billy Beane has a wonderful story. At 18 he was a strapping young baseball prospect, raised in San Diego by a Naval-officer dad and drafted fresh out of ...
Arizona GM Kevin Towers telephoned Oakland GM Billy Beane at 11 p.m. Pacific Saturday and asked, "That deal we talked about a couple of weeks ago? Would ...
William Lamar Beane . Position: Outfielder Bats: Right, Throws: Right Height: 6' 4", Weight: 195 lb. Born: March 29, 1962 in Orlando, FL High School: Mount Carmel ...
Facebook plans to go public with stock priced at $28 to $35, a... From the Archives: Sharks rout Avalanche, take 3-2 series lead; Yahoo confirms CEO's education ...
From the May 9, 2012 issue of Credit Union Times Magazine • Subscribe! THINK 12: Billy Beane Explains the Power of Data Former Rocker Turned Defense ...
Interested in booking Billy Beane to speak at your next event? Contact Greater Talent Network, America's Leading Celebrity Speakers Bureau. 212.645.4200. | info ...
Rumors of Billy Beane for Cubs GM might be on the money By GORDON WITTENMYER gwittenmyer@suntimes.com ...
OAKLAND, Calif.—Billy Beane considers "Moneyball" a success for the simple fact Brad Pitt plays Oakland's innovative, volatile general manager. "Listen, it's Brad ...
San Francisco-- Billy Beane says he's staying in Oakland, that he's expecting to hear soon from Major League Baseball on the San Jose/stadium issue, and ...
'Moneyball': Billy Beane Talks Brad Pitt, 'Surreal' Movie Experience At Toronto Premiere
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