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Essay / Literary Analysis of Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Moneyball by Michael Lewis: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game had revolutionized the way the baseball world views the game. Lewis recounted the story of a small market team with low salaries using sabermetrics to defeat larger, wealthier teams. However, not everyone agrees to shun the advice of former scouts, and longtime baseball reporter Lonnie Wheeler is one of those people. In his book Intangiball: The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games, Wheeler argues that it is the intangible elements – the composition of the players, the players' playing inspirations and the team spirit – that are the main ingredient in the success of the baseball game. baseball. In a character- and texture-rich narrative that appeals to the emotions, Wheeler tells numerous anecdotal stories with anaphora, disparaging diction, and deliberate syntax to prove his point. In contrast, Lewis uses a combination of appeal to logos and pathos to weave a web for his argument using comparison and contrast, vivid imagery, uncensored language, and syntax that contributes to a logical tone. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Focusing on a multitude of factors he presents as "teamwork," Wheeler extols the individual talent of player: character, team chemistry, spirit and ability to act. upwards - using anaphora to begin each sentence in the paragraph. “To take away the importance of character is to assume that it is simply a coincidence that…”, “To assert that players cannot prosper through the company they keep is to assume that…”, “ Emphasize that support and cooperation within the team are not enough. too much is to ignore…”, “To neglect the tone is to suggest…”, etc. In addition to creating a rhythm that emphasizes the message, anaphora is used in Intangiball to engage readers in an emotional experience as they are forced to consider the meaning of words at the beginning of each new argument Wheeler presents. Repeating his message over and over again, Wheeler emphasizes that group dynamics are what truly take teams from underachieving to championship levels. Additionally, in order to undermine baseball's statistical approach, Wheeler adopts derogatory diction such as: "Slough", "dispute", "ignore", "overlook", "call it a coincidence", "overlook", "consider a bunch of crap", "walk away", "trivialize", etc. Using negative diction to Present the other side of the argument, Wheeler exposes the incompleteness of measurable statistics by presenting the point of; Viewed opposite as dismissive and negligent, Wheeler illustrates the importance of immeasurable nuances demonstrated in intangible factors. Wheeler recognizes the vital importance of the intangibles that a player brings to the table in winning baseball games. Wheeler uses one anecdote after another Through the use of anecdotal stories, he appeals to both ethos and pathos to salute the importance of Kirk Gibson's contribution to "teamship". he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wheeler writes: "It's a presumption that the voters were wrong when they chose Gibson as MVP that year, even though he led the National League in no official way and wasn't really close in most major categories. This implies that the other Dodgers remained unmoved when Gibson, who was not expected to play in the World Series againstThe heavily favored Oakland A's due to a knee injury in one leg and a hamstring problem in the other, limped to home plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1, his team lost a run and somehow hit a two-run home run against the big closer, Dennis Eckersley.” The anecdote of this example is used not only to reposition Wheeler as an expert on the issue with direct experience and establish his credibility, but also to appeal to pathos to convince readers that abstract contributions deserve great respect. Additionally, Wheeler downplays his argument by using phrases like "I was wrong" and "deadpan" to emphasize the exact opposite. This both stimulates an intense reader response and creates an ironic effect to highlight what sabermetrics has neglected. It is impossible to talk about Wheeler's emotional approach without discussing his use of syntax. To illustrate his position, Wheeler repeatedly uses conjunctions to create long, repeated sentences. In fact, several sentences are so elongated that they are long enough to compose a paragraph. “. . . and this Nellie Fox, a much older Houston Astro and second baseman…; and that, in Cincinnati with the Big Red Machine…; and that in turn, Bench prospered thanks to Morgan's talent…; and that, before a playoff series against Pittsburgh in 1975...". If a reader is able to follow this logic as if involved in a human thought process, then Wheeler's goal is achieved. Indeed, repeated sentences are much more representative of the illusion of thought and speech when it comes to communicating the writer's thoughts. As a sports journalist, Wheeler intentionally focuses on writing down whatever evidence comes to mind during his experience, uncovering thoughts that might otherwise remain hidden from readers. Wheeler applies a conversational, humorous, and mocking tone while introducing readers to the subject matter covered in his book: “. . . involves everything that makes a player better – and sometimes worse – than his slant lines (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage), or even the dizzying decimals hidden behind the bonus tabs of his baseball reference. com page”. Eliciting a smirk on readers' faces by using humor is to stimulate a favorable response from readers, including enhancing the author's credibility and establishing emotional appeal. Here, Wheeler attempts to create a deeper connection with readers (especially old fans and professionals who like to cling to tradition) by bringing back what the baseball world has neglected in the age of sabermetrics: the seemingly “obsolete” value of players. ' make up. However, Wheeler does not deny the importance of sabermetrics: “While the debate will, for the most part, avoid the rush of statistics, it is not possible to ignore the buffalo on the basic path. " Nevertheless, to complete his argument, he goes on to suggest that even sabermetricians do not take subjective aspects into account: "In their quest to assign an arithmetic value to virtually every micro-event that changes the landscape of a round, sabermetricians Number crunchers are keeping a curious eye on this subject. While acknowledging the arguments of others, Wheeler reinforces his own by defending and presenting elements that sabermetrics does not take into account. Using concessions, Wheeler ultimately strengthens his reasoning by refuting potential objections to his arguments. On the other hand, the book's title, Moneyball, suggests that baseballis not only a form of entertainment, but also a business. As an official Wall Street trader, Michael Lewis disentangles the yin from the yang of Lonnie Wheeler's argument. Applying business principles to baseball, baseball is being revolutionized by savvy general managers and sabermetrics. Although wealthier franchises like the New York Yankees enjoy great advantages, they don't always improve and sometimes poorer teams, like the Oakland A's, prevail. In order to answer the question of why big teams don't always make good use of their funds and why players turn out to be bad investments, Lewis uses analogy and contrast. Unlike baseball scouts' traditional emphasis on outward appearance and physique: “A guy who could run had 'wheels'; a guy with a strong arm had “a tip,” Lewis compares baseball players to writers: “Like writers, pitchers initiated the action and set the tone of their games. They had all kinds of means to achieve their effects and they were to be judged by those effects, rather than by their outward appearance or their technique. A new idea, using mathematics and statistical analysis to analyze the results-oriented game of baseball, is conveyed using an old one's model of focusing on superficial techniques as a basis for understanding. By analogy, Lewis creates a mental connection between the traditional view and the new avant-garde view and contrasts the two in a simple and succinct way. In contrast, the image of the old irrational and arbitrary method is juxtaposed with the scientific and rational method. Oakland A's manager Billy Beane and his assistant Paul DePodesta come to the conclusion that professional football players have been evaluated by a deceptive system. Imagery is one of the most important ways Lewis conveys this idea. “A revaluation of the baseball player market resonates in the lives of young men. It was as if a signal had radiated from the Oakland A's newsroom and sought out, like a laser, these guys who, throughout their careers, had had their accomplishments marked with an asterisk. The footnote read: "He'll never go anywhere because he doesn't look like a major league baseball player." Playing like a movie in readers' heads, the descriptive words and similes ignite kinesthetic sensations. By awakening readers' sensory perceptions, images help readers visualize more realistically what Lewis meant in his writing. They realize that the traditional system has prevented players with valuable traits from revealing their full potential and that this system needs to be revolutionized to better evaluate players. Having come to the idea that the practice of sabermetrics is the most effective system, Lewis relies heavily on the use of logos and pathos to evaluate the management style that challenged conventional wisdom. Operating almost like the American economy itself, money is not only the means but also the measure of baseball's success. With a poorer team and a sabermetric management style, Billy Beane still hasn't avoided being money-focused by applying Wall Street-derived tactics to baseball. Crude language, such as "Fucking A Trade", is used to evoke an emotional response from the reader through the elation Billy expresses after making a successful trade with other baseball teams. Syntax is an essential part of how Lewis presents his argument. The list, 5(6), 94-101.