He either fears his fate too much, Or his deserts are small, That puts it not unto the touch To win or lose it all

I expected to lose one of the big three. So while I expected it to be Zito who was moved, I accepted the trade of Huddy to Atlanta. Then I read that Agent Mulder was going to St. Louis. And I began to waver on the issue of Billy Beane: Genius or Idiot.

But upon further review, I think that Studes said it best:

… You’re sitting around your Oakland office, looking at all the shenanigans in the Free Agent market. Now, you don’t have enough money to pay a free agent, but you’ve noticed that starting pitchers seem to be in high demand this offseason – overvalued, even. Plus, you currently have three of the best young starters in baseball on your staff, and you know you’re likely to lose at least two of them in the next two years. What do you do?

Even more, Beane has a rare gift: the courage of his convictions. No one trades away two of the best young pitchers in the game. No one except Billy Beane. A man with a plan on how to win an unfair game and no fear of proving himself wrong.