On September 23, 2011 Sony Pictures will be releasing Moneyball across the country after a variety of hiccups and delays in writing and production. As the release date approaches, the various actors in the movie are making the rounds with the media to discuss their roles and their thoughts on the film. Chris Pratt, playing the role of A's first baseman Scott Hatteberg, spoke with The Big Lead about preparing for his role, living next door to Jonah Hill, and his own athletic prowess in high school.
Moneyball is a dramatization of Michael Lewis' book of the same name. Hollywood has been making books about the scrappy underdog since movies first went into production. Billy Beane and the Oakland A's in Moneyball fit the scrappy underdog role to a T. Of course, in the years since the release of Moneyball the A's have struggled on the field and in filling the seats. They've become a team with an uncertain future and one has to wonder how the Moneyball post-script will be handled.
The Scott Hatteberg role fits into what could very well be one of the climactic scenes of the movie. During the A's record-setting 20-game win streak in 2002, Hatteberg hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to secure the 20th win, a 12-11 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Since the A's have never advanced past the ALCS during the Billy Beane era, one has to wonder how the movie will wrap up. My prediction, without having seen anything beyond the trailer, is we see Hatteberg's homerun and the movie wraps with some discussion of how in spite of all this the A's could never overcome the issues of being a small market team. I'd be surprised if it was a completely happy "Hollywood" ending to the movie given the A's subsequent struggles.