With great reviews, a successful opening weekend, some Oscar buzz, and of course Brad Pitt, you wouldn't think that Moneyball would have to go through the normal Hollywood marketing makeover treatment. However, looking at the newest spots for Moneyball, it's clear the marketing geniuses were given some creative latitude in terms of how they were able to position the film.

The feel good movie of the year? Moneyball is certainly a lot of different things, all of which are good. A great sports movie, well acted, well written, smart, and compelling, but I don't think anyone is going to bestow that it's the feel good movie of the year especially considering it doesn't really fit in that bucket at all. I noticed others on Twitter we're also a bit perplexed by the positioning as well.

The thing is that every movie, good or bad, needs to be marketed relentlessly to bring in as much revenue as possible - either to turn a profit or at least help cover the production costs. Impressive trailers, media tours, appearances, events, interviews, screenings, out of context quotes from reviews, and endless commercials and sponsorships. All along the way it's being guided by a couple dozen marketing folks pulling the strings. Even if the product speaks for itself, you can't just sit on your hands thinking and hoping that word of mouth alone will be enough.

The lead-up to the release of Moneyball focused on the story, the comedic dialogue between Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, and the "based on a true story" angle of a recent sports story. The marketing then pivoted to really focus on the positive reviews as most were smitten by the movie.

With a full week out in the theaters, Hollywood seems to have decided a movie that most wouldn't tab as a "feel good movie" will now wear that title. In fact if you look below, The Atlantic labels it "melancholy and complicated," a far reach from "feel good."

Maybe it's because 50/50 and Dolphin Tale are vying for that audience. Maybe it's because they know sports fans, Pitt aficionados, and general movie buffs have likely already seen the movie hence it's time to focus elsewhere.

Take a look again at the new spot as it really drifts away from the core of Moneyball:

- There actually isn't a single shot of a baseball player in uniform.

- There are two clips of family members hugging.

- Johah Hill's character (who is the second lead) gets less screen time than Pitt's on screen daughter, Kerris Dorsey

- To be honest I think a good amount of people wouldn't even be able to tell this movie is about baseball given how the commercial sells the family angle so hard.

All in all, the movie is good and the marketing up until this point has really stayed true to what the product is. It's just funny to see Hollywood stretching this far to sell some additional tickets for a movie that really sells itself. This has me wondering just how Hollywood envisions positioning the ESPN movie if it indeed makes its way onto the screen.

While Moneyball's new commercial was a good showing of marketing slight of hand, I have to say it dramatically pales in comparison to Jerry The Great.

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The big news with the announcing schedule this week is the absence of current Pammies leader Pam Ward.  Adam Amin steps into her slot alongside Dan Hawkins while Pam works Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday with Rebecca Lobo (Atlanta at Minnesota by the way, Terry Gannon takes over starting in Game 2 of the Finalsfor those interested).  As far as the rest of the college football slate goes, there are no shortage of Top 25 matchups starting with A&M vs Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium at noon and ending with Bama/Florida on CBS and Nebraska's first Big Ten game in Madison during primetime.

September 30

Utah State @ Brigham Young (8PM ESPN) Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

October 1

Air Force @ Navy (Noon CBS) Ian Eagle, Randy Cross
No. 13 Texas A&M v. No. 18 Arkansas (Noon ESPN) Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer, Shelley Smith – Cowboys Stadium
Northwestern @ No. 22 Illinois (Noon ESPN2) Beth Mowins, Mike Bellotti
Penn State @ Indiana (Noon ESPNU) Clay Matvick, Brian Griese & Allison Williams
Texas Tech @ Kansas (Noon FSN) Bill Land, Dave Lapham, Courtney Jones
Tulane @ Army (Noon CBSSN) Gary Thorne, Tim Brant, Kristina Keltner
Minnesota @ Michigan (Noon BTN) Eric Collins, Chris Martin, Dionne Miller
Kentucky @ Louisiana State (Noon SECN) Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano
Mississippi State @ Georgia (Noon SEC Net) Bob Rathbun, Tim Couch, Kristina Akra
Robert Morris at Monmouth (Noon MSG+) Dave Popkin, Steve Levy
Rutgers @ Syracuse (Big East Net/SNY/MASN/ESPN3) Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Eamon McAnaney
Toledo @ Temple (ESPN3/Gameplan) Michael Reghi, Doug Graber
Kentucky at No. 2 LSU (SEC Net/ESPN3/Gameplan) Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano
Buffalo @ Tennessee (12:30 CSS) Matt Stewart, Chris Doering, Maria Taylor
Wake Forest @ Boston College (ACC Net/ESPN3) Steve Martin, Dave Archer, Scott Pryzwansky
Yale @ #14 Lehigh (SE-2 in Pennslyvania) Steve Degler, Mike Yadush, Al Di Carlo
Cincinnati @ Miami (OH) (1:00 ESPN3) Jim Barbar, John Gregory
Harvard @ Lafayette (2:00 Lafayette Sports Net) Gary Laubach, Mike Joseph, John Leone
Illinois State @ #6 North Dakota State (2:00 CSN Chicago) Don Hammer, Lee Timmerman, Kevin Feeney, Jamal Spencer
#2 Northern Iowa @ Missouri State (2:00 Mediacom Missouri) Don West, Mike McClure

Nevada @ Boise State (2:30 VS) Paul Burmeister, Shawn King, Anthony Herron
#24 North Dakota @ #19 Southern Utah (3:00 KMYU Utah) Mychal Clanton, Jordan Buscemi
#5 Delaware @ Maine (3:00 WABI Maine) Walt Abbott, George Hale
#3 Appalachain State @ #6 Wofford (3:00 SoCon Net/ESPN3) Darren Goldwater, Doug Chapman
#10 Richmond @ #8 James Madison (3:00 Comcast) Scott Graham, TBA
Northern Colorado @ #16 Montana (3:05 Montana Television Net) Dennis Patchin, Bob Hermes, Derek Buerkle
Auburn @ No. 9 South Carolina (3:30 CBS) Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein, Otis Livingston
No. 25 Michigan State @ Ohio State (3:30 ABC/ESPN) Sean McDonough, Matt Millen & Heather Cox
No. 21 Georgia Tech @ North Carolina State (3:30 ABC/ESPN) Mike Patrick, Craig James
No. 15 Baylor @ Kansas State (3:30 ABC/ESPN) Bob Wischusen, Bob Davie
Arizona @ USC (3:30 FSN) Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt, Petros Papadakis
Bethune-Cookman @ Miami-FL (3:30 ESPNU) Adam Amin, Dan Hawkins
SMU @ No. 20 Texas Christian (3:30 CBSSN) Dave Ryan Rich Rodriguez Kaylee Hartung
Washington State @ Colorado (3:30 FOX College Sports) Steve Physioc, Yogi Roth, Desmond Purnell
Towson @ Maryland (3:30 ACC Net) Rich Waltz, Keith Jones, Jenn Hildreth
Bowling Green @ No. 23 West Virginia (3:30 MASN/ESPN3) Rob King, John Thornton
Western Michigan @ Connecticut (3:30 SNY/Altitude2/ESPN3) Bob Picozzi, John Bunting
Marshall @ Louisville (3:30 WHAS Kentucky/ESPN3) Drew Deener, Doug James
Weber State @ Eastern Washington (3:30 Altitude/CSN California/Northwest) Chris Marlowe, Scott Hastings
Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan (3:30 ESPN3) Dan Gutowsky, Bob Chmeil
Bethune-Cookman @ Miami (FL) (3:30 ESPNU) Adim Amin, Dan Hawkins
San Jose State @ Colorado State (4PM mtn) Todd Harris, Todd Christensen
Arkansas State @ Western Kentucky (4:00 CSS/CST/ESPN3) Joe Davis, Cole Cubelic, Erin Cofiell

No. 15 Clemson @ No. 10 Virginia Tech (6PM ESPN2) Mark Jones, Ed Cunningham & Quint Kessenich
Penn @ Dartmouth (6PM FCS-Atlantic) Eric Frede, Steve DeOssie
#20 UMass @ Old Dominion (Comcast/Cox-11 Virginia) John Castleberry, William Fuller
No. 17 Texas @ Iowa State (7PM FX) Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Tim Brewster
Ball State @ No. 1 Oklahoma (7PM FSN PPV) Chuck Cooperstein, Dean Blevins, Kelly Cull
Washington @ Utah (7PM FSN) Ron Thulin, JC Pearson, Jeremy Bloom
Duke @ Florida International (7PM ESPNU) Rob Stone, Danny Kanell
Florida Atlantic @ Louisiana-Lafayette (7PM Cox-4 Louisiana) Jimmy Fredrick, Scott Brazda, Blair Abene
Kentucky Wesleyan @ Liberty (Flames Sports Net/ESPN3) Mike Tilley, Ray Jones
Hawaii @ Louisiana Tech (7PM CST/ESPN3) Trey Bender, Jay Taylor
#23 Indiana State @ South Dakota State (7PM Midco Sports) Tyler Merriam, Mike Struck, Scotty Kwas
UAB @ Troy (7PM SportSouth) Sam Smith, Kelin Johnson
Rice @ Southern Mississippi (7:30 CSS) Mike Morgan, Brett Favre, Craig Ackerman
No. 2 Alabama @ No. 12 Florida (8PM CBS) Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
No. 8 Nebraska @ No. 7 Wisconsin (8PM ABC) Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews
Notre Dame @ Purdue (8PM ESPN) Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe
North Carolina @ East Carolina (8PM CBSSN) James Bates, Aaron Taylor, Brooke Collins
New Mexico State @ New Mexico (8PM Mtn) Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, Toby Christensen
Mississippi @ Fresno State (9:15 ESPN2) Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard
UCLA @ No. 4 Stanford (10:30 FSN) Joel Meyers, Brian Baldinger, Jim Knox
Oregon State @ Arizona State (10:30 FSAZ) Tom Leander, Adam Archuleta, Mark McClune

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It's Friday, so it's time for the best snafus of the week!  We start with the US Women's National team that won our hearts this summer.  One of the leading stars was striker Abby Wambach.  With the US women back in action in a friendly against Canada, Wambach took her heroics to the next level.  Somehow, she managed to score "both goals" in a 3-0 victory.  That's math logic that would make Pam Ward proud.  Thanks to Stupid Sideline Reporters for sending it in...

It hasn't been a great season for the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning's neck injury has led to the team starting 0-3.  They've gone from being talked about every week at the top of every show to being a mere afterthought, like the Bengals or the Jaguars.  ESPN doesn't even feel the need to get their logo right anymore...

Darren Rovell tweeted the following two snafus from the college football weekend.  See if you can spot what may be amiss here in "Sunday's Headlines."

And finally, Fox hasn't had the best history with college football, so perhaps the source here isn't necessarily a surprise.  Fans in Virginia likely won't take too kindly to this snafu, which combines Virginia Tech and Virginia into one mythical program.  I wonder if the Virginia Tech Cavaliers would combine Virginia Tech's ability to lose big games with Virginia's ability to lose almost every game... geez, that's a little harsh, isn't it?  Virginia did beat Indiana this year after all!

That was your week in Screengrab Snafus, next time be careful out there!

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Oh, and it also features Drake, Mark Cuban and JP from Grandma's Boy. In the commercial, a bunch of crumb bums argue which NBA team is the greatest of all-time. But, who really cares about that, because in it there's San Francisco reliever Brian Wilson in a blonde wig wearing a Celtics warmup with 80's length NBA shorts lounging on a cheetah while defending the manliness of layups.

I try not to make it a habit of arguing with actors who are reading a script, but a guy in this commercial argues the Knicks were the greatest by pointing out the star power of John Starks, Charles Oakley and either Anthony Mason or Greg Anthony. C'mon actor, that is weak.

There's no real appropriate way to end this post, so here's a LENGTHY best of Larry Bird dunking montage set to Foreigner's "Dirty White Boy."

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Photo H/T: @MattSebek

St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcer, Dan McLaughlin, was arrested and charged with DWI Sunday in Missouri after crashing into a street sign and fleeing the scene. This is after he was arrested for DWI in August of 2010 and took that hilarious mug shot that you can see in the bottom left of the above picture.

Here's more on the story, from STLToday.Com:

Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin has been cited for drunken driving for a second time after a stop by Chesterfield police on Sunday.

Police said McLaughlin, 37, was stopped at 10:13 p.m. on Baxter Road and Isleview Drive after he crashed his vehicle. No other vehicle was involved, police say, but they declined to elaborate.

Police also accused McLaughlin of leaving the scene of an accident and negligent driving. He was released on $750 bond.

McLaughlin has not yet appeared in court on the charges. Police declined to provide any more information until formal charges are issued.

After two DWIs in just over a year, you have to wonder if the Cardinals and Fox Sports Midwest allow McLaughlin to return as the Cardinals' television play-by-play man next year. I'm not liking his chances. 

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All games are on TBS in the Divisional Round and the fun starts with the two AL series beginning in Arlington and the Bronx.  Unfortunately, Ernie Johnson will miss the postseason due to the illness of his son.  Brian Anderson will take the top spot during the playoffs for TBS alongside Ron Darling and John Smoltz.  All the divisional announcer assignments are listed below...

League Division Series on Turner Sports

New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci (reporter)

Friday, September 30 (TBS 8:37) Game 1 @ Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Saturday, October 1 (TBS 8:37) Game 2 @ Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Monday, October 3 (TBS 8:37) Game 3 @ Comerica Park, Detroit, MI

Tuesday, October 4 (TBS TBD) Game 4 @ Comerica Park, Detroit, MI*

Thursday, October 6 (TBS TBD) Game 5 @ Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY*

Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals - Dick Stockton, Bob Brenley, Craig Sager (reporter)

Saturday, October 1 (TBS 5:07) Game 1 @ Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, PA

Sunday, October 2 (TBS 8:07) Game 2 @ Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, PA

Tuesday, October 4 (TBS TBD) Game 3 @ Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Wednesday, October 5 (TBS TBD) Game 4 @ Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO*

Friday, October 7 (TBS TBD) Game 5 @ Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, PA*

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays - Don Orsillo, Buck Martinez, Jaime Maggio (reporter)

Friday, September 30 (TBS 5:07) Game 1 @ Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX

Saturday, October 1 (TNT 7:07) Game 2 @ Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX

Monday, October 3 (TBS 5:07) Game 3 @ Tropicana Field, Tampa, FL

Tuesday, October 4 (TBS TBD) Game 4 @ Tropicana, Field, Tampa, FL*

Thursday, October 6 (TBS TBD) Game 5 @ Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX*

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks - Victor Rojas, Joe Simpson, Sam Ryan (reporter)

Saturday, October 1 (TBS 2:07) Game 1 @ Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI

Sunday, October 2 (TBS 4:37) Game 2 @ Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI

Tuesday, October 4 (TBS TBD) Game 3 @ Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Wednesday, October 5 (TBS TBD) Game 4 @ Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ*

Friday, October 7 (TBS TBD) Game 5 @ Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI*

H/T Sammy!

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Six months of baseball came down to about 3 minutes last night. In those 3 minutes, two team's fortunes completely changed on some of the most dramatic and improbable plays in regular season sports history. It's beyond Disney to put in words what happened to the Rays this September. They overcame a nine-game September deficit to a team with a payroll 120 million dollars more than them. If that wasn't cornball enough, they even overcame a 7 run deficit with just 6 outs remaining and their season on the line against their division rivals whose payroll is 160 million more than them. All it took was one of the most improbable pinch-hit HR's in MLB history and a monumental late game collapse by the Sawks which featured a biffed play by the Tampa's former star, Carl Crawford, to put them in.

That was Harold Reynolds and Dan Plesac reacting to the insanity of last night. It's always nice to see some genuine enthusiasm when they don't even know the camera is on. My personal highlight is the high five (?) that takes place 45 seconds in.

Tigers/Yanks and Rays/Rangers start this Friday. Phillies/Cardinals and Diamondbacks/Brewers start on Saturday.

[Midwest Sports fans]

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One plus side to the historic events of last night is the schaudenfreude of watching the Boston media fall all over themselves trying to explain the epic collapse of the Red Sox.  The poster boy of everything one may find annoying with the Boston media is Dan "Carrot Top" Shaughnessy.  One only has to Google his name to find a small sampling of the ridiculous and laughable statements he's made over the years...

"Wow. Have there been worse days in the history of New England sports?" - that was Monday morning after the Pats lost a regular season game to the Bills.  No, definitely not an overstatement.

"The champagne toasts and Duck Boat parades are fun and memorable, but we are Bostonians and sometimes we fixate on the losses more than we celebrate the wins.  This one ranks way up there in the pantheon of pain — somewhere on the medal platform alongside Glendale, Ariz., in 2008 and Yankee Stadium in 2003." - after Belichick's loss to Rex Ryan in the postseason last year.  Yea, at least you have your Bostonianness to cling to.

"How about banishing the 2011 Red Sox from postseason play on the grounds of horsebleep play for the entire month of September?  This is where we are with less than a week to go in the regular season. The math says the Sox are probably going to qualify for the tournament, but they should be barred on sheer principle and merit." - Can a sportswriter bar a team from the playoffs on his own?  Sadly, we'll never find out.  Looks like the Sox took care of that on their own.

"Walk out your door and try to find someone who can name five players in this year’s tournament. You won’t find anyone unless you live next door to Bob Ryan, my boss Joe Sullivan, or one of the pudding-eating, basement-dwelling blog boys who’d normally be tracking UZR or NFL fantasy teams." - Somehow he found away to offend NCAA basketball fans AND bloggers in the same sentence!  My pudding eating heart is broken into a million pieces.

Last night then, Dan Shaughnessy, sage of the universe, decided he was going to be the one to end the season of the Tampa Bay Rays.  After all, they were down 7-0 in the 8th inning against the Yankees.  Going against every intricate aspect of baseball karma, Shaughnessy opened his wordhole just a bit too soon.  During the rain delay in Boston last night, Shaughnessy just might have possibly certainly jinxed the Red Sox last night.  Cursed them, if you will.  Although, maybe we should thank Dan for putting into motion the amazing events of last night.  Enjoy this lovely "Dewey Defeats Truman" soundbyte...

H/T Hot Clicks

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As a Cubs fan, I've forgiven Steve Bartman... I haven't forgotten that October night in 2003, but I have forgiven the man so many have cast as a scapegoat for continuing the Cubs championship curse.  And even though it's approaching 8 years since the Cubs most infamous loss in the NLCS to the Marlins, there's never been any real closure to the entire Bartman episode.  Maybe it's because Bartman has gone into hiding, refusing to further address his part in the Cubs' Game 6 loss.  Maybe it's because the Cubs have continued to fail time and again in the postseason in the years following 2003.  Maybe, it's because so many Cubs fans haven't forgiven Steve Bartman.

With ESPN's latest 30 For 30 offering, "Catching Hell", a small, perhaps naive part of me was hoping this documentary could provide some closure for Cubs fans.  Unfortunately, after watching for two hours, that wasn't the case.  The film itself was fantastic in parts and as well-produced as all the 30 For 30 series, except for the director cameos by Alex Gibney as the subject of a radio interview; I think it ranked somewhere between M. Night Shyamalan and Alfred Hitchcock's self-appearances in terms of subtleness.  Let's face it though, we're often critical of parts of ESPN, but the concept and execution of 30 For 30 continues to shine as one of the best things the network has ever done.  But, there was a sense of false advertising after seeing the actual documentary.  As Jim Miller pointed out on Twitter, the film was largely marketed on Bartman alone.  Yet, the first 15 minutes of "Catching Hell" were spent chronicling Bill Buckner and RED SAWX NATION.  

Now, the connection between the two clubs is obvious, especially during the 2003 postseason where both teams fell five outs short of the World Series.  But, as the documentary mentions, the Red Sox went on to break their curse... twice.  The Cubs are still waiting for their championship.  So, the last thing I needed to see as a Cubs fan was having the Red Sox, their failures, and their success shoved down my throat during a documentary that was supposedly about my team and their failures.  As soon as I saw Dennis Leary on my screen in that patronizing Bruins hat, I almost turned off the documentary entirely, especially when I had this in the back of my mind.  

But, I pressed forward, and for that I'm glad, because "Catching Hell's" finest moments came when it captured the atmosphere of Wrigley Field right after the Bartman incident.  To see the vitriol and anger even to this day towards Bartman from the raw footage in the stadium was eye-opening. And even though it was healthy to see the animals sports fans can unfortunately become in the heat of the moment, at times the film felt like it overvilified Cubs fans just a little bit too much for my liking. Wouldn't any fan at least be angry at one of their own "costing" their team such a crucial out?  Maybe not to the point of hurling death threats or beer, but can anyone honestly be so pious to say they wouldn't join in on the chants of "asshole?"  Is it too wild to assume there was a sect of hardcore Sox fans who, until the Sox won the World Series, might have held Bill Buckner in the same disregard as a sect of Cubs fans still hold Steve Bartman...

I'll be honest, regular season baseball isn't my favorite pasttime as a sports fan.  I know every game counts (which tonight definitively proved), but it's hard for me to get excited about 1 game out of 162.  With so many other sports to choose from, it's difficult for me to invest in regular season baseball games.  Without anything of immediate substance on the line throughout the year, having the patience to sit down and watch a baseball game for three hours (five if it's YANKS/SAWX) doesn't interest me.  Sure, I appreciate the history of the game and some of the more romantic elements of baseball, but the slow pace of the game and all the inaction doesn't match my sports brain that fits better with other faster moving sports.

And that's why tonight was so amazing to me.  Every reservation I have for not wanting to invest in regular season baseball was shattered.  There weren't just one, but three games on at the same time that had direct do or die playoff implications.  162 games boiled down to 1 for the Cardinals, Braves, Red Sox, and Rays.  Tampa Bay and Boston were tied atop the AL Wild Card race while St. Louis and Atlanta were tied for the NL Wild Card.  A month ago it seemed improbable with a combined 17 games separating the Wild Card races.  Nevertheless, a wild month of September set up possibly the most awesome night in the 142 year history of Major League Baseball.

September 28th, 2011 was baseball's night to have its own version of March Madness, and it was exhilirating.  Memorable.  Perhaps even unforgettable.  In fact, it may go down as one of the most entertaining nights a sports fan can experience...