Okay, very quickly, because I have a meeting to get to. Several readers have written and asked a few questions and several others have pointed me toward articles.

Look:

• If the Boston Red Sox win the World Series, the 'Curse' is not lifted.

The Curse doesn't exist (well, the website does) in the first place, so how can something that does not exist suddenly go away?


• If Boston wins the World Series, it is proof positive that Moneyball works.

For the billionth time, MONEYBALL IS A BOOK. It's not a story. Michael Lewis did not create the tale. Moneyball is ABOUT a story. Lewis did not have carte blanch throughout the A's organization. He did not write a textbook on how to run an organization. He didn't teach Bill James in a summarized fashion. He wrote about a story, that is all.



• The A's are going to trade Barry Zito, or Mark Mulder, or...

No trades are going to occur for several weeks when the Winter Meetings begin in Anaheim. Billy Beane has entertained the idea of trading himself. No player is out of the realm of possibilities. Further, the front offices of baseball teams cannot comment on individual players and whether they are involved in trades or not. Remember, the A's front office is all of two people: Billy Beane and David Forst. If it didn't come from their mouth, just pass it off as a rumor or an urban legend. Weren't the A's supposed to get Placido Polanco - what happened? Rumors running rampant.



• The A's are moving to San Jose, or Portland, or Las Vegas.

Schott y Hoffman are exploring every avenue to get a better bargaining position. The traditional method of holding the city hostage by threatening to move really has not been kicked into high gear. The rumors you hear are just those vapors getting loose. The A's are going anywhere, so go buy season tickets.

For the last time; if Boston wins the World Series it is not a validation of Moneyball. It simply means that a team with a $140 million payroll can win the World Series against poor competition.

If you don't understand that concept, then you didn't understand the premise of Moneyball; maximizing wins with a limited payroll. It all comes back to Doug Pappas and wins per dollar.

Send me your queries; I'll answer them at the end of the day.