Former A’s manager Art Howe, who was trashed by the way his character was portrayed in “Moneyball,” gets a hearty defense from CBS 5 sports director Dennis O’Donnell, who calls it “character assassination.” An excerpt:
Hollywood is a slimy place. Apparently, so is Oakland. They rolled out the red carpets for Brad Pitt and the rest of Tinseltown as they forced their fake smiles while giving canned answers to the drooling media. And there was Pitt, who, with all apologies to Billy Beane and Michael Lewis, had more to do with the film’s success than the analysis of saber metrics.
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Of course, no one is taking responsibility for Howe’s character assassination. “That’s Hollywood,” is how it’s being explained to me.
In the years covering Howe I knew him only on professional level. Billy and Michael Lewis had far greater insight than me. But I knew him to be a true gentleman, stand-up guy, and one who seemed to have the respect of his players.
But what kind of movie would that make?
Noted: O’Donnell knows firsthand about being trashed. His own station management, you may recall, pulled him from a regular gig interviewing deposed 49ers coach Mike Singletary last year after one of Singletary’s pouty on-air temper tantrums. O’Donnell’s crime: doing his job.
