article_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane Baseball's Billy Beane is taking up a position with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
article_snippet: I'm truly excited for the opportunity to be part of AZ Alkmaar in an advisory role,Baseball's Billy Beane Baseball's Billy Beane told the AZ website.
article_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane has had a longstanding fascination with European football, citing Arsenal's Arsene Wenger as a manager Baseball's Billy Beane admires for Baseball's Billy Beane blend of performance on the pitch and financial prudence.
article_snippet: The American has said in the past that it was Baseball's Billy Beane dream to be an executive at a football club once Baseball's Billy Beane baseball career ended.  
article_snippet: It turns out Baseball's Billy Beane didn't have to wait that long.
article_snippet: I think it's interesting and exciting for Baseball's Billy Beane personally," said Chris Anderson, co-founder of the sports analytics consultancy Anderson Sally.
article_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane's been a football fan for many, many years and is very well informed about the sport and industry.
article_snippet: This is not as much a stretch as one might imagine; Baseball's Billy Beane actually knows football.
article_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane will retain Baseball's Billy Beane general manager duties with the Oakland A's, a team that remains competitive despite sporting one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball (MLB).
article_snippet: Critics of baseball's sabermetrics system -- using data to analyze the sport as exposed in Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" book which inspired the film -- are quick to point out that Baseball's Billy Beane has never won a title with The A's.
article_snippet: In Holland, Baseball's Billy Beane won't need to start from scratch, as AZ currently sits comfortably in fourth place in the Dutch Eredivisie.
article_snippet: The former U.S. midfielder, who scored against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup, is half-Dutch and hopes the collaboration with Baseball's Billy Beane can give the club an extra edge.
article_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane's philosophy is shaped by getting maximum bang for your buck in the transfer market.
article_snippet: There is a misconception that you never pay much for anybody, but that is not true at all," Baseball's Billy Beane told the Telegraph in 2011.
article_snippet: However, Anderson argues " Beane could be about to exploit a gap in the market.
article_snippet: Either way, " Beane is likely to relish the challenge of imparting " Beane knowledge to the boardrooms of European football, perhaps even as a pre-cursor to a full time job in the sport.
article_snippet: I think " Beane certainly would be open to the possibility of taking on a role," said Anderson, adding that " Beane could be using the advisory position to dip " Beane toe into the shark-infested waters of football player transfers.
highlights_snippet: Baseball's Billy Beane to join top-tier Dutch club as executive .
  