The Art Neuro Weblog

Euclis, Greek God Of Walks
Or so the description of Kevin Youkilis went in the book, 'Moneyball'. Well, it turns out he's not Greek after all.

Fans' comments Greek to Youkilis
FORT MYERS - Kevin Youkilis gained acclaim in Michael Lewis' book, "Moneyball," a look inside the small-market Oakland A's, when A's GM Billy Beane fell in love with Youkilis' ability to get on base.

In the book, Youkilis is called "The Greek God of Walks." But Youkilis, who is hoping to stick with the Red Sox as a backup infielder, isn't of Greek descent - his father's family is from Romania.

"People have come up to me and starting speaking Greek to me and I don't speak it," Youkilis said. "I feel bad. Ever since I was in Lowell (Class A), people have thought I was Greek. People shout at me, 'I'm Greek, you're Greek.' But I'm not."

Youkilis, who batted .260 with seven homers and 35 RBI in 72 games with the Sox last year, said he's enjoyed his "Moneyball" fame, though. "It can't hurt you if another GM is saying good things about you," he said. "The book didn't say anything bad about me. The only bad thing I hear is sometimes in the on-deck circle, someone says, 'C'mon, get a walk.'"

That wouldn't bug me that much. I mean, if my special talent was a .400 OBP and an average Infielder's glove and could make it stick for 10 years, that's a very tidy Major League career.

- Art Neuro