Implied Metaphor. Tenor: Billy's attention. Vehicle: a marksman's scope. Ground: unwavering focus, military precision.

Hyperbole humorously emphasizes the failures of the White Sox

Implied metaphor. Tenor: Paul entering Billy's office Vehicle: "poking" Ground: small stature, barely noticeable presence.

Implied metaphor in "eat." Eating, in this case, stands for taking an offer. The ground is in acceptance and consumption

Hyperbole overstates the lack of research the Mets need to hypothetically do in order to entice Paul DePodesta

metonymy for Beane's method of money management. Connotation of "trick" implies a scheme on Billy's part.

Use of personification shows just how little control Mags has over the situation. He is forced by the will of non-human entities

Antithesis in the change of results based on age alone. Reflects on the struggle of older players, or aging in general.

the use of epizeuxis emphasizes the flight, and height of the ball

Antithesis of good pitch. Enforces the rhythm of the piece.

Metonymy standing for the position of the catcher enforces the "detached announcer" tone of the prose

Figure of repetition: conduplicatio in "wrong." The word wrong is repeated, the two separated by the phrase "with them,' and it wasn't hard to see what was..." The purpose of conduplicatio in this case is to amplify the point that The A's usually hired unconventional players and that Mags was no exception.

Metonymy referring to Thome's brutish hitting style, paints a hulking character.

Uses of metonymy in "seventh" (standing for seventh inning) and "runners" (standing for players at base) hastens the prose, creating an image of a quick game. The narration style is also similar to that of a traditional baseball announcer, a tone establishing setting and subject matter.

informal diction sets a comfortable tone