In the movie Moneyball, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane queries his team of scouts when discussing a prospective player, “If he's a good hitter, why doesn't he hit good?” The scouts all have solid explanations, at least in their minds, of why a prospect might be a good hitter, from the sound of the crack of the bat when they hit the ball to the player’s good looks?

What if we ask the same question about COVID vaccines, rephrased as “If the vaccines work, why aren’t they working?”.

This is the time when I must add the necessary disclaimer that I am not anti-vaccine, having been personally fully vaccinated almost a year ago.

VAERS is the “Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.” From their website one can compare adverse events from COVID vaccines from the past 11 months they have been available to adverse events from all vaccines for the past 30 years, 1990 and onward.

Of note, hospitalizations, deaths, permanent disabilities, and birth defects were greater for 11 months of COVID vaccines than they were for 30 years of all other types of vaccines – such as shingles, influenza, measles, mumps, hepatitis, and so on?

VAERS did their own analysis about ten years ago and found, “Fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported.” Their words, not mine?

To paraphrase Billy Beane, “If the vaccines are safe, why aren’t they safe?”?

COVID-19 study shows mRNA vaccines reduce risk of infection by 91 percent for fully vaccinated people.

So why are cases surging?” My home state of Colorado is singing from same hymnal, “Colorado’s COVID hospitalizations jump again as virus’ statewide death toll surpasses 9,000.” Colorado’s 12 and up population is over 80 percent partially or fully vaccinated.

The CDC on its website claims, “Research provides evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19.” Yet cases in highly vaccinated locations are surging, now almost two years into the COVID pandemic.

As Billy Beane might say, “If the vaccines work, why aren’t they working?”.

The Pfizer vaccine costs the government about $20 per dose, with the other COVID vaccines in the same ballpark.

It always works that way – nothing is really “free.”  As Billy Beane might say, “If the vaccines are free, why do they cost so much?”?

Instead of transparency, we see this, “FDA wants 55 years to process FOIA request over vaccine data.” Is this, “part of the FDA’s commitment to transparency” as the FDA itself claims

Despite the shaming and ridicule, here we are, almost two years into the COVID pandemic, with a mostly vaccinated population, and hospitals and ICUs are overrun with COVID cases

Leaving Billy Beane to ask, “If the vaccines work, why aren’t they working?”