Hey guys. Completely random diary here, but I'm in town for a few days and have tix to the Friday and Saturday games of the final series of the season for sale. I won't be able to make them, so if anyone wants them, I can meet up in person before Sunday.

Friday: 108, row 17 (2 tix)
Saturday: 106, row 6 (2 tix)

I know we were all hoping the games would mean more to the standings, but at least they're good seats. Face was $28. Email me @ tonypolitzer@hotmail.com to coordinate.

Peace out.

Word, peeps. I have 2 tix to the 7/3 fireworks game vs Toronto. Section 123, row 27. I'm just looking to dump them for what I paid, $28 each. Email me if you want them and we'll arrange a meet-up.

Thanks. .................................................................................................... ..................................................

Word peeps. I have 4 tix in 208, row 3. I paid $28 per ticket (fees), but I'll do them for $25 each. Here's the only catch- my friend who works for Stubhub has them, so you have to pick them up from him at the Stubhub pickup place. It's a hotel off Hegenberger. Email me if you're interested at tonypolitzer@hotmail.com. I'll get the address for you, and let him know you're coming and all that. Thanks.

Wow. I just read about this over at BP. That really sucks. I know everyone always bitches about the NFL only being available to people with the dish, but at least regular cable subscribers could get baseball still. This hasn't affected me for the last 5 years, as I've been in the Bay. Now, I'm moving down south and my plans just took a direct hit from DirectTV (horribly obvious pun intended).

My guess is that there's a fairly significant portion of AN who follows the A's from afar on the Extra Innings package as well. Not good.

I have 4 tickets and 1 parking pass to the A's Fanfest. If anyone wants them, just email me your address and I'll drop them in the mail.

Peace out. tonypolitzer@hotmail.com

Well, I need more writing to hit the minimum character limit.....I guess anyone else that wants to peddle their tix can use this thread to do so. I know there were a couple of these up earlier, but they seem to have wilted away like Ray Liotta into the cornfields of Iowa.

That should be enough.

Soooooo, I'm moving to the dark side. I'm leaving the Bay Area for sunnny Socal at the end of this month. I remember last season, a bunch of you Socal peeps were getting together for games once in awhile. I'm assuming you're planning on all that again, no? Are there any other good suggestions for sports bars, etc in the OC? I'll be living in Dana Pt. Thanks.

That's what I'm hearing from the poeple I know at the A's. They're in the front office, so I usually take what they say as pretty reliable. That's all I know- don't know details, don't know timeframe. Sorry for the vagueness of the diary. Hope he's not just a younger Macha...

If this ends up being false, you can use this diary for role-playing. You be Macha, I'll be Melhuse.

Word, peeps. So, I screwed up. I bought two tix to Game 1 in MVP 112, Row 19 for $175 each off craigslist. Then, I found out that my friend already bought seats for us. Now I need to unload these. I would obviously rather someone from here have them than a Detroit fan, or deal with all the fees of Stubhub or shadiness of Craigslist. If you have any interest in these, please email me @ tonypolitzer@hotmail.com. I'll work w/ you to avoid the other avenues.

Sorry to make a whole new diary out of this, I guess we can use it as another ticket xchange since the other one is slipping away.

And, obviously....steamroll.

Let's just say I guy-cried a lot today. I've been waiting for this since I was about 10 years old in '90. As I walked out and partied in the B lot w/ my long-suffering buddies, I gave a shit load of high fives and hugs to strangers saying two things: "Yes" and "Our turn"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bet some of those hugs went to some of you. There is absolutely no point to this diary, and I don't care right now!!!!!!!!!!

STEAMROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those are the numbers representing the ERA and WHIP of tomorrow's Bosux starter, Kyle Snyder.

Now, I can only hope that the A's seize this opportunity tomorrow. They are facing one of the worst starters in baseball. They're playing an East Coast team on a West Coast trip, that has already won this series on their getaway day. They have another tough team coming in right after. For me, tomorrow will be one of the defining games of the season. I know that baseball is a marathon, and win or lose tomorrow, anything could happen for the duration of the season. But to me, having such a golden opportunity to steal a win when it is so desperately needed....it just screams "MUST WIN".

Intangibles, clutch play and momentum are sometimes ignored or belittled by the sabermetric crowd. And while I consider myself a believer in sabermetric methods, I'm old-school in the regard that I still believe in those elements as well. In the opinion of one fan who has been a diehard A's fan since 1986, tomorrow's game will tell all I need to know about this year's squad and what my beliefs and hopes will be for the rest of the season. Let's hope the guys can't sleep tonight thinking about how their season is perilously close to starting the slow slide downwards. Or the fact they have recieved ass-whoopings two nights in a row in front of a pro-visitor crowd. Or the fact that the umps squeezed them hard tonight. Or the fact that Schilling is going to get away with the classless beaning of Swish. Any of those would work for me! Hopefully, these guys will feel their pride stinging all night.

Let's fucking go get 'em tomorrow, guys.

I can't believe this deal: The Reds gave up Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner for a couple bullpen guys, Royce Clayton and some minor leaguers (one of which is Majewski- who is not good. At all.) Granted, I haven't checked out the prospects, but this esems to be a terrible deal for the Reds on the surface. ESPN.com. Don't know how to link.

You can read the story at ESPN.com. It doesn't bother me if some of his stuff has become fluffy, I love this man. His Diamond Notes were the reason to tune in to ESPN. He embraces different philosophies, appreciates underrated talent, and just seems like a good guy in general.

I'll definitely be saying a prayer for him tonight. Hang in there, PG!

Hey guys, I need to contact you, but I can't find your email addresses anymore. Email me @ tonypolitzer@hotmail.com

I apologize to everyone else for the non-diary. Why don't we just use this as an open thread?

Here's a thought for the day to get you going: Would you rather have Rich Hrden or King Felix? Take into account age, current contracts, the whole works....I think Felix could obviously be special, but there's sometihng about him that screams out injury problems to me in the future.

Then again, Harden's been injury-prone already every season. Fluke injuries or not, after awhile, you get the label (i.e., Austin Kearns)

I posted the following in one of the earlier diaries. I wanted to open it up as it's own diary because the other one wasn't solely about Giambi. I'm interested in hearing not just how, but why others would or wouldn't want him back.

Not me
I feel bad for Giambi the person. I'm sure he's a good guy, and it's never pleasant to see someone get torn down.

That being said, if he came back I'd be sitting on my hands when others were clapping for him. I obviously would want for him to play well, because it would help the team that I love, but I won't be able to get over him bolting for the Yanks. That's like your girlfriend sleeping with your worst enemy. Would you take her back just because she says she's sorry?

It hurts me to even say that, because I've been a fan since '87 and Jason was the heart and soul of the new breed of A's that brought us out of the "dark years" of the 90s. I still remember being in high school and sitting through the horrible years, seeing him debut and our friends thinking that dude Giambi has a chance to be good...Never did we imagine how good he would get, but it was thrilling to be along for the ride and rewarding to have been there from the beginning. When he was in Maxim, we were proud that we had such a badass representing us...the team that never got any respect, that nobody cared about. When he won the MVP, it felt like a reward for paying our dues.

Then it all fell apart. It was bad enough that he bolted the A's. He always was the poster boy for small market success and he could have changed the entire direction of the A's in the last 5 years by agreeing to stay for a little less money, as if the millions weren't enough already. If he stayed for a little less, maybe others would have been more likely to come or to stay, maybe we win more, maybe we're holding parades. Flags fly forever.

But, not only did he leave, he went tp the worst possible place, awkwardly tried to fit in with the "cool kids" by ripping our city, changed his entire image even though his bad boy image is what made him famous in the first place and gave him the opportunity to go to NY. It was gut-wrenching.

I hope Jason gets his life back together. I hope he's successful again someday. I just hope it's not here.

by Tony on Mon May 16, 2005 at 04:17:14 PM PST
[ Reply to This  

One of my friends works for the A's and apparently he's telling our friends that we've acquired Sweeney.

HUGE DISCLAIMER: I can't in any way say whether or not this has any truth, but he is an employee, and he's saying it...so who knows? To me, it doesn't make sense, not now. Unless, they grab him, see if they can turn it around in the next month, and if not turn around and deal him as well. So, sorry that it's sort of hearsay, but that's what I'm hearing.

I got this from Fanball.com:

"News
Athletics pitcher Kiko Calero said he'll be examined Friday before the Athletics game by noted surgeon Lewis Yocum, who specializes in elbow operations, according to the Contra Costa Times. He threw before Thursday's game and said he felt better. "If I feel great tomorrow, I think I'll be fine to pitch," said Calero, who had not allowed a run in seven innings this season. "I didn't throw breaking balls. I was just throwing fastball, but I had no pain."

I'm hopeful because he's feeling better, but any time your best reliever goes to see Yocum or Andrews.....panic is valid.

Rob Neyer had a chat on ESPN.com Insider today and he mentioned in the middle of an answer that Swisher reported to camp a lot lighter than last year, and it had him a little worried.

Has anyone seen him this spring? Was he noticeably lighter?

I would think if Swish was roiding, he'd hit with a little more power.

Someone had to drop out, so we have an open spot. It seems like it'll be a good league, lots of involvement, blah blah blah.

ID: 4209
League Name: In Billy We Trust
Password: AN
 I set up a league on Yahoo. It' a 12 team league, so the first 11 that sign up are in. Ideally, I'd like to have it be a competitive league where everyone is involved and nobody flakes out halfway through, so I figured $50 was a good way to weed out those who are interested.

It's a 6x6 roto league. The extra categories being BB (for hitters) and k/bb. Also, doing OPS instead of AVG. We'll give $300 to the winner, $200 to 2nd, and $100 to third. I have it set up as a live draft on March 31st around 7pm or sometime around it. Once the league is set up, we can move the draft time if needed. Also, you can rank your plyers and Yahoo will draft off your list if you can't be in front of your computer at draft time. I figure I'll just put all my contact info up on the league page, and you can mail me your buy-in check. I'll wait until the season is over to cash them and pay everyone out....but I'll want to at least collect the checks before the draft so that you can't decide to quit halfway through the season just because your team sucks and not pay the winner.

So, anyway, everyone's invited. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Please do everyone involved a favor and don't sign up if you're going to be a hassle ponying up your money. There's nothing worse than trying to track down everyone so that you can pay the winner what is rightfully theirs. But, if you're looking to get into a league with a bunch of wannabe Beanes that understand baseball and are competitive and like to talk some good natured shit....by all means, go sign up. Thanks, everyone

I thought I was done with the reposting, but all the new Byrnes diaries inspired me (Josh- you know better). Anyway, we have 1 available spot. Details are below:

 ID: 4209
League Name: In Billy We Trust
Password: AN
 I set up a league on Yahoo. It' a 12 team league, so the first 11 that sign up are in. Ideally, I'd like to have it be a competitive league where everyone is involved and nobody flakes out halfway through, so I figured $50 was a good way to weed out those who are interested.

It's a 6x6 roto league. The extra categories being BB (for hitters) and k/bb. Also, doing OPS instead of AVG. We'll give $300 to the winner, $200 to 2nd, and $100 to third. I have it set up as a live draft on March 31st around 7pm or sometime around it. Once the league is set up, we can move the draft time if needed. Also, you can rank your plyers and Yahoo will draft off your list if you can't be in front of your computer at draft time. I figure I'll just put all my contact info up on the league page, and you can mail me your buy-in check. I'll wait until the season is over to cash them and pay everyone out....but I'll want to at least collect the checks before the draft so that you can't decide to quit halfway through the season just because your team sucks and not pay the winner.

So, anyway, everyone's invited. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Please do everyone involved a favor and don't sign up if you're going to be a hassle ponying up your money. There's nothing worse than trying to track down everyone so that you can pay the winner what is rightfully theirs. But, if you're looking to get into a league with a bunch of wannabe Beanes that understand baseball and are competitive and like to talk some good natured shit....by all means, go sign up. Thanks, everyone

Sorry to keep re-posting this, but the 48 Byrnes trade diaries keep bumping it down. We can take 4-6 more people, so if you're interested, please sign up so that I don't keep reposting.....eventually the diary police are going to shoot.

ID: 4209
League Name: In Billy We Trust
Password: AN
 I set up a league on Yahoo. It' a 12 team league, so the first 11 that sign up are in. Ideally, I'd like to have it be a competitive league where everyone is involved and nobody flakes out halfway through, so I figured $50 was a good way to weed out those who are interested.

It's a 6x6 roto league. The extra categories being BB (for hitters) and k/bb. Also, doing OPS instead of AVG. We'll give $300 to the winner, $200 to 2nd, and $100 to third. I have it set up as a live draft on March 31st around 7pm or sometime around it. Once the league is set up, we can move the draft time if needed. Also, you can rank your plyers and Yahoo will draft off your list if you can't be in front of your computer at draft time. I figure I'll just put all my contact info up on the league page, and you can mail me your buy-in check. I'll wait until the season is over to cash them and pay everyone out....but I'll want to at least collect the checks before the draft so that you can't decide to quit halfway through the season just because your team sucks and not pay the winner.

So, anyway, everyone's invited. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Please do everyone involved a favor and don't sign up if you're going to be a hassle ponying up your money. There's nothing worse than trying to track down everyone so that you can pay the winner what is rightfully theirs. But, if you're looking to get into a league with a bunch of wannabe Beanes that understand baseball and are competitive and like to talk some good natured shit....by all means, go sign up. Thanks, everyone

I'm just re-posting my earlier diary beacuse we still have open spots in the league:

ID: 4209
League Name: In Billy We Trust
Password: AN
 I set up a league on Yahoo. It' a 12 team league, so the first 11 that sign up are in. Ideally, I'd like to have it be a competitive league where everyone is involved and nobody flakes out halfway through, so I figured $50 was a good way to weed out those who are interested.

It's a 6x6 roto league. The extra categories being BB (for hitters) and k/bb. Also, doing OPS instead of AVG. We'll give $300 to the winner, $200 to 2nd, and $100 to third. I have it set up as a live draft on March 31st around 7pm or sometime around it. Once the league is set up, we can move the draft time if needed. Also, you can rank your plyers and Yahoo will draft off your list if you can't be in front of your computer at draft time. I figure I'll just put all my contact info up on the league page, and you can mail me your buy-in check. I'll wait until the season is over to cash them and pay everyone out....but I'll want to at least collect the checks before the draft so that you can't decide to quit halfway through the season just because your team sucks and not pay the winner.

So, anyway, everyone's invited. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Please do everyone involved a favor and don't sign up if you're going to be a hassle ponying up your money. There's nothing worse than trying to track down everyone so that you can pay the winner what is rightfully theirs. But, if you're looking to get into a league with a bunch of wannabe Beanes that understand baseball and are competitive and like to talk some good natured shit....by all means, go sign up. Thanks, everyone.  

ID: 4209
League Name: In Billy We Trust
Password: AN

 I set up a league on Yahoo. It' a 12 team league, so the first 11 that sign up are in. Ideally, I'd like to have it be a competitive league where everyone is involved and nobody flakes out halfway through, so I figured $50 was a good way to weed out those who are interested.

It's a 6x6 roto league. The extra categories being BB (for hitters) and k/bb. Also, doing OPS instead of AVG. We'll give $300 to the winner, $200 to 2nd, and $100 to third. I have it set up as a live draft on March 31st around 7pm or sometime around it. Once the league is set up, we can move the draft time if needed. Also, you can rank your plyers and Yahoo will draft off your list if you can't be in front of your computer at draft time. I figure I'll just put all my contact info up on the league page, and you can mail me your buy-in check. I'll wait until the season is over to cash them and pay everyone out....but I'll want to at least collect the checks before the draft so that you can't decide to quit halfway through the season just because your team sucks and not pay the winner.

So, anyway, everyone's invited. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Please do everyone involved a favor and don't sign up if you're going to be a hassle ponying up your money. There's nothing worse than trying to track down everyone so that you can pay the winner what is rightfully theirs. But, if you're looking to get into a league with a bunch of wannabe Beanes that understand baseball and are competitive and like to talk some good natured shit....by all means, go sign up. Thanks, everyone.  

I am begrudgingly starting to get on board with what BB is trying to do with the team. If you read between the lines of his interview, he basically is saying that he's too competitive to ever give up on a season and call it a rebuilding year, but realistically, he's looking to 2006.

   If this is the case, I don't understand the need for Hatty at first. BB basically said that the previous era of the A's is over, and we're about to embark on the next one. We already have multiple rookies in the lineup...what's one more?

   I appreciate what Hatty has done the last few years, no doubt. But does keeping him in the lineup really help us down the road? I don't think so.

There's a new SF Giants blog that just went up recently. Go check it out at www.mccoveychronicles.com.  
See if you see anything that looks familiar!

I don't know how the info sharing among people who run the blogs works....either there's some idea sharing going on, or the site is a blatant ripoff. I actually think the Giants dude is pretty funny, so I hope it's the former.

This is from Baseball Prospectus:

"The big news over the weekend was the A's sending Mark Mulder the Cardinals, the second time in three days that they'd traded one of their "Big Three" to an NL contender.

At first, I though the A's made a poor deal, but I think that was largely a reflection of my not liking the trade of Tim Hudson to Atlanta. Once I evaluated the second deal on its merits, though, I not only found myself coming around on it, but beginning to see the transaction as part of a pattern that reflects a reversal by the A's.

Mulder brought back right-handers Dan Haren and Kiko Calero and catching prospect Daric Barton. Barton has hit in the low minors, but may not be a catcher by the time he reaches Triple-A, much less the majors. He could end up as anything at this point, so consider just the pitchers for now.

I'm not convinced that in 2005, Mark Mulder is going to be better than Dan Haren. Forget money. I think the indicators for the two pitchers are going in opposite directions, and with Mulder's health an open question, and his brutal second half fresh in memory, it's not hard for me to see Haren being more productive next year. He had better peripherals than Mulder, albeit in many fewer innings, he has fewer health questions and a strong skill set.

The Cardinals paid the price for the name, and for the label of "#1 starter." A year ago, I wrote that the A's should have traded Barry Zito instead of Ted Lilly because the key in trading is to swap a player whose perceived value is greater than their actual value. That's exactly what they've done here; Mulder has win totals and innings and a reputation and a contract, but the gap between that and what he's actually worth right now is fairly large.

The deal seals the changes for the A's, who have remade their staff in the manner of recent Angels' staffs, or that of the '04 Cardinals. They will rely much less heavily on their rotation, using it largely to get the game to a pen that could feature as many as four hard throwers with strikeout-an-inning stuff in Calero, Juan Cruz, Huston Street and Octavio Dotel. It's an identity shift along the lines of the one from 2000 to 2002, when they moved from a OBP-driven lineup to one that emphasized defense. The staff could, as a whole, bump its strikeout rate by 10-15% next year, which makes Keith Ginter a more viable option at second base.

More significantly to me is that these deals seem to acknowledge the importance of strikeout rate. The "Big Three"'s strikeout rates have been in various states of decline for years, and both Hudson and Mulder slipped below average in that department this year. The one pitcher of the three that the A's kept, however, is the one, Zito, whose strikeout rate trended upward in '04 and whose K rate is above average. If you're leveraging the gap between perceived and actual value, doing so by exporting pitchers with below-average strikeout rates and ace reputations is a great place to start.

To make these deals really pay off, however, the A's have to complete the cycle by using the money they've saved in the last week--about $11 million--to fill their hole in the outfield. Offering arbitration to Durazo addresses some of their potential lineup problems, but what they really need is one more top-tier hitter to complete the lineup. Carlos Beltran is probably out of their range, but a serious offer to J.D. Drew seems mandatory. They have the money, Drew is a great fit for the lineup, and his approach at the plate fits the A's.

As good as this deal could be for the A's, it's not necessarily a disaster for the Cardinals, who might miss Haren and Calero but who certainly didn't trade any essential elements. They have, however, assumed all the risk in the deal, as well as the burden of Mulder's contract. I just don't think Mulder is a good bet to be both healthy and effective for the next two seasons, and relying on him to be a #1 starter is likely to be disappointing for them.

I'm going to throw one other notion out there. One of the popular criticisms of Billy Beane in the wake of Moneyball was that the A's success had less to do with his decisionmaking and more to do with the emergence of three good young starting pitchers in a two-year span. Whatever your stance on this--I find the notion reactionary and content-free--Beane has, in the last week, divorced his team's identity from Hudson, Mulder and Zito. What the A's do on the field in the next two to three years will likely determine, for many people, whether he truly is a great general manager or just the guy who was standing there when some draft picks panned out."

If Gammons's article made you feel better, well, this will bring you back to Earth...

"The busiest week in some time continued yesterday with one big trade and one big signing. The Braves made a huge rotation upgrade by picking up Tim Hudson from the A's in exchange for Moe, Larry and Curly. OK, the deal is a bit better than that, but it's a big win for Atlanta, which added a top-tier starter for a reliever, a prospect, and a spare part. For a team that was staring into 2004 with a bunch of #4 starters and the great unknown of John Smoltz in the rotation, this trade re-establishes them as the team to beat in the NL East.

The A's get the guy who was rumored to be heading their way over the weekend, Dan Meyer. Meyer is comparable to the A's Big Three, a quick-to-the-majors college pitcher who's polished and ready to go less than three years out of the draft. The left-hander has a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly 4-to-1, and has allowed just 24 home runs in more than 350 professional innings. He's not a big upside guy, with a fastball in the low 90s and command of a slider and change-up.

Meyer showed enough degradation in his skill set at Triple-A--highest home-run rate and worst K/BB ratio of his career--to make the idea of sending him to Sacramento in April a good one. Like Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, Meyer can make his A's debut later in the year, a move that will not only assure his readiness but likely save the team some money down the road.

The upside in the deal for the A's comes in the form of Juan Cruz, a power arm who has been protected from overwork thanks to some problems when used as a starter. Cruz, 24, throws hard and features a ridiculous slider. I think he's the kind of player who can be used for 90 or more high-leverage relief innings, getting up to nine outs at a clip. It's an open question whether any organization has room for that kind of pitcher any longer. At the least, Cruz will be the strikeout reliever the A's have sorely lacked in the seventh and eighth innings.

The Braves also sent Charles Thomas to the A's in the deal. Thomas was a nice surprise for Atlanta last year, but he's far from accomplished. His .368 OBP was inflated by nine intentional walks; he drew just a dozen free passes on his own in more than 250 plate appearances. He might be a Wayne Kirby/Thomas Howard kind of fifth outfielder, but no better than that.

The package the A's received for Hudson is light enough that it's worth wondering what Billy Beane is doing. It could be that the A's think this is the best they can do for Hudson, who will be a free agent after 2005 and who struggled down the stretch in '04. It may be that they want to clear some payroll--this deal saves them about $5 million--to add a free-agent hitter on a corner. It may be that they see more in Meyer and Cruz than most do, and believe they'll win this deal in the long term. Certainly, Cruz has the kind of arm they A's haven't developed themselves in a while, and they have some rotation depth from which they can replace Hudson's starts, if not his performance.

It may also be that they undersold their best pitcher."

Great.

I think that BB made this trade with the goal in mind to extend our window of contention another few years. Here's the very sad reality of being a fan of this team: The best we can hope for is to have a team every year that is in contention and hope for that one magical year where we put it all together and go on a WS run. We aren't ever going to be the best team going into a season unless we develop multiple superstars at the same time.

As a competitive person, my first choice would have been to keep Huddy and hope for that run this year. I'd rather be great for one than average for 5.

What made this deal even worse was the Johnson deal a half hour later. I don't understand WTF Depo was thinking. Why would he even get involved in that deal- besides dumping Green's salary? He gave up Penny and Brazoban for Vazquez?? DOn't you think he would have done that for Huddy? I would have been a hell of a lot happier with those 2. We would have at least had a shot this year still. Now...we're staring 3rd place right in the eyes.

One last thought (Sorry, I know this is a little unorganized...lots of thoughts right now)

I can understand the deal if this is true: BB looks around the baseball landscape and sees the power brokers spending all the money and loading up. He realizes that there is just no chance that we can realistically compete. Then, he also relaizes that a lot of the best talent in the majors is old and probably has a 2-3 year window (Johnson, Clemens, Bonds, etc.) Maybe he is just gearing the team up to be good when those contracts start looking real bad as those players start breaking down and retiring.

No matter what the rationale is, it fucking ucks to be a fan of a team that doesn't play on an even playing field as the rest of the league- whether we create the unbabalanced field or not.

He finally admitted what we all knew....he used steroids.

You can check out the story at the SF Chronicle's website.

www.sfgate.com

And asked him to please fire Macha.