but I miss Ken Macha.

Geren is a nice enough guy but I think we are all seeing how good of a manager that Macha was now that he's gone.

Geren has been dealt soem bad breaks this year but atleast when Macha made an odd call, I'd live with it because I trusted his baseball knowledge. When Geren makes an odd call, I throw somethign at my TV because I know that the only reason he got the job is because he is Billy Beane's buddy.

Sure Macha didn;t get along with the players (apparently Melhuse and Kotsay) but the guy won ball games and to me that's what matters.

I'll be the first to say Macha drove me nuts with some of this  decisions, but at the end of the day all the guy did was win.

I know a few A's fans are heading to Queens to see the A's take on the Mets this weekend. Hopefully we can win a game or two.

My lady is a big Mets fan so it should be a great time.

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I've been going to the Rivercat games down here in Vegas against the 51's all week and will go again tonight for the series finale. The Rivercats have taken 2 of 3 thus far. I've seen some good baseball and it's been nice to see some our future players up close.

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Every year it seems as if our A's are in a rebuilding frame of mind but we always seem to find the right free agents to plug into holes to stay very competitive and have a shot in September.

I know it's early but 2007 seems a little different. In my opinion, this team even when healthy is only going to win between 81-85 games, and that's if we stay somewhat healthy.

So I have been thinking alot lately and is it time for the A's to go into complete rebuild mode after the 2007 season?

We will wipe our hands of Kendall's along with some others such as Kielty, Bradley and Piazza.

Will it be time for this team to trade some of it's other young stars that may or may not be living up to expectations? (Crosby,Loiaza,Duke,Calero,Kotsay)

Would fans of the team be upset if we went with this approach and let younger guys in the system get full time playing time in the big leagues?

I for one would be all for it but I'm not sure if I'm in the majority or minority.

The Reds locked up another former Athletic today..

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2756164

Harang made out pretty well.

I always liked Harang as was a bit surprised when we traded him a few years back for Jose Guillen, who we rented for a few months.

The Reds now have Hatteberg, Saarloos, Harang and the 1990 World Series.

I'm not too surprised that he's talkign with them, especially after Washington got the manager job.

I don't expect to Zito to sign with Texas or anyone in the near future. Boras wants to wait until Schmidt and Matsuzaka sign so he can get as much as possible.

I'd still bet the Mets sign Zito mainly because they will shell out the most cash because they have no choice.

If Zito does by chance sign in Texas or maybe even Anaheim, then I can't wait to take all those walks he will give us when we face him.

I know most of AN wants Ron Washington as the next manager and I'd be fine with that.

My first and favorite choice would be Larry Bowa.
Bowa is a baseball guy with a hard nosed approach that would bring some definite fire to this A's team.

His style may conflict with how this club house operates but maybe that's what is needed.

Obviously he won't be a "Yes Mr. Beane" type of manager so that would be a problem but who knows. Perhaps Beane has now learned that that type of manager won't bring the A's a championship.

Great 2006 but in the AL West and the AL overall, you know Billy will be mapping out a plan to keep this team at a championship level.

Here's my advice for Mr. Beane.

Don't even bother talking numbers with Zito. Thnak him for the great times and tell him to have fun in LA or San Diego.

Don't give in to Frank Thomas' ridiculous demands. Two years guaranteed is not worth the risk. I say 1 year at $5 million with incentives and an option for the 2nd year. If he can't agree to that, then let him walk.

Trade Bobby Crosby and Huston Street NOW! The A's could get some quality players for these two. Both are young and talented, but if Billy can get quality players (bullpen and or a 1B) then he should pull the trigger and let thier "potential" be some other team's problem.

Resign Jay Payton. I can't imagine he would demand more then the $4.5 million he made this year. Payton was huge for us this year and deserves to be back in the green and gold.

Either play Dan Johnson or trade him for whatever you can get for him. I think DJ can be a quality big leaguer but he has to play. If you do trade DJ, then hopefully we can bring over a !B in a trade for perhaps Crosby or Street so tht we can move Swisher back to the outfield.

Speaking of the outfield, TRADE Mark Kotsay only if the right offer is given. I love Mark but if a team offers a quality bullpen arm or a admirable player with some speed, then this may be something the A's might want to pull the trigger on.

Make Joe Kennedy our fifth starter. I have full faith in Joe. This would obviously mean we would need to add new arms to the bullpen, but I have mentioned that above with other possible moves.

Lock up Swisher and Bradley. Bradley to me is the best player on this A's team and locking him up would be money well spent, the same for Swisher who will only improve.

Obviously all these reccomended moves will have an affect on what we do with Kielty, Saarloos and even Daric Barton. We have a few players in the minor leagues that may not seem great on paper, but I'm sure will be quality ball players.

Never let Eric Chavez bat higher then 6th in the lineup. (This one is for Ken Macha)

Do everything you can to keep Ron Washington. Make him the highest paid coach in MLB, but keep him.

And finally but most importantly, the A's need some speed in the lineup, wether it's at the top or bottom of the order. This team needs someone who can get on base and put pressure on the defense and the pitcher. If we can acquire this type of player through one of my suggested trades above, then do so.

Go A's!!!

I never like to make guarantees but tonight I can feel it in my heart.

Somehow, someway, the A's will find a way to win tonight and Loaiza will come through.

I was so upset last night but that anger turned to joy as I know this team will rebound.

The 2006 Oakland A's have taken us all on a roller coaster ride from April to October and it isn't about to end, NOT YET! This team has too much heart and fight and despite what Chavez says, too much talent to lay down and let the Tigers do what they want to us.

So here's to tonight, the night where the A's once again show us what they are made of; which is more then what 26 other teams are made of.

Harden, Haren and Zito will be awaiting the Tigers back in Detroit and trust me, Detroit won't like what they see but every A's fan will.

The more and more I think about Esteban going in game two, it really bothers/concerns me.

He has pitched great in the second half of the season and pitched terrific in Minnesota in the ALDS but I would feel better with Rich Harden going in game 2 and the veteran Loaiza going in game 3 on the road.

This makes game 1 so very important for the A's to win because something in my heart tells me that Loaiza can't out pitch Verlander.

As far as Harden goes, I understand we haven't really seen how ready he is but to me he is a weapon and if he is on his game he may very well be the best pitcher in the AL. His control doesn't concern me because of the overly aggressive swinging Tigers and i feel he would thrive being at home with the crowd.

Any thoughts?