I am asking a serious question. Will the A's ever have a game where they recognize Jose Canseco?? We have seen the A's advertise the bobble-head for Rollie Fingers. The A's have done other promotions in honor of former star players,. Its only a matter of time that they promote players from the late 80s (I can recall a Dave Stewart Shirt??).

Of course Canseco is by no means an honorable character. He is not in the same category of former great as Fosse, Stewart, Henderson, Fingers. However, I am wondering will time heal old wounds and will there come a day when the A's recognize Cansco?? He was a huge star in the game for several years an important player on a championship team.

I will tell you, if they gave out a Canseco promotion it would attract attention. My guess is that eventually yes the A's will do something to recognize Canseco.

Some other thoughts?

Also, a day to honor McGwire or Reggie Jackson??

Lastly, which player from the 1999-2006 era do you think will be the first to have some sort of promotional/ honoring night? My guess is Mulder or Giambi

Thanks.

Hey guys. Just wondering what the board thought about this question. Who was the best Steeler QB who played between Bradshaw and Roethlesberger?

We can all agree that Terry and Ben are the top 2 in last 40 years but who does everyone think is number 3? 

In my view, its a debate between Malone, O'Donnell and Stewart. Those 3 all took the team to a AFC championship and had more wins than the next tier of guys (Brister, Tomczak and Maddox)- all of whom made it to Divisional playoffs but only started for 2-3 years each.

The easy answer might be to say Neil O'Donnell as he actually made it to the Super Bowl. Their Offensive supporting cast is pretty balanced

Malone had the best receivers of the 3 (Lipps and Stallworth). But the OL and Rb were not as strong as Stewarts and O'Donnell. O'Donnell had the best OL of the bunch and good RBs yet the WR were average. Stewart's OL was comparable to O'Donnell and had a great RB, his WR were weak until his last year.

I think Malone had the best leadership abilities of the 3. O'Donnell decent.  Stewart off and on. 

Stewart clearly was the most mobile. 

My ranking would be 1) Malone 2) O'Donnell 3) Stewart.  

Any thoughts?

Hello A's fans. I am a devoted fan living outside of the Bay Area. I have been following the stories, interviews with Wolff, etc regarding the future location of an A's ballpark. There is a point of contention I have with Wolff and those who suggest San Jose is the only option for the team.

I have a good sense of geography of the United States thus I am not a rube when it comes to these matters. My take is that the East Bay is a more logical spot for a ballpark/ team thatn San Jose.

Yes, the city of San Jose is bigger and wealthier than Oakland. Furthermore, I am aware of all of the political and crime problems in Oakland. However, San Jose is on the far end of the metro area and I believe that in the long run, large numbers of fans will not travel there.

The Colliseum is closer to the following regions in California (San Francisco, Napa, Marin Co, Contra Costa Co, Sacramento). These population centers are significant and will see a drop in attendance from the people in these regions.

Also, the area south of San Jose is pretty much unpopulated.

I think the main reason MLB is not pushing for San Jose is this reason. Wolff keeps hitting on the fact that San Jose is larger and growing but once you get out of the immediate area the places are either

a) lower populated.

b) closer to the coliseum

c) about even in distance to the coliseum.

I really think some more options in the east bay should be explored. I really think that the Fremont idea was not that bad. It is relatively close to both cities.

Wherever the ballpark is built I am sure it will draw a great crowd for the first several years as anything would beat the current football focused stadium. In the long term though, I think the East Bay is a better choice than San Jose.

A question regarding recent Steelers history. When Batch was brought in (2003) was he expected to be the back-up to Maddox or was their a competition for the job that year. Also, was Maddox cut in 2005?

I have the QB situation for each recent year below. Can anyone confirm the status

2003- Maddox starter Batch back-up (didn't play but was healthy)

2004- Maddox started. Ben R. took over in week 2 due to Maddox injury. Ben kept starting job when Maddox returned. I think Maddox played last game at Buffalo- meaningless. What about Batch? I think he wa hurt for entire season.

2005- Ben R. started. Ben R. got injured. Batch played some games in replacement got hurt. Maddox played as well. This is what I can't remember. Did the Steelers have all 3 on the roster that year? OR did the team cut Maddox before season and then re-sign him when Ben R. got hurt.

2006 and 2007. Ben R. started. Charlie B played a game or two when Ben was hurt.

2008 Ben R. started. Batch was hurt again. Leftwich was #2.

2009 Ben R. starts, batch hurt again! Dixon is now #2.

Hello. I was just wondering if someone who remembers the contracts of recent players can help me out.

In 2007 the A's traded Nick Swisher and Esteban Loaiza. I was wondering if anyone could tell me their contract status?

Was Swisher about to be a free-agent? If not does anyone know how many seasons he was under club control? If he stayed on the A's in 2008 wouold he have been a free agent in 2009?

Same with Loaiza. Was his contract with the A's due to expire at the end of the 2007 season. (I do remember he was traded before the season ended).

I know they traded Kendall and Kotsay who were still due big money from the A's during that year but I couldn't recall the contract status of Swisher or Loaiza.

No agenda or point of view from me. I just couldn't remember.

Thanks

GO A's!!

Where does Jack Cust fit in to the future plans of the team?

Continue reading this post »

Right now as we approach the inter-league games might be as good as a time as any to look at the key questions for the team for the rest of the 2009 season.

First, the AL West. I may be fooling myself but I still don't see a team that will run away with the division. This makes in my view all of the close losses up to now so painful as I really believe that this season was there for the taking. The Rangers pitchers usually wear down in that heat and the Angels injuries have kept them from rolling. I still think with improved play from Oakland they can battle for a playoff spot.

Second, the starters. I think that barring an injury the A's should stick with the 5 and see how they develop. They were thought to be the biggest weakness on the team in the Spring but they are far from it right now. It will be interesting to see who can improve the most. I really think they can be the start of something special. Will be interesting to see how the AL hits them once they get thru inter-league. For many AL opponents it will be the 2nd 3rd time seeing our pitchers, will our staff keep up the decent work.

Third, injuries. IF ( I know its a major IF) IF Duke, Ellis and Garciaparra can come back and play the 2nd half that would be huge for this team. I think they should put Duke in the pen to pitch in the close ones like tonight. He is a major upgrade over the chumps in the bull-pen. I think both the GM and Manager share in the blame for the selection and mishandling of the bullpen this season. Nomar even if he could play only 2-3 games a week is an upgrade in hitting over Crosby and Hannahan (neither at this point should be considered up and coming talent, thus there is no fear that a rookie is loosing valuable playing time). Kennedy may cool down and thus Ellis can platoon or they can stick one at 3B to upgrade the offense from that spot.

The biggest question however has to (or the 2nd year in a row) be will the team start hitting. I never thought that Giambi and Cabrerra would be so unproductive so far, will they turn it around. If not its another year fighting with the Mariners to stay out of the cellar. Also, Holliday and Cust need to improve as well. Yes, the lower part of the order is killing us (possibly solved with the return from DL of GArciaparra, Buck, Sweeney) but the top of the line-up is not pulling its weight either.

I think that Beane should give the team until the ASB to see if the team can 1- get healthy and 2- start hitting. If so then he should make a move or two to add another piece to the team to see if they can sneak into the playoffs in a weak AL West. Once in the playoffs (heck even with a 85 or so win total anything can happen). 

O.K. right now it appears to me that the decision to tear down the 2006 A's has put the team in the basement. 

First, the case of the manager. Macha is back in baseball and is winning. Another coach off that team Washington is in first place. Why exactly did the GM dump Macha and bring in Geren. This was obviously the first mistake.

Second, the decision to get rid of Milton Bradley. BTW the A's had a winning record when they DFA Bradley in 2007. Why? How did that work out for the team- bad. If my memory is correct, the OF was crowded with the rise of Cust and Buck. Bradley was seeing his playing time reduced and snapped. Obviously, the decision to go with Buck over Bradley has not led to more victories on the field. However, if Bradley was such a major disaster in the clubhouse, why not wait to make a legit trade as opposed to just dropping him out of the blue for nothing.

Third, dumping Swisher and Haren. They were relatively low-paid young guys. Neither had been health risks. Why trade them? The players brought in especially in the case of Swisher have not made up for the value of a top 5 ace starter and a decent everyday outfielder. I would much rather have Swisher than R. Sweeney. The pitchers received from Chi. have been busts as well. As to the crop brought in for Haren there are some good players but Haren is an ace and his value to a team was an enormous cost. There is no reason to believe that he would be putting up great numbers for the A's in 2008, 2009.

Trading Harden, Scutaro and Gaudin overall low-cost players for little in return.

The promotion of Suzuki and the dropping of Kendall from 2006 has been a good move but it would most likely have occurred in time anyway, as Suzuki was a rising star in the system.

Also, not signing Zito was a good move but I don't think the A's had much of a choice with the cash the Giants shelled out.

Obviously, guys like J. Payton, Thomas and Loiaza whom are mostly out of the game right now would have been gone anyway and could have been replaced. 

Adding a veteran DH to the mix each season with the core group of guys from the 2006 season would have made the A's a more successful team.

I still don't quite understand why the GM felt the need to blow up a successful, generally young team. I didn't agree with it in 2007/08 and I still don't.

Not sure if anyone noticed this trend before (sorry if it has been posted before) but our beloved Oakland A's have fared MUCH, MUCH better in the years in which the Republicans have controlled the White House.

1968: Johnson Democrat:Losing season

1969-1976: Nixon and Ford Republican: 8 winning seasons 0 losing seasons (3 World Series)

1977-1980 Carter Democrat 3 horrible losing seasons 1 winning season (1980)

1981- 1992 Reagan and Bush Republican: 6 winning seasons 5 losing 1 year at .500

1993- 2000 Clinton Democrat: 2 winning seasons (99, 00) 6 losing seasons

2001-2008 Bush Republican: 6 winning sesons 2 losing ones.

The transition years were the most striking.  In going from Ford to Carter the A's wen from 87 wins (1976) to 63 wins (1977)

Reagan's first year was the best Billy Ball year.

Going from Bush I to Clinton was a huge drop off as well (1992 won AL West) to a horrible 1993.

Anyway. I thought that besides poor managing, weak starting pitching and weaker power hitters we could find another reason as to why we are really struggling this year.

Of course I think its a total coincidence but thought it might distract us from this losing streak.

I was wondering if Bob Geren will have to worry about his job security if the team continues to struggle?

I did read Moneyball and know that the 'importance of the Manager' was not rated that high according to the author's perception of Beane. Yes, I also know that he received a contract extension. Furthermore, I understand that he is friends with Beane.

All of that being said. He did take over a playoff team that had several winning seasons and has had 2 straight losing ones. This fact would usually have meant the loss of his job in many cities.

This post is not meant to argue in favor or against changing the manager. I am merely asking IF the team has a bad year will he start to get more and more of the blame? If the team struggles and underperforms will the stress start to build on him? Would the owner panic if the team is in the cellar in June?

Just wondering what the fans thought about Geren's job security.

I have Direct TV and live in the south thus am in no way the A's territory. Is this Direct TV blackout of CSN-CA going to effect me and the other subscribers to MLB Extra Innings on Direct TV outside of the West Coast?

On my viewing guide on Direct TV there are two channels showing the A's- Angels game on monday. This was the set-up last year when the A's and the other team were showing the game. I am hoping that this and the call I made to direct TV is evidence that those outside of the west coast will get the A's telecast.

Does anyone have an answer?

I think that this whole thing is garbage for my fellow fans who know they are blacked out who live in California and Oregon.

To those who are tired of all of these direct TV posts I only set this post up to address the question of those outside the area. Nealry all of the other posts appeared to be from people in California or the A's territorial rights.

Of course there are many big questions swirling around the team, primarily regarding trades. Tonight I have some questions on different issues.

First, do you think some of the guys rumored to be traded will turn it around in the last 2 months? If you look at the last 2-3 weeks many of our players on the trade rumor list (Street, Ellis, Crosby) have been off. Does anyone think these guys will impove once they know their status?

Second, will Daric Barton be back before the September call-ups? The last report (SF Chronicle) suggested he would be back on the next road trip. I am wondering if they will give August to Sweeney and Chavez as kind of auditions for next season. 

Third, how much longer will the team keep sending Patterson and Conrad out there. I would hate to see them continue to get embarrassed out there and continue to cripple the offense. I would imagine that with Thomas back, Cust will have to play LF. So I suppose Patterson has tomorrow and maybe one or two in Boston.

Fourth, will Buck make it back this year?

Fifth, Do you think the team will bring back Thomas or Mike Sweeney next season?

Sixth, barring any trades do you think the rotation will stay the same for the rest of the year?

Thanks for your thoughts. 

I wonder more and more if he will remain on the club for the remainder of the year.

A few weeks ago I assumed he would be DFA when guys like Thomas and R. Sweeney got back. I even posted that he better start learning another position to increase his value as a reserve in order to keep his roster spot.

Two days ago I thought he or Davis would be dropped. Now I am not so sure. I think the A's may trade him but I really don't think they will waive/ release him. A few weeks ago, it was R. Davis who was seeing more starts when R. Sweeney was out. Now its Brown starting the last 4 games. 

Now Brown might be starting because the team is trying to boost his stats/ presence in order to trade him.

I think dropping him and keeping Murton or Davis would be pretty tough to do considering he has an advantage in many offensive categories and the fact that he has been with the guys since March. Provided he was a nice guy and positive teammate, I would think that just dropping a guy who has better stats for another wouldn't help team chemistry.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was traded, even as a throw-in. I wouldn't be surprised if he was sent to the bench, but I doubt that he will be DFA.

I made a post right before the Harden deal that wondered what the A's roster would look like when Frank got back. At the time I thought his return was imminent and furthermore the Harden trade was a pretty big deal. I was still wondering what you think the A's will do with the roster. Is going to just 11 pitchers an option?? 

With games like today where key guys get hurt and a Pinch Hitter was essential to the victory I am more and more thinking that the A's should consider going to just 11 pitchers. (then again the extra innings puts a strain on the pitching staff).

First off, I would consider doing this right now for the Angels series. Considering Sweeney will probably not be able to play we are looking very thin on the bench. Furthermore, with the break coming up I would believe that Blanton and Smith could pitch in an inning on Sunday if needed. (I think its common for starters to throw on a set day between starts). I would bring up an outfielder as without Sweeney (who probably might not need 15 days on DL) we only have 4 OF (counting Cust).

I know having just 11 guys would put a strain on the staff but it would only be for a month and a half (September allows us to expand the roster). 

It seems to me that A. Brown is probably contributing the least on the team right now. He is pitching about 1-2 innings a week. I would think that his inning or so could be absorbed by the others.

With Frank's return we would be very limited in defensive replacements. I would think that Crosby easily replaces Petit or Murphy. Sweeney could replace Bankston or Barton. Big Frank causes the major problem. If he took Davis or Emil's spot our OF is very depleted.

Yes, yes there are going to be many changes with trades. But some problems remain no matter who is on the roster. If we stick with 12 pitchers we have only 13 hitters. With Cust, Thomas, Bankston, Barton we have 4 of 13 hitters who are very limited in the number of positions they can play.

If the A's stick with 12 pitchers the A's may have to get very creative with the roster.

Maybe we need to find some guys who can function at another position. I think if Emil wants to stay once all the injured return he may have to work at being a back-up corner infielder. Hannahan may have to be willing to try a middle infield or outfield spot if Chavez ever returns. Or the GM can trade for a player who can play most OF and infield positions.

I think the team will be just fine once we get to September but it may get real tight in August.

Any thoughts?

The A's management will have some tough decisions to make when some of our injured players return. Sure, the GM may make a trade or two, and worse some more players could get hurt but some tough decisions will be made regarding the roster in the next week or so because some of the injured will be returning.

We have 6 important guys on the DL.

Thomas and Crosby should be back first- right around the All-Star game. Frank maybe before it and Crosby right after. Frank may be cleared to start 'baseball' activities today. I doubt he will need much time as he is not a fielder nor much of a runner. I think if he can swing successfully he will play.

Foulke and Devine- its tricky because they are pitchers. Devine is starting to throw off the mound. Foulke's injury didn't sound too serious but there might be other issues with his return.

Chavez and Mike Sweeney- who knows if they will be back if at all. The A's webpage said August for Sweeney. I am not going to discuss them as their return is, relatively speaking into the future.

So what happens to the current guys once Crosby and Thomas get back?

With Crosby it is somewhat an easy choice. Petit or Murphy will have to go. The team can't afford to keep 2 back-up middle infielders. I think the manager should give each a few starts in the remaining 6 games before the ASB and see who wins the job. Petit has hit better overall this season but Murphy is a tad better at defense, he can also play 3b. If all things are equal they should consider base-running because we will need a PR for Thomas.

Thomas presents the greater difficulty. Ideally, a team would want 12 pitchers and 13 hitters (2 C, 3 corner IF, 3 middle IF, 5 outfield). Frank can't play one of those hitting spots thus the team will have to sacrifice at one position.

The catchers are safe as are the 3 middle IF. R. Sweeney and Gonzalez are safe as well. That leaves 6 guys who may get sent down.

1- Cust- Safe- even though Thomas takes away his at bats at DH. He is in a slump but leads team in HR.

2- Hannahan- Safe- even though his offense is weak because he is pretty much the only 3B on the team. I think he will be here barring a trade.

The other four are more likely casualties of Frank's return.

3-4 Bankston or Barton- We go with one 1B. That spot is the easiest to put a guy in as an emergency back-up. Barton has been on the team longer and is a better defender (manager used him as defensive replacement last night for Bank.). Bankston is killing the ball lately and maybe the A's can ride him until he fades, or perhaps he will continue to hit well. A tough call.

5-6 Brown or Davis- I think it would be risky to go with 4 outfielders (considering one of them is Cust). Neither are future stars, neither have been hitting. Brown is a better hitter but Davis is a better fielder. If the team can find another guy to serve as a PR, Davis' value drops.

There is another option. Keep all of the hitters and go down to 11 pitchers. I think the A's should consider this.  The A's have all year used 5 starters and 7 relievers. I think the team should go with 6 relievers, for a while. I don't want to tire out the pitching staff (we do have the ASB) but I think we could be o.k. for about 2-3 weeks with just 6 relievers. Remember, Devine and or Foulke will be back in late July, thus one of the current relievers will have to be moved anyway. I think we could survive a few weeks with the following bullpen= closer- street, 2 left set-up men- Blev, Embree, 2 right set-up men- Castilla, Ziegler and long reliever Gaudin. That leaves out A. Brown. Right now Brown is getting about 2-3 innings of work a week, usually in games that aren't close. I would think that Gaudin, as a former starter could absorb those innings. Also, Castilla is getting healthier.

The extra 2 weeks until Devine or Foulke gets back could be some more chances for some of the hitters who are borderline to prove that they should stay.

Eventually, one or more of out hitters will have to be sent down or moved. Right now there may not be enough evidence to make some key decisions. Primarily Bankston- Is he for real? It would stink for the A's to drop an outfielder or Barton  when Frank is activated and find out that Bankston was a flash in the pan.

Any Thoughts??

Go A's!!!!!

PS- I didn't want to talk trades but it appears that we have 14 pitchers (12 current and 2 on DL) I wonder if the team will trade one for a prospect or combine with a hitter to bring in an upgrade. 

off the waiver wire?

We picked-up Raj Davis off waivers earlier this season. Is there anyone out there we can get even if it is just for the next week or so? I think the team will have to make a move between now and first pitch otherwise we will be going into the game with only 1 reserve.

Is Jeff Davannon or Todd Walker available?

Don't say Bonds. He would have been a consideration about 6 weeks ago but right now there has to be someone we can get who is better than the guys playing the left side of the infield.

I think the team will have some big decisions to make about the crop of guys who are currently playing 1B/ 3B.

Right now the catchers are pretty much set. The outfield I think will be pretty much the same unless the team trades for an OF and then would have to decide who to drop Brown or Davis. They may have to drop one no matter what once F. Thomas gets back. Overall, I think the outfield is relatively set. Ellis and Crosby are barring a trade or injury are set. The corner guys have to be wondering what will happen with them.

First, Chavez. I don't think the A's will be able to trade him due to his high price and injury history. My guess is that if he is healthy they will put him in. They will need to keep a decent back-up infielder around if he comes back.

Barton. I think he is one of the first to go once Thomas and Sweeney get back. Once these two return, the A's are going to have to have reserves who can play multiple positions. Unless, Bankston is a total flop, Barton goes down to AAA. Barton can only play 1B, this might make the A's decide to keep Hannahan, Murphy or Bankston. Barton has had several months to play and is getting worse at the plate. For his sake, I think he needs to go back to AAA and regain his skills. I also think its possible that he could get traded. The A's have some real good 1B prospects in the minors, Sweeney can start most of the games for the rest of 2008 at 1B and use the back-up corner infielder as a spot starter to give M. Sweeney a rest. IF the A's fall out of contention then I think he obviously comes back for the last 6 weeks or so.

Murphy, I think remains on the team no matter what. They need a guy who can play nearly every infield position. Hannahan, Barton and Bankston are not so much better at hitting to justify dumping such a versitile player as Murphy.

Hannahan or Bankston- I think one will have to go down to the minors as well once Thomas and Sweeney return. Both can play 1b and 3b. We will have to keep one around to back up Sweeney. I don't think either has much upside as a future star. I suppose Hannahan wins out because he is a left handed hitter and has more experience.

I think the manager should give Bankston some chances until the big hurt returns and see what he could do.

I really think the team should bring in a 3B from another team. It doesn't have to be a star but I am certain there is someone out there who can come in and put up better numbers than Hannahan, Barton and Bankston.

When Thomas gets back. I think Bankston goes down. (1b- Barton, 3B- Hannahan/ Murphy)

When Sweeney gets back. I think Barton or E. Brown goes down. (1B- Sweeney/ backup. 3B- Hannahan/ Murphy)

IF Chavez comes back. Who knows.

Any thoughts on these guys??

PS- I think if Emil Brown wants to stay on the team needs to be willing to try some 3B or 1B. Davis has the speed advantage over him as a PR for Cust/ Thomas. Also, Davis can play 2B.

We actually gained on the Red Sox this week in the Wild card Race.

For those who are always thinking about the future the team signed a big time prospect.

YES, the hitting is horrid, our bull-pen was lousy lately, we lost Chavez and have many other key guys hurt - but I think its insane for people to just give up. Especially, the people who post that they are no longer fans.

I still think with a trade or two the team can improve and still be in the race. I am not saying trade all the young prospects for a star, I think a few minor trades with teams that can use some pitchers and we can greatly improve the offense (especially when Thomas and Sweeney get back- neither of who I would think will be traded for prospects).

Even if the team falls out of contention there are many great storylines to follow. KEEP THE FAITH!!

Both Bay area newspapers indicated that Thomas didn't get the best news from the doctor and won't be able to start baseball activities for another week.

The best reason, in my opinion, to not bring in another hitter was that with Thomas and Sweeney coming back soon we would have too many hitters. Now, I am worried that Frank might be out for an extended period of time and our offense will continue to suffer.

I really think the team needs to bring in someone who they can add to the line-up immediately. There are too many guys who are not producing.

There are several options.

1- Bonds. I have been against it because he would take away at-bats from guys who were actually contributing (Thomas, Sweeney and Cust). Bonds would be limited to DH which would bump Frank and Mike S.. Well, both are hurt and as the last report signifies, may not return until its too late. Lets say Bonds is DH for July, Thomas returns. Bonds then would have to play LF. That is where he would take AB from Cust. I like Cust. He is not a star but he has helped the team alot more than other guys this year. I would hate to see Cust get dumped for Barry. However, Cust would have about 3-4 weeks (before Thomas returns) to keep his job. If Cust and Barry both produced then the team would have to platoon (which in theory isn't bad except for the roster crunch and lack of defensive replacements). I think the PR and fans anger at this won't be a problem because the media is not talking about the A's anyway, the attendance at the Coliseum is not great at all. As to team morale, I don't think it will be much of a problem as well. Why? Its only for 1/2 of a season. Also, some guys on the team will love the addition of Bonds it as its a message to them that the organization WANTS to Win.

If Bonds was game ready right now, meaning he wouldn't need 10 days or so in the minors to get ready, then I would probably say bring him in. IF,  he would need say 10 days to get ready then probably no, because by then Thomas/ Sweeney might be back (then again someone else might be hurt). Either way NOW is the time to make a decision on him.

2- Making a major trade for a major bat. For example, trading 2 guys on the roster and a prospect for someone like Bay, Beltre, Holliday. These deals usually take a long time to put together and are probably not best to be handled in a rush. I would need to see the specifics. HOWEVER, if the A's have been doing some preliminary talking with another team and have a decent deal to add a star from a team out of contention it might be a decent move. This will cost us prospects unlike option 1 and or 3, but on the positive it will allow the A's to bring in exactly what the team needs.

3- Add player but not a star. There are probably some veterans out there who can play better than some of our starters (specifically Barton and Hannahan). Some might be on the bench of another team or out of the game. Say Hatteberg, Chris Shelton or someone like Rich Aurelia. I don't think it would take much to get one of these guys. This is low risk, low reward. The only risk is that the new player doesn't hit much better than the guy he is replacing.

I am not sure what the A's will do. I am not certain what option is best.

I do believe the following. The A's are a good team. They are in the race for the West. Except for the meltdown in the 8th we would be only 2.5 games back. Our GM is known for liking to shake the team up and has no problem with turnover. Also, our offense is the key problem and whats worse, traditionally pitchers start to lose their effectiveness as you move on into the later summer (see 2007 A's). I think the A's should make a move to add a hitter, and the time to do so is now. (Arguably, the best time would have been early June but predicting the future is not always easy).

EITHER WAY GO OAKLAND!!! LETS WIN THIS SERIES

In my opinion, the simultaneous injuries to Mike Sweeney and Frank Thomas have been the worst luck the A's have had this year.

To have both of these guys hurt at the same time has really hurt our offense. Not only are they the most accomplished hitters based on their career stats but they were also both hitting very well for the A's in the first few months.

I really believe that having these guys in the line-up over the past month and we probably would have won at least 4-5 more games.

ALSO- A MAJOR BIT OF BAD LUCK WAS THE ORIGINAL MEDICAL REPORT ON FRANK- the first report was that he wasn't hurt that bad and would likely be back around June 20 or so. IF the A's would have know that he would be gone for so long they MIGHT have made a trade a few weeks ago to bring in a good hitter. Right now, I can understand the team thinking that "We need a bat or two- but we have Mike and Frank coming back so why bother." If they would have had a more accurate report on the severity of the injury then they might have decided to make a move.

Having both of these accomplished hitters out at the same time has been the worst thing to happen to the team this season. Nonetheless, we have had some good luck as well and thus I think we have a chance to win the division this year.

There has been great luck in the pitching staff's performance.

Some will say Barton and Buck's poor hitting (most projected them to be top of the order starters) was our worst luck but.... Ryan Sweeney and Suzuki have hit much better than expected. Chavez hasn't been healthy BUT Crosby has. Overall its been a push on many guys the loss of Thomas and Sweeney have been the worst luck of the year. 

Right now I am pretty happy with the A's season. They are in this race if they can catch a few breaks and/ or some guys start hitting then they can have a great run at the Angels.

We have had our share of good fortune and bad this season. Many of the individual performances have been a surprise some good some bad? Just wondering what do you think has been the most pleasant surprise for the A's and biggest disapointment?

Biggest surprise positive

1- Harden and Duke healthy and winning.

2- Bullpen

3- Smith and Eveland

4- Ryan Sweeney 

5- Crosby

Biggest Surprises Negative

1- Blanton

2- Buck and Barton's struggles

3- Thomas and Sweeney hurt at same time

I think the most enjoyable positive surprise has been Harden and Duke.

The biggest dissapointment has to be the injuries to Thomas and Mike S. at same time.

Its going to be fun rest of the way

Go A's

For the next 3-4 weeks we will not have Thomas or Mike Sweeney but there will be a DH in the line-up. I think the A's have to add another hitter to the mix. Our options at DH (yes, Cust could go to Dh but that still leaves a hole in outfield) are downright scarry (Emil Brown and Hannahan). I think Hannahan needs to stay on the club as he is a great utilityman. However, we are giving up too much offense by starting them. Maybe we can work a small deal for a veteran or minor leaguer from another squad and give them a shot for a month or so until Fran gets back.

Sort of like Walker from last year. Or perhaps there is another player in the minors who is worth a shot. We have 8 pretty good players in the line-up. When Thomas and Sweeney get back then we have 10. 

I think now is the time to add someone anyone to play the DH role until Frank gets back.

Right now the league that wins the All-Star game gets the "home-field-advantage" in the World Series.

I think a fairer and more interesting idea would be to award 'home-field' to the league with the most combined victories in interleague games. Just add up all the interleague victories by each team in each league. If tied then the winner of the All-Star game gets the tie-breaker.

I think people would be interested in which league has the most wins. It would make each inter-league game count more and also isn't it a fairer way to determine who was the superior league as opposed to the All-Star Game? People might pay more attention to who is winning all of the contests.

I also would drop it down to 4 or 5 series per team. The A's and Giants and any other two team area should play 2 series as they are now but otherwise they should cut down some of the other games.

Think about it, if you live in Oakland and just HAD to see the Marlins you could just go see them in SF.

Any Thoughts?