This is the fourth year of Lew Wolff’s tenure as owner and managing partner of the A’s.  It’s pretty clear that the results are bad, very bad.  Lew inherited a franchise that was performing well on the field.  The previous four years showed two first place finishes, and two second place finishes—two 100+ game winning seasons, a 96 and 91 win season.  And of course the setting of a major league record for winning streaks, at 21 games.  Attendance had grown to 27,000+ per game, not great but improving.  Oakland was a little less than average in the major leagues—19th out of 31 teams.  Playoff results had been disappointing, and there had been fan disappointment with the loss of some high performing and loved players—Giambi and Tejada for example.  But in my view, and I believe many fans at the time, we were excited about the teams prospects.

Continue reading this post »

All of us know we can't count on Hardin.  On the one hand, when he pitches, the guy is unbelievable.  If he ever had 30 starts in a season, he would finish with a win/loss of 20-5, an ERA of 2.5, and the Cy Young.  But what breaks our hearts, is that is never going to happen--never.  What is going to happen is that he is going to get somewhere between 3 and 10 starts--and probably the same W/L ratio, and the same ERA, and of course no Cy Young. I would propose that we can count on him for 5 starts, with 3 wins and 1 loss.

Since a # 2 or 3 starter, whatever, gets 36 starts a season, and Hardin gets 5 of those starts, that means the un-Hardin gets 31 starts.  The un-Hardin will have an ERA of something like 6.5, and in those 31 starts will go 7-14, with 10 no decisions--at best.  Unfortunately he will be death on the bullpen, but it's hard to capture that in the stats.  But his average start will be about four innings, meaning that in 31 games the bullpen will have to pitch 5 innings--ugly!

So the combined Hardin/un-Hardin will have a W/L of 10-15.  He will have an ERA of 6.0. So for the 5th starter, it's not too bad.

But the Hardin/un-Hardin is a not too bad 5th starter.  We don't have a Hardin #2, or whatever, starter.  We have an average 5th starter, who is composed of a great #2 starter combined with a #6 and #7 starter.

It's just the way it is with Hardin.  Accept the reality. 

The 2007 debacle with subprime mortages and plummeting housing prices will kill the new ballpark in Fremont.  The A's will have to rethink their planned move, and likely remain in Oakland.

Continue reading this post »

For a true baseball and A's fan, it is just so incredibly frustrating to watch Crosby and Chavez bat.  It's been wonderful for me watching a game without the frustrations of watching them at the plate.

Continue reading this post »

Huston Street is not ready to go over two innings, but there he was in the bottom of the 9th, two out--having pitched 2 1/3.  He was mainly there because our key set up guy, the Duke, was hurt and couldn't play.

The previous game matched Kenny Rogers against our true #1 pitcher, but Harden was in spring training form, just--due to injury.

Both pitchers would have looked directly behind them up the middle, and not seen the fielding range that might have been, with Ellis (should be Golden Glove) and Crosby,,both out with injuries.  Ellis in particular was missed at the plate as well as the field--he was not only hitting .286 for the last 30 days of the season and the Divisional playoffs, but his ability to work the count and get 10 pitch at bats was critical--a stat that doesn't make the box score.  And his two errors all season were matched by two errors by his replacement in the LCS--but that didn't cover it, because he would have reached a number of other balls, that is replacement did not.  I think two or three moe balls--would that have changed anything?

Who knows with Chavey?  Playing with injury,,,,was he prevented from making plays he normally makes.  Ron Washington said he turns that double play in the 2nd Tiger game "10 out of 10 times"--but just off the tip of the fingers of the glove.

Kotsay, Harden, Bradley, and Duke,,,,,maybe they are just injury prone,,bad backs, etc.  So maybe that's an ongoing problem, and they come with that.  Crosby too?--I don't think so, but looking at the record you have to consider that.

But the irony of Huston on the mound in the final game 9th inning, due to injury--it capsulized the whole season for me.  Yeah some would say injuries are part of the game, and it's true.  But this was an injury plagued horror show.

Most would agree this was an excellent season, and I somewhat agree.  But my expectations were at the top--when I saw the roster, I thought it was a World Series team, and with the weakness of the NL, likely a World Series winner.  Good that we got past that jinks of the first round,,,yes for sure.  But I'm disappointed right now.

The vagaries of the schedule have dictated that the A's have already played some of their tougher intra-league opponents, and the Angels have some key challenges left.  Specifically, the Angels have 10 games left with the Yankees and Tigers, while the A's have finished with those teams and done well, 6-3 and 3-3 respectively.  (Details in earlier post.)So now there is opportunity (opportunity, not guarantee) to stretch the lead this weekend, when the Angels play the Yankees, carrying over to a fourth game on Monday), while we play Tampa Bay at home.  These are the opportunities that division winners need to take advantage of--really beat up on the weaker teams!

The Angels are also 14 games through a tough period of their schedule, in which they play 24 games in a row.  They are 7-7 so far, and have lost some ground to our guys.  They lost the last two to Cleveland by a combined score of 18 to 2.  (Gloating material except we split the last two giving up 20 runs and scoring 7--funny ole game, baseball.)

Like most of you, I think the season is likely to come down to the last 10 games, of which 7 are the A's vs. the Angels.  It's just someone is going to have a lead going into that period, and I'm thinking it could be the A's with a 6 game lead or better,,,,,if we can take advantage of our schedule advantage (hard earned advantage, I should say.)

I think, and I believe most on the site agree, that the race for the Western Division will be between the Angels and A's--as in recent years.  Looking at the schedule for the rest of the year, clearly the most interesting feature is the last 10 days of the year, where the Angels and A's face off in 7 games.  This is as it should be in baseball, and will likely be incredibly dramatic.

But,,,,who will come into those last 10 days with the lead--a 1, or 2 or 3 game lead?  If these two teams are very equivalent talent wise, the schedule may play a role in this, and there are very interesting aspects.

Continue reading this post »

My impression in watching Huston pitch is that he has been well taught, probably by his dad, to focus completely on only those things you can control.  I have watched Huston get some horrible ball/strike calls, and when he does, he goes through his exact same routine of catching the ball from Kendall, turning to his left and walking around the back of the mound, getting on the mound, getting the signal, and throwing another pitch.  In other words, he doesn't lament the bad call, get all worked up about what might have been, etc. etc.  He just completely focuses on the only thing he controls--his next pitch!

Sort of like the Serenity Prayer;
God,

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

You can't change the last call.  You can only change the next pitch that you throw!

Contrast this to Blanton tonight.  Roaming around the mound, feeding on his anger and frustration, becoming moreso.  If anything pissing off the umpire, rather than persuading him to become a better umpire, or whatever he thought he was doing.  Mind you, I understand he was getting bad calls,,,,but the real question here is what do you do that most improves your situation.  IMHO, it's Huston's approach, and not Joe's.

I remember reading that Ted Williams' had a fantastic eye at the plate.  But he very rarely argued a call with the umpire (as opposed to arguing with the press and the public which he constantly did).  The article said he just accepted that umpires were human.  (and probably as a star he tended to get the benefit of the calls, so let's not get too carried away with this theory).  But still, it's the result that counts,,,,and letting yourself get upset just doesn't help the result--it just puts you outside the zone.

Were I Macha, I would try to get this lesson deeply ingrained in all of my young pitchers.  And the assignment for letting the umpire know your dissatisfaction with poor calls would be with my veteran catcher, Kendall in this case, and the coaches and the manager.

I know how unfair this comment is.  I've been positive all year on this team.  It's the "worst team we'll have for the rest of the decade".  But waiting for Chavez to come up and look like an idiot in the 9th, on 3 pitches--I knew he would do that!!  

I guess it's just being a diehard fan.  I'll be at every home game the rest of the season (except one).  And we still may overtake those Annaheim losers.  But man, this team is so, so painful to watch when they are at the plate--I watched the '69 Cubbies blow it to the f,,,,,ing "miracle mets".  and believe me, these are similar feelings.

Erik you make me sick!! on offense.  I admit I love the D.  But can't you work with someone one going the other way???  What is this all about?

Last week and this one coming are mirror images of each other.  last week the Angels played two top flight teams in the Red & White Sox, and they went 4--2.  The A's played two teams out of everything, Seattle and Texas, and went 3--3.

this coming week the situation is reversed with the A's playing the contenders (Indians and Red Sox) and the Angels playing the losers (Seattle and Detroit).  Dropping two games in the standings here will likely build a hill too high to climb.

The odds are obviously against us--but hey, teams beat the odds.  Our bats have to step up, and now.  The fifth starter slot is a problem, so trying some creative ideas like the 5th starter is two pitchers-- Kennedy (4 innings)/Cruz (until he gives out--may be called for.  (an idea mentioned by Bambi on the Cruz starter diary).

this has been a great year, looking at the rebuilding aspects coupled with the injuries.  Hopefully it's not over this week, but it could be.