SB Nation User Blog: greenmachine

Jersey's & Bobbleheads

greenmachine — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:27:42 -0000

I was just noticing on e-bay that there are a ton of the Vida Blue Jersey's for sale- most in the thirty dollar range. It seems that this is the way it always works- whenever there is a bobblehead or jersey giveaway, hundreds of people will rush to e-bay or other sources to quickly offer the items for sale. So my question is this- is it really worth the effort? I mean it looks like you have to stand in line for a few hours to be assured of getting any of the premium giveaway items- I think we stood in line something like two and half hours once for the Catfish Bobblehead- and then you have to go through the effort of listing it on bobblehead, checking and responding to e-mails, shipping the item, etc.... all for $30 ? It doesn't seem like it's worth it.

I'm curious if anyone of the AN'ers regularly sell their promotional items on e-bay or if you are like me and you keep every little thing.....

Andrew Brown takes BART?

greenmachine — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:03:56 -0000

The Chronicle reports that Andrew Brown rides BART to the games when at home. If true, I find this to be a totally cool reflection on what this dude is made of. In the era of whining, self-centered "me, me" stars who seem to care only about themselves, this dude is riding Mass transit to get to work. I seriously doubt there are many other MLB players, if any, who use Mass transit to get to the ballpark. Hats off to you Andrew!

Expectations of a catcher?

greenmachine — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:15:43 -0000

I'm a big fan of Suzuki- I think he's a sharp kid with a bright future for either the A's or some other team. However- with his offensive abilities floundering and his tendency to kill rallies- it's natural for some to express their frustrations about him. There used to be a belief in baseball that if your team had a catcher who was an exceptional catcher ,you could live with their inability to hit the ball. The catcher wasn't really expected to be one of the big bats on the team. I guess that changed a bit over time with more powerful and consistent catchers coming up through the leagues, but my question is this- what should we expect from the catcher's position? Should we be satisfied with a Kendall type toughness with no ability to drive in runs (at least not in the AL) or should expect a Russell Martin or Posada? Just curious what everyone thinks.

Hannahan and his wad of "Chaw"

greenmachine — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:30:11 -0000

Maybe if he was some huge hulking guy or something, it wouldn't be as noticeable, but does anyone else think Hannahan looks pretty ridiculous with that huge chunk of chewing tobacco sticking out of the side of his face? I assume it's tobacco, maybe it's bubble-freakin-lichious gum or something- but either way it looks pretty stupid for a little guy like Jack to have this muskrat looking object sticking out of the side of his face. Now when I was his age, my military buds and I used to discreetly put a bit of the nasty stuff behind our lower lip (it's a wonder we all don't have cancer)- but I can' recall any of us ever going for the muskrat look. What gives Jack?

Has Jack Cust lost his swing?

greenmachine — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:28:10 -0000

I like Jack Cust- he looks like a smaller version of Babe Ruth- and he always seems to be having fun when he's playing. However, does it seem that he's lost his ability to hit Major League pitching, or is it just that he was one helluva fluke last year? He seemed to hit fairly decent in spring- if you call .244 and 3 hr decent- but in the games I've seen him in this year, he has looked absolutely mis-matched. I kept wondering in the Toronto series why Geren was keeping him in the game- certainly not for his outfield abilities. Any thoughts on this?

Typical Low Attendance

greenmachine — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:01:06 -0000

Does it seem that the A's attendance is lower than normal this year or am I just imagining things? Having seen five of the first seven games now, it looks like two thirds of the Colisieum is empty- and that many of the fans who are there are wearing the other teams colors. Are the casual fans staying at home this early in the season? Seems kind of early for that. I know our fan base has never been really strong in number, but weren't we drawing at least 25,000 a game the last few years? Has anyone seen the official numbers?

Charles Thomas?

greenmachine — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:49:54 -0000

I'm sure this has been discussed but I've missed the trail...does anyone know what has happened to Charles Thomas? I see he's not on the Sacramento Roster and he certainly isn't a part of the A's plans, so what happened to our jewel? I can't help but wince everytime I see Hudson's face on my local Braves Station- he was one of the A's best ever and will be an asset for Atlanta for years to come.

Moneyball or Monkeyball?

greenmachine — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:13:28 -0000

I'm not going to dive into the "Oh my God, another Lousy trade" tirade, all of that left me with the ridiculous acquisition of Charles Thomas a few years ago- but one must wonder if the era of Moneyball has turned into Monkeyball with Billy Beane holding the banana....

I know his supporters call him a genius and certainly he has uncovered some gems in the past, but it sure seems like the little train that could is hauling a lot less engine speed these days- and that's sorta sad for us long time fans. No, we won't jump off the team wagon, even if they do stink for another few years, but it sure would be nice to hear some words of encouragement or at least signs of hope from the engineers of this operation. Silence is not golden in this situation....

Dan Johnson to Minnesota?

greenmachine — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:18:18 -0000

Any truth to rumour?

Probably just a rumour- but has anyone heard anything about Dan Johnson being traded to Minnesota to fill their much needed DH role? If so, what would be their likely donation to our rebuilding fund?

Another gut-thumping loss

greenmachine — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:11:05 -0000

In the words of Ray Fosse- today's loss was a real thump in the gut. When will it end?

It's bad enough for the bullpen to pull their all too frequent stunt and blow a lead, but to have men on second and third in the ninth with only 1 out- and not be able to score one single run is just about as low as we can sink.....I hope.

I know it's just a storm that has to pass- but man I look forward to seeing the sunshine again. Bring on the Yanks!