SB Nation User Blog: greenmachine

Why is Casilla still in big leagues?

greenmachine — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:29:34 -0000

Okay, this is not some post to beat down on Casilla/Garcia- just a question posed to those who pay a lot more attention to the details and inner workings of the green and gold than I have time for. I've watched Casilla (who I still resent for lying about his name for so many years), pitch absolutely horrible in several games now and pitched only slightly better in a number of others. The A's were quick to send Dana Eveland down when he struggled and have relegated Sean Gallagher and others to Sacramento until they learn how to pitch again- so why not Casilla? Is there something he offers the team at this point that I'm not seeing? To me, he seems to have absolutely no confidence on the mound and appears lost in every outing.

The bigger disappointment- Crosby or Giambi?

greenmachine — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:03:32 -0000

Now, I know that Giambi's career is far more colorful and full of more gold stars than Bobby's will ever be- but lately I've been wondering just who might be the biggest disappointment to A's fans this year- Jason or Bobby. I mean with Bobby- we really didn't expect a great deal, did we? After watching him flail away at the ball last year- his hyped first "full healthy year"- and watching the disastrous attempt at getting rid of him in the offseason- we thought he would be little more than a benchwarmer this year. Surprise- Bobby has been an almost full time player due to injuries and in the inability of the A's to find a reliable third baseman. Still, Bobby has pretty much did what we expected him to do, flail away at the ball and continue to look completely lost at the plate most of the time.

Giambi however, came riding into town on the white stallion (okay, maybe a graying stallion) and was hyped (along with sub-par Holliday) as being the savior of the ailing A's offense. I've got to admit, I believed the storybook crap- I believed that Jason still had the ability the hit homeruns on a consistent basis and lead this team to wonderful places. I thought for sure the Yankees would be truly sorry they dumped him- er, rather "didn't pick up my contract" as Jason says. When Billy Beane was sitting there in the press conference with this schoolgirl crush look on his face, gushing all over Jason and telling him how wonderful it was to have him back, I just knew that Jason would lead the way.

Well, here we are two months into the season and it's obvious that Giambi doesn't have nearly the offensive prowness he used to have. Sure, he can jack one into the stands now and then -when he manages to get a bad pitch to hit- but most of the time he's standing there watching the third strike or sending another easy fly ball in into the outfield for an out. More disturbing to me is the look on his face- and that is a look of uncertainty. Long gone is the Jason of yesterday that seemed to overflow with arrogance and confidence- now we have a player who seems to know his glory days are over for good.

So if I had to vote, I'd cast my meaningless vote for Giambi as the biggest disappointment of the year, so far.

What's the deal with the 9th inning bunt attempt?

greenmachine — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:33:09 -0000

Okay, did Geren & Co. really give Cabrera the sign to attempt a bunt in the 9th inning last night- or did he do it on his own? It was probably one of the worst bunt attempts I've ever seen and I was literally stunned that they would try such a bonehead move. And why can't a veteran like Cabrera lay down a bunt? It has puzzled me for years how the A's have been unable to execute bunts. Is there such thing as a bunt clinic? If so, it's time to bring in the bunt gurus and go for it.

As bad as it sounds, I was almost wishing they would pinch hit Bobby Crosby for Cabrera last night in the 9th-----almost.

Remember the Fallen Officers

greenmachine — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:32:13 -0000

This has nothing to do with baseball- but reading the news about the three slain officers (and the others injured) really makes me focus on what's more important in the world. I'v e known quite a few cops in my life and whether they work in a small town or large city- they all know that everyday could be their last day. All too often we hear about the heroes in the military, but these guys are indeed heroes as well.

I'd like everyone to remember these brave men in their thoughts and prayers.

For A's Baseball Card Collectors- Something Free

greenmachine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:14:49 -0000

Okay, I'm hesitant to do this because I really hate the hassle of boxing up things and looking for tape and going to the post office...blah blah blah, but if you (or your kid or perhaps your grandma) are thinking about starting an A's card collection, here's a deal you won't see again in your lifetime. I have a box of about 200-300 (could be more but i won't take the time to count them) A's cards from the 1970's- 1990's- all in excellent shape that I will give away FREE to anyone willing to pay the shipping costs. I'm on the East Coast, so depending on where you are at- this could range anywhere from five bucks to I imagine no more than ten. The collection includes cards like Joe Rudi, Rick Monday and Billy North from the 70's, Rickey Henderson, Canseco and all the stars from the 80's and 90's and a host of players I've long forgotten about. There are a variety of brands and some duplicates- but you will find more than enough value in this box, especially since it is FREE. I will not look through the box for individual cards and I will not take the time to see what cards are actually in the box, I just know there are a ton of great players and stars in the collection.

This is not a scam of any sort- I don't sell cards, and I don't care if anyone wants them or not. I just collect them and to be honest I need the space in my closet. I don't want to do the ebay thing because I honestly hate card sellers. Besides, it would please me greatly to know that some kid or some old fart is out there building their own A's card collection.

Okay,so how do we do this- I suspect I will get more than one interested party, so I'll do it the fair way. Whoever responds to this post first with SERIOUS interest , you are the lucky winner of tonights lottery. As long as you have an e-mail in your profile I will contact you and work out details. I do not have one in mine to avoid spammers so I will have to contact you. It's already 9:30 PM where I am at so it might be tomorrow before I contact you.

Good Luck.

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?