Been thinking a lot about how the A’s ownership/management can add A’s fans when this article popped up on yahoo this morning.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/baseball/news?slug=kr-caldropsbsb092810

Cal Berkeley is canceling their baseball program next spring in an effort to save $4M.  Seems to me this would be money well spent by the A’s to save the program and in turn, one would think, add some positive fan reaction to the A’s brand.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/01/dodgers-deal-wi.html

With LA and Jones parting ways and our history of cheap veteran pick ups, I was just wondering why no one's suggesting Jones to the A's. He'd be a Frank Thomas-type risk/reward with a cheap contract and would give us a right handed bat to plug into the line up behind Giambi (assuming we get him).

I myself wouldn't mind a 2-5 line up heart of Cust/Holiday/Giambi/, Jones (L-R-L-R). As for the "outfield is crowded" believers; with the the exception of Holiday I don't see Buck, Davis, Sweeney putting up 30-100 seasons next year (if ever) as Jones has averaged during his career even with last year's joke of a season.

As an A's fan I doubt this (and much of the ideas discussed here) will happen, but I'm just surprised no one was talking about.

IF I could convince you that you could buy at least one World Championship and possibly two more for $500M dollars what would you say?  Before you answer, consider that the Yankees, Mets, Angels, Cubs, Dodgers and Mariners have all spend more over the last five years without winning a single one.  Consider that the A’s have spent at least that over the last 20 years with only one title to show for it. And lastly, consider that last year the combined 30 MLB teams spent around $2.6 BILLION dollars in payroll; an average of $86M per team. 

So, for $500M would you buy a Championship with the opportunity to get two more?

Because, for less than $500M I think you could get this team for the next three seasons and afterwards you’d still have one of the league’s best pitching staffs and Teixeira to rebuild your offense around.

2009 -2011 Line Up

SS Furcal 5yrs/$75M (there’s no FA SS other than him in sight)

DH Cust 3yrs/10M

LF Holiday 1/14M (replaced by Cunningham/Buck for 10-11)

1B Teixeira 3/70M (7/165M total)

RF Ordonez (3yrs/48M), Dye (2yrs 23.5M) via trade or FAs Manny (3/70M) or Dunn (4/60M)

3B Chavez 2/22M (replace or resign A LOT CHEAPER  for ’11)

C Suzuki 3/5M

CF Sweeney 3/5M

2B Ellis 2/11M (resign or replace in ’11)

The best 2-5 combination of hitters in the league

Starters

CC 3/60M (6/130M total)

Peavy 5/78M under current contract (acquired for Gonzalez, Cahill or Anderson and whoever…I think SD would have to take that deal but since this would have to be your next move, I don’t know if Peavy would accept a trade here)

Duke 3/10M

Gallagher 3/5M

Eveland 3/5M

(with Cahill/Anderson taking the spot of the weakest link or replacing Duke if he goes)

The best 1-3 starters in the league

Now I know that you know that I know that this will never happen and I know that you think this team like all other overpriced teams aren’t guaranteed anything, but with the Holiday trade and internet talk of the A’s actually spending some green and gold this off season I thought it’d be fun to think outside the which-one-of-these-40-prospects-do-we-think-might-maybe-hopefullly-will-turn-into-an-above-average-mlb-player box.

Plus I’ve been trying to do some Christmas shopping on line and am in a buyers mood.  Now would be the perfect time to have money to spend on baseball with so many true championship quality players available. 

So, my question remains, how much is a World Title worth to you?

Here’s something I’ve been a little puzzled about as I check in on AN:  Why isn’t anyone willing to mention signing Kenny Rogers?  The guy can’t lose at the McAfee and it’s not like we’d have to sign him for five years or pay him more than what Billy had originally set aside for Esteban Why-Didn’t-We-Get-Anyone-In-Return?

If we do end up trading Blanton to get younger and more talented offensively, we’d definitely need to fill a rotation hole. If we do end up keeping Big Joe, the idea of Justin and Chad starting 50 or more games can’t help but make even the most devout Athletic fan more than a little nervous.

It is really his age?  Because with our history (Milton, etc) it can’t be his attitude and last time I checked our rotation was a little lefty thin.

It will never happen, but after reading yesterday's defenses of A-Rod, I thought it’d be good to finally throw out a crazy idea that AN might actually help make an argument for, you know, even if it will NEVER happen.

Here’s my reasons why it’d be worth it (and by it, I mean 10 years @ $30M with an Ichiro-type pay out) for Wolff and co to give the baseball world a heart attack and sign one of baseball's all time best.

Continue reading this post »

As Hollywood enters the awards season, I just wanted to throw out some nominations for the WTF? Award, an award I am creating for AN this year and will become known for throughout AN over the next few years should I be able to stomach the way my favorite baseball team is managed off the field (I swear, whether we’re first or  worst, our customer service has always been horrible!)

Moving along, this year’s WTF? Award Nominees:

Continue reading this post »

You’ll have to forgive me because I started to write this at work last Friday when I thought we’d take 3 of 4 from Seattle and before we scored 10 runs (and STILL lost!).  Though I was pleased to see that the A’s did send out a somewhat more offensive minded line up (DJ, Cust, Swisher and Piazza all in one line up) and it paid off with some runs....

Continue reading this post »

I haven’t read of any Chavez-on-a-bus-speeches taking place, so I’m assuming that our current win streak (yes, for us, two games is a streak) is due to all the negativity that’s been coming from AN.  We’ve actually been sounding like Mariner fans from years past...granted, for good reason.  So, let’s all just keep bashing the A’s and see if this run at the right time can continue to make us buyers and not cellar dwellers.

Continue reading this post »

Before I start, I just wanted to mention that a little 20-game win streak would put us 14 games over five hundred and 11 of those 20 games would be against the Angels and Mariners.  I’m just, you know, smoking something!

Continue reading this post »

So, yeah, this is the first season I became an official season ticket holder (you know, cause buying 20-40 games a year at full or craigslist prices don’t count) and this was the first year since I found AN that I didn’t post a comment during the first half because, well, I was just waiting for that annual second half surge begin and I wanted to avoid as many foot-in-mouth statements as possible.  Maybe this season is MY FAULT!

Continue reading this post »

So my little league coaching season is about to begin and I think I might have the 2001 A's team!  I've got a lot of big kids taking big swings.

Anyways, as I always do after a first practice, I started thinking of my line up and how positioning each kid into a certain spot will help those around him.  This is something I think recent A's teams have forgotten about line ups--that each position in the order should be designed to help the next position.

I've seen a few people post their line up ideas and I thought I'd throw mine into the mix.  Also, it should be noted that I do not have Stewart starting (you can plug him into my line up where Bradley and Kotsay play as those are the players I'd have him spell from time to time).

So, based on the understanding that each hitting position should help the next and the players we have, this would be my line up for 2007:

S Bradley RF  276/370/447
L Johnson 1B  234/323/381
S Swisher LF  254/372/493
R Piazza DH   283/342/501
L Chavez 3B   241/351/435
R Crosby SS   229/298/338
L Kotsay CF   275/332/386
R Ellis 2B    249/319/385
R Kendall C   295/367/342

Bradley had the 3rd highest OBP last season. He's got speed, can hit for average and while he's got some power, he's not the 3-4-5 guy that we're trying to make him, which is why he bats lead off for me -- more AB's with the chance of doing more damage with his bat and legs.

Johnson can rip a fastball, but can't hit an off speed pitch to save his major league career.  EVERYONE KNOWS the two hole is your typical fastball at-bat (especially if Bradley can get on, we actually run a bit and Swisher, with his HR power, bats behind him).

Swisher is the best (switch) hitter we've got (OBP/SLG) and while he does strike out a lot, he'll be the perfect protection for Johnson to get fastballs, which if Johnson gets on base will lead to Nick getting pitches to hit, which means more chances for runs. And I feel a break out year from him coming.

Add a the right handed power bat in Piazza (the best protection we've got for Swish), who himself can get on base (AVG/OBP) and you've got some men on for

Chavez, who everyone should now know is a good second fiddle player.  Put some men on base and force a pitcher to throw him something to hit, and you should see a 30-100 season from him again.

Which brings Crosby to the plate, a right hander who if healthy you have to believe can get some gap shots in there to drive Chavez around, thus upping his RBI total and confidence.

Kotsay is, when healthy, a good average hitter who will put the ball in play, which is what you need in a number 7 hitter.

Ellis, who does well every other year (look it up) is another bottom of the line up hitter like Kotsay with some pop and the ability to put the ball in play.

Kendall ALWAYS bats last in my line up.  He's got no power, but will work a count and find a way to get on base, which is what you want from the bottom of your order and by batting last, one would think he'd be in less opportunities for his usual 4-6-3 double play.

This diary was going to be a statistical marvel as to why we should trade for LA's Brad Penny.  It was going to show you how we could him, why we need him and all that great stuff because I just learned that Penny is dating one Eliza Dushku and I wanted to opportunity to find myself sitting next to Ms. Dushku during a home game and thus giving her the opportunity to play Notting Hill with me.

However, I couldn't find any of that information as Penny is too expensive for our budget and will only get more expensive when free agency rolls around. Plus, honestly, he's not that good a pitcher (can someone pass that along to Ms. Dushku?)

So, my diary is now an inquiry of what my fellow ANers feel about sports and celebrity?

Do you think the two should mix?  Is to good for the game, the team?  We haven't really had any celebrity players since Canseco, which oddly was when we had one of the largest payrolls in baseball.  In fact, one could argue that is was his celebrity (and not just homeruns) that brought people into the stands, thus allowing that large payroll.

So, what's your take?  And if you're okay with it, who, if anyone from our team, has the best chance of reaching that cross over appeal?  Swisher?  Chavez?  Crosby?

Okay, so maybe I'm a little upset that he NEVER takes my questions for his mailbag or a little jealous that he gets PAID to follow my team around all season and all the other things that make his life (basebally speaking) better than mine!

But, I have noticed that, I only find myself agreeing with what he says, oh, I don't know, about 10% of the time!  

For example, in his latest MB over at www.oaklathathletics.com he's for Erstad ("I think he'd fit in beautifully") and I'm against him. Not a big deal, given how rarely we agree, but I bring it up because I find it funny that he would print a question in favor of Erstad when I'd say the loud majority of us A's fans are against Erstad coming to the club.

The other mailbag question that killed me is Urban's usage of Jason Kendall as a comparison to Kurt Suzuki!  Ouch!  That's just down right mean!  And he meant it to be a good thing!!!!  Again, a stance I would submit to be against the majority of A's fans.

Then there was the whole Ken Macha vs Kotsay mess he says he knew about and keep quite and the fact that that I don't think I've ever read an article/opinion from him that's not right in line with Wolff and co.  Hey, and now that I think about it, Mr. Urban's book, which I bought and read (things I rarely do both of) seemed a little too alright with the whole breaking up of the Big Three for my taste.  Hmmm...could Mr. Urban be Wolff's own Fox News?  I think so!

Therefore, without further adieu, I am calling for Michael Urban's firing.  And, my subsequent hiring.  All in favor, reply, those against...I think there's a great diary by a crackbaby you should read.

Seriously, is it just me or wouldn't every A's fan rather have a mlb source with a little more independent thought?  I know he's speaks with you guys fromt time to time, what's the deal?

Djhbaseball's recent diary about Huston Street's intro music oddly enough got me to thinking about some ideas for A's commercials this year.  Since we're all A's fans, I was thinking we should all post some ideas for this year's commercials.

Here are my top three suggestions:

1.    Rookie At-Bat

This, btw, is a great prank the guys could pull on some rookies this year.  The idea is we follow (front behind) Barton from the on deck circle as he makes his way to the plate when Reo Speedwagon starts blasting throughout the stadium.  He come around to his front, where we see he is wearing fake breasts, make up and earrings.  
We then cut to Street and Crosby laughing.  Street says, "I'm so glad I'm not a rookie anymore"

Cut to tag line

2.    Moving

This one may be in bad taste, but I think it'd be funny.  
We see Swisher and Blanton driving in Fremont.  They're lost.
Nick:  It's got to be around here somewhere.
Blanton: How'd they build a whole new ballpark in one off season?
Nick: It's the technology they've got nowadays.  I heard at the news conference we'll be able to get dressed like in the Jetsons and beam onto the field like Star Trek.
Blandon: You think they'll be able to put up a force field in the outfield?
Nick: That's a good idea.  You should ask.
Blanton: Maybe we should ask for directions.
They continue to drive around.

Cut to tag line:

3.    Golden Thieves

We are in Eric Chavez's house.  He and his wife are in bed.  The sound of a window breaking is heard from downstairs that wakes his wife.  She tugs him awake and tells him someone's downstairs.  He grabs his bat and slowly makes his way downstairs where two men are dressed all in black, putting his Gold Gloves in a black duffel bag.
Chavez turns on the lights and lowers the bat.  
Chavez: Guys, I told you, you'll get your own soon.
The two men, Mark Ellis and Mark Kotsay, turn to each other and then to Eric, shrugging their shoulders.  They walk towards him, handing him the bag.  
Both: Sorry, sorry.
As they leave, Ellis says to Kotsay:  Wanna try Ichiro's?

Cut to tag line:

Most people here seem to think the world of Mr. Kendall.  While I could make an argument for Mrs. Kendall, I just don't see the attraction of Jason Kendall.  Most people see him as the guy who went headfirst into spikes to save a game, yet I see him as the guy opposing outfielders come in for and base runners run wild against.

Kendall came to the A's via a trade of Mark Redman and Author Rhodes.  I got that it made financial sense at the time, but now it just seems ridiculous to still have him on the payroll.  He can't hit, throw and the A's don't run.  I know, you don't believe me, do you?

Among qualifying AL backstops, only Chicago's Prick Pierzynski and Cleveland's Victor Martinez threw out a lower percentage of base runners last year (and if you recall, Kendall actually IMPROVED his throwing last year).  As for the total of stolen bases allowed last year?  Seventy-fricking-one!  Face it, the guy can't throw.

Oh, but wait, the "pitcher's love him," right?  Well, in order for that to mean something wouldn't the pitchers NOT have to have liked his predecessors?  I dare anyone to find any negative quotes about Ramon Hernandez or even Damian Miller, because you can't and won't.  All you'll find is Barry Zito saying this about Miller, after he was acquired in 2004: "He's never caught me in a game, but it was great. Now I know why everyone raves about him," Zito said. "I had to shake him off a little just because he doesn't know my stuff that great yet, but that'll come. The thing I noticed is what great hands he has."  

Well, um, okay.  The pitcher's numbers must support him then, right?  Not really.

Oakland's CERA (catcher's ERA) with

Hernandez in 2003 was 3.48 (in '02 A's posted 3.57 and in '04 San Diego was 4.03)
Miller in 2004 was 4.24 ('03 Cubs were at 3.88 and '05 Brewers were 4.02)
Kendall in 2005 was 3.78 ('04 Pirates were 4.45 and '06 A's had an ERA of 4.09)

But he can hit, at least, right?  Hmm...if you mean he makes contact, then sure, he can hit.  Just don't expect him to win one with a long ball or get him up there with a guy on first, cause those are mid range fly balls and double plays waiting to happen!

Seriously, Kendall used to be able to hit.  Before coming to the A's he was a career .309 hitter with an OBP of .399.  The last two years with the A's he's hit .271 and .295 with an OBP of .321 and .342.  

As for his comparisons among other AL catchers?  He's LAST in OPS, 2Bs, HRs, RBIs and that .295 average only ranked ahead of THREE other qualified catchers.  Worse yet, however, is that as a lead off hitter, Kendall was BEHIND another THREE catchers in OBP and two more in Runs scored.  He's our lead off hitter for God's sake!

So what exactly is it about Kendall that I'm missing?  Please, someone explain to me the value of Jason Kendall because, while his wife might be a Barbie, he's certain no Ken Doll.  Oh hell, that probably just ruined my whole point, huh?

First, I want it to be clear that I think every player on our roster, while not the best at his position in the league, is my favorite (okay, with the exception of Kendall and Crosby, who I'd take almost anybody and Tejada over, respectfully).

Having said that, Mark Ellis and his gold glove have a career batting average of .270 with an HR/AB ratio of 1 to 45.  Bobby Crosby is at .244 and 1 to 31 and Nick Swisher is .246 and 1 to 18.6.  While Beane favorite Eric Chavez is a .271 career hitter with a HR coming every 20 ABS.  These are the stats of our starting infielders, who the organization has deemed the best and as irreplaceable as any Athletic can be.

I'm not going to get into injuries and how much more power Crosby and Chavez would have if healthy or how young Swisher is because the player that I want the A's to stand by and fully endorse this year is a third year player himself, who also had a down power year: Dan Johnson.  I've been trying to figure out who DJ reminds me of for the longest time and it wasn't until recently I realized DJ is like Adam Piatt.

For those of you who don't remember, Adam Piatt was a minor league stud that was on the A's early this century.  He was a multiple All-Star 3B and league MVP that the A's, because of Eric Chavez, turned into an OF.  He came up with the club around the same time we started winning and hit .299/.392/.490 in 60 games his first year as a platoon player.  The next couple of seasons he spent time literally dying and splitting time with guys like Jeremy Giambi and (if memory serves me right) Bobby Kielty before getting lost in the system.

I always liked Piatt and often was pissed that Art Howe and the A's never just gave him a job and let him be the player, or even a shadow of the player, he was in the minor leagues.  Now, I know that minor league success doesn't translate to major league success all the time, but, usually a guy who does well in the minors, will do well in the majors given the opportunity.  

Before we go off and look for young outfielders and washed up Holy Grails, don't you think maybe it would be in our best interest to try a guy who has better career numbers than Bobby Crosby, our unquestioned starting SS?  I mean, what's the difference between Bobby Crosby (who the organization loves) and DJ?  Why isn't AN calling for a trade of Crosby?  Yeah, Bobby's been injured, but I would submit (and you can ask anyone who's ever played this game) that sitting Johnson has just as much a negative effect on him as Crosby's injuries have had?

The whole bandwagon of getting rid of Johnson for a corner outfielder so that Swisher can play first base (isn't Barton supposed to be the first basemen of the future anyways?! Or are we grooming the youngest DH in the history of baseball?) sounds stupid to me given the upside I see in Johnson (potential .300 hitter with 20-25HR pop).  Especially if he plug him in the two hole (typical a fastball at-bat) and work him to death on hitting off speed pitches.

This post isn't for those of you who think he's got nothing left in his surgically repaired shoulder, but for those of you who made the arguement for Frank Thomas last season, Bobby Crosby the year after Miggy left and Rich Harden every season (aka Billy Beane).

Mulder hasn't signed yet.  We've got an all right handed rotation (because we both know Joe Kennedy ain't going to make it out of April as a starter) and can pitch accordingly until he's ready to pitch in the three slot; thus giving us a lefty starter for our annual second half run.  Plus, he's cheap and looking for a multi year deal, which should help considering I haven't heard of any studs coming out of the farm system the way Huddy, Zito, Mulder and Harden did.

FYI:  Mulder's not even 30 and has really only had one and half bad seasons (due to injury).  If that's reason to give up on him, then why don't we go ahead and trade Harden to the Mets?

I HATE BEING AN A'S FAN!  It's too intellectual and, oddly, too heart wrenching.  I almost envy those crappy Giant fans who get to watch their players forget them as Alzheimer's sets in.  Or those Yankees fans who at least get to watch a team of other teams' best players suck.  And who doesn't wish they could be like the Tiger fans who have suffered for so long they'll take ANY winning season?

I mean, we're a so-called small market team that has lost enough talent over the last seven years to field an All-Star team and we just keep winning, which makes losing players almost seem justifiably okay:

Replace MVP Jason Giambi with Scott Hatteberg and win 20 straight (on a Hatteberg HR no less!)

Replace MVP Miguel Tejada with Bobby Crosby, finish one game out of first and have Crosby win the ROY.

Replace the closer for the 2004 World Series Champions, Keith Foulke, with Huston Street and have the team go from worst to first, finishing second with Street winning ROY honors.

Replace Tim Hudson AND Mark Mulder with Danny Haren and Esteban Loaiza and advance to the ALCS for the first time since `92

Let Barry Zito butt f@ck the Giants out of $126M and; well, we've lost two MVPs, a CY Young winner, three 20-game winners and a World Series MVP (Dye, '05)...so we should probably win the Series this year!

And I'm going to hate being an A's fan even more so now because baseball is getting so far out of hand that us small market cheapskates are never going to keep any of our talent when guys like Barry "I was the three in the Big Three" Zito are making $18M a year for a team that won't be respectable for at least another three to five years (when their roster is finally too old to physically take the field).

Note to Harden and Haren:  Don't get too healthy and don't get to far over that .500 mark or we won't be able to keep you guys.  Swisher, go ahead and keep swinging for the fences because a 40HR guy who hits 240 we've got a better shot at keeping than a .300/40/100 guy.  

But hey, what can I do?  I'm invested in this team name and the handful of players who've been here more than a year or two.  It's a vicious cycle and one I can't escape.  So I guess I'll remember I really wasn't that big of a Zito fan anyways and go personalize my Daric Barton jersey - at least it'll be good for a few more years barring a Carlos Pena/Jose Ortiz let down.

Number One: The Oakland Athletics Win the World Series.  Texas (yes, Texas) wins the West, the Tigers take the Central and the Yanks (with Z) win the East, leaving us the Wild Card winner.  We take out NY (by beating Zito in Game 5, 1-0), before beating Detroit in four and taking the Series against LA in five.

Number Two: Oakland starts the season 10-26 and finishes on a 68-28 tear to race past Chicago and Toronto for the Wild Card.  (The Angels see a horrible "sophomore slump" from half their team and barely finish over .500 and Boston's pitching and defense make them the new Texas Rangers)

Number Three: Rich Harden stays healthy, finishes second in the Cy Young.  Danny Haren leads the team in wins with 19 and starts the AL All Star Game.  Joe Blanton pitches a no-no against Seattle.  Loaiza wins three more games than he loses and the fifth spot in the rotation remains unsolved by season's end.

Number Four: Swisher and Chavez both hit 40 bombs, with Swisher batting over .300 and Chavez picking up another gold glove at 3B.  Bradley, given a four year deal, thrives as the team's lead off hitter from May on, batting .298 on the season and finishing in the top 5 in runs scored.

Number Five: Piazza struggles in April, hitting .220 with three homers.  His best month comes in October, when he hits .440 with 6HRS and 15 RBI, taking ALCS MVP honors.

Number Six: Dan Johnson earns the first base job out of spring training and leads the team in batting average at a .326 clip.  Barton is allowed another year in the minors, where he earns MVP honors and is set to become the team's starting 1B in '08, with Johnson becoming the everyday DH.

Number Seven:  Billy Beane shocks the baseball world and pulls off a mid season trade for Andrew Jones.  Splitting time between the NL and AL makes Jones the first player ever to win a gold glove for both leagues in the same season.  Wolff and co don't offer him a contract at season's end, leaving the left handed heavy A's AGAIN searching for a right handed stick.

Number Eight: Bobby Crosby stays healthy and has best year of career (.280/27/86), but  
Mark Ellis (while winning his first gold glove) is traded in the Jones' deal along with rookie/Kotsay fill-in Travis Buck.  Marco Scutaro fills in by hitting a solo homer off of Zito in the 7th of the Game 5 ALDS.

Number Nine: Both Mark Kotsay (back) and Jason Kendall (elbow, after a HBP) spend most of the season on the DL, giving way to Melhuse and youngsters Baker and Buck.

Number Ten: Huston Street leads all relievers in ERA, although he only saves 3 games (with 4 blown saves) as he is replaced early in the season by new closer Justin Duchscherer.

Number Eleven: I, after watching the A's win the championship the way I predicted, go the 7-11 and win California's largest lottery ever, and buy majority share in the A's.  I sign Jones to play center in '08, Santana to pitch alongside Harden in '09 and both Pujols and Rodriguez in 2011.  Needless to say, the A's don't win a title under my ownership.

The Braves are looking for a starting 2B and a left hander reliever.

I wouldn't mind trading Ellis, Kennedy/Embree/Halsey and a prospect for a 1B would hit 285/32/90/354/561.

Oh yeah, DJ can be traded and Barton and LoRoche could DH/1B in '08 for all I care.  I mean, I'll take a proven 30HR guy any day of the week and twice on gameday.  AND I don't believe the whole Kennedy for Starter campaign either.

FYI:

Chavez 241/22/72/351/435

Gonzalez
REC 3-4 | SV 24 | ERA 2.17 | WHIP 1.35  
Kennedy
REC 4-1 | SV 1 | ERA 2.31 | WHIP 1.34
Embree
REC 4-3 | SV 0 | ERA 3.27 | WHIP 1.24  
Halsey
REC 5-4 | SV 0 | ERA 4.67 | WHIP 1.63

Billy Beane has this great way of looking at things when it comes to being able to let certain guys go.  For example, when Miggy left, he said we'd be okay because Crosby and Dye would put up better numbers than Miggy and an injured Dye put up the year before.  With Thomas leaving, he probably thought, it'd be okay because Piazza and in healthy Crosby will be just as good as Thomas and an injured Crosby were last year.  All of which is to say, Billy doesn't mind letting people go (ie. the Big Three, Miggy...you know the All Star team we could have formed)

Knowing that, here is my list of players who are untouchable and should be on the 2008 roster.

SP Harden
SP Haren
RHP  Duchscherer
RHP Street
1B/OF Nick Swisher
3B Eric Chavez

Everyone else, let's be honesty, are guys we like but can be replaced.  There is a reason we can get away with a low payroll.

Which means if we can trade anyone not listed above to improve the club for 2007 and/or beyond, we should.  Agreed?

The Blue Jays apparently know they won't be able to resign Vernon Wells and are looking for pitching help now that Lilly and Meche are gone.  They need a 3-5 starter, we just happen to able to part with one (Loaiza, Blanton, Windsor, Kennedy) and maybe throw in a quality back up (Perez, Scutaro, Kietly, Melhuse) too.

I know we're too cheap to sign Wells to an extension so this will be a one year rental and you should be fine with that.  In fact, if this is to work, you'd have to be fine with that.  We're working on 2007's World Series roster now since we've agreed 2008 and beyond can be filled by left overs, pick ups and/or prospects.

What other players are able to be had this off season?  Tim Hudson?  No one wants him because he "heading in the wrong direction" but the Braves are looking for a salary dump and might take three mid-grade prospects like we did to get rid of him.  Hell, we can even throw in a (Flores, Witasick) to help them with that joke of a bullpen.  And maybe a year back in the AL West will be good for him to prove he's still got it before you flip him for prospects or something next season.

Well, we missed out on Garcia, didn't we?  And Manny's not a one year rental so he's out too.  Doesn't look like Miggy's going anywhere.  So, since there's been talk of him being available for pitching help, I thought I'd throw out a long shot in the form of one Mark Teixeira.  Maybe work out some three way deal with LA to get Brad Penny (who's available - say some of the same guys I used to get Wells) and throw in DJ and Kotsay (the Rangers need a CF and Wash had to love him).

All of which, in my dream world, would make out 2007 line up:

C Kendall (I'll have Billy Beane is a genius tattooed to my ass if he can trade him)
RF Bradley
CF Wells
1B Teixeira
DH Piazza
3B Chavez
LF Swisher
SS Crosby
2B Ellis

with a rotation of

Harden
Haren
Hudson
Leftover
Leftover

Granted the rotation is a little weak, but with that line up, a Saarloos/Kennedy/Windsor/Komine/Williams/Meyer bottom two doesn't have to exactly be a Hudson, Mulder, Zito.

 I know it won't happen.  I know not even the great Billy Beane could pull off a trade of Wells (even though him a JP are close and the Blue Jays have something we could give) or Hudson (Billy's ego is probably too big to admit this wasn't his finest hour) or Teixeira (three way trades really isn't something Billy's good at and I'm sure Texas would want more than a replacement 1B, Starting Pitcher and CF--though they need all three)

Hey, a fan can dream, right?

We all hear how a dollar doesn't buy what it used to. With the ridiculous amounts of money that major league teams are throwing at mediocre pitchers, unproven hitters or hitters surely to be on the decline, it got me to thinking about the next undervalued market the Oakland Athletics could/should start exploiting: today's dollar.

In the early 1990's the Oakland Athletics had two of the highest paid players in the league on their team in Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson.  Both, combined, made under $10M a season and that wasn't all that long ago.  When A-Rod signed his unbelievable contact with Texas a few years back, it was for more money than Rodger Clemens and Pedro Martinez have made in their careers combined.  When Barry Zito signs his (reportedly) $90-100M contract this off season, he will make more money next season than Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder combined (and he was the Three of the Big Three).

All of which is to say, in five to ten years when the TBD Athletics of Suburbia Fremont California move into their new digs, the average payroll will more than likely be around, if not at, the $100M mark.

Consider this:

Tim Hudson, who everyone said we couldn't afford, signed a contract worth (at its max $58M/5Y or $11.6M a year).   Vincent Padilla just signed for $11M a year!

Miguel Tejada, who everyone said we couldn't afford, signed a contact worth (at its max $72M/6Y or $12M a year).  Carlos Lee just signed for $16.7M a year!

When Jermaine Dye left, he signed a two year deal with Chicago for $10.15M.  Gary Matthews Jr just signed for $10M a year!

Last year when looking for a DH, we offered Thomas a contact that didn't end up paying him $4M.  This year, we're offering Piazza $15M/2Y.

Maybe we couldn't have afforded these guys when we had the chance, but looking back on it now, I certainly would have rather paid for them then than what it's going to cost to have their knock offs a few years down the line.

If Billy Beane can compete year to year with a modest budget in today's terms, imagine what he could do today with what will be a modest budget in 2010 terms.  And that, my friends, is my argument for spending today!  

Of course, for who's available, I think it might just be in our best interests to trade for someone with what was once considered a big contact (ie. Tejada/Hudson) Then again I'm also all for trading Blanton for Lastings if we can sign a Lilly or something.  And why wouldn't we want a Crawl Crawford or Delmon Young (imagine him and Bradley together)?

Then again, maybe we could wait and sign Wells next season along with locking up Bradley (I can only imagine what he'll command in a few years) and Johnson (who I still believe will be a quality hitter once he learns how to hit a change up)

In closing, we are a small market team and may always be one, but the market is growing (average salaries rose 8.9% last season) and we need to exploit this now.  Today's big market payroll will be tomorrow's small market.

NOTE: Consider this about the Tim Hudson trade that I hate and so many of Beane supporters don't think was so bad:

HUDSON career: 3.53 ERA / 1650 IP / 119 W / 60 L (.665 winning percentage) $58M/5 and this includes the two sub-par, yet winning seasons he's had for the Braves.
ZITO career: 3.55 / 1430 / 102 /63 (.618) $90-100M/6

I know the season is still months away but I can't help but wonder about the '07 rotation, especially after the rumor Joe Kennedy may be our numero cinco.

I mean, can Rich Harden a) stay healthy and b) live up to the expectations (right handed Johan Santana) I've placed on him?

Can Dan Haren stop being Barry Zito, after Cy Young (you know, the just better than .500 pitcher) and become the Barry Zito, Cy Young (how in the hell did he go 23-5, 2.75)?

Will Loaiza be good for a whole season, or just a half as his career seems to show?

Can Mighty Joe Blanton pitch against Seattle every game?  Hell, can we play against Seattle every game?

And just who in God's Name is going to be our number five?  Joe Kennedy, who let's face it, has never had a "career year" as a starter?  Shane Komine, who kinda reminds me of a skinny, Hawaiian Joe Blanton for some odd reason.  Jason Windsor, who honestly just looked too nervous last year or Jermone Williams, who I only remember because he beat the A's a couple years ago after I joked "Jermone Who?"  Oh, oh, and what ever happened to Dan Meyer?  Dan Meyer, Charles Thomas and Juan Cruz (who became Brad Halsey) for Tim Hudson!!!!  Can we now say this is was the worst trade on Billy's short list of bad trades?  Can I, after years of not being able to get over this trade, finally get a "you were right" (and you know who I'm talking to Ms. I-want-to-have-Billy-Beane's-kids)

And does anyone know why we haven't shown more interest in Mulder?  I somehow have a brand new "I heart Mulder" women's shirt at home I'd love to give my girlfriend for Christmas.

You'll never guess what I learned.  I mean, I can't even believe it and I actually traveled through time!  Wow, it's amazing.  It's so unbelievable.  I don't even know where to begin.  I mean do I tell you the why, the how or the what first?  

Well, first, check out our starting line up for 2007

Kotsay cf
Bradley rf
Manny Ramirez lf
Barry Bonds dh
Miguel Tajada ss
Chavez 3b
Swisher 1b
Ellis 2b
Kendal c

And our starting rotation

Harden
Tim Hudson
Zito
Haren
Mark Mulder

I know!  Amazing!  Almost unbelievably so even!

Well, apparently a grass roots campaign by some A's fans to keep the team in Oakland started to take off after a report surfaced that the city of Oakland had agreed to build a waterfront stadium in Jack London Square and was told "no thank you" by Oakland ownership.  A fan uprising, coupled with the announcement that the new team name would be the "Silicon Valley Athletics of Fremont" lead to a revolt in season ticket sales almost unprecedented.  Upper management started to get a little nervous and signed Barry Zito to a five year contract that many, even in Oakland, thought was too much, especially given the fact that we needed a hitter.  

After Mike Piazza decided to stay in the NL, ownership then allowed Billy Beane to get a big bat - he traded for Manny Ramirez.  When the press pounded the move (the whole Manny being Manny thing), Beane and co set their sites on a proven Oakland favorite, signing Mark Mulder to a one year incentive laden contract.  While talking with Mulder, feelers Beane had sent out on Miguel Tejada and Tim Hudson lead to trades for both players.

Shortly after the New Year, Barry Bonds was introduced as the team's DH (a move many saw as an attempt to steal Giant fans in the San Jose area) to complete the roster.  

UPDATE*UPDATE*UPDATE

Okay, just came back from October of 2007.  We didn't make the play offs.

Ramirez, Bonds and Bradley apparently didn't a good clubhouse chemistry make.  Bonds hit number 756 in July and retired the next day.  Ramirez's Manny being Manny did not work well with the fans in left leading to his first season under 20HRS/100RBIs and Bradley was suspended for the season after a game in Toronto when he and Frank Thomas exchanged blows in a benches clearing brawl.

Rich Harden did pitch the whole season and will most likely win the Cy Young after going 16-2 with an ERA of 1.26.  Tim Hudson's return to Oaktown was just like his first go around as he went 6-8 as the bullpen (weakened by trades of Duchscherer/Calero/Kennedy/Saarloos and Witasick) blew a league high 56 games.  Zito, who made $15m for the season, saw his ERA balloon over 6 and Mulder, who pitched well his first three games, never recovered after the death of his psychologist in May.

Wow, I guess that's why they do play the games.  I mean, look at how good we looked on paper?  Who could have imagined such a tragedy?  It's like when we had the Big Three, Jason, Miggy, Eric, Damon, Dye and Big Hurt and still couldn't win it all....

WEll, maybe next year.  I hear Wells is interested in replacing Kotsay and Santana should be available by '09....

Dear Mr. Beane and Mr. Wolff:

With current bench coach Bob Geren being named new A's manager, I would like to submit my resume for Oakland Athletics' Bench Coach, 2007.

I have been a long time Oakland A's fan and would be honored to be with the club in its last few years in Oakland.  Should my performance so dictate, I would also be willing to become a member of the San Jose Athletics of Silicon Valley located in Fremont, California, United States of America, Planet Earth.

For the last three years, I have managed Little League baseball and am therefore used to being around young, talented kids who don't make a hella lot of money.  As a Little League coach of the younger leagues, I am also used to not having the same group of players for more than a year at a time and since Little Leaguers aren't allowed to steal bases until the ball reaches the catcher, I typically do not steal many bases.

Furthermore, I've watch enough of my favorite players get traded, injured, or shown the door that it wouldn't even cause me to flinch.  I mean, hey, if you think trading Harden and Swisher for five guys no one's ever heard of will help this club make the play offs, then I'm all for it.  Afterall, were not in Fremont yet, right?

And, perhaps best of all, it's not like A's fans, players and media are ever going to be questioning the genius of Billy Beane for letting me go to a division rival.  Hell, I'm so much an A's fan, that if I ever did manage against you guys, I'd throw those games!

Add to that my willingness to be your puppet, er, field general and I think I'm exactly what you're looking for in a puppet, (man why does that word keep coming up?)  I mean, bench coach, of course!  

Still not interested Mr. Wolff, Mr. Beane?  Okay, how's this for Oakland propaganda:  Frank Thomas and Barry Zito will not be missed because a healthy 2007 Bobby Crosby and Barton/Johnson/et all combo will be far better than a 2006 Thomas/Scutaro combination.  Moreover, a healthy 2007 Harden/Williams will fair much better than a 2006 Zito/replacement starter.  How's that for drinking the kool-aid baby?

In closing, I know that I don't have any major league experience what so ever, but if experience was what you were going for, you would've hired Wash or Orel, right? Now where does one submit his resume?

Sincerely

Oaklandfan40

Well, it looks like the Texas Rangers have decided to "join us"

Fox Sports' Ben Maller is reporting BOTH Zito and Thomas are talking with the Rangers for next season.  Which would give the Rangers THREE key Oakland A's.

Hey if Gary Matthews Jr leaves them, maybe we can trade Kotsay to them too!  And since they already have their new park and an owner willing to spend money for FAs, how cool would it be if they picked up Mulder and even Lilly as well?

Well, I was obviously one of the many who thought we should have hired Wash, but since I've been able to let go of Huddy, Miggy, Mark, Z and am preparing for Harden to leave one day too, let me just say that I wish the Texas A's and their new manager a career of second place finishes.  Hey, that'd be my bleacher sign "Thanks for everything Wash, may you always finish second"

With the A's seemingly coming into the money AND the A's in need of a manager AND there not being anyone out there who screams "I'll follow your philosophy AND win you a world championship along the way" AND since all of our coaching staff seems to be leaving anyway AND because I'm bored on a Wednesday afternoon, I officially nominate, in the tradition of Bobby Cox (who lead the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles after leaving the GM post) Billy Beane for manager of the 2007 Oakland A's.

Furthermore, I nominate Carney Lansford are new 3B/IF coach.  And Rickey Henderson, the greatest stolen base leader of all time, our new 1B/OF coach (oh, wait, we don't steal bases....I retract my nomination of Rickey Henderson).  However, I think hitting coach Rickey Henderson, Athletics' all time walks and runs leader, sounds pretty damn good, don't you?  

Actually, this was meant to be a joke, but Lansford was a hell of a defender and his son is in the organization....and Rickey does still want to be involved and he certainly does fit the take a pitch mold....hmmm.....Billy Beane is a genus and it would be great to see him matched up against LaRussa in a late innings fall classic....

I nominate Billy Beane for manager.

They (the so-called "experts") said we couldn't win this series.  They broke it down and claimed:

The Twins had a better starting rotation  (Oakland starters 2-0, Twins 0-2)
The Twins had a better bullpen (Oakland pen: 2 runs, 8IP Twins pen: 8 runs, 8IP)
The Twins had a better line up (Oakland runs: 16, Twins runs: 7)
The Twins had a better defense (Oakland errors:  1, Twins errors: 5)
The Twins had a better home field (Oakland, 1-0 at home, Twins 0-2)
The A's hadn't won a play off series in 16 years (we SWEEP series where we never trailed)

So if you work at ESPN and you're name isn't:

Peter Gammons
Buster Olney
Steve Phillips
Gary Gillette or
Bob Klapisch

SHUT THE HELL UP

As for those of you who wanted Detroit?  Well, I'm not going to speak ill of fellow A's fans on such a joyous day, but HAVE SOME FAITH.

BRING ON THE YANKS.  Cause The Oakland Revenge Tour '06 has officially begun

I fully understand the whole wanting to play DET instead of MIN thing.  Hell, I wouldn't mind if we had to play KC in the ALDS, TB in the ALCS and PIT in the WS if it meant us winning the whole thing.

BUT...

Could you imagine if BOS won the WS without going through NY?  Or if SF won the SB without first beating DAL?  Jordan's Bulls not going through DET?  

So yeah, I want us to win it all, but when I tell my kids about this year, I'd much rather tell them how we beat our two biggest pains in the ass in their own house, in front of their fans, with their best pitcher/hitter on the mount/in the box.  

As for the Dodgers?  I want Street to strike out a gimpy Nomar/Kent/whoever to end a 9th inning threat before we take the series 4-0.  A close second would be to beat the Mets and thus show two NY teams the door in the same post season.

PS: None of the teams scare me if Zito, Haren and Harden are on their game which my gut tells me they will be.  Kind of a farewell/hello to the the BIG THREE.

Have you ever had a situation happen where something upsetting happens during an otherwise wonderful event and time and thus you don't feel like you should be a sour puss and complain, when complaining is something you really, really want to do?

I mean, if I were to tell you that two of the last three games I saw were Milton Bradley's walk off against the Blue Jays on July 30 and Tuesday's beat down of Seattle, you'd think I was crazy to complain about anything right?  Exactly.

So, instead of complaining, I thought I'd write my fellow Oakland fans about some experiences I've had, offer my two cents and see what kind of ideas everyone else had on the subject of Customer Service and the Oakland A's.

Before I begin, however, let me just tell you of a situation that happened a couple of seasons back when I bought tickets to an A's/Giants game off of eBay.  My friend and I get to SBC or whatever it was called back then only to find out that the tickets were someone's season tickets that had been stolen.  We were escorted to the admin offices and asked if we would be willing to fill out a complaint and document our experience about buying these tickets from E-bay, which we did.  For helping them out, the Giants (who I still hate and mock at every opportunity) traded me my first base side, upper row, stolen tickets for some very, very nice ones behind home plate.

Flash forward to July 30's game when my little brother and step son, both kid's club members, get to the game when the gates open because my step son got a flyer to get some autographs before the game for that day.  My little brother, who has been a member for the last five years, got the same flyer but only for a different game.  Obviously, I'm thinking that this isn't something that can't be figured out and I take both boys down with their flyers and explain how they're pretty much brothers and since their isn't a lot of kids there and everything....nope....I'm told by the acting head of the Kid's Club that my little brother can't go on the field because his flyer is for another game.  No exceptions.  So my eight-year-old brother has to watch as his nine-year friend gets to get autographs and talk to the players.

Saw the A's beat Texas with a group of friends on the fifth, which was great before coming to the game with my other friend for the first time this season since Game 2.  We've got seats in section 127, row 30.  We get there about ten minutes early, do the whole guy space seat thing and I put my feet up the empty seats in front of us.  About five minutes later, a guy and his wife show up and sit right smack down in front of me. Now, I understand that those are their seats, but what always confuses me is why people feel this need to sit right in front of other people when there are a million other options available.  But hey, no big deal, I move my feet.  By the bottom of the first my friend and I are now sitting next to one another with people in front of us, behind us and on both sides, which I would have loved, had this been a play off game or anything other than a Tuesday night.  That's when I look over to see that section 126; rows 30 to 36 are completely empty.  Okay, I'm sorry, there was a guy sitting by himself in row 36.  So I tell my friend, hey, let's move over there.

Not a minute after sitting down the usher from section 125 comes over and asks to see our tickets.  We show her and she tells us we have to go to our seats.  I then say, "There's a bunch of people over there and I'd rather sit here if that's okay?"   To which she answers, I kid you not, "These seats are sold, otherwise you would have been able to buy these tickets."  I'm sorry, since when did buying tickets on-line or even at the box office if the option to pick the row AND seat that you wanted?  And just so everyone knows, no one, NOT A SINGLE PERSON, sat in those seats all night long.

Okay, so I realize that the boys had two different flyers to two different games and technically my brother wasn't supposed to be there. And yes, my tickets were for section 127, not 126...but I also understand that the Giants could have told me, "hey, you bough stolen tickets, sorry."  The thing is, in my opinion, as much as it pains me to write it and thus admit it, the Giants did the right thing and the A's...well, maybe there's a reason we can't sell out a smaller stadium...

Ouch!  Okay, so this is the part of my long rant where I give some suggestions on how I think the A's could improve on their customer service and where you write me to tell me how great the A's customer service has been towards you and how you wouldn't change a thing.

Suggestion #1: Make one, bank-teller-like-line from all the concession stands so I don't always get suck in the short line with the slow cashier.

#2: Tear down those stupid green fences that block the view of the field, but keep those cool displays you have on them.  I know they put these there so people wouldn't gather around and watch the game, but come on, it's tacky, and everyone knows it.

#3: Do more for the kids.  The kid's club is great (mostly), but the kid's area leaves a lot more to the imagination.  Remember, the children are our future.  Man, that's good.  That could probably be a song....

#4: Bring in the drummers.  Bring back the whole band.  The Sacramento Kings, (yes, I'm a Kings' fan too...something about post-season heartbreak) have cowbells that help drive opponents crazy, we need some more noise (Make some noise!)

#5:  For God's sake, stop thinking that your revenue is based on ticket sells.  Where did you go to business school?  15,000 fans paying $50 a ticket isn't' going to make you more money than 45,000 fans paying $10 a ticket, $8 a beer and $6 a small pizza.  More people equals more concessions.  How do you think movie theaters are run?

#6: More Promotions.  The Padres are great at this.  We, we are not.  Got to their web site and see all there promotions and then see ours.  
#7:  Remember, baseball is a business.  Those are your words, not mine.  So remember that if that's the reason we can't afford to keep our stars then that's also the reason you should be going that extra mile to fill the seats.

#8: Create Stars.  What made Jason Giambi and Miggy stars?  Was it their numbers or was it because they stepped up in the national spotlight (i.e. day games that east coast viewers and ESPN could publicize)?  Take our players public, if only locally.  Get them out there in big events and advertise those events.  None of this little blurb stuff on Extra Innings...that thinking too small.  THINK BIGGER.

Okay, I'm done.  What's your input?