Having attended last night's game in Tampa, I have a few thoughts:

1. I was impressed with Blanton, despite the early struggles. After last night, I feel he'll be a steady precense in the rotation despite his inexpereince. He responded well to the adversity and came back strong.
2. Though it's early in the season, the inabilty to get a runner home from 3rd with 1 out is frustrating. When you don't capitalize on those chances in the 9th and 10th innings, you're asking a lot from your 'pen.
3. I know that one of the reasons we liked picking up Cruz was his ability to go more than one inning. But last night we sent him out for his 3rd inning without anyone else even getting loose. He certainly wasn't as sharp as he had been earlier.
4. Tropicana is without question the worst stadium in the bigs. I don't know the official attendence, but it had to be under 10,000. And those that did show up didn't make a peep until the 10th inning, and I could shout advice to the A's players from far away. The Coliseum isn't perfect, but after seeing this dump, it's never looked better.