Some positives after another sad loss

by ZeroIndulgence on May 27, 2005 8:12 PM PDT Comment 23 comments

OK, I'm tired of the negativity. After every loss it's "well, here's who screwed up tonight." How about some love. You guys are fans, right?

Zito threw very well tonight. Especially for the tight strike zone being called and the two rain delays (which could have really screwed with his rhythm and arm). Nice to see Z doing better again tonight.
DJ, despite not getting a hit, had great poise in the batters box, and looked very comfortable against ML pitching. He almost cranked one out in the 2nd, and should have had an RBI walk in the 9th. We'll see how he does the rest of his stay, but it's not a bad start.

Even on a night of no hitting and another sad loss, there's still some bright points.

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Yeah

This loss didn't have the "bottom falling out" feeling like the D-Rays losses did.

"My motto is I'm fat, but you're ugly, and I can diet." - David Wells

by JLaff on May 27, 2005 8:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, the "bottom falling out" part

for me tonight was being 5 hitters into the game and already having that "here we go again" experience before the Indians even batted. Other than that, and a stretch of 20 in a row retired, a relatively ordinary loss.

A well pitched game by Zito (as 4 BB in 6 IP performances go), yes, and basically good ABs for DJ in his first game, yes.

Also, Rincon threw well in the bullpen and Ellis didn't spontaneously combust.

Nico

by Nico on May 27, 2005 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gotta give Zito his props for sure

He pitched quite well tonight. It sucks he got the loss, but then again, wins and losses aren't great indicators of pitching performance anyway.

"Put a Milo on him."
-Billy Beane

by kaweahkaweah on May 27, 2005 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

It did for me.

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Author Unknown.

by AsGirl on May 27, 2005 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

come on

i know all admit i have been extremely negative. But its called for , this team is terrible there cant be any bright spots if this team keeps on losing. Because if the SP pitches good the offense wont hit so it cancels out.

Lets go Oakland!

by bballfanr33 on May 27, 2005 8:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thank you Zero Indulgence

It is very depressing to read all the posts that are negative about this team. Glad to hear DJ hit the ball hard. I feel that the team is now righting itself. It needs the support of its fans. Thank you. (from a 50 year A's fan)

Charlie Brown GO A'S WIN

by Charlie Brown on May 27, 2005 10:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I get so tired

of the people who feel "being negative" means you don't support your team.
That is such bull@%3&!
Supporting your team doesn't mean candy-coating every loss.
Once again this team embarassed itself against a below-average team with a below-awerage starting pitcher.
The first inning was an absolute joke. Bases loaded, no outs, and once again, our hero, Mr. Chavez fails miserably.
All he had to do was hit into a double play for cryin' out loud -- he can't even do that right. Yet, he will continue to be third or fourth in the lineup tomorrow. Nice. Brilliant strategy.
This guy should be hitting 7th, tops.
I am beginning to think this might be the worst Oakland team ever.
No fire again tonight. No spark. No fizzle. The only time the team looked somewhat alive was the 9th when the game was well out of reach.
So call it negative ... I call it the truth. 100 losses is altogether realistic.

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on May 27, 2005 11:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

which part of 'sad loss'

do you think is candy coating?

I don't think 'being negative' means not supporting the team. But for you 'truth' means being only bitter and doomsaying. It's way too easy to point (especially now when we are so bad) at everything bad and say we're doomed. Simple. Here, I'll write you a program:

if $OAKLANDLOSES {
print "aaah. we lost. we suck. Nothing is good.";
} else {
print "wow, we lucked out! we would have been better if we kept Miggy. Nothing is good.";
}
if (rand()>.5) {
print "Fire Billy Beane.";
} else {
print "Release Chavy";
}

Not bad. Unfortunately, I'm looking for something a little more intelligent in a conversation. There's something narrow and blind about this Tough Love refusing to see anything good to build on in the muck that is our season.

Please don't act like somehow people don't want to hear about the negative side. 90% of the posts here are about the negative side. It's just that only hearing about the negative side is rather boring and one-sided. It's particularly silly to rant about a single game. Baseball just isn't like that. One day you look terrible, the next you're a star. Anyway, there's more than enough bad trend to feel bad about.

Some people can try to see clearly about what's going on without falling into depression and defensive despair ("I'd rather be bitter than have my expectations unmet."). The A's aren't pretty (and it's getting worse), but it's not all bad.

by Apricot on May 28, 2005 1:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, hey...

I'm not trying to defend the loss. It was a sad loss, the first inning was pathetic, and we are playing terribly right now...

But that's said everywhere right now. I think good fans will look for the good int he bad. They know the bad, they see the bad, but they also look for the good. No point in being solely negative all the time.

A's fan for life!!!

by ZeroIndulgence on May 28, 2005 3:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Very well said,

Apricot and Zero Indulgence. Focusing on the positives while seeing the negatives is simply indicative of good mental health and strong character. Sometimes the positives come from hope and optmism, other times from perspective and patience.

From a mental health viewpoint, failing to see the negatives in front of you is a worrisome sign while losing sight of the positives ahead of you is alarming.

It is with this in mind that I am prescribing Prozac for oaktoon, Xanax for Vacafan, and five bottles of whiskey for myself.

Nico

by Nico on May 28, 2005 8:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

May I mix my Xanax

with your five bottles of whiskey?

I have a feeling Mr. Chavez would fail to get me irritated at that point ..... fight on, Eric! You're my man!!!!!

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on May 28, 2005 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kendall

has been moved to the leadoff spot where he is best suited. Also, in his last 6 games he is hitting .348. I know that is a little thing but it is something. Maybe he is going to return to his career average soon.

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on May 28, 2005 8:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope he is,

but I have to confess it has seemed like a "soft .348" to me. Two choppers to third he beat out, a couple seeing-eye grounders through the hole, and as many hard-hit balls caught due to "easy to position him" as due to bad luck.

I'll need to see more line drives sprayed more consistently before I can uncross my fingers. And I fear that his current level of defense is more indicative of his true ability than his current level of hitting is--I expect he will start to hit at least .280/.350 but am not sure he will block WPs, or throw, significantly better.

At a high salary and no trade value, if a bust Kendall will hurt the organization far more than Chavez will. Chavy is inconsistent; my biggest fear is that Kendall will be consistent!

Nico

by Nico on May 28, 2005 8:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

keep in mind

that it was kendall or redman and rhodes. I see them both performing well as basically bad luck but both of them had problems in the A's clubhouse. Kendall has a reputation of being a good clubhouse guy. I know that is hard to measure but it is something.

And yeah, we are stuck with Kendall. Nobody is going to take his contract. Given that, would it not be better that he hit well and maybe returned to some of his previous levels of performance?

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on May 28, 2005 8:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah,

I don't quite buy the "It was Kendall or R+R" argument. On that theory, the A's could have re-signed Miller and waived R+R, and come out the same financially. Then back up one step and consider that decent starting pitching is such a hot commodity that Redman, on his own, could have been traded for some return.

In other words, the A's did have a very real option of keeping Miller, trading Redman for a prospect or medium-level player, and waiving Rhodes, and maintaining the current payroll with far more flexibility (i.e. not being stuck with Kendall's contract for better or for worse).

The A's didn't go this route because they felt Kendall would be worth adding. And if he hits .300/.400 and throws out 30% of would-be base-stealers, he will help, provided he is put in a batting-order spot suitable to a high-OBP, low SLG hitter.

My concern is that Miller, while flawed, excelled in the very areas the A's most need right now in a catcher: blocking balls in the dirt, tempering the running game, and hitting for some RH power. Currently, the A's miss all three of those qualities they got from a player who makes 1/3 of what Kendall commands.

Nico

by Nico on May 28, 2005 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

there was also buzz

about Miller's not sticking to the game plan when calling pitches... I still think Kendall's going to be good (barring injury).

by Apricot on May 28, 2005 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was always curious

about that buzz, and never heard enough to decide it was reliably true or false. I certainly don't think Miller is a better player than Kendall. But if you factor in the salaries and both players' strengths and weaknesses, one could at least argue that Miller have suited the A's needs better.

Nico

by Nico on May 28, 2005 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what if

Nobody claimed Redman and Rhodes from waviers? Then what? You have probably pissed off two guys who were iffy in teh clubhouse already. At that point if they are released then you have to eat their salary.

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on May 28, 2005 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well my point

was that this "worst-case scenario" (releasing them) would leave you with the same salary burden as the A's have now.

But no way Redman actually gets through waivers. He's a left-handed starting pitcher with an established record of winning in double-digits.

My real concern is that being stuck with Kendall's salary may harm us more than Kendall's actual performance will. The latter only really affects us at catcher and in one spot in the batting order. The former affects us everywhere. This is why the Pirates were desperate to unload him, and why no one wanted to acquire this hard-nosed playing, lifetime .300 hitting, guy.

Nico

by Nico on May 28, 2005 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

point taken

But yet I find myself drawn towards rooting for kendall. I guess I identify with him, although I am a not overpayed amature player.

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on May 28, 2005 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kendall's contract...

gets smaller for us in 2007, his last year here, right when we need it to. remember that the pirates are paying 5 million of it in 07. He'll still be getting a good chunk from us, but there is relief in sight.

A's fan for life!!!

by ZeroIndulgence on May 28, 2005 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

also

The fact that he is hustling to beat out groundballs when the A's are down 10-0 (Wednesday against tampa bay) says something about his will to win. Maybe that will spread.

I own 2 Tony Armas jerseys! I am an A's fan for life.

by Athletics fan and runner on May 28, 2005 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The last time

that the team had this bad of a record was May 2002, when we went 5-18(I Think)..... We won the Division by 4 games that season... and yoy know what? the big 3 were NOT our whole team either(I just know thats going to be the reason people are going to give as to why we won)....

Bring Back The Bash! Bring Back The Stash! Bring back Ricky one more time!!! Go A'S!!!!

by Shippee33 on May 28, 2005 3:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs