Is this team a winner?

by jubjub on Sep 5, 2005 9:19 AM PDT

When you watch this team, do they strike you as a winner? Not even specifically in the playoff/no playoff sense, but just as winners? The injuries have hurt, no doubt, but is this team fundamentally a winning ball club?

I want to say yes, but I'm not 100% sure. We all know they were built for 2006+ and anything this year is gravy, but can the young guys learn to want to win? Does this team have the fire? We brought Kendall and Kotsay in for that reason, but do they provide it? Anybody can be pumped up when you're up 12-0, but can they maintain their edge down 4-0?

If it's the 4th inning and we're down, we lose. How does that happen with a young ball club? They should be fighting for every at bat. Instead, they seem content to call the games in. Seems to happen every game. You can even script what will happen from then on:

Kendall - ground out to 2B with the weakest swing in the majors (swings like a girl)
Kotsay - swings at first pitch ball and hits a pop fly to CF.
Chavez - swings at first pitch ball and fouls out to 1B.
Kietly - K's with the longest swing this side of Adam Dunn
Johnson - (ray of hope) battles and might get a hit, but left stranded
Payton - might hit a homerun or flies out to LF
Swisher - looks overmatched at the plate every time and they throw him a slider breaking in on his hands and he swings EVERY SINGLE TIME for the K.
Scutaro - hits ground ball to 1B.
Ellis - hits ground ball to 2B.

Obviously, I'm sure they'll heat up again, but why does this team seem content to lose? Why don't they fight and fight for all 27 outs? They seem to lack the fire that made the teams with Miggy and Giambi so good.

So, the question is, does this team look like a winner? We're hanging in this year against a weak American League, but if you compared this team to good teams of the past decade, do they hold up? I don't really see a winning formula in the lineup and I hope that some of the talent in the minors or to be acquired in the next couple of years has some fire and who know to wait for a strike before swinging.

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If they please the Gods...

they'll get healthy and heat up. Otherwise, the baseball gods, for whatever reason, are ANGRY with them....

by Squeaky on Sep 5, 2005 9:37 AM PDT reply actions

Kielty should shave his head

His hair would act as the sacrificial lamb. We could use it to soak up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Sep 5, 2005 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions

oh, good idea!

Tell Kielty now!

by Squeaky on Sep 5, 2005 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions

Oh, yeah...

The 2005 A's are just 6 wins away from a winning season which will give them 7 winning seasons in a row! How many teams (Besides the Yankees) can say that? If the A's finish with 90 wins or more, they must have done something right!

No excuses but two of the main cogs on offense and defense are missing and the best right handed pitcher in the AL is on the shelf. But the A's have to suck it up and just stay close the next 26 games.

A's, baby!

by Coach Cleats on Sep 5, 2005 10:05 AM PDT reply actions

Everyone of those guys

does all that everytime they come up. I totally agree.

by TheBig5 on Sep 5, 2005 10:14 AM PDT reply actions

this is a very young team

with some significant injuries in a pennant race September. In order to get into the postseason
1)the rookies will have to adjust FAST to how they are being pitched (thinking specifically of Swish and DJ)
2)The bench must be used strategically to get much needed days of rest for the everyday players
3)the pitching staff must stay strong (special concern about Harden, and now Zito)
4)the injuries may be the undoing -- although the Angels also have the same issue

by OaklandSi on Sep 5, 2005 10:26 AM PDT reply actions

You shouldn't say "swings like a girl"

The woman's USA softball team is one of the best around and they swing like girls.

Oh no! Run! It's the Internet People! -monkeyball :P

by GreenNGoldGirl on Sep 5, 2005 12:27 PM PDT reply actions

My apologies

But, in fact, he swings like a girl. Not a stud girl who plays on a national team, but like the girlfriend you take to the batting cages.

Also, anybody notice the season Michael Barrett is having? .281/.347/.490 Pretty good for a guy on our team for a week.

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Sep 5, 2005 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions

We are

So spoiled, I bet many of you said the team would win 70 games at best, we've been so honored to see Street become the next dominant closer Johnson becoming a solid defender and comebacks which yell all the way around Oakland, if the A's don't make the playoffs then it will be because of bad luck along with an inconsistent offense which could be fixed with the addition of a veteran bat or a hot bat in the minors. Most people were saying the A's would finish last what happens it looks as if they will finsih 2nd with at least 80 wins, and don't forget while the Yankees,Angels, and Red Sox are fighting for a spot in the ALCS the A's are looking to win a couple division titles in the next 5 years.

You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club wont be worth a dime.-Babe Ruth

by doublehustle22 on Sep 5, 2005 3:29 PM PDT reply actions