Happy 2007 everybody!  Haven't seen you guys in awhile.  It's me secret asian man, remember me?  I'm sorry for not being around.  Starting a new job, going on an extended business trip to Minnesota (I bought game 5 ALDS tickets, but never used them) and performing in a few shows back to back kinda ruins your life.  Even my offline friends have trouble remembering I exist.  Trust me, it's not just the job, it's everything.  When I'm rehearsing for a show I can pull 18+ hour days.  Online pursuits or even offline social pursuits seen to fall by the wayside when you wake up at 6 to go to work, work a full day, then go to the City and rehearse or perform until you get home at around midnight.

You can thank Ray Ratto for bringing me back to AN.  As previously stated in another diary, Ratto speculates that Joe Blanton may be sent to the Mets for Lastings Milledge.

Although I no longer have any great animosity against Ratto, sometimes this guy is so off the mark:

The A's also need a first baseman, either Nick Swisher or some sign of a rejuvenated Dan Johnson. They need an outfielder to replace Payton, they need two new starters to replace Zito and (we presume) Blanton, and when we say replace, we mean the 32 wins they will take with them, they need Rich Harden to turn up some time, they need a power-hitting designated hitter, and they need Bobby Crosby to make physical peace with the medical department.
(emphasis mine, of course)

I just hate it when people just bring in the "wins-loss" stat line.  W-L is probably the most overrated stat in baseball.  OK let's look at Cupcake's 2006 numbers:

GS: 31
W-L: 16-12
ERA: 4.82
ER: 104
HR: 17
BB: 58
K: 107

Ratto seems to have conveniently forgot, for the sake of fanning the flames of discontent, that Joe Blanton is a 4.82 ERA pitcher and his wins come from great run support which is an oddity for an Oakland pitcher.  If anybody else on the 2006 staff had Blanton's run support they might have had a shot at 20 wins (Zito and Haren would have).  Joe Blanton was one of the League's best pitchers in the second half of 2005, but before that half and since that half he has been a very mediocre pitcher.

Cupcakes for Lastings?  Pull the trigger, Billy.