Greetings fellow A's sufferers, uh, fans:

 Just wanted to let you know you now you can ask questions to Chronicle A's beat writer Susan Slusser. It's a new feature we'll have in The Drumbeat, probably weekly (I probably shouldn't be promoting our blog here, but it does seem like AN members would want to ask Susan questions and hopefully Blez, Nico and Baseball Girl won't mind).

 The first installment, just posted, features Susan answering questions about the third deck closure, Barry Zito's zaniness and the slow start.

 Because Susan's time is tight (especially on the road where the e-mail connections aren't always very good), we ask that questions go through SFGate sports editor Steve Tady at stady@sfgate.com. Or if you can't remember that, just use the e-mail address listed on the blog, which is thedrumbeat@sfgate.com.