God bless Billy--without him we are the Royals

   Billy Beane has done a tremendous job and he seems to enjoy trying to beat the big-budget teams at their own game. However, this is becoming more difficult every year because a fundamental quirk in the financial reality of baseball has been discovered by GM's around the league. I refer to the relative costs of hitting and pitching to a team's payroll.
   In past years, the truly huge contracts always went to hitters, so Oakland was always on the outside looking in when it came to acquiring proven power bats. We had home-grown power like Giambi and Tejada, who bolted for the big money as soon as they could. However, even though everyone knows that pitching IS baseball, the cost of a true impact pitcher was much less in recent years than the cost of a position player of equal impact. Thus, Billy was able to assemble a roster consisting of five solid starters (who gave us a chance to win every day), a ragtag bunch in the pen (hey, ya gotta scrimp somewhere), and a lineup full of guys hoping to see ball four before strike three. That mix was potent enough to keep our beloved A's in the playoffs several years running.
   

   Unfortunately, those days seem to be over. When Adam Eaton, Jason Marquis, Vicente Padilla, and other mediocre and marginal talents commmand contracts of $10m+/year, what are our chances of seeing a proven, dependable major-league starting pitcher in green and gold every night? The Sacto kids have tremendous promise for the future, but the future is not now for any of them. NONE OF THEM ARE READY NOW--AND WE NEED PITCHING NOW! In '07, with Harden and Loaiza no-shows, Gaudin really stepped it up during the first half, and Haren was close to unhittable before the break too. That allowed us to stay close, but it all unraveled in the summer, as it deteriorated into Joe Blanton and pray for 4 days of rain.
   Pitching IS baseball, and, sadly, MLB GM's have figured that out and priced us out of it. Don't be surprised to see Blanton in another uniform before opening day (a la Mulder/Hudson), because even the most optimistic A's fans know that he will walk after this year, just like Zito did. Can you blame them? If I had some idiot(like Sabean HA HA) willing to overpay me by $60 million, I would take it too! Billy will wisely try to trade him (Blanton)in his walk year, and you can fast-forward a few years to envision an identical scenario for Danny Haren. Oakland is the Little Engine That Could, but the mountain is getting steeper every year...
   We want to believe that when the new ballpark is completed, the new revenue streams will allow ownership to loosen the purse strings to give Billy more budget ammo to work with. While this may be true to a certain extent, our team operates in such a different financial stratosphere as the big-market clubs that the effect of this may not be as big as we would hope. Instead of being $200 million short of the amount needed to sign an A-Rod, we'll only be $100 million short. The bottom line in both cases is that we don't get him.
    As we show a willingness to spend a LITTLE bit more, the Yankees et. al. will show a willingness to spend A LOT more, thus keeping the current comparative reality intact, albeit with larger numbers which will only serve to increase ticket prices. During this offseason, a contract will be signed by ONE PLAYER representing DOUBLE the purchase price for our ENTIRE HALLOWED ORGANIZATION just a few years back. It's shocking and appalling, but it's true, and it is the world that Billy Beane operates in. He has mastered this reality, and we as lifelong disciples of the Green and Gold can be thankful for his leadership. Ask a Pirates fan how it feels to go into every year knowing his team will finish 28 games back in the weakest division in baseball. Without shrewd direction from Billy and his staff, we are the Pirates...
    My first game at the Coliseum was in '73, when my folks took me to see Catfish pitch. The money issue broke up that bunch too. Since then, we have had great teams and lousy teams, but they have all been my teams, and I always await spring training on pins and needles. Can our Oakland A's defeat the evil zombie hordes from all parts North, South, and East? I for one am curious to find out...

     GREEN AND GOLD FOREVER!!!!!!!!!