2008 A New Hope

by oaklandfan40 on Jul 23, 2007 5:09 PM PDT Comment 6 comments

Before I start, I just wanted to mention that a little 20-game win streak would put us 14 games over five hundred and 11 of those 20 games would be against the Angels and Mariners. I’m just, you know, smoking something!

Anyways, since none of the players I want to trade for or buy are ever going to come to the A’s (though I do see the Fremont A’s signing a 42 years Albert Pujols in the very distant future), I was thinking about the current team we have and how they could make it work next season with a little old thing we call...hope.

So here’s my Top Ten Hopes for 2008:

Bobby Crosby has an Eric Byrnes/Carlos Pena type year for US next season. You know what I mean, guys that weren’t that great with us, but then got traded and went on to have one or two seasons we could only wish they’d had in the green and gold.

Larry Davis is shown the door. This would have been my number one hope, but the A’s offense is so bad, I’d rather take another year of 100 injuries in exchange for a career year from any of our could-should-would have been offensive stars.

Eric Chavez, just a couple of years late, finally fills the Tejada shadow. Sure, Miggy did it right after Balco, er, Jason left, but Eric’s younger so it took him a few more seasons.

Travis Buck has a 2006 Nick Swisher season, not a 2007 Nick Swisher season. So much for my rather strong pre-season belief Nick’s third year was going to be like Canseco’s MVP third year!

Nick Swisher has an MVP type season and not a whatever the hell you call this season. Oh, and Nick, stop making friends with good hitters on the team...everytime you do they leave/get traded! Make Kotsay or Kennedy you’re new homerun buddy.

Jack Cust does what he’s done this season over the course of all of next season. You know, walk, strike out, hit a bomb, and then strike out looking. And still be considered the biggest offensive threat on our team.

When any athletic leads off an inning with a double, the next guy automatically bunts him over. Not that we lead off with a lot of doubles or do so well with RISP, but this isn’t a line up that puts up crooked numbers so let’s just take what we can get and leave it up to the pitching.

Barton has a McGwire/Canseco type ROY season and not a Walt Weiss type.

Rich Harden pitches like everyone thinks he can for a whole season. Perhaps this was covered under hope number 2, but it’s important enough to be mentioned twice. Would have been mentioned sooner had the offense not needed all my hopes and, kick me for saying this, how many times can one guy possibly get hurt?

The last one I save for me, an A’s fan. May I get to watch this team win it all in Oakland, where I can still afford the price of admission and where I’m not surrounded by groups of business men talking business instead of baseball like the Barriods across the bay. Beautiful park and ugly ball players.

So AN, what’s you’re hopes for 2008?

FYI: Two of my Hopes for 2007 have now been met with our new Jasonless/Kieltyless A's team

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first

Jason Kendall gets the gas face.

by mlleaimee on Jul 23, 2007 5:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And by the way

Great post. My hope is that Suzuki has a golden glove year and hits over 20 home runs. I also want to see Swisher have a great year. He's the only fun guy left.

Jason Kendall gets the gas face.

by mlleaimee on Jul 23, 2007 5:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Please tell me this is a joke

"When any athletic leads off an inning with a double, the next guy automatically bunts him over. Not that we lead off with a lot of doubles or do so well with RISP, but this isn't a line up that puts up crooked numbers so let's just take what we can get and leave it up to the pitching."

Is this sarcastic? Tongue-in-cheek?

by PaulThomas on Jul 23, 2007 5:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Me Thinks

he's serious, but he is admittingly smoking smoking something. Anyways, last time I checked a double means someone is standing on second base, now I might be wrong, but if someone is at second isn't that already scoring position?

by methodrampage on Jul 24, 2007 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not just that

For starters, this would imply that after a Travis Buck double, Nick Swisher should bunt him over.

Even more to the point, what makes one think that the A's will score a runner from third with one out? They're the best in the league at NOT doing this.

With this offense, while I wouldn't mind giving up an out to SCORE a run (squeeze, eg), I hate the thought of giving up an out for merely the CHANCE of a run.

by PaulThomas on Jul 24, 2007 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was serious

I love AN. You write a long ass diary and all people reply to is one questionable comment...

This A's team lacks a true 3-4-5 hitter and thus everyone (Swisher, Cust, ANYONE) should know how and be willing to bunt.

We've got a lot of guys with very little pop and low batting averages. It's time to get creative, even if that means having the guy batting in your 3 hole drop one down for you 4 hitter to sac fly him in.

I don't know how many games you've seen or go to, but if I had a nickel for every time we had a runner at second and couldn't even get him to 3rd with three outs....

And no, a runner is only in scoring position at second base with a hit. Ususally a ground ball or fly ball will score a runner from third (thought a lot of times neither even advances a runner to 3rd from 2nd)

Look at our team ERA this year WITHOUT Harden, Street, Duke, et al and tell me this team wouldn't be in first if we could just score an extra run or two a game.

"Baseball is like a church. Many attend, but few understand." - Wes Westrum

by oaklandfan40 on Jul 24, 2007 2:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs