DLD 7/23/07: Sometimes, bad is bad
by oblique on Jul 23, 2007 5:15 AM PDT
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PrintWe all know what happened yesterday, and if you really want to wallow in it, you can click on all three. Or, you could just read what Billy has to say, which is a pretty good indicator of what changes we can expect in July (none):
General manager Billy Beane suggested any answers for his team's lack of production should be found within the current roster, rather than from bringing in new personnel."These guys are all capable of hitting better than they are," Beane said. "They know it. Hitting's contagious and sometimes when one struggles, they all struggle."
Translation: "I've got nothing anyone else wants."
It's even affecting other, completely unrelated teams that call themselves the A's, as I learned in this article that I initially thought was about our beloved green and gold.
Today's Master Of The Obvious award goes to The Sporting News, who in this masterpiece outline why it's not likely the A's will rebound. My favorite is this gem:
There'd be no shame here in waiving the white flag.
That's right. Our surrendering has been terrible for the last month -- DFA the white flag!
Ah...the white flag has been claimed off waivers by Lindsay Lohan, who apparently amused herself in rehab by walking around naked. Perhaps she should move to Tennessee and do yardwork, like these women in bikinis.
Of course, as we all hate to hear in times of sorrow, it could be worse. For example, a coach in Arkansas died after being hit in the head with a line drive. A very sad story. I can't help but think that "The Drillers" is not a good name for a baseball team. And hopefully it's not a bad omen that they were playing an Angels affiliate at the time.
Speaking of the Angels, the A's play the Angels tonight at 7:05. Let's hope they can muster even one non-bloop hit, or somehow not bore us to death.
If you do need to stave off boredom, I suggest this game (no, it's not Pinch Hitter 2) that tests whether you are quick enough to hit a major league fastball.
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translation to the quote above
- I have serious man love for the three stooges I'd rather lose with them then win without them
- I'm distracted by other things like soccer, women, etc and I don't care
- I'd dying to get rid of players but I gotta keep a clean mouth
- I have sucky contracts that's basically handcuffing me until I can get rid of them
When as a GM you basically have 8 regulars in the lineup performing below expectations, and your answer is "they're all underperforming" its time to pack the bags and go home
I think he's got a few things up his sleeve
I think it's #3, above
Beane's careful to never say anything offensive about guys in public. Not least because when guys are angry, hurt or resentful, they tend to play worse.
Of course, the A's offense couldn't really be any worse, so maybe it's time to throw a few guys under the bus here.
I think we're gonna need a bigger bus.
why, do you want to throw Cupcakes under there?
Well, that's just weird...
No...
Did she tell you I said hi?
Or was she too busy stabbing KenBro?
She did, actually...
The whole reason I was sitting there,
instead of in MY section, was because Jennifer told me to say hi to you... after stabbing the KuSu h8r.
Speaking of..
Don't know if it's been posted, but..
Taco Bell dog saves the day for baby
Please!
That baby's name is Booker West. He should be eating rattlesnakes for lunch.
He's no Briggs Ellis, that's for sure.
Former A's updates!
Jason Kendall got his first hit as a member of the Cubs! WOO! (When did that happen, again?)
Barry Zito falls to 7-10.
So, last night I can't sleep. I'm watching COPS on Court TV. It's a commercial, so I flip to the Food Network to see what's on. Boom! There's Tim Hudson in a commercial with Paula Deen. Dude. After a little googling, I find that Tim was recently on Paula's Party celebrating Atlanta. Tim's along... cooking for the very first time. I'm serious. What does he make? Coca-Cola glazed ham. I'm not shitting you.
I then continued to stalk Timmy. I also found out that Tim and Kim Hudson were on an episode of Get Married on the WE network. WEEE!
Kim purchased her dress in a store in Birmingham, Alabama, after just five minutes shopping. She paid $99 for the dress.
I'm out to stalk some other people now.
Looks like it needs a hem.
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Or perhaps she has avian bone syndrome.
"Ow. No hugging, please. You just cracked a rib."
That is a pretty funny show
I started watching it a little late
she's gotta be, what, all of 3' tall?
AAAA pitchers
Colby Lewis
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...
and Ruddy Lugo
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/m...
sure do define "AAAA pitcher". I don't want either of those guys anywhere near the A's staff, but they sure eat up AAA hitters.
Not sure they're quite in the same category
Lewis really is a AAAA pitcher; he's had his chances, and his talent is not great. Lugo's got the stuff to be a MLB reliever; something about him screams "head case" to me. I don't know whether that's good (because he might be cured and become useful) or bad (sign of bad psych. makeup).
I think Billy should look into
this kid Grant Berkovitz from Sheboygan.
Muncie!
Anyone catch
Swisher on Saturdays episode of This Week In Baseball?
by Amnesiac727 on Jul 23, 2007 8:17 AM PDT reply actions
I did and thought it was great. The guy just has
charisma and he represented the A's well. I didn't enjoy the Chavez quote about how "we're always a 2nd half team, etc."
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Diary idea
... I'm probably too lazy to do this justice, so someone else should track down all Beane's quotes, and correlate the degree of cliched-ness to the A's W/L record.
When Billy's team is winning, he sounds like an intelligent human being; when they're losing, he sounds like a tutored Nuke LaLoosh.
He is the Barry Zito of GM's.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions
i think it's all beane can do
not to spit in the reporter's eye and shout expletives as they run away.
And since mkt didn't link to it
Susan Slusser has the
shocking truth about which A's player got into a teammate's pants!
(in honor of the Weekly World News and its impending demise)
Damned kids!
They should have made Huston and Dallas (I bet Amarillo took their clothes) travel naked to teach them a lesson.
did their bus stop at tucomcari?
mad props to anyone who gets the reference.
I do get it and have drove through there before
Do you remember the crosses next to the highway representing all of the deaths along that dark stretch of highway?
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 8:44 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm "willin"
to guess.
by Steve in Napa on Jul 23, 2007 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Say, maybe this team needs more "whites?"
C'mon, guys, show me a sign. 
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions
SuSlu is even bored WRITING about the A's...
Many A's went with the "tip your cap to the opposing pitcher" routine...
<yawn>
I've got something to wake her up
tomorrrow morning. (and no, I don't mean that salaciously).
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jul 23, 2007 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions
good god, no, FSU
You're going to put the severed head of Randy Bell in her bed, aren't you?
there goes my retirement plan...
I had planned to move to FL after 65 and write for WWN. That was my plan...now what?
by giambizombie on Jul 23, 2007 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I have a brilliant plan for your future--
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
After looking that article over...
I'm pretty sure the "A's" they were referring to was our team. While our pitching is professional our offensive most assuredly is not, leaving us to be demoted to a "semi" pro team.
MLB trade rumors sez:
The Brewers, Phillies, and Dodgers are looking at Oakland lefty and impending free agent Joe Kennedy. Kennedy is only 28 and he has had National League success as a starter.
Joe Kennedy for Ryan Howard and that Utley kid,
Beane is a genius.
by theblackpearl on Jul 23, 2007 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
if we were closer in the race
putting together a trade for Rowand might have been a decent possibility, leading us to have a better chance of signing him if we got to the playoffs and he enjoyed Oakland. That advantage is long gone and I think too many teams will go after him via free agency for us to nab him.
The Brewers would have to be pretty desperate to part with any worthwhile prospects, as I don't see why we'd be interested in swapping relievers. Still, I really wonder what they'd be offering.
From the Dodgers, Betemit might be a nice idea. He'd free us to deal Scutaro to another NL club and present us with an alternative for Crosby.
Red Sox looking at red head?
The team has some interest in Oakland outfielder Bobby Kielty.
I'd be willing to try.
Klown Powah
I wonder if we are looking at Pineiro as a #5
for next year? Red Sox take on his salary, we'll pay the Klown and then we'll have him signed for next year.
I'll pass on that one but I'm thinking there is a 3-way getting ready to happen.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 9:35 AM PDT up reply actions
well
apparently the wsox are interested in pena. any way we could swing a three way deal?
hmm.
I doubt we could get a haul like Sweeney, but, with the Wsox planning on Rowand, we might be able to pick up Anderson. But maybe we've had our fill of light hitting, injury prone outfielders.
If we could sweeten the deal enough to land Sweeney, I'd be all for it. Buck/Sweeney/Swisher makes a very nice young outfield, with a solid #4 in Denorfia.
Obviously it would take a lot more than Kielty, or Kielty plus a scrub. What would it take?
Papi Pineiro, Manny Pineiro
... just not Red Light/Bloody Sock Pineiro.
Well... I am not the GM here but I won't be
surprised if BB thinks he can fix him. I was kind of hoping Seattle would grab him back so we could still beat them once in a while.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Anyone else get hit by a car this weekend while
riding a bike through Beverly Hills?
you counted it twice?
Was Toonces driving?
[LAXile rethinks strategy to get sympathy...]
I'm sorry. Are you okay?
Are you in traction, and dictating your comments to a typist? ;)
Rotator cuff contusion
(=shoulder sprain). I'm taking a break from Percocets to teach. I fear what I might say under the influence of that lovely pill. You know it's bad when even the bloggers are getting injured.
Want me to track down the driver
and run him off the road for you?
What did I ever do to you?
You tried to get me arrested for stabbing.
Please.
The bitch totally deserved it.
And I meant radio.
I figured... ;)
Yikes!
Hope you're doing OK. I've recently cut way back on my bike riding out of fear of reckless drivers. Sadly, where I used to look forward to summer's longer days and nicer weather to facillitate my bike commute, I now fear summer's itinerant youth crazy car antics on the streets I pedal in West Oakland.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jul 23, 2007 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions
lots of ghost riding?
I actually had a car door opened on me while I
was whistling past. This happened 10 years ago in Berkeley (upper Solano, just around the corner from Peets), and the lady was very nice and worried and gave me her insurance info, etc. This time, in Beverly F. Hills, the lady leaves me screaming in the middle of the street and calls her lawyer. I kid you not.
That's messed up!
Rich people suck. Like its your fault. The nerve of some people.
by mlleaimee on Jul 23, 2007 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions
doored once, hooded once
Both times about 10 years ago, when I was bike-commuting regularly in SF. I got doored once going down the steep northbound side of Dolores (minor scratches after doing a successful endo); then about a week later, when I was hurtling down the southbound slope of Gough, some %^$# passed me on the left -- and then veered in front of me making a right-hand turn. Bike hit the right fender and, uh, stopped; I went across the hood of the car. Again, lucky to escape with minor scratches. Guy was uninsured, and handed me $500 cash on the spot.
oh: uninsured *and* unlicensed
That was probably $500 well spent on his part.
SF is scary. Reminds me of my younger days
Are you day-to-day?
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Sorry to hear it.
That's way more fun than a speedy recovery.
I'm sorry
I was playing off the Toonces reference. It wasn't until digging around on Monster and Carrerbuilder and then coming back to the DLD that I realized you were serious. Hope the sprain gets better soon. And don't worry- I'm not searching for a get well lolcat.
wrong venue
1 out of 3 posters want Rich Harden to "grow a pair" and get back on the mound, so you may not be on the right blog for sympathy!
I hope you feel better soon! Milk it for all it's worth in the meantime...
Whoa, are you saying...
a testosterone-addled Rich Harden, in a fit of misplaced aggression after growing several extra pairs, ran over LAXile?
I'm stealing that.
I'll send you an invoice.
No, but I almost got hit head-on...
If I had a rocket launcher...
That sucks. I had a bus turn left in front of me
when I was 10 feet away from the intersection on Friday night. I slammed on the "chattering" anti-lock brakes and turned sharply left away from him. Luckily there wasn't another car in the lane next to the bus or I would have been "Harden-ed" or "Munson-ed!"
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Completely OT ----
In othernews, prisons in the Philipines have come up with a unique way to rehabilitate the inmates....
I don't know why,
but I saw this the other day and it's been bothering me ever since. I mean, who comes up with the idea, and then how does the warden greenlight it?
This type of random stuff starts going through my head when baseball takes a turn like this season has. :(
How'd they get a girl?
Ah!
http://athleticsnation.com/comments/...
I'm glad no one posted the cast party.
I imagine the "girl" had her choice of dates.
those guys are easily
about 10 times more talented than the "Dannys" and "Sandys" they had last fall on "Grease! You're the one that I want!"
I couldn't see the game yesterday,
because I went with my mom for car-shopping (a car for HER, not me). So I recorded the game. When we got home, Mom asked me if I was going to find out the outcome of the game (win or loss) before deciding whether or not I wanted to watch it. "Oh, no," I said. "I don't want to be deterred from watching if I find out ahead of time that we lost. Even if we lost, there might still be something worth watching."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
You missed Travis Buck
frolicking around the OF with a bunch of cute little kids!
Aw!
That would have gone right along with my motto, you know: As long as the A's frolic cutely, preferably with children and dogs, they can suck at playing baseball. I have a tattoo that says that. At least, I think that's what it says... it's in Swedish, so I don't know.
Did you just say....
Travis Buck sucks?
Does it say...
Okay, I'll start: 0.18 seconds -- HR!
Thanks, Peet's -- Not bad for an archaic quadruped.
oh, i stopped at 0.19
and to think i was so close to a home run...
Try the french roast.
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions
pfff
I get .18 (home run) - .22 (base hit) consistently with no caffeine at all... :P
yeah, but you're married
Poppy? There's a Mr. Beane on line 2...
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions
Poppy -- pick up, please. He says it's urgent!
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions
Tell him to take a cold shower. I'm busy.
YOU tell him.
May be NSFW.
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
0.17 here.
And I have the screenshot in case anyone tries to ZOMG me.
I got 0.07, but I might have guessed
most are in the .16-.2 range
0.02, but I definitely anticipated
my goal: negative values
Well.
I'm starting to feeling totally inferior.
Show up to a game in an Oakland shirt
.09!
I had to put down the cheeseburger to get that one.
Did you has cheezburger?
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Cheer up guys!
The season may be quickly disappearing into the tanks, but we play the hated Halos tonight. We could be on pace on to lose 120 games, but a few wins against the Angels sure would get me in a cheery mood!
The coach killed by a liner
A 1B coach stands 90 feet or so away from the hitter, off to the side. Given that a pitcher stands less than 60 feet away after he throws the ball, off-balance, how is it that a player has never been killed by a liner? Not to be too morbid, but it seems almost miraculous to me that there haven't been more crippling pitcher injuries or deaths from such events.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jul 23, 2007 10:03 AM PDT reply actions
Italiano got hit by a liner in Single A this year
fractured skull.
Last year, near the ned of the season, Rafael Soriano got hit by a Vlad line drive, and got a fracture and a concussion.
And with all those planes zipping about...
..how come none of them have crashed?
Answer from the Seinfeld deleted scenes: They all fly Qantas.
Dunno whether this fits here or under Cheer Up,
guys, but We're all gonna die!
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
You were thinking "Sancho Panzer?"
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions
I used to watch
his brother play college ball at Texas. Feels a bit bizarro.
One time at a minor league game I saw a foul ball put a dent on a pole. Those things are frickin' dangerous
by closetasfan on Jul 23, 2007 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions
There has been an MLB player
killed by a pitched baseball. The name is escaping me, and it's driving me nuts.
BAM!
.14 HR! I was getting .22-.25 consistintly and thought I couldn't do better. I saw someone had .18 so I tried again and on the first pitch i hit a homer. sweet, maybe I should join the team?
Not so fast.
It measures whether you have the reaction time to hit it, not whether you have the skill.
Bobby Crosby has the reaction time, he just uses it to swing at dogshit.
Beane quoted
In BP's TWIQ
I've also never feared short-term pain when there's long-term gain in there.
Short-term?
short-term pain = long-term extreme suckage
It's a lose-lose situation.
Maybe I need to take a break from the game for a bit.
What game?
THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH!
I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!
Too much?
play the best song in the world?
said the shiny demon
sitting
in the middle of the road
by popcornjames on Jul 23, 2007 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
We're all going to die
but some of us will do so sooner and more stupidly than others.
But I do think "jumping the shaft" needs to be added to the lexicon, and so I ask you all:
When did the 2007 A's jump the shaft ?
by green star oakland on Jul 23, 2007 11:54 AM PDT reply actions
sounds like he was playing Pennsylvania Jones
Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip.
Ah, the lesser-known 4th Molina brother, Alfred.
Who knew there was a tourist niche for ...
... folks who like mines flooded with water that have a lot of arsenic and lead, which "makes it hard to breathe down there."
And who knows if we might interest Bobby in such a place?
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions
how on earth
did he get a Pepsi can stuck on his foot?
Is that a gold glove?
He had his big-boy pants on Saturday, and we won.
Coincidence? I think not.
by The Dogfather on Jul 23, 2007 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes. Coincidence.
The team's crappy, spiritless, losing play has nothing to do with Milton's DFA, it's because MaEl stopped showing us his socks. Bring back the socks!
Kids don't like peeing on themselves
Chicago students denied bathroom break
"We all had to go. I wasn't going to sit there and urinate on myself," Seneca Ammons said. "Kids are cruel. They will call you a lot of names if you urinate on yourself, so I just stood up for what was right."
Hmmm...
Christ, what a hole.
player appearances!
On Wednesday, August 1, after the A's host the Detroit Tigers at 12:35pm, A's fans can meet A's pitcher Dan Haren at The Stadium Pub in Walnut Creek. Dan will sign autographs one hour following the game at The Stadium Pub, located at 1420 Lincoln Avenue in Walnut Creek. Don't miss this exciting opportunity with the A's!
Come meet 1989 World Series MVP A's pitcher Dave Stewart during lunch hour on Thursday, August 2 at City Center Plaza in downtown Oakland. Dave will sign autographs and meet with A's fans courtesy of City Center Dental Spa, the Official Dentist of the Oakland A's.
Attention ohtobe21likehuston:
Pine tar shirts only come in sizes XL and M. What size for your mother?
Let's give here some street-cred and make it XL
Is that tomorrow or tonight?
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Tomorrow.
Gates open @ 5:30, so I'll have to haul ass to make it. But I should be fine. My car, Agent Orange, is up for the challenge.
Thank you for not saying M, btw. I'd have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get it and I wasn't really prepared to. :)
Do they allow you to give them 3 tix at once?
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes.
I found that out the hard way. I went and got my Lil Splitty, then came out to get one for McFood. The guy told me next time to just show all of my tickets at once.
But if that doesn't work, I'll just going in and out three times. No big deal.
Thanks again. I'm so glad this blog exists or I
wouldn't be getting one at all.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I just hope I'm able to get them for you.
are you saying you're not prepared ...
... to have your ass jump through hoops?
LinLo
by mlleaimee on Jul 23, 2007 2:35 PM PDT reply actions
What?
What did I miss? Did Huston die? What's going on? AHHHHHHHH!
Drrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
He'll finally get his "first" kiss...
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 23, 2007 3:19 PM PDT up reply actions
When did Toronto get new home caps?
no chavez AGAIN today because of his bad back
and maybe not for the entire series vs. the Angels.
and ronnie mac is not upset with the DFA situation:
The outfielder thought the A's might option him out, and because of his service time, he would have been presented with a difficult decision: agree to a minor-league assignment and get paid his entire major-league salary, or decline and leave as a free agent - and with no salary.
Instead, he's guaranteed his remaining $880,000, and the A's will either trade him - probably to a contender looking for right-handed hitting for the bench (Boston remains a possibility) - or they'll release him and let him sign elsewhere.
"This is way better,'' Kielty said of being designated. "I'm kind of excited.''
Awesome.
Amazing how we have such great pitching, and you could still assemble an All-Star staff of relatively recent ex-Athletics. A testament to the great job the A's have done with pitching over the years.
Yeah, and in general we oughtn't have regrets.
It takes talent to get talent. Beane trades from depth and for need, which makes some deals look good and others look bad.
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