Comerica Park

I have gone to the last two games against Detroit at Comerica, and I'm going to the next two as well ...

Thoughts:

1. This is the best park in the majors that I have been to. It's beautiful, spacious and clean. The nighttime skyline of downtown Detroit is beautiful, second only to the view of the Rocky Mountains at Coors Field. Parking right across the street from the stadium? $10. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that sign. Capacity is about 40k, and while the fans are sort of lame in the sense you can tell most of them haven't followed baseball in 20 years (until last year, at least), they're easy-going and fun to interact with.

2. Mark Kotsay is a waste of space in this line-up. Whatever bonus his arm in centerfield provides, it's the only positive thing about his game. He costs too much, he's overmatched at the plater in almost every AB, he's the slowest CF baserunner I think I have ever seen (he got caught in a run down Friday night, but escaped only because the Tiger pitcher -- a rookie -- didn't cover third base in the rundown wheel), and there are better options sitting on the bench. I would much rather see Swisher in CF and DJ at first base, for example. Kotsay's .599 OPS in more than 200 plate appearances is just not acceptable, no matter how someone thinks his defense helps. He really needs to be traded (yeah, right) or waived. He is worthless.

3. Swisher really misses Thomas (or something from last year). After hitting 35 HRs last year, he's got 14 in mid-August? Maybe it was his hair. But the point is (again), there is just no one in this line-up to fear, so why pitch to Swisher if you don't have to? The A's need a serious thumper in this line-up, and without one, there will be no playoffs any time soon. It's a Punch-and-Judy line-up, for the most part, even if they did score 16 runs Friday night. That's an anomaly, until it happens regularly and becomes a pattern.

4. I like what little I have seen of Donnie Murphy. His arm looks strong, his bat looks good enough for now, and he's not Bobby Crosby. He's only 24, and in 60 ABs this year, he's put up an .818 OPS. Yes, these numbers are way above his career stats so far, but he only had 91 ABs in KC prior to this. Give him a shot at the shortstop position.

5. I am still not sure what to make of Jack Cust. At best, he's a poor man's Adam Dunn, but I don't even think he's that good. I think there's a reason he's 28 and playing for his fifth different team in the majors already. Either way, since he's strictly a DH, I don't think you can "plan" around him for the future, but he's probably useful enough to keep on the roster. Depending on how Barton does in the near future, Cust will probably stick ... but I am not sold on him yet. The seven RBI on Friday night were nice, especially after Blanton blew the lead so easily (weak mental effort, Joe, even if it was hot and humid -- you are from the South!).

6. Blanton and Haren both seemed to suffer from the manager's decisions not to lift them at opportune times. I understood Geren's decisions, but considering it's August, you have to be in better command of your team at this point. I know the playoffs are out of reach, but you can still play for .500 -- then again, with the A's bullpen, maybe it's better to leave the starters in too long. This is a hard team to manage right now, and I personally don't have any gripes with Geren this season. Sure, he's another Howe/Macha-type Beane seems to favor (I have no idea why, especially when you see Jim Leyland on the other side -- why don't the A's ever hire a good manager?); eventually, that will be his undoing here in Oakland. Beane might need to check his ego and either manage the team himself or hire a real manager to get this team to the World Series.

7. Between Bowen and Suzuki, the catching spot seems to be fine. You don't expect much from rookie catchers, so I don't mind them playing the next seven weeks and showing what they have (or don't have).

8. Obviously, Chavez isn't playing right now, but the A's might seriously try to trade him in the off-season. New York will be looking for a third baseman, perhaps, and the last time the A's sent them one (Brosius), it worked out well for them. Maybe we can get them to take Loaiza and Kotsay, too. Chavez just isn't worth his salary, even as a defensive wizard (I will say it right now: there will be no Gold Glove for Chavez this year. Mike Lowell will be winning it). It's well-past time to admit the A's kept the wrong player when they decided to let Tejada walk.

9. I was impressed with the team's effort Friday night; after Blanton coughed up a SEVEN-RUN lead, I thought they were done. Saturday night was a different story. When they had the first two guys on and no outs in the 7th inning, down by a run -- that's a situation where you must score a run to tie the game. But instead of moving the runners over, Cust struck out. Ellis then flied out, and Scutaro struck out. In this situation, you must score. The A's didn't, and that's why they're five games under .500 with one of the most anemic offenses in the majors. The Tigers are reeling right now, and the A's let (another) game slip away. You guys know I harp on these little things, but these lost opportunities add up over the course of the season, and here and there you can get away with it. But not when it's a regular pattern. This organization has to start stressing fundamentals and run manufacturing more thoroughly from top to bottom. If they are going to insist on a shoestring budget (more on that later), you have to stress the little things. Teachers cost less than players: hire some good teachers for once, Billy!

10. I like Travis Buck a lot. I think he needs to stick. Stewart is fine for the most part; Swisher in CF makes the most sense right now, and you have a decent OF. Not great, but passable. Infield? The A's need a new 3B, but with Murphy at SS, Ellis at 2B and Johnson at 1B, you're doing another passable job. Only time will tell if you need a new catcher for 2008. But again, passable isn't going to cut it when you only have 40% of a rotation (if that) and decimated bullpen. The A's need more than they have in the organization right now. I am sick of the A's low-payroll mantra. It's lame, and it hasn't won a World Series. The organization has owners with deep pockets, and there's just no more room for this "wear our poverty like a badge of honor" crap. I hate to say it again, but the A's had home field advantage in the ALCS last year and have gone in full reverse since. Losing Zito was no big deal; he wasn't going to help this team any more than Joe Kennedy. His effort with the Giants proves that. Losing Thomas was a big deal; relying on the laughable Kendall/Kotsay/Crosby trio was a mistake; signing Piazza didn't work out so well. Injuries have taken their toll, for sure, but this team is going backwards. The owners have to start spending money; no, money doesn't guarantee anything, but smart spending can help the A's. No spending at all isn't going to help them. The A's don't need to become the Yankees or the Angels, but they can step up a bracket in the salary tiers and re-build this team for 2008. Sign a stud hitter; sign a stud pitcher. Then fill in the gaps with the usual conservative small-spending options. But this is no way to keep/build a fan base for a move into a new stadium. Losing doesn't fill seats in a new stadium. Ask the Tigers; it took them six seasons to figure that one out.