Some Questions for the board.

FIRST!

1. Crosby – No. Ellis – maybe a bit, but not much. Street – yeah, he’s appeared to get his velocity back.
2. Probably, as soon as he’s “healthy” I think he’ll be back. Rather have him than Hannahan at first.
3. Hopefully not long.
4. I kinda doubt it, now that it’s this far into the season and he’s still not really doing much in Sac.
5. Not unless Thomas is willing to take a HUGE decrease in salary. Sweeney, probably not, but I’d give him a coaching job ASAP.

by mikev on Jul 29, 2008 9:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Aren't A's fans supposed to be above

using 10 ABs to give up on a player? Cah’mahn.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 29, 2008 9:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I was starting to get the same feeling

I mean, game to game, within game, I complain like all fans. Nonetheless, I don’t expect these newly-minted ML players to hit like Tony Gwynn.

They’re going to look bad, as is usually the case with first-time Big Leaguers, getting comfortable in “The Show.”

Side note about Tony Gwynn: In a twenty-year MLB career, with over 3100 base hits, the number of games where Tony Gwynn struck out three times during a game….

One

"I never predict anything, and I never will." Paul Gascoigne, English footballer

by One won lost won on Jul 29, 2008 9:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Patterson, yeah sure

But Conrad…. Cah’mahn. Dude is completely overmatched.

by Colorado Fan on Jul 29, 2008 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No argument there

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 29, 2008 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm not so sure about that

trying to do too much? yes.

overmatched? he’s swinging at everything. hard to say.

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jul 29, 2008 11:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What happened....

to the hitting coach? With so many rooks on the roster, should’nt more time be spent coaching them, whether it is in the vidoeo room, batting cage or during games? I would not mind seeing Sweeney taking that role. He has a great .BA throughout is career and from what I read he is willing to teach the younger guys. Thoughts?

by OakFaninFL on Jul 30, 2008 7:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They should offer Sweeney the Hitting Coach job effective immediately.

by mikev on Jul 30, 2008 7:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am not giving up on anyone

I only asked the question how much longer will they give them a shot. What do you think? 2-3 more games or weeks or what?

Its hard to argue that the two weren’t a great hinderance to the offense in the 1st 2 games though.

I would be willing to start one guy who was just coming up a game. 2 puts way too much pressure on the starter and other guys in the line-up.

by Yellowhorse on Jul 29, 2008 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

um

i doubt the starter is thinking “eric patterson and brooks conrad are in the lineup, i need to throw 8 innings”. especially when they’ve had crosby, hannahan, barton and ellis in the lineup for almost all the season. what’s the difference?

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jul 29, 2008 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

True, but it doesn't lessen the pressure with 2 guys who are overmatched.

I would think that the starters have been feeling the pressure of a punchless line-up all season, Its probably not much worse when guys like Davis and Murphy were in the line-up. That being said the team needs to balance the needs of the entire team with the benefits of giving some guys a chance. This is why I asked the question- How long do you think they will let them play if they continue to struggle? The impact on the other players was mentioned as a variable that may impact the decision on giving the two more chances to play.

As to the question of I do think the starting pitchers care/worry about the offense and their production= there is no doubt in my mind. Fairly or not teams will judge pitchers by their won/ loss record, so getting crap run support can’t feel all that great.

I am a coach and I often hear guys complain/ worry about other guys in the line-up who aren’t pulling their weight. Competitive athletes want to win. I have found that a couple of weak links in a line-up can make the other guys press too much and their game is impacted negatively.

That being said, I do find it odd that you ignored 6 or so topic questions and focus in on a rather small point.

by Yellowhorse on Jul 30, 2008 12:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i ignored those other parts

because i didn’t feel compelled to talk about them.

and i know how you feel in a sense, i am a coach as well, but the players i coach are 11 years old. it’s “acceptable” (well, i don’t think so, but generally yes) for them maybe to think this way about their teammates, but at the major league level (and even high school, junior college, college, etc.), you gotta worry about what YOU can do for the team…not what the rest of the team can or can’t do. worrying about other people’s jobs is just a waste of your time that could be better spent focusing on how you need to get ready and do your own job.

good topics though, nice post.

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jul 30, 2008 12:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Answers

1. I think the only one who’ll go back to “normal” is Street. I feel like he’s been a little unlucky this year, as he’s coughed up more homers than usual so his ERA has suffered. Crosby is what he is, and Ellis for some reason is just awful this year.
2. He’ll be back up for sure, he should be back ASAP. There’s absolutely NO REASON Conrad should be on a Major League roster, even if it is the A’s. Hannahan should go to 3rd where he’s a good defender and Barton should get first back. End of story.
3. Conrad is utter crap. The closest he should ever be to Oakland is Sacramento. Patterson needs a larger sample size to be judged. He’s probably the second best piece we got in the Harden trade, so he deserves to be looked at. I cant see him becoming a regular with us, but he should settle into a good utility guy.
4. He should be. He’s probably the future in LF. The guy oozes hitting talent. No reason to waste AB’s on Emil Brown when it’s clear we’re not going anywhere. If Buck’s a major league hitter, he should work out his problems up in Oakland where there’s no pressure anymore. Back when he was up last, the A’s were still a good contending team, so he was probably trying too hard. Now that we’re toast, no reason for him not to be back up. He’ll def. be back by at least September.
5. Doubt it, I agree with the points made by the first guy who posted.
6. 50/50. It hinges on Braden. Everyone else is safe, but if Braden gets killed and Gio picks it up in Sac, I can see him getting some late season starts. It’ll stay the same for at least the next month.

by hibachi7_7_7 on Jul 29, 2008 10:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

conrad has played like four major league games

it’s pretty safe to say he wasn’t gonna set the world on fire. what does it matter if he is struggling right now, give him some more ab’s. if nothing changes, no love lost.

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jul 30, 2008 12:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Patterson will be our 2B next year.

I’ll miss Ellis. If Chavez is healthy next year…he is our DH until his contract ends. 3B is history for him. Sad because I wanted to see how many Gold Gloves he can win before his career ends. I think Street will end up somewhere by Friday. LaRoche could be coming this way. Or a three way with Pittsburg sending prospects to PIT and Bay to LAD for Kemp plus prospects.

"Hey dad my Jack Cust Bobblehead is batting right handed"....."He's not batting right handed he's striking out swinging."

by What Would Rickey Do on Jul 29, 2008 10:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am not so sure that Ellis will be gone

He probably won’t get the big money by going elsewhere. I could see Patterson making the squad as a utility man getting some starts in the OF and as a back-up to Ellis.

I would be really surprised if the team plans on using him as the starting 2B next year.

by Yellowhorse on Jul 29, 2008 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i could see it either way to be honest

i feel like patterson will definitely be on the squad in some capacity. whether ellis is here or not is the question.

is ellis seriously hitting .230? geez.

"If you hit .440 with 20 bombs, you don't have to do s---. You don't have to bring a glove to practice, just hit and leave whenever you want. You can bring a 40 and smoke a cigarette and call me from the parking lot asking me what time the game is, and I'll tell you. You can even say 'F--- you, Steve!' Actually, don't say that, that wouldn't be very nice." -Steve Friend, Head Coach, Chabot College Gladiators Baseball

by flipgatey3 on Jul 30, 2008 12:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My opinions ...

1. Once they know their status? No. But Ellis has definitely been unlucky with his BABIP and Street has probably gotten a little unlucky with HRs allowed … so they might just improve, regardless.

2. Probably. He apparently had a little bit of a setback but I’d expect he’ll still make it back before then.

3. Conrad will likely go down when Frank Thomas comes back, with Patterson playing super utility … he needs more than two weeks of experience before they send him back.

4. After the AAA postseason, he’ll likely get a reminder of what he has been missing.you think the team will bring back Thomas or Mike Sweeney next season?

5. Thomas, maybe, Sweeney, no.

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Jul 30, 2008 1:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't understand why Buck

is back yet! Does that mean they saw serious problems with his hitting approach?????

Beating LAA or wherever the fu*k they are, Priceless!

by MMunoz33 on Jul 30, 2008 8:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If I saw serious problems with his hitting approach (and I did),

you can bet the team did…

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 30, 2008 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He hasn't been playing much at AAA either,

following a concussion.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 30, 2008 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why is he playing at all following a concussion?

Baseball, like football, needs concussion rules. You get one, you sit for 3 weeks. Period. No exceptions. “Mild” or otherwise.

The behavior of teams, and I don’t just mean the A’s, toward concussions is both breathtakingly stupid and potentially very harmful.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 30, 2008 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven't seen his name in the box score for several days so

I’m not sure if he’s played at all since the concussion but I think he did.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 30, 2008 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He definitely did

Knowing what the A’s medical staff is like, they probably told him to rub some dirt on it and get back out there.

And now he’s in a coma or something. Seriously, Billy—what you did last year? It didn’t work. At all. Fire everybody who is connected with player health in the organization and start again from the ground up. Please. This is &^ing killing me.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 30, 2008 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

what I don't understand about the whole thing ...

... is that it would be remarkably cheap and cost-efficient to institute a top-down commitment to cutting-edge (pun intended) preventive medicine/training, and if there’s one franchise/farm system in the majors where the GM has the unfettered authority and the disdain for convention/conventional wisdom to implement such a change, it’s the A’s.

And not only would such a program benefit the A’s pay:performance ratio, it would positively impact the value of their prospects as trading chips.

I find the team’s laissez-faire attitude toward player health as baffling as you do.

Worse than being dead is being hot. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 30, 2008 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look at one of the most pleasant surprises, health-wise,

in Street’s recovery. A very unconventional, non-mainstream approach. I’ve wondered why Chavez doesn’t visit Mr. Canadian-guru.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 30, 2008 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

and yet Street's still struggling with something or other

Worse than being dead is being hot. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 30, 2008 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, it's but more than three weeks, hasn't it?

I thought the concussion was in June, and he just came off the DL about a week ago.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jul 30, 2008 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There's also the whole, he isn't hitting in AAA thing ...

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Jul 30, 2008 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My answers

not a whole lot different from others’

1. Any or all of them might play better in the rest of the year, but not because of knowing their status. If one does, it’ll basically be a random fluctuation. None of them is playing noticeably above their talent level, so a good streak is possible.

2. I think he might not. The decision will be made based on what they feel Barton needs, not what the team needs. My sense is that the A’s want him in Sacramento for now.

3. I think Patterson will stay for a while. Conrad is roster filler. He’ll be back down next time we need a roster spot.

4. I think probably not. Same idea as #2.

5. Small chance for Thomas. No chance for Sweeney.

6. No.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jul 30, 2008 10:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Whoops!

I’m already wrong about #3. Looks like maybe #2 soon, too.

"Dispatch knuckleheadedness with Bond-like aplomb." –74mk

by iglew on Jul 30, 2008 7:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

After last night, Barton is now

5/24 (.208) for the Rivercats. Once again, Buck did not play.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 30, 2008 11:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I wonder with Barton struggling and another set-back for Mike S.

if they will give Chavez a couple of weeks at 1B. Once the AAA season is over (sadly we will be way out of contention then) they could bring back Barton or another minor leaguer and have Chavez rotate.

I think that they are obliged to play him if he is healthy (he makes more than the starting pitching combined I think). His shoulder injury prevents him from making throws from 3B. Frank Thomas is the DH and might be DH next year as well. He might do a decent job at 1B for the remainder of his contract. I would think if the only thing holding him back is throwing he could play 1B. (Yes, I know you have to make some throws from 1B but its not as bad at 3B).

by Yellowhorse on Jul 30, 2008 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not

His shoulder hurts when he swings, too.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 30, 2008 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is bad news.

I wonder if they will continue to play Conrad (moving over Hannahan) and Bankston or give another guy a chance.

I think the A’s need to find someone who can play 1B or 3B (moving Hannahan) for the next couple of months. I doubt that Bankston and Conrad are part of long term plans for the future, maybe there is a prospect that they can find and give him a shot while Barton is hurt.

by Yellowhorse on Jul 30, 2008 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs