1) Yes, its a little awkward for the casual fan to watch the team right now with very few recognizable players, but it’s for the best. Chavez, Ellis, Crosby and Barton would have instead have been the supporting cast to Haren/Blanton/Harden/Swisher, and in all likelihood (especially with the Angels playing the way they are and the AL East a shoo in to take the wild card) still would not have won anything. We would have had recognizable faces, sure, but we would still not be winning anything. Beane chose to have young guys come in so that in a few years we don’t end up like the Giants or the Nationals—terrible with nothing coming up the Minor Leagues.

2) Griffey went 0/3 and was pinch hit for later that day.

3) If Beane goes anywhere, it’s soccer, but I doubt he’s going anywhere. Beane loves the rebuilding process too much and he wants to see this thing through. He’s been engineering this whole thing and I think he’ll see it through.

4) Why is it that everyone assumes free agents will be yankees? There are many teams that have Yankee money these days, and the Yankees themselves could do a lot better than Chavez and Crosby (who are league average at best, and out for the season injured at worst.) Chavez has nowhere to go with ARod at 3rd, and Matsui/Giambi DHing. If they want a 1st baseman, they can do better. And as for Crosby? Jeter still has a few years left in him, and the Yankees could buy someone a lot better. When I think of people who could become Yankees, I think of better players—not the Damaged Goods that comprise the A’s infield.

Hey, at least you didn’t spell it “Hardin” again.

Those have arguably been the most positive things about this season so far. In fact, the characters in your title (Chavez, Crosby, Ellis and Barton) are the ones who have been most disappointing. If anything, it’s an infield that is lacked.
Do you really not know who Jack Cust, Carlos Gonzalez, Kurt Suzuki, and Gio Gonzalez are?

Like him or not, he is the Captain of this ship for the immediate future. Let’s just hope he rights the ship before it crashes into the 2009 rocks!

Granted it was a small sample, but in 2007 when Barton swung, he missed the pitch only 11% of the time, a good number. This year, he is swinging and missing 20% of the time. It is unusual for a player to have such a discrepancy in consecutive seasons. My own layman’s analysis is that he is taking too many hittable pitches waiting for the “perfect” pitch and that he is overswinging, trying to hit 3 HR with every PA.

Buck is not the sharpest knife in the drawer (and maybe Barton isn’t, either) so he struggled this year when pitchers seldom threw him FBs in the strike zone. His minor league track record, injury-truncated though it is, is strong and indicates a player with real hitting ability but whether or not he can make adjustments is still an open question, IMO.

Gonzalez has obvious strengths and weaknesses and it is likely that, with experience, his weaknesses will become less weak. (That’s weak.) Given his all-around skill set, he does have a legitimate chance to be an impact player.

My 2¢.

Posted this in the wrong thread…

…I don’t recognize any of the players. WTF!!!

I went to a few games in the 80’s and the other day we decided to go to an A’s game, it might be fun. So we get to the game and WTF??? I don’t recognize any of the players, what the hell is going on? What happened to Steinbach and Weiss?

If you are a fan enough to read a blog and piss and moan, you should be somewhat aware of the wholesale changes going on. Maybe I am too deep into the machinations of the Green and Gold, but how can you lack all knowledge of the players comings and goings.

“What does Chavez, Crosby, Ellis, & Barton lack?” is ungood grammaticalism.