Lowell Cohn's crusade against the A's?
by josejimenez on Aug 21, 2008 10:15 AM PDT
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PrintI recently surfed over to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat's Web site to check out their A's coverage and stumbled across perennial A's basher Lowell Cohn's latest diatribe against Billy Beane and the green and gold.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080818/NEWS/10840/1057/SPORTS0908&title=Somone_has_some_A_s_explaining_to_do
A comment on the paper's Web site kicks around a rumor that the columnist is carrying a grudge against Beane because of the writer's close personal relationship with former Beane doormat Art Howe. It's kind of disturbing if there's any truth to that rumor because it totally kills the writer's credibility.
At least the paper's beat writer seems to understand what the A's are trying to do in the long term and he also seems to be as puzzled as I am about the way Cliff Pennington is being used on a team that's headed nowhere fast.
http://baseball.pressdemocrat.com/
I think they should just play the kid every day and see once and for all if he's a wasted No. 1 draft pick.
An interesting read all around from the sports writers up in the Wine Country. On the one hand you seem to have a cranky hothead with a grudge and on the other you have an intelligent, reasonable take on the A's approach to this season and the future.
Which way do you guys lean? Is there still patience from most AN'ers about where the team is headed or are you on board with the columnist that the A's are simply a clueless outrage?
Personally, I still have patience to see how the rebuilding process plays out
even though it makes for some totally unwatchable baseball at the major league level these days.
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A comment on the paper’s Web site
You mean … your comment on the paper’s Web site?
Sure, Cohn’s got a grudge against Beane for some reason. You, having just joined AN after Cohn’s latest column, seem to have a grudge against Cohn for some reason.
There were a lot of stupid, long confusing words that I’m sure normal people don’t use. @('.')@
No vast conspiracy
True, I just signed up after surfing across some interesting and conflicting coverage of the A’s because for 1. I’ve meant to join AN for a while and 2. I thought it’d be fun to throw Santa Rosas coverage out there with this group because the discussions are almost always well-informed and entertaining.
I just find it bizarre and fascinating to have such divergent takes on the A’s season out of the same news source. I haven’t seen anything like that from SuSlu et al in the Chron or from anyone covring the A’s for MLB.com.
For me, the fact that Harden is finally enjoying a run of good health now that he’s out of green and gold while players on the A’s roster continue to drop like flies is annoying but not Cohn-esque “crucify Beane” infuriating.
by josejimenez on Aug 21, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
fair 'nuff
Slusser, FWIW, isn’t an opinion columnist, and is always circumspect in offering her own opinions. She and Cohn have different jobs. Ray Ratto would be the closer parallel — and he has, in fact, voiced many similar (though not as addled or acidulous) thoughts as Cohn.
There were a lot of stupid, long confusing words that I’m sure normal people don’t use. @('.')@
I don't care about Lowell Cohn or what he thinks about Beane and the A's
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
Scooter...is that you? Why so rabid-looking!? : (
I am Ray Fosse's infatuations with Clay Wood and high-definition television.
by franks a lot on Aug 21, 2008 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
Scooter would be awesome if he was angry and mean to children
by thejd44 on Aug 21, 2008 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
"This is a fastball down the middle, kids!"
“Do you know what you do with a fastball down the middle, boys and girls? YOU FUCKING SWING AT IT, THAT’S WHAT YOU DO!!”
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
I tweaked my hamstring thinking about the A's future,
tried to play through it, and sprained my thumb. That is all.
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
You'd make a perfect
Athletic! Leave your number inside Larry’s fanny pack!
"Twenty minutes," says Jack Sr. "Thank god for Billy Beane."
by ST on Aug 21, 2008 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions
He doesn't really look very fit, does he?
Larry Davis has always struck me as one of those do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do athletic trainers. He would have made a great workout partner for John Kruk.
Beane
I really don’t know how you can’t criticize the job that beane has done this year, yes we were contending through the first half of the season, but everyone knows that we never would’ve stayed anywhere near the angels through the end of the season. I don’t really see why it is such a crazy concept to trade your stars when you know that you aren’t going to contend. Other teams did this like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
For some reason KNBR, the local fish wraps, and many A's fans have trouble wrapping
their head around this “complete rebuilding” concept. They feel it’d be better to keep our “stars” like the Gi Gi’s have and will somehow compete. If you are going to rebuild you have to go all the way or you WILL remain in perpetual rebuilding mode. Of course, there is the possibility that the A’s “rebuild” will not be successful, but unlike the Gi Gi’s one will not be able to make the argument that we gave it our best shot.
Re: the “Gi Gi’s” – I have been to quite a few games at Gi Gi’s park and have heard quite a few fans refer to their team as the “Gi Gi’s”. Unreal. I don’t pay when I go to Gi Gi games, but unfortunately I always have to buy some beer. I’d prefer not to help those losers from across the bay.
by 33SwisherSweet on Aug 21, 2008 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
How about Ath Aths?
Nah, that just doesn’t work … not that Gi Gis does work.
The few benefits the Giants have over the A’s when it comes to rebuilding is that they’re in a weaker league and a pathetically weak division, plus they have money to spend.
They definitely don’t have a well-defined, aggressive plan to rebuild like the A’s but it’s also not like the Gi Gis have to build a very strong team to contend in the NL West.
I don’t think the A’s would have to go through such an extreme rebuilding effort of they were in the NL West where a .500 record can get you into the playoffs.
If you were the Gi Gi's and you played in such a bad division that you weren't going
to win anyway why would you not COMPLETELY TEAR DOWN AND REBUILD instead of some half-arse quasi rebuild? The quasi-rebuild approach gets you nothing. I think they have to retain and market the hell out of their “stars” because of the financing situation with their ballpark. They are fearful they won’t be able to make payments and, as such, need to keep the fans coming. They don’t believe they can do that with the A’s approach. Then again, that would be giving those jokers too much credit.
by 33SwisherSweet on Aug 21, 2008 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually, it wouldn't be that hard to turn the Gnats around.
Luckily, they have a GM who makes terrible move after terrible move so we don’t really have to worry about hearing that the Giants are good and the A’s suck, like, ever.
You mean like not trading away Liriano/Bonser/Nathan for rent-a-zinski?
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson
AJ was the heart and soul of the 2004 Gi Gis!
This is great:
http://blso.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/aj_mot3.jpg
did you mention
…they released him after the year they traded for him. Wow thats grounds for firing just because of one trade.
How would you completely tear them down?
The guys who need to be gone, Dave Roberts, Randy Winn, Omar Vizquel, have little to no value, especially when the contracts of Roberts and Winn are taken into account. No GM is going to take on Roberts and Winn.
Sabean did trade Durham, who’s decent enough to entice GMs.
Their stars are Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. They would be idiotic to trade either of them, in some misguided complete tear down and rebuild approach.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
Depends on what they could get back
A Haren haul for Cain would make the Giants’ prospects a lot brighter.
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson
Matt Cain is a 23
year old pitcher with a career 120 ERA+ in 613 MLB IP.
Look at the seasons that ace type prospects like Clay Bucholz, Phil Hughes and Homer Bailey have had.
He’s not much older than most highly touted, highly hyped prospects. While most of these highly touted prospects are struggling to established themselves in MLB, Cain has already become a good durable MLB starting pitcher. Cain is YOUNGER than Bucholz.
Despite all the bashing, the Giants system has actually become pretty decent, with Bumgarner, Alderson, Posey, Pablo Sandoval. With their money, they can sign Lincecum and Cain long term, while waiting for the young kids to mature.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
And Villalona
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
I think I speak for many when I say, "Who the heck is Lowell Cohn?"
by thejd44 on Aug 21, 2008 12:57 PM PDT reply actions
+1, but hey, he gets mad love from KNBR - 'nuff said.
by 33SwisherSweet on Aug 21, 2008 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
... like stink on shite
which begs the question – which one is stink and which one is shite?
"However, at Elias, I think they keep track of the amount of sunflower seeds spit in a dugout each night." - Brad Ziegler, 8/7/08
Me talk real pretty
Well, I went and read the story that has you so upset and my reaction is, eh? I have to ask did you mispell Mr. Cohn’s name several times on purpose on your talkback on the pressdemocrat site. I mean we had cone,cahn and a few others mixed in there. I hope you were going for some type of humor that only you understand.
I put a spell on you
Naturally bad spelling devolved into naturally bad humor
Cohn is not post-worthy.
Shallow analysis, lazy research, strategic sense of toast.
I’ve already said more than he deserves.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
I wish I had a sense of toast
I really have no intuition about where toast is or might be.
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
It can't be learned, unfortunately.
It’s in-bread.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Aug 23, 2008 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
D'ough!
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
Continuing to comment about this makes you seem kneady
Of course, some may say that’s the yeast of your problems.
"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty
I have to admit, the "yeast" comment
got a rise out of me.
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
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