was an example of a team that has completely given up. Every game since the Blanton trade has been an example. I was pleading to my TV tonight for just a glimpse of effort from the A’s players, to no avail of course.

...and we should consider ourselves fortunate that the A’s were as competitive as they were in the first half.

If you have a bad game, you have to forget about it before you pitch again.

every closer gives following a blown save/loss. It’s the mentality you need in order to succeed.

I like Cust. Just not on our team.

Not what I expected from a strike out pitcher. I thought he would bring it harder. Whatever works.

Not only did he take two obvious strikes, he paid more mind to rolling his eyes at the umpire about them than making the adjustment. The swing at the third one looked like an angry “oh, I bet you’re going to call that a strike too, huh?”

In the game thread I ripped Ellis pretty good for that at-bat. (To the chagrin of many other posters, who insisted the first two strikes were horrible calls.)
And, I’ll agree that Jack Cust did a good job working a walk there.
But has there ever been a player in the history of the game that get s more credit for working a walk?? On-base-percentage should never, ever be considered on par with slugging pct. That’s why I don’t always drink the OPS Kool-Aid. In Little League, when you yell, “A hit’s as good as a walk!”, it’s because you know the kid can’t hit, and you don’t want him to feel bad for sucking. A walk is rarely ever as good as a hit.

And, what’s more, Cust’s K looking to end the game was totally without the meaning implicitly ascribed to it by bbg at the end of her wrapup (and by the trollish reactions on the game thread). In that situation, an out is an out is an out - and a BB (forcing the reliever to throw more pitches, thereby exposing his repertoire for the rest of the A’s “hitters” and potentially tiring and frustrating the pitcher) in that situation is possibly worth more than a HR (yes, I know, not according to game outcome-probability charts). Cust’s main job there is to not make an out - and taking borderline pitches, especially for Cust, gave a greater probability of not doing so.

Now, if Cust himself had been the possible tying/winning run, it’s a different story …

52 walks in 123 PA is horrid.

He hits .111 with two strikes.

...”losing”! (There no “A” in “winning” either.)

I thought Gio threw harder then 90?

one of those cable channels “morbidly obese man blames favorite team skid on his present hospitalization…..pan to forklift lifting nico from home reinforced bed to gerry-rigged dump truck ambulance.

Uncorks explosive low 90’s fastball… Mixes in A wicked over the top curveball and change- up that features a late drop… Good Command.
I guess your right low 90’s.

not his doing
wrong
wrong
wrong
wrong

he has to pencil his choice of Crosby, Ellis, Brown, Hannahan, Barton, and Cust in the lineup.

the “Fire Geren Now!” thread for at least a few seasons. He is managing a AAAA team right now.

He certainly seems to have mastered A ball pitching. I don’t want the A’s to rush him, but I wonder if he’ll be fast-tracked at any point rather than spending all of next year at AA and all of 2010 at AAA. The A’s could use him any time, fo’ shizzle.

I was scrolling down to type just that regarding Gio. He looks like Barry Zito with a better fastball. That curve is delicious. It has Zito’s up and down, but more lateral movement, and he can throw it harder.

So this is all your fault. Do you have the A’s offense trapped in your basement or something?

Armas the only keeper off the late 70’s team. Maybe Gross. Mitchell was a shame.

A World Series title would be enough for me.

We haven’t had a good meal in days!