DLD 9/25/08: Things I've learned about the A's, and life, from AN this season

by oakinboston on Sep 25, 2008 9:59 AM PDT Comment 58 comments

Outside of Rex Hudler, nothing has edumacated me more about baseball than AN. I consider myself decently well read on the National Pastime, but I don't have time to keep up on minor leaguers, SABR revelations, or how good Swooney looked yesterday stretching. Thankfully, I can get all of that here.

...But not just that. Also: AN culture.

As a thanks to this wonderful community, and a fun first season with AN, I wanted to create a fANpOst where people can share how AN has edumacated them.

Thanks all, and looking forward to your comments

A few things I have learned:

Animal Division

Unicorns are real.
Monkey's are unpredictable. Behaviors range from poetic interludes to the blogging equivalent of painting murals out of one's own feces.
Goats.

Grammar/Etiquette/Speeling Division

Their, They're, There. You're Your. Take the time to not F it up, for fear of the Grammar Police's wrath.
Saying "First" will get people calling for your head. But saying "Frist" will get an annoying comment about the Senator.
When arguments creep into extreme snark or pure hatred (typically by this time the comments are way indented to the right, and kind of difficult to follow), hope for cooler heads to slip in a joke about some sort of animal (see above)
The best comments read like this:

Bean is stupid. Why would you give up on a guy like Hardin when clearly he's the best picher in the MLB. If he wants to learn how to do his job, look across the Bay where they have a beautiful ballpark and people actually have fun at games.

The best fAnPOstS read like that too.

Comment/FanPost ratios are a decent indicator for future performance in AN.

Minor Leagues Division

Justin Smoak = silver lining for every loss this season.

Love Orgy (aka Swoon) Division

Vote Ziggy.
or Zooks.
Chicks dig Travis Buck's Honeysuckle locks
occasionally: kraut

Polarizing Division

Jack. Cust. It's ok to hate/love him as long as you don't mind being labeled a hippy/stathead.

Gang Up Division

It's ok to hate/hate Emil Brown. His talent for accruing RBIs strangely vanished, and we could all agree on a nickname.

Obligatory Links

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Comments

Shit

Another idea beaten to by a fellow AN’er.

But let’s make this a DLD, k?

Because of AN, I have learned that there are actually eight days in a week.

Because of AN, I have discovered that size doesn’t always matter.

OK, that’s all for now. Work calls.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Sep 25, 2008 10:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

One more

AN is inqusitive.

No really. Take my word for it. I’m serious. Do you not agree?

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Sep 25, 2008 10:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey! I'm on here!!

Apparently I’m inquisitive.

…
Yay?

We're just in a team-wide funk. ~Mark Ellis

by #14fan on Sep 26, 2008 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cust in the Polarizing Division

Are you suggesting he has a little bear in him? ’Cause I can see that.

Excellent fAnPosT. At a less than 1:100 ratio, I’m predicting great things from you.

Arte didn't get much Home Run Derby. He was dug in too deep or moving too fast. His idea of great R&R was cold rice and a little rat meat.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Sep 25, 2008 10:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I learned that you can coerce people into making their fANpOsT into a DLD

"The Athletics at Fremont" is really bad

by ArakSOT on Sep 25, 2008 11:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

What can I say. I'm a people-pleaser.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have learned so many things in the last 3+ years on AN...

I don’t even know where to start. One thing from this season: Ryan Sweeney and Daric Barton are verrrrry close friends.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 11:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm confused who these Ryan Sweeney and Daric Barton people are.

Do you mean Dale and Swooney?

by justarebelheart on Sep 25, 2008 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Before that, I don't remember the last time I called them by their real names.

I even wanted to call him “Dale” when I was at the games last weekend. That probably would’ve confused most people.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have said "Swooney" out loud before and then had to explain myself

I say Dale all the time and that’s easier “A dumb announcer kept calling him Dale and it stuck.”

by thejd44 on Sep 26, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Random question:

Anyone know of any good Indian restaurants in the Walnut Creek/PHill/Lafayette area?

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 11:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If you were paying attention

you’d know that question should be in the form of a fANpOsT. ;)

But to answer you: I do not.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Sep 25, 2008 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Drive to Berkeley and go to Vik's.

Skip work, or quit your job, if you have to.

Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.

by salb918 on Sep 25, 2008 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1000000

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 25, 2008 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

berkeley has many amazing indian food restaurants

and Vik’s puts them all to shame

by harenshair on Sep 25, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll be honest

I dislike a lot of the Berkeley Indian Restaurants. Too many of them confuse oil with flavor.

by ohmangoAs on Sep 25, 2008 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sargam

in Walnut Creek at the corner of Ygnacio and Civic is AWESOME. They have a good lunch buffet, too.

by ohmangoAs on Sep 25, 2008 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Best comments

You forgot the STRICKOUTS!

"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

by doctorK on Sep 25, 2008 1:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I learned many, many things about tapir anatomy

and I also learned how important it is to vote for Bill.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Sep 25, 2008 1:58 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

unbeknownst to me at the time of the fanpost

you CAN actually vote for Ziggy (and please do!) for DHL Delivery Man of the Year

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/mlb/fan_forum/dhl/2008/award.jsp

by oakinboston on Sep 25, 2008 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let the Keith Law Hate Begin!

Youseff (Cairo, Egypt): Ryan Sweeney is a future all star right?

SportsNation Keith Law: I’m not buying it. His chances are dimming almost to zero – he’s a five o’clock hitter with no indication he’ll bring that power into games.

Niel (Dallas): What team has the most pitching in their minor league system?

SportsNation Keith Law: Texas. Tampa, Boston, San Francisco too.

Boston more pitching than Oakland?

"With 16-year-old Dominican righty Michel Inoa in tow, Gio Gonzalez improving at Triple-A and lefty Brett Anderson carving up Double-Abatters along with Simmons and Trevor Cahill, Oakland’s pitching depthis officially the envy of baseball." - BaseballAmerica.com

by Syphon on Sep 25, 2008 2:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He's right about RyRy.

Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.

by salb918 on Sep 25, 2008 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didnt say he wasnt right.. just as fans we hate people who say bad things about out A's.

However I think he is wrong about Boston having more pitching than Oakland. As far as Sweeney goes hes prob right unless Sweeney changes his swing to be more of a pull hitter than the slap hitter he has been this year.

by Syphon on Sep 25, 2008 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Man, we must've done a lot of hating this year...

by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Sep 25, 2008 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see nothing wrong with getting hits consistently...

actually, I wish more A’s players did it.

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on Sep 25, 2008 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Keith Law isn't a scout.

But he really wants to be. To make it seem like he’s actually a scout instead of an analyst, he relies more on his impressions of a player that saw once a year ago rather than on a conglomeration of scouting reports and performance record.

For example, he thinks Gio Gonzalez’s fastball sits at 85 MPH because he saw him once at that speed, disregarding all evidence to the contrary.

But, as Sal said, he’s completely right about Ryan Sweeney. He’s a good 4th OFer.

by Danny on Sep 25, 2008 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A good 4th OF is a massive improvement over Emil Brown. In fact he may be a decent 3rd OF.

I’ve gone from thinking Sweeney’s overrated to thinking he’s now underrated.

[Crosby] "Guy that has driven in some big runs for the A's over the years" - Vince Cotroneo

by WaddellCanseco on Sep 27, 2008 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What is a five o'clock hitter, anyway?

Obviously this guy hasn’t seen RyRy as Devil Girl. That would definitely change his mind. Not sure why, but it would.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Means he only shows his power in batting practice.

by Syphon on Sep 25, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah. That makes sense. Thanks.

by whiteshoes40 on Sep 25, 2008 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The next time Keith Law says something pleasant about the A's farm system will be the first time

There are two kinds of sabermetrics guys: the ones who think that Billy Beane is awesome, and the ones who think that they would be better than Beane if THEY were a GM.

Keith Law is in the latter category. (He’s also, as far as I can tell, an ass. Though that has nothing to do with the A’s.)

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 25, 2008 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I rarely see Law even using sabermetrics to any extent anymore

As Danny said a few posts up, he’s begun relying more on his own personal scouting report from seeing a guy once. That’s not an exaggeration either. I stopped reading his chats because I just couldn’t take him disregarding a ton of information because of what his eyes told him over a three-hour period. That’s really the exact opposite of the goal of sabermetrics.

by thejd44 on Sep 26, 2008 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Swooney isn't a future All-Star

But I still think that even if this season is his ceiling (and I don’t believe that at all), he’s still a starting outfielder. As of a week or so ago he had an above average EQA for a corner OF in addition to his plus defense. Any way you slice it, he’s a pretty good player who has the potential to get a lot better.

by thejd44 on Sep 26, 2008 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He has the upside of a third outfielder and the downside of a fourth outfielder

Fair?

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 26, 2008 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But he's already better than a fourth outfielder

Unless he suffers a bunch of injuries, I can’t imagine how he’s going to get worse over the next five years. I’d say his downside is a fringe starter and his upside is a solid everyday player (what is that? a second outfielder?). I just don’t think he’s a guy who has to be worried about, though it’s possible that if other guys develop they’ll end up being better. Sweeney might be a fourth OF on the A’s at some point, but not because he isn’t good. It’ll be because the A’s have a bunch of very good players at those positions.

by thejd44 on Sep 26, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

How do you figure he's got a better than average EqA for a corner OF?

I count 21 RF with more RARP than Sweeney, and all have a better EqA than Sweeney’s .273. LF is not that different from the looks of things. He seems clearly in the bottom third of starting corner OFs offensively.

[Crosby] "Guy that has driven in some big runs for the A's over the years" - Vince Cotroneo

by WaddellCanseco on Sep 27, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't Smoak sign?

With Tex?… or you mean cannot wait for a “Smoak-like hitter” for the A’s to draft.

Didn’t we have a shot at a guy whois tearing up the minors named Brett Wallace?

The A’s have to also decide to pick one, instead of going with a poor-mans Richie Weeks

The Stockton Ports pitching staff is better than the Orioles.

by gdub171 on Sep 25, 2008 2:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am still mad we didnt pick Wallace.

The way hes tearing it up while playing 3rd base….. man o man what disappointment we dont have him.

by Syphon on Sep 25, 2008 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll eat my hat if Brett Wallace stays at 3B.

Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.

by salb918 on Sep 25, 2008 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Brett Wallace would eat your hat if you covered it in gravy

I join you in your pessimism on Wallace’s future as a third baseman. I still like him better than Weeks as a draft pick, but not because he will be playing 3B in the majors.

by BlameChannel53 on Sep 25, 2008 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even reguardless of position we need his bat somewhere.

by Syphon on Sep 25, 2008 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Pujols is at 1B, where else would he play? LF?

[Crosby] "Guy that has driven in some big runs for the A's over the years" - Vince Cotroneo

by WaddellCanseco on Sep 27, 2008 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

BA minor league top 20s

Baseball America has been releasing its lists of the top 20 prospects from each league this year. Today’s list is the California League and features:

1. Trevor Cahill, rhp, Stockton (Athletics)
4. Brett Anderson, lhp, Stockton (Athletics)
9. Henry Rodriguez, rhp, Stockton (Athletics)
14. Chris Carter, 1b, Stockton (Athletics)
16. Sean Doolittle, 1b, Stockton (Athletics)
19. Josh Donaldson, c, Stockton (Athletics)

The lower levels don’t give nearly as much to be excited about.
Midwest League:

12. Craig Italiano, rhp, Kane County (Athletics)
16. Corey Brown, of, Kane County (Athletics)

Northwest League:

17. Jason Christian, ss, Vancouver (Athletics)
18. Dusty Coleman, ss, Vancouver (Athletics)

Arizona League:

6. Rashun Dixon, of, Athletics

Overqualified to be an A's fan.

by andeux on Sep 25, 2008 2:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm excited about Corey Brown...

but, I know you meant quantity.

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on Sep 25, 2008 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Corey Brown ever reaches the majors

It’s mostly a hunch and from seeing him play a few times, but I see an athlete who can’t seem to put it all together. He still might, but I have him way, way down the A’s OF organizational depth chart. If Beane is looking to make a trade, that’s a guy I’d look at moving.

by thejd44 on Sep 26, 2008 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs