Are You, As a Fan, Running Hard to First, Until the Last Out?

by louismg on Sep 4, 2008 10:14 AM PDT

Baseball in Septmber is when heroes and goats are made, and when every game takes on the ultimate importance, as the air turns crisp, the kids return to school, and we challenge for the playoffs, on the cusp of sport immortality!

What? Not so much? Not this year?

Each season has 162 games, and each game is likely going to go nine full innings. Sometimes, they even go more, and occasionally a little less. This means by the time 2008 is in the history books, the A's will have seen about 9,000 outs, and tens of thousands of pitches. Tens of thousands of times to run out a play, and tens of thousands of times to decide whether to swing, or to take.

Even writing that tires me out. But for those of us left seeing the A's play out the string, we expect them to run out every play, to give their fullest efforts to snare the line drive, to chase down the foul ball, and to take big cuts at pitches when they were in the zone.

But does this go both ways? Are we giving our fullest efforts as fans at this point?

Last week, I attended the A's/Twins game, bringing our 10-week old twins for the first time. We saw a great game, with Suzuki banging a solid hit off the wall in the 9th to win the game in a walk-off. But not many people saw it. The announced attendance was over 12,000, but I'd bet it fell way short. There were no lines at the bathrooms or at the concession stands. There were banks of empty seats.

That's because being fans of a team that's not doing well is a hard chore. It's not fun seeing what we see to be the same failures day in and day out. It's hard to get excited about a possible comeback if we're down by double digits in the fifth inning, or if it seems like we could exchange lineups with the team's AAA club and possibly do better. And for some, this strain means they flat-out stop going, stop caring, and stop watching.

I believe on AN, we have a different breed of fan. We know how to look at the stories behind the headlines. We understand long-term goals and short-term sacrifice. We understand the players as much as we do the statistics. It feels like it's been a long time since a game really meant something, but it's also been a long time since the A's were so far behind come September. I know the players are going to keep running hard to first until the last out is made, and the Coliseum gets torn up by the Silver and Black. We can take a few dozen losses for the betterment of the team. Just look at these Royals, who we'll be tangling with in a double-header this afternoon. Where is their tomorrow? At least, we know, we have a plan.

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I'm still watching every A's game...

I think I have a weird perspective in that my other team is the Mets. I don’t even watch most Mets games lately because the tension is too much for me. The A’s games are sort of entertaining and relaxing, so I watch those. And there are a lot of good stories unfolding.

Also, it’s pretty hard to get a ticket to a Mets game – you end up having to buy everything off StubHub for twice face value, and the place is always packed. I see the mostly-empty Coli on TV and want to go there so bad. That looks like paradise to me.

by schmifty on Sep 4, 2008 10:26 AM PDT 0 recs

Still watching, still going to games, still die hard...

as long as there is a clear vision and the team continues to make strides to improve the long term success of the franchise, I’m all in. In other words, so long as they don’t go Pirates/Royals/Giants on me, I’m going to go to any game I can and watch almost every game that is on TV. Baseball is a way of life.

by 33SwisherSweet on Sep 4, 2008 10:32 AM PDT 0 recs

How do you tell?

But how are you able to tell that our A’s are not turning into Pirates/Royals/Giants? Looks like we are gonna finish 3rd for the 2nd year in a row, and next year does not look any brighter. Is it because we have Beane at the helm?

by batterbatter on Sep 4, 2008 11:28 AM PDT up 0 recs

Generally, I take comfort in the track record of the organization

And this organization has a particularly good one. 2 seasons in a row finishing 3rd is nothing in the face of the monumental and prevalent incompetence those other franchises have shown.

To answer your question, perhaps you never really know for certain. But it sure as hell is more likely than not that the A’s pick it up sooner rather than later.

Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.

by Joey C. on Sep 4, 2008 11:40 AM PDT up 0 recs

That's the difference between me and you....2 years of below average performance

doesn’t dissuade my belief. Once it turns into 5-7 years of mediocrity with no upside I’ll still be a fan, but I’ll stop shelling out my hard earned money to go to games.

by 33SwisherSweet on Sep 4, 2008 12:30 PM PDT up 0 recs

goats are made

uh oh.

by oakinboston on Sep 4, 2008 10:32 AM PDT 0 recs

I sure hope whatever room Nico's in is covered in a protective tarp...

Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.

by Joey C. on Sep 4, 2008 10:37 AM PDT up 0 recs

Only the third deck is covered in a tarp.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Sep 4, 2008 10:38 AM PDT up 0 recs

I think the better question here to ask is

Are you, as a fan, voting the hell out of Bill King for Ford Frick?

Because let’s be honest, at least that could be a winning cause. And Bill King was the fucking best.

RagingHarden: Yeah if you get 20 starts out of me I'll be shocked. Like, I'll wreck my drawers.

by walk off bunt on Sep 4, 2008 10:45 AM PDT 0 recs

Staying strong

There’s a certain time in the season— say, when your team is 10 games back a few days after the All-Star Break and getting crappier by the microsecond— when I can just sit back and say the hell with it. Turn on the game. Watch with interest, but not with the life-threatening obsession that consumes me when the A’s are in contention. Watch for stories like Ziggy’s record-breaking dominance. Keep track of what the young guys are doing so I can make smug comments to my baseball fan buddies (“Kurt Suzuki is quietly having an awesome year for a catcher,” or “of course Gio Gonzalez is the next Cole Hamels”).

I certainly miss those days when the A’s were contending. When it felt like I couldn’t breathe for the entire Zito/Santana Game 1 in the 2006 ALDS. When The Sulk-Off made me dance like an idiot in front of my thoroughly disinterested roommates. When I was screaming at my TV, thinking my message to Byrnesy to tag the goddamn bag would somehow get through, while my parents gaped in silent horror.

But in its own way, baseball can still be a beautiful game when your team is 21 games back.

At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself for the remainder of the season.

Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.

by Joey C. on Sep 4, 2008 10:57 AM PDT 0 recs

Exactly.

I still watch and I always want a win … but I don’t freak out and destroy things when they lose at this point.
When they’re in contention, every game is a nail-biter. I can’t relax and enjoy games, because the desperate need for a win is always there. But during seasons like this, losing doesn’t bother me game by game … it still sucks to suck, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t lose sleep over it.
I will say this … “plan” or no plan … the A’s have been a huge disappointment this year. I hope AN’ers don’t think that because Beane and our organization have a future and a focus means that embarassing baseball is acceptable. It isn’t. The A’s are a really bad baseball team, and that’s never acceptable.
So by all means, do what you have to do Mr. Beane, but it better turn around … and turn around quickly.

I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.

by Vacafan on Sep 4, 2008 11:18 AM PDT up 0 recs

+1

It’s almost easier to watch when the team sucks – definitely a lot less stressful.

by 33SwisherSweet on Sep 4, 2008 12:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

we're at the point in the season where I can actively root for Crosby to (continue to) fail

There were a lot of stupid, long confusing words that I’m sure normal people don’t use. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Sep 4, 2008 11:09 AM PDT 0 recs

I'm been Uptoning this season for a while now.

At least from a game watching and rooting standpoint. From an analysis standpoint I’m more involved now than ever before.

Can't get enough of the Oakland A's? Visit Oaktown Awesomer's

by iamawesomer on Sep 4, 2008 11:33 AM PDT 0 recs

Yea, it's tough.

I’d like to think my eight week old is the main reason I’ve been attending less games this year, but I know it’s only part of it. We brought him to his first game last Friday, and also his second game the next day in Sacramento for the Rivercats. Both days were blowouts by the opposite team. Not a good track record, and not fun to watch.

I’d also like to think that my son will grow up as the team grows up, but I also hope that the A’s get around to growing up much faster than that.

I always say watching a bad team builds character and makes you appreciate the good times when they finally come. It makes you feel like less of a band-wagon fan.

I have a friend who likes to beat it into anyone who will listen that he is a true fan because he was there at the lowest of lows, when there were few people in the stands and fewer ushers to kick them out of the lower bowl because they only had bleacher tickets. It’s annoying because he thinks he’s a better fan than everyone else, but he has a point. Stick with the team now and learn about these new players. Some of them will be the backbone of a new contender. You’ll be able to say you were there. (Just don’t get cocky about it.)

Feel the pain now, and enjoy the success later. There is no separating me from the team. ’Til death do us part.

by LoneStranger on Sep 4, 2008 11:38 AM PDT 0 recs

looking for the little things when i check the boxscore:

1) Ziggy’s streak while it was on
2) did Zooks/Cargon/Swooney/Cunningham get a hit?
3) how did our young starter do?
4) who is hot in the bullpen this week / has Street gotten back on track yet?

beyond that, there is not much for me at this point. but i take some enjoyment in these.

by oakinboston on Sep 4, 2008 11:40 AM PDT 0 recs

Still hanging on every pitch

Watching as many game as possible, wish I lived closer. Next year we will be back to contending. Hey did everybody see Rich Harden is breaking down? Unexplained hiatus is what Gwen Knapp called it. It’s on SF Gate. Now that trade is looking okay, no?

by A'sfansince1970 on Sep 4, 2008 11:53 AM PDT 0 recs

Yeah

There’s been some discussion on this (Harden Thread). I tend to agree with the sentiment that we can’t break out any “I told you so’s” until homeboy actually hits the DL.

Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.

by Joey C. on Sep 4, 2008 12:08 PM PDT up 0 recs

Looks like the Bay Area media might be slightly misconstruing the Harden story

The Cubs are basically in the playoffs. If they play .500 ball the rest of the way, another team (besides Milwaukee, who would conceivably win the division) would have to go like 20-3 or some ridiculous number. The Cubs are in. It makes perfect sense for them to give Harden a little bit extra time at this point. It’s not at all “unexplained.” It’s been explained plenty. Whether those explanations are lies or not is another matter.

As for the trade, it’s not like any of the pieces the A’s got are, like, working out at the moment. At this point it’s a wash, at best. Gallagher is hurt, Patterson is proving he can’t play in the majors, Murton seems to be AAAA, and Donaldson is too far away to get truly excited.

by thejd44 on Sep 4, 2008 12:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

My, my thejd44

This is more pessimism than I’m used to seeing from you.

Harden has admitted to some discomfort. I suppose we’ll see if it’s “A’s tenure discomfort,” or some new sort of “I actually want to play for the Cubs discomfort.”

Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.

by Joey C. on Sep 4, 2008 1:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Oh, c'mon, it's not like Harden is made of glass...

…oh wait…

"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds

by UncleLeo on Sep 4, 2008 1:42 PM PDT up 0 recs

I don't get paid to watch A's games

So if a game isn’t entertaining me, I don’t watch. I don’t really see the point in torturing myself with bad baseball.

Plus, I don’t really care if guys hustle out easy grounders to the first baseman.

by thejd44 on Sep 4, 2008 12:06 PM PDT 0 recs

you know who i find entertaining?

Manny. love that guy. makes for fairly provocative arguments here in boston though.
yeah, he wont run out a grounder on occaision, but how many other guys high five fans
in the outfield while turning 2?
both the baseball purist in me and the people that harass me say i shouldnt like
him, but i just cant help it.

i guess your comment made me think of this because i’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s ok to just root for what I want to root for. does loving manny make me less of a real baseball fan? i like to think that isnt the case. how about the fact that i really dont mind the a’s losing right now, as long as zooks/swoon/ham/cargon are hitting, and our young guys are pitcher better each outing? i dont really consider that “giving up” on the team. i like to think i still bleed green and gold etc.
some people probably disagree, i spose.

by oakinboston on Sep 4, 2008 1:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

+1

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Sep 4, 2008 11:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Still watching games, reading AN

But there are other things in life that have taken priority this year. I’m not going in person to as many games, but I’m still watching most games on tv (although I’m frequently flipping back and forth to something else I’m also watching). But even if the team was doing really well, I’d probably still have different priorities — the team’s lack of success has made it easier this season.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Sep 4, 2008 12:17 PM PDT 0 recs

Well...

I think that the difference is that the players are being paid a whole lot of money to play a game, and we expect them to do their job and run out every ball. Its their responsibility to play hard.

If it was the real workplace lets say that your company is not doing well, you don’t just give up on the job.

We as fan’s are paying to see them, and as fan’s we don’t have any real duty or responsibility to show up.

Lets just use an example: I like ford cars. If ford puts out a shitty car, I don’t have to buy it just because Im a fan of the company. It just like baseball, if the product they are putting out is bad, i dont have the responsibility to buy it.

Personally, I still keep up with the A’s because im one of those diehard fans. But ive noticed i don’t get as upset if we lose when we are not contending.

by FrozenA'sFan on Sep 4, 2008 12:32 PM PDT 0 recs

I'm trying to follow them as much as I can but...

…with only 15 of their last 24 games scheduled to be on TV it’s going to be difficult:

Today: first game not on TV, second game on CSN
Tomorrow: CSN
9/6: first game not on TV, second game on KICU
9/7: No game
9/8: CSN
9/9: CSN
9/10: No TV
9/11: KICU
9/12: CSN
9/13: No TV
9/14: KICU
9/15: No game
9/16: CSN
9/17: KICU
9/18: No TV
9/19: CSN
9/20: No TV
9/21: No TV (on a Sunday)
9/22: CSN
9/23: KICU
9/24: No TV
9/25: No game
9/26: CSN
9/27: No TV
9/28: CSN

So that’s 10 games on CSN, 5 on KICU and 9 not on locally. Some of those are weekday day games or Saturday afternoon games. After this Saturday, all three of their remaining Saturday games are 1 PM starts and blocked by FOX’s monopoly on the time slot, rather than having a night game instead.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Sep 4, 2008 12:52 PM PDT 0 recs

By comparison, the Giants have 23 games left.

Every single one of them is on TV. Their remaining Saturday games are all at night as well.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Sep 4, 2008 12:54 PM PDT 0 recs

I end up watching

quite a few Giants games – only because I need a baseball fix and it seems far too often my only options are Giants or….Yanks/RedSox vs ____________

by SwisherThresher on Sep 4, 2008 1:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm watching all... but...

I don’t really blame some that are not. The players are being “Paid” to run it out, the fans are not. So I don’t see them both as the same. If it was would the players play it to the last out if they where not getting paid? probably not I’d think.

by cyke17 on Sep 4, 2008 1:22 PM PDT 0 recs

I confess. I didn't listen last night.

by Future Ed on Sep 4, 2008 1:44 PM PDT 0 recs

I feel like we've already been thrown out at 1st

and now we are just rounding 2nd base for the heck of it on the way back to the dug out.

Still watching as much of the games as I can, but with the new TV season and football season starting, it’s gonna be hard

by asfansince1989 on Sep 4, 2008 2:57 PM PDT 0 recs

i was listening or watching to 5 games out of six

earlier in the year. but now, I don’t even check them in the paper every day. Partly because the election is satisfying my sport jones. I go to 538, the field and daily kos with even more fervor than I have followed the A’s.
The A’s have gotten so bad, I don’ t even look at AN every day now. I used to scan it 3 to 4 times per day.
Blez, I hope you pass the word to Billy, the record matters, but when you combine bad records with revolving players, it invites the kind of complete apathy that is hard to overcome and come back to.

They're called RUNS for a reason.

by connie mack on Sep 4, 2008 11:40 PM PDT 0 recs