The One Where We Petition The League For The Mercy Rule
by baseballgirl on Apr 24, 2009 10:21 PM PDT
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Print Okay. That’s it.
I have tried everything else; I’m going to have to go up there myself. I have booked a flight and will be leaving at 9am tomorrow. Really! (Oh and there is a um…spontaneous BBQ on Sunday. You should come!)
First of all, the good news is that Travis Buck is in fact alive, striking out as a pinch hitter to end the evening. Pretty much, the game sucked. Cahill got lit, the A’s left runners on early, and then they didn’t get any runners on base. Holliday looks like he just doesn’t care; a rare event for someone playing in a contract year. Chavez can catch, but he can’t throw to first. The A's would lose, and lose big.
BUT....in his first at-bat with the A's this season since his call-up today, opening the eighth inning, Jack Hannahan smashed a homerun to right, marking the beginning of a too little, too late eighth inning rally for the A's.
I’ll leave you a discussion question for the rest of your night:
You have been told that Eric Chavez can’t play a day game after a night game. You have a night game tonight and a day game tomorrow. There is a lefty on the mound tonight and a righty tomorrow. If you could only play Chavez one game out of two, which game would you choose?
Explain your position and show your work.
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Play Chaves vs the Lefty
If you are trying to lose….oh wait. NM.
"Their Triple-A rotation, led by Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson, could be better than some big-league rotations; Michael Ynoa is the best Latin American prospect of the decade; 2008 draftees Jemile Weeks and Rashun Dixon bring much-needed tools to an advanced group of hitters." - BaseballProspectus.com
Quiz
depends on what the line for the game is. The gane that I can make more money betting against the A’s. Because I need to be rich when I am banned from baseball for life.
If im bob geren,
i play crosby both games at 3B and ignore buck.
My favorite player is whoever is hitting behind Bobby Crosby because no matter what they always look so good.
Time to move on
with Chavez, I think this is enough. I don’t care how good he is defensively, he has gotten the chance to come back from injuries and he hasnt responded, plus we’re in a desperate need of people that can hit.
And before some of you say “Well he’s getting paid 10m so he plays” Chavez will be a sunk cost, playing him because of his salary is like saying “Play Crosby instead of Cabrera because he wins more money”
Clear its radiance shine...
A good argument against guaranteed contracts, IMHO, but I ain't holding my breath for that to change.
I could prove God statistically. Take the human body alone - the chances that all the functions of an individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity.
~George Gallup
I agree, man. He is God awful, and I’m sick of all the excuses that they keep making for him. When you are 31 years old and cannot stay healthy, cannot play a day game after a night game, you’ve got serious issues. Who knows? Maybe the guy was on some sort of performance enhancers back in his prime and got off of it once they started cracking down on it? I don’t think it’s likely but I do think that his career is over and Beane needs to be cognizant about it and move on. Even Crosby swings the bat better than Chavvy, and from what we saw last night, Jack Hannahan is a bigger offensive threat (his defense isn’t too shabby either).
I love Cahill and Anderson to death. They’re studs who are getting hung out to dry but if all this pressure is put on their shoulders, they may not amount to anything more than average. It’s like they are demoralized every time they are on the mound.
It's at least as plausible that he DIDN'T use performance enhancing drugs
What we’re seeing just may be a chronic, cumulative set of injuries — injuries which, had he actually taken steroids or other PEs, might have healed more quickly and completely.
by Ray of Lite on Apr 25, 2009 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I tend to think the problem was a lack of early treatment,
not PED “treatment” of any kind.
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
That lineup was terrible tonight
I didn’t watch the whole game, but my impressions -
Nomar hitting 3d is all bad
Cahill looked a tad bit shaken when he got pulled. Not good.
Hannahan will now hit .094 during his stint after going yard in his first game up.
I don’t know if Geren is inept or what but I don’t like his face.
"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King
by Buck Turgidson on Apr 24, 2009 10:31 PM PDT reply actions
I realized how silly it was when I was typing that
There is one exception and that is Buck. I don’t get the benching when everyone has proven useless.
"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King
by Buck Turgidson on Apr 24, 2009 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
the Byrnes' treatment...
that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Byrnes is sorta the yappy showboat type
I just don’t see a comparison with Buck. What’s similar? I know, I know the blonde lockes, but seriously not really similar guys.
"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagine such events unfolding!" Bill King
by Buck Turgidson on Apr 24, 2009 10:48 PM PDT up reply actions
Billy don't like either one...
don’t know waht the similarities are myself. But, how do you know Buck isn’t the yappy type in the clubhouse. Strikes me that he very well could be.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions
The OPS Numbers are Staggering
And essentially show that it really doesnt matter what lineup Geren throws out there, they’re not gonna score runs.
Top of the Lineup
Sweeney 630
Cabrera 497
Top of the Lineup Alternatives
Ellis 522
Nomah 487
Buck 510
Middle of the Lineup
Giambi 565
Holliday 658
Chavez 262
Backenders
Suzuki 792
Crosby 433
Davis 485
Powell 534
The One True Performer
Cust 854 You can bat him 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 4th whatever.
Asterisk Man— with nowhere to go but down….
Hannahan 2500
The rest— other than Zooks and Custy— have nowhere to go but up…… or out, I suppose. Can’t get any worse— can it??
obiously, you bat...
Cust 2nd, Zooks 3rd and Hanny clean-up! Pull your head out, Geren!
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions
F**k the first third of the season...
It is time for a major shake-up now. I’d DL all the old ineffective hitters, right now. And, bring up the young studs.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
well that basically means
Carter, Doolittle and Cardenas. I do think at least two of them will get major PT before too much longer. Donaldson is still aways away plus catcher is not our problem; Cunningham is hurt and there no old OFs failing to perform, just one so-called star. And as been noted the A’s really don’t have an up and coming alternative at 3B.
Zooks isn't one of the old ineffective hitters I was talking about...
but, Holliday is failing. So, stick Doolittle out there. Carter at 1B. Cardenas can easily surpass Ellis’ or Cabrera’s pathetic offense. Stick him in either position.
I really want to get rid of both 3B veterans. So, bring Barton up to and let him learn 3rd on the fly.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
This would make the team even worse, most especially for this season.
Of course they suck, it's April.
by rebus on Apr 24, 2009 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I do expect Cardenas and Doolittle up at some point this season. Not Carter, but who knows?
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions
it'll make this team worse than the worst?
okay, maybe it would. But, I seriously doubt it. Those kids actually want to play and succeed. These “deadenders” we have on the team now spell doom.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 25, 2009 12:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Is this a joke?
Yeah, Orlando Cabrera, who played in 150 games each of the last three seasons doesn’t want to play OR succeed. Ellis, one of the best defensive second basemen in the league, doesn’t really care. Holliday, the guy who’s going into the last year of his contract and is about to get a $200 million dollar paycheck from the Yankees—DOESN’T CARE/WANT TO PLAY/SUCCEED?
Pitchers (hm… like Cahill last night?) that have little or no experience above AA or AAA often don’t fare very well—hitters are just like that. Cardenas and Carter would both just plain suck if they start playing right now. Doolittle would fare a little better because he went to college and he’s much more polished.
Right - as we're watching Cahill and Anderson struggle,
rushing Cardenas (20) is the answer?
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
by Nico on Apr 25, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just a few points on Cahill
And I hope people will actually see that I have a point to make rather than just dismiss my arguments as wordplay or whatever…
To anyone’s who even glanced at Cahill’s peripherals, it should come as no surprise that he struggled today (or would’ve began struggling eventually). There’s simply no way any pitcher could’ve maintained the results Cahill was getting if they continuously walk more batters than they strikeout.
Furthermore, the claim that "everything hit off him has been weakly hit" is demonstrably false. His line drive rate of 22.2% emphasizes this point; he has in fact been hit hard… it’s just that due to luck and defense the damage has been minimalized, and this also explains why opponents have a low BAA (up to today at least). It should of course be emphasized that these factors aren’t a result of anything the pitcher is doing. Unfortunately, luck is not a repeatable skill and the results finally caught up to the way he’s pitching.
So how is Cahill really pitching? Well, he’s pitching about as well as you can expect from a 21 year old with barely any experience in AA. Which is to say, not well. His groundball rate (~53%), while above average, isn’t really that special for a groundball pitcher (the ones who truly get a shit ton of groundballs, like Webb and Lowe, both have rates well over 60%). His strikeout rate and walk rate are both abysmal. And he’s getting hit hard as evidenced by the 22.2% line drive rate, which is almost assuredly higher after today’s start. So how would you classify a pitcher who’s getting hit hard, who walks a lot of hitters, all while not being able to strike out a lot of hitters? Well, that’s basically how well a 5th starter pitches (this is confirmed by tRA+. Trevor has a tRA+ of about 67, fifth starters generally have one around 76 so he’s actually doing a little worse). You know who else can pitch like a 5th starter? Edgar Gonzalez.
Also, before anyone accuses me of judging whether or not Cahill should still pitch in the majors on the basis of four starts…I just want to clarify that I’m not trying to make that sort of judgment at all. The point of my comment was to objectively analyze how well Cahill was pitching. Although if you do ask my honest opinion about whether or not he should still be in the majors, I’d just reiterate what I’ve been saying since before the season even started: absolutely not.
As to the discussion question, of course you start Chavez the next day. The defensive difference between Hannahan and Chavez isn’t that great nowadays and it’s plain negligible when we’re talking about a sample of one game. And of course, Chavez hits like Hannahan against lefties.
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 10:36 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Cahill will just continue to get better this year...
as he grows into a #1 starter. :-)
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions
So what's better at this point?
If Cahill and Anderson continue to struggle after a couple of more starts, is it better to send them to Sacramento at this point and let them develop there for a bit? Or allow them to keep working on it in Oakland? Mechanics and control aside, I wonder about the mental/psychological effects on these guys. One way of looking at it is to assume the short-term hit they’d take mentally by being sent down would be better than letting their long-run potential erode away by remaining up and being outmatched to the point of preventing development.
Tough call for me, especially when you throw in the question of who replaces them in the rotation.
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
As to the question of other options
Well, like I said, Cahill is pretty much pitching like E. Gon would’ve pitched. Other than that, I think Gio is still getting stretched out, and Gallagher of course just got sent down (and of course management seems to dislike him for whatever reason).
The A’s have a glaring lack of starting pitching depth due in part to injuries, mismanagement (Gallagher), and a rather odd decision not to pursue any veteran starting pitchers (Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, etc are looking pretty good right now).
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions
ummm... didn't they pursue Johnson?
I coulda sworn they did. He’ll cost the Giants more games this year than he’ll win them, anyway. So, it was a lucky fluke he wanted to stay in the NL, as far as I’m concerned.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Whether they did or not (I'd be surprised if not), his clear preference was the NL.
Of course they suck, it's April.
I don't think they pursued him seriously.
Regardless, I think after losing out on Johnson, the A’s should have been less “eh, we’re fine with things” and more “okay, let’s look for some options.”
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
like Randy Wolf?
he’s pitching okay (so far). He’ll implode. Just watch.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Randy Wolf will perform better than 3 of Oakland's current starting pitchers.
Of course they suck, it's April.
better than Cahill and Anderson?
I think that’s what you need to say, if you really want to make a cogent point.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes.
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Well Randy Wolf is roughly a league average, #3 starting pitcher
To that extent, he is definitely better than Cahill/Anderson in 2009. Eveland is roughly a #4 who can pitch around league average so it’s debatable as to whether or not Wolf is better than him (and yes, I understand that AN is very down on Eveland and just want him gone right now due to his last start). I think Braden and Wolf are roughly on par. So, by rebus saying that Wolf will be better than 3 of Oakland’s current, I think he meant Outman, C/A.
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
we'll see
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Cahill, Anderson, and Outman.
Eveland should be better than Wolf, but that could be a toss up. He may have a small mechanical flaw in his delivery if he’s not getting as much movement as last season.
Of course they suck, it's April.
w00t, I was right.
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
There was certainly lots of speculation...there were likely some basic talks between Oakland and Johson's agent.
But probably not much more.
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
This from Geren tonight about the rotation...
With the callup of Hannahan instead of a pitcher to replace Gallagher, the A’s now have seven relievers with Josh Outman added to the bullpen for the time being. Geren said it’s possible but not likely that the A’s would call up a starting pitcher and leave Outman in the bullpen.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/portal/athletics/ci_12223255?source=rss&_loopback=1
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
Just FYI, lenscrafters, other than the "luck and defense" part,
I agree with everything you say here. It was not sustainable to keep the ball in the park 100% of the time, or to make enough good pitches after inviting so much trouble. I too favored him starting in AAA; Anderson I’m ok with being in Oakland.
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
Just curious
What do you not believe about the “luck and defense” part?
"We were s--, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Apr 24, 2009 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I mean that because he was giving up mostly walks and singles,
he had multiple opportunities to make “one good pitch” and get out of innings with minimal damage. He often got out of those innings by getting routine ground ball outs that weren’t products of luck or defense. It just wasn’t a sustainable “plan.”
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
rec'd, i'd like to see the "start cahill now" folks like jeepers respond to these points
something a bit more substantial/mature than just a “yay” would be nice…
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05
How many of those folks are there, though?
My impression is that there was pretty much a consensus that Cahill should start at AAA. And those who believe in him being in the big leagues aren’t “proven wrong” by 4 starts – especially considering the expectation that things would be rockiest early.
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
I am surprised there are more than 4 or 5 poeple to watch this team at home
as of right now.
Pretty much a major embarrassment.
Holliday worth about 13 dollars at the moment. Kurt Suzuki and Jack Cust good. All other hitters worthless. Chavez should retire. Crosby dumped off Mt Davis. Ellis needs a week off.
SP very bad except for Braden so far.
Anderson will be fine
Cahill needs more AAA.
Dana Eveland needs to go on diet by running all the way to Sacramento. Outman should stay in pen, not start next Friday in Texas. Bring up Mazzaro, he seems to have much better control than any of the others apart from Anderson and should be able to handle it fine here IMO.
Gio struck out 8 through 5 innings in his last start...
if I heard my radio report right.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions
4.1 IP, 0 ER, 1BB, 8K
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
Didn't happen last year.
Let’s hope that Gio is change we can believe in.
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
4.1 innings?
wtf? Was he on a strict pitch count? Did he load the bases in the 5th with one out? Did he pull an oblique muscle? Why do you pull a starter who is dealing in the middle of the 5th?
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions
He threw 60 pitches the previous start and 38 his first start
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:21 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm not sure he's worse than Cahill or Outman but he's clearly a cut below Eveland and Braden
so far.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:22 AM PDT up reply actions
fireworks bring out a crowd....
not A’s offensive fireworks, of course. The one’s that explode in the sky. Maybe the A’s should have a fireworks show every game. Even day games.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions
And fire them off during the middle of the fifth inning.
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
Or perhaps they could have a contest where
fans at the game buy raffle tickets and the winner gets to play 3rd that day. That person would be cheaper and could not play worse
still only 20,000 fans there....
that’s low for a fireworks game…
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on Apr 24, 2009 10:58 PM PDT up reply actions
It's a freezing April night...
I considered going, even with a 6-month old in tow. Babies’ momma put the kibosh on that. But, maybe Trevor’s not a cold weather pitcher. Which means, he’ll only get better in the summer. ;-)
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions
He is from SoCal, so that wouldn't surprise me.
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
you know even if the Offense was going well
this fantastic pitching staff Beane has put together would not be able to keep the A’s over .500
IMO
Eveland and Outman would not be on most other team’s rotations except maybe Washington etc.
Eveland would make most teams' rotation as a #5 starter,
just maybe not higher than that.
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
I had to drive up to Sac. from Hollister tonight
and I listened to the game the entire drive. Nice. But I was actually ok, until I heard Vince C. “compliment” Scott Kazmir around the 7th inning.
“You’ve really got to hand it to Kazmir tonight — he struggled with his command early, but really shut the A’s down after that. 2 hits up to this point — really got to hand it to him.”
I almost punched a hole in my dash and flipped my car on the freeway.
How ‘bout, "Once again the A’s faced a pitcher with mediocre stuff tonight — Kazmir was really primed to be pounded … but our offense once again failed to show up."
I mean, I don’t expect you to kill the team on the air, but seriously. Kazmir was s*** tonight. Unbelievable.
And the Chavez question is sad, really. He needs to retire. He’s embarassingly bad now. If he continues to get regular time this season, he’ll hit less than .200 guaranteed. He has absolutely no clue up there.
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.
LOL - work. I'm in sales.
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.
Not real estate, I hope.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Bad team
With very little reason to expect it to turn around. Get Holliday out of here. He has looked disinterested since the very first game, and I think he’s hurting the clubhouse because of it. Will he even hit a homer this month? And Chavez is done. I know, I sound repetitive, but it is the truth. Not a very good job by Beane. At least the minors have talent.
Might as well Jump! - Van Halen
Actually, I think there's very little reason to expect things to stay the same.
On the one hand you have a handful of games in which a few players have played well below expectation, and on the other you have a long history of success from those same players that indicate they will perform much better in the next couple of months. It would be foolish to think that Holliday, Giambi, Cabrera, and Garciaparra will perform as badly as they are now. The weight of the evidence tilts in favor of them performing better than they have in these nine games.
Now, I’m not saying they are locks to make the playoffs, but I don’t think this is bad team. I think it’s an average team. Fortunately, the AL West is mediocre this year and average might be enough to compete.
And as far as Holliday looking disinterested, I think that’s just his normal demeanor. I doubt he’s not hitting homeruns because he finds them too boring.
Well said.
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
Watching the slegnA lose again
was MY only highlight of last night
Mariano blowing a save is never bad, IMO...
even if it was versus the Red Sox.
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 9:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Me too!
I’m battling the flu and was REALLY hoping for an A’s win – I mean probability, right?
I do think the A’s will turn around in the next month.
I also have a suspicion it will coincide w/ an Angels wake up as well.
There’s no way Giambi, Holliday, and Cabrera can play this way another coupla’ months if they want a decent contract next year.
Bobby Crosby = ground-out triple play...
my take on Cahill's performance...
On the radio pregame show, somebody (Korach?) commented on the fact that Curt Young had gotten on Cahill’s case about walking too many guys. “Trust your stuff, throw strikes, blah, blah, blah…” I thought to myself at the time, uh oh… this young, impressionable 21-year old is going to take this advice to heart.
He threw strikes tonight. Not good advice. Let him pitch the friggin’ way he wants! Keep your useless advice out of it, Curt!
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
#1 Problem with Cahill and the main reason IMO for the meatballs up in zone
He pitched with an extra day of rest
BAD IDEA. DO NOT REPEAT
BTW, bbg, great call on the Chavy question
He’ll sit against Garza tomorrow – great.
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
I wish we still had GarGon
honestly
fucking matt holiday
he needs to care a little more
My favorite player is whoever is hitting behind Bobby Crosby because no matter what they always look so good.
I doubt that a lack of concern is a problem for Holliday. Unlike some of the other guys, there's no reason to suspect he's not going to hit.
Of course they suck, it's April.
Hey a voice of reason!
Is that allowed?
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions
No.
Get him out of here.
You! You’re 86ed.
{whistles—calls bouncers}
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Is that ".086ed"?
Seems very “A’s offense.”
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
Miserable
Thank goodness I didn’t sit in the cold to watch that live!
In fact I changed the channel and watched Bill Maher on HBO for awhile, BUT I switched back to see if we managed to score (or get past 1st or anything really) and saw Hanahan smack one out. Yeehaw :)
I'm really like the pre-game show though
Mindy Bach and F.P. Santangelo aren’t the greatest speakers but I just like that there is actually coverage of the A’s besides just highlights. They also had a nice peice on Connie Mack.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
I want to give holliday the benefit of the doubt
He’s obviously putting pressure on himself and trying too hard.He turned down $80+mill, got sent to a hitters graveyard and has to learn a completely new league. Seriously, if he was in colorado he would at least have 4 or 5 hr’s by now. Instead this seems like an extended slump since spring training and it has gotten worse. Combine this w/ him saying he wants to consider NY for free agency(barely 3 weeks into the season) + not showing any outward emotion (maybe thats not his personality to pull a milton bradley) it gives off a message of being lifeless and not caring to the fans.
By the way, i know holliday came into the minors as a raw, highly regarded athlete, but overall his minor league track record was pretty so so. Looks lousy if compared to a guy like Buck. but the combo of coors field + being in the majors around the steroid era turned him into a star…mmaybe just a coincidence?
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/H/matt-holliday.shtml
Holliday
I never had looked at Holliday’s minor league stats. He sure made a pretty big leap once he hit Colorado, didn’t he?
The Yankee comments irked me. We all know that ballplayers are merceneries, and I don’t really expect much different, but it’s amazing how many get sucked into chatting about how they’d like to play for some other team when they just joined a new franchise. How about hitting a home run, Matt? You have as many as an Oakland A as I do.
I liked Holliday better when he was silent.
hannahan
does anyone else thinks its hi-larious tha hannahan hit a homerun? i mean, you HAD to see that coming.
i only wished it was a walk-off...
now, that would have been amusing.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 24, 2009 11:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Just ironic...
…in the most painful way possible.
"Bobby Crosby at third is a bit of an adventure. And not like, here’s some hidden treasure, what fun. More like, gah! poison ants!" --alea iacta est
by baseballgirl on Apr 24, 2009 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Chavez and Nomar are hurting. It won't be the last time that's the case.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:26 AM PDT up reply actions
That is certainly a head scratcher
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 1:13 AM PDT up reply actions
He was called up to be a backup
because Chavvy and Nomar are hurting.
They never intended to use him much as a hitter, but in this game they were so far behind they figured what the heck, may as well give him an AB.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Though they could have started him against Kazmir,
who can get wild, allowing Chavez to start against the RHP today instead of the LHP yesterday. To me, that would have been a good use of Hannahan.
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
didn't finish the game and when I read
about his HR in this thread this morning I thought – sure, naturally that would happen.
alaska A residing in colorado. (for now)
Now he is tied for second in HR on the entire team!
In two at-bats. Yeesh.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
So I don't get
Why Billy would go out and get Holliday, with a rotation like this. You win with good starting pitching, not shitty starting pitching, perhaps the pitchers we have will be good someday, they are not today. And to cap everything off, Holliday doesn’t seem to care.
i think
with duchscherer and what they expected with gallagher & gio, plus braden and one of eveland/ outman/ spare part its not such a bad gamble.
plus rumor is holliday was a “top down” edict from wolfe
"plus rumor is holliday was a "top down" edict from wolfe"
Who did you hear that from? And, who is wolfe? ;-)
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 25, 2009 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions
If you were being curt, hopefully you were working with Cahill.
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
I knew you were going to post that Nico
or something to that effect.
LOL
Yeah we've had decent pitching, its the lack of runs that has bit us in the arse the past couple of years...
Bobby Crosby = ground-out triple play...
I Agree...
All of the posts from above are right on the mark. What really struck me about tonight’s game was watching Chavez. He no longer has the arm strength on his throws to even reach the first baseman, except on the bounce. When he struck on during one at-bat, it looked like he was scared to be at the plate. He no longer has any bat speed. When he makes contact, he is under the ball and weakly pops up or pulls the ball feebly to the first or second basemen. It’s difficult to watch him bat. Unlike Crosby, who swings as hard as he can, no matter the location of the pitch; it looks like Chavez still has the eye but simply is overmatched by anything other than a breaking ball. I hate to say it, but I agree that he looks finished. Every time Chavez steps out of the box then steps back in, it looks like he was given a lead bat that weighs 45 lbs. It can’t be much fun for him right now.
Easy solution
Put Chavez’s eyes and Crosby’s swing together into a new body for a winning combination!
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: "What the hell good would that do?"
After he made the long throw to 1B, he was wincing
Not a good sign.
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
yeah, that looked bad
fans around me were all commenting on it. (I’m sitting on the third base side pretty directly over Chavez.)
just got back from the game
Highlights: they brought buffalo wings back to the westside club. Hannahan had a nice welcome back in the bottom of the eighth — it stopped the wave, thank goodness…then again, The eighth inning was one of the few that interested the crowds, and justifiably so. The fireworks after the game were among the best I’d seen at the coliseum.
I’m not going to discuss the rest of it — you know it all too well. But I’ll be back for tomorrow’s game (now today since it’s past midnight).
I'm glad to hear that about the fireworks
With all sorts of cities cancelling their 4th of July fireworks this year because of the economy, it should really be more of a selling point for the A’s.
by Englishmajor on Apr 25, 2009 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Hmm
I predicted that the A’s would be a bad team, that the rookie pitchers would look terrible a fair amount of the time, and wrote an angry screed last year about Chavez.
That said…
— I don’t like that Cahill is in the big leagues right now, but I am not going to freak out over him getting shelled. That’s what happens to 21-year-old rookies who are rushed to the major leagues before they are ready. He’s looked better in his other starts, albeit fortunate to get away with so many walks.
— I think Beane has been foolish to count on Chavez, given his injury history and the likelihood that he won’t be all that good even if reasonably healthy. But let’s be realistic. In a best-case scenerio, Chavez was all but guaranteed to struggle early in the season, because he always did, because he’s facing a bunch of lefties he couldn’t hit in good times, and because he didn’t really have enough of a spring training. None of this means he’s done, or that he should retire. Maybe the doomsayers will be right, and he really is through, but it’s much too soon for that.
— Everyone got much too excited about all of the new/old bats. Giambi is streaky even when he’s good. Chavez is a big question mark. The A’s uniform apparently strips Holliday of the ability to hit a home run, or do any serious damage. This was a horrible offensive team. For the moment, it still is. I doubt it will ever be good this season. That would require an awful lot of luck.
— When a team doesn’t hit, they are just awful to watch. The A’s are that team right now.
— Yes, baseballgirl, sitting Chavez tomorrow against a hittable righty is just daffy. It was the first thing I thought when it got mentioned on the radio. If anything bothers me, it’s the steady stream of just plain stupid decision-making by the people in charge.
by bear88 on Apr 25, 2009 12:04 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Yup. All good points.
Why wasn’t it Hannahan at 3B and Crosby at 1B Friday night, Chavez at 3B and Nomar or Crosby or Giambi (based on availability) today?
You have Buck and Gallagher but don’t use them, you call up Hannahan but don’t use him, but you leadoff Sweeney against LHP without fail, and you pitch Dan Giese like it’s fun to pitch Dan Giese. Very odd.
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
I really agree with your points WRT the rotation
Once Duke and Devine went down, our pitching staff was pretty much guaranteed to be some kind of problem. Of course, given the level of talent in some of the younger pitchers, their age, and the rose-colored-glasses optimism of Spring Training, it was easy to imagine scenarios involving the A’s starters pitching well. But nothing with the starters so far has been outside the realm of predictable possibility. As you say, bear88, Cahill is pitching like a talented, inexperienced 21-year-old. So, frankly, is Anderson. Outman and Eveland have been exactly what they’ve always been. Braden, actually, has pitched up to that fantasy version of his performance, way better than nearly anyone would have predicted.
The offense is the real shocker here — the total lack of power, the failure of any of the young players to step up in a significant way (Zook possibly excepted). That’s the real, immediate and long-term problem here.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I'm thinking of writing a piece on what the A's should have done with the rotation,
in hindsight, given the realities of who they had in the organization and who wasn’t healthy or looking good at the end of spring training. Was Edgar Gonzalez, with his career 5.97 ERA, worth putting in there as a bookmark? Should they have ignored Gallagher’s performance and possible attitude, and put him in the rotation? Etc. What I think will emerge is that the A’s had few “good options,” though possibly some better bad ones.
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
There's a real complication to having so many options and prospects
If you have only 2 SP prospects, then you focus everything on developing them, and you make a long-term commitment to them because there’s no alternative. But if you have OutmanEvelandGioGallagherBradenAndersonCahillMazzaroSimmons, then any time anyone falters you think, “Maybe we should bring up one of the other guys…”
How long do you let a prospect struggle? Is he struggling because he’s learning, or because he’s the 2nd coming of Don Wengert? It’s a very tough question to answer, especially when you can always say, “This guy sucks, bring up ____!” The temptation to try someone new is strong — but I’m pretty sure that instability is the worst way to develop anyone.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I'm confident that C & A are the real deal,
not Wengerts or Prietos, but whether they are “gaining valuable experience” or “learning to fear big league hitters” is another matter. I think Anderson can handle it just fine because he has the tools and can learn to use them. Cahill doesn’t have the tools – he can’t just say “Oh, right, I need to repeat my delivery better and have some idea of where I’m throwing the ball!” So I’m not convinced he’s served well by pitching in the big leagues, just as I’m thoroughly convinced that Gallagher was served badly by sitting around for 2 weeks instead of pitching at AAA.
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
I normally agree with eveything bear88 says...
but, (and, there has to be a but… otherwise, I’d just remain silent)…
Cahill is starting because he has to. Good fortune for my prediction that he would. Sure, he’ll have rough outings like tonight’s. Even veteran pitcher’s do. Just ask Randy Johnson or Barry Zito. Am I going to judge him by tonight? No. I’ll judge him by his season.
Chavez is done. Hannahan will be this year’s Scutaro. Only much worse.
Holliday, I admit… I had hope for. He has shown me only that Coors Field is a star-maker. He’ll sign with the Yanks next year. Rumor has it that it is a hitter’s park.
As to the penultimate point… yes.
As to the last point… yes. Geren seems clueless.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
FAIL
on reply button recognition.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 25, 2009 12:18 AM PDT up reply actions
The thing about Cahill is that all the signs pointed towards
him NOT being ready. I’m fully on board with Anderson, with his command and polish. Cahill, both statistically and observationally, does not yet possess the ability to throw the ball where he is trying to throw the ball, or to throw strikes in general. So he is not well served being “pushed” in the way that Anderson can adjust and succeed. Cahill needs to refine his delivery/control before he has a chance to be precocious and handle major league hitters in his early 20s.
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
I agree on Cahill
I’m wondering whether Beane did or didn’t try to do a Holliday-type trade early in the offseason to get a good starter who might be close to a walk year. Perhaps he did and couldn’t get a good deal. If not, I think that expecting talented but fragile Duchscherer to be the experienced “ace” of this very young rotation (it would be young even without Anderson and Cahill) was unreasonably optimistic.
I would have liked to see the planned rotation have been Duchscherer, another good traded for starter, Gallagher, Eveland, Braden (with Gio as a possibility). Then with Duchscherer going down with an injury to start the season, they might have only needed to call up one of the phenoms.
I don’t blame them for Gallagher’s poor performance in spring training — but do think they should have assigned him to start at AAA to begin the season.
Exactly right - agree on all counts
Anderson should have been the surprise beneficiary of Duke’s and Gio’s injuries, while Cahill started at AAA, with one fewer spot open because a veteran pitcher had been added to the mix.
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
As far as all these moves go,
and L*rd knows I’m not a strategist, I’ve got to believe that once Billy/Lew/us are satisfied that we’re not competitive this year (if in fact we’re not) that a lot of these changes will occur.
If you trade for Holliday in the off-season, and get Giambi, Cabrera and Garciapara, you obviously are of the mind-set that winning now is not a pipe dream. And it may still pan out that way. With the inexperience of the starting rotation, though, I’m a-feared that dog won’t hunt. But we’ve got another month and change, through May say, to figure it out.
Then, if we’re still doing poorly, we start dealing pieces and adding to this core that we all thought would come to fruition in 2010 anyhow. There’s a lot of good, young ballplayers in this system right now and while the fractured exterior of the current team bumps along (much like AN, I must note), it’s going to be fun to watch the team as a whole come to maturity. The off-season moves not withstanding, the general consensus around here was that we were looking at 2010 to truly be competitive.
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
I concur with this
They saw a chance to have a go this year, without giving up, you have to feel, pieces that they considered major ones. whether they were or not has been debated endlessly, so there’s no point in rehashing that.
suffice it to say, if it doesn’t come off, at the very least the level of excitement and interest was raised this year, they could very well get something nice in return for holliday / duchscherer (if he’s fit enough), and so forth.
imagine how bad the crowds would have been if they hadn’t brought back giambi and traded for holliday?
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Our disagreements
We’re pretty much on the same page, except…
— “Cahill is starting because he has to.” No, Cahill is starting because the A’s have decided to “go for it” this season. The Angels’ troubles make this seem plausible. The problem is that it’s never a good gamble to get on a 21-year-old rookie starter. My real concern is twofold. The A’s blow the kid’s confidence by promoting him too fast. Or the A’s lose him when he’s really good six seasons from now because Beane ignored the odds this year.
— “Chavez is done.” You might be correct. But it’s just too soon to reach that conclusion, not when Chavez always stinks early in the season, is coming off a bunch of surgeries, and didn’t have enough time in spring training.
the A's have to "go for it" this year...
the Angels were perceived by Billy as weak this year. And, rightly so. They are. It is a good gamble, if you add a stud like Holliday to the lineup. How was Billy to know he couldn’t hit home runs outside of Coors? Giambi seemed like a no-brainer. Cheap. A’s guy. Teach the guys in the clubhouse how to use HGH. It seemed all so simple, at the beginning of the season.
The pitching is NOT the problem. This awful offense is. And, I blame Billy for being not as dumb as me. ;-)
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 25, 2009 12:59 AM PDT up reply actions
The pitching has not been the problem so far, but there's still time for that
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 1:17 AM PDT up reply actions
The SP has been a big problem
They are not going far enough in games
See Eveland and Outman.
True - "innings eater Eveland" has averaged less than 5 IP / start
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
As “weak” as Billy Beane perceived the Angels to be, he failed to realize how much weaker this A’s team is. His trades seem to get dumber every year and he won’t let go of his infatuation for Chavvy. I’m almost wishing that Crosby catches fire so that it will put pressure on the rest of the guy to start hitting. If anything, I’m with Crosby on this. He needs to get out of Oakland. It’s becoming a mess out there and why did Beane appoint his best man from his own wedding to be a manager? Who does that? Doesn’t that constitute a conflict of interest? What kind of incentive does Geren have to actually manage well to keep his job? Must be because they are sharing the stadium with Al Davis, they’re all thinking alike now…
The team basically has two #3-#4 starters in Eveland and Braden
Everybody else — Cahill, Anderson, Outman, Gallagher, Gio, Edgar, Mazzaro — is either not ready to pitch, not ready for the majors or not good.
I’m hoping Gallagher comes back and takes a third spot. After that they’re just throwing someone out there and hoping for the best. I am hoping Cahill and Anderson learn quickly and take the last two spots by the end of the year, but overall this isn’t likely to be a good season for either of them. They have the most upside of the remaining guys pretty clearly.
I’m not sure if the team is 5 games under and 5 games out on June 1, whether Holliday stays or goes. I’d trade him.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 12:32 AM PDT up reply actions
5 games under, 5 games out
at the beginning of June?
That sounds pretty good to me.
I figure any worse than that and you definitely trade him
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 1:14 AM PDT up reply actions
yes...
Gallagher is my major disappointment for the season (so far). But, the kid’s got the stuff, so he’ll be back sooner rather than later. Eveland, I agree with you. Braden, I’m not so sure. Dallas could be an under-the-radar star in the making. Throw the scrooge, Dallas. Please. Throw the scrooge. Don’t listen to Curt and Billy. Become what you can be. A solid #2. With us. Not some other team that Billy trades you to.
Cahill and Anderson will be better than Randy Wolf this year. And, way better next year, as a result of the experience.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
by FoolshGame22 on Apr 25, 2009 12:48 AM PDT up reply actions
Ya Braden has a non-trivial chance at being better than a back end guy, but his K-rate has to
increase for that to happen
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 1:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Let me just throw this out there
Let’s say Cahill and Anderson falter this season, heck let’s say they never become what we/scouts hoped/predicted they would be. Also, let’s say the Holliday continues to stink, as does the rest of the offense. In which case, Beane has gambled wrong. Pretty damn horrible right? It’s gonna suck for a while, perhaps the entire season.
Damn that’s depressing to consider, but I dont think it’s really that bad. Remember when we were supposedly in full rebuild mode? I envisioned at LEAST 2 seasons of mediocrity in order to return to the playoffs and a chance at a championship. Call me crazy, but I find Beane at his most interesting when he is inspired to make bold choices as a result of on the field play. (paging Jeremy Giambi, ahem).
True, we arrived at this point as a direct result of beane’s decisions, but that doesn’t mean that the subsequent choices will continue towards such a negative place. I for one embrace the bottom of our potential (in theory) because it will inspire something different from one of baseball’s most creative GMs. If anything else, he will keep us on the edge of our seats throughout the season as we try to find our way. That, for me, is what separates following the A’s from rooting for some of my other favorite sports teams.
That's a good point. I just wish the GMs and manager's approaches
seemed more “groundbreaking” or “smart” than they have lately, so as to inspire that kind of confidence.
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
this is laughable
1. There is scant evidence that “the ability to call a game” actually exists or can be used to differentiate catchers;
2. He’s got 3 guys who have basically never done this before— and certainly not with him—- you’d think that people would realize that it would take some time to get in synch;
Kurt Suzuki is clearly responsible for the team's failures so far.
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
Thanks for the link. It sucks because I like this kid. He’s got one of the more consistent bats in our lineup and he showed some potential last year. Even if this is true, so much of this is because of all the changes that are made to this pitching staff. If you’re going to do that, do it with a Pudge Rodriguez or NYY Jorge who are more deeply rooted veterans who can handle it. Zook is still very young and on top of that, he’s got to adjust to these wholesale changes, too? I think that’s an awful lot to ask for him or any young catcher.
lol
Yeah, I’m sure this is exactly what Suzuki did:
Suzuki calls for a fastball right in the wheelhouse of Matsui who launches a long homerun
I wonder what the sign is for “fastball in batter’s wheelhouse.”
"We are a complete freak show." -- Billy Beane
To Dan Giese, it's one or two fingers
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
Is that article a joke?
I would have expected something like that on the Onion.
The pitchers throw bad pitches, and it’s Suzuki’s fault because he didn’t know to tell them to throw good pitches?? This is the Monty Burns philosophy of managing.
Burns: You, Strawberry, hit a home run.
Strawberry: Okay, skip.
(hits a home run)
Burns: Ha-ha! I told him to do that.
Smithers: Brilliant strategy sir.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
LOL
During that time in 2007, Kendall never complained about losing his starting spot to Suzuki and became the ultimate team player by assisting Suzuki and helping him develop those skill sets that would allow him to stay in the league a long time.
Anyone who remembers Kendall (and I actually remember him fondly) knows he complained every day he was not in the starting lineup.
Kendall in his two plus seasons with the A’s, before he was traded, hit .271 with three homers and 125 RBI. Even with one bad season, Kendall still has the better offensive numbers, excluding the average and home runs.
Which offensive numbers would those be, exactly? By every metric except OBP, Suzuki is a better offensive player. I think the author might be using runs and RBIs to say Kendall was a better offensive player, but he hit higher up in the order and on better offensive teams and, of course, Runs and RBIs are not an offensive skillset, anyway.
I don’t know anything about Bleacher Report, but I can’t take this article seriously.
RE; Let me just throw this out there
It’s already been two season of rebuilding mode now we’re in the third with Bob Geren at the helm. Geren needs to be fired and a manager with integrity, knowledge of the game, passion, communication skills, etc….Needs to be brought in along with a hitting coach who can actually get the A’s players to hit. Until then the A’s will be swimming in mediocrity until Geren is gone after his contract extension runs out when in reality he should have been fired after his first year.
Why put all the blame on Geren? Beane hasn't exactly given him a great roster to work with.
It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver
by WaddellCanseco on Apr 25, 2009 7:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Geren hasn't exactly used the roster given him, though
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
So frustrated
I’ve had it with this team! For the most part, they are a bunch of bums who are over the hill, or will not live up to the hype. Beane spent too much money on Cabrera and it looks like Holliday is not going to be a factor as an Oakland Athletic, so Beane better throw in the towel now. He should’ve stuck to his rebuilding plan instead of trying to straddle the fence only to ship off Gonzalez, Smith for a last place finish in 2009. He pretty much got nothing for Rich Harden either.
Watching Carlos Pena last night was amazing. I’m sure that guy is so glad to be out of Oakland.
A's Angst
All the points above are interesting. Does is really come down to that the A’s just aren’t hitting? Just look at the averages of Sweeney, Cabrera, Crosby, Ellis, Chavez, Giambi, even Holliday. I have not read much about Ellis, but doesn’t it look like he too has lost the pop in his swing? I would love to see a post from B. Beane and D. Forst—I mean, what would THEY write. I would think that they thought the team would be 8-8 right about now. I think if they would have known Duke was not going to pitch in April, or May, they would have acted accordingly.
Hannahan: the guy has a glove. but—was he brought up not to take AB’s away from the guys in Sac?
Holliday: I agree that his comment in NYC a little disconcerting. It is hard to decipher to context of the Q and A, but still, how about focusing on the present? Now look at Cahill last night. Wobbly first inning, but he recovers. Second and third, one out, my best hitter up right? Tie game for sure, right? Nope—in fact the a 9-1 DP. Now tell me that is going to calm by 21 year old self down?
Cust: Has he become a real hitter? Impressive thus far. Hats off to Braden as well. Those two guys have really stepped it up thus far. Thus, another question, usually your leaders are guys who lead by example, but also are the guys who get it done on the field. Oh, oh.
Win with Vin: Maybe Anderson and Cahill could/would have benifited from a handful of stars in the minors as well. You probably don’t won’t a guy to have his first start in the Bigs at Texas, but with Seattle and the Angels on the Horizon, hum? KC too, but the off days before and after make it tough?
Gio: Probably a bigger question. I would really like to see his power arm in the Bullpen. I really believe winning is about balance—a balanced lineup, and a balanced pitching staff. Gio would provide a guy who could bring the heat from the left side. This is the American League after all—name me a top AL team who doesn’t have a least one touch, cluch Left Handed Stick?
The curse of the infield bats? Wow. And I mean Wow? When some pun intended, I think the A’s should only draft right handed 3B’s, SS, and LF’s in June. CF’s maybe, but even then, Left side on the diamond, right side on the plate.
Leave Suzuki down in the 7/8 hole. Doesn’t he have enough to worry about with the young picthing. Solid player who always is expected to do more—he is the one guy we can afford to hit .250. (Mayyyybe Ellis as well.)
Bucking the trend: I am not sure about Travis Buck, I think he is what baseball is all about, which is a lot to discuss/argue about. The last game he started, two hits or three? His last AB with the game on the line, didn’t the A’s win. Doesn’t his attitude look like a guy who wants to play? Not a pouter, not thrilled, but not a pouter.
And finally, I would really love to hear what BB and DF think about Gallagher. Remember when Beane had that private little motivational chat with Gallagher late in Spring Training? The result hasn’t been to positive….I wonder, I just wonder, if Gallagher gave BB some kind of vibe…or bomb shall we say.
Whew, OK, you what WE all need, is an A’s win today. So Dallas and Jack, keep stepping up and get it done. Perhaps today is the day, Matt and Jason go long….
Peace Team and Nation. BF
Very nice post.
Personally, I want Gio in the rotation and Outman as the power arm in the pen a la Embree. I think if the A’s can get to a rotation of Braden, Anderson, Cahill, Gio, and Gallagher, with C & A the wiser but not battered for their failures, the team has a chance to play some good baseball.
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
Not enough Starbucks, and a ?
My punctuation was horrible. What can I say, I sucked. Hopefully no English Teachers out there.
I have often thought by the way, it would be interesting to know the profession of each poster? Just a thought….
To a great weekend all, in partucular to the guys in the unis. Or unies? Unees?
Brutal
This is about the only word that can be used in describing the A’s offense these days. I have never seen a team with so many piss poor AB’s than this bunch. I have seen more potenet Little League teams.
I have to admit that Holliday’s performance so far has disappointed me. I didn’t expect him to put up his past numbers, but he looks lost out there. I understand it is a new league, but he needs to pick it up.
Count me in on the Chavez is washed up camp. I have nothing against him, but I think the cumulative effects of his injuries have caught up with him. He looks like a ghost of his past self out there.
What really hurts the A’s is the lack of real tablesetters in the top of the batting order. Sweeny and Cabrera are just not good enough #1 and #2 hitters. Look around the league and the teams that have good offenses have these type of guys.
Like many here, my lifelong love of the A’s will keep me watching. I guess love really is blind.
Yah, lifelong fan too, will keep watching, but probably not as much if
this is what it is going to be like through out the season. These games are getting to be drudgery to suffer through.
alaska A residing in colorado. (for now)
Years of tying to walk their way on base
has affected 90 percent of the hitters on this team.
A’s teams have a bad habit of not being aggressive when there are runners on and trying to make the pitcher get his pitch count up. You only get so many pitches to hit and the A’s for the most part watch at least one meatball in every at bat go by.
Jack Cust is doing the right thing by swinging early if he gets a pitch to hit and with great results.
The Billy Beane old philosophy of walk, walk and 3 run homer does not work as you can see.
Especially when you don't HR
Walk, walk, HR actually works pretty well. Walk, walk, not so much.
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
who wants blanton back?
16in/25h/7.31 era
a bit misleading since he got rocked his 1ststart, last 2 were solid though…showing good control
Pretty cool
He said something like….. There’s so many games when you go 0 for whatever and you can come home and take it out on the piano.
OK, Adrian, how many piano’s have you destroyed. That could get expensive
Is he an organ donor?
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
Dear Mark Ellis
I know its early and everything is “magnified”, but i need your help.
Can you teach Orlando Cab to straddledthe bag on a tag play at second?
Can you not drop your head in shame everytime you think you’ve made an out, sometimes they’ll drop a 3rd strike and BTW save the slide for second, third or home?
Can you tell me why our infield hits, .100 Chavez, .120 Bobby, .188 Ramon spelled backwards, .200 OCab, .204 Jason, .and .218 guess who. with a grand total of 1 home run? You guys make Daric Barton look good.
Can you tell me who will light a fire under your As-es before we get to May or June?
Can you ask the manager why he plays Chavez vs. lefties, and give him his “day off” vs. righties?
Bob Geren needs to be on the hot seat!!
Can someone please tell me why Russ Springer was in the game with the score 8-0??
There is no A in OFFENSE!!
by wacchampions on Apr 25, 2009 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions
Literally "who else?"
Nobody was more rested – basically a tie between Springer and Casilla. This is what happens when you send down your long reliever right after a 14-inning game, instead of waiting a couple of days.
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
So are you saying that we havent made the smartest moves this season.....LOL
There is no A in OFFENSE!!
by wacchampions on Apr 25, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Mark is really horrid with the bat
Gone downhill over the last year or so.
Just pop up after pop up
His shoulder can't be feeling the best
Not with how many pop flies he’s hitting and not with how many ground balls / line drives he’s not fielding cleanly.
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
And could Ross and Rachel post lower ERAs than Cahill and Anderson?
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
is she a LOOGY?
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Oakland's SP ERA is 5.36 which is disgusting
Two young guys learning is understandable. Braden performing well which is great and 2 absolute gascans who suck beyong comprehension.
In case anyone has not noticed. I cannot, I repeat cannot stomach Eveland and Outman in the rotation. Hopefully Mazzaro soon or Gio at least, then Duke comes back and then we have no more Eveland in the rotation and maybe Outman in the pen is fine. Eveland not on roster is fine by me.
Bullpen ERA is 2.79, this in spite of Dan Giese and 2 L’s. That ERA is fantastic
I LOVE JACK HANNAHAN
and we’re going to get married.
that is all.
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 10:54 AM PDT reply actions
LOL! ME TOO!
and congratulations!
Take a chance, wob. Go out on a limb. Throw caution to the wind. Count my cliches. Something~67M
hahah, yeah, he said it came down to a choice between the two of us
sorry to be the bearer of bad news
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:00 AM PDT up reply actions
This is problematic. Just alea iacta est
and you’re good to go in Vermont or Massachusetts. Now you’re looking at Utah, and only after alea has a sex change operation. Seems complicated.
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
The things we do love.
Take a chance, wob. Go out on a limb. Throw caution to the wind. Count my cliches. Something~67M
we're going to tie the knot in England
where these things are legal.
i think i might still be drunk this morning. did they a’s win last night?
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes. Cahill bowled a splendid match
and Worchester surrendered just moments before tea.
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
sigh
actually, when I go back in the late summer, I’m going to play for my brother’s cricket team. They’re going to love the American showing them up
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
They consider you American?
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions
And make sure you're back by February.
Me, you, Don and Oldham have plans.
{slips into phone booth, slips into hotpants splattered with Jennifer-donated glitter}
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah, i'm only going for a week or ten days or so
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
the american government considers me an american
and we’ve all learned what disagreeing with them brings you, right?
It's never too soon to jump to conclusions
by alea iacta est on Apr 25, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
It might bring me, you, Don and Oldham to your door.
We’ve not yet decided which side we’re fighting for.
I'm so sick of the Hannahan/A-Rod comparisons.--Rocktopus
by Leopold Bloom on Apr 25, 2009 12:04 PM PDT up reply actions
does chavez get enough heat from fans?
i guess the gold gloves give him a free pass, but that contract has been a huge failure.yes i know he fought through injuries and still played, but how can you have sympathy for a guy making 25mill the next 2 years? The chosen “franchise player” and considered a top 5 type mlb 3rd baseman maybe just 3/4 yrs ago. at this point there isnt much to do than eat the contract and wait for it to expire but this situation has tied the A’s hands. Maybe limited payroll flexibility, false hope of chavez every season and ignoring possible replacements either through the free agency, trades, draft, etc.
If you read AN, you should know the answer to your question
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
The A's really suck right now
but they can’t be this bad all season. I’m not saying that they will win the division or anything but give it time. Maybe they will suck all year maybe they won’t. that is the beauty of baseball, you never know what is going to happen.
I can’t say I’m surprised by AN’s gloom and doom responses but I think we (I too have been gulity of complaining the last couple days) are jumping the gun right now.
That being said, I’m tired of people saying the A’s aren’t hitting HR’s because of the stadium they play in. I know it suppresses them but obviously the visiting teams are hitting homers, as evidence by Gabe “frickin” Gross bombing one to the deepest part of the park and Carlos “take that Billy Beane” Pena dropping two on our boys. At least entertain us by hitting a few out.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
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