OMFG I’M SO PISSED I’M GONNA RIP INTO EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING INVOLVING THE A’S AND SWEAR A LOT AND I’M GONNA MAKE THEM CRY I’LL BE SO PISSED OFF.

Uh..

I’m upset. Things need to be changed.

about Geren’s ejection from Saturday’s game, and didn’t know exactly how to take Giambi’s comment afterwards:

“A manager’s got to do that.”

I mean, not to take a quote out of proportion, but you have to wonder if there is a hidden message there.

Anyways, I absolutely agree in regards to holding the players (and management) accountable. Enough with the excuses already.

I was at both games this past weekend, and with the exception of Saturday’s ninth inning, there was “no there there” on the offensive end. Pitiful. I’ll take wins any day over being entertained or inspired. But if you must lose, at least compete.

I don’t know about “most of us here on AN”, but speaking just for myself, what I’m most frustrated about is not the “lack of fire” nor apparent “lack of concern”; what I’m most frustrated about is that the team is losing.

I just want the team to start winning again. If some sort of change in chemistry helps, fine, but for me the problem is the win-loss record, not what sort of emotion the players are displaying for my cathartic benefit.

If the team were still 11-18 but I saw several of the players getting all pissed off about it, would I be any happier? Not at all. If the team had the same blah personality but had a record of 15-14, would I be happier? Definitely.

I agree with what you’ve written especially the part about some prickliness missing from the team. I’m thinking about all the great coaches and managers and most of them had an edge. Now you have to have more than that and if your constantly a jerk it’ll wear thin fast but sometimes you need someone to give the team a kick in the ** and God knows this team needs that. Keep up the good work.

the best coaches and bosses i’ve had are the one’s that cause you to excel out of shame. maybe joe maddon is the best current example. he’s not a yeller or a screamer, but the players want to do right by him. they’ll run througha brick wall for him, not because he’ll cuss ’em out but because the player genuinely wants to excel for the man.

1. I think what most of us here on AN are most frustrated about is this team’s lack of fire, or at the very least, lack of concern about their monumental offensive struggles. Far too many times this season you’ll hear a player here or a player there just shrug-off a shut-out or near shut-out and just say, “Well, Giambi and Holliday have been too good in the past to stay this bad in the future. So we’ll be fine.” That’s just ridiculous to me.

…has been said by so many players that it’s coming off as a crutch.

But we don’t have to look far to see a team that is playing to the best of their abilities and not making any excuses for a sub-par offense. I’m of course talking about the hated Giants and their above .500, second place record. Not only are they playing better than the A’s but they seem to be waaaaaay more personable and “fun” to watch.

Their commercials, while lame and containing horrible acting, include pretty much every player on the roster rather than just focusing on a couple players. I remember when our commercials were cool and funny and our players were fun to root for while the Giants were the geezers. It has definitely been switched even though we still have tons of young players.

Sure they have a nicer stadium and more money but at least they’re finally doing something with it. They’ve created a fun atmosphere while it appears that the A’s have done everything in their power to lose their own. This comes from the loss of countless players, constant changes in the coaches so that the staff doesn’t have an established “style”, Wolff bashing Oakland repeatedly, and an overall stagnancy in the overall MO of the organization.

I don’t really feel like I’m watching the A’s anymore which I thought would be impossible in the offseason after the addition of Giambi. I thought that with Jason back in the fold the team would be at the very least watchable but I think it’s even worse than it was the last two years because this team lacks any true identity. I’m sure everyone is aware of the fact that a sizable chunk of the team probably won’t be back next season (Holliday, O-Cab, Nomar, Springer, Crosby, and probably way more knowing the annual turnover).

I’m sure a nice winning streak will cure all of these things, or at least mask them, but for now the team is exposed for what it is. Lifeless.

’Nuff said all around.

I agree that being yelled at isn’t going to make Giambi, Holliday, and the gang hit or play any better. You would think that professional athletes would take some pride in their work and need little outside motivation.
However, that being said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with calling the team out. Perhaps not by name, but simply coming out and telling us something we already know …. and that is, this team is underperforming (offensively, anyway) at an alarming rate. I agree with some of the comments above … there is absolutely no guarantee that “well, so and so has always hit for average (or power) and his numbers will be there at the end.” Not if he keeps playing like s*** they won’t!! Those kinds of comments are simply lame, worn-out cliches — a different spin than telling the truth. “We’ve got a bunch of guys who aren’t doing their jobs right now, and they really need to turn it around — what we’re forcing the fans to watch right now is garbage.”
I can take losing. I can even take losing when the team really ought to be better. What I can’t take is losing, and the front office/manager/players not admitting that they’re playing like s***. And trying to put some sort of postitive spin on it is the same thing as not admitting you’re horrible.

I’m not sure “talk” helps or hurts the hitters, either. What an honest evaluation does do, however, is let the paying public know that the coaching staff/organization is unhappy with the results as well. And you know what? That’s important. Trotting out the same ol’ cliches every day is unbelievably NOT helpful — to anybody — I do know that!
I disagree with some AN’ers who claim that “being honest” doesn’t do anybody any good in the long run. It reminds the players that their performance(s) isn’t being taken in stride – that they are being held accountable (hopefully) for piss-poor execution night in and night out. But most of all, it sends a message to the most important group involved with a team ~ the fans!!~ that “yes, we realize that we are letting you down at every turn, and we’re working to correct it.” Regardless of what some may say, answering to us by being honest is incredibly important!!

that the A’s have been the 2nd-unluckiest team in the AL and have played the 2nd-hardest schedule in the majors so far (scroll down the comments for that info).

These numbers are based on the Baseball Prospectus adjusted standings — specifically, “third-order wins”, which means taking the run-components of the A’s offense and pitching/defense, analyzing how many runs they should have scored/allowed, adjusting for park and strength of schedule, and calculating a pythagorean W-L based on that.

At least, that’s how I understand the process. People who actually understand stats well should correct my summary if I’m wrong.

Al Davis when you really need him. If this were the Raiders, Geren would be toast, along with a coach or two as well.

We need a manager who brings motivation to this club. FAST!!