Roy Halladay: Still Very Good - Goes Nine, Beats A's, 3-1

but WTF is going on with all the one pitch outs, especially when it’s already been quick.

Powell, Crisp, Weeks, Matsui all seem to be making outs on first pitches. I don’t remember many/any first pitch hits.
First pitch out, yes.

From what I saw/heard, only one of his hits was really legit, no?

Called Dodger player safe at plate on a sac fly to tie it when he was actually out. That would have ended the game at 2-1 slegnA but they got life and then Tony Gwynn Jr got a hit to win it

So what did DDJ do to impress NewBob? I hope it wasn’t the “gone alookin” ko with
runners on second and third. Lets face it that guy is a bust against anyone but the Angels.

Well, the Allstar break is upon us. I am not holding out any hope that Lew Wolff will do anything other than have a fire sale. Perhaps if the A’s were a game or 2 out he might bring in one bat to put on the appearances that he is making an effort to help a team that could contend with more offense. I believe that the AL west is wide open. No team is just tearing it up. I believe the A’s should be BUYERS at the break instead of the annual talent purge that we normally see from Beane and his overlord.

Once, just ONCE I would like to see Wolff take a more active role in helping the A’s compete and win the AL west. It is high time that Wolff spent money to help the A’s compete against the big market big money teams. I’m not saying break the bank, but a good hitter or 2 would not cause financial meltdown on a team that spends little every season to field a team.

I think if Wolff were to allow Beane to bring in some talent, the A’s could still have a shot at the Pennant and would have as good a chance as anyone in a weak AL West. I have serious doubts that Wolff will do this however because his track record is to have fire sales EVEN WHEN THE TEAM IS STILL IN CONTENTION! Lets hope that Wolff coughs up the cash to bring in a veteran who can still hit. Not just make a token move to bring in a name vet who is washed up at the plate, but a serious veteran hitter who can help the A’s with their scoring woes.

I believe the A’s have a rotation and bullpen that can contend for an AL crown. The fact of the matter is, the A’s offense is putrid, and has trouble pushing across runs. If a veteran who has a history of RBI’s can be brought in to help score a run or 2, the A’s would not lose so many 1 run games. The Giants have just enough hitting to contend. That is what the A’s need to have a chance at the playoffs. This team is ready to break out. There is enough young talent, defense, and pitching to make a run at it. Problem is we have only 2 rookie hitters on our roster who are hitting over .280. The rest of the team is mired in a season long slump. It is time to address the hitting before the break so the A’s can make a run at the pennant. Unfortunately I dont believe Beane will be given that opportunity. Wolff likes to go cheap so he can pocket the extra money.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The problem is NOT that the A’s are a small market team. Teams like Pittsburgh and Minnesota are small market but are thriving. The problem with the A’s is that they have an owner who has a track record of not spending ANY money to improve the team. The Salary is kept low purposely to add money to Wolff’s pocket. Lew spends as little as possible to field a bare bones team. All the acquisitions he did in the off season were players coming off of injuries. None of the hitters they signed are doing anything to help the team win. Then they bolstered their bullpen, but Fuentes has been a bust and Balfor has not produced on a regular basis. So none of the acquisitions in the offseason are paying off because they were coming off of injuries. Wolff needs to spend money on a healthy veteran hitter who has a track record of 90+ Rbi’s per year.

If A’s ownership does not have the financial wherewithal to put a quality product on the field, perhaps Wolff should sell the team to someone who does and quit jerking the fans around. I know that A’s fans are loyal to a fault. I have been following this team for 35 years, and ever since Wolff took control, the A’s have become a bargain basement club. It is high time for Wolff to loosen the purse strings and bring in talent to help the A’s compete. And NOT players who’s names are famous but their games are on the downward path because of injuries or age. It is time for Wolff to put up or go away.

I have mentioned it before, but Wolff has no incentive to spend money to improve the club. Whether they win or lose Wolff gets paid. The Salary Cap welfare check plus the TV rights assure that Wolff will turn a profit. But shouldn’t MLB step in and force Wolff to stop screwing with the integrity of the game? You can’t compete if your payroll is at or near the bottom every season. Other small market teams have used the draft and their farm system to improve. But Beane has traded away all our hitting prospects for cash considerations or cap relief. Ethier, Gonzales, and other hitters who are Allstars on other clubs were given away for next to nothing while the A’s still struggle at the plate to score runs. The Pitching is great, but pitching has NEVER scored a RUN EVER! What does it help that the pitching keeps the games close but the offense cant score? It has become a broken record and I hope it changes soon. Bobo Geren was a terrible coach that was disliked by the entire team apparently, yet it took years to jettison Geren because Wolff didnt want to pay 2 coaches at the same time.

I would like to see Wolff be more active in pursuing talent and give the A’s a chance to compete. But until Wolff changes his attitude toward the team and lets Beane have more to work with, I am afraid that the A’s will not be the team we all hope will someday emerge. The deck is stacked against the A’s. I just hope that sometime in the near future we can get a reshuffling of the deck. A new owner is desperately needed! One who cares about wins and losses as much as he does dollars and cents.