Furious Phone Calls
The speculation that Daric Barton is arriving soon is growing. So, I've spent the past hour or so trying to reach anyone to talk about it.
Needless to say, I've figured out why Barton isn't in the lineup tonight. The A's reportedly want to give Barton a couple of nights off to make sure he is well-rested. Well-rested for what, you ask? That's open to speculation because I never got a definite answer. But I would guess that it means that Daric could be joining the A's soon for the stretch run. He may still be a September call-up, but I also know that the team has been trying to work him in the outfield to get him used to that position.
Barton would like to both play in the field and bat, but if it means he gets a shot at DH, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Regardless, this team could use an infusion of something...and soon.
As for the game tonight, the A's offense just looks like it has completely run out of energy. The 0-8 at the top of the lineup is dreadful. Our pitching continues to be a strength, even with former Athletic Carlos Pena coming back to haunt the team.
Even though the present is rough, the very near future could be very interesting. Stay tuned.
0 recs |
179
comments
Comments
bad news everywhere tonight
The Skanks rally in the 9th to win;
The Indians win a close one;
The Angels almost blow a game to Miguel Tejada and the Orioles but they hang on.
And our boys are moribund in Motown.
But.....
Daric barton and kevin Mellilo could be on the way.
If so, all I can say is that Billy Beane has the heart of a lion and he's as fierce.
No quit in him-- he knows all his current options are unsatisfactory so he's rolling the proverbial dice. Go get 'em, Billy!
by oaktoon on Aug 23, 2005 7:30 PM PDT 0 recs
I blame this guy!

Taken from Camden Yards tonight during the Orioles' loss to the Angels
Typical Byrnes tonight. 3-4 with an error in the outfield! And Tejada's 2 outs, bottom of the 9th grand slam was awesome, but too little too late!
by louismg on
Aug 23, 2005 8:18 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Argggh devil devil
by oblique on
Aug 23, 2005 8:19 PM PDT
up
0 recs
A's, Thou Art Loosed! of the byrnes-demon!
by ak_A on
Aug 23, 2005 8:24 PM PDT
up
0 recs
I swear I had the only A's cap in the stadium
Each of the Baltimore fans I talked to didn't seem interested in returning Tejada to the A's. Can't figure that one out.
by louismg on
Aug 23, 2005 8:27 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Question
by salb918 on Aug 23, 2005 7:32 PM PDT 0 recs
Depends
by IndianaAsfan on
Aug 24, 2005 9:24 AM PDT
up
0 recs
Melillo enters game as PH in Midland
by NP15 on Aug 23, 2005 7:33 PM PDT 0 recs
Umm, Blez?
"Needless to say, I've figured out why Barton isn't in the lineup tonight."
What exactly does this mean? Did you dream up the explanation yourself that he needs rest for a September call-up, or were you told this by one of your "contacts" (Urban, Slusser, BB himself)? So I wouldn't really call that "needless to say" seeing as how confused I am.
"Barton isn't a big fan of being a DH, but if it means he gets a shot, I'm sure he'd do it in a heartbeat."
Since when are we letting players decide which position their future is at? Barton may not like to DH, but he has no plus defensive position. As I noted in blee1134's diary, it could be that the A's intentionally put him at DH as it would keep his long-term cost down in arbitration and beyond -- just as we're currently doing with Justin Duchscherer (no starts, few saves = low cost).
Call up Barton right now and let him drive a couple Bonderman fastballs into the left-centerfield gap tomorrow.
by NP15 on Aug 23, 2005 7:41 PM PDT 0 recs
Ok
That said, unless it's from BB himself, I think it sounds like a cop-out answer from someone who didn't really know what was going on ("Oh, Barton's not in the line-up tonight? Yeah, that's because I heard they're resting him." Umm... so the reason he's out of the line-up is because they're resting him?? Genius!! Why didn't I think of that?)
by NP15 on
Aug 23, 2005 8:02 PM PDT
up
0 recs
No, Barton was told
by Blez on
Aug 23, 2005 8:06 PM PDT
up
0 recs
That is the problem
by china bob on
Aug 23, 2005 10:06 PM PDT
up
0 recs
kendall says he wanted to bat 2nd
by burnone on
Aug 24, 2005 10:45 AM PDT
up
0 recs
[I wouldn't be surprised
by Melody on
Aug 23, 2005 10:39 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Stop the stupid rumors!!!
Oakland is not in the near future.
Sorry to be pissy I will no longer respond to these ridiculous rumors.
by novaoakland on Aug 23, 2005 7:51 PM PDT 0 recs
Wow..angry much?
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 7:53 PM PDT
up
0 recs
They had an off day yesterday
by DKNJ on
Aug 23, 2005 7:55 PM PDT
up
0 recs
BACK TO BACK days off is very common
by novaoakland on
Aug 23, 2005 10:12 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Nova
by Blez on
Aug 23, 2005 7:56 PM PDT
up
0 recs
haha..
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 7:57 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Since it hasn't been said
Thanks for trying to find out what's going on as the plot thickens...
by salb918 on
Aug 23, 2005 8:04 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Thanks for saying that Sal
by Blez on
Aug 23, 2005 8:07 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Word
So thanks Blez. It is indeed very telling to know that Barton was kept out multiple days so he'd be well rested.
by BleacherDrummer on
Aug 24, 2005 1:19 AM PDT
up
0 recs
i agree
by burnone on
Aug 24, 2005 10:50 AM PDT
up
0 recs
Stupid rumors are stupid rumors
IF I see them I will point them out.
by novaoakland on
Aug 23, 2005 10:14 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Haha...you are pure comedy.
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 10:18 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Hey bud
And don't call them ridiculous rumors. If anything, you are being ridiculously illogical. Someone hitting for a .950 OPS in Midland with that type of BB:K ratio is going to be able to hit for an .800-.825 OPS in the major leagues right now. It's still baseball, it's the same game. We have years and years of historical data that allow us to forecast hitters' performance in the major leagues based on results in the minors, right down to the park factors and level of pitching for a league in a particular year. These things are remarkably consistent and have been analyzed going back 50+ years.
Now, that .800 OPS estimate is just a best guess, an expected value. Certainly, with someone who's just barely 20 years old, there will be more variance to the estimate -- but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't give him a shot right now.
by NP15 on
Aug 23, 2005 7:58 PM PDT
up
0 recs
I guess I will not be proven right unitl
He will not be called up this year and he will not start 2006 in the majors!!!!!
by novaoakland on
Aug 23, 2005 10:15 PM PDT
up
0 recs
.825 OBS?
by tinez on
Aug 23, 2005 10:27 PM PDT
up
0 recs
i was at the game tonight
at the game tonight tho... i was fortunate enough to meet Kotsay and Sarloos during BP and they were really nice! and i almost caught pena's first homer in the 4th...
but the FUNNIEST part of the night was when swisher went to go visit one of his friends and his kid on the right field line and when people started running over to get his autograph he basically ran away and said to us all:
"Sorry, I have to go take a drug test."
that might have been the funniest thing ive heard in a while, and even tho he didnt sign for us...it made me laugh and made the A's loss a little easier to take.
Lets go GVSU!
by Alisa on Aug 23, 2005 7:53 PM PDT 0 recs
Haha....He wasnt lying either.
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 8:00 PM PDT
up
0 recs
holy crap
he was messing around with everyone tonight...especially the fans in the front row in right field -- they were getting on him about not giving them the ball he was warming up with...
im hoping i can sneak down to those seats tomorrow or thursday... ;)
Lets go GVSU!
by Alisa on
Aug 23, 2005 8:04 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Haha..yep, he was serious.
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 8:06 PM PDT
up
0 recs
oh crap...
by guy incognito on
Aug 23, 2005 8:02 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Where do you think all his power is coming from?
by NP15 on
Aug 23, 2005 8:04 PM PDT
up
0 recs
I doubt it
by salb918 on
Aug 23, 2005 8:05 PM PDT
up
0 recs
hopefully...
Lets go GVSU!
by Alisa on
Aug 23, 2005 8:09 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Juiced
by Fongpay on
Aug 23, 2005 8:14 PM PDT
up
0 recs
silver linings
- No one was killed in the production of that puke-fest.
- If Haren could take back one pitch, then that would have been a very well pitched game. Still would have lost, of course.
- Reinforcements on the way? The whole team looks depressed.
- Flowers are pretty.
- Sorry, I got nuthin.
by Apricot on Aug 23, 2005 8:38 PM PDT 0 recs
Check your email
10Q
by McFood on
Aug 23, 2005 8:51 PM PDT
up
0 recs
brute force, my friend
by Apricot on
Aug 23, 2005 9:03 PM PDT
up
0 recs
That's not brute force...
by McFood on
Aug 23, 2005 9:06 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Red Meat?
hmm.
by Genaro on
Aug 23, 2005 9:09 PM PDT
up
0 recs
check out Daily Link Dump 8/23
by Apricot on
Aug 23, 2005 9:16 PM PDT
up
0 recs
we are only
by Athletics fan and runner on
Aug 24, 2005 7:17 AM PDT
up
0 recs
Macha Comments on September Callups
Callup talk: Macha said he hasn't discussed September callups with general manager Billy Beane, but he does have a few ideas for augmenting the roster when it becomes expandable.
Right-hander Juan Cruz, who was 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA as a starter for Triple-A Sacramento through Monday, was mentioned, as was outfielder Charles Thomas, who, Macha said, "could contribute with his [speed] and defense in the outfield."
Utilityman Jermaine Clark, one of the fastest players on the River Cats, is also an option. Clark can play all three outfield positions and three infield positions.
"He'd be a nice guy to stick in there, too," Macha said.
Macha added that he'd like to see the A's bring up another catcher, to give him the flexibility to use Jason Kendall and Adam Melhuse in the lineup at the same time more often, but he didn't mention anyone by name. Sacramento's catchers are John Baker, who was batting .233 in 326 at-bats through Monday, and Tom Gregorio, a .320 hitter in 75 at-bats.
Another option at catcher could be Alberto Castillo, who was signed to a Minor League contract Monday night. Castillo is a .222 career hitter who has played for the Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Giants and Royals. Castillo appeared in 34 games for Kansas City this season before being released Aug. 5.
by louismg on Aug 23, 2005 8:40 PM PDT 0 recs
It shows you how stupid Macha is
by china bob on
Aug 23, 2005 10:12 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Macha is not stupid
And there's one other small problem with Melhuse: he's not very good. His OPS this season is .662, and his career OPS is .728. That is not every day DH material. And people say Hatteberg doesn't deserve the job?
Since the other options at DH aren't fantastic either, I'm all in favor of giving Melhuse a chance once in a while to keep his swing together. But he's hardly the solution to our DH problem.
by matthias on
Aug 23, 2005 10:18 PM PDT
up
0 recs
finally
by burnone on
Aug 24, 2005 10:56 AM PDT
up
0 recs
It's interesting that when the game is on,
Somehow, they must feel Macha either doesn't deserve credit for steering a young, once last place team back into contention. Or they can't appreciate the job Macha did to enable the team to go 40-50; correspondingly, Macha--in their cranium-challenged brains--must be strung up for this recent downturn.
And, of course, a position player must also be singled out. In May, it was Chavvy. Now it's Kendall. Pray tell, who--along with with Curt Young--took the two young starters Haren and Blanton, and guided them to remarkable achievements this early in their career? And who, along with Young, helped turn Barry Zito's career around? Who helped make Kirk Saarloos one of baseball's best 5th starter? Who turned 22 year old Huston Street into a possible Rookie of the Year and a possible premier closer? Etc., etc.
No, as in politics when people project their own sense of futility in life onto someone else, in baseball too scapegoats must be found. Alas, analysis and logic require too many neurons...
by reztips on Aug 23, 2005 8:48 PM PDT 0 recs
That's one of your best comments ever
by Blez on
Aug 23, 2005 8:51 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Disagreement
If you just don't like hearing the same critiques over and over again, or if you think they're overly biased or substantively lacking, then why not just point it out on those specific diaries? Or say so without so much judgement. I know I've made plenty of statistics-based critiques of Kendall. I think they've been valid. And no, I don't post during or after every game. If some posts seemed like political scapegoating to you I doubt they were intended that way. I also didn't think this site was built on the tenets of "1984".
So to chalk all of the cynicism swirling around of late up to "a whole different genre of posters" who "project their own sense of futility in life onto someone else", and who lack the neurons for "analysis and logic" alienates those posters who don't feel like established "regulars" of this site, but still might have something to contribute. Thoughtful questioning of the "status quo" is a unique part of this site that is lacking in other media outlets.
Maybe you didn't mean to be that incendiary. But mass-labeling to anyone as having "cranium-challenged brains", whether it's toward a group or an individual seems contrary to the AN community guidelines. And I don't think your post warrants approval from our administrator.
by BleacherDrummer on
Aug 24, 2005 12:58 AM PDT
up
0 recs
Rez....
by OaktownPower on
Aug 23, 2005 8:54 PM PDT
up
0 recs
After reading that,
by ak_A on
Aug 23, 2005 8:56 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Whoa, before you go off the philosophical deep-end
Crosby came back and was instantly inserted into the third spot, deplacing Chavez, whom Macha said he would NOT move. According to Ken, he didn't "see how it(moving players in a lineup) could make a difference."
Now?
To say Macha had a great impact on this team is a slap in the face to what Chavez, Crosby, and Johnson did.
And as for Kendall? Yeah, his salary went UP this year and his performance went DOWN. Oh, he's also the top moneymaker on this team for 05.
Some Scapegoat he is. For shame for some fans to expect him to perform to his normal levels.
by Genaro on
Aug 23, 2005 8:59 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Fan's reactions...
First though, it is the nature of the fan to react harshly towards players or persons (see Bartman) it perceives as the downfall of their teams. I think it is a bit elitist to simply disregard what they are yelling about without at least 1. understanding that the gripes will be exaggerated during times like these and 2. trying to logically discredit what they are saying.
Now I'm not saying you haven't logically challenged their reasonings behind the A's downfall, but I also think we need to let the venting take place as if we are NOT robots.
by capper3 on
Aug 23, 2005 9:25 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Yes
Let's not confuse the roles.
by matthias on
Aug 23, 2005 9:32 PM PDT
up
0 recs
I agree
Think about playing against your friends and or family in a game. "You're a bum!" during the game, but afterwards, it's only a game.
Since as fans we suffer no monetary consequence (gamblers excluded... their own hell) why not rise and fall with the tides and fortunes?
by Ducts on the Pawn on
Aug 23, 2005 10:59 PM PDT
up
0 recs
The biggest sin . . . .
by camperdog on
Aug 23, 2005 9:58 PM PDT
up
0 recs
See:
Or at least that's what we could see this fall.
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on
Aug 24, 2005 8:28 AM PDT
up
0 recs
Not Macha, that's for sure
by china bob on
Aug 23, 2005 10:16 PM PDT
up
0 recs
great post rez
by Athletics fan and runner on
Aug 24, 2005 7:19 AM PDT
up
0 recs
AthleticsNation has gone back
At the same time, an Orange level alert.
So Watch out!!
by Hit4TheCycle on Aug 23, 2005 8:52 PM PDT 0 recs
Well where is all the love for Macha?
I really think he is just a lump who is nither responsible for wins or loses and will be replaced by a cheaper Manager next season.
by novaoakland on
Aug 23, 2005 10:20 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Hey, check Macha
by AlBowe on Aug 23, 2005 9:12 PM PDT 0 recs
I agree, change something
Nothing is constant, and everyone says the MLB game is a "game of adjustments". So why not be constantly adjusting? If you tell the players in March "I'll be moving people around if we win ten in a row, and I'll be moving people up and down if we lose eight in a row, or go .500 for 20 games..." then you don't have to show a change in philosophy.
by Ducts on the Pawn on
Aug 23, 2005 11:04 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Macha's comments on the callups
Of course I could be reading entirely too much into this.
by nycfan on Aug 23, 2005 9:17 PM PDT 0 recs
Macha says no Barton.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/08/24/ASREPORT.TMP&type=as
by Sharon on Aug 23, 2005 9:19 PM PDT 0 recs
Was just about to post this!
by rookieoftheyear on
Aug 23, 2005 11:25 PM PDT
up
0 recs
Revenge of the castoffs
Did anyone else notice that huge chip on Pena's shoulder? Remember 2002 and the Carlos Pena Fan Club sign? I think it was in the right field bleachers? Was it 2002? Pena was roommates for all of 2 months with Chavy, Mulder, Ellis and Venafro in the fabled Lafayette house. Time flies...
There's something about players who get traded and play against the team that traded them -- they have Something To Prove. Pena with his 2 homers, mutter, mutter. What will Bonderman inflict on us tomorrow?
by BillybUcko on Aug 23, 2005 9:20 PM PDT 0 recs
Since we are scoring 1 run a game
by china bob on
Aug 23, 2005 10:19 PM PDT
up
0 recs

