The Season in a Nutshell

Offense cannot get into a groove yet

Don't know if all the injuries is the reason ..

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:08 PM PDT 0 recs

but we should have been able to beat Tampa's pen

Did anyone notice the ERAs of their pen? :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Should have given the IBB

Why would Geren not intentionally walk Harris in that situation? I didn't have TV access tonight so I was getting the play by play from Game Center. As soon as I saw that Harris was hitting .529 (9-17)against LHP this year I thought they had to seriously consider it. I checked on Baldelli's numbers and he is hitting .174 against LHP. I don't get it.

by Larry E on May 5, 2007 8:10 PM PDT 0 recs

Good Question Larry but even if we get them out..

.. our offense has to eventually score again for goodness sakes .. yikes .. :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nico gave a great answer to this in the

Game Thread.

Baldelli is the better hitter. Harris looks good thanks to the small sample size. Kennedy had spent the day controlling Harris.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 8:14 PM PDT up 0 recs

There's a reason Harris

bats 9th and Baldelli hits leadoff. The real problem is that Marshall doesn't get righties out and was faced with a lineup of righties--he was probably going to fail, but our good pitchers were already spent.

I think a better question would be why Marshall was the choice instead of DiNardo, who could have been put in "indefinitely" for innings 12-16 until the A's scored (at which point Witasick would also be an option). Given the reality that all right-handed hitters were due up, I think that was a better option than to throw Marshall to the wolves.

But really, when you're quibbling between Marshall and DiNardo, you've pretty much lost the game.

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 May 5, 2007 8:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

if they were all righties ..

.. why not Witasick? Before anyone throws stones or roasts me, Jay has actually been doing better than expected. He is healthy now and at least he throws hard - he might be better choice to face a bunch of righties - although Carl Crawford their most dangerous threat, is lefty ..

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think Witasick became

the "designated closer"--the guy we would only put in if we took the lead. You always have to have one pitcher in reserve when the other team is going to get the last at-bat.

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 May 5, 2007 8:29 PM PDT up 0 recs

OK thanks, that makes sense

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

Though as with so much about this game

...when Witasick becomes the "designated closer" you know you're in a fair bit of trouble.

"There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.'"--Joaquin Andujar

by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:29 AM PDT up 0 recs

Good comments Nico

I also was wondering why DiNardo wasn't chosen ahead of Marshall. Marshall started the season great but hasn't looked as good lately.

by Larry E on May 5, 2007 8:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Here's what bugs me

The A's used to have a guy who was nails for multiple innings and you could stick him out there in the 10th and let him go for a while. That guy was Duke and when the A's made him the primary set-up man they lost all kinds of flexability. You shouldn't be burning up your short arms in a game like today. You should be sending your long man out instead of Calero. If DiNardo's not that guy THAN WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING ON THE ROSTER?!?!

I believe that the A's have a potential replacement for what Duke used to give the team down in AAA. Jason Windsor is as good as he's ever going to get and it doesn't look like that's going to be good enough to be a big league SP. He's pitched in the bullpen before. Convert him to the pen full time in Sac and bring him up at mid-season. His stuff will be a tick better in shorter (non-starting stints) which combined with his control will equal success.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 8:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

Interesting

I kind of like the idea. The kid has the mental toughness needed in the pen, and could be real effective for 2-4 innings. What about doing the same with Komine?

by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 8:52 PM PDT up 0 recs

Room for one or the other

Komine might have slightly better stuff but Duke didn't get it done with stuff, he got it done with control. So to me, Windsor is the more natural comparison.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 8:56 PM PDT up 0 recs

After Duke, the guy who

filled that role is a guy we still have: Halsey (remember the 17 inning win over the Dodgers?). I didn't have a problem with using Calero, because he's a full cut above the scrubs. But once you're into the scrubs, it may as well be your "5 inning guy" (used to be Duke, then Halsey, now DiNardo), unless you see 2-3 lefties coming up and see a chance to utilize your LOOGY. That wasn't the case, so it may as well have been DiNardo. Or if you're not going to use him, don't have him on the team. (Do you Yabu? Ya-buuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!)

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 May 5, 2007 9:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

And we all love...

...Halsey's attitude.

He's a real team guy!

"There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.'"--Joaquin Andujar

by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:30 AM PDT up 0 recs

Good point

Honestly, I keep forgeting that DiNardo is even on the team...

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch

Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on May 5, 2007 9:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

not to mention the RISP

which all too typically was unmentionable

by OaklandSi on May 5, 2007 8:11 PM PDT 0 recs

Agreed:- this loss is all on the (anemic) offense

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

i consciously avoided that "stat" ...

... as I think that, over the course of a season, it's not especially relevant. If you hit enough doubles and homeruns, your RISP (either AVG w/RISP, or raw Rs left ISP) isn't going to matter.

I also avoided mentioning any "small ball" approaches for the same reason.

You don't promise a fat girl doughnuts and don't deliver. ~ Jennifer @('.')@

by monkeyball on May 5, 2007 8:52 PM PDT up 0 recs

Actually

You could make a case that the A's can't even manage a decent OBP, considering it's .313 for the season so far.

Not exactly a comforting thought.

by lenscrafters on May 5, 2007 8:13 PM PDT 0 recs

On the plus side,

we weren't exactly counting on winning the Kennedy-Kazmir matchup, and give Street a 9th inning lead and you're usually in great shape.

On the minus side, by my calculations Joe Blanton will not have Street, Duke, or Calero to back him tomorrow, so he might want to pitch a shutout or the A's bats may want to wake up for a day.

On the plus side, a win tomorrow and a good series in KC, and things could be looking a lot brighter come Thursday.

On the minus side, we still trot out Kendall and Crosby every day.

On the plus side, Croz will surely be injured soon.

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 May 5, 2007 8:17 PM PDT 0 recs

this will probably be the year

he stays healthy.

Viva le AN...Liberte, Egalite, Disabilite and Inabilite.

by ak_A on May 5, 2007 8:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

that's a good point. or, um, many,

Kennedy (and, for that matter, Beane) deserves heaps of praise for making a 5 vs 1 matchup as competitive as it was.

You don't promise a fat girl doughnuts and don't deliver. ~ Jennifer @('.')@

by monkeyball on May 5, 2007 8:56 PM PDT up 0 recs

pretty sad performance tonight

It's time to stop letting Kendall catch every game. Sit his dead ass tomorrow.

Chavez has played every game so far, and clearly needs a break. Throw Scutaro in there tomorrow. He can strike out/ground out/pop out just as well and perhaps Chavez can get rested for that a'skeery KC pitching staff.

Crosby needs to pull his head out of his butt.

Of course, none of this solves much with the other dead holes in the lineup, but with Kendall gone it's a start.

by coffee roaster on May 5, 2007 8:18 PM PDT 0 recs

funny

no one ever mentions sitting Miggy and he plays every game.

I'm not in favor of sitting one of our 'best' players when so many others are out with injuries. It just doesn't make any sense to sit Chavy unless he really sucks.

Top of the 9th, two outs, batter pops up on 1st swing to end game. Guess who?

by sf drift king on May 5, 2007 11:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

The way I see it,

Chavez and Kendall absolutely killed us tonight. Neither did anything on offense besides Kendall getting hit. Then he gets doubled off on a line drive. Sit Chavez for a day to let him rest, and bench Kendall for the foreseeable future. Do we have the balls? No.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 8:21 PM PDT 0 recs

Hang on--we have the "balls".

What we don't have is a real back up 3Bman or a back-up catcher who should ever bat right-handed intentionally. With tomorrow's early game and a RHP on the mound, I'll bet Melhuse is in there. But it wouldn't have made sense tonight.

And with off-days this past Monday and Thursday, and another one coming up Monday, exactly why does Chavez need a day off?

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 May 5, 2007 8:27 PM PDT up 0 recs

I wasn't saying they needed to be benched tonight

although their combined performances show that sitting them wouldn't have made a difference, i said that Chavez should sit tomorrow because even though we have off days coming up, 2 days off in a row isn't unheard of. As for Kendall I said bench him indefinitely because he hasn't shown any signs of coming out of this slump. I say let Melhuse catch half the games/week and Kendall the other half. Can't be any worse.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 10:12 PM PDT up 0 recs

Chavez hits

bad pitching well. So he should play tonight.

Croz cant hit period...

by oak1 on May 6, 2007 6:57 AM PDT up 0 recs

Can someone do me a favor

and explain why Kendall still plays in games? I'm not going to blame this or any particular loss on him. But when, out of all the qualifying major leaguers (not just AL) he has the lowest BA, OBP, SLG, and XBHs, does he truly deserve to play? Don't give me that BS about calling a good game either, because he can do that from the bench. Remove the pressure of actually pretending to try to hit and he can spend the half inning chatting with the pitcher.

Free of Elderberry smell since 12:20PM 4/19/07

by DMOAS on May 5, 2007 8:29 PM PDT 0 recs

Or just let Blanton hit

and have the DH bat for Kendall. And Crosby. And a few others. Can't we just have Blanton pitch and Swisher hit? Please?

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 May 5, 2007 8:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'd rather watch Zito try

to hit than Kendall. At least Zito knows how to miss a 3rd strike badly and not make the mistake of connecting and a dribbling one right into the hands of a middle infield who turns one out into two.

Free of Elderberry smell since 12:20PM 4/19/07

by DMOAS on May 5, 2007 8:35 PM PDT up 0 recs

Blanton

Geren is probably worried that Joe would clog the bases.

by Larry E on May 5, 2007 8:38 PM PDT up 0 recs

Better to have Blanton clogging the bases

than Kendall unclogging them. Kendall is a plunger when all we really need is a good flush.

Free of Elderberry smell since 12:20PM 4/19/07

by DMOAS on May 5, 2007 8:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'd be worried about Swede clogging the bases

Dane Iorg used to clog the bases, too.

You don't promise a fat girl doughnuts and don't deliver. ~ Jennifer @('.')@

by monkeyball on May 5, 2007 8:58 PM PDT up 0 recs

Whoa folks, a nutshell?

This morning, in traffic, a LIVE bird fell onto the hood of my car. After a couple minutes the bird awoke and flew off.

Also, after watching a couple interviews with Bob Geren, I'm convinced he is under some kind of mind control, persuasion, or a form of mind suggestion to make him eat more, increasing his weight, with every loss.

by azagtooth on May 5, 2007 8:33 PM PDT 0 recs

Wow, so it isn't just

Sally Struthers.

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 May 5, 2007 8:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Here's my question

Let's say the A's were going to trade Dan Haren (their best trade chip) and they were going to be able to include a salary dump as part of the deal. Would it be better to tie Kotsay and his $8 million salary in 2008 to the package or should we send Crosby, who's signed through 2009 for $8.75 million?

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 8:36 PM PDT 0 recs

Kotsay

Crosby has more upside, he's younger and will get better. Kotsay's aching back will never be 100%

by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 8:56 PM PDT up 0 recs

The definition

of optimist - Crosby has upside and will get better.

He hasn't shown any improvement since his rookie year - why should he start now?

by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 9:02 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'm only thinking upside because of his age

And he's so strong. If he could get his awkwardness figured out, he could be a caliber shortstop.

by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 9:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

Really though

I remember arguing vehemently this last off-season that the A's should trade Crosby for whatever they could and move on to a new SS. A lot of people argued against such a move using the very defence you just put forth. They said the A's would be selling low. Crosby had a rep in the off-season for being fragile and a poor hitter but he was skilled with the glove. Now he's not even that good! He's shown some struggles with the glove and has, in my mind, found an even lower trade value than he had before.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 9:22 PM PDT up 0 recs

Here's my question

Are you really advocating trading Haren? He's actually the single guy on the 40-man I'd refuse to trade (barring the economist-assuming-a-can-opener-on-a-desert-island "but what if we'd get Pujols!" return).

You don't promise a fat girl doughnuts and don't deliver. ~ Jennifer @('.')@

by monkeyball on May 5, 2007 9:00 PM PDT up 0 recs

No, I'm not

But realistically, Haren is the only guy I see as being able to attach dead weight to and still get something good in return.

Maybe you could pull off a similiar deal with Swisher or Street but Haren's a sure thing.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 9:03 PM PDT up 0 recs

We can't really get anyone

who's better than Haren though. If Harden makes 6 straight starts around the deadline, we could pull off a swindle.

by mikeA on May 5, 2007 9:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

No, we wouldn't

And you'd be getting LESS than what you could have if you had traded Haren alone. But in this scenario, the A's would be getting better via subtraction of either Crosby or Kotsay.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 9:07 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think...

Croz could get a little something at the trade deadline...He could be a useful chip for a team that needed to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs. I really do think he has upside, even if he hasn't shown it, or stayed healthy this century. So, if we're gonna trade Croz, or Harden, or whomever, I think we'd really need to take the Marlin's approach and attempt to completely retool our entire lineup and staff. Lord knows - aside from their stadium issues - the Marlins look better for the next 5 years than we do!

by CyZito on May 5, 2007 9:26 PM PDT up 0 recs

OK, obviously

our offense sucks right now, and it might for quite some time, but I have a quibbling matter to talk about with the pitching strategy.

Why in the eff was Jay Marshall sent in to face a bunch of right handed hitters? Let DiNardo throw against them. At least he gets them out sometimes.

See the latest dumbass thing I've done -- camUra

by hunter on May 5, 2007 8:38 PM PDT 0 recs

{guess} Witasick and DiNardo will pitch tomorrow?

Calero, Duke, Marshall, and Street have been used quite a bit lately ...

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:40 PM PDT up 0 recs

Did anyone have any faith

in a Kennedy matchup with their number one guy? I'm glad we hung with him and held a lead. Nice. Last time he shut us out big time. And the Angels lost too. Tomorrow Melhuse will have the game of his life and Blanton will pitch a complete game shutout. Go A's! BTW was at Wrigley today watching the Cubbies win. What a great place! Everybody into it. So cool. Anybody ever go there? See you all tomorrow.

by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 8:54 PM PDT 0 recs

Wrigley Field is the most beautiful

ballpark I've ever visited.

by OaklandSi on May 5, 2007 8:56 PM PDT up 0 recs

Everybody into it?

That would be a first. Cub games are social events where more than half the people there couldn't tell you what a baseball looks like.
Don't get me wrong, Wrigley is a great venue to watch a game, with some historical significance. But Cub fans are some of the worst around. Sure they're fired up now, but just wait three or four weeks for the June swoon to kick in, and they'll drop off the bandwagon faster than the fat kid grabs a doughnut.

by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 9:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

The Cubs haven't won a world series in 99 years!

And they sell out all the time! I don't see that as bandwagon. The fans I sat next to new all about the Cubs.

by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 9:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

The people

paying attention are die-hards, but that only accounts for about 50% of the crowd. Cub games are social events. Last year I was sitting in the stands and the guys next to me were talking and one says "So when did we get this Derek Lee guy? He's pretty good." The other responds "we must have just called him up." Yeah, just called him up.
The Cubs sell out because of the social atmosphere of the game and the surrounding area. It is the "it" thing to do in the summer time. And it is precisely that reason that they haven't won a World Series in 99 years.

by IndianaAsfan on May 6, 2007 9:47 AM PDT up 0 recs

You know

the nice thing about today's game was that it dramatically boosted Kennedy's trade value. If he keeps putting up performances like this he could bring back something nice in a couple months.

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 5, 2007 9:01 PM PDT 0 recs

I was actually thinking about that

during the game. Even if he pitches at the expected ~5.00 ERA for awhile he's going to have appealing numbers for some pitching starved teams in July.

by mikeA on May 5, 2007 9:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

I was actually thinking

trade him right now. First come, first serve, best offer. I doubt you'd get a better deal. Let him go one or two more and he'll likely lower his own value. Why risk it.

Free of Elderberry smell since 12:20PM 4/19/07

by DMOAS on May 5, 2007 9:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Because the other GM will be thinking

along the same lines as you. They want to see if he can keep it up. Everyone relax, Kennedy had his first real good start of the year. The others were all 5-6 inning "adventures" to say the least.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 10:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

6 runs in 5 starts.

what more do you want?

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

by xbhaskarx on May 5, 2007 11:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

Er....at least ONE win?

Please?

"There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.'"--Joaquin Andujar

by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

A bandwagon A's fan

Things could be worse, at least you guys don't have to watch "Tracyball" in Pittsburgh. I coined the term BUNTracy for him. I tried to boycott the Pirates for about 8 years, but I got sucked back in last year. At least In Billy I trust. Looks like Kendall may have finally hit the wall though.

by Travis on May 5, 2007 9:07 PM PDT 0 recs

That Dealin' Tampa Bay Pen ...

Man it's a pain in the butt to watch Chavvy hit these days. Can't they please, please bat him 8th?

by solotar on May 5, 2007 9:29 PM PDT 0 recs

or at least lower than third/fourth

when he's going good he's not bad in the fourth spot....but has he ever done well in the third spot?

by OaklandSi on May 6, 2007 6:47 AM PDT up 0 recs

This is the great dilemma of the A's lineup

Two-thirds of the friggin' team ought to be batting 8th!

"There is one word in America that says it all, and that one word is, 'You never know.'"--Joaquin Andujar

by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:36 AM PDT up 0 recs

Come June First, we'll be getting some guys back

from injury (Harden, Kotsay, Bradley, Kielty)

and we will have a roster crunch. I say that then is the time to have a bit of a sale, and try to cast off (give away?) a few of our pieces, and pick up some replacement parts.

One guy out there that we should look at picking up is Salty in Hotlanta. I am not spelling his full name, it is even worse then Duchscherer.

Then again, since this is the Braves, and they do have a penchant for having prospects bust as soon as they are traded...

(Entering 2007, Career Minor League Stats)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (age 22 in 07): .273/.370/.448/.818

.230/.353/.380/.733

.309/.404/.617/1.022

Kurt Suzuki (23 in 07): .283/.386/.430/.816

.285/.392/.415/.807

.305/.382/.389/.771

If you acquired Salty, and put him on the big club with Suzuki, thats one hell of a catching duo, especially if they alternate DH duties to keep both fresh and in the lineup.

And if we could acquire Reid Brignac from Tampa Bay somehow, and ditch Bobby Crosby, that would be very awesome.

Which could potentially give us a lineup of:
C1 Saltalamacchia
1B Barton
2B Ellis
3B Chavez
SS Brignac
LF Buck
RF Swisher
CF Kotsay
DH Suzuki (C1)

by Zonis on May 5, 2007 9:30 PM PDT 0 recs

I could see Salty being traded

Because they already have a capable Brian McCann but I don't see Brignac being traded because Ben Zobrist is not the answer in TB. However, I'm sure other teams have offered better packages for Salty in the past than we could hope to conjure up and he hasn't been dealt yet. Suzuki's our catcher of the future and that's how it's gonna be, like it or not.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 10:21 PM PDT 0 recs

This is crap.

what's up with so many non televised games? Why are weekend games not on tv?

Top of the 9th, two outs, batter pops up on 1st swing to end game. Guess who?

by sf drift king on May 5, 2007 11:22 PM PDT 0 recs

Because...

I don't know, but I honestly believe part of the reason is A's fans are more vocal over a 12 second radio delay then they are over getting their games shown on TV. If everyone on AN wrote A's management, and got as riled up as they did over the radio delay, every time we had an entire weekend without a game shown (like last weekend), it would show A's Management that there is an audience to watch the games and they would find a channel for them, even if it was another channel besides KICU or FSN:BA. Hell, if A's management want it bad enough they'll cut a deal with FSN to show the remaining games.

After this last week of only about half the games being shown (and no games last weekend) I've written a letter I'm about to send out. I strongly suggest anyone else fed up with this do the same and let the A's know they are loosing out on television advertising revenues because they refuse to put up the sweat and tears to get their games broadcast on a format that isn't over 100 years old. I'm sorry for you radio lovers out there but there is a reason my grandparents were more then willing to run out, buy a TV, and let their radio collect dust.

Here is the address for Athletics management I got off the web site:

Athletics Management
7000 Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA 94621

by Threepwood XX on May 6, 2007 1:10 AM PDT up 0 recs

its not the A's management you need to call

its FSN and Action36. And from what I've gathered from Action36 in the past, they can't afford to do much more, while FSN just refused to do so.

by Zonis on May 6, 2007 9:51 AM PDT up 0 recs

I Have Wondered ..

.. do the Giants really have that bigger fan base than us? If so, we need to increase our fan base, -- but if a team that has had losing seasons for the past four years (more than once finishing well under .500), playing in the clearly inferior league (NL), continues to maintain a superior fan base to a team that, since 2000, is 2nd only to the Yankees in won/loss record - what can you do? The A's put out a winner on the field, the Giants do not, yet they dominate us in fan support, TV and media coverage. ;-(

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 7:33 AM PDT up 0 recs

The answer is:

Barry Bonds. Like it or not, he is a huge draw for good reasons and bad. If you asked the average person to name one A's player I don't think they could, MAYBE Piazza now, but even that is doubtful. Ask to name a giant and I bet you get Bonds 9 times out of 10.

by dbuzi123 on May 6, 2007 7:48 AM PDT up 0 recs