They just looked shitty. Lifeless can be fixed. Shitty can't.

I decided to try, with my own limited photoshop skills. This is just tongue in cheek, for laughs.

Just a warning Nico, I shoot to maim.

Why do I always have to be the one to suffer through your exibition streaks?

Because suddenly "wait 'til next year" seems so easy to say...

you know, it would've been fun if cust's sac fly would have been a grand slam.  sure, we would've lost, but it would've been fun.  while all hope for the a's may be lost, i'd still like to see custy get hot again.

[insert caption here]

somewhere in need of a job, he could probably play SS...LOL...When do we ask for the return of Rickey....OH DEAR!!!!

When will it be time to remove Gaudin from the "untouchable because he's such an integral part of our future" club and realize that he's very quickly reverting to his pre-07 form. Namely, lots of walks, poor ERA.

Look, I'm not saying we get rid of him or anything, but let's call a spade a spade. The Gaudin we saw in April and May was not the real Chad Gaudin. I'm afraid this current Gaudin bears a much stronger resemblance to the Gaudin we picked up before last season. Even as a reliever last year, he had a low ERA, but the peripherals suggested a disaster waiting to happen.

It appears that this disaster might be upon us.

Not a good mix.

which states that the A's have used nine different center fielders this year.  Wow.

Trying to guess who they are...

Kotsay
Stewart
Swisher
Bradley
Snelling
Putnam
Langerhans
Buck?

That's only eight, if Buck is even right.

crosby had an awful game.  during his last 2 at bats, the fans (what little were left) were booing loudly.  he wasn't just bad with the bat, but also the glove.  he muffed balls, made bad throws and made ill advised throws.  he looked totally lost in all aspects of the game.

johnson is the goat of the game.  how many guys did he leave on base?  end of story.

kotsay.  no place on this team any longer.

kennedy.  no place on this team any longer.

here's the game and the fans feeling a nutshell.  after the 5 run 7th inning, one fan in a section to my left (124) ran down the steps to the field and threw his A's cap onto the field.  he was SCREAMING AT CROSBY.  he was giving up.  security came and got him.  no worries.  as security was getting this fan, lew wolff was heading for the door.  he'd seen enough and was shrugging his shoulders as he walked up the stairs.

nice.

A lot of people left...but a lot of people stayed to the bitter end.  

This was the first time I've heard a significant amount of booing by A's fans of our own players, directed at Kennedy and at Crosby.  As a rule, I don't believe that fans should boo their own players -- but in this case I'm prepared to make an exception.  I saw Kennedy wiping his eyes as he went into the dugout and I wasn't sorry that I had just suggested to my section that the next time we saw Joe in a uniform in the Coliseum it had better be Aramark.

I did enjoy seeing the all-Hawaiian, all-Nikkei battery.  And Komine wasn't bad.  

Some people in the left field bleachers had pro-Kendall signs...."Kravin' Kendall" and I couldn't read all of the other one (because I wasn't sitting in the LFB where I belong).

Well, it's better than about a month ago when we knew the A's were bad but they were hiding it. The reason: 2008! A month ago I was hurting during every loss. Now I don't care! Because I have given up on the season. I personally am excited about the trade possibilities, and how they can help the team for next year.

We've got an OK core: Haren, Blanton, and Gaudin starting (although Gaudin is still suspect), with Street, Duke and Casilla in the bullpen. I am hoping the front office gets smart and makes Harden a reliever; then the bullpen would be REALLY exciting. The offense is a different story: the nucleus is basically Swisher, Buck, Barton, and Suzuki, plus Chavez, who I'm sure isn't being shopped around. Plus Cust at DH. That's not as exciting as the pitching core, but Buck and Barton should be good players for years to come. If Beane can get a few good players in some deals in the next few weeks, 2008 could be REALLY exciting.

Also, if we drop a few more big contracts, like Kotsay's, we could have some real money to play with in the offseason. I don't really think we'll be big players or anything, but we'll have some options. Kendall's and Piazza's contracts will be gone, so that's $16 mil right there. That's not chump change at all.

To top it all off: if we keep playing this awful, we'll have a high draft pick next summer. A smart draft can help a team within a few years. Of course that won't help the 2008 season, but it's another reason for excitement.

In summary: forget 2007. If you're going to a game this year, enjoy the game of baseball. Hopefully, you'll see a new, younger team on the field by the beginning of August. Enjoy young players learning the game at the big league level. An A's win would be icing on the cake.

That's my take on things, anyway.

that Crosby misses Ron Washington the most on and off the field, but won't admit it.

My reaction: Quit with the excuses. He sucks.

no, i'm not referring to poor pitch selection.

kendall was our own armando benitez style whipping boy.  and now, it seems that all the anger that was pointed to him has to be re-allocated to other players.  sure, people were pissed at others before, but i really believe that crosby and others just got bumped up the goat ladder.  if we could just lower our expectations for crosby from tejada-esque to .230, we'd all be happier.

as for go-dan, for someone who was supposed to be our 8th or so starter (haren harden loiza blanton kennedy komine braden...), maybe not big 3, but i'm still happy with him and he's #5 on my list of..

brightest spots on your 2007 A's season:

1. haren

2. the cust surprise

3. the kendall trade

4. blanton

5. gaudin

6. early season 9th inning magic moments

7. buck

I stopped checking the score on my crackberry when it was still 3-3. Knowing the rest until now really saved my night.

Today was the first time all season I didn't care about missing the A's game.

OTOH, Harry Potter 5 was really good.

C'mon, dare me to say it...

I have left a game before it was over. Before that, I didn't have any control, since my dad held the car keys. But since I have had my own season tickets, I have NEVER left a game early.

I almost made it to the end. Even though it was 10pm, I have to work tomorrow and I am SUPER tired, I didn't want to leave. But when the 11th run was scored, I just couldn't take it anymore and I left. I was slightly ashamed of myself, and held my head very low as I left, but I couldn't take the torture any longer.

On another note, I don't agree with the booing, and not just because a good chunk was directed at my boy, but because we are not Yankees Fans. But Kennedy, I will proudly stand and boo him any time he steps foot on the mound. He is horrific!! I don't understand why Geren continues to insist on sending that man to the hill when he obviously has no idea what he is doing! That man need to be removed from this team PRONTO!

I am exhausted. I don't think I can take much more of this. I completely agree that the fire has been taken from this team and given to the Rangers, Padres, and Cubs. I completely believe that by trading Kendall, Billy was telling the team, 2007 is over, there is no hope. And with Billy raising the white flag on the season, why should the guys bother to fight any longer? Why? There is nothing left to fight for.

I don't want to give up on the season, but if Billy has, why shouldn't I?

I'm on the "top scores" list!

is there any doubt that this is the worst team in all of baseball?  By the end of the week we'll be in last place, and then KC and Tampa will blow by us sometime before September.  Gross.

...many people would complain at times of lifelessness and complacency and blame it on Macha and his wet-towell personality, and Washington and Bradley were around then.

I do think that attitude and "intangibles" do play a part, but I don't think any one person can be wholly blamed or credited, especially as a motivator of others.  It has to come from within, and at some point players have to suck it up and be responsible for themselves.  I understand they're still human beings, and everybody has emotional ups and downs in their day-to-day lives, but this is the major leagues where that should be minimized, not little league with a bunch of immature 10 year olds.  They either want to win, and get excited about that, or they don't.

Nico ... I think we all feel your pain.

I find it interesting though that you (correctly, I might add)point out a lack of effort (calling it lifelessness) and you didn't receive one post calling it "wrong" or "horses***" or any other such ridicule ...

It's funny to see how some AN'ers have earned a reputation for "glass half-full" or "glass half-empty."  Some of the rest of us make a comment about half-ass effort, or "lack of committment," and there are 50 angry posts in response...

The truth of the matter is this -- the A's are "playing" as if they don't care. Wear it.

Not the very first entry.  The second entry.

http://www.thesoulofbaseball.blogspo...

Maybe we'll get rained out today.