I meant to put this up on Monday, but then my prediction post got away from me and thus, that's why you're seeing this three days after the opening of the A's season. I figure in order to maintain AN's collective sanity it's probably good to go over some proposed New Season Resolutions to mostly be applied for the game threads which have become somewhat hazardous to a loyal A's fan's psyche.
It's a long season resolution: First and foremost, can we resolve to realize that it's a 162-game schedule? 50 games isn't even a third of the schedule, so threatening to all jump off a cliff after one loss can seem a little myopic. I know that some losses can seem absolutely devastating at the time, but relax, open another beer and realize that baseball is a long season. I'll try and do the same.
Early season panic resolution: Let's face it, the A's haven't been known as fast starters during the Beane Era. Every year I bring up the team's record in April and May over the past five or six seasons because it seems like this team is destined to struggle during those months. Maybe this year will be different, but don't we say that every year? Every season we all ask if this is the year a slow start will doom the A's, and this might be that year especially if the Angels continue to roar out of the gate. But realize that the team starts slow every year. It's as sure as the sun rising and Paris Hilton appearing in another "leaked" adult video when he stardom starts to wane.
Game over resolution: Yes the A's offense was putrid last year and it often seemed like if the A's were behind late in the game that the team was destined to go down. But there were also moments of brilliance last year. For example, AN Day when the A's had one of the most thrilling victories I've ever seen. There's no need to say game over until it's actually over.
Fire Geren resolution: OK, so I was going to ask if we can hold off on calling for the manager's head until we were at least half a season in, but someone already beat me to that. Can we slow down on the manager's head chopping?
Blown save resolution: Blown saves are going to happen. It's a part of the game. Unfortunately, it's probably the most frustrating way to lose a game so Huston Street gets a lot of added criticism. Unless the blown saves start to pile up like Armando Benitez's time in New York, let's just resolve to accept that it's going to happen on occasion.
The Clutch resolution: Can we stop saying that someone is clutch or not clutch? Eric Chavez had his share of big hits last season even in a dismal offensive year. Yet the Chavez isn't clutch crowd only seemed to surface when he didn't come through. Can we remember that in baseball, the best players are going to fail 70 percent of the time? I'm still not sold one way or the other on the clutch argument, although I do tend to believe that a good hitter will still be a good hitter no matter the circumstance and a mediocre hitter will remain mediocre.
The Tejada vs. Chavez resolution: This inevitably comes up every season. Someone will start a diary saying that Beane made a mistake in keeping Chavez and not Tejada. I've said this before and I'll say it again...it was NOT Beane's decision. Steve Schott was not willing to pay Tejada. That's why he was the one that made that infamous remark during spring training about not making Miggy an offer. Can this one finally be put to bed and realize that unless someone invents a DeLorean that will vanish at 88 mph, this isn't going to change?You want to blame someone, blame our former owner.
I think that's all I have for now. You're welcome to add your own. Let's resolve to make this the best season of AN ever.
By the way, Vince Cotroneo wanted me to remind you about his segment on the pregame show where he asks players your questions. He's looking for more email questions for specific players, so email him and let him know what your question is for what player. And finally, I was feeling a little Seinfeldian when I wrote my most recent column on the A's for FSN Bay Area.
