If you didn't like Shannon Stewart before, you've got to just love Shannon Stewart after today. I was nearly brought to my knees begging for someone, anyone to break up Loud Mouth Schilling's no hitter. And after Kotsay's deep drive to the outfield wall that Crisp tracked down, I was thinking, "No, not in Oakland. Any pitcher but this guy." Well, OK, any of the Angels pitchers would be worse, but Schilling has always been one of those guys that I wish would just shut up. Any time he starts yapping, I feel like John Goodman in Big Lebowski just wanting to tell him to just shut up.
It actually turned out even better because it was like he was just about to get history and someone pulled the rug out from under him. Yeah, the A's actually lost the game, but they most definitely have won the war against the Red Sox so far this year. Any time you can go 3-1 against the best team in baseball you'll take it. Don't get me wrong, I would've loved to have been marching around with a broom all day, but this is just as good.
It's unfortunate for Big Joe that he ran into a buzzsaw in Schilling today because he was nearly as good. It was also appropriate that Blanton take the mound today as, in case you haven't heard already, the A's took a control righty in the first round of the draft. James Simmons sounds like he is exactly the type of player that Billy Beane loves. He throws a ton of strikes and rarely walks people. From all the descriptions I've heard, he sounds a lot like a Joe Blanton or Jason Windsor. They also got a good pick in the supplemental draft in Sean Doolittle, who is a typical Billy Beane-guy with a great eye for the zone and someone that I'm guessing the A's will hope will develop power. Their 59th pick was Corey Brown just a few moments ago, who John Sickels had listed as the 10th best hitter in the draft.
You can use this thread to talk about the draft as well as the Admiration of Shannon Stewart - Killing Idiot's Limelight on ESPN Righteously (or ASS KILLER) online chapter.
