Open Thread: Where We Try to Take One From New York

So the last time the A's faced the Yankees, it was not a pretty sight. Obviously the A's were swept; to the tune of 5-0, 10-3, and 4-2. They added to that feat by being swept by the Red Sox in the next series, and for an encore, went on to lose ten in a row before the A's switched Bobs.

Things are different now; we're out of the pennant race, and playing for...well...draft picks and fun. Which brings me to the question of the week: Why isn't Chris Carter playing? Seriously; I want an explanation. It seems to me that when you have a rookie that you'd like to try out, why not try him out? What, exactly, do the A's have to lose in this situation? They've already had everything go wrong that could have gone wrong offensively; they are not in the race, and can't even compete in a game, much less a season, with real teams. And let's be honest, can Carter really be worse than the rest of our lineup? It seems to me that he has the most potential upside of anyone on the team, yet he's back in Triple-A, for what, exactly?

Why hasn't he been called up with the caveat; "Here you go, kid. First base is yours for the rest of the season. Don't worry at-bat to at-bat. You'll be starting every single day except one scheduled day off every two weeks. The position is yours; the at-bats are yours. Let's see what you can do."

At least we'd know one way or the other. At least we could see him as an everyday player. I'm sorry, but 30 at-bats is nowhere near the sample size to draw any conclusions about what kind of a player he will be, even if all 30 of those at-bats were terrible. What hitter won't have terrible at-bats if each at-bat comes with the pressure of being sent down to the minors the next day if he doesn't perform? Yet, that's exactly what happened to Carter. On a team that is currently batting Powell, Sogard, Pennington, and Suzuki, how much worse can Carter really be as an every day player?

I would like Weeks and Sizemore to be back in the lineup this afternoon. I'd like to not be embarrassed on Sports Center this weekend. I'd like to beat the Yankees.

See you back at 3:30.