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Update:
#Athletics vs O's: Weeks 2b, Crisp LF, Reddick RF, Cespedes CF, Ka'aihue 1b, Smith DH, Suzuki C, Sogard 3b, Pennington SS; McCarthy P
— Joe Stiglich (@joestiglich) April 27, 2012
We open our Friday morning with this interesting tidbit:
Michael Taylor is in Baltimore with #Athletics, so figure there will be move to add him to roster.
— Joe Stiglich (@joestiglich) April 27, 2012
All early bets appear to point to Taylor replacing Coco Crisp, who hasn't been seen all week. Stay tuned for more breaking news as the A's roster carousel continues. And can Michael Taylor's Triple-A success finally, finally translate to the bigs? We'll find out soon.
So I was watching the Angels' game yesterday (a quite enjoyable pastime lately, I must admit), and I watched as Brandon Allen--our Brandon Allen--had his moment in the sun; a towering two-run walkoff homerun for the Rays that sent the Angels to yet another loss. Sure, part of me thought, "Where was that on Opening Night?", even while understanding that Felix Hernandez is better than the Angels' bullpen, but another part of me continued to wonder if we had given up too soon. There is nothing like watching former players succeed with other teams to bring back floods of emotions for A's fans.
As thrilled as I was for Chavvy as he crushed two homeruns in this early season, I still cringe at the pinstripes. Nick Swisher always looks strange in the stripes as well; I miss him in green and gold. I have very little emotional connection to Carlos Gonzalez, but I sure wish he was in our lineup. Does anyone else sigh a little watching Mark Ellis anchor the right side of another infield? And who could really watch Tim Hudson or Danny Haren pitch out of their Oakland uniforms?
Being a baseball fan, especially in Oakland, comes with a certain understanding that you can't get too attached to the players on the field. Absolutely no one is irreplaceable; for the right deal, any of them could be gone tomorrow. I learned that lesson the hard way at the tender age of 15, as I watched Jose Canseco disappear in the middle of a game and never come back. Twenty years later (oh holy crap, was it that long ago!?), I think about our current team, and who I miss now.
From a personal standpoint, which current player do you miss the most, and have the hardest time watching on another team? And from purely a baseball standpoint, which player do you think this team misses most?
Our A's try to go a game over .500 this afternoon, as they travel to Baltimore. Gametime at 4:05; McCarthy vs. Arrieta.
