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Good afternoon, Athletics Nation! The first 21 days of January were really boring, but now we have a new player to talk about: left-handed reliever Eric O'Flaherty, signed to a two-year deal on Wednesday. The reason that I love this signing is that it represents Oakland's philosophy of building a 162-game team rather than a 25-man roster. There was no more room for another arm on the Opening Day roster, so Billy Beane is stashing one on the DL so that there is an in-season replacement available when the inevitable need arises.
On today's Phil Naessens Show, we discuss O'Flaherty as well as the national media's tendency to snub small-market teams (illustrated by the fact that the two-time defending AL West champions will not be featured on Sunday Night Baseball in 2014). The connection was shaky today for some reason, so it sounds like I'm driving through a tunnel the whole time, but as A's fans you should be used to not having nice things (at least your computer won't be leaking sewage). My segment starts at 37:55 and goes for about 15 minutes.
Give it a listen and leave your feedback in the comments!
