Fatrolf’s here to talk about the good times

We’re not in last place! In baseball, the AL or even our division! Amazing!!

Since it’s been a bit since I’ve made a post, this seems like a good time to talk about some good things and happy things and things that are generally not our 29 blown leads or, well, most of our other statistics.

There have been good things that have happened. Namely, not being in last place halfway through the season! Go us! Okay, all kidding aside, there have been a lot of fun moments. Sure, things have not gone our way — a lot — but there’s been a lot of good, wholesome fun, too!

And no matter what’s been happening, it was still exciting when these three came back from the DL at the same time...

We’ve got Khrush and Semien both with 19 dingers, Ryan Dull the magic breath of fresh air in the ‘pen, a line of prospects making their MLB debuts (with still more bubbling beneath the Major League surface, ready to rise like plump pirogies — okay, i need to go eat dinner), mustaches, afros, a two-time All-Star, and, of course, the ever-strange and never-ending Candy-Land-game-board that is Rich Hill’s movie-esque career.

Sure, the A’s are sellers again at the trade deadline, but perhaps they’ll get some shiny new tokens to beef up the squad for a postseason run in 2017. As the time ticks down to see what we get for Rich Hill, we can only sit back and enjoy what we DO have for now.

Marcus Semien saw Khris Davis’ 19 home runs, and wanted them for himself. Semien has been working his posterior off this year, already surpassing his HR and RBI totals from last season (15 and 45 by the end of 2015, 19 and 47 by right now).

Ryan Dull has been everything except [insert generic dull pun here]. Whew, now that that’s over with, there’s nothing more A’s than watching some guy in the back of the bullpen take a huge step forward to record-breaking All-Star material. Dull stranded each of the first 36 batters he inherited this season, marking himself in the record books with the longest known streak in MLB history. He may not be 14 like he looks, but Dull is still young at 26 and has plenty of time to break his own record over and over again, if he so chooses.

Rich Hill has been nothing but magic and witchcraft with his curveball, twisting and turning his strange career into a plot for the next big sports flick. Though luck and wizardry are not what has gotten Rich to the top of the MLB Hill this year, it’s nothing but focus, hard work and keeping himself in the moment. He gives himself over 100% to bettering his artistry every chance he gets. He keeps in routine, he never stops learning and above all, he enjoys every day to its fullest. We’ve enjoyed watching the Oakland chapter of his career play out, and will cheer him on wherever he goes next.

Daniel Mengden and Sean Manaea are two of the many to make their debuts this year, but they’ve already grabbed hold of something more permanent. While the waters have been rocky, they’ve both shown a lot of skill and potential. They’re part of what’s to come in the next chapter of the A’s story. Mengden’s already got the ‘Stache to prove it! Maybe Hill can pass down some of his powers to these guys before he moves on...

And Vogt made it to the All-Star game for the second year in a row! Go, Everything Bagel! I may not have paid full attention to an ASG since Dan Haren and his surfer-dude hair were a staple of the A’s rotation, but you can’t not be psyched to see Vogt get the bid for a second time. I mean, it didn’t actually see it, but I was excited.

More cool things happened and there’s more to come, but now it’s time to sit back and enjoy who’s here until the trade deadline and what remains after. In the meantime, though, here’s a little bit of nonsense about Daniel Mengden and John Axford having a super-saiyan battle with their mustaches... or you can just close this window now, that might be better.

As a footnote to this mess, I’ll be making my first trip out to the Bay since I was 16 in August! I’ll be there from the 4th to the 9th and attending all three games against the Cubs (5th, 6th and 7th). If anyone wants to drop by and say hi, follow me on twitter @fatrolf and say your hey’s.