A's Brand Baseball: Doom, Gloom And The Three-Run Jimmy Jack
Local sportswriters are abandoning the A's bandwagon this season like it was, well, a sinking ship. In February, Ray Ratto predicted a 60-win season on ESPNews (later, he amended that to 65. Thanks, Ray). Then, Bruce Jenkins rhapsodized about intelligent baseball, threw up his hands and conceded the AL West. We can never tell what the hell Scott Ostler is talking about, but we're pretty sure this, which includes the season's first lazy connection of Zito to Zen, wasn't optimistic. SFWeekly, so right about other important matters, named the 2006 A's the Bay's best baseball team. Finally, SFist itself (ourselves?) had the nerve to call the A's "questionably GM'd," as though that weren't heretical.
The national media aren't being any nicer: Peter Gammons counts the A's, as only he can, among "holes dug that makes [sic.] one wonder when and if they can be filled in." (See: Scott Ostler.) The Hardball Times has a graph that puts the A's way outside of a two-team race for the AL West crown. Even Baseball Prospectus calls them "The Un-Athletics" (registration and your credit card # required). Finally, asked for the season's biggest disappointment on Baseball Tonight, John Kruk (who is a big fat idiot) named Cleveland's Victor Martinez, and not the giant sucking sound that plays third base for the A's. At this point in the season, Chavvy can't even lead the league in disappointment.
When Susan Slusser, Mychael Urban and Mr. Tabitha Soren jump overboard, A's Brand Baseball is going to throw a hissy fit. Until then, we're just glad our ballcap came with green and gold blinders.
After taking two of three from the Red Sox and dropping (quite literally, Keith Ginter) two of three to the Giants, the A's sit at 17-26. Tuesday night, they play the first of nine games in a row against perennially sucky Tampa Bay (15-30) and disappointing-this-year-even-for-the-Indians Cleveland (20-23). Such a break from major-league competition could be just what the doctor ordered for the home team, and Billy Beane could be steepling his fingers and biding his time before making the trade, trades, roster move or roster moves that turns or turn the season around. Bobby Crosby started his rehab assignment in Stockton on Saturday, and should be back in the big leagues May 30. Nick Swisher, playing in Sacramento, has no return date set, but he looks healthy--the A's should field their ideal Opening Day lineup again sometime in June, right around when Eric Chavez usually remembers why he carries that stick with him to the plate.
Of course, it's also possible that Billy has kicked up his flipflops, written off 2005 and set his sights on 2006. Los Los Angeles Angeles de Anaheim Anaheim, though they carry the worst record of any MLB division leader, are 8 1/2 games ahead in the division standings (the last time we'll mention the s-word before school starts in the fall, we promise). Neither Seth Etherton nor Matt Watson, though both have been productive so far, is really the kind of player from which a contending team expects much. And Crosby's return could spell the end of Marco Scutaro's tenure in the infield, which would just suck.
Get those blinders down by 4:15, game time Tuesday (TV KICU, radio KFRC-610). Etherton (1-0, 4.91) vs. Doug Waechter (1-3, 5.80) in an empty dome someplace in Florida where the Giants almost moved. Go A's.