TRADE ANALYSIS

Before we get to the Jose Guillen trade, why is it that everyone now describes RHP prospects as a "Tim Hudson clone" or "comapres to Tim Hudson" and "think Tim Hudson" and then blab on and on at how great they are...yet, nobody says a damn word about Tim Hudson BEING Tim Hudson?



Anyway.

After about the third inning of Rich Harden’s debut, Aaron Harang started packing up his apartment. There really was not a damn thing Harang could do about it. He pitched very well in AAA for the A’s. But, the A’s had no place for him in Oakland. The bullpen is already under-worked at times (and mismanaged). Harang gets a chance to start for Cincinnati and maybe become a closer later in his career. We’ll miss Eeyore, but we won’t miss the A’s jerking Harang around – back and forth from Oakland and Sacramento.

When the A’s ripped off Kenny Williams, er, made a fine, honorable trade that made Kenny Williams an sparkling example of a self-confident individual (most recently), the A’s covered a lot of ground. The A’s sent a time bomb with very few ticks left to the White Sox along with a minor league catcher who likes to steal bases for one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, his salary, a back-up catcher and the minor league pitcher of the year. The A’s got a needed closer that can pitch more than an inning and outing and a back-up catcher who could spell Ramon Hernandez from catching more games than hair colors he’s tried.

Koch is close to John Rocker/Mitch Williams territory and falling off the face of the earth. Keith Foulke got the save in the All-Star game.

Mark Johnson is stuck in Sacramento, now, unable to get the stick off his shoulder. Johnson is struggling to keep above the Mendoza line in the Pacific Coast League, but has a .360+ on-base percentage.

The last player involved is Joe Valentine (which is why we got off on this tangent in the first place). Valentine was the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2002 while in AA. In AAA this year, Valentine was a minor league pitcher. He was not even the set-up guy in Sacramento. Valentine was averaging a strikeout an inning, but walking 37 in 52 1/3 innings. He only allowed a HR every 10 innings, but had and ERS of 4.82.

Historically, minor league closers rarely make the jump to the major leagues with any amount of success. For the most part, MLB is full of former starters and relievers in the big leagues becoming closers. So, Valentine’s future was suspect and if you want to look at the bright side, the A’s have at least a half dozen right-handers ready to be the closer of the future.

The last remaining feature of that trade…cash. Cash is king.

So they A’s get Jose Guillen, a player having a break out season and will be a free agent at the end of the year. Guillen comes over with 23 HR, 63 RBI, .337 batting average and a .629 slugging percentage – all of which would be more than any Oaklander this year. His on-base percentage of .385 is second only to Erubiel Durazo. Billy Beane noted that Guillen’s high on-base percentage was largely thanks to his high batting average. Beane’s reponse; “we don’t care how you do it, just do it.”

Jeffrey Bruksch, the throw-in involved in the deal, has struggled this year in Modesto (class A). Hey, if sending a non-prospect to a team gets the end player needed, so be it.

The A’s make out good on this deal. Of course when Jermaine Dye comes off the DL, there will need to be some serious decisions made. The team can’t keep Terrence Long. The team also can’t keep seven outfielders on the 25 man roster. Plus, the A’s can’t keep Terrence Long. Even if Dye comes back during the September call-ups, the team can’t keep Terrence Long. We should also mention, the team can’t keep Terrence Long.

With Adam Piatt, Terrence Long, Chris Singleton, Terrence Long, Eric Byrnes, Terrence Long, Billy McMillon, Terrence Long, Jermiane Dye, Terrence Long, Jose Guillen, Terrence Long and Terrence Long there’s just not enough room in the outfield. Getting rid of all that Terrence Long makes the most sense.

BLOGGER SUCKS

Blogger has jacked us up, again. We no longer can use Netscape 7.2. Whcih just blows. The great part about Netscape is that instead of having 5-10 windows open - Netscape was one window allowing you to access many different pages at the same time by its tabs.
Blogger has some damn new tool they want to push, so we have to DL more crap just to post. UGh.

IN REAL NEWS

The A's designated David McCarty for assignment...rather than shed themselves of Terrence Long, Chris Singleton or propose a deal for Adam Piatt.

McCarty was recently discussing retirement, so unless he can catch on with the Giants, it is doubtful he would return to Sacramento. McCarty lives in Piedmont and was commuting to West Sacramento, then to Oakland.

The A's had to move McCarty off the 25 man roster, though two spots just opened on the 40 man roster.

JOSE, CAN YOU SEE

DUMB HEADLINES RETHOUGHT

The A's picked up Jose Guillen from the Reds for a few pitchers and a minor leaguer. We don't have a lot of time to breakdown the trade, but you know everyone will be talking about this trade.

In the short run the A's get one of the top 5 producers at the plate in MLB for a AAA starter, AAA closer and recent draft pick. Most likely that is the case when the minor leaguer is not named (there has not been confirmation of the minor leaguer-so ESPN might be reporting both the minor leaguer and Joe Valentine rather than the minor leaguer IS Joe Valentine). MLB forces teams to hold onto a player for at least one year after being drafted before they can be officially dealt.

There has been a lot of Billy Beane bashing in the past few days and this trade may be a stroke of just having everything fall into the GM's lap. Billy really didn't have to work to get this trade via the media...which is typical of Beane. Many of the A's trades just look like no-brainer/slam dunks.

TRADING DESK

IT'S QUIET...

TOO quiet.

ANALYSIS

On Monday night the A's bunted.

The A's failed to socre in the situation.

The A's lost on Monday.

Tuesday night, in a similar situation, the A's did not bunt.

The A's scored three runs in the situation.

The A's won on Tuesday.

What have we learned from this brief passage?

M

M IS FOR MOCKING

The M's picked up Rey Sanchez from the New York METS for outfielder Kenny Kelly. Kelly has a low average, strikes out too much, but has some speed on the bases and in the field plus some pop in his bat.

REY SANCHEZ?

WHUT-EVAH

What exactly is an "outbust"? ESPN.com has a link that has "Angels have late outbust to avoid sweep by A's" as its title. It's been that way for almost 12 hours, so maybe it is not a typo. Don't they mean, outburst? Then again, are two runs an outburst? If you score six runs in 36 innings, maybe it is. Still, what is an "outbust"?

WHO IS THAT DUDE RAKING IT?

The A's picked up a 25 year old outfielder formt he Northiner League Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks: Jon Weber.
Jon Weber .309 (63-for-204) 11 HR - 48 RBI - 46 runs - 31 BB - 8 2B - .408 OB - .520 SLG.

Weber is already with the Modesto A's (single A, because there's only one A, if it were double AA there would be two A's as such AA; however, it is single A, hence the one A) and has decided he'd like to continue getting on base. Which is fine by us.

Weber with the Modesto A's: 7 four 14 with 4 2B, a homer and four RBI.

Billy Beane can find "professional hitters" like Micahel Jackson can...oh, wait.
Billy Beane can find "professional hitters" like Kobe Bryant...oh, can't write that.
Billy Beane can find "professional hitters" like Billy Beane can find "professional hitters".

EXAMPLE A: WHY ROB DIBBLE IS A MORON

ESPN.com Mon., July 28-
"Jim Bowden always got the better end of the deals he made. He knew how to get other GMs to give up their talent in return for whatever he was offering. He did a great job with the Reds on what was mainly a shoestring budget. His firing was a direct result of an ownership that has no clue how to run a baseball team.

Bowden is also not solely responsible for the Ken Griffey Jr. trade. A few years ago, Griffey was on his way to the Hall of Fame. Now, he'll be lucky to hit 500 home runs in his career. Heck, the Reds built the Great American Ballpark mostly to help Griffey break Hank Aaron's home run record. It's not Bowden's fault the Reds ended up with one of the most fragile players in recent memory."

This is some of the worst 'writing' by an analyst since cavemen were allowed to begin serving on ESPN.

Bowden is to blame for putting a bad product on the field and picking a horrible manager to lead the team. There's not even a lot that can be said that's positive of Bowden.

Bowden can't even be given a lot of kudos for prospects like Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn since everybody has basically the same information prior to the draft in this era. It's not like everybody didn't know these guys were good.

It certainly is Bowden's falult for trading for Ken Griffey, Jr and signing him to a ridiculous deal. It certianly is Bowden's fault for not looking at Griffey's injury history and growing surliness. It's Bowden's fault Barry Larkin didn't find his way out via trade sometime in the mid-1990's. It is Bowden's fault they had to convert Danny Graves from closer to starter to hide Bowden's inability to get a decent pitcher. The list is too long to keep going. Like, why would anyoen want Ken Griffey, Jr when José Guillén is Albert Pujols' twin?

Rob Dibble is a moron and doesn't know how to dress, either.
Oh, speaking of which, the Reds fired Bob Boone.

Which is a shame, since now a few other managers can't point to the Reds and say, "hey, if Bob Boone still has a job, I should keep my job."

Paul DePodesta, pretty please, get a cold, allergic reaction to something. Just don't get on a plane or talk to anyone with the Reds.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the trade market, now. Will the Reds be willing to trade Adam Dunn, finally? Is Scott Williamson or Danny Graves available?

The Reds also fired their hitting coach and third base coach whom Boone had brought in.

It ain't exactly classy, but it sends the message home loud and clear. Plus, it's better than what they deserve. The whole lot should be forced to go out before a packed home crowd in Cincinatti and apologize...and mean it

Boone might end up in Florida next year to kill any hope Marlins fans have developed. Jack McKeon is getting crankier by the minute and wants to ruin more young arms.

McKeon: "I don't know. Ask him, he's the one that says this tingles, that tingles. He's already missed, what, a month?"

Tim Spooneybarger: "The only thing he has to say is in the papers. He's a GM now. He's an orthopedic surgeon. He knows it all. I'm pretty ticked off, actually. The guy's going to tell me I'm not hurt?"

McKeon: "All I know is the one MRI he had here, they said it was fine. It's out of my hands. Why should he be ticked off at me? I'm not putting him where he is. I have nothing to do with him being laid out now."

Spooneybarger: "He said the MRI was fine. He learned to read MRIs? I didn't know that. I thought he was the manager. I didn't know he was a doctor. I got the best orthopedic surgeon in the country telling me I'm hurt and take time. If I have surgery, there's a 15-percent chance I'll never throw again. Do I listen to (the doctor) or do I listen to (McKeon), who probably has two months left in his career?"

Yah, that Florida franchise knows what it's doing alright. Maybe they should trade for another closer and have him set up Uggi Urbina who sets up for the dominant Bradan Looper.

Ken, Ken, Ken

Ken Rosenthal gets it all wrong in a recent article for the Sporting News. It's great when writers point to Jermaine Dye's poor production. Hard to produce from the DL, there Ken.

Look, the A's already fired a hitting coach this season and it seems they haven't got a lot from their advance scouts. The A's also faced more than a few pitchers for the first time and it's really tough to win a ton of games when EVERYBODY is gunning for you - even the media. When you're the team to beat, teams tend to design, research and work their tails off to beat specifically you.

Everybody on the A's is having a down year at the plate - except Ramon Hernandez, but he had three 'below expectation' years in a row. And people forget the A's are playing in a Ques Tec stadium at home, and not so much on the road. That may not matter in the stat sheet becasue it's still the job of the players to produce.

The Ques Tec argument is a bit of a smelly load - but you never know how much that enters the mind of a hitter at the plate.

The A's don't need a base stealer or to bunt more. They just need to hit the ball out of the park a few dozen more times.

Then again, it seems like offense is in a bit of a decline this season across the board. Any argument there?

The Umpire's union and the generally uneducated morons with microphones (Steve Lyons, Rick Sutcliffe, Joe Morgan) tend to fraudulently misprepresent Ques Tec and it would not be a surprise if the parent company filed a lawsuit against those individuals should they lose the MLB contract or other opportunites in the baseball world.

It's sort of like bad mouthing a company in the press and threatening boycots, then buying stock of the chief competitior. After the smoke clears and the company's stock bottoms out - snatching it up on the cheap and singing the company's praises in the media to drive the stiock price up, again. Sorry, didn't mean to bring up 'diginified social leaders'.

It's just funny when people who are against Ques Tec have no idea how the process actually works and still bad mouth it. "The people doing the ratings are not qualified". Yah? Neither are 95% of the 'personalities' on TV and radio broadcasts in MLB. Yet, the casual fan seems to listen to Rick Suitcliffe (is it just us or does it sound like he's churning taffy as he tries to speak?) and idiots like Harold Reynolds when they put their ill-gotten two cents in on the subject.

Peter Gammons: "Lord, please save us from the endless prattling about QuesTec. At the All-Star break, the ERA in games with QuesTec was 4.44, in games without it 4.43. What it's become is the convenient excuse for players and umpires alike, which brings us back to the Eddie Vedder line, "there's no right or wrong, but there's good and bad."

LINKY SEE LINKY DO

We'll drop some linakge on you so you don't have to listen to us ramble about how bad the Angels are and that you shouldn't jump and down about the recent 'trend'.

Over at Baseball Prospectus Gary Huckabay has a conversation with a certain AL GM who may or may not have ties to the Oakland Athletics.

Will Carroll's Under the Knife looked at the Mid Season (which is a misnomer since the mid point of the season is after the 81st game and before the 82nd, but we're not going to hold that against Will Carroll when everyone in the industry feels the All Star Break is the mid point) Health Report

" The A's owe much of their success to a healthy "Big Three." The Big Three owe most of their success to Rick Peterson. Even with an injury to one of Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, or Tim Hudson, there are players in Sacramento ready to contribute or at least place-hold. In the field, the loss of Jermaine Dye for an extended period forces Beane and DePodesta to dig through the laptop looking for a new toy. They usually find one. The questions about the health of Eric Chavez give both concern and hope--concern if the reports are true that he played through a fracture, and hope if that explains his poor performance."GRADE: C

Is this new news or old news? Didn't Chavez have a wrist excuse last year? Chavez has or had foot, back, wrist and shoulder problems. Not to mention the problem with his confidence (and personality), a between the ears problem. You can only report on what you're told. What's Will going to do, get an MRI or wheel Chavez into Radiology himself? At some point you kind of wish the A's had a better list of petty injury/poor performance excuses, or are we close to having therapy listed as a reason to go on the 15 day DL? Really, an injury is an injury, but you can't play when you're injured. You can play hurt, but that just leads to compensatory injuries and the like.

Eh.

Elsewheres...

Alex Belth of Bronx Banter has an interview with Moneyball author Michael Lewis. Notice the part on bad sports writing, which leads us to mention John Shea's throw away piece in the SF Chronicle

"The A's aren't in cruise control like the Giants and need a quick offensive fix if they're to catch first-place Seattle or outlast Boston, Toronto and Anaheim for the wild card..."

The A's are three back of reeling Seattle and eight and a half games ahead of Anaheim in the West. The A's are only two behind Boston in the AL Wild Card with Pedro Martinez and the bullpen about to fall apart. Sure, the A's could use another bat, or they could just play up to their career averages (something Billy Beane has stressed) and they should be fine. In the same article Shea mentions the Shannon Stewart/Bobby Kielty deal and can't take a stand on whether Toronto got the better of the deal.

Also, John Sickels has a few things on Dan Johnson one of those guys the A's have in their farm system that can mash and get on base, but not much else.

Blind Squirrels, Nuts

Ted Lilly pitched a gem of a game. He stayed on the 3rd base side of the rubber and used his fastball. When he got behind batters it was with his off-speed stuff. It was a very good performance for a pitcher who was staring his career in the face. Ramon Hernandez had to baby him at times. Rick Peterson for a few moments was seen muttering and shaking his head when Lilly shook off Hernandez. Terry Francona and Ken Macha were debating pulling Lilly as early as the 5th inning.

Let’s not jump up and down here. The Angels had only won 3 0f 10 and 2 of their last 8. So, it’s not like the A’s were facing anything but a .500 team tonight. Then again, they had averaged 5 runs a game since the All Star break. Of course, they scored 19 of their 40 runs against Rangers pitching.

Lilly was literally pitching for his life, depending on which way the trade winds twitch – Lilly could be packing his bags to Sacramento or another team. Then again, if the A’s make Lilly a consistent pitcher, who would want him in a trade? Of course, if he has enough potential to pitch for the A’s in the first place he must be good.

It’s the inconsistency that wears you down.

Is anything with Ted Lilly even keeled?

We still don’t understand pinch hitting for Byrnes in the 8th. Why pinch hit for Byrnes with Chris Singleton and not for Terrence Long? If you’re going to insult Byrnes, do it with Adam Piatt pinch hitting for him. Byrnes did have two good at bats out of three and drove a fastball to deep center. He hit is off the end of the bat, but it was the first time in two weeks that Byrnes drove a ball with authority.

Why hasn’t a team thrown at Bret Boone after he does his lame bat flip?

COLOR ME B AAA D

SACRAMENTO

Mike Edwards	BA .290	8 HR	60 RBI
	OB .378	SLG .442	$???,???

So, you need an outfielder for a few games? Mike Edwards might be 27 years old and no longer a ‘prospect’ he’s still putting up very good numbers in Sacramento and playing good defense. A 4th outfielder or even starter for some teams in a rebuilding phase – Edwards is inexpensive building material for teams on a budget.

Graham Koonce	BA .266	20 HR	73 RBI
	OB .391	SLG .494	$???,???

What is Graham Koonce doing in AAA ball? Will someone give this guy a job? An on-base monster who might be limited by playing 1st base, but, how can you argue with an .885 OPS? Okay, go get a free agent 1st baseman for $3 million for lesser performance.

Justin Duchscherer	9W-2L	2.88 ERA	1.03 WHIP
	85 K	10 BB	$???,???

We’ve been all over Duchscherer this season and it’s not just because we can spell his name correctly without looking. Duchscherer has put all the pieces together and has (knock, knock) put the nagging injury bug behind him. He’s young. He’s got excellent command. He’s cheap. He’s available…if the A’s don’t call him up as a long reliever for the stretch, slide Harden into the 4th spot in the rotation and dump the 5th (Lilly, Halama) starter for the playoffs.

Erik Hiljus	10W-7L	4.92 ERA	1.34 WHIP
	98 K	44 BB	$???,???

Take him. He’s really got zero chance of ever being back with Oakland. Even if he threw 30 consecutive innings of shutout ball, he’s still not going to get past the Four Large. If a struggling team needs an innings eater who can float a .500 record, Hiljus is your man.

Justin Lehr	3W-1L	3.86 ERA	1.53 WHIP
	41 K	20 BB	$???,???

Right handed reliever who hasn’t shot himself in the foot. Dominating? No. Effective? Yes. Jeff Tam, without the forearm tattoos.

Joe Valentine	1W-3L 4s	4.93 ERA	1.57 WHIP
	50 K	34 BB	$???,???

The 2002 minor league pitcher of the year has not faired well from the jump to AAA. Whether or not teams look at 2002 or 2003 Valentine is still a decent prospect that might break the minor league closer curse.

Mike Wood	6W-2L	3.13 ERA	1.26 WHIP
	40 K	13 BB	$???,???

Mike Wood might be a guy the A’s could call up as early as next year. He doesn’t have the polish that Harden or even some of the other recent A’s top draft picks, but he’s effective. Think Cory Lidle without the first half discovery process. In case you didn’t realize it, the A’s are loaded with good right handed arms in the minor leagues.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP

Bobby Crosby	BA .289	HR 15	RBI 54
	OB .372	SLG 503	$???,???

Unless a team floats a Brian Giles, J.D. Drew or Carlos Beltran and offers to pay their salary for the rest of the year and add a prospect or two, the A’s 2004 shortstop is going to be in Sacramento for another six-eight weeks. Then he’ll either go to the Minor League Playoffs of get a September call up. He may not have the range that Miggi has at short (who does) but he is solid with the glove. He has good speed and his walk totals will be a blessing to a left side of the infield afraid of not swinging. Should you go out and buy your Oakland Bobby Crosby jersey now? Yes. And it will be applicable to wear at A’s games for several years. Unlike Tejada jerseys, which are being marked down.

About the only Cat teams can’t have is Crosby. Everyone else is available. Which is what makes Oakland’s farm system so unique. AAA is for a handful of high prospects, instant injury replacements and fodder for throw-ins or cash swaps. AA is for prospects and focusing on player development. High A ball and A ball is for recent draft picks and those wandering out of their baseball careers.

We're not mentioning Jeremy Fikac in the Sacramento/AAA section because he should be in Oakland:

Jeremy Fikac	2W-2L 2s	1.89 ERA	.97 WHIP
	35 K	12 BB	$316,000

So...why is Fikac in Sacramento, again? With Jim Mecir looking for a bed to lie down on, Fikac might get the call soon. He definitley should not be traded away. He could follow and close if Keith Foulke leaves after 2003.

FREE HAT

Scott Hatteberg has signed a two year extension that runs through 2005 and includes a team option for 2006...HUH?

Is this a sign and trade deal?

With as many young hitters as the A's have coming up through the minor leagues, why would Billy Beane ink a deal to keep a 1B/DH around for 2 1/2 more seasons who has become less than adequate with the glove?

The A's would be better off trading Hatteberg and calling up Graham Koonce or even attempting to put Adam Piatt at 1st base. We thought for sure Hatteberg was headed to Seattle at the end of the year as John Olerud is rumored to be leaning toward retirement.

Mid-season signings never make sense, though.

We love Hatteberg when he's raking, but, his groundball-itis is eating us up. At least he gets on base, though. He still ahs ownership rights to right centerfield...he's just not utilizing them enough.

AN ANGRY TED LILLY FAN (AREN’T THEY ALL?)

The following was forwarded to us from the Oakland A’s Message Board on MLB.com

"I just came across a post from you on another A's site and I just need to say a couple of things. I know Ted hasn't been into his game of late but don't you think that the other pitchers in the league have their share of bad moments?The big 3(Hudson, Mulder, and Zito) get into slumps and so does Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. If you are not going to agree with me about that then thats fine. Since Ted was called up by the Yankees in 2001, everyone knew he was a work in
progress. But ever since he came to Oakland, everyone(who is spoiled by the big 3) has been putting pressure on him to live up their
expectations of being part of the trio. He'll never be like the those 3 guys so I think everyone should cut some slack off the guy and be
realistic. And you never know that Ted could be going through some personal issues in his life, which could be also affecting his game.
If he really is then maybe you and the rest can show some consideration there. As for you saying that Ted is a "jackass" you made yourself sound
like that you are entitled to that same word. Geez...what has he ever done to you to make you feel this way towards him. Just because you
work for the media(which I was told)you don't have to have some pleasure going around putting others down like that. Also, I'm sure
you wouldn't like it when people insult you that way. Plus, how do you know that the guy is "stubborn". Therefore, you implied about
that in your commentary. Have you ever met Ted before??I bet NOT. I have met him a couple of times already. He is sure a far cry of being
stubborn which you and the rest of the media have labled him to be, just to sale the story. Please, do me a favor...Don't go judging
people especially when you don't even know them. Plus baseball is just a freaking game, so there is no need for you and everyone to get
so uptight wasting time online bashing ballplayers. Hmmm, there are more important issues in life to get really upset about. Don't you
think? However, if you want Ted to be shipped out of town then be it. You guys don't deserve to have Ted on you team anyway. I totally lost
respect for A's fans and the team and if you don't like that then thats just too bad for you. Deal with it. Sorry."

RESPONSE


“I know Ted hasn't been into his game of late…”
When has he been on his game? His ERA has jumped a full run in his last 10 starts. He’s gone from bad to worse.


“Since Ted was called up by the Yankees in 2001…”
Ted Lilly is 27 years old. He is in the prime of his career. If he were 22 or 23, then we’d offer slack. He’s not. His current stats are more than a moderate trend, they represent a steep slide into AAA ball and out of baseball if he doesn’t turn it around. Ted Lilly made his debut on May 14th, 1999 with the Montreal Expos. You’re such a Ted Lilly fan, you should know that. The A’s are Lilly’s 4th team.


“He'll never be like the those 3 guys so I think everyone should cut some slack off the guy and be
realistic…”
Realistic is expecting a pitcher to take advice and coaching from the professionals that have developed Mark Mulder, Barry Zito and Tim Hudson. Revitalized guys like Kevin Appier, Kenny Rogers and put Steve Karsay, Billy Koch and Jason Isringhausen on the map. Instead, Lilly is going to do what he wants and then blame others for his failings.


“And you never know that Ted could be going through some personal issues in his life, which could be also affecting his game.
If he really is then maybe you and the rest can show some consideration there…”
That’s just stupid. Ted Lilly is a professional, if he can’t block out his personal life he shouldn’t be in uniform. Players have put up with a lot worse than whatever Lilly may or may not be going through. Is it okay for a police office to shoot somebody because he has problems in his personal life? Grow up.


“Just because you work for the media…”
Far from it. We don’t work for the media.


“…you don't have to have some pleasure going around putting others down like that…”
Ted Lilly is killing us (the A’s, too)! And not even bothering to do it slowly! We’re not putting him down, we’re calling a spade a spade. What do you call someone who is stubborn, foolish and refuses to take accountability for his inability to perform? J-A-C-K-A-S-S. We’re not the only ones. Dozens of sportwriters in the BayArea have documented Lilly’s attitude and his stats speak for themselves. National media outlets devoted strictly to baseball have pointed out that Lilly has done this before. He refuses help from teammates, coaches and administration. He shakes off his catcher so much you’d think he was trying to get a perched bird off the brim of his hat.


“Don't go judging people especially when you don't even know them…”
We could turn this whole argument on its head and ask if you are religious. Then slam you for following a religion based on some guy you never met. But we won’t. It seems you’re not evolved enough to understand how public relations works and that the happy face athletes put on for the media and fans is not reality.


“Plus baseball is just a freaking game, so there is no need for you and everyone to get
so uptight wasting time online bashing ballplayers…”
Then why are you so uptight about defending him and not defending his stats? Baseball is just a game, sort of like writing a baseball blog is just a hobby.


“…there are more important issues in life to get really upset about. Don't you
think?”
What have we done but to grasp the obvious and point out that Ted Lilly stinks? If we were really upset about this we’d cancel our season tickets and refuse to go to anymore games until they traded Lilly. We haven’t. Where were you last year when we were trying to get Terrence Long benched and get Eric Byrnes into the lineup? We weren’t even that upset…though a few Art Howe and Ken Macha moves to the pen have made us livid.


“You guys don't deserve to have Ted on you team anyway…”
Thank you, finally something you wrote makes sense. But, it’s not our team. We’re just fans. And we reserve the right to criticize the team we pump a good portion of our financial wealth into and spend our free (and not free) time talking about, supporting and writing about.


“I totally lost respect for A's fans and the team and if you don't like that then
thats just too bad for you. Deal with it. Sorry”
Have you ever heard of multiple personality disorder? Are you made at us, ordering us around or apologizing? Which is it? You’re going to dump on A’s fans because we don’t like the fact that Ted Lilly has been a terrible acquisition for the A’s?


NOTE: Look, you really haven’t done any research into Ted Lilly, his career or bothered to bring up any stats that prove your point. You are basing your rant on the fact you are a Ted Lilly fan. Which is fine. But, you don’t want Lilly to stand up to any criticism at all. That’s absurd.

We’re Oakland A’s fans. We want what is best for the organization and what gives the A’s the best chance to succeed. Ted Lilly does not offer the ability to help the team. His performance is not up to par with what he is capable of – that is the most disturbing issue; wasted talent. The organization went to great lengths to rebuild his delivery and his approach to pitching during the off season. He took that into consideration for all of three starts.


Apr. 4 VS ANA W 7-3
7.1 inn 3hits 2runs 2earned runs 1hr 2bb 3so 10gb 11fb 104 pitches WIN


Apr. 10 at TEX L 5-4
6.1 inn 8hits 4runs 4earned runs 1hr 2bb 5so 3gb 5fb 96 pitches ND


Apr. 15 at SEA L 5-3
5.2 inn 7hits 3runs 3earned runs 0hr 2bb 10so 2gb 6fb 108pitches ND


Apr. 20 VS TEX L 2-1
5.2 inn 7hits 1runs 0earned runs 0hr 1bb 4so 7gb 10fb 96pitches ND


Apr. 25 VS CLE W 5-2
7.2 inn 6hits 2runs 2earned runs 2hr 1bb 5so 11gb 10fb 88pitches WIN


May 2 at NY L 5-3
5.2 inn 4hits 3runs 3earned runs 1hr 4bb 5so 5gb 10fb 96pitches LOSS


May 7 VS CWS L 8-4
3.1 inn 8hits 5runs 5earned runs 1hr 2bb 1so 5gb 8fb 75pitches LOSS


May 13 at DET W 3-1
7.1 inn 3hits 1runs 1earned runs 1hr 0bb 4so 10gb 8fb 100pitches WIN


May 18 at CLE W 8-5
4.0 inn 5hits 5runs 4earned runs 0hr 4bb 3so 6gb 6fb 94pitches ND


May 24 VS KC L 3-1
6.1 inn 6hits 3runs 3earned runs 2hr 3bb 7so 5gb 7fb 100pitches LOSS


May 31 at KC W 7-6
7.0 inn 6hits 5runs 4earned runs 0hr 3bb 3so 10gb 8fb 107pitches ND


Jun. 5 at FLA L 2-0
7.0 inn 6hits 2runs 1earned runs 0hr 1bb 8so 6gb 6fb 99pitches LOSS


Jun. 11 VS ATL L 11-6
4.0 inn 5hits 7runs 7earned runs 5hr 1bb 2so 5gb 10fb 64pitches LOSS


Jun. 17 VS TEX W 4-3
6.0 inn 5hits 2runs 2earned runs 0hr 2bb 4so 4gb 10fb 100pitches WIN


Jun. 22 VS SF W 6-5
5.0 inn 9hits 5runs 5earned runs 1hr 1bb 3so 6gb 12fb 88pitches WIN


Jun. 27 at SF L 6-0
6.2 inn 7hits 5runs 5earned runs 2hr 3bb 6so 9gb 10fb 105pitches LOSS


Jul. 2 VS SEA L 13-0
4.2 inn 10hits 5runs 5earned runs 0hr 3bb 9so 6gb 1fb 109pitches LOSS


Jul. 9 VS TB W 6-3
5.2 inn 8hits 3runs 2earned runs 1hr 2bb 1so 11gb 7fb 95pitches ND


Jul. 20 VS CLE L 6-4
5.0 inn 6hits 6runs 6earned runs 2hr 3bb 5so 5gb 6fb 107pitches LOSS


2003 Totals 5-8 5.22 ERA
110.1 inn 116hits 69runs 64earned runs 20hr 40bb 85so 126gb 151fb 1861pitches

SELLERS AND BUYERS AND THE FRINGE CROWD

Rumors persist that three west coast teams are in the running for the Brian Giles sweepstakes. Two of the teams are willing to take on Jason Kendell in addition to Giles while one team is willing to give up a top starter and half it's farm system to get him.

For awhile it was just the A's in the running for Giles. Then rumors popped up about Seattle wanting a piece of the action and including Freddy Garcia in their deal. Now, it seems Kevin Towers has thrown San Diego into the mix, or possibly Billy Beane is just setting up a three team deal while everyone else panics.

Beane has also shot down every trade rumor as either 'fiction' or 'fantasy'. What do you expect him to do?

A team like San Diego jumping into the fray actually makes sense, as Beane could drag a player through a team and dump additional salary from Giles or Kendell's contract for a AA pitcher or surplus outfielder.

EXAMPLE: BRIAN GILES and CA$H from PITTSBURGH to SAN DIEGO for XAVIER NADY - - - GILES and CA$H from SAN DIEGO TO OAKLAND for TED LILLY and JOE SCHMOE

Why would Seattle even want Giles? Mike Cameron, ICHIRO and Randy Winn aren't enough?