TauPentaRei

trading with the Rays gives me the heebie jeebies

Thanks for that Xis. Completely agree. The old adage is "promote someone to their highest level of incompetence" That is usually coupled with "fake it til you make it" I wish he was still in the Brewers organization doing what he had always been doing, but with the Fielder / Braun / weeks / Hart halo, I can see why people thought he deserved a shot. More of a management lesson and a mystery as to why the Cardinals can keep their people in place...

Wow... sensational game, despite the result. My baptism into A's fandom continues. How does an almost 5 hour game keep you on pins and needles for the ENTIRE time? Going into the game, I thought there was no way that Yost could screw it up - thinking, it's impossible to mismanage speed and incredible defense. Boy was I wrong! The 6th inning was a mind-boggler of epic proportions. Shields just had a 1-2-3 (2 Ks) 5th and was at 80-some pitches. Dedicated innings for relievers had him unable to think in real time. Then the rookie starter? With the game at 3 - 2 in the 6th, I was drinking the KC Kool-Aid about having only 3 more outs before the bullpen locked it down. Was really thinking loss at that point. At 7 - 3, I was imagining myself on the BART train and wondering how to get a babysitter for Monday. Thought the A's would win the game in the 11th (bullpen dregs) if they could only get through the 10th - only to see Finnegan come back out. My crystal ball was one inning off and still too foggy. I wanted Balfour, not Doolittle; no confidence there. Sigh. Gentry's concussion meant Gomes was in left for the Hosmer fly. B/C Crisp's injury had Fuld shifted to center. Jaso's (OBP machine) concussion did more to the offensive woes down the stretch than ANY Cespedes contribution or absence thereof. Soto's thumb injury meant first base was merely a turnstile to scoring position. Yes, this is me whining and whining. Does Norris throw out the last SB attempt if he catches the pitch-out cleanly? Debatable. Lorenzo Cain is the one that got away. Wow does it look like he belongs. Goodness gracious. Looking at another solid 2015 regular season behind Sonny Gray, Samardzija, Jarrod Parker, Pomeranz and Hammel (with Chavez, Griffin and Kazmir in the mix too)... and whatever will come will come. but man oh man, will be tossing this one around in my head for a long time.

Lifelong Brewers fan here, but moved to Oakland 6 years ago... promptly ditched my "AL Team" (White Sox... as I was living near Soldier Field for 4 years and was preconditioned to like their "grittiness". Having Scott Podsednik didn't hurt also. Mutual disgust of the Cubs and Cubs fans was probably most galvanizing) to adopt the A's as my mistress. Just so much to like about them: The owner that wants to move them to San Jose but can't (allegory to the movie Major League) The Coliseum that flat out sucks and routinely fills with sewage (ditto) but is filled by an atmosphere that rivals a European soccer match because of the fans The 2012 playoffs where ownership wouldn't take the tarps off the upper deck and fans wanting to buy tickets were getting turned away - just fostering populist angst Small market (?)... sustained success despite minuscule budgets Rollie Fingers Being in the shadow of the "glossier" Giants and having that chip on your shoulder Ease of taking the BART to the games - drinking on the train / the energy of the platform On Base Percentage (some poster here a few days ago was talking about the "taking walks" ethos developed all the way through A ball) Josh Donaldson, yesterday, talking about his BABIP on pull hitting this year versus last year (minus .070 swing) You might be able to tell that I could produce 4 or 13 more lists just as substantial if you get me talking and belly up to fine ale pints. Anyhoo... as a result of all of this, coupled with taking my son to his first ever game, mixed with my disgust of Ryan Braun's pathological lying (please don't let this derail my overture)... multiplied by the elation / pain cycle detailed below... In attendance: 2012 game #162, sweep the final 3 games of the season from the Rangers to win the division 2012, ALDS game 4: watching the A's turn a 3 - 1 bottom-of-9th deficit into a 4 - 3 win - so I could go to game 5 2012, ALDS game 5: Verlander 2013, ALDS game 5: Verlander I've been through the birthing canal of fandom and have swapped wife and mistress, so to speak... will always love the Brewers, but the A's are it for me. I'm a bit distracted today, can you tell?

I can't even stomach baseball right now between my dual fan-ships of the Brewers and A's. I cannot remember a stretch this futile. I do suppose it could be worse.

atta baby http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CC&Date=20111215&Category=NEWS11&ArtNo=111219748&Ref=AR&maxH=230&maxW=370&border=0&Q=80&cb=20111215132400

[sarcasm]WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE[/sarcasm] http://alypain.com/images/kcfinder/images/wheels-fall-off1.jpg

speaking of 3rd time through the order... I feel like this is where Jimmy slides off the rails too.

why are you burying your head in the sand? oh I see what you did there... that is very clever. To follow suit, rather than acknowledge the truth or observe what's really happening, I'll just keep my head down here looking at the 95 players with a higher Offensive WAR than "good ol sore thumb" over there.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/05_04/035ostrich_468x538.jpg

not watching the game so 'pologize if this has been mentioned... but 12 straight sent down?

another doubles LaCroix and you're going straight to Jail do not pass Go.

"...Surely, the Redbirds, 2013 pennant snapping in the breeze, were poised to assert their authority over the division..." I like this imagery. Definitely preferable to the "slap it on the outfield wall decal" vibe we've got going on.

Okay, I'll be happy now

It doesn't even matter if it's right (ie win)... It is so wrong. In fact, a save here just reemphasizes the wrong logic. Ron turned this into a lose-lose situation