By Trevor Freeman
There are certain truths that are engrained in the minds of the Bay Area sports fan. They range from knowing that the Golden State Warriors will suck year in and year out to knowing that Ray Ratto is unstoppable at Sizzler’s $9.99 “All You Can Eat” buffet. When it comes to Oakland A’s baseball there is an undeniable truth and it will hold up again this year. After the All-Star break, Oakland will get hot and runaway with the American League West.
There’s been some skepticism amongst A’s fans and even a little good-natured taunting by outsiders. I came across an article on U.S.S. Mariner (a fine Seattle Mariners blog) which was titled “Why The A’s Aren’t That Good” (see link below). With that in mind, here are seven reasons why history will repeat itself and Oakland will finish out the year with 95 victories and comfortably win the American League West.
7. Injuries
Oakland trainer Larry Davis and his “kind-of” mullet have been working overtime all year long. Thus far the A’s have seen Rich Harden, Bobby Crosby, Frank Thomas, Justin Duchsherer, Milton Bradley, Joe Kennedy, Esteban Loaiza, Jay Witasick and Mark Ellis all spend time on the DL. That being said, the A’s are still in first place by two games. With everybody just getting healthy, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to assume that better baseball is about to be played. Getting Rich Harden and Milton Bradley back in the next two weeks is like adding two big-name guys in a trade. There is nobody on the planet who can convince me that the A’s don’t have 52-53 wins right now if they were fully healthy.
6. Billy Beane
For those who haven’t read “Moneyball”, there is a reason why the Oakland A’s always surge down the stretch and it is because of Billy Beane’s philosophy. Beane has always split the season into thirds. He takes the first third of the season to figure out what the A’s have and spends the next third of the season figuring out how to acquire what the A’s need. The last third of the season is when the A’s complete their roster. This year will not be an exception. The A’s have a surplus at catcher in their minor league system (Jeremy Browne and Kurt Suzuki are both future major leaguers) and also have some available pitching talent (Santiago Casilla and Dan Meyer). Don’t be surprised when Billy Beane makes another one of his patented “F*kin’ A” trades.
5. Barry Zito
There’s one thing that Barry Zito has always had and that is sense of the moment. Don’t be surprised if Barry Zito has the best second half of his career. Zito is going into free agency and he knows this is his last go-round with the team he came up with and genuinely loves. He also knows a good second half probably means 5 years and $60 million from the New York Mets. A deal with the Mets would ensure that he can bang Paris Hilton, Tara Reid, etc. in various bathroom stalls at Marquee while making Page Six on a daily basis. Don’t think he doesn’t know that.
4. Eric Chavez and Mark Kotsay
Currently, Eric Chavez is batting .245 with 14 homers and 45 RBI’s and Mark Kotsay is hitting .243 with 6 homers and 29 RBI’s. Anybody ever hear of that law of averages thing? Both these guys have proven track records and will heat up with the weather.
3. “The Big Hurt”
Frank Thomas has been getting better by the game and is slowly becoming “The Big Hurt” again. If he doesn’t win Comeback Player of The Year, I’m fighting Bud Selig. It would be great if there were more coverage about his renaissance, because it is remarkable.
(Just out of curiosity, has anybody noticed that the Bay Area’s two representatives to ESPN.com are Skip Bayless and Ray Ratto? First off, how the hell did that happen? Did some married editor from ESPN.com have a wild night at the Hustler Club, which culminated with Bayless and Ratto snapping a picture of him getting a BJ in the Champagne Room? Secondly, I think if ESPN is going to choose writers to cover a region, it should be put to a vote on the site.)
2. I’m breaking out my lucky attire
Never have the A’s not made the playoffs in a year when I have shown up at the ballpark with my homemade “I’m a Bud Man and an A’s fan” T-Shirt along with my Oakland A’s Beer Helmet. I will be wearing it to the park on July 28 against Toronto.
(Before I finish, you know what’s great about being a featured writer on www.sportscolumn.com… the fact that I just wrote over a thousand words, all of which were shamelessly pimping my team.)
1. Pitching Wins in August, September, and October
This is a simple rule that has held up over the test of time. Once the A’s get Rich Harden back, their staff of Zito, Harden, Haren, Blanton, and Loaiza is by far the best in the AL West. While Esteban Loaiza has been getting tossed around more than Katie Morgan in “Space Nuts”, he has begun to show signs of life. He was 3-2 with a complete game in the month of June. By the end of the season, he should morph back into being an effective fifth starter, which is all the A’s will need him to be.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
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U.S.S. Mariner Article
http://ussmariner.com/2006/06/30/why-the-as-arent-that-good/