Who will it be? The coveted fifth spot in Oakland's rotation remains unclaimed, and the competition is not letting up. For a team very much in contention, boasting an offense with newly acquired starpower, the chance to anchor a Major League starting rotation is one hell of a brass ring.
Duke, Sean Gallagher, Dana Eveland and Gio Gonzalez can all but assume they have locked down spots as starters. That fifth spot, however, remains a mystery to A's fans and management alike. The candidates: Dallas Braden Josh Outman, Trevor Cahill, and Edgar Gonzalez. The median age: 23. Combined games of Major League experience: about 70. This group is young, talented, and largely unproven at the pro level.
Let's take a look at the crop:
Braden is easily the most battle tested of the group. Posting a 5-4 record in 2008, he's appeared in 39 games for Oakland over the last 2 years. Braden has decent power, with a fastball in the mid 90's, a hard slider and a unique knuckler/screwball pitch he calls "the scrooge". Bob Geren seems to like him, which will help his cause. At 26 years, he is also the oldest member of the Atheltics hopeful.
Outman could be the dark horse. Once regarded as a top 15 prospect in the Phillies organization, the 24year old southpaw came over in the trade for Joe Blanton and played in 6 games at the end of last year's inconsequential season. He gave up a disappointing 34 hits in 25 innings and definitely took his lumps in his first look at big league hitting. Outman boasts a hard fastball with movement and relies on a deceptive (sometimes inaccurate) changeup to deliver strikeouts. He posted 19 in those 6 games.
20 year old Trevor Cahill is probably the most highly anticipated of the group... and the farthest from game day ready. Despite representing the USA in Beijing Olympics, the A's have limited his time to A and AA appearances. He's dominated at every level so far, but is still being cultivated for a big league roster spot.
Last year Edgar Gonzales finished a lackluster 1-3 with a 6.0ERA for the Arizona Diamondbacks (similar to his 06 and 07 numbers). He impressed A's brass this week with a 100 pitch session, facing a number of A's batters and showing good change in speed, location and instinct. But, the difference between bullpen sessions and game time performance is huge. His big league numbers leave much to be desired. At 25 years old, he has time to work out the bugs, even if it has to be at AAA for another year.
So who will it be? Whereas we don't know that yet, we do know the 4 designated starters (aside from Duke) are also young and yet to be challenged by a 162 game season. Moves have been made to address this.
This offseason Billy Beane signed veteran relievers Michael Weurtz and Russ Springer, and is still eyeing former Minnesota Twin Dennys Reyes. These arms in combination with proven entities Santiago Casilla, Joey Devine, Brad Zeigler and Jerry Blevins look to shore up what is arguably the top stable of relief pitchers in the Majors. With a deep and talented bullpen backing the starting 5 up (and shortening their innings on the mound) the support is there, and the potential for damage is substantially mitigated. It seems Beane was very deliberate in building a safety net for Oakland's young starters--with good reason.
So as week 1 of preseason approaches its conclusion, the A's know what they need to work on. The promise of youth stares down the AL West, and Beane has his work cut out for him. It would be nice to see some of these young guys step it up and once again validate his instincts.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
methodized madness
Today is the first day of Spring Training and hopes are high in Phoenix. Mark my words: this is our year. I felt the same tremors in 2006, when Beane made moves to add Milton Bradley and Mark Kotsay to the lineup (we didn't win a pennant, but I'll take an ALCS appearance any time). The embers of hope began flickering in Novemeber when we landed Matt Holliday in the blockbuster trade with Colorado. They began to grow with the news of Giambi and Russ Springer. Rickey Henderson's HOF induction got A's fans even hotter, and current rumors of Garciappra and O-Cab joining the squad do little to temper the glow. Honestly, that's the best word I can summon for the 2009 preseason: glow.
The buzz is glowing. The smiles on the players faces are glowing. The media coverage is glowing and Oakland is no longer the bastard child of the AL West. Our new face is much more becoming: contenders.
Favorites? Perhaps. Detractors would grant that honor to the Angels on principle, but to me that's shortsighted. No one can argue that Oakland's offseason was more productive and impressive than any other team in the division. We cleaned up. Also beyond debate is the fact that our offense has been substantially upgraded. The best part? We aren't done. Orlando Cabrera's options are looking slimmer by the day now that The Dodgers landed Orlando Hudson and Edgar Rentaria is a Giant. He still wants the $5MM but I think Oakland's $3MM offer is becoming much more attractive, considering there are no others.
Buck. Ellis. Giambi. Holliday. Cust. Chavez. Cabrera. Garciaparra. Suzuki. That's a lineup to respect. Especially considering the lackluster rotations we will face from Seattle and Texas. Yes--the average age of our starting rotation is 23. Yes--that is our biggest question mark, and yes--that's an important component of team; perhaps the most important. But these young guys can throw, and success is chemical. We lost 25% of our games by 1 run last year. That will not happen in 2009.
If there is one thing i have learned from watching the A's this decade it is to trust Billy Beane. The man has a plan, whether it makes sense to me or not. When we traded Dan Haren for 6 guys, there was a goal. Two of those players landed us Matt Holiday. When we traded Rich Harden, we landed us a much healthier/dependable Sean Gallagher, and guess what, Harden is hurt and won't pitch this spring training. When we traded Nick Swisher, we unloaded one of our biggest contracts and landed Gio Gonzales and Ryan Sweeney who are both legit contenders for starting jobs. I dont even need to mention how much stronger these moves made our farm system, because our Sacramanto RiverCats team are defeding AAA champions. These moves over the last 3 years have had one goal in mind: 2009.
This is our year.
The buzz is glowing. The smiles on the players faces are glowing. The media coverage is glowing and Oakland is no longer the bastard child of the AL West. Our new face is much more becoming: contenders.
Favorites? Perhaps. Detractors would grant that honor to the Angels on principle, but to me that's shortsighted. No one can argue that Oakland's offseason was more productive and impressive than any other team in the division. We cleaned up. Also beyond debate is the fact that our offense has been substantially upgraded. The best part? We aren't done. Orlando Cabrera's options are looking slimmer by the day now that The Dodgers landed Orlando Hudson and Edgar Rentaria is a Giant. He still wants the $5MM but I think Oakland's $3MM offer is becoming much more attractive, considering there are no others.
Buck. Ellis. Giambi. Holliday. Cust. Chavez. Cabrera. Garciaparra. Suzuki. That's a lineup to respect. Especially considering the lackluster rotations we will face from Seattle and Texas. Yes--the average age of our starting rotation is 23. Yes--that is our biggest question mark, and yes--that's an important component of team; perhaps the most important. But these young guys can throw, and success is chemical. We lost 25% of our games by 1 run last year. That will not happen in 2009.
If there is one thing i have learned from watching the A's this decade it is to trust Billy Beane. The man has a plan, whether it makes sense to me or not. When we traded Dan Haren for 6 guys, there was a goal. Two of those players landed us Matt Holiday. When we traded Rich Harden, we landed us a much healthier/dependable Sean Gallagher, and guess what, Harden is hurt and won't pitch this spring training. When we traded Nick Swisher, we unloaded one of our biggest contracts and landed Gio Gonzales and Ryan Sweeney who are both legit contenders for starting jobs. I dont even need to mention how much stronger these moves made our farm system, because our Sacramanto RiverCats team are defeding AAA champions. These moves over the last 3 years have had one goal in mind: 2009.
This is our year.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
wild wild west, part 3
When George W Bush purchased the Texas Rangers in 1989, he probably thought they'd be able to improve; maybe win a division, maybe even a playoff series. After all, they were (and still are) the only major league team to have never done so. Little did he know the Rangers' troubles would continue, and deepen into 2009.
Having made a couple of small, inconsequential moves, the Rangers return with standouts Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton... and little else. They traded away Mark Tex to the division rival Angels, avoided arb with junior powerhouses Vicente Padilla and Jarrod Saltalamachia. Milton Bradley is a well paid Chicago Cub, and understudy Elvis Andrus will be learning the fine art of shortstop from 11 time gold glover Omar Vizquell.
Texas looks to post a 3rd place finish, and even that will hard fought. Seattle's moves have been based on a more established core of individual contributors, and Oakland is the one to watch this offseason. As I indicated last month, Anaheim is slippin' and despite signing Bobby Abreu to a 1 year deal, they are looking much less ferocious than last years AL West winning squad.
There is not much to be excited about in Arlington. Average pitching, average offense and below average historical significance threaten to relegate the Rangers to yet another year under the shadow of mediocrity.
Let's go Oakland.
Having made a couple of small, inconsequential moves, the Rangers return with standouts Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton... and little else. They traded away Mark Tex to the division rival Angels, avoided arb with junior powerhouses Vicente Padilla and Jarrod Saltalamachia. Milton Bradley is a well paid Chicago Cub, and understudy Elvis Andrus will be learning the fine art of shortstop from 11 time gold glover Omar Vizquell.
Texas looks to post a 3rd place finish, and even that will hard fought. Seattle's moves have been based on a more established core of individual contributors, and Oakland is the one to watch this offseason. As I indicated last month, Anaheim is slippin' and despite signing Bobby Abreu to a 1 year deal, they are looking much less ferocious than last years AL West winning squad.
There is not much to be excited about in Arlington. Average pitching, average offense and below average historical significance threaten to relegate the Rangers to yet another year under the shadow of mediocrity.
Let's go Oakland.
Friday, January 30, 2009
wild wild west, part 2
part 2:
Mike Sweeney didn't do much for Oakland last year. He hit 2 homers in 126 at bats after coming over from Kansas City, where he played 13 seasons and earned 5 all star appearances. And whereas those 2 shots were very rewarding, they weren't enough to propel the A's out of 3rd place. The Seattle Mariners seem to think he's capable of more, and signed him to a minor league deal this week.
Something is going on in Seattle, whose front office has been sniffing around the likes of Bobby Abreu and Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners have been frenetic in both the free agent and trade markets, and seem desperate to redeem themselves from a humiliating 101 loss season in 2008. The losses themselves were embarrassing, but the shame gets really thick in the context of their 100MM payroll. Seattle was the richest team to ever lose 100 games. Not exactly top honors.
This offseason has been a crash course in franchise re-org. In an unusually bold move, the Mariners made Oakland's long time bench coach Don Wakamatsu their new manager. Loved by A's fans, he has a daunting task ahead of him; a veritable balancing act of inflated contracts, aging position players and very, very high expectations. Wakamatsu's departure is eerily similar to former A's 1st base coach Ron Washington's transition to manager of the Texas Rangers, another AL West division rival. It would seem that our closest opponents think pretty highly of Oakland's management personnel.
This week the Mariners traded Aaron Heilman away to the Cubs for Garret Olson and Cedeno. The acquired David Aardsma from the Red Sox for a minor league pitcher, and managed to avoid arbitration with Felix Hernandez. They also resigned Erik Bedard, who looked like an oft-injured bust after getting big money as a free agent out of Baltimore... but inspired enough confidence in management to justify an contract extension. Most of these moves have focused on the pitching staff,
These changes do little to strike fear into the hearts of A's fans. Seattle's mismanaged assets are about as terrifying as Gumbi. Pitching was their most glaring inadequacy and they have done what they could to remedy that. The new and improved green and gold lineup proves to be a formidable challenge for the Mariner's rotation... Garret Olsen or no. Ichiro is still around, slapping base hits to the oposite feild. Raul Ibanez is now a Philly. Even Wakamatsu's departure is to be expected in such a competitive game. I see Seattle finishing 3rd in the AL West... with some trouble.
moshi moshi!!
next installment, Texas Rangers.
Mike Sweeney didn't do much for Oakland last year. He hit 2 homers in 126 at bats after coming over from Kansas City, where he played 13 seasons and earned 5 all star appearances. And whereas those 2 shots were very rewarding, they weren't enough to propel the A's out of 3rd place. The Seattle Mariners seem to think he's capable of more, and signed him to a minor league deal this week.
Something is going on in Seattle, whose front office has been sniffing around the likes of Bobby Abreu and Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners have been frenetic in both the free agent and trade markets, and seem desperate to redeem themselves from a humiliating 101 loss season in 2008. The losses themselves were embarrassing, but the shame gets really thick in the context of their 100MM payroll. Seattle was the richest team to ever lose 100 games. Not exactly top honors.
This offseason has been a crash course in franchise re-org. In an unusually bold move, the Mariners made Oakland's long time bench coach Don Wakamatsu their new manager. Loved by A's fans, he has a daunting task ahead of him; a veritable balancing act of inflated contracts, aging position players and very, very high expectations. Wakamatsu's departure is eerily similar to former A's 1st base coach Ron Washington's transition to manager of the Texas Rangers, another AL West division rival. It would seem that our closest opponents think pretty highly of Oakland's management personnel.
This week the Mariners traded Aaron Heilman away to the Cubs for Garret Olson and Cedeno. The acquired David Aardsma from the Red Sox for a minor league pitcher, and managed to avoid arbitration with Felix Hernandez. They also resigned Erik Bedard, who looked like an oft-injured bust after getting big money as a free agent out of Baltimore... but inspired enough confidence in management to justify an contract extension. Most of these moves have focused on the pitching staff,
These changes do little to strike fear into the hearts of A's fans. Seattle's mismanaged assets are about as terrifying as Gumbi. Pitching was their most glaring inadequacy and they have done what they could to remedy that. The new and improved green and gold lineup proves to be a formidable challenge for the Mariner's rotation... Garret Olsen or no. Ichiro is still around, slapping base hits to the oposite feild. Raul Ibanez is now a Philly. Even Wakamatsu's departure is to be expected in such a competitive game. I see Seattle finishing 3rd in the AL West... with some trouble.
moshi moshi!!
next installment, Texas Rangers.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
wild wild west, part 1
This is the first installment of my 3 part analysis of the AL West... more specifically, the 2008-2009 offseason moves (good and bad) made by the Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. Needless to say, they will all be highly partisan, glaringly biased... and mainly based on how these team's moves pertain to the A's.
Part 1:
Angels are slippin. Free Agent ace Jon Garland is on his way to the D-Backs and that halo rotation is looking just a hair less dominant. Single-season saves leader K-Rod is paid in Queens, and will no longer prey on the A's in the ninth. Bad Vlad posted modest numbers in 2008, Tori Hunter is looking every bit his 34 years, and Garret Anderson may be unemployed by the start of spring training. The sting still lingers from Mark Texieira's snub of their 160MM, 8 year offer. And, to top it all off... the city of Anaheim brought legal action against the club for rights to their name. They gave it up eventually, but they had a point. The Angels are, after all, located in Orange County. All of a sudden, the big red 100 game win machine is sputtering.
The division rivals to the south have held a tradition of fielding strong teams for most of this decade. Much of their success has been predicated on a strong core of hitters, and supported by a diverse, powerful pitching staff. But as 2009 takes shape, the house Scioscia built is showing some cracks in the foundation. This is not, however, reason to relax.
Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Jon Lackey are all returning to the rotation, and they won 45 games for the Angels in 2008. That's a pretty solid core, but they will miss Garland. They also signed closer Brian Fuentes (and his career 3.41 ERA) to a 2 year, $18MM deal in hopes he will be able to ice hitters the same way K-Rod did last season. Good luck with that fellas.
GM Tony Reagins inexplicably moved on free agent Juan Rivera while ignoring Manny Rodriguez (who is still available). This one puzzles me a bit, as they were willing to commit 8 years and countless millions to Mark Texieira, but not 3 or 4 years to Manny, with a career .314 average and a reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the game. He would also offer legit star-power (aka butts in seats, aka enhanced revenues). Oh well. Maybe they see Erick Aybar hitting 37 homers this year at the SS position.
The arbitration class was also quite active, although easily resolved, and focused mainly on position players. Chone Figgins, Robb Quinlan, Jack Taschner, Derren Oliver, Brad Thompson and Mike Napoli all came to terms with the Angels and avoided arbitration hearings; collectively a good omen for Anaheim. Whether or not retention of those players will be enough to win the Division remains to be seen.
Trade-wise, nothing to report.
All in all, The Angels are looking far less ferocious than the 2008 squad who earned the AL's best record (and ultimately choked to Boston). The market is what it is, and they did not emerge as winners this offseason. Which is a bit disappointing to Angel fans, I can imagine, considering their $115MM payroll and gigantic (and painfully, horribly garish) new Orange County stadium.
So. Where does that leave Oakland? Poised. At the very least, in contention. The A's young and relatively unproven starting rotation is seeking leadership from 2 time all star Justin Durscherer. If he can stay healthy, he could prove a viable steady and Ace... but that composure will have to be contagious to the rest of the young arms. Pitching will be our greatest concession to the Angels, despite their losses.
Our offense will now feature 2 former batting champs and a former MVP (yeah, he's old, but he still hit 34 homers last year). Chavez is healthy. Ellis is healthy. Travis Buck is healthy and ready to join the ranks of Oakland's proven hitters. This is good news for the A's, who boasted a League worst offense last season. This is bad news for the Angels, who are used to abusing our near-anemic lineup. Long story short, we are going to hit the ball much better against Anaheim this year. I do not see 100 wins as being a realistic accomplishment for them. Watch out California Angels... I mean LA Angels... I mean Anaheim Angels... I mean LA Angels of Anaheim. Pretty sure that's it.
Anaheim's own disneyland...
next installment: Seattle Mariners.
Part 1:
Angels are slippin. Free Agent ace Jon Garland is on his way to the D-Backs and that halo rotation is looking just a hair less dominant. Single-season saves leader K-Rod is paid in Queens, and will no longer prey on the A's in the ninth. Bad Vlad posted modest numbers in 2008, Tori Hunter is looking every bit his 34 years, and Garret Anderson may be unemployed by the start of spring training. The sting still lingers from Mark Texieira's snub of their 160MM, 8 year offer. And, to top it all off... the city of Anaheim brought legal action against the club for rights to their name. They gave it up eventually, but they had a point. The Angels are, after all, located in Orange County. All of a sudden, the big red 100 game win machine is sputtering.
The division rivals to the south have held a tradition of fielding strong teams for most of this decade. Much of their success has been predicated on a strong core of hitters, and supported by a diverse, powerful pitching staff. But as 2009 takes shape, the house Scioscia built is showing some cracks in the foundation. This is not, however, reason to relax.
Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Jon Lackey are all returning to the rotation, and they won 45 games for the Angels in 2008. That's a pretty solid core, but they will miss Garland. They also signed closer Brian Fuentes (and his career 3.41 ERA) to a 2 year, $18MM deal in hopes he will be able to ice hitters the same way K-Rod did last season. Good luck with that fellas.
GM Tony Reagins inexplicably moved on free agent Juan Rivera while ignoring Manny Rodriguez (who is still available). This one puzzles me a bit, as they were willing to commit 8 years and countless millions to Mark Texieira, but not 3 or 4 years to Manny, with a career .314 average and a reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the game. He would also offer legit star-power (aka butts in seats, aka enhanced revenues). Oh well. Maybe they see Erick Aybar hitting 37 homers this year at the SS position.
The arbitration class was also quite active, although easily resolved, and focused mainly on position players. Chone Figgins, Robb Quinlan, Jack Taschner, Derren Oliver, Brad Thompson and Mike Napoli all came to terms with the Angels and avoided arbitration hearings; collectively a good omen for Anaheim. Whether or not retention of those players will be enough to win the Division remains to be seen.
Trade-wise, nothing to report.
All in all, The Angels are looking far less ferocious than the 2008 squad who earned the AL's best record (and ultimately choked to Boston). The market is what it is, and they did not emerge as winners this offseason. Which is a bit disappointing to Angel fans, I can imagine, considering their $115MM payroll and gigantic (and painfully, horribly garish) new Orange County stadium.
So. Where does that leave Oakland? Poised. At the very least, in contention. The A's young and relatively unproven starting rotation is seeking leadership from 2 time all star Justin Durscherer. If he can stay healthy, he could prove a viable steady and Ace... but that composure will have to be contagious to the rest of the young arms. Pitching will be our greatest concession to the Angels, despite their losses.
Our offense will now feature 2 former batting champs and a former MVP (yeah, he's old, but he still hit 34 homers last year). Chavez is healthy. Ellis is healthy. Travis Buck is healthy and ready to join the ranks of Oakland's proven hitters. This is good news for the A's, who boasted a League worst offense last season. This is bad news for the Angels, who are used to abusing our near-anemic lineup. Long story short, we are going to hit the ball much better against Anaheim this year. I do not see 100 wins as being a realistic accomplishment for them. Watch out California Angels... I mean LA Angels... I mean Anaheim Angels... I mean LA Angels of Anaheim. Pretty sure that's it.
Anaheim's own disneyland...
next installment: Seattle Mariners.
Friday, January 23, 2009
unspecific
brave new world and the rain pushes sheets on diagonal sidewinder avenue slopes like california or sacramento or bush and pine and all cable car street sign street sweepers go diagonal in sweater weather systems that refuse to call me back and offer me money cuz frosty glass ceiling skies stop short of subdued weekend with blissful promise sleepy eyes meet and smile when they are left alone in safety dim but not dark square shapes with soft corners confirm a careful touch beside elusive oval puddle jumps falling arches falling swift and unkempt smokey afghan carpet nag champa wafts where foggy afternoons replenish themselves on water and wine and television and ordering in and eating off paper plates while sports highlights can justify my love in cell phone text because quick fingers trace loyal patterns on keys sounding songlike and distant but sweet like sugar water on rock candy volcanic obsidian that shimmers black liquorish waves crashing consistent and unsettled loud like sleeping on the diagonal inner city sidewalk no parking here inhospitable unbroken and unsustainable right angles green grass and flashes take me back to the soft corners and sleepy eyes and careful touches and homeward bus lines stop and go and seal me in vaccumed and unharmed
Monday, January 12, 2009
giant shadow
Somewhere between the 30 minute line for garlic fries and my $45 bleacher seat, i realized i was in a very different kind of ballpark. as weird as it sounds... these people were wearing their goofy orange and black Halloween colors with pride. they remained seated when their team made a play--more interested in their conversations than the game, nursing chilled Chardonnay in premium plastic cups. every one of these people could have been a season ticket holder. for me, games at AT&T are more a lesson in social class than compelling baseball.
I don't know why the relationship is so adversarial, but it just is. they have more money, a FAR nicer stadium (that they don't share with Al Davis) and a fanbase that doesn't get tired of seeing them lose. they also boast a fraudulent all-time-home-run legacy left behind by Barry Bonds, and questioned by just about everyone who is not a giants fan. in most respects, I'm almost a Giants hater.... call me envious.
But rather than rant about the haves and have nots of bay area baseball, I'd like to explore the budding rivalry between A's and Giants. Catalyzed by a World Series sweep in 1989, and immortalized by the earthquake, it's a cross town beef like no other. The blue collar A's represent a plucky, fighting, rebellious spirit to the rest of the nation, whereas the Giants have often struggled to define their identity. Despite winning the NL pennant in 2002, the Barry Bonds Bunch has embodied large market mediocrity throughout the last decade, with glimmers of excellence in standouts like Tim Lincecum and of course, Mister Asterisk himself.
so as 2009 settles in, and the new rosters (and identities) take shape, i once again see the bay area teams in competition--i can't help it. i compare their signings to ours, and our failures to theirs. pointless? probably.
Ray Ratto (SF Chronicle) feels like Billy Beane has been out GM'ed by Brian Sabean this offseason. I think that's absurd. Whereas both teams brought in big name free agents (for short term deals) and attempted to address their personnel issues, the A's have done it without cashing out. Both teams still have positions they'd like to upgrade, but Oakland's only glaring insufficiency is at shortstop... and they've identified a viable (read: affordable) target in Orlando Cabrera. The Giants do not have game day starters at either infield corner... and that means holes in the lineup as well. the free agent market has been pretty kind to the Giants so far, but their work is far from done.
The comparison is also unfair because of an inequity in available resources. working class A's fans will commonly use the limited payroll as a fallback in defending their team (i already have in this post) although we've seen successes beyond our budgets. The Giants aren't exactly spending money like the Red Sox, but their new stadium and deeper pockets do make contract negotiations a bit less challenging... just ask Barry Zito.
Plus their division is soft. The NL West title is a very achievable one, with the last 10 being split fairly evenly among its 5 teams (with the exception of Colorado, which has never won). The division is ripe for takeover every season, and every season there seems to be a snail's race to the finish. As far as image goes, the Dodgers have a rich and eventful history, dating back to their days in Brooklyn, and it helps that they usually contend. The Padres and Diamondbacks have each seen above average results, including Arizona's 2001 World Series win over the Yankees (thanks fellas!)... but are also not very unique squads. The lackluster Rockies wear the worst uniforms in professional sports... so there's that. The Giants are somewhere in the middle; not terrible, not good... and very much without a clear "character" to reference.
With regards to Oakland, the NL West denied us World Series wins in 1988 and 1990, and gave us one in 1989.... against the Giants. If that 3 year stretch wasn't enough to spark a rivalry, interleague made it official in 1997. Now we play the Gmen every year. Since then, the A's hold the advantage over SF 38-30... punctuated by a 12 strikeout domination by Tim Lincecum last season (the most recent meeting between the 2 teams). It was pretty much his coming-out party, and it eclipsed an outstanding 1 run performance by our own all-star Justin Duscherer.
I don't know why the relationship is so adversarial, but it just is. they have more money, a FAR nicer stadium (that they don't share with Al Davis) and a fanbase that doesn't get tired of seeing them lose. they also boast a fraudulent all-time-home-run legacy left behind by Barry Bonds, and questioned by just about everyone who is not a giants fan. in most respects, I'm almost a Giants hater.... call me envious.
But rather than rant about the haves and have nots of bay area baseball, I'd like to explore the budding rivalry between A's and Giants. Catalyzed by a World Series sweep in 1989, and immortalized by the earthquake, it's a cross town beef like no other. The blue collar A's represent a plucky, fighting, rebellious spirit to the rest of the nation, whereas the Giants have often struggled to define their identity. Despite winning the NL pennant in 2002, the Barry Bonds Bunch has embodied large market mediocrity throughout the last decade, with glimmers of excellence in standouts like Tim Lincecum and of course, Mister Asterisk himself.
so as 2009 settles in, and the new rosters (and identities) take shape, i once again see the bay area teams in competition--i can't help it. i compare their signings to ours, and our failures to theirs. pointless? probably.
Ray Ratto (SF Chronicle) feels like Billy Beane has been out GM'ed by Brian Sabean this offseason. I think that's absurd. Whereas both teams brought in big name free agents (for short term deals) and attempted to address their personnel issues, the A's have done it without cashing out. Both teams still have positions they'd like to upgrade, but Oakland's only glaring insufficiency is at shortstop... and they've identified a viable (read: affordable) target in Orlando Cabrera. The Giants do not have game day starters at either infield corner... and that means holes in the lineup as well. the free agent market has been pretty kind to the Giants so far, but their work is far from done.
The comparison is also unfair because of an inequity in available resources. working class A's fans will commonly use the limited payroll as a fallback in defending their team (i already have in this post) although we've seen successes beyond our budgets. The Giants aren't exactly spending money like the Red Sox, but their new stadium and deeper pockets do make contract negotiations a bit less challenging... just ask Barry Zito.
Plus their division is soft. The NL West title is a very achievable one, with the last 10 being split fairly evenly among its 5 teams (with the exception of Colorado, which has never won). The division is ripe for takeover every season, and every season there seems to be a snail's race to the finish. As far as image goes, the Dodgers have a rich and eventful history, dating back to their days in Brooklyn, and it helps that they usually contend. The Padres and Diamondbacks have each seen above average results, including Arizona's 2001 World Series win over the Yankees (thanks fellas!)... but are also not very unique squads. The lackluster Rockies wear the worst uniforms in professional sports... so there's that. The Giants are somewhere in the middle; not terrible, not good... and very much without a clear "character" to reference.
With regards to Oakland, the NL West denied us World Series wins in 1988 and 1990, and gave us one in 1989.... against the Giants. If that 3 year stretch wasn't enough to spark a rivalry, interleague made it official in 1997. Now we play the Gmen every year. Since then, the A's hold the advantage over SF 38-30... punctuated by a 12 strikeout domination by Tim Lincecum last season (the most recent meeting between the 2 teams). It was pretty much his coming-out party, and it eclipsed an outstanding 1 run performance by our own all-star Justin Duscherer.
this year proves to be more equitable in terms of how the Giants stack up against the A's. they have tried to address their issues, and so have we. they've lost some players, just like us. i have ongoing bet with a buddy that the A's finish with a better record. this year i feel it's less of a lock, but i still took the bet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
