Why the A's Don't Deserve the West
by Josh Bob
Let me get this out of the way first: I'm an A's fan.
Although I was born and bred in Boston, and have never taken in a single game at "the NAC" (Network Associates Coliseum, where the A's play), I am a hard-core, died-in-the-wool, tried-and-true, insert-other-expression Oakland Athletics supporter.
"Nothing changes because
we have to get ourselves together." Huh?.
I was there in spirit for the agony of Gibson-off-Eckersley and "the fist pump"; I was there for the Bay Bridge Series and the earthquake; Hell, I even lost my first bet ever on the 1990 sweep by the Reds. And when they traded Mark McGwire, two months after I met my all-time favorite sports player, I nearly cried.
But not every "MoneyBall" disciple has to have blind faith in his team. I've learned a lot being surrounded by Red Sox Nation: Don't trust your team's good fortune, because it fades; Starting pitching can overcome most things, but not mental issues (see: Lowe, Derek), poor management (see: Little, Grady), or just plain bad luck; just because you love your team doesn't mean you have to believe they are infallible.
Billy Beane somehow refused to go out and get a proven commodity to shore up that weak position.
And I'll tell you this much: I just don't see that my boys deserve to win the West this year, much less the World Series.
Why?
They don't want it. Ken Macha thinks that starting a journeyman utility player (Mark McLemore) at second base over a hot-hitting unknown (Marco Scutaro) is wise, and Billy Beane somehow refused to go out and get a proven commodity (Jeff Kent) to shore up that weak position. Only three regulars (CF Mark Kotsay, DH Erubiel Durazo, and RF Jermaine Dye) are hitting over .280 in September - and four are hitting under .245. Don't forget the pitching, where just four players have a September ERA below 4.50. 4.50! That's one run every two innings. Somebody stop the bleeding! You know it's a bad sign when Barry Zito, who's been just about the worst pitcher on the A's this year, has the best ERA among their starters in September.
"We haven't been playing real well lately.
If we don't turn it around, we're in trouble."
Master of the Obvious.
They aren't built for it. Every year, it seems, the A's make it to the playoffs only to build a lead and then get trounced. They're like Stan, from "South Park" - they see the beautiful girl, they go to her, things are going well, and then they blow chunks all over everything. That's what the Oakland Athletics do - they hurl all over the beautiful woman that is the World Series title, ensuring they can never have her.
This year will be no exception, as the A's will again trot out the following misfits: McLemore and Scutaro, the misfit band of second baggers; Octavio Dotel, the heart attack-inducing closer who was a lights-out set-up man in Houston; Bobby Crosby, the starting shortstop who took over for the reigning American League MVP - but who has hit .213 down the stretch run; and Jim Mecir, the reliever whose right leg is six inches shorter than his left. All this, and a team that has more ALDS losses in the past four years than most teams have had since the LDS format was introduced.
They can't hit. Let's not talk about that, shall we?
They've looked less than intimidating on the mound over the past month, compiling a shocking 7-9 record with an abysmal 5.85 era
Their starters don't scare anyone any more. The "Big 3" was supposed to become a "Big 5" when the team added phenom Rich Harden and lefty Mark Redman. Yet they've looked less than intimidating on the mound over the past month, compiling a shocking 7-9 record with an abysmal 5.85 era - highlighted by first-half Cy Young candidate Mark Mulder's collapse into an 0-3, 8.10 month. This team is built around starting pitching, and to win games they need to put up round numbers on the opposing team's scoreboard, which they haven't been doing lately.
This is a team that needs to pull themselves together in order to even have a shot at the post-season. As I'm writing this, the A's have relinquished sole possession of first place in the AL West to a tie with the Angels, who managed to beat the Rangers in extra innings tonight - meaning that if the A's don't beat the Mariners (it's 2-1 A's in the 8th, with 2 men on for Seattle), they've actually fallen behind in the race.
And given that everyone says that the race to the playoffs is "a marathon and not a sprint," I just don't know if the A's have the wind left in them to run their way to the finish line.