I Need a Vacation

I'm watching the A's in Detroit. They're giving the game away. While they have over 10 hits, they are not hitting well in hitting situations when men are on base. George says that when things aren't going well, every time you look up, it's 0-and-2. No kidding.

I went to the A's Booster Club board meeting that night, and nobody wanted to talk about the A's and how they're playing. Several did add, however, that they're not fond of Matt Holliday. An expensive pick-up, we all figure he'll be gone by mid-season. He is 4-for-4 today, I believe, and it seems his bat is finally coming around. But not before many people have been turned off.

The A's have the lowest whatever in almost every category. Even their vaunted relief pitching is sinking lower, mostly because our inexperienced starters can't get out of the 3rd, 4th, or 5th innings. Even the best relief pitcher gets tired.

The demise of the Oakland A's explains why no one is going to the park. Why BART is losing membership. Why Comcast is losing viewers. Why global warming is bringing wasps back in the spring. Why world peace seems to be unreachable.

So I'm going to Disneyland! This has nothing to do with the A's, but I think it'll be a relief not going to the games, not finding them on T.V. or radio wherever I am during the day. I'm just worn out.

First Day at Spring Training, and Taking a Break from Oakland

I'm sitting here at Oakland Airport, and able to post this thanks to free Wi-Fi.

Clearing TSA wasn't as bad this time. I didn't have to take off my watch. There were the usual jokes about "at least we don't have to take off our pants, but it's darn close," and a young woman in the Southwest security line who asked, "What's this line for?" after standing there a few minutes. She saw the longer line inside, and all those people looked warm, but stuck it out in our outside line. Our line was freezing, but our line was a great deal shorter.

Today the game starts at 1 pm, a contest between the Oakland A's and the Chicago White Sox. I'm trying to think if I know anybody still (which usually means: did they once play for the A's), and I think there are a few left like Jermaine Dye. All of this is as Phoenix Municipal. I just realized I forgot to bring a hat, so I'll buy one there. I probably would've done that anyway.

I'm still trying to get over that stunning gun battle in Oakland yesterday. Four police officers were shot by apparently one suspect, who died on the scene. He shot the first two, I believe, during a routine traffic cop. Then he ran from the vehicle and hid in the neighborhood. An anonymous tip led them to an apartment complex, where the killer used another weapon -- semi-automatic -- to gun down two more. It is so horrible to think that those men lost their lives just a few miles from where I live.

Oakland has had its share of violence in the last year. Some really bad stuff is going down. I'm glad to take a break from it. But the latest in mayhem won't leave me easily.

Looking Forward to Spring Training

I have ordered my tickets for spring training 2009 -- two A's games, one Cubs game, one Dodgers. I've decided to fly this time, having driven 17 hours to get home last time.

George called me while I was sitting down for my airport margarita at McCarron Airport in Las Vegas. He wanted to discuss, yes, the A's. This is the fan who stopped being a fan for 2008 when Billy Beane traded away so many of the decent A's players that the team couldn't bat over .240 for the 2nd half of the season, and couldn't win more than two in a row.

The A's have just now announced that Jason Giambi, age 38 as of today, will be rejoining the team. What was it, seven years ago? when he left the A's for the big money in New York, and trashed the A's as he walked out the door. Some will greet him as a hero when he returns, quietly forgetting the poster boy of the Steroid Era, while others will boo him.

Which one am I? Into which camp do I reside? I have to see how well the old man can hit first.

Greg Smith Lays One in There

I had another terrific time at the Oakland A's Booster Luncheon. It really does help when there's someone to talk to, someone who likes baseball as much as you do.

Ellen and her aunt, Joy, joined me again to welcome Shooty Babbitt and Greg Smith. Shooty is a celebrity in his own right, a second baseman who played for the A's, but who also has the gift of gab. Shooty is an intelligent questioner, which helps a lot, especially in interviewing a rookie. Shooty is also smart enough to know that he's not the main event here -- the current player is -- but I would love to hear more from him in some future date. I've seen him occasionally before or after a game on local T.V., talking about the match-ups, and he's much better than the other broadcasters they have in the pre- and post-game, except for Ray Fosse.

Greg Smith is the rookie I'm talking about, a left-handed pitcher whom we acquired in the Dan Haren trade last off-season, and what a gem he is. But who knew he'd be such a dynamic speaker? Everybody at the table was in awe of not only his speaking ability but also his knowledge of the game and his ability to impart that to us.

In fact, prodded by Shooty's questions, Greg gave us a pitch-by-pitch description of what he threw to Beltran in the last game (the day before), and his reasons, and it was so dynamic. I really felt as if we were part of his process. I'd love to have the same experience each time at these luncheons.

I mean, you really have to like the teddy-bear quality of a Jack Cust, but his process is mainly see-the-ball, hit-the-ball. There's nothing he's going to explain to you. We get from him the overall joy of being in the major leagues. And he's not going to worry about his strikeouts. He's just not.

Greg Smith is a thinking man's pitcher. I read this morning where Brian Wilson, who plays for the San Francisco Giants, and who closed out the game yesterday, said something to the effect that he was throwing strikes and they were hitting them, so he threw as hard as he could, saying, in effect, "here, hit this." Smith is not like that at all. He has a game plan, and if he can execute, he's sticking to his game plan with the help of his catcher.

We're heading into what I term the dead area of baseball: The All-Star break. As usual, we have one player in the All-Star game (Duchscherer), and if he pitches one inning, I'll be really pumped.

A Custian Blow for Niceness

I had a very nice time at the A's Booster luncheon today.

I didn't win a base this time -- yeah, really! a game-used, ALCS base in a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland A's from 2006 -- like last time, but I still had a good time.

Jack Cust came to talk to us, and the MC was Vince Cotroneo. Vince was very, very friendly, and Jack was self-effacingly funny. Imagine working in the minor leagues for 10 years, wondering if you're going to finish out your career in Japan, when Billy Beane finally calls, rescuing you from the Padres, who just waived you. Amazing.

What do you like about the major leagues. "Everything." The fresh uniforms. The cleats. The food. The travel. This guy is enjoying it for all it's worth.

And, an extra bonus for me, a nice guy sat next to me and immediately started talking baseball. A good listener as well as a good talker, and I never even got his name. And then, two women with whom I spent some time at spring training a year-and-a-half ago. Very nice people. And they know a lot about A's baseball, too!

A wonderful day among fellow fans. I can't wait until the A's game against the Giants tomorrow night. I'll be listening to you, Vince Cotroneo. Thanks for the good times.