Why don't the A's win any more?

Even though Beane would argue everything was calculated, I would say it is 1, 3, and a little bit of getting some lucky breaks on "undervalued free agents" and having that good luck reverse in recent years.

 

My bad on Koch. It was only a two-run homer, followed by a single, a walk and an RBI double (three runs total) in the ninth to let Twins stretch lead from 2-1 to 5-1. It was Mark Ellis in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run HR to make it 5-4.

 

I had a front row seat for that inning. And it. was. miserable.

 

So ...

.226 team batting average.

.301 team OBP.

Last in the A.L. in runs scored.

But first in ERA, with an utter no-name staff, outside of a semi-washed-up Bartolo Colon, and, I suppose, Brandon McCarthy, who is known to subscribers of ESPN: The Magazine and probably few others.

Bay Area baseball fans who follow the A's closely, or at least A.L. West fans ... what's going on here? Does Beane have the magic back?

 

Market's don't remain inefficient very long. The phrase "gettin' while the gettin's good" ranks right up there with "there ain't no free lunch."

 

Still have to climb past the Angels and Rangers. And I don't see Beane being able to do anything (vs. wanting to do something) major in terms of trade deadline additions as long as Selig keeps them on a tightrope regarding San Jose.

 

The A's are suddenly a half-game out of the AL wild card. They don't have to climb above the Angels OR the Rangers — all they have to do is grab the second wild card slot. And the club brass is the limiting factor in adding pieces, historically. Their not flipping expiring contracts this year would be a major move to improve by Oakland standards.

 

Where's the part in that diagram that mentions Oakland's undervalued free agents have an aversion to sliding on close, series-changing plays at home plate?

 

Jeremy Giambi was not a free agent signing. Oakland traded for him. The fact that he didn't slide takes nothing away from how incredible the play was.

 

If he slides, he's safe. Period. And it goes down in history as just a nice hustle play by Jeter to cut the ball off and keep another run from scoring. The A's probably go on to sweep the series and Mariano Rivera doesn't get to choke against the Diamondbacks.
The A's had another play the next year against Boston (or maybe it was 2003) that was similar. A's were up in the series with a chance to close it out at Fenway. Guy doesn't slide at the plate, he's out and they end up losing the series.

 

Right, but he didn't slide. Jeter understood that the A's could draw their walks and hit homers against mediocre pitching, but weren't fundamentally sound enough to make it in the playoffs. No one else in the league, in 2001, would have made the play that he made. That's what kills me about people that say he has no range...sure it has diminished a little after 17 seasons but he still gets the job done.

Second, Mariano Rivera did not choke. He does not choke. Eleven earned runs scattered over 96 games in the postseason in his career.