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

Agreed the A's have always been sellers this time of year. I just don't think they'll be buyers.

 

Yes.

No one.

/goodgrief

 

I could see Beane picking up some walk year guys more for the compensatory picks than for any sort of late season boost (but he'd take it either way)

 

That's no longer possible. You have to have a guy for the entire season to get comp picks.

 

I thought there were no longer comp picks at all any more?

Phil Rogers today: "Baseball's new CBA eliminates draft compensation for teams that lose top free agents, and that could lead to an increase in trades made at the July 31 deadline."

 

Phil Rogers is wrong, apparently.

 

For whatever it's worth, there's a quote from Terry Ryan supporting it:

"There was no harm in (losing) a guy if you think you are going to get compensation. Now that's a more difficult scenario. I would say people would be more (likely) to find places for those kind of players."

 

Well, they are both wrong then.

I can't see the article so I don't have the context.

 

The problem goes higher than Billy. The owners don't want to win. They just want to pick up their annual $40M revenue sharing check while making Oakland look like a desolate and hopeless enough place that they will be allowed to move to San Jose. (BTW Selig said last week that his blue ribbon panel is still gathering facts, three years after he appointed the panel.)

I'd be surprised if the A's make a competitive move at the deadline, because the owners are committed to the impossibility of winning in Oakland and have set out to prove the idea. I've said it before, maybe even on this thread, but it is Major League except you really don't want to see Lew Wolff's tits.

 

First, you're right that no one but Jeter could've made that play. Because no one else was playing shortstop for the Yankees in that game, and the other eight guys had their thumb up their ass on the play. So, therefore, it was physically impossible for anyone but Jeter to make that play.
And as great a play as it was, Giambi is still safe if he slides. The result can be attributed to Giambi's stupidity as much as Jeter's hustle.

Second, Rivera did choke. He gave up 11 postseason runs in his career? Well, guess what Slappy? Two of them were in that game, the game he should've locked down. Ergo, he choked.


Of course, if Giambi slid on a play at the plate in the regular season it should've counted toward the A's run total in the postseason. Therefore, the A's won Game 3 and the series with the Yanks, and Rivera never choked because he never got the chance.
Manky logic rules!

 

What I posted is the entirety of the notebook item.

 

That Ryan quote appears to be borrowed from this article:

http://m.startribune.com/sports/?id=162152915

Looks like it's just Rogers who is wrong. It's been modified, but not eliminated.