Sacks and Sacks of Letters...

Billy to Make it Beanetown?

"Hi, I was just wondering what you thought about the possibility of Billy Beane leaving for Boston. I was never a fan of the A's growing up, but have really become fascinated with them in the past few years. I think that it is almost solely because of Beane's work. He is amazing, the smartest GM I have ever seen. To me, his departure would be a devastating blow. Right now, the A's are my pick for the 2003 WS, but without Beane, I think that they will be extremely lucky to make the playoffs. And this with little hope for future improvement. Am I overreacting, or do you agree that Beane leaving would cripple the franchise?" - Arron Scruggs


A.S.-

No, we don't think it would cripple the franchise. We actually think it would be helpful in several ways. Just as a new CEO might be better for a company after a few years to adjust the overall vision. Beane has a stranglehold on the organization and I think asst GM Paul DePodesta is more than ready to take over. If push comes to shove DePodesta might be more willing to take a risk here and there whereas Beane would not. Beane not only is competing, as it were, against the rest of the American League, he's now in the category of competing against his perception and stature. That's a tall order.


The A's are already in for a bit of a change (Howe/Macha) and have adjusted to change in the past (McGwire/trades/Giambi/more trades/Isringhausen/trades/Durham?).


Most recent reports have Beane staying in the East Bay (update: Beane actually made himself available to the Boston media to explain his decision out of reverence to the Boston mob, er, fans).


It might have opened the door for a possible trade between the Red Sox and A's, later, if Beane was given enough information on their minor league system...which is in shambles. Boston is more than a five year plan away from being successful and two years away from the playoffs. That's why we think Beane passed.




Litmus Test (on paper)


If the A's and Sox make a trade, then you'll know things may not be so bad in non-Beanetown. If they do not, recently hired Bill James might ask that all of the Red Sox games be played on the theoretical plane and there be no players above replacement level allowed at Fenway.


There had been talk of Beane taking the Padres job a few months ago. Oddly, the Giants never came up. Makes you think. Even then, his family was an issue. Billy is a decent guy. Well, except torturing us with Terrence Long.

NOTE: Blogger has not restablished our site and many of our links and the entire archive is missing. It's now getting ugly. Blogger's HQ is in San Francisco so we are heading there tonight.