The season long nightmare for A's fans is over.

ERIC KARROS HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT

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UPDATE

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Karros requested his release. Sort of. That is, if you believe this quote:

"Sure, I wanted to get released. I'm sorry it didn't work out, but this is the best thing. It allows the A's a little more flexibility, and I'm not just taking up a roster spot.''
- ERIC KARROS (from his SoCal Home)

Chris Hammond is coming off the DL and the decision was made to jettison the Karros Question and move on.

The Karros signing was a lightning rod of controversy for A's fans in the off-season and created a chasm between concept and reality. Stat heads and even casual fans wondered aloud why signing Karros was considered a 'good thing'. When the subject of Karros' ability to hit left-handers and as a right hand hitting pinch-hitter was mentioned, it was laughed off as drunken buffoonery. While Robert Buan, the A's Broadcasting Manager & Post-Game Show Host, shunned callers who suggested getting rid of Karros or that the signing was a mistake fans - even more fans lined up to be the first to moan about the aged 1st baseman. When fans would suggest bringing up cult-hero Graham Koonce or even Mike Edwards, Baun would shout, "And who do you send down? Koonce hits left-handed, so do Hatteberg and Durazo." Then, Baun would dismiss these callers as being unknowledgeable and Baun would continue to bow at alter of 'veteran' and toe the Scott-Hoffman Company Line.

The off-season signing off Karros was seen as a favor to owner Steve Schott who is a noted "friend" of Eric Karros. The ideal situation would have been for Karros to hit a little bit and be packaged in a trade in May or July. Or even supply some depth to the bench during the playoff push. However, Karros has been unable to hit anything but a proverbial wall and his defense resembles the same picture; a man hitting a wall. Karros' range is roughly whatever he can reach for without extending his elbow. His back problems do not allow him to even bend down far enough to pick up a ball in the dirt that is not moving. This was evident in Spring Training and continued into the season.

It's not like Karros is a bad guy, he's actually a very good guy and funny, too. He had the whole 5 O'clock shadow and late 1970's white Afro thing going and his early bitching and moaning about playing time was quickly put to rest. Let's face it, there's a reason that Steve Schott isn't a General Manager and that Billy Beane is. Owners shouldn't make baseball decisions. Well, owners of all 29 other teams should...just not the A's. Let Steinbrenner make as may decisions as he needs to. Same with the Mariners and Rangers.

So, Karros will hang on the 10-Day wire and the A's will be able to field offers and hopefully put something together to get a 'not-a-chance-in-hell' prospect to use as fodder. The funny thing is, there was a Litmus Test in place for Karros even before signing him.

If the A's demote Player A (Karros):


• Will the Player be a starter in AAA?

No.


• Will the Player be a starter in AA?

No.


• Will the Player be a starter in Modesto (High A Ball) or Kane County (Low A Ball)?

No.

So, why was he signed, again?

The aged veteran concept doesn't carry any weight, either, as Karros has never been to the World Series and didn't do a whole hell of a lot in the Dodgers Organization to perpetuate a Championship run. He wasn't even a good 1st baseman in the field or at the plate. He was a career pinch hitter who found a home. The most similar batters to Eric Karros according to Baseball Reference are Tino Martinez and Lee May. Yah.

Karros deserves an extended handshake and a wave. That's about it. And maybe someone could pick up his duffel bag and hand it to him since he may not be able to bend down and get it, like so many groundballs that went by him at first base. This is not a John Jaha heroic gesture by any means. Karros should have had the nerve to ask for his release or to be waived earlier in the season when Hatteberg and Durazo were both on fire. Now that we are coming to the dog days of summer and the September call-ups are around the corner, Karros was going to be squeezed, anyway. It was abundantly clear that Karros was a roster black hole and not a panacea for anything but a veteran seat warmer coming out of Spring Training.

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS

Season	TM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
1991	LA	14	14	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	6	0	0	.071	.133	.143	.276
1992	LA	149	545	63	140	30	1	20	88	37	103	2	4	.257	.304	.426	.730
1993	LA	158	619	74	153	27	2	23	80	34	82	0	1	.247	.287	.409	.696
1994	LA	111	406	51	108	21	1	14	46	29	53	2	0	.266	.310	.426	.636
1995	LA	143	551	83	164	29	3	32	105	61	115	4	4	.298	.369	.535	.904
1996	LA	154	608	84	158	29	1	34	111	53	121	8	0	.260	.316	.479	.795
1997	LA	162	628	86	167	28	0	31	104	61	116	15	7	.266	.329	.459	.788
1998	LA	139	507	59	150	20	1	23	87	47	93	7	2	.296	.355	.475	.830
1999	LA	153	578	74	176	40	0	34	112	53	119	8	5	.304	.362	.550	.912
2000	LA	155	584	84	146	29	0	31	106	63	122	4	3	.250	.321	.459	.780
2001	LA	121	438	42	103	22	0	15	63	41	101	3	1	.235	.303	.388	.691
2002	LA	142	524	52	142	26	1	13	73	37	74	4	2	.271	.323	.399	.722
2003	ChC	114	336	37	96	16	1	12	40	28	46	1	1	.286	.340	.446	.786
2004	Oak	40	103	8	20	6	0	2	11	7	16	1	0	.194	.243	.311	.554
Total	--	1755	6441	797	1724	324	11	284	1027	552	1167	59	30	.268	.325	.450	.779
SEASONAL AVERAGES (per 162 games played)
Years	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
10.83	162	595	74	159	30	1	26	95	51	108	5	3	.268	.325	.454	.779