SO IT IS THAT GOOD WARRIORS TAKE THEIR STAND ON GROUND WHERE THEY CANNOT LOSE, AND DO NOT OVERLOOK CONDITIONS THAT MAKE AN OPPONENT PRONE TO DEFEAT.
The Art of War

Stupid Rally Monkey. (click me)

You damn dirty apes. (click me, too)

There has to be an eventual end to sports clichés...particularly in sports. There just has to be an end.

"Sometimes you just have to tip your cap."- A's Starter Mark Redman

I'm still searching for the quote in today's media sources about how the starter thought he "pitched a good game but made a mistake with one or two pitches" and it cost him. It's got to be in there somewheres, I tells ya'.

The A's lost on Saturday afternoon because they did not play good baseball. They were not sound in the field (2 Errors), on the base paths (Kotsay ran into an out after Skootch doubled), at the plate (5 hits/2 walks - 142 pitches seen with no base runners after the 6th inning) or on the mound (8 hits/5 walks - bullpen decisions lead to implosion). It was a failure on all fronts. And yet, they only lost 5-3. Which is telling of how bad Anaheim is playing right now.

Apparently it doesn't really affect the A's as they are trying to stay loose, have fun and be casual about the situation.

"We're still in first place. We need to be loose. We need to have fun. This is the time to have fun. We're not chasing anyone. They're chasing us."- A's Starter Mark Redman

"I'm confident in this team closing it out. We're trying not to take these losses to heart. There's no pressure in here. It's not life or death that we're talking about. We're dealing with a game."- A's 'leader' Eric Chavez

Huh.

Maybe, just maybe, if the A's weren't so damn confident and content they might be playing better baseball. Ken Macha must be feeding the A's off their laurels because this team does not look or sound hungry in the least bit.

There just has to be an end to the clichés.

GOOD THINKING, NO THINKING

"I think we need to make him throw strikes. Of the first four batters he faced -- I was keeping track -- he threw only two strikes. The rest were out of the zone. You're in for a tough at-bat either way. If he makes a good pitch, you're not going to hit it."- A's 'leader' Eric Chavez

"He has one of the best sliders in the game and an explosive fastball. If he makes his pitches, he has a good shot. You have to manufacture a run against those two guys."- A's Centerfielder Mark Kotsay

Okay. This is just dumb all around.

Chavez has faced Francisco Rodriguez several times and F-Rod has been in the league since the tail end of 2002. There should not be a whole lot of 'thinking' going on. The A's should have a game plan in place for facing the Anaheim bullpen instead of one guy going with a patient approach and another trying to 'manufacture' runs.

Hey, do you think those heavy manufacturing of runs jobs have been out-sourced? Do players who manufacture jobs have to wear steel-toed boots?

What do the A's do during their 'down time'? Are they not going over scouting reports and watching videotape of their opponents? Is it any wonder this team can't get on the same page?