THE LEAD IN

In order to cover the A's biggest off season concerns, let me list them and I'll try to attack them in the coming week.

• The Macha Question - many reasons to hate him, just as many to hate him a lot.



• The 25 Man Roster - who stays, who goes.




• The 40 Man Roster - let's discuss Mike Rouse and Rule V.




• The emergency help - what is in Sacramento.




• The long term help - what happened in Kane County and Stockton.




• Trades to consider - who would the A's consider trading and what can they get - Alex Rodriguez?




• A question of style - what is the feel of this team and organization.




• The media - can the A's continue to be pimped by the talking heads that surround them.




• The ballpark - just how bad is the Coliseum.




• The ownership - the Keebler elf gives many nightmares; don't look directly at his eyebrows.




• The fanbase - are A's fans as stupid as everyone thinks we are.




• The future - can the A's make the playoffs again this decade or is the run over.

The good news is that work has opened up and has allowed for some openings over the next few weeks. The bad news is that you may not like a lot of the things I write because they will be critical, they will make you think and your favorite player or person in the organization might be the cause of analysis. Too bad. It's the name on the front of the uniform that matters.


The A's made the playoffs, advanced to the ALCS...but they failed to win the World Series. Is that a successful season? And that is the question you have to keep asking at every level of the franchise; as a business, as a baseball team, as a community enterprise.


That's why we talk about it.