I’m not sure what’s more amusing about the once proud but now dismal match up between the A’s and Giants last night; the sprinklers that lit up the field during the 9th inning or Barry Zito winning the retard race to double digit losses.  The rain bird’s came pouring on in the middle of Huston Street’s windup during the 9th inning, interrupting his pitch to Fred Lewis.  Maybe the sprinklers weren’t such a bad thing; I can’t imagine a better way to lighten up the mood of an otherwise poor performance by the highest paid player in the ball park.  I’m talking, of course, about Barry Zito.  He sucks.

This is an official request to Zito: give me 1% of your total contract (a little over 1.2 million dollars) and then donate the rest of it to Brian Sabean’s retirement fund.  Even Mike Hampton thinks Zito’s $126 million contract is laughable.  Give me a lid and a glove and I’ll gladly throw batting practice fastballs and errant curveballs for a professional baseball team.  Hell I’ll even try and do it left handed like Barry bong ripper does.

Tip your hat to the Giants for riding this one out.  Giving someone that much money and getting literally nothing in return is a tough bullet to bite.  But what other option do you have?  You can’t put him in the bullpen and you certainly cant bench him.  I guess the only option for Bruce Bochy is to keep running batting practice Zito out there every 5th day and maybe, just maybe, he’ll either win a game or provide me with enough comedy in the box score to last until his next fiasco on the mound.

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan and Rich: This episode focused solely on the American League West. With Erik Bedard now in Seattle, have the Mariners done enough to put an end to the Angels’ divisional dominance? Or will Torii Hunter spark this team to another AL West crown and more importantly, postseason success? Also, we debate about who the better team is between the A’s and Rangers

 

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This is Moneyball? For years, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane has been applauded for his ability to build a winner on a budget. Year after year, the team has been able to overcome the loss of veteran stars. 2008 marks more of the same for the A’s, who will attempt to contend despite losing ace Dan Haren and slugger Nick Swisher. But for the first time in years, it doesn’t appear that the A’s will have enough to replace them.

Bats. If the Athletics don’t have the league’s worst lineup, it’s damn close. The past few years have seen stars like Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Eric Byrnes and Swisher find new homes. It appears to finally be catching up with them. The fate of this lineup (and team) could hinge on the health of 3rd baseman Eric Chavez, who has watched his numbers decline over the last couple injury-plagued seasons. Chavez, once a shoe-in for 35+ homers, hit a horrid .240 in just 90 games last year. Chavez continues to be bothered by a back injury and will miss the A’s trip to Japan for the season opener in a couple weeks. However, the A’s are excited about their 1st baseman prospect Daric Barton, who might just lead this band of misfits in most hitting categories. Brought up late last season, Barton hit .347 with four homers in just 72 at-bats. Can we expect more of the same in 2008?

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I’ve always idolized the Oakland Athletics’ mascot, Stomper. For one, he’s incredibly out of place; an elephant adorning the hats of a team called the “A’s.” But that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a Bay Area icon, along with Baron Davis, Billy Beane, Randy Moss, LaMont Jordan, Al Davis and Frank Gore. The following clip comes to us from Sports Biotch and showcase the infamous Stomper getting hyphy.

For the entire month of March, the Sportable Staff will look at one Major League Baseball team a day. We?ll look at their lineups and pitching and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the American League East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Say Hey, Fremont A’s? To many fans dismay, the Oakland A’s will be moving to Fremont, a city that is still in the Alameda county but definitely isn’t Oakland. Relax, A’s fans. You still have a very solid team, and a proverbial contender year after year in the AL West. The A’s didn’t make a big splash in free agency this season, but made one big move in releasing former Cy Young winner Barry Zito. Zito, who crossed the bay to play for the “interleague rival” Giants, has seen his numbers decline since his 2002 Cy Young award winning season. The A’s have now successfully moved the former great triumvirate of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Zito and are now ready to press on with a fresh young staff and a lineup that won’t frighten you, but will hurt you.

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