Well, at least they didn’t lose 90 games.
Finally, the A’s 2008 season of misery has come to an end. Even though we ended the season with fewer wins (and just as many losses) as 2007, this felt like most miserable season since 1997, when they came close to dropping 100 games, and I seriously considered giving up baseball. This year wasn’t as bad as that, but this is the first time in many years that I actually avoided opportunities to go to the ballpark and catch a game. And I must say, just about every time it paid off, as I saved myself from witnessing at least four more humiliating losses that I would have had to endure otherwise.
As evidenced by the record, the A’s weren’t very good this year. There are no good 75-86 teams. No team that started Jack Cust in 148 and Jack Hannahan in 143 games can ever be any good. Despite their obvious deficiencies, the A’s messed around and made me optimistic for a respectable finish somewhere around the middle of the season. When they got excruciatingly awful post All-Star Break, they made me feel like a moron. And just when it looked like they were go some life in early September, and looked like they were going to finish the season with a lil’ bit of dignity, they fall flat on their faces again. The A’s completely boned their chances of finishing the season in distant second in the AL West by dropping two out of three to Texas, and then finished the season by getting swept by the worst team in baseball. Not exactly an inspirational showing by a plucky young team.
But it was readily apparent by the weekend before the All-Star Break this season was all about setting up for the next few years. And I’m still not convinced that this is like the 1998 season, the last time it looked like we were awful, but had the potential to do eventually do something. I won’t rehash too much who should stay or go (I’ve done that like four times this season on here), but I think an outfield of Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney, and Cliff Pennington, is probably, well, something. Kurt Suzuki is just as good as most catchers starting in the AL. On the pitching, Greg Smith and Dana Eveland obviously hit their rookie walls, but the former won’t lose 16 games again, and the later looked pretty good when he got back from the minors. And while Gio Gonzalez didn’t look nearly as good as advertised, the much-maligned Dallas Braden looked markedly improved. With a healthy Duchscherer, the starting staff might be good next year.
As for needs, well, it’s obvious a right-handed power hitter would be really nice, but the don’t exactly grow on trees, and I don’t think we’ve got the pieces or the inclination to trade for one. There’s a lot of talk of bringing the obviously left-handed Jason Giambi back, which is fine I guess. I’ll take anyone who doesn’t strike out close to 200 times a season.
Which bring me to the A’s greatest need: their need not to bring back Jack Cust as an everyday player. Please, for the love of all things holy, just let this putz go away. Even with his 33 HRs this year, he couldn’t carry Rob Deer’s jock-strap in a suitcase. I’d bring back injury-prone Big Frank over Cust. Hell, I’d bring Mike Sweeney out of retirement before giving Cust a chance to make more money off the team via arbitration.
While this was not a fun season by any definition, at least it’s over. Though I wouldn’t ever say I’m optimistic about the future, I can say with some confidence that I don’t think next year we’ll be as bad as we were this year.
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