Today my TV decided that its reception would consist of hundreds of small overlapping rectangles of parts of the picture, kind of like an impressionist painting. I spent the bottom of the 3rd inning on the phone, complaining to Comcast that I couldn't get a clear picture, but by the end of the inning I was thanking them and then called again to complain when the picture came back.
The battle for the 2nd pick in the draft continues, as the A's, Indians, Royals, and Diamondbacks all compete for the honor of "well at least we're not the Nationals!" Vin Mazzaro goes for the A's tonight, hoping to delay the fireworks until after the game, opposed by Carl Pavano.
Travis Buck sighting!!! And Orlando Cabrera is proof that you don't need a .300 OBP to bat 2nd in the order. Then again, a .200 batting average gets you the 4-spot, so...Go A's!
This post is not in any a referendum on the choices the A's made this past off-season. It is the strictest exercise in 20/20 hindsight, to see just how competitive the A's could have become in 2009 had they enjoyed the benefit of a 3-month preview. Could the A's, if they had guessed, gambled, and strategized perfectly, have put together a team that could have competed with the 43-35 standard currently being set by the Rangers and Angels?
Perhaps the best motto for tonight's game would be: "If at first you don't fail, try try again." Because back when the game was close, the A's needed to choke like the Doublemint twins on an oversized piece of gum in order for the game to get out of hand.
They really need a "10 runs up" rule in the big leagues (except when Boston is at Baltimore). 14-3 Indians going to the 7th.
The A's have searched the land far and wide, on buses and on planes traveling east, west, north, and south, and they have finally found it -- an American League team with a worse record than the Oakland A's!!! In the American League, only the Indians sport a winning percentage under .400 -- .388, better only than the Washington Nationals, whose .289 mark would still lead the A's in batting.
The A's send Trevor Cahill to the mound tonight against David Huff (pronounced "ha-OO-gah-huh"), not to be confused with Charlie Hough. Or with Aubrey Huff. Or certainly not with Melvin Mora, because that would just be weird.
Today's "fun fact": At home so far this season, Cahill has walked 13 batters in 59.2 IP. On the road, he has walked 21 batters in 29.2 IP.
For those unfamiliar with this psychobabble psychological term, an "internal locus of control" refers to the belief that you have the ability to impact the events around you, while an "external locus of control" refers to the belief that events are controlled by outside forces -- be they other people, circumstances, God, or chance. In a given situation, or in general, do you determine your fate or does life just happen to you?
Far too often this season I have seen the A's, led by their skipper, attributing an external locus of control to their fortunes -- as if gosh darn it, bad stuff keeps happening to the Oakland A's and there's nothing they can do about it. And I think this mindset is dangerous and destructive. It scares me to think of a young team falling prey to this way of thinking, because an external locus of control will breed excuses, apathy, and a lack of resiliency, where reflection, adjustment, and resolve are needed. Let me offer a few examples of the "external locus of control" mindset at work with our beloved A's...
Hot night in Frisco but it was nicer once the sun set. The ballpark was everything I thought it'd be in terms of how it looked. I love it.
As noted, lots of RockHounds represented. Chris Carter mashed ten homers during the home run derby, which I almost missed. I'd read something about it starting at 6:45 with the game at 8 PM, but the game notes indicated 5:45 (gates opened at 5:30) with the game at 7:15. I'd picked up a few things at the team store and went back to my much cooler hotel room to chill for a bit, then I looked out the balcony window facing the ballpark and sure enough, it was going on. About five minutes later I was down on the field snapping away. Oops. Carter didn't homer in the second and final round and ended up coming in second, but he was hitting some monster shots before that.
The North beat the South 2-1. If it's good enough for the Civil War, it's good enough for this as well. RockHounds were involved in all the scoring, both good and bad. Jason Fernandez came in to pitch in the second and unfortunately for him, he gave up three straight singles before hitting HR Derby winner Mark Trumbo with a 2-1 pitch to force in a run. He escaped further damage by starting a nice 1-2-3 double play and finished it off with a strikeout, then he worked a 3-up, 3-down third.
It stayed 1-0 until the eighth inning and it was looking like the only run of the game would be thanks to that HBP. That turned out not to be the case as Mike Benacka allowed a run. The home side would get it right back in the bottom of the inning thanks to a Josh Horton double that plated Josh Donaldson. They threatened further in the inning and again in the ninth but couldn't get anything else.
Here are the totals for our guys.
Hitters:
Adrian Cardenas - 0-for-2
Chris Carter - 1-for-4, 2 K
Corey Brown - 0-for-2, K
Josh Donaldson - 1-for-2, R
Josh Horton - 1-for-1, 2B, RBI
Pitchers:
Jason Fernandez (L) - 2.0 IP, 3 H,1 R, 0 BB, 2 K, HBPWolverine Graham Godfrey - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Mike Benacka - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, HBP
I got a lot of pictures I'm happy with and hopefully I'll have them up in a few days. Flying back home tomorrow.
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