Baseballgirl may have a more comprehensive wrap forthcoming, but let me offer my congratulations to the Phillies for a Game 5 victory that took only three days. Most here picked the Rays to win, but I wasn't shocked at the result because while the Phillies were not one of baseball's best teams throughout 2008, they were very good, played better and better as the Summer wore on, and had enough starting pitching to ride on the shoulders of a deep offense and strong bullpen.
Good pitching beats good hitting, but do Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton constitute "good pitching," or did Carlos Peña, Evan Longoria and Co. go cold at the most inopportune time? These are among the many questions to be debated in the post-mortems - which, sadly, will last for about five months.
On a more personal note, I hope AN will not "go dead" following the World Series. It's too awesome a community to "hang out with" for me to able to accept hibernation just because there aren't any actual, y'know, games happening. Stick around - we'll find stuff to talk about - and let's embrace the "O" word together: the Offseason. :-(
0 recs | 51 comments
I, for one, will be around.
Wait, don’t leave! I’ll behave.
Thanks AN. This was my first full season on board, and my first time in actual game threads. Enjoyed it immensely.
67MARQUEZ - October 29, 2008
It enjoyed you, too!
Glad we haven’t
herdheard the last ofeweyou.Nico - October 29, 2008
I love ewe man!
WaddellCanseco - October 30, 2008
Ewe's guys are the best!
I love ewe’s!
lynnzgal - October 30, 2008
I'm glad you're staying!!!
I’ll be around too! and maybe now, without the game threads, you won’t insult me as much… :p
#14fan - October 29, 2008
But then I wouldn't be me. :p
67MARQUEZ - October 30, 2008
I suppose I could get used to your occasional nastiness...
as long as you hang out here during the offseason.
#14fan - October 30, 2008
Permission to be nasty?
I feel like I should give you a hug.
67MARQUEZ - October 30, 2008
hug, please!
…did I seriously just write that?
#14fan - October 30, 2008
This was my first AN season as well..
Been an A’s fan since the ‘80s, but just found AN this season and have read it vigorously and posted sporadically (more next year!) I’ll definitely be around, hoping to find any and all things A’s baseball to read about! Thanks to everyone for maintaining such a great online community.
Jackson23 - October 29, 2008
More next year = good!
However, please check with your doctor before reading AN vigorously, especially if you have an erection lasting more than four hours.
Nico - October 29, 2008
< removes loose bodies from AN >
oblique - October 29, 2008
QOTM knows no off-season.
67MARQUEZ - October 30, 2008
I'll know it's time to call the doctor
…if I start chafing.
Jackson23 - October 30, 2008
Tampa Bay blew it with their offense and their defense
Cheezombie - October 29, 2008
Don't forget their pitching
Nico - October 29, 2008
i just saw too many fielding blunders that essentially put them under water.
Cheezombie - October 29, 2008
And I thought it was Bud and the ump crew
that was trying to keep them under water-for an inning or two at least.
5Aces - October 30, 2008
Congrats, Joe.
whiteshoes40 - October 29, 2008
Awwww
What a great picture.
Englishmajor - October 30, 2008
Ditto on the "First Season"
I feel like I’ve learned a ton, and I look forward to doing it again next year (and, yes, this off-season).
This is a great place, hopefully I haven’t messed it up too much.
nevermoor - October 29, 2008
Also: less than 3 months till FanFest!
whiteshoes40 - October 29, 2008
Woohoo!
I might actually try and cross the country and attend with my Friend whos a Giants Fan. Do the Giants and A’s have fan fests around the same time of year?
Syphon - October 29, 2008
Last year they were a week apart I think
gigglingone - October 30, 2008
Just for anyone still speculating about Joe Blanton and Pine Tar,
I have a white hat that I play tennis with and I also get this so called “brown spot” on my hat as well as Blanton does, it is really not that hard to understand. Your hands are dirty and the moisture creates this spot, well I guess this is for Joe Maddon as well. Just because a guy is dominanting your lineup doesn’t mean he’s juicing, or pine taring in this case. I think we can all attest that is the same Blanton we have seen in Oakland, and piggy-backing Nico’s story, he looks a whole lot better when he is pitching for a team that “keeps him in the game”.
mattman - October 29, 2008
My first true AN season- It's been awesome! and it's not over!!!
I still wish the rays had won… but I’m happy for cupcakes!!!!
I hope all of you hang around here… during the time before the fanfest…. because I’ll be here all the time!!! :P
#14fan - October 29, 2008
Huzzah!
I’m happy for the Phillies…Stairs and Blanton especially…but even more happy for the sports-mad, title-starved Philadelphians. May that unfamiliar warm glow of satisfaction last them all the way through the Santa booing season.
FreeSeatUpgrade - October 29, 2008
Great comment.
One of my favorite baseball moments is not the actual last out, but that buzz that circulates around the stadium leading up to that last out. The anticipation building with each strike, each out. And as I listened last night, 28 years of pent-up frustration and disappointment poured out from my clock-radio into my living room, it took me to the last inning of the 2006 ALDS. No it wasn’t the World Series, but there we were, on the doorstep of the next round, after falling just short all those years, and when you finally get to celebrate, when it’s finally your moment and not someone else’s, well, there’s just no better feeling.
So I salute Philly fans (even the classless ones), but more than anything I am envious. It’s been nearly as long for our A’s, and the last time we didn’t really get to let loose. I want your moment, damn it.
67MARQUEZ - October 30, 2008
Are you Kidding?
I embrace the offseason. When the A’s are not in the postseason the entire playoff experience is a painful reminder for me. It fills me with a deadening anguish reminiscent of how I feel waiting in airport terminal for a long plane flight. You see, the waiting in the terminal isn’t horrible out of context, I can grab a snack, buy some reading material, plugin my ipod and people watch…but knowing that I’m waiting for a long boring flight (i.e. the off-season) makes the entire terminal experience frustrating and without joy.
I never stopped rooting for Giambi, as much as I wanted to do so….bring on the off-season!
ChadGod - October 29, 2008
Thank the heavens.
The off-season is such an exciting time of the year for me, seeing the team take shape. Especially this year with BB saying that he’s going to improve the offense, who knows who we’ll have in the middle of our order next year or who will break out or break down. The winter meetings are right around the corner which is when things really start to get going so let’s start the countdown!
Helloooo 1st - October 30, 2008
congrats to the phillies.
at least their bitter fanbase can be happy now and maybe not resort to assaulting 9 year old girls.
xbhaskarx - October 30, 2008
I basically ignore the post-season
if the A’s aren’t in it.
But I’m glad to see Joe Blanton was involved with a winning team and did well. Among other things it reinforces the idea that if you trade with Billy Beane you can get a really solid starting pitcher, as opposed to the idea that if you trade with Billy Beane you’ll get swindled and end up with junk.
iglew - October 30, 2008
A Phew more Phinal thoughts
1. No more phunny spelling.
2. Happy for Joe and Matt, but for old man Moyer, too.
3. And for Jimmy Rollins, born in Oakland, whose hero is this guy.
4. Lest we forget, the Phillies were the forgotten ones.
5. And finally, were it not for the rain, this would have been “just another” short Series. Not one of the last five Fall Classics has even reached Game 6, and out of 35 possible contests, we’ve seen 22. That’s only two over the minimum, gANg.
67MARQUEZ - October 30, 2008
definitely happy for Moyer
my homeboy and one of my favorite players.
Brian in 317 - October 30, 2008
not sure how this is relevant
But I’m guessing O’Reilly is a Red Sox fan.
Brian in 317 - October 30, 2008
what the hell?
this is supposed to be a reply to x man
sorry 67M
Brian in 317 - October 30, 2008
it's relevant b/c i'm disappointed
i was rooting for the rays to win so i could celebrate
xbhaskarx - October 30, 2008
chawCHEEchawCHEE
oakinboston - October 30, 2008
my 2 cents worth of hindsight
First of all, I think the mind set of each team should’ve been: this is a new game; it will just be a really short one. It was really strange to have the VISITORS warm up and start the game in the field. I think Maddon made a mistake in going with a reliever to “start” last night. IMO it would’ve been better to put an actual starter on the mound to begin last night’s short game. A starter might’ve been more mentally ready to start the game.
I was bummed: even though I was hoping the Phillies would win it, I wanted to see seven games. With the exception of game 4, every game was terrific in this series.
Brian in 317 - October 30, 2008
Boston would have won
I din’t watch too much of the series, but my immediate impression was that Tampa players swung at too many pitches. Philadelphia walked about 3x more often. IMO, one of the biggest reasons that the AL has been dominating the NL is pitch selectivity. Swinging at everything played right into Phil. pitchers hands- it’s the kind of thing their used to. Boston would have taken that very ordinary pitching staff out of their comfort zone, just like they did to Colorado last year. As an AL fan, I’m a little bummed, but I’ll live.
runnerJ - October 30, 2008
Oh please!
Boston didn’t have a chance because the Rays beat them. The Phillies beat the Rays. Let’s not sit around and talk about what might have been. Let’s be happy for the Phillies, their Phans, and the start of the offseason, or Billy Beane’s time to shine!
A'sfansince1970 - October 30, 2008
Thanks Nico, not much else to say to that!
Congrats to the city of Philadelphia and to the players, and Joe Blanton!
baseballgirl - October 30, 2008
+1
lynnzgal - October 30, 2008
Congrats Phillies!
And hold on to your hats A’s fans! Winter is Billy’s season! Yikes!!
gigglingone - October 30, 2008
I first found and joined AN during the offseason
just after the 2004 season. As I recall even then there were lively discussions and arguments about the A’s offseason moves (especially the trade for Kendall and the sendoffs for Hudson and Mulder).
The hot stove season is usually pretty active for the A’s, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with y’all.
OaklandSi - October 30, 2008
Can't imagine you guys were all that thrilled about Kendall
it was pretty clear by 2004 that he was in serious decline, at least in hindsight.
VORP is too nerdy - October 30, 2008
I remain convinced that that trade was a good one, even in hindsight
PaulThomas - October 30, 2008
Yes because we got rid of two pitchers
that were clogging up the staff with mediocrity, and Kendall eventually transferred some valuable ML moxie to Suzuki.
IMO Kendall was still not 100% with his hand injury recovery when he came to the Athletics. But he still put in a decent performance in every aspect of his combined game.
He’s also my poster boy for (lack of) hitting contagion.
One won lost won - October 30, 2008
More disappointed it wasn't a longer series..
…but that’s OK. At the same time, I’m ready for the heart of football season and the start of college basketball season.
BUT WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!
FormerHuntsvilleStar - October 30, 2008
This was my first full season too,
even though I joined in 2005. Let me just say, never boring! I’ve learned so much from everyone here. You guys are a part of my life.
lynnzgal - October 30, 2008
+1
you just pretty much summed up my first full season, too. :p
#14fan - November 1, 2008
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