I'm sure this question has been addressed before, but can someone tell me exactly why Ray Ratto hates the A's? Since I don't live in the Bay Area, the only exposure I have to this jackass is what goes out on the Chronicle A's E-Mail Updates and almost every article about the A's is some sort of bashing. I mean is this guy angry because he maybe once got kicked out of the A's locker room for swiping towels or something or is he just doing an overkill job on being a Giant's homer? I read a lot of sports publications and every team has it's own loyal defenders and such, but Ray seems to go out of his way to vent his particular disliking of the A's- why is this? Inquiring minds want to know.....
I'm sure you longtime bay area residents can fill me in.
*Footnote 1/28**
I never intended this question to be an attack on Ray's physical appearance- that's totally irrelevant to what he writes about the A's. Maybe as Slusser says- he really doesn't hate the A's, but a casual reader of his articles would never be able to tell that.
2 recs | 335 comments
Because he is a dick
doctorK - January 27, 2010
It is true Ratto is a HATER!
Athletic - January 27, 2010
That, and
he is a fat, miserable human being who knows nothing of the team.
If he were smart he would just read AN every day and copy.
OptimistPrime - January 27, 2010
Ah, so that makes me smart!
Nico - January 27, 2010
But has he always been one or did he evolve into a dick?
Was he the little dick kid or did he fall off the upper level once and damage his head? He seems to have issues.
greenmachine - January 27, 2010
I think you mean devolve
unless he started as diarrhea.
ErikFanClubPres - January 27, 2010
You know why??
BECAUSE HES A FAT ASS!!
Tambo45 - January 27, 2010
Because controversial-hater writing spurs comments
And comments on line are hits on the websites and hits on the websites mean $$’s
cornerjeff - January 27, 2010
agreed
micdog2001 - January 27, 2010
The Ann Coulter Strategy
be as controversial as possible just for the sake of being controversial and make money off of it.
johnjahafanclub - January 27, 2010
I thought that was the Nancy Grace strategy.
UncleLeo - January 27, 2010
Nah
Its the Keith Olberman strategy.
Oh wait… maybe its everyone’s strategy.
DrDoom - January 27, 2010
lmao
Jessse - January 27, 2010
I'm 'pre-wincing' in regards to Palins coming career @ FOX.
Puke.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
because he's a columist and he is paid by our reactions, if we dont react then he won't write anymore....
i wrote this on the sfgate.com yesterday regarding the geren article – http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2010/01/25/SPCB1BMOLQ.DTL
“Ray Ratto is a columnist – he’s paid to write strongly opinionated (Gints biased) columns. If he thinks an A’s player opts for priesthood is funny fine, if he thinks Pat Tillman turning down a multimillion dollar offer to go defend our country – that’s fine as well. He’s protected by the first amendment.
I am by no means defending him as a columnist, in fact I think he’s a one of the reasons why I think bay area sports journalism has taken several steps back in the recent decades. He’s a black-eye for sports journalist and will keep on writing extreme biased opinions. The more you guys comment the more likely he’ll get to write another column.
"
DWNG715 - January 27, 2010
He's not a fan. He's a reporter. In general he's critical whenever possible.
He believes you should not own a professional sports team unless you have the resources and desire to compete.
I am a huge A’s fan since childhood, but Ratto has an objective view of how the team treats its fans — build the team up then tear it down — over and over. The A’s do more with less than any franchise. However, people of Ratto’s age remember when sports team did not operate that way.
BlueMoon - January 27, 2010
this
Ratto, though he may be overzealous at times with his critique of the A’s, hits on some good points on how this Sheets deal is similar to when we acquired Holliday from the Rocks. Even most of us have admitted to being resigned to the fact, or even elated, that if Sheets works out he will probably be traded to another team unless Billy thinks this team can contend. Ratto goes overdoes it at times, and not just with the A’s, but he brings some valid arguments.
greenbean - January 27, 2010
Yeah, I'm pretty defensive when it comes to the A's
but I didn’t have much of a problem with either article (Beane/Geren; Sheets/Holliday) … they weren’t flattering by any means, but I didn’t think they were “hateful”, either.
Vacafan - January 27, 2010
let them write what they want
If you’re a fan of this crazy insane beautiful industrious super fluid organization/team/franchise, guess what? You are a baseball fan, the cream of what that means right now in the 21st Century because we have to think along with this exploration of this semi-uncharted, small-market/big-dreams territory all the time with the Top Brass.
And that means we know who every prospect and potential slepper superstar is in everybody’s yard and oh how we sometimes plot along to pick their pockets (you listening Frank Wren? Give us Escobar or else) [[pounds fist in palm like in West Side Story]].
That means we have to imagine not just MLB but the minor leagues and the college level (from which so much of the draft comes) in ways that other teams’ fans get to be lazy about. That means we know things about not just the most obscure statistics, but how they integrate into the human aspects of the game over time and how the statistical patterns develop to illustrate greater realities, sometimes crazy and insightful ones never yet considered in the almost 200 years this immaculate (Negative Nancies like Ray can’t turn it into a Hater’s Ball no matter what they wanna say) game has been played. That means if you wanna go to WAR, we’ll WHIP your #P/PA, and we’ll make you pay 87% of the guy’s option year while we do it, all while pasting Grant Desme’s face onto some Catholic Archbishop in Turkmenistan or something, I’m honestly not even sure.
No, don’t take the San Francisco Comicle too seriously, or at least Ray Ratto, what is he gonna write? If it bleeds it leads. What do we care, we are the most knowledgeable, diverse and creatively self-effacing (don’t make me take you Photoshoppin’, Mr. Ratto!!!! This means you!!!!) fans of any team in any sport, with ten billion posts a day on this blog in J-a-n-u-a-r-y, whether that guy likes it or not… I put us up for passion — and depth/breadth of pure infotastic c-l-u-e about this game and our team and how the whole shitstorm fits together — against any other team’s fans in any sport and that, my lovelies, is WTF counts, can I get an “Amen!”?!?? Well, don’t mention it.
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
total, fantastic, utterly epochal REPLY FAIL to PL78 below
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
and that's "sleeper" superstar, unless
they turn out to be a schlepper.
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
He isn't a reporter
SuSlu is. There is quite a difference.
jeffro - January 27, 2010
This.
A columnist is not supposed to be objective.
thejd44 - January 27, 2010
+1000
Reporters “seek truth and report it” -SPJ
Columnists think of inflammatory things to say and run with it, sometimes complemented by quotes from people.
darooster - January 27, 2010
Ratto used to bother me
and then I just stopped reading his opinion pieces because i do not value nor respect his opinions. Problem solved….same reason I pretty much don’t read Tim Kawakami’s pieces anymore, either.
mrod - January 27, 2010
These guys are on KNBR all the time......coincidence??
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
Kawkami and Ratto are nothing alike, if you read either, you should see this.
Pucking Insane - January 28, 2010
Kawakami.
Why in all it’s time is there no edit feature on sbnation?
Pucking Insane - January 28, 2010
Yeah, I remember that post.
Here’s my comment from that thread….see my comment above.
What a difference almost 5 years makes….
oh yeah…
Ratto is usually trying to be funny and imaginitive but does seem to be trying too hard.
Anyways, at least we don’t have all the espn guys writing all of the daily columns, can you imagine the kind of bulls%$*t we would have to be subjected to then? oyyyyyy…….That’s why we have this website beacuse at least here you get all the facts all the time from people who really do cover the A’s. word….MRod
by mrod on Apr 27, 2005 11:32 PM EDT actions 0 recs
mrod - January 27, 2010
But even when we werent tearing down he was still finding ways to bash us.
His hatred dates back way further than winter 04. We can win 100 games a year and he’d still find ways to bash us. Its pretty clear in his mind that we arent a 2 team town anymore (wtf) and seeing as the Gnats got their shiny new park (thats still miserable to go watch night games at, same as candlestick), they somehow “deserve” the Bay Area more even though their franchise has never brought any glory to the Bay, and we’ve done that 4 times.
PL78 - January 27, 2010
it's easy to shut 'em up
“Ten fingers, no rings.” usually works on the Gnats’ fans and their SF Comicle courtiers…. in the immortal words of Tom Waits, “Let ’em talk!” Last I checked the G-aint’s (SF anyway) have never, aren’t gonna, and quite possibly never will win anything and even if the A’s moved to Sumatra tomorrow, Oakland has 4 trophies for 40 years here and the Giants may have to wait 400 to get that many, especially if advances in medical technology enable Brian Sabean to remain GM until the aliens arrive in 2421.
Ratto is probably scared sausageless that we might actually contend in this (winnable….winnable….winnable) division this year and that Sheets will throw closer to 200 innings than the 20 all the haters are forecasting LOLOL.
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
That's how Connie Mack operated,
much more so than than current management. KC A’s were known as the Yankees farm system. Wolff/Beane could only dream of tearing down a team like Finley tried to/did….
mikeA - January 27, 2010
Technically, it wasn't Mack.
The KC A’s… and their being known as the Yankees farm team, were owned by Arnold Johnson… who got the team at the Yankee owner’s urging when Mack’s sons sold the team.
UncleLeo - January 27, 2010
separate thought
point was:
more prone to tearing down teams:
1. mack
2. kc A’s
3. finley
mikeA - January 27, 2010
It is in the A's tradition, isn't it?
UncleLeo - January 27, 2010
the A's have a decades long history
of ripping and rebuilding their franchise. This predates Ratto.
Jessse - January 27, 2010
I e-mailed ray on that
Last year I asked him why he hated the A’s so much. He e-mailed me back and said he didn’t hate the A’s and that I just will not look at the facts. He claims he has no bias against the A’s and he is as hard on the giants as the A’s. Sabean probably has something on Ray because the columns he do on the giants are soft shots. My best guess ius ray doesn’t like the buffet table that the A’s have after the game. Maybe the beer ban gets on his pot belly nerves.
Arcman - January 27, 2010
On the A's
I think he is certainly being the voice in the back of our heads offering caution rather than optimism. His job is to find the holes in the fluff that organizations want people to believe is the whole truth. I think he does this quite well and i tend to respect him for that. I didn’t disagree with his arguments in the piece, but they did hurt and feel like it was turning into kicking an organization when it’s down.
When he writes a truly positive piece on the A’s – that’s when i get really excited.
ru155 - January 27, 2010
No problem with that but
He needs to a journalist and not write fluff pieces on the giants and then bash the A’s. Did you read how great the DeRosa signing was for the giants when DeRosa is coming off a sub par year with a injury. When I do read his column I expect the bash on the A’s so it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Arcman - January 27, 2010
Well, let the Gnats have their fluff
Being from the East Bay, I prefer getting it straight. I want the A’s to work hard and get rewarded when they really deserve it. Hard work builds character and pushing through the rough comment only makes us love our A’s more. While the Giants can eat the fluff and sit with complacency.
Count the championships, but push for the next one. The A’s can really put it together, but we always have a razor thin margin.
ru155 - January 27, 2010
This is what Ray should have said
Beane is taking a gamble with the $10 million to Sheets. If Sheet pitches great and traded then Beane did a good job but if Sheets stinks then its a $10 million bust. Beane should be happy it is not his money.
Arcman - January 27, 2010
Beane does own part of the team now
so it’s a little bit his money.
colin - January 28, 2010
He seems like a generally unhappy guy
…guess he’s got to take it out somewhere.
DDroney - January 27, 2010
and the buffet was closed?
bobnothing - January 27, 2010
Agreed
If you hear him on the Radio, his voice exudes a seething anger. The visual images of him at the press conference flashed anger also. I would expect this attitude in a bigger market like NY, but it has rubbed me the wrong way, especially as an A’s fan.
hishnik - January 27, 2010
i don't know if this story is true or not...
Also keep in mind that a few years back, in front of all of Ratto’s peers at a luncheon, BB referred to him as Frodo from Lord of the Rings. It was fair game considering the slant of his columns but in the long run it has only fueled his fire.
by southofcruiseamerica on Apr 27, 2005
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
BAGGINSSSSSSS! WE HATES YOU FOREVER!!!
doctorK - January 27, 2010
I find this highlarious
I don’t really care if it’s true or not
bobnothing - January 27, 2010
same
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
it is true and
Ratto thought it was hilarious. He and Beane joked about it afterward, and still do. I don’t know where this idea started that Ratto has had it out for the A’s ever since then, but he laughed his rear off when it happened.
slusser - January 27, 2010
my photoshop skills suck and i made this in 15 seconds...
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
I LOVE that.
baseballgirl - January 27, 2010
did he predict the A's to win 65 games that year?
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
he said 60 to 65
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
what a fucking hack
Ratto does not do a damn thing to warrant anyone asking his opinion of anything. He’s a childish, selfish, insecure hack of a reporter, and as a person.
PL78 - January 27, 2010
Question?
What is the difference between a elephant and Ray Ratto? About 50 pounds.
Arcman - January 27, 2010
I had forgotten that call
God Ratto is bad at his job.
PL78 - January 27, 2010
You'd think he'd support the A's, one of the first teams to really give fat guys a chance.
I think he’s just a Giants fan at heart. He’s totally full of shit however, making him one of the worst columnists around. Closed minded as well.
travdog6 - January 27, 2010
bay area tv sports is no better
heavily giants oriented, even the oakland tv station
OakA'sHoney - January 27, 2010
Bay Area Media
In general, it’s just biased towards San Francisco for whatever reason(s).
Rated-R Superstar - January 27, 2010
There are a lot more people in the Bay Area that care about the 49ers and Giants
compared to the Raiders and A’s and that will always be true so the media is going to give more coverage to whatever gets them readers or ratings.
sirbed - January 27, 2010
except apparently outside the Bay Area
Where Raider popularity, unbelievably, is still high. Especially here in LA — makes me sick. I wish they’d find someone to occupy that stadium they’re building in Commerce already.
cuppingmaster - January 27, 2010
I've never set foot in the Bay Area
Yet, when I hear Ratto’s name, I think “douchebag.” And this has nothing to do with anti-A’s coverage. The guy has a reputation, and even other media guys don’t like him.
thejd44 - January 27, 2010
Joe Blanton ate his cupcakes
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
The only thing Ray Ratto hates is exercise
he’s the The Chronicles cranky columnist and every big newspaper has one. Ostler is the silly one and Gwen Knapp is the uh………….well I really don’t know what she does other than write twice a week about PED’s.
Ratto’s job is to be controversial and sarcastic and if you think he hates your team and this causes you to be upset then he’s doing his job because there’s a good chance you’ll read what he writes next.
sirbed - January 27, 2010
Ray Ratto was actually laid off years ago but nobody ever told him
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
Ray Ratto is shaped like a squashed peach
cuppingmaster - January 27, 2010
awww, be nice to peaches
OakA'sHoney - January 27, 2010
I like peaches
Ray Ratto….not so much
OptimistPrime - January 27, 2010
I found this when googling Ray Ratto
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
That is hilarious.
mikev - January 27, 2010
you found my pic!
awww lol
PL78 - January 27, 2010
lol you made this?
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
Ratto
As you can see, his 6.81 ERA on the road is the reason why everyone hates him. It’s probably much worse at home.
Rated-R Superstar - January 27, 2010
I'm peeing my pants after seeing this! Flippin hilarious!
mrod - January 27, 2010
cuz he is a waste of cells.
dude has always been a SF slobberer, blinded by his man lust to the inept sabean.
he isn’t a sportswriter, he is a whiner. he can’t stand the fact that the a’s are actually a good BUSINESS, whereas his beloved gi-aints are awash in debt, are always mediocre, and have a fan base that lacks much knowledge of the sport.
greendatitiz - January 27, 2010
Because he prefers everything with the word "giant" in it.
Boonee - January 27, 2010
zing!
scatterbrian - January 28, 2010
Oh, I get it. Because he's fat.
Nice one, AN.
LongLiveLangerhans - January 27, 2010
That damn AN
You can never predict what that ol’ unpredictable AN will say next.
No, it’s because he is fat AND hates our A’s
and he’s fat
OptimistPrime - January 27, 2010
The only cupcake Ratto never liked was the one who used to pitch for us
cuppingmaster - January 27, 2010
Ratto didn't steal towels,
he stole sandwiches.
sf drift king - January 27, 2010
The problem with Ratto..
is that all his columns are based on subjective comments….very old school mentality.
New school thinkers aka shit-talking columnists like Tim Kawakami actually uses qualitative and quantative assessments to support their arguments. Basically the new Moneyball of Columnists…..
Also, Ratto is F A T! :X
ST - January 27, 2010
This
This
This
Reg - January 27, 2010
I'm biased on this topic
and NOT objective because Ray is my co-worker and one of my favorite people, but I can tell you all absolutely that he does not “hate” the A’s. He attends far more A’s games than any other columnist in the Bay Area with Monte Poole a close second…. and then a major dropoff. He’s always checking in, asking questions, talking to people with the team and players. He works, and not all columnists do. Even if he sometimes annoys people with the various local teams, I believe they all respect the fact that Ray is at least there and asking questions and talking to people.
And what I most appreciate, given that I cover the team, is that RAY WRITES ABOUT THE A’S. Many Bay Area columnists do not, or rarely. You might think he hates the A’s (and he does not), but it would be hard to argue that he doesn’t care about the A’s….he is there. He writes about them. He notices. He puts in the time and the effort.
Would you all rather have no one write about the A’s than someone who occasionally takes some shots? The most ardent fans can be critical of the team – most of you all are – so why can’t Ray? That’s what’s great about real sports fans: they are critical. They want their teams to be good. I’m not saying Ray is a fan, because he shouldn’t be; he needs more distance than that. But don’t fans want spotlights thrown on their clubs’ shortcomings so that maybe they’re remedied or at least acknowledged?
I like Ray as a friend and as a colleague, but as an A’s writer who would like to see more written about the team rather than less, I love him. And I guarantee he likes the A’s far more than he does some other teams.
slusser - January 27, 2010
also
I’d love to see these “puff pieces” on the Giants. Giants boards are all convinced Ratto hates the Giants, for whatever that’s worth, and I can’t recall him writing about the Giants in any particular glowing way. I think he’s pretty equal opportunity with his criticisms.
Again, I am biased, and I admit it. You’re all free to your own opinions. And so is he.
slusser - January 27, 2010
With all due respect slusser
You basically made your entire argument this:
“He’s THERE! He DOES THINGS!”
Also, what does this mean:
“That’s what’s great about real sports fans: they are critical. They want their teams to be good. I’m not saying Ray is a fan, because he shouldn’t be; he needs more distance than that”
Are you saying its better to have someone who clearly hates your team covering them because he’s going to be the hardest on them to the point where its irrational nonsense (ie Ratto’s A’s win 60 games in 2005 prediction.)? If he was actually critical and did better analysis he’d figure out most everything of what he says is garbage and his columns just look like he wants them out of the Bay Area.
Its nice that you want to stick up for your colleague, but this has been going on for so many years now, the people who dislike Ratto just have so much ammo against him. You do write “occasionally takes shots” —I cant remember any posts by him that’s ever not been snide, condescending, arrogant, and most of all, negative regarding everything Oakland. Im sure you can go back and see he’s always finding ways to try (and mostly fail at) belittling the A’s. Go through his work from 00-03 when the A’s were the best team in baseball and see just how many positive articles he wrote, we can guarantee its an extremely high percentage.
If he was HALF the writer as you paint him to be in your piece, we would have absolutely no reason to bash him and disrespect him. However, he simply isnt. I authored a post on here advocating signing Ben Sheets before the A’s signed him, and came up with 5 solid reasons I got through researching, on why it would be a good sign and how it could potentially be the straw that breaks the back of the Mariners being div faves right now.
Whereas Ratto’s anti-Sheets post is completely not baseball related and is mostly along the lines of “they’re going to trade him anyway, who cares?”. As an A’s fan, this isnt about my team, its about a writers personal point of view (which I, along with probably 99% of A’s fans, dont care for). In this case, I’d rather he didn’t write about them.
PL78 - January 27, 2010
hah, monte f’ing poole? apparently there is a strong correlation between attending a’s games and hating the a’s (current team/GM/ownership). i guess based on the last three years that shouldn’t come as a surprise…
sure, why not? it’s not like he provides any useful news / information about the team, he just gives his idiotic opinions.
because there’s no actual analysis to any of it, and apparently he understands baseball about as well as a lobotomized brian sabean.
nowadays smart people who actually know something about baseball can also reach sports fans through sites like fangraphs, the hardball times, baseball prospectus, etc. there’s not the same demand for “journalists” who have to crap out 1000 words every few days. maybe newspapers would die out either way, but perhaps they could save themselves if they contract out to experts in various fields instead of hiring journalists who don’t know what they’re talking about and in some cases write about as well as grade schoolers (bill plaschke).
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
clarification
in the last sentence i don’t mean positions like beat writer that actually involve the reporting of facts, but all the columnists who do nothing but share their misinformed opinions.
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
This
I understand sticking up for your own but this guy has built a case against his journalistic credibility that transcends attending a baseball game. He works and he goes to games, awesome.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
the arrogance
we’re actually supposed to be impressed that a sportswriter who writes about baseball actually attends baseball games!
believe it or not there are people who actually pay to attend those same games, and some may even wish they were able to attend more of them.
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
“actually” i should have probably read that one more time before posting it…
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
claifying
I’m certainly not trying to say you should be impressed by that. I’d hope every columnist would attend games, but it’s not always the case. There are some – maybe more than that – who do not. That is what I have a problem with. But Ray is there, and I appreciate that. There’s a difference between a columnist who talks to the people involved, and often and one who watches at home and doesn’t bother to learn the personalities or ask any questions. All I’m trying to say is that Ray does that. If that sounds arrogant, I am truly horrified it came out that way.
slusser - January 27, 2010
You didn't come across as arrogant
I’m pretty sure that was directed towards Ratto. I think the main drive is that while he goes to games (which I agree is admirable), it’s not showing in his writing when he criticizes the team. You can ask a lot of questions, watch every game, but that doesn’t mean they’re the right questions or that you’re actually seeing the game. I’m sure Ray works hard, I’m sure he’s committed to what he does, the real problem is it’s not really showing up in his criticisms. When that happens, it comes across as sounding petty. I’m sure if the criticism that have been made against the team had more substance, the overall dislike for him would be significantly less. Yes, fans do criticize their teams, but what you’ll also notice, when fans don’t do it intelligently (especially around here), they’re going to hear about it.
DMOAS - January 27, 2010
not directed specifically at you
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
one thing to take into consideration
Is that general sports columnists have to pay attention to all pro and college sports. Sounds fun, right? It’s actually hard to do that and do it indepth for everything. The single-sport columnists are better at really breaking down stats and doing more detailed analysis, because they are devoted to the one sport.
I’m not sure that Ratto would appreciate me saying this, but he knows all the sports, including the colleges, far more thoroughly than most general sports columnists, and he’s following things like hockey and Premier League soccer avidly, too. He’s not going to give you what Baseball Prospectus does, but he’s not supposed to. He’s supposed to be writing for the more general sports fan, not the insider’s insider. Whoever mentioned Kawakami made a great point – TK does a very good job of mixing in more advanced analysis of different sports, and he’s not even primarily a baseball guy, but they have two very different styles and I think there’s room for both.
I see where you all are coming from, and if you really just don’t think he likes the A’s, I doubt I can change your minds. But I sit next to him 50 times a year and he does not dislike the A’s.
I would never want to be a columnist. You have to be (or should be) extremely well informed about dozens of topics and you need to have ideas – at least somewhat original – four times a week, sometimes on a tight deadline. I think that would be hard and also pretty stressful, plus there is a lot of criticism and venom that goes along with the job. They probably all say they don’t mind that, but I would find it difficult to see these kinds of discussions all the time. They do get kind of personal.
I’m sticking up for my buddy, yes, but I do hope some of you see that Ratto is putting out a full effort, he’s writing about a team a lot of other columnists ignore and like the other general sports columnists, he’s keeping tabs on six pro teams, a handful of colleges and lots of national stuff. I don’t know, I just wanted to even it out a little bit.
slusser - January 27, 2010
Thanks Slusser
I certainly appreciate your point of view and hope you didn’t feel personally attacked. I can only speak for myself but that certainly was not my attention. Things can come off more abrasive then intended over the internet.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
de nada
that’s what this forum is for, differing opinions.
slusser - January 27, 2010
to pile on (and I've been drinking, so watch out)
I’m pretty sure I love you, but it’s in the most “friend” way possible. Like a sister. Who writes about my favorite team. That I’ve met once in my life. MOVING ON…
I can totally understand how you feel when you read all of us blasting Ratto’s pieces all the time, but to put it simply… it would be nice if his columns about the A’s were a lot more like your blog. It very much appears that he does nothing but slam the moves we make.
I mean honestly, ONE DAY after Sheets signs, and he’s bitching about the fact that they won’t keep him and they won’t have players long term and blah blah blah.
How about mentioning something.. ANYTHING… about the fact that the A’s may have an absolutely fantastic rotation if they all stay healthy?
mikev - January 27, 2010
Seriously, this.
Except the sister part.
Elvez - January 27, 2010
Luckily I speak French
I have no issue with A’s bashing if it is factually or even cleverly done. But as a reader without Slussers unique insight of Rat, he takes every far fetched opportunity he can to blow up the organization with a negative slant. I don’t think I am alone there.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
+1 - Thank You Slusser
thanks for engaging in conversation, when this easily could have gotten a little ugly. I really appreciate reading your columns (and the Sharks ones too!). IMO Ratto rarely writes positive columns for ANY Bay Area team. But to be fair, not a one has won a title in 15 years, so it’s not like there are a ton of positives to relive.
I in no way think he hates the A’s or any of the teams around here. (although I would appreciate if he toned down the Sharks regular season is pointless columns. Trust me WE GET IT.)
The real frustration is that while local newspapers and local coverage decline, ESPN and the other national sports networks spend an inordinate amount of time on “bigger” teams. We get seemingly endless coverage of teams we normally wouldn’t have access to and yet virtually nothing about the ones we could possibly attend and follow. This leaves a gap in local coverage. I’ve actually been really happy with the new CSN network and their focus on local teams.
As a huge A’s fan for 25 years, its frustrating to see so little coverage. Maybe its also the little brother syndrome in a shared market as well, but when you open the paper and see ANY A’s coverage, it’s exciting. Hence also the disappointment when it is a negative column.
All this being said, I think Ratto is a terrific writer, and I enjoy his style and structure, it is at the very least, unique.
kbtoyz - January 27, 2010
I don't think he dislikes the A's so much
as he makes his writings a vehicle to imply, as so many in national media whether they are writing about the (mythical) crime rate or the baseball team, that the city is inferior and it’s the implied eternal poverty of the team and the city that makes the Athletics unable to “keep their players” and provide the kind of fan experience (where guys played for one team forever and built up huge loyal fan followings) he had growing up.
I think what he and others miss is that we are the most serious baseball fans of any of the 30 teams because we have to be, and that the fluidity of the personnel with the team causes us to be much more integrated into the concept of MLB as a whole, from the bigs to the minors to the collegiate level, i.e. who has what sleeper players with the most esoterically appealing stat profiles hiding under which rocks.
The impression I get from Ray Ratto, and why I do not take 99% of what he says seriously, is that he doesn’t write about the A’s as they are (which, guess what, is one of the most interesting and unusual teams in any sport, with one of the most thought-out approaches to the whole idea of competing on an uneven economic playing field with teams with innumerably more resources), but as they aren’t: always choosing to overemphasize that dead-horse idea that Oakland is poor and pathetic and hates their fans and gee this team oughta put 12 people in the seats, etc etc.
What is tiresome about your colleague is not his work ethic (as someone pointed out, Lew Wolff goes to all the games too, and he sure loves Oakland, doesn’t he?), but his failure, as with so many in major (read: becoming more obsolete by the hour) mass media, to apply that work ethic in turning out anything but the most predictable, heard-it-all-before pabulum, transparent on the surface as it is in its contempt for the position of the team in the lower echelons of opportunity amidst the greater paradigm of MLB with all the Red Sox and Yankees and so forth.
What I see when I read Ratto is someone who isn’t applying their skills and knowledge and gumption to get a story that says something innovative — something relevant for the 21st century — and is instead kinda falling back on the sort of 20th Century old-world assumptions that fit teams like the Giants (lots of $$, big bourgeois ballpark built with private funds, incompetent & dinosaur-like GM that gives fans not-much-hope of ever winning anything but with lots of bells and whistles to make them think they are getting the best product possible) foster much more than our Athletics ever could.
That said, your writing is awesome and informed and you always take the time to rap with us here, and I’ve never heard you gratuitously frame what might otherwise be construed as valid criticisms with the self-neutralizing tone of disparagement of the city and the organization like I have heard Ray do, so cheers to you, Susan =)
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
to be less prosaic
I don’t feel I need to be told, as this week, that Ben Sheets’ arm is gonna fall off halfway through Spring Training and if it doesn’t, well the A’s suck anyway cuz they’ll just trade him anyway and so forth: that isn’t worth my 75 cents, to be told the most obvious, superficial analysis where you’re supposed to be getting the no-one-else-thought-of-that angle a top-drawer sportswriter (you can check the mirror if you’re wondering what one looks like) might have on offer.
emperor nobody - January 27, 2010
Well said man
You are on a roll tonight!
Ovale Fan - January 28, 2010
I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt...
…due to what you have said here, though to be honest I have not read him in several years as I no longer live in the area.
The impression I get from most here is that they’d just like some balance from his writings. If he sees something good, write something good. If he sees something negative, then write accordingly. I guess I’m in the minority in that I don’t think a columnist should be ‘edgy’ or ‘controversial’, but rather accurate and objective… as much as one can be when still voicing what is clearly opinion… precisely because they don’t have a tie or allegiance to the team. It can’t all be negative, and the gist I get is that his writings are (purposely?) more negative than his personal opinion.
UncleLeo - January 28, 2010
You guys all just got
Faced! ;)
BleedGreen - January 27, 2010
Gwen Knapp would attend more games, but for the fact that she’d have to take the 30 or 45 through Chinatown to get to BART.
monkeyball - January 27, 2010
Forget it, Gwen
…it’s Chinatown…
cityplANner - January 28, 2010
No, that was Slusser
FreeSeatUpgrade - January 28, 2010
...
This.
Ice Cream - January 28, 2010
As a close follower of Chicago media
I can tell you that Susan, believe it or not, is onto something by saying that Ratto attending games is much more work than most columnists do. There’s a certain Eddie Munster lookalike here who prides himself on not going to games or talking to people who actually know more about sports than he does (and in his case, it’s pretty much everybody on the planet who knows more).
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
Hawk right?
It’s got to be Hawk.
DMOAS - January 28, 2010
mariotti
xbhaskarx - January 28, 2010
Jim Van Vliet from the Sacramento Bee
dateline: Jim Van Vliet’s couch…dateline: Oakland
Gaijin_Suketto - January 29, 2010
Starting with the disclaimer that I've been known to make a "fat joke" now and again
(usually related to Blanton), I look through this thread and see comment after comment referring to Ray Ratto’s weight in a disparaging way. This is relevant to his writing, how? And his columns are more objectionable than using “overweight” in a derogatory way? I don’t think so.
Nico - January 27, 2010
We could make fun of his writing but that would be too easy of a target.
Besides fat people are funnier then thin ones. Oh, I forgot to mention we are not being paid to write.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
it's not relevant, aside from the frodo thing, which is both relevant and hilarious.
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
Yeah
I’ve been cringing over that too. Truth hurts, but still, a little unnecessary. There’s enough to work with on his writing.
DMOAS - January 27, 2010
You are right Nico
Although I did not mean it in a hateful way (I don’t hate anyone) it was a low blow. His size is not relevant to his writing. I think sometimes we fall into this illusion that the internet is anonymous and we say things we would never dream of saying to someone face to face. There is not one person on this thread who would walk up to Ratto and call him fat, me included. So, it was in bad taste. I still think he is on the Gnats payroll and says nothing nice about our team.
OptimistPrime - January 28, 2010
recced
kaweahkaweah - January 28, 2010
Gave this a rec
His writing is fair game. His sports knowledge is fair game. Him being a jerk, if he is one, is fair game. I don’t see how his weight is. All it does is make the arguments here look petty and immature.
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
Making fun of his weight
Is much like writing a column about how Ben Sheets is somehow a bad signing for the A’s.
Both are coming from petty and rather ridiculous personal viewpoints.
Bottom line: if Ratto doesnt come across as a dick, or even hell, writes an article that cant be ripped to shreds instantly by anyone with common sense and a computer to easily research his views that have been pulled out of his cynical ass, we wouldnt be equally as harsh back. I hope he reads these threads and gets the point that joe average A’s fan is NOT impressed with his constant stream of negativity, especially when its completely unwarranted.
Ratto needs to come out of the closet as an A’s fan if he really does like the team, because as of now he just looks like one of the teams biggest haters.
PL78 - January 28, 2010
I'm no Ratto fan but ...
all of you derisivley/hatefully referring to his weight have exposed yourselves.
Go jump in the lake.
Ice Cream - January 27, 2010
Being overwieght myself...
I’ll just float to the top.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
Ratto going to A's games
Maybe he enjoys the free meals given to the reporters and media.
On the other side, Kawakami who lives off drama rarely writes about the A’s.
MagicMike23 - January 27, 2010
You apparently..
don’t read much of Kawakami’s columns or blogs….he gives a lot of credit to Beane though will also criticize (and praise) the A’s as well. He really is the new generation of columnist using statistics to support his case as well as modern day mediums (blogs, twitter, etc.) to showcase it.
ST - January 28, 2010
We don't get free meals
No baseball team has provided free meals for about 15 years. And the A’s were the first to start charging. Most people bring their own food from home.
slusser - January 27, 2010
clarifying again
There are free hot dogs…..but I’m really not sure I’d say that’s a plus. Not the most appetizing items around.
slusser - January 27, 2010
That's why you need to attend fANfest
Once you’ve had Cindi’s “Omigod This Is Soooooooo Much Better Than Shari’s!!!” Potato Salad, you never go back.
Wait…
Nico - January 27, 2010
Ok thanks for the clarification
Since during home games on theradio I hear ken, vince, ray, and lurie talking about food. I assumed they have food set aside for various media
MagicMike23 - January 27, 2010
there's food
but people who do not work for the team – and ken and those guys work for the team – have to pay for it. Freebies for the broadcasters, not the rest of us. :)
Weird tangent! But I am definitely looking forward to that Potato Salad…..
slusser - January 27, 2010
Wait! What?
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
SCORE.
mikev - January 27, 2010
So no free dippin' dots??
Any updates on signing Damon,or even Dye?
I know you’ve mentioned Petit in a utility role, but A’s seem to disagree on ever giving him a chance. Patterson cant play passable defense anywhere. The FA utility market seems this unless they bring back Cabrera or Kennedy
MagicMike23 - January 27, 2010
I don't think Cabrera or Kennedy is too likely
They need a backup SS and Cabera’s defense last year was dreadful and Kennedy can’t play SS.
Those of you who read the Drumbeat know I’m big on Petit, but the A’s don’t seem to be, so…. if Chavez is healthy, there really is a possibility he’s the backup SS. And that idea was first proposed to Chavez, btw, by Billy Beane. So it’s not some fanciful statement by Chavez. Of course, as he keeps saying -and you guys do too – he needs to be healthy.
It’s not a great group of middle infielders left. Maybe they try Miles or Petit and pray Chavez is OK.
Are you all sold on Pennington as the fulltime starter?
slusser - January 27, 2010
I think his defense a little better than many think
(I think his metric ratings were too low due to a flurry of mistakes over a few days), but I also think his hitting will be worse than many think. In sum, I think he’s the ideal backup INF but not the right guy to start at SS everyday.
Nico - January 27, 2010
I love him (we are talking about Cabrera, right?)
but his defense didn’t get much better with the Twins. I think that’s a main reason he’s getting so little attention.
I think he’ll pick it up defensively this year for sure, but I’m not sure he’s ready to accept a backup role (though he might not have a chance.) He was great for Gio Gonzalez, that’s for sure. You always hear about what a “me” guy Cabrera is, and he was not that at all when he was making sure Gio was settled and focused before his starts.
slusser - January 27, 2010
Didn't Gio begin to
put together his string of decent starts after Cabrera was traded?
ErikFanClubPres - January 27, 2010
I was talking about Pennington.
Nico - January 27, 2010
oh, yeah, then
I am inclined to agree with you. On all counts.
slusser - January 27, 2010
Feel free to stop by at any of our tailgates this upcoming season, Susan!
We love you and you are welcome anytime! Thanks for weighing in..no pun intended :)
mrod - January 27, 2010
agreed!
mikev - January 27, 2010
By the way...
we usually get together in the North Lot, right in front of the concrete blocks near the McAfee Coli sign/exits. Cheers Susan and let us know whrn you have any more updates on all things A’s!
mrod - January 27, 2010
You missed my chocolate chip cookies last year
Flashfire - January 28, 2010
Those were good
YonYonson - January 28, 2010
Whaddya talking about!!!!
the friggin Collossal dog is just about the best darned hot dog I ever ate!!!
You got some nerve, “slusser”, coming in here dissing hot dogs at the A’s games.
If they are the $2 dogs that are free then, yes, I see your point.
BleedGreen - January 27, 2010
they're not the good kind
actually, I don’t eat meat anymore, so I don’t really know, but I see ’em….and I smell ’em. (shudder.)
slusser - January 27, 2010
Fair enough
sorry for jumping down your throat.
BleedGreen - January 27, 2010
oh, didn't take it that way
I have no strong feelings about hot dogs, but I respect those who do. :)
slusser - January 27, 2010
also, that was a funny response you had
now that I look at it.
OK, at this point, I’m procrastinating. Darn you, AN, for providing me with an excuse not to work. (Hockey, not baseball, sorry.)
slusser - January 27, 2010
Welcome to the dark side.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
sorry
who said that thing, 95% of what I say is BS, the other 5% lies?
Yeah, that.
BleedGreen - January 27, 2010
commie sport.
AN > Hockey. It’s not even close.
mikev - January 27, 2010
Uh oh!
Guess we’ll have to make something vegetarian for ya then…?
mrod - January 27, 2010
respect +1000
xbhaskarx - January 27, 2010
Now lets get Veggie dogs in on the Dollar dog wagon!
I do however think they should invest in the dogs they use at that other nearby stadium- way better.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
I hate to give the Giants credit for anything, but...
…they got some good food over there.
UncleLeo - January 27, 2010
I'm a gas station coffee sort of guy
Give me some greasy garlic fries and cheap ballpark dog and you can’t slap the smile off my face. I do hear their food is top notch.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
Do you have to pay for kraut to put on the hot dogs?
mikeA - January 27, 2010
D’ye know of such-like a place where they don’t charge for that condiment, stranger?
monkeyball - January 27, 2010
QOTM
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
TNSTAFK
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I call bullshit (I think...)
I can understand the rebel leaders of a failed insurrection going into hiding to save their own skins, but in this particular case, there are no fascist overlords hellbent on crushing the opposition.
These little drop-in Free Kraut hintlets are funny, but the idea that there’s some super-secret hidden A’s blog, rather than just a dormant page with no content in almost a year, is a Bob-ian mumbo jumbo double-dog bluff.
Gaijin_Suketto - January 29, 2010
Relax,
it was just my take off on TANSTAAFL.
lynnzgal - January 29, 2010
A couple things...
1. Fat jokes? Wow. His weight has no bearing on his writing.
2. Ratto is a columnist for a newspaper. He’s not a cheerleader. He’s not here to “support” the team. He earns his paychecks to write opinion based on instinct and based on research. Every columnist has their schtick. For some, it’s to incite anger. Some incite laughter. Some incite happiness. You know how a columnist knows he’s doing his job well? If they evoke one or more of those reactions in a reader.
3. So he predicted 65 wins in 2005. He’s not omniscient. He looked at the team as it stood then. It got a reaction, didn’t it?
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
Rec'd.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Thanks
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
Let me chip in another.
I haven’t weighed in on this thread yet, but “runaway train” seems to be the metaphor that fits closest.
danmerqury - January 27, 2010
Also...
Bill Plaschke the writer > Bill Plaschke on ESPN shows
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
Wow
Hard to imagine how awful Bill Plaschke’s TV presence must be…
PaulThomas - January 27, 2010
(it's pretty bad)
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
When I mean writer, I don't necessarily mean opinion columnist
Here’s one that’s pretty damn good:
Her Blue Haven
He also had a feature about the San Diego Chicken a few years ago that I loved.
Granted, these are just two examples off the top of my head, but the guy can put words together. I don’t read much of his opinion (I’m not really into reading opinion columnists), so I can’t speak to his talent there, but everyone must hate him for a reason.
YonYonson - January 28, 2010
Most columnists are terrific writers
It’s what they write that usually makes me bang my head off the wall.
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
For the most part the jokes and personal attacks...
are nothing more then our juvenile humor. Everyone knows the sense of humor of a male stops at the age of 12. They mean little and if you spend enough time around here you would find them to be regular place. Some of my favorite writers on AN (Nico, Geijin) are the Mark Twains of clever blog humor. If you think fat jokes are rough I urge you not to search Leopold – sheep – turkey baster – badtouch here on AN.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
I've been around AN for a while
And I know all about Leopold, sheep, goats, Huston Street’s butt, et alius. I just thought the straw man of “Ha ha! Ratto is fat!” was unnecessary.
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
Fair enough and cheers man
I can sympathies with feeling something is unnecessary Yon. That beautifully sums up my belief on most of Ratto’s articles. As a Raiders fan I can’t defend his attacks in good contentious but his bias against the A’s is comical at best.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
Wait a minute.
Nico and G_S get compared to Mark Twain and I get thrown in with bestiality, sexual perversion and molestation. Gee, thanks.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
I said it in admiration Leo!
Mark Twain is farm more boring then bestiality, sexual perversion and molestation.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
"farm"?
Nico - January 27, 2010
We really need an edit feature for the mentally handicapped
All the sheep talk got me a little worked up. Plus I was watching the SotUA. Ok…it was the bestiality talk, I am what I am.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
We are Popeye.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
for the record
I find many of the posters here super funny and I often wish I could steal some of your lines.
slusser - January 27, 2010
feel free, suslu.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
For the record
I love you long-time SuSLu
As a MLBTR addict, any time they link to you, I actually click on it and read it.
That puts you in rarefied company – my “must-read baseball writers” list is very small.
:)
Daniel777 - January 28, 2010
You can steal any of mine you want.
I haven’t really had any funny ones, but you can still steal them.
mikev - January 28, 2010
I remember Athletics Nation back in the old days... back in 1923...
It was a coffeehouse called “Tyler’s” near the Vaudeville theatre district. Fans of the Athletics would gather around and watch the ticker for reports on the game, discussing trades, and thinking up one-liners to sell to the comedians in the neighborhood. Oftentimes, these budding comedy writers would come up with obscure baseball jokes for the local intrepid lady sports reporter, whom unfortunately for the writers and her readers, had too much integrity and common sense to use them as her own.
Too bad you can’t just buy the lines off of us like comedians used to buy jokes…
Gaijin_Suketto - January 29, 2010
You can buy lines off of me
Meet my friend in the Coliseum BART parking lot at 11:00pm. He has seven tattoos and goes by “Snake.”
Nico - January 29, 2010
You are an admirable contributor, LB
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
Yep!
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I'm not positive,
but I think I just got voted Miss Congeniality of AN.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
no, we just all wanna bang you.
mikev - January 27, 2010
ew. sicko.
(call me.)
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
(ring ring.)
mikev - January 27, 2010
LB is Sandra Bullock?
YonYonson - January 27, 2010
just when I wear that one formal gown.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
It was the donuts gave you away.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I like donuts.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
I like whiskey
mikev - January 27, 2010
Who doesn't?
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
tru dat!
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
And the weapons under your gown!!
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
Admirable contributor>Miss Congeniality
Imo.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
really?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
You have to ask?
Me?
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
no.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Me?
mikev - January 27, 2010
no, not really.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
rawr
mikev - January 27, 2010
not necessarily in that order
mikev - January 27, 2010
there's the love I've come to expect.
kisses.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
:swoon:
mikev - January 27, 2010
Your welcome LP!
:’)
mrod - January 27, 2010
Same reason we all hate the AAAA's?
ElQuesoCapitan - January 27, 2010
btw,
do you people do DLDs any more?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
no
mikev - January 27, 2010
then you're missing all the hype surrounding the ...
… iPad.
Ice Cream - January 27, 2010
Eh, I'll wait for the next version that has a camera, SD card, and Flash support
They’ll call it the maxIpad
mikev - January 27, 2010
Yeah I was shocked about the camera
That thing would be a skype wet dream otherwise.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
eh. it's a gigantic Ipod Touch
mikev - January 27, 2010
Exactly
It’s just an ipod touch with double screen res. No multitask and people are saying the cpu is not even able to show a youtube movie in hd. It seems to have the same limits as the iphone. At least an iPhone or iPod Touch can be kept in a pocket. I’m waiting to hear about the new iphone but am afraid they wont be able to innovate much and still be compatible with older ones.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
I still want to fidget w/ one before I make up my mind.
That’s pretty sad about the HD.
I think if it were 1/2 the size it would be more useful, at its current size why not carry a laptop.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
I have one on my coffee table
I think this would be great to take to the gym. I can’t read my iTouch/iPhone while exercising. Most likely it will remain coffee table fodder 99% of the time when the iPod touch or iPhone make more sense.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
Faster and smaller....more memory for less $$$
Those are the innovations I want to see
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
I fully expect that
for my next birthday. Or else!
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Ice Cream ...
… makes no expressed or implied warranties or representations of any kind as to the content, accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of said product.
Ice Cream - January 27, 2010
That's okay.
Flavor of the month is fine by me.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
TW....
mikev - January 27, 2010
Right.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I'm curious about what February will bring.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
April brings showers, I think,
And March comes in like a lion…but I dunno about February.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Chocolate cherry?
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Well February does bring MRod...so....just saying....
Feb 1st is right around the corner people, and please…..no more toasters!
mrod - January 27, 2010
Happy almost Bday bro!
Feb. 26th here. One more year closer to retirement.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
My daddy was born on Valentine's Day.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
My daddy was born in leap day
He’s 14
Cheezombie - January 27, 2010
Cool!
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Nice
I’m older than your dad!
Rated-R Superstar - January 27, 2010
you're...you're not his dad, are you?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
So am I!
Today’s my birthday :)
Cheezombie - January 28, 2010
Happy Bday Cheez!
Ovale Fan - January 28, 2010
Happy Happy!!!
Berry Jo - January 28, 2010
Happy Birthday Super Cheeze!
mrod - January 28, 2010
Thanks Ovale fan!
By the way, if any of you are music fans, my band is playing a ‘birthday show" over in the Santa Cruz mountains this Friday the 29th. Would love it if any of you can make it! Cheers and here’s the info:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253735884511&ref=ts
www.myspace.com/corduroyjim06
mrod - January 27, 2010
Spring Training preview....pitchers report, when?
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
soon.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Feb. 18?
lynnzgal - January 29, 2010
Huh. I was going to get you a Nexus One.
Oh well.
mikev - January 27, 2010
I thought you loved your hero?
designatedforassignment - January 27, 2010
I do.
mikev - January 28, 2010
Really?
And all this time I was thinking all you “really” wanted was Johnny Depp wrapped in nothing but a red ribbon….
mrod - January 27, 2010
Also...very nice!
But one must be realistic, after all.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Nah!!!!!
My moon in Sagittarius says, “Shoot for the stars!!”
:)
mrod - January 27, 2010
My fortune cookie said
You will attend an unusual party where you will meet someone important.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I hardly consider myself important.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Too bad.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
well, i guess it's all a matter of perspective.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
indeed
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
so meeting LB at a party would be huge for you.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Of course!
As it would for a lot of people!
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I'm a,,,celebrity?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Of sorts.
You’re mysterious.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
can I cut gun in half with my mind?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Dunno.
But it would certainly add to the mystery, if you could.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
how about cuttin gglass
mikev - January 27, 2010
Nah.
I do that shit all the time.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
what if I cut glass with my mind?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
You'd be hired!
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
would working in a glass place be any better
than working in a sign shop?
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Much.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
At least in mine it would.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
no but I mean...
mikev - January 27, 2010
Yes, I know.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
Mike's diamond cutting penis aside,
there might be some advantages to working in the glass factory.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Well,
sexual references aside, I treat my employees well.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
if you're gonna be a prude about it,
I’ll go back to talking about Mike penis.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
enjoy
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
I'll try!
mikev - January 27, 2010
I'm not sure mine could do that.
I dunno if the surgical steel of the piercing is harder than galss.
mikev - January 27, 2010
Mine said I will attend a usual part where I will meet someone unimportant
Nico - January 27, 2010
Sigh.
Its the more likely outcome.
lynnzgal - January 27, 2010
MINE said I will attend an important party where I will meet someone unusual
We’ll just see who’s fortune is correct…..
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
I'm unusual!
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
AND you're not the only one!!! HAHA
But you are definitely an original!!
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
unusual party
This is interesting.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
Or reconnect with friends you've been missing.
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
I've been missing you, too!
lynnzgal - January 28, 2010
I am proud to say I have never (and will never) own any Apple product
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
I have an Ipod.
mikev - January 28, 2010
I love my iPod Touch
That’s about the only thing Apple makes that I have.
Flashfire - January 28, 2010
Do you iPod Touch yourself?
kaweahkaweah - January 28, 2010
When i think about it iTouch myself
Flashfire - January 28, 2010
(giggles)
lynnzgal - January 28, 2010
All my best ideas were written - until I get struck by another one.
Berry Jo - January 27, 2010
Howard Zinn just passed away.
So sad.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
Heart attack.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
he WAS 87...
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
I met him 5-6 years ago and he felt more like in his 40's.
Sharp mind that one.
brian.only - January 27, 2010
I saw him a few times in CA...96 and 98, I think.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
and very young at heart, yes.
Leopold Bloom - January 27, 2010
Well, if he had a heart attack he couldn't have been too young at heart
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
gp.
Leopold Bloom - January 28, 2010
I have decided, after these many years, that I like Ray Ratto
Because ultimately, I judge sportswriters on how much I like reading their stuff, and not how much their analysis mirrors my own. Ratto covers all the local teams, he mostly writes well (getting better over time), and he’s sometimes pretty funny.
I’ve never thought he hates the A’s, and in fact, he seems to at least empathize with A’s fans…no newspaper writer has written more on Oakland ownership issues than he has.
Today’s piece likens the Sheets and Holliday deals, one year deals for stars with a huge Plan B consideration of a mid-season trade. This sort of double-bottom-line way of rating the GM is a really interesting part of being an A’s fan in the Beane era, and Ratto’s writing about it. To take it as an attack or indictment of the team is to miss the point.
FreeSeatUpgrade - January 27, 2010
Yep
Ratto has his schtick, makes me chuckle now and again, and is appropriately cynical. Plus, when I see his columns, I read them.
And as Susan has pointed out, he actually writes about the team.
bear88 - January 28, 2010
agreed
67MARQUEZ - January 28, 2010
follower
mikev - January 28, 2010
lol
Nah, just way late to the party. As is my custom.
67MARQUEZ - January 28, 2010
not even fashionable.
mikev - January 28, 2010
It's kind of hard without clothes.
67MARQUEZ - January 28, 2010
TWSS
mikev - January 28, 2010
From many e-mail exchanges with Ray....
…over the years (none lately, i’ve given up,) I think he just doesn’t buy the “small market” thing and therefore all the implications of that as it relates to the A’s and how we A’s fans see it all.
I’ve made the point to him many times that even if we’re all being duped, i.e. wrong about how much the A’s COULD spend, the facts are Beane as GM does have much less to work with than other GMs, and that alone should be impressive enough what with all the early decade success. Ray just doesn’t buy it.
I’ve argued (it seems obvious) that MLB is set up as the only major american sport with a gross imbalance in spending and that is wrong since the very essence of sport almost demands a “level playing field” in how teams build themselves. Ray simply has no problem with this gross imbalance and therefore the whole AN and A’s “thing” about being a glorious underdog REALLY irks him. (Still amazes me so few don’t see it’s like a big kid thinking he’s all that when he of course beats the little kid up. i barf when people/writers spew loads of praise on “what a great job Torre did managing all those superstar egos” and that kind of “thinking.”)
I think writers like him and Bruce Jenkins like leagues where some teams can dominate because they think that creates great teams to watch. Doesn’t matter to them that those teams are great largely because they have a built in advantage. Doesn’t matter to them that most teams really only have little or no shot, regardless of how foolishly they’re run. To Ray, the A’s owners can and should spend more, or should get out if they think they can’t or shouldn’t.
I think this is at the core of it.
supersugarCrisp - January 27, 2010
I'm an A's fan and I'm not sure I buy into the 'small market' thing anymore.
I think the team… and way too many fans… use it as a crutch. An excuse to rationalize the lack of ultimate success. Even in sports with relatively strict salary caps, teams that manage their resources well usually do well. Those that don’t, don’t.
UncleLeo - January 28, 2010
It's pretty much a falsehood as far as I'm concerned
The Bay Area is not a small market by any means. I think it’s used as an excuse because the Giants have a newer, fancier ballpark and draw more fan interest right now. All things being equal in terms of facilities, when the A’s were a better team they drew very well against the Giants.
The playing field may not be level right now but that has more to do with the ballparks and teams themselves than the market, and I wouldn’t deny there’s been a good deal of fan revolt dating back to the Schott/Hofmann group and now Wolff, because of perceptions about how they’ve handled the team and various interactions with the City of Oakland and so on.
The fanbase is there but the team has to give them reasons to attend.
Flashfire - January 28, 2010
Pretty much agree.
Even when attendance favored the A’s, the Giants always had more proclaimed fans in the region. They always sell more hats and shirts and stuff, but I don’t believe the real gap in interest is as great as many Giant fans like to think.
I know I’m in the minority, but I think Wolff makes Schott/Hoffman look like saviors worthy of sainthood. Relatively speaking, of course.
UncleLeo - January 28, 2010
how can "way too many fans" use it as a crutch when there are only like 40,000 a's fans, if you add up coliseum attendance and tv ratings?
xbhaskarx - January 28, 2010
It was a relative statement.
IOW… of those who proclaim to be A’s fans, way too high a percentage…
UncleLeo - January 28, 2010
i know what you meant, i just chose to misinterpret it
xbhaskarx - January 28, 2010
Disagree with this:
The Lakers player payroll is $91 million this year. The Grizzlies payroll is under $55 million. When you factor in the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, the Lakers have more than twice the money going towards player contracts. Now, is that AS much as the Yankees/Marlins disparity? No. But it’s a lot.
thejd44 - January 28, 2010
All great points.
Teams in other sports do spend differently, even with caps. Teams in all sports need wise spending. The A’s probably do use it as a crutch, largely helped by the fact many of us A’s fans kind of like the underdog role.
But, with all that said, i see these great points still falling short. We like to point out we’re open to them, and they are true. But there’s no getting around that for whatever reason the NY and Bos’s of the world outspend (and benefit from many other aspects of team building) many other teams by huge amounts, and that that DOES really help them and hurt others.
I’ve asked Ray to uncover this evidence, to put the pressure on the A’s ownership. He’s made some good points that bring the money they could/should spend to light, but it’s still nowhere near what the big or midsize boys can and do spend.
I get there’s already rev sharing and lux tax. I would be somewhat upset if i were a “have” and had to line the pockets of the sorry havenots who know not how to spend the little they do have (basically the non A’s/Twins/Marlins.)
But somehow there’s got to be a way to make it like the other sports in general fairness in forming a team. I don’t propose i know that answer.
A large part of why i feel this way is that to me it’s a bit lame/unsporting for grownups (fans and team members) of the “have” teams to get off when they, of course, win. It’s ugly. All these all stars beating up on rag tag teams, and they hoot and holler like the idiot big kid who thinks he’s cool for beating up a kid he SHOULD beat up (fighting is bad kids.)
supersugarCrisp - January 28, 2010
While I find Ray Ratto frequently irritating,
the notion that “nothing” would be better than “periodic Ray Ratto columns” is completely ridiculous.
Also, fat jokes are asinine.
That is all.
PaulThomas - January 27, 2010
Greenmachine just do what I do
ignore him. I haven’t read Ratto in a long time. He’s miserable and I cant stand it.
Jessse - January 27, 2010
I am sorry
Ray and anyone I offended by pointing out that Ray was overweight: I apologize for my sophmoric, low brow attempt at humor. I read his articles and it does, as a fan, bother me. But calling him fat was not meant to offend and I offer the following retraction: Instead of fat, please substitute the following statement…
I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries! Now leave before I am forced to taunt you a second time!
OptimistPrime - January 27, 2010
LOL, I honestly don't get it OP
Everyone needs to toughen the fuck up. I have no idea why people are being such insecure princesses tonight but it is unusual for this crowd. People spent 1000 posts bastardizing each others religion the other day. It’s common to see cheap shots at others geographical and professional backgrounds, insults to intelligence and a variety of other subjects. Lets face it, someone manufacturing humor at anothers expense is not unusual on AN or the internet for that matter. The fact people are offended by making fun of someone that can’t stop shoving cheeseburgers in their face is amusing but frankly retarded.
Ovale Fan - January 27, 2010
No Ovale, I get it
Despite the intent, which was just to be funny, it is unfair. If I had a weight issue I would feel really down on myself if everyone was calling me fat. I was teased as a kid unfairly so I can relate to what some people are saying. Not everyone with a weight issue stuffs cheeseburgers in their face. Some people genuinely struggle with the issue. So, my apology was sincere, and I found a more creative, less mean way to poke fun of him. I mean, I don’t HATE the Angels but I do HATE the Angels, you know what I mean? And the same goes for Ratto. I genuinely do think he offers up biased opinions that seem bent on belittling or disparaging our team, which makes him a target.
OptimistPrime - January 27, 2010
No one hates Ratto
Hardly anyone cares enough to. I still think you guys are taking shit too serious and obviously I know cheeseburgers are not all that’s wrong with God and Country. Perhaps it’s the time and everyone is drunk or Desmes prayers have manifested themselves into a new collective moral fiber but it’s an awkward night on AN. Ratto likely doesn’t care he was called fat by people he doesn’t know on a website. Obviously there were juvenile and tasteless jokes in the thread tonight but it’s not much different then random thread #3508974. It’s also not much different then any other time you get more then one smart ass in a room. Did I mention everyone needs to toughen the fuck up. Anyways this is not directed at just you OP it’s just bizarre and kudos on the apology.
Ovale Fan - January 28, 2010
I'MD RUNK!!
mikev - January 28, 2010
It's his "shtick"
Have you know Ray Ratto to actually like ANYBODY? All of his comments about Bay Area sports teams are negative, and he always comes off as grumpy and critical. That’s just his shtick and the personality/image he is trying to cultivate. Let’s face it, most sports columnists and talk show hosts like Radnich know that controversy and negative comments make for better media. Nobody wants to hear too many “feel good” stories. They’re TRYING to get riled up. Just say no.
murlow - January 28, 2010
Do you listen to Pascarelli on ESPN?
(baseball today podcast?)
Anyway, to me, Pascarelli has the mean schtick down. He is just universally a stick in the mud. Ratto always seems hypercritical. Maybe it’s just his writing style, but it’s a chore to read sometimes.
As an aside, I think most of the fat jokes are locker room talk. Uncouth maybe, but nothing to read into here.
cuppingmaster - January 28, 2010
Reading the majority of this post kind of makes me embarrassed for some of the A's fans out there...
…and it completely feeds right into the belief many have that A’s fans are thin-skinned.
It’s like the sharks are in the water and Ratto’s the chum, and for what? That he dares to question the A’s, write so-called “bad things” about them, and make predictions people don’t like?
I’m no fan of the guy’s columns but damn, some of you get angry about one person’s opinions quickly. Is it the fact he gets paid for them and we don’t? Is it the fact he writes things that are geared toward getting reactions?
Well, he’s getting them all right, and it’s pretty sad that most of them are at the level of personal insults instead of focusing on what he says and why people think he’s wrong. No wonder people in the media need to learn real fast not to pay attention to everything random readers say.
Yeah, yeah. We all know he’s a fat walrus. New material, please.
Some people need to learn the difference between being a reporter and a columnist, too.
Flashfire - January 28, 2010
it's his MO...
I’ve come to just to except it— to just be cynical and a hater. As soon as the Sheets’ signing happened, I was wondering what bad things and basically boring comments Ratto would make— it’s not like many of his articles really have any useful content in them. It kind of confuses me though, I could of expect this kind of constant haterade to come from out of town, say like, New York, but it doesn’t make sense to me to be a bay area writer and write articles that thumb your nose at almost everything every one of our teams do.
The Sheets’ article actually kind of made me upset (from today’s paper), but I usually read his articles anyways and not really think too much about them. I mean, atleast it gives some variety?
For some reason, I made a picture of RR moonlighting as Red 6 (Porkins).
ConditionOakland - January 28, 2010
i just realized
how bad my grammer is in that post… christ… do not post after midnight. but making that picture in a state of insomniac was worth it. R2 (get it!? another stars pun! Ray Ratto!=R2) should seriously consider this for his costume on Halloween this year, maybe we can party together.
Anyways, apologies about my grammer, I ain’t that dumb.
ConditionOakland - January 28, 2010
That's awesome, I support any post that includes Porkins.
Definitely an overlooked star in the original star wars movie.
“I’ve got a problem here.” – “I can hold it.” – “Aah!”
Ovale Fan - January 28, 2010
Historic lines.
DDroney - January 28, 2010
Few could pull it off.
Top shelf explosion effects as well.
Ovale Fan - January 28, 2010
douche bag!!!
ratto is a simply a d-bag his colums are idotic wastes of time,his rants against the a’s are pointless,he should just simply come out and say he is a giants fan,cuz it seams everytime sabean makes a stupid move like gettin old washed up c-leaguers apparantly its greatest thing to happen to bay area sports according to ratto.everytime the A’s make a move he rips em a new one.he is just like every giants fan,fat angry, miserable and dispises the A’s cuz they are and always will be the better bay area franchise,we do got 4 rings
bigmac25 - January 31, 2010
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