Oakland Park Baseball

johnny damon went to the yankees which in my opinion all but gives them the east all they need now is a decent starter. What really surprises me is its 4 year deal aaand only 52 million i would held out for more.

Should oakland still go after frank thomas since they haave milton bradley i think so

joe shmoe wrote:johnny damon ..... only 52 million...... i would [have] held out for more.

Damon is being severely overpaid. He's not the player he was a few years ago. His arm is worthless; 90% of players in MLB could score from 2nd against him in CF on a groundball hit up the middle. The only reason he got this contract was because it was the fuckin' Yanks. I just hope this doesn't effect the market for the A's OFs Jay Payton or Bob Kielty, pricing would-be buyers out. I think one of those guys would need to be traded if the A's acquire another hitter. A new DH moves Dan Johnson to 1B, which moves Nick Swisher to OF, creating a similar platoon situation in OAK that Payton demanded a trade because of in BOS. Some argue he could still get his ABs even if we acquired a new DH, considering both Bradley, Kotsay, and Frank Thomas would all need time off due to injury history.... I don't think this will satisfy Jay Pay.

joe shmoe wrote: Should oakland still go after frank thomas since they haave milton bradley i think so

While I'd like to see the A's make an acquisition of a right-handed hitter with power to protect Chavez in the lineup, I'd rather they go for Tampa Bay's Johnny Gomes. A rookie last year, he hit 20 HRs. His OBP and SLG are both great, so he'd fit right in with the A's moneyball approach. He's from the Bay Area. There are many reasons to believe the A's could get Gomes, and his arbitration clock has only just begun, so the A's would have contracting control over him for at least 5 years. He has way more upside than Thomas, zero injury history unlike Thomas, and can play OF, unlike Thomas.

PS: Thanks for your post, joe shmoe (sic), but please proofread it once before clicking submit.

Well, Damon is a true leadoff hitter, which is rare. I would pick Damon over Lofton any day, though Lofton remians popular.

Damon can get RBIs, which is unique at that spot in the lineup. But I agree about his arm. His ideal situation would be playing LF at a place like PNC park, with that huge space out in felt.

Baseball=Life wrote: I'd rather they go for Tampa Bay's Johnny Gomes. A rookie last year, he hit 20 HRs. His OBP and SLG are both great, so he'd fit right in with the A's moneyball approach. He's from the Bay Area. There are many reasons to believe the A's could get Gomes.

Don't hold your breath

Baseball=Life wrote: I'd rather they go for Tampa Bay's Johnny Gomes.

retep wrote:Don't hold your breath

Here's what my friend had to say about this possibility (props Maren):

10 Reasons Gomes Will Come Cheap:

("they" is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays)

1. Gomes plays OF (when they already have Baldelli, Crawford, Gathright, and an up-and-coming outfielder).
2. Gomes wants to go to Oakland (grew up in the Bay).
3. Gomes is white. (Seriously, if you're white, unless your name starts with Rocco and ends with Baldelli, Tampa doesn't want you.)
4. Gomes plays DH for Tampa--compare his numbers to other DH's--he stinks.
5. High officials don't like Gomes' "competitive attitude." (Which, btw, I LOVE.)
6. Gomes is a young free-swinger--Tampa doesn't like free-swingers unless you have wheels and can leg out shitty whacks.
7. Gomes will not re-sign with Tampa--so why stay there? It's not like he is a grade A player, who would bring back high compensatory picks.
8. Tampa needs pitching.
9. Oakland has young tossers.
10. Tampa has two up-and-coming players--the aforementioned outfielder and then a stud first baseman... Where do you put Gomes? All three OFs are filled, DH and 1B will be platooning--Gomes will not platoon.

So, as you see, there are a myriad of reasons, both stated here and above, that Gomes could become an Athletic.

Did someone just suggest that white people in MLB are suffering from racism?

Yes, and I think white people have suffered long enough. It's time for us to rise up and take over.... Oh, wait. We're the ones who've fucked everything up.

Nevermind.