All right, all right. It was all nice and good for the Twins to win on Tuesday night in Minnesota because they were honoring Kirby Puckett and all that. And because it was the first game of the series and we assumed that the A's would win the rest of the games like they had against the Yankees and the M's. We were feeling all confident and secure and nonchalant about the loss. It was one game, no biggie. Plus, the Twins had only won one game before Tuesday, whereas the A's had only lost two. It seemed clear who the better team was. We could let the Twins fans have their fun because they seem like good folks, and we knew the A's would spoil the rest of their week. Now, however, a few short games later, things feel really different. The A's just got swept out of the Metrodome. The starters all got roughed up. And so did the bullpen -- not only did they have to pitch a lot but Jay Witasick got carted off the field. And Dan Johnson ended 2 consecutive games by striking out. DJ is still on the schneid...o-fer...bagel...laying a frigging goose egg...icey cold...unable to buy a hit. That Liriano is scary -- he made everybody besides Nick Swisher look plain silly. So this is not charming anymore. The A's are now at .500. It's time for the A's to turn things around. We're looking forward to them coming home. We hope good Barry Zito shows up tomorrow against the Rangers.
A's -- Let's Do This!
You've jinxed them with your Twinfinity. I'm crying in my wine glass.
Posted by: Dave-O | April 13, 2006 at 02:46 PM
No shame in looking bad against Liriano. I can't believe the Twins aren't using him in the rotation.
Posted by: Will | April 13, 2006 at 11:36 PM
So, uh... :::cough, cough::: ... yeah... well, here's some good news... for me, at least. Nick Swisher's on the cover of something called Comcast Buzz and he looks pretty spiffy. Apparently he just broke up with his girlfriend and she took his dog with her! How low is that? I would never do something like that. And just in case Nick Swisher reads this blog, let me repeat: I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT. Thank you. And goodnight.
Posted by: Anna | April 13, 2006 at 11:59 PM
you should worry about the Comcast Buzz cover - almost as dangerous as the cover of S.I.
Posted by: gyfs | April 14, 2006 at 09:06 AM
I think Bill King nailed it when he said the best thing about the Metrodome, was leaving it. Truer words you will never find.
Posted by: Ireland | April 14, 2006 at 10:54 AM
I don't think OAD jinxed us in Minnesota. Our starters just decided to throw batting practice for a few days. I respect that OAD has the guts to compliment and respect another team when they act gracefully and do a nice deed. If we hated all day, every day, we'd be no better than those despicable Red Sox fans (I kid, I kid). I doubt any team has ever invited a member of the opposing team to catch the first pitch on Opening Day (we need to get Eugene on the case to research this). Plus, it's hard to dislike a team with a bunch of young guys trying to establish themselves (Morneau, Mauer), because it reminds me of the A's. After all, Selig mentioned the A's and Twins in the same breath when he threatened contraction in '01, and both organizations have to do well to justify the existence of small-market teams, what with the D-Rays and Pirates and others perpetually stinkin' it up.
One thing that bothered me about the Twins series was Jason Kendall...nothing he did in particular, but the peformance of the starting pitchers disproves the ONE justification A's fans have for tolerating him. A's fan- Kendall apologists console themselves with the notion that he masterfully handles the pitchers and calls a great game and yada yada yada. After the Seattle series, this appeared to be true, because it only requires the starters to do well in order to prove the point. However, the Twins series shows that anything can happen and even a demi-God like Blanton can come down from an 8 inning two-hit gem in a matter of days. Whether Kendall was calling good pitches or not, nothing he did defensively helped Haren or Blanton at all. Certainly, nothing he did OFFENSIVELY helped them either. Melhuse stepped in from the cold and went 2-3 with an RBI after a week's layoff. The guy can hit! What if Melhuse's 1 RBI was chipped in on Tuesday, and we wouldn't have even faced Nathan in the 9th? That example is just wishful thinking, BUT if Melhuse played every day, the A's would enjoy a net gain of 15 homers a year over Kendall. One of these phantom homers might tie up a lot of the one-run games that we are bound to lose this year.
I can't see how Melhuse calls a "worse" game than Kendall or would be any weaker in "handling" the pitching staff. After Loaiza coughed up 6 runs on Wednesday, Melhuse "handled" 3 scoreless innings from three different A's relievers. The pitchers have to handle themselves and they are the ones who have to get the strikes over the plate. We can't do anything about Kendall because of his contract and his constant bitching about getting benched, but every time we lose 6-5 and 4-3 and Melhuse sits, I'll be shaking my fist at the screen!
Free Melhuse!
Posted by: We'llGetRevengeOntheTwinks | April 15, 2006 at 02:34 PM
Yeah, I know there's no such thing as a jinx. That was a joke. I do that sometimes.
And sorry, despite the comparisons between the Twins and the A's, I won't be buying the A's/Twins double sided cap any time soon. It's not "hating," its being loyal to one's team. You can have a rivalry thats not venomous.
Posted by: Dave-0 | April 15, 2006 at 03:23 PM
Dave-O, I totally agree with you! I didn't intend to accuse you of being a "hater," because first of all it's not true, and second, it would make me a total hypocrite. I posted some Twins-hatred the other day. I think I even actually said "I hate the Twins" twice in the same post! It's just that on further reflection, I think I see OAD's point in trying to throw up some recognition for the Twins for their Wash-opening day-invite, despite the loss on Tuesday. Keep the wine flowin'!
Posted by: We'llGetRevengeOntheTwinks | April 15, 2006 at 05:00 PM
Firstly, let me just say that I agree with whomever We'llGetRevengeOnTheTwinks is. OAD very much *did* jinx the As. Its unfortunate that it happened. We'll just have to accept it and move on.
Also, where can I get an As/Twins double sided cap? I so want one.
Jai Baba,
Matt
Posted by: Matthew Benjamin Talbot | April 15, 2006 at 05:48 PM
This thread's getting silly.
Posted by: Anna | April 15, 2006 at 06:34 PM