A's Offense Dispels Jet Stream Myth in a Single Series

As was widely reported, 20 home runs were hit in the first 4 games at the new Yankee Stadium.  But Tuesday night, there was only 1.  And it was hit by a Yankee.  And Wednesday, the A's hit 1, and the Yankees hit 4.  4 is how many the A's have -- for the whole season.  But we don't really want talk about that on this off day.  We want to talk about the reception Jason Giambi received from the Yankee fans on Tuesday night.  It was warm and loud and Giambi said it made him feel great.  We don't begrudge him that.  But during that telecast, Ray praised Yankee fans for their class and recalled how he cringed and felt bad for Giambi when A's fans booed him on his first trip back to the Coliseum back in 2002.  We remember this too.  We were there and we booed him at the top of our lungs.  And we don't feel bad about that.  Because the thing is, the situation is totally different.  Giambi had turned down the A's contract offer and left our small market team for the glamour of pinstripes and an enormous contract. Sure, it was a contract that he probably deserved.  But still, A's fans were spurned by Giambi.  He went on to gush about how he always wanted to be a Yankee.  He went on Letterman and said "Have you ever been to Oakland?"  In short, Oakland fans were bitter and disappointed and had reason to boo him.  By contrast, the Yankees didn't pick up Giambi's option last year.  The organization decided that they didn't want him and opted instead to throw a gazillion dollars at Texeira.  So sure, the Yankee fans could stand up and applaud Giambi because he didn't break their hearts.  They dumped him.  It's easy to be "classy" when you always get whatever you want.  

Comments

[steve_o]

I'm just mad because we got beat by Melky. Infuriating!

[Oakland Sí]

Giambi still hasn't acknowledged why Oakland fans might have booed him related to his Letterman comments. he blows it off as him just reading the script...let him do something like that about New York...then we'll see what kind of reception he gets there.

[FearMecir]

I recall lustily booing the Giambino from 2002-2008. And let me just say....I will start to boo him in 2009 if he continues batting .204 with 0 HR's!!!! Going 0-6 in the 14-inning heartbreaker was totally inexcusable.

Also, did you guys see Matt Holliday's commments about potentially playing in NYC? From ESPN.com: "Yeah, I would play here," Holliday told Davidoff (of Newsday) on Tuesday night, before his A's 5-3 loss to the Yankees. "I'd have no problem playing here." In a piece written last season, New York Times beat writer Tyler Kepner went so far as to quote Holliday's father, Tom, as saying "If someone would have called me today and said Matt had gotten traded to the Yankees, I'd have been hunting for a place to celebrate."

So he has 0 HR's after 49 AB's in the regular season, 0 HR's after at least 50 AB's in spring training (against mediocre pitchers in hot weather), and he's fantasizing about pinstripes? He should have said, "Yankees? Look pal, I need to concentrate on hitting in 2008." These guys are killing me.

[FearMecir]

Correction, "hitting in 2009".

[Oakland Sí]

was it that Holliday responded to a NY reporter asking him whether he'd consider playing there? if so that's just a smart and noncommittal answer that you'd expect a free agent to be to make.

[FearMecir]

Here's the link to the original Newday article:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spken2312682296apr22,0,7720612.column

He talks about the rumors surrounding his eventual destination, but it seems like he was signalling a preference, especially when you take his dad's prior comments into account.

I hope he has a moment or at least a good couple weeks (or at least a HR or two in a clutch situation) so he can connect to A's fans. So far, he seems like a distant figure, other than his blase voiceovers on A's radio ads.