This is the seventh in a 20-part series chronicling my 20 years as an A’s fan, year by year. Check out my previous entries: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993. 

It’s actually a good thing the A’s were so bad in 1994, because I’d hate to have a story like the Montreal Expos. They were the best team in baseball during the season in which the strike wiped out the whole postseason.

Instead, the A’s were awful, as were the whole AL West. At the time the strike ended the season, the Texas Rangers led the new, four-team AL West by one game with a 52-62 record. The A’s were actually that second place team, at 51-63.

A bright spot for the team was Geronimo Berroa. This was his first year with the A’s and he’d be the team’s top mid-’90s slugger not named Mark McGwire. After a few years of good minor league numbers not translating to major league results, Berroa signed on with the A’s and hit .306 with 13 home runs in the strike-shortened 1994. Ruben Sierra and Troy Neel continued to be the power threats in the lineup, with McGwire limited again to only 47 games due to injury.

The once-vaunted starting pitching staff was getting whittled down more and more in ‘94, as only Steve Ontiveres and Ron Darling had decent numbers. Bob Welch was awful, and Bobby Witt wasn’t much better. And young hopefuls Todd VanPoppel, Carlos Reyes, and Miguel Jimenez didn’t impress.

Attendance was dropping, as the once popular A’s were now 13th out of 14 American League teams. My attention faded as well, as I don’t remember much about this squad. In 1994, I was 16 going on 17 (sing along) and much more concerned about high school social endeavors than watching a crappy baseball team in a year overshadowed by strike concerns.

Maybe it’s better that way, as I didn’t have the feeling the A’s got ripped of anything by the two shortened seasons. I was free to run around and be a teenager and rock out to Ace of Base without having any A’s concerns on my mind.

Coming next Friday, December 7: 1995 - Who to draft - Helton or Prieto? Hmmm…  

According the Ken Rosenthal, the A’s are no longer interested in Lastings Milledge or Aaron Heillman in a package for one of their starting pitchers, as Lastings is a corner outfielder and the A’s already have Swisher and Buck. And apparently Heillman’s relief status has made him more unattractive.

Center fielder Carlos Gomez may be the prize now. Baseball America’s scouting report on the #3 prospect in the Mets organization:

Strengths: A true five-tool athlete, Gomez has game-changing speed and a well above-average arm, tools that help make him a premium defender in center field. He also has excellent bat speed that leads to projections of at least average power, if not more. Scouts said Gomez brought needed energy to the Mets.

Weaknesses: Hitting will be the last tool to develop for Gomez. He’s still searching for the balance between aggressiveness and plate discipline. While he showed increased patience in 2007, it came at the expense of his power production.

Despite my love for Lastings, the fact that they may be now a) not counting on Mark Kotsay and b) not viewing Tavis Buck as a platoon player are good things.

I can’t believe it’s Thursday already. Last week at this time, I was getting ready to put a turkey in the oven. Time sure goes fast, but at least I just ordered my first Christmas gift this morning from Half.com.

Let’s get to some A’s talk, shall we?

1. Tuesday we talked about the Johan Santana effect on the trade market and possible dealings for A’s starters. Yesterday New York Newsday speculated that the the Mets are figuring to be out of the Santana sweepstakes, given the competition, and instead are focusing on Dan Haren and Joe Blanton.

I’ve made it known several times how much I’d like to see Lastings Milledge in Oakland. David Lennon speculates in the article that the package a year ago of Aaron Heillman and Milledge will only be a starting point this time around, in this market that Billy Beane can more easily exploit. I sure hope he’s right, even in the case of Blanton.

Lennon also points out that the A’s don’t want to go to arbitration with Blanton, which makes me wonder if something may go down in Nashville next week.

2. Interesting factoid - ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points this out about our slugging DH Jack Cust:

The inimitable Jack Cust accumulated only 395 official at-bats this year — but still almost led the AL in both walks and strikeouts. He was first in whiffs (164) and second in walks (105) to David Ortiz (111).

Nobody has ever had that many walks and that many punchouts in a season without getting 400 at-bats — and the only guy in history who ever did it without getting 500 at-bats is Jim Thome (494, in 1999).

Way to go, Jack! This is why it took you until age 28 to get your first MLB starting job. But as long as you lead the team in OPS again, I guess it doesn’t matter so much.

3.  The A’s grabbed 1B Wes Bankston off waivers from the Royals. He’s just 24 and will provide some nice insurance in case Cust or Daric Barton goes down with injury.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

I was thinking about Johan Santana as I woke up this morning, and as I stayed in bed, not quite wanting to get up, I thought about how he may be the better pitcher, but Dan Haren is the better value.

Of course, Buster Olney had to go and write his blog about the same thing. But that’s OK - I’ll still write about it here too.

Talk over the last several days has been of Santana having a full no-trade clause and seeking a record-breaking contract extension as a prerequisite to even considering waiving the clause to make a trade go through. Talk about jumping through hoops… but if there is a pitcher worthy of jumping through hoops for, it’s Johan Santana.

The Yankees have supposedly begun talks with the Twins on a potential Santana deal. I’d have to think Phillip Hughes and even Robinson Cano are in the potential deal.

Then there’s Dan Haren - our ace pitcher who may or may not be on the block. He is considered the second best “available” starting pitcher, but would come much more attractive on the pocket book. How much is that worth? A lot, if you’re not the Red Sox or the Yankees.

A team that trades for Haren would have him for three more full seasons before he’s a free agent, and at bargain bin prices. He’s set to make $4M in 2008, $5.5M in 2009, and has a $6.75M option for 2010. A team would get three full seasons out of him for less than most number one, two, and even three starters make, before they’d have to dig deep to keep him.

Of course, such facts will make it harder for a team to pry him away from the A’s. Keeping Haren at such a nice price would be advantageous for the A’s, so someone would have to blow Billy Beane away to get a deal done.

I still tend to think Joe Blanton will be the only A’s starting pitcher to switch teams this offseason and would shocked if Haren hits the road - much like the Hudson trade was expected three years ago, but the Mulder deal a few days later was shocking.

But the Santana effect comes down to this question: Would you trade your top talent for several years of the best pitcher in baseball at the highest pitcher salary in baseball? Or would you trade your top talent for a minimum of three years of an excellent starting pitcher at a bargain salary?

From ESPN.com:

Major league pitcher Joe Kennedy died early Friday morning while at home with his family in Florida, agent Damon Lapa confirmed to ESPN.com.

I’m shocked and speechless. This is incredibly sad.

Rest in peace, Joe.

This is the sixth in a 20-part series chronicling my 20 years as an A’s fan. If you missed my previous entries, you can check out 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992.

After getting seeing the A’s get whooped by the Blue Jays in the playoffs the year before, it was obvious going into 1993 who the juggernaut of the American League was.

Dave Stewart apparently noticed, as he bolted Oakland for Toronto and a $8.5M, 2-year contract after the 1992 season. The A’s also said goodbye to Carney Lansford (retired), Walt Weiss (traded to the expansion Marlins), Harold Baines (traded to the Orioles), and Mike Moore (3 years, $10M with the Detroit Tigers). The team’s AL West defending Opening Day lineup consisted of a rookie (DH Troy Neel), two utility men who had no business starting (Lance Blankenship at 3B and Jerry Browne at 2B), and Walt Weiss’ heir apparent at short in the promising young Mike Bordick. This was definitely a new-look A’s team.

And it was about to get an even newer look, as Mark McGwire started having his heel injuries that would plague him for the next two years. He only played in 27 games in 1993, and Mike Aldrete saw most of the playing time for the green and gold at first base. And rookies Craig Paquette and Brent Gates (who I LOVED in 1993) started seeing the most time at third base and second base respectively as the season went on, so the McGwire/Gallego/Weiss/Lansford infield that I had grown accustomed to turned into an infield of Aldrete/Gates/Bordick/Paquette in the span of just one year.

There was some change in the outfield as well, however, as the A’s traded Rickey Henderson to the juggernaut Blue Jays at the trading deadline. The deal for Steve Karsay was supposed to give the A’s the young pitching they so desperately needed. But as we know now, that didn’t work out. Left field then ended up being manned by utility guys Browne and Blankenship, as well as some appearances by who the heck guys like Scott Lydy and Eric Fox.

Last week, when I looked ahead to writing about 1993, I mentioned that it was the beginning of the “Sucky Years.” My brother and I have always referred to the 1993-1998 era as the Sucky Years in A’s baseball. We look back and laugh at now (usually bringing up random names like Vince Horseman and Dan Howitt, and then laughing because we remember them), but it really was a painful time to be an A’s fan.

I remember going to a game on a school trip in 1993 (see ticket stub above) and people making fun of me because I was actually rooting for the A’s. The A’s actually won that game, and I remember saying “Ha! Ha! Ha!” to my friend, who had earlier done the same thing to me when the Blue Jays went ahead. Of course, it was a small victory and those kids that were making fun of me got the last laugh when the A’s finished 68-94, far worse than the 103-59 (though playoffless) much cooler San Francisco Giants.

It 1993, the A’s went from being the AL West champs to the bottom of the barrel. On the bright side, it was the last time the A’s would finish in seventh place, because realignment and the beginning of the four-team AL West would start in 1994.

Coming next Friday, November 30: 1994 - The Sucky Years continue, but baseball as a whole sucks worse.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I’m cleaning the kitchen today. I want to start with a clean kitchen so that I have ample space to mess it all up again tomorrow. Sound silly? It makes sense in my head.

As I’m waiting for the oven to finish cleaning itself (yay for that invention), let’s talk about a few A’s items.

1. Look out, A’s fans. Eric Chavez is pissed. Here’s a quote of his from today’s San Francisco Chronicle:

“I’m kind of pissed off that I’ve been taking a licking in the media. I know if you don’t perform, with the type of money we’re making, you’re going to take a beating, but with the fans, I’m upset to hear things like I should be traded. I try not to pay attention to it, but I know what I’ve done to get on the field the last two years, so that’s kind of disheartening. I’ve busted my butt, and I’ve been at 30-40 percent. So I want to let fans know that I’m going to play with a chip on my shoulder next year.”

Will his anger make him turn green and turn into the Incredible Hulk and put up that 40-HR, 120-RBI season we’ve been waiting for?

I have always been optimistic about Chavvy. I still consider him one of my favorite A’s and believe in his talent. I hope that the three surgeries have been what he needs to get back on track. I also tend to think he still has plenty left in the tank, as he turns 30 on December 7. He’s not exactly an old dude yet. Though maybe I just say that because he’s younger than me.

He also said something that is music to my ears, as I always make Chavez a lifetime A when I play Baseball Mogul:

“Billy told me he’d never even thought about [trading me]. He said he planned on having me here my whole career.”

Of course, we could open up the Chronicle tomorrow morning and see that Chavez has been traded to the Yankees and the Angels signed A-Rod for $500M and 15 years. But, for now, I’ll take it. I heart Chavvy and am rooting for him to come back strong for the green and gold in ‘08.

2. Here’s another quote from Chavez, which leads into item #2 today:

“You can’t question what Billy’s doing - somewhere down the road, Dr. Evil has a plan.”

Dr. Evil was the subject of Buster Olney’s blog today on ESPN.com. There really wasn’t new information or speculation here - just the fact that Billy is going to have to decide whether or not to break the team apart and rebuild.

Here is, in my mind, the key:

Oakland general manager Billy Beane is not one to reside in the middle of the pack with a mediocre team… Beane is willing to break down the team completely in an effort to make it a consistent playoff contender again in two or three years.

There’s a difference between thinking you can contend and knowing you can contend. Billy has to look at what other teams are doing (namely the Angels, who made a trade for Jon Garland and look poised to land a Miggy - Cabrera or Tejada) and be realistic about the A’s chances. Last year’s team, if healthy, might have contended. But “if healthy” is a big if, and would next year’s team be able overcome that if. Maybe. And that M word is where the problem lies.

Just as Billy did with Hudson and Mulder just three years ago, he may need to do it again with Haren and Blanton to be realistic about the state of the A’s.

3. There were five new additions to the 40-man roster yesterday: shortstop Gregorio Petit, catcher Landon Powell, outfielder Richie Robnett, and pitchers Henry Rodriguez and Jeff Gray. These guys will be protected from the Rule 5 draft, which takes place on December 6.

Rotoworld said that Petit was left unprotected for the last two Rule 5 drafts. Never considered a big bat prospect, he hit .292 between Double-A and Triple-A last year, and he’s a stud defensive player, so maybe the A’s are seeing a potential future with him. If the offensive dropoff isn’t too big (and with Crosby/Murphy, it may not be) his defense could get him to Oakland in 2009.

The others are pretty expected, except for maybe Powell, who will be 26 by Opening Day and suffered his second torn ACL last season. Maybe they have reason to believe he’s a late bloomer, or just don’t want their former first-round draft pick to be snagged in the Rule 5 and stashed on someone’s DL for a year.

Have a happy turkey day, A’s fans!

As I’ve thought more about the trade involving Marco Scutaro going to the Blue Jays, I can’t help but think what the A’s got in return in Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell are a couple of guys who could turn into Kirk Saarloos and Lenny DiNardo. Those two names don’t make opposing batters shake in their boots, but, playing in front of excellent defenses, ground ball pitchers Kirk and Lenny had some success with the Oakland A’s.

And because they’re undervalued, the A’s don’t have a hard time stocking their farm teams with these Kirks and Lennies.

Kirks and Lennies are valuable to the A’s because backing up these guys  on the infield is a Gold Glove third baseman, if you can get him on the field every day (I would hope after three surgeries, he’ll be out there more often this year). Crosby is a good defender at short, and Donnie Murphy, who will inevitably get some playing time, will fill in better than Scutaro did. And behind Crosby and Murphy, you have Gregorio Petit in AAA, and he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the minor leagues.

And I can’t sing the praises of Mark Ellis enough at second base. And first base? I’m not sure how good of a defender Daric Barton is, but how much of a dropoff would it be to play Jack Cust in the outfield and play Nick Swisher, considered the best defensive first baseman in the organization, at first and DH Barton? Cust isn’t pretty in the outfield, but with Kirks and Lennies on the mound, the infield would be the greater concern.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see an entire five-man rotation of Kirks and Lennies in 2010. But, it makes sense for the A’s to continue to stock up on these undervalued pitchers because they play to the team’s strength. Then, after a serviceable season or two, you trade them for a Double-A reliever and watch them post a 7.17 ERA in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the majors. Heh.

As much as I understand the cost-cutting that happened with this move, this is still a bit of a sad moment for me, as Marco Scutaro has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. No matter where this guy plays, he will always be the Oakland A that gave me my greatest A’s moment to date, as well as many other clutch moments.

Scoot was set to make $2M-$3M in arbitration this offseason, and for a team like the A’s, that’s too much for a utility guy. Sure he’s been valuable, but you’ve got Donnie Murphy who could fill in the same way Scutaro did and he’s cheaper, younger, and a better defender.

The A’s acquired two pitchers who played in A-ball in 2007. There’s not a lot of upside here with Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell. Both are 23 and Godfrey took a step back this past season, while Bell posted a yucky 5.33 ERA in a season where he both started and relieved. You never know with young players, but there’s not really much left here for the A’s besides the couple million dollars saved and a roster spot open for Murphy.

This is the fifth in a 20-part series chronicling my 20 years as an A’s fan, year by year. Read my previous entries: 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991.  

By the time my fifth season as an A’s fan began, the team hadn’t changed much. The core guys were still around, and the added guys - mainly Rickey Henderson, Mike Moore, and Harold Baines - were helpful additions. 1991 was a down year, but I was certain that, with better health and a return to form by Mark McGwire and Dave Stewart, the A’s would return to form.

And they did. Despite having a closer challenge by Minnesoata, they still won the AL West by six games with a 96-66 record. McGwire - now featuring mullet and goatee - returned to form with a .268 average and 42 home runs, and Dennis Eckersley had his Superman year, winning both the Cy Young and MVP awards with a 1.91 ERA and 51 saves.

But there was one big change that occurred mid-1992, and I remember being happy about it. One morning, I got up and looked at the front page of the newspaper that was on the kitchen table, and there was a picture of Jose Canseco with the headline, “So long, Jose.” I remember jumping up and down with my brother saying, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” at the trade that had occurred with the Rangers, swapping Canseco for Ruben Sierra.

Why didn’t we like Jose anymore? I honestly can’t remember. If you read my look back on 1988, you’ll see that he was what got me into the A’s in the first place. My guess is that he fell out a favor because of his attitude or dealings with the media. I do remember my grandma trash talking about him, after all (she pronounced his name Can-es-ko). Regardless of the reason, I was thrilled to say goodbye to him and hello to Ruben.

The playoffs in 1992, however, were uneventful.  The A’s won the first came against the Blue Jays, but found themselves in a 3-1 hole after four games. They won the fifth game, but the Jays won the sixth in convincing fashion. I remember that final game was on a weekday (a Wednesday, to be exact - thanks, Baseball Reference), and it started while I was at school. When my friend’s dad came to pick us up, I asked him for the score. It was not pretty. I gave up on the 1992 season that Wednesday afternoon in a minivan driven by a guy who looked like Ray Fosse.

I didn’t know it then, but it was going to be a long, painful road back to the top.

Coming next Friday, November 23: 1993 - bring on the “Sucky Years.”