Dan Haren, RH Erik Bedard, LH (1-2, 1.44) (3-1, 5.40) LF S Stewart 2B B Roberts CF N Swisher 3B M Mora 3B E Chavez RF N Markakis DH M Piazza SS M Tejada SS B Crosby 1B A Huff 2B M Ellis DH J Gibbons 1B T Walker LF J Payton C J Kendall CF C Patterson RF D Putnam C P Bako
I think everyone knows about Athletics Nation. Those people are crazy. I mean that in a nice way.
Pretty sure that Jon Knott is going to win Manto of the Week as he has 69% (baha, a funny number) of the vote thus far.
This year's BP touched on the subject, too, but, like, for real: Harden gets all the press as the potential next big stud in the A's rotation, but it's Haren who's been out there throwing 200+ innings a year and making them count. Beane really burned St. Louis with the Mulder trade, which, of course, everyone could see coming. Haren was already as good as Mulder when the trade went through, let alone Kiko Calero and Daric Barton. Stupid Cardinals. What do they have? A World Series!
I know I pick on Sam a lot, but this quote kind of tickled me: "We've got to win as many we can and ride it as long as we can." As in, "Oh, God, we're not REALLY good. I mean, we're the Orioles! Just, just, just win as many as you can right now, OK, maybe that way I can keep my job."
I get what he's saying, but it reeks of a lack of confidence that any of this has actually happened, like we're all actually not alive and we're ghosts rooting for a phantom team. Wouldn't it be depressing if the phantom Orioles of your wildest imagination could only start 11-7?
Miggi stinks against his former team: .250/.315/.298 with 0 home runs in 23 games. Doesn't quite match up to the .285/.366/.505 with 11 homers in 55 games that he put up against the O's before coming to Baltimore. While we've spent time worrying about Tejader, he's hit .338/.397/.423. I don't know that he'll ever hit 30 homers again (I'd put a few bones against it, in fact), but he's still going to be pretty good.
Of course, Millar is hitting .273/.414/.473 because Millar is pimpy. And Melly Mel, strangely, has found his power again -- and also, get this, his plate discipline is back. Markakis is a stud, and Aubrey Huff...starts slow in April, everyone be nice to Aubrey Huff. April's just a bad month for him so let's accept that he's killing us with runners on base and that sweet .537 OPS he's sporting over 34 ABs in said situation.
BUH DARD. I wish he'd walk less people.