A’s went from ‘they’re done’ to ‘they’ve done it again’
There’s a fogbank lifting in Oakland. It’s imaginary, but if you’re at all familiar with the A’s, you understand. The sun will shine on those who persist.
As they tinker away in the shadows of owner John Fisher’s malfeasance, executive vice president Billy
Beane and general manager David Forst have changed people’s thinking in a matter of weeks.
Some have lifted Oakland above Houston as favorites in the American League West. At the very least, the A’s have changed the preseason story line from “That’s it, they’re done, line up the moving vans” to “Damned if they haven’t done it again.”
Make no mistake, they remain a club with no future. Fisher has seen to that, in tandem with a stressful pandemic and the won’teverhappen Howard Terminal project. But this team has an intensely loyal fan base that expects to see good baseball on the field. For 2021 — which is really all that matters in these difficult times — they’re going to get it.
The Trevor Rosenthal signing bordered on the miraculous. If he’s anything like the pitcher we saw in Kansas City and San Diego last year — 0.845 WHIP, 38 strikeouts in 232⁄3 innings — the A’s just found their closer. He’s been through a lot, largely due to his Tommy John surgery in 2017, but do you remember his rookie year in St. Louis, when he made a habit of shortstint dominance of
the Giants during the 2012 NLCS? Striking out the side a couple of times? He’s still that man at 30, still throwing 100 mph fastballs and blowing people away.
It’s a vintage move for Beane, who always had a knack for acquiring excellent short relievers — Jason Isringhausen, Billy Koch, Keith Foulke, Grant Balfour — and then hastily moving on. A few days ago, the A’s had deep concerns about their bullpen in the wake of Liam Hendriks’ departure. Now they’ve added Rosenthal, Sergio Romo (who will still be throwing those frisbee sliders 20 years from now) and lefty Adam Kolarek, who developed a nasty sinker with the Dodgers last year. Yusmeiro Petit might figure in somehow, and in the grand tradition of bullpens, there will be a few surprises.
Manager Bob Melvin can hardly believe his good fortune, and if this club has a glaring weakness — something that would prevent it from creating a twoteam division race with the Astros — Melvin can’t see it.
The new guard
The Warriors get their first look at LaMelo Ball at Charlotte on Saturday night, and some are calling this sensational rookie the best player to perform in that metropolitan area since Stephen Curry played at Davidson . ... The AllStar Game will proceed as planned March 7 in Atlanta, commissioner Adam Silver proclaiming it the “right thing to do.” Well, of course it isn’t.
Not when the mayor, the league’s top players and some respected media critics think it has no place in a pandemic. Still, it’s the NBA, which managed to transcend the pall of an empty arena into a rewarding experience during the Orlando “bubble.” Once the players feel the surge of adrenalin, it’s likely to be fun. But they’re still blowing it with the playgroundstyle roster setup. Captains LeBron James and Kevin Durant should pick their teams right on the spot, before tipoff, so we can see everyone’s reactions . ... We’ve all grown irritated over radical uniform changes (longtime 49ers fans hear this), finally moving on with grudging acceptance. Can uniform stupidity actually cost a team in the standings? I’m saying it does with the Miami Heat, who have shown up this season in tropical pink and powder blue, with a garish home court to match. This team is the NBA’s equivalent of an urban boxing gym, taking pride in its fierce work ethic and toughness valued above all. Now they’re dressed up like ice cream treats at the county fair. Send in the clowns.
Women’s tennis reached its contemporary pinnacle when Serena Williams met Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals, and they played it like champions: quietly and with dignity, save those moments of exultation. Somehow, the WTA’s godawful noise machine grinds on with two of the top players, Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza, right at the forefront. Every stroke brings a deafening shriek, as if there’s a gruesome crime in progress. As such, they leave no pleasant memories. They’re just passing through the sport . ... One of the tour’s class acts, former Stanford star Nicole Gibbs, has retired at 27. Gibbs, who won seven titles and courageously survived a battle with salivary gland cancer, has plans to attend law school . ... Even in normal times, we get precious few looks at the U.S. women’s national soccer team, for decades among the world’s most compelling in any sport. Now the Olympics are in doubt and the World Cup won’t come around until 2023. So here’s a recommendation to watch this team against a loaded Brazil squad on Sunday (noon, FS1) in the SheBelieves Cup, a fourteam event being held in Orlando. Such talent: In Thursday’s 10 win over Canada, the midfieldforward starters were Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, Lynn Williams, Julie Ertz, Lindsey Horan and Catarino Macario, the Brazilianborn star out of Stanford. In the second half, Alex Morgan, Christen Press and Rose Lavelle (who scored the goal) came off the bench. Add the injured Tobin Heath and Sam Mewis, and you’re looking at a golden era all too rarely witnessed . ... Quote of the week? No question, Buster Posey: “You have to really make sure you have the right weight of the diapers.”