Dickey: If the Rays can do it ...

Last Wednesday, the last day of the regular season, was the most exciting sports day of 2011. With the Red Sox and Braves in a free-fall, it opened the door for the Cardinals and Rays to sneak in the playoffs on the last day. The AL chase was especially exciting because baseball fans enjoyed two dramatic wins, with the Red Sox losing in the ninth and the Rays winning in extra innings, each within minutes of each other. It reminded us yet again why baseball is the best sport in the world.

Glenn Dickey Compares A's and Rays

Venerable Bay Area sportswriter Glenn Dickey compared the Rays, who have made it to the postseason for the 3rd time in 4 years, to the A's who have failed to make the playoffs since 2006. Every thing about the Rays situation is worse than the A's. Worse stadium. Smaller market. And toughter division. Yet are coming out on top. Perhaps if you have management committed to winning instead of complaining and dreaming of fantasy stadiums in other cities you get results. We used to have that here. Moneyball was all about that. Too bad it doesn't exist anymore.

Furthermore, Dickey compares the A's to the 90s-era Giants, who were also in a worse situation than the current A's. Quote:

The ownership group agreed to take losses while the team was still playing in Candlestick Park to build a competitive team for the new park. They did that, with a team that reached the World Series in 2002, the third season in the new park, and should have won it.

And, while they were at Candlestick, they also put a lot of money into refurbishing the place as best they could, better restrooms, more spacious concession areas.
In contrast, the Wolff/Fisher ownership has done nothing but pursue a strategy aimed at eliminating the Giants’ territorial rights so they could move the A’s to San Jose. The word carpetbagger comes to mind.

This doesn't get talked about enough. For all of Lew's whining and all of his apologists defending him, how come the Giants made it happen and the current A's don't? We think Wolff's desire to move the team is not to strengthen the A's future, as he claims, but rather a get-rich-quick real-estate plan that benefits only Wolff and Fisher.

Rumors and Innuendo

A ton of rumors have been floating around the Internet about the A's situation. Here at BaseballOakland we promise not to post on rumors. Sure we have heard our fare share too, but we stand to discuss only real news when it becomes available.

Let's go A's! And keep them in Oakland!

P.S. BaseballOakland writer linusalf also says, "Go Phillies!" We think he's crazy.