by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–I do not believe that it is a “coincidence” that since Yoenis Céspedes was traded, the Oakland Athletics had their worst month in over 2 years; yes the first losing month, this August 2014, right after the team traded outfielder Yoenis Céspedes for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes of the Red Sox, if the A’s were not intending to keep Céspedes, will they keep Lester? Who already had said publicly that he would welcome going back to Boston. That remains to be seen, that is another show.

Now, I know in today’s OBP, WAR, and all that nonsense, like every team playing the shift to basically all left handed and right handed hitter just with a little power(Ted Williams must be turning over in his grave) -batters, it is designed to protect against Extra base hit pulled hard into the gaps between the fielders on the right side. But, all you need is to have a little power and they put the shift on you. Every team is doing this.

Originally called the “Lou Boudeau or Ted Williams” shift, the strategy is often associated with Ted Williams, but it was actually first employed against Cy Williams during the 1920s.[1][2] It was later used against Ted Williams during the 1946 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cardinals as a defensive gimmick by St. Louis manager Eddie Dyer to psych out and hopefully contain Boston slugger Williams.

Now, back to the A’s, who’s soul was ripped-off when they traded Céspedes. He is on his way to his first 100 RBI season, but unfortunately with the Boston Red Sox, There is little doubt that he made the Athletics line-up a better one. Those that like numbers, should not be blinded by the numbers they spouted that Céspedes couldn’t hit relief pitching, and all that stuff, because the A’s after Céspedes left for Boston can’t even hit starting pitchers, never mind relievers.

I might be old school, and I understand the economics of the game, but the A’s are like a team without a soul, without an identity. They were one of the most feared teams in close games, but now they are just another team trying to survive and make it to the postseason. Forget Detroit (whom many thought the trade of Lester was made so that the A’s could finally beat the Tigers in that 5th and deciding game of the playoffs) the irony today is that Detroit might be the last team they would face in the postseason, Detroit might not make it at all.

The A’s had better wake up, because the Seattle Mariners are getting closer and closer in that rear-view mirror. And they could be left with no division title and no wild card, but with a card to watch the playoffs on television.

Sorry, yes I am turning 70 next month, and I might be from another time, but the ball is still round, bases are still 90 feet away and from the mound to the plate is still 60 feet, and I always believed statistics are so misused that sometimes they try to sell it to the public like it is written in stone, and in baseball nothing is written, but there are some intangibles, and one of those was the presence of Mr Céspedes in the middle of that line-up. Unless you can convince me otherwise, after all isn’t it all about the “bottom line”? and we have seen no good results so far.

Athletics lost Friday night to Houston 4-3 and starting today, Sunday September 7, they have 19 more games, that is it, no more no less. Not time to panic, but time to wake up, because the window of success and the calendar, do not care about WAR or OBP or whatever stats you prefer, it is getting smaller and smaller with everyday that goes by. And yes, I do love pitching. Cy Young won 511 games…but(for those that are hooked on stats, and do not understand the chemistry of a team)he also lost 316 games.That is just my opinion, if you disagree I respect your opinion also. After all, it is only baseball.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com