Idiots Write About Sports

What? The A’s played a game Saturday? I thought the only thing that happened at the Coliseum was unpleasant interactions with others.

But yes, they did play a game Saturday — what could turn out to be Barry Zito’s last game as an Athletic. That possibility moved Ken Arneson earlier this week to write:

I’ll have to remember to give [Zito] a standing ovation when he comes off the field, even if he gives up 10 runs in the first inning.

And for a brief time, that looked to be eeirly prophetic, as Zito gave up four runs in the first inning. But Zito settled down, the A’s offense came back, and when Zito was pulled with two outs and a runner on in the seventh, he had 6-4 lead. He got his standing ovation as well as enough prolonged cheers to merit a curtain call. Said Zito in the Chronicle report linked above:

“That was awesome,” Zito said. “I’ve never taken a curtain call before. Maybe they thought it was my last outing. That was a pretty special game, with the offense coming back to pick me up. … The fans here are outstanding.”

That’s how you exit the stage with class. Please clip-and-save, Mr. Giambi.

Back to Zito’s shaky start: for a little bit in the second inning, it looked like the Blue Jays might add to their 4-0 lead. John McDonald singled to left to start the second. Reed Johnson followed with another single. So there are runners on first and second with nobody out. Ten batters have come to the plate so far for the Blue Jays in the game and eight of them have reached base. (Jason Phillips’ double-play erased one of those runners to end the first.) Up steps Aaron Hill who is batting .301 on the year — he’s already singled this game and he’s 10 for his last 35 at-bats.

Naturally, John Gibbons orders him to bunt.

Let’s review this situation here: Barry Zito is struggling. He is giving up hits with unprecedented generosity. Now would seem like the time to keep piling up the runs so that Oakland is burried early. I’m not sure why you’d want to play for just a run or two in this situation when Zito seemed hell-bent on handing out as many runs as possible.

So here’s what transpired. Vernon Wells struck out looking. With first base open thanks to the bunt, the A’s walked Troy Glaus, who had homered in the first. Alexis Rios struck out — the second of his five Ks on the day — to end the threat. And the Blue Jays never scored again.

After the game, reports surfaced that Bill James burst into the Toronto clubhouse to challenge John Gibbons to a fistfight.

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