Billy Beane

Oakland A's GM Billy Beane made it clear that the A's have no real intention to test the free-agent market in an effort to address the organization's biggest needs.

Beane reiterated that point earlier today because ESPNChicago reporter Bruce Levine has reported that the Cubs sent 3B Jake Fox and 2B Aaron Miles to the A's in exchange for RP Jeff Grey and minor-leaguers Ronny Morla and Matt Spencer.

The A's 3B situation is crucial, especially with Gold Glover Eric Chavez's inability to stay healthy enough to play.

With the A's coming off their third-straight sub .500 season, General Manager Billy Beane has made it clear to the A's very small and ever thinning fan base that rebuilding is key for future success.

The A's over the past two or three seasons have spent most of their efforts trying to replenish their depleted farm-system.

However, last season's off-course "spending spree" that ultimately backfired, caused Beane and the rest of the A's front office to re-evaluate their situation and their biggest organizational needs. 

Oakland Athletics Director of Player Development Keith Lieppman, and Durham Bulls Manager Charlie Montoyo have been named the recipients of the second annual Sheldon “Chief” Bender, and Mike Coolbaugh Awards.

According to MILB.com , they will be honored along with the other award winners at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis from Dec. 7–10.

The Bender Award is presented to an individual who has shown exceptional skills in player development.

Let’s be honest; Moneyball hasn’t quite worked out over the last few years.

The Oakland Athletics had gone 457-353 under Billy Beane’s leadership when Moneyball was published after the 2002 season. They continued their success for the next four years, going 368-280, but have gone just 226-260 since 2007.

With the Oakland A's coming off a 75-87 record, and their third straight losing season, is it time to question General Manager, Billy Beane's motives?

During his time as General Manager, Billy Beane has made it a habit to trade away his most proven and successful players just before they reach their full potential in exchange for younger talent, who ultimately get traded away for even younger talent.

Last winter, A's General Manager Billy Beane actually went on a "shopping-spree" and acquired Matt Holliday via trade with the Rockies. Then he got Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera, and Nomar Garciaparra via free agency.

Holliday and Giambi were supposed to bring power to a team that desperately needed some, but ultimately Beane's plan didn't quite pan out.

After a mid-season revelation that his team was not quite ready to compete, Beane unloaded the players he acquired during the offseason, in order to give younger players a chance to strut their stuff.

The student has surpassed the teacher, so to speak.

Thirty-five-year-old Jed Hoyer is to be named the newest general manager for the San Diego Padres, replacing Kevin Towers who has held the position for the past 14 seasons.

The Padres were not expected to make a formal announcement over the weekend. Jeff Moorad, the newest Padres chief executive, did inform Towers that he would not be returning for the 2010 season.

One big factor that one has to accept, is that San Diego is not Boston. You do not have the luxury and the amenities that the Red Sox have.

Everyone who has had the good fortune to read Alan Moore's "Watchmen" knows that it is one of the greatest literary works of all time. Entertainment Weekly called it the 13th-best book since 1983. Time Magazine called it one of the 100 best novels since 1923. "Watchmen" is the only comic to appear on either list. What makes "Watchmen" special is its incredibly complex characters. Most of the so-called superheroes have no actual powers. They are human, with regular human flaws and weaknesses, albeit somewhat exaggerated because of their circumstances.

The Oakland A's ended the season on a seven game losing streak. To make matters worse is the fact that September was the only month of the season that the A's actually had a winning record under the direction of manager Bob Geren.

There's a song the A's remind me of, it's by the Sick Puppies called "All the Same." The premise of the song is about a girlfriend who threatens to leave, but always comes back.

Here's some lyrics from the song:

"Everyone I know, everywhere I go/People need some reason to believe/I don't know about anyone but me." —Jackson Browne

If the Oakland Athletics' season were compressed into a single game, this would be point that is often affectionately referred to as garbage time. 

Kuip and Foss would be at least three-deep into the Dibs, with the latter undoubtedly regaling the audience with old war stories from his playing days in the '70s, anything to distract viewers from the tedium on the field.