Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all take this day to relax and spend some quality time with all your friends and family. Although this site is dedicated 100% to all A’s news, I think it’s nice to take a little break from baseball (or at least try to) and recognize what’s really important in life.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to write for the FanSided Network, which I’ve been a part of since Feb. 12, 2010. Words cannot describe my gratitude for this opportunity, but I would just like to say ‘Thanks’ to all the readers out there, who continue to make Swingin’ A’s their number one source for all A’s related news.
Without you (the readers) there is no blog. Thanks for reading.
On an A’s related note, here’s what I’m most thankful for:
1. Young Pitching: Remember the era of Hudson-Mulder-Zito? Well, we just might have a second-coming of the ‘Big Three’ on our hands with Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, and Gio Gonzalez. All three youngsters have shown tremendous growth and maturation, and I believe they’re just a few steps away from becoming something really special. Heading into the offseason, many teams do not have the luxury of having as much pitching as Oakland does, so before we take that for granted, let’s give thanks.
2. Defense: The A’s relied heavily this season on their starting pitching as well as their strong defense. Guys like CF Coco Crisp, LF Ryan Sweeney, and the ever reliable 2B Mark Ellis all are good defenders that help the A’s defense stay strong. I don’t know where the A’s would’ve finished this year without a good defense behind their young pitching. Let’s give thanks.
3. GM Billy Beane: Sure, he’s made mistakes (Hudson deal? CarGo to Colorado?), but he’s human. Billy Beane, who has yet to win a championship, is still a good GM. Not too many teams have a young core of talent like the A’s do, and that’s saying something. A small market team, the A’s are in good hands with Beane and Assistant GM David Forst. The A’s have plenty of young pitching, and the team is just a bat or two from becoming a perennial playoff contender again. Let’s hope the A’s land a bat or two this offseason, but for right now, let’s give thanks.
4. ‘Moneyball’: Err…the movie I mean. Not the book. According to reports, the movie version of Michael Lewis’ critically acclaimed book about the Oakland A’s and their GM Billy Beane, is due to come out next year in September. Finally, after so many obstacles during this process, it seems we finally have a feature-length movie on our hands! Yes! Do I have to say it? Let’s give thanks.
Well, there you go. The four things I’m thankful for this year. I’m sure there’s a lot more I could’ve said, so let me just say that I’m thankful for having the privilege to write about baseball let alone watch baseball. Let’s give our thanks to all our men & women over seas, who deserve the biggest thanks.