George Devine, Sr., one of the Bay Area’s finest journalists gives a wonderful perspective on a classic battle between the A’s and the Yankees and then weaves in the A’s current predicament resigning Miguel Tejada.

George goes by the title “Devine Writes”

Thanks George for this well thought out contribution to the site.

Marty LurieDevine writes……..

Whither Tejada?

By George Devine, Sr.

The scoreboard clock at the Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland read 3:40 on the afternoon of Sunday, August 12, 2001. Left-hander Mike Stanton of the New York Yankees was on the mound, in relief of right-hander Mike Mussina, who had struck out nine and allowed a mere two runs on two hits, both solo home runs by Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez, back-to-back, in the fifth of the eight innings he would pitch. Mussina had been helped by third-baseman Clay Bellinger, who homered after second-baseman Alfonso Soriano singled to left in the eighth. Now, Frank Menechino had led off the last regulation inning pinch-hitting for second-baseman F.P. Santangelo; he would presumably remain at that position in the tenth inning if the A’s could not break the 2-2 tie. He struck out. Back at the top of the order, Johnny Damon came to bat and drew a walk. Then Olmedo Saenz replaced Jeremy Giambi as designated hitter, striking out. On the third base side of the press box, where the radio stringers and a motley crew of freelance journalists set up shop, Ryan Leong of Sports Radio Service sat to my left, musing that it would be wonderful for the next batter, first-baseman Jason Giambi, to get his thousandth career hit right now, to keep the game alive, but even greater to hit a home run and send the reigning world champions back to the Bronx after having been swept under the shadow of Mount Davis.

CRACK! Over the right-field fence went Stanton’s pitch.

On the first base side of the press box, the New York writers said, they heard Yankees’ senior consultant Arthur Richman’s cell phone ringing as Giambi was still rounding the bases. They figured it was Richman’s immediate superior, owner George Steinbrenner, saying “I WANT HIM!” or words to that effect. They may well have been correct in their surmise. In any case, Jason wound up in the employ of the affluent and determined tycoon, in the House that Ruth Built and New York money rebuilt, for the 2002 season. The smart money said so. And the big money, which the Yankees seem ready, willing and able to spend in a way that the A’s have not been.

In recent media interviews, including those concerning the 2004 fate of MVP shortstop Miguel Tejada, Oakland GM Billy Beane has acknowledged that the Athletics have a history of providing talent for free-spending teams, including New York, all the way back to the days of legendary tightwad Connie Mack in Philadelphia, and certainly the tempestuous reign of Charlie Finley in both Kansas City and Oakland. But, one might ask, is this a genuine tradition or simply a bad habit? Mack and Finley got away with it in the days before free agency, and at a time when local fans around the country, not saturated by televised baseball, were virtually captive audiences. Or did they really get away with it after all? The Elephants could not survive alongside the Phillies in the City of Brotherly Love, and lasted a far shorter time in Kansas City, even though the expansion Royals have done well there afterwards.

The A’s are in a struggle to keep themselves, and two-league baseball, alive in the Bay Area. The past two seasons they have drawn about 40% of the region’s 5 million customers to major league baseball; so far this year, they are considerably off that mark of roughly 2 million, on a pace for about 1,700,000. But the season is young, the weather during the first month has been awful for baseball around the country, and we have been affected by war and recession all over. The Giants have a still-new ballpark in a destination neighborhood, and the Coliseum has hardly been improved in recent years, especially with the return of Duh Rayduhs. But that composite attendance figure is tallied with both Oakland and San Francisco in contention deep into the season, and with a box-office superstar apiece. Previously, it was Giambi; now, it’s Tejada. One has gone, and the other – if you follow the mavens – is going.

Take Miggy out of the equation, and what does that do for the future of the green and gold? What if that element is missing from the A’s production next year? The drummers in left field will not exactly be playing solo, it is true, but we may see the fulfillment of Yogi Berra’s dictum, “If people don’t want to come to the ball park, you can’t stop them!” On the other hand, #4 does not seem likely to repeat his feats of the 2002 season, and perhaps his eventual departure would not leave such a large hole in the lineup as has been feared. Meanwhile, Billy Beane has the reputation of acquiring outstanding young talent for – if not peanuts, perhaps garlic fries. It’ll be interesting to see how things shape up, on the field and at the gate, as the season continues.

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George Devine, Sr., has covered professional and scholastic sports in the Bay Area for over twenty years.