Billy goes Gollum

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A Boys of Summer editorial from a long-time A's junkie.

“Precious…”

Come late October/early November, Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane will look at himself and think: “So this is the end of a ill/well-spent season…or perhaps era.” With the acquisition of Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Beane has once again set the baseball world on fire. Talk about all in.

Just one month ago Beane traded away the teams top two farm prospects in short stop Russell Addison and outfielder Billy McKinney for the Cubs Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Outsiders who have claimed to understand Moneyball or the inner workings of Beane’s mind were once again tossed aside this morning with the shocking trade of clubhouse and fan favorite Cespedes. When the A’s were seriously drawn into the Lester conversation yesterday, my response was that Beane was merely driving up the price to make sure whomever landed him paid a hefty price. Turned out that was Beane.

Over his tenure, Beane has stockpiled picks for later at times (trading away big names like Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder or budding superstar Carlos Gonzalez) and made plays for bigger names at other times (Milton Bradley, Frank Thomas and Matt Holiday). This year is an all out push. This is the ring or bust. After consecutive post-season losses to the Tigers, largely at the hands of pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Beane has decided he won’t be fooled again.

The line to consider is whether or not Beane has gone too far, given too much for what amounts to a short-term rental of Lester (he’s only signed through the end of the year) and the best shot the A’s have had at a ring in decades. While the starting rotation of Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester and Jeff Samardjia is positively devastating, the smoking hole created in left field by Cespedes departure and the clubhouse is worthy of conversation. There are those who have long said Cespedes is more thunder than lightning – his value increased by the ROY, All-Star and home run derby titles and occasional highlight reel throws from the outfield. His numbers at the plate over his three years with the A’s are good but not great 2012: .292/.356/.505/.861 2013: .240/.294/.442/.737 2014: .256/.303/.464/.767.  

My knee jerk reaction was “oh no”. That had largely to do with my fan-side that loves the guys in green and gold and sees them as part of the family. Cespedes was an exciting part of this crew over the last couple of years. But if pitching wins championships, if you believe in closing windows of opportunity (with several contracts coming up in the next two years) and the ring is the only thing that really matters, then Beane has made yet another bold and brilliant move. The high-wire part about it, of course, is that it’s really only bold and brilliant if the A’s win it all.

Beane has long been a subject of fascination for baseball GM’s, fans and commentators. He’s tough, bold and devastatingly sharp – that blade cuts both ways. While the A’s have been competitive nearly every year he’s been at the helm, they’ve never even sniffed a World Series. Without a ring, rightly or wrongly, many people will forever question Beane’s true efficacy as a GM. This is his moment – to shine or flame. Is he a genius or a buffoon? Come late October/early November, the rapidly eroding middle ground will be gone.

The Boys of Summer roll along, but we need your help to complete this year's journey. Please see our site for the latest on how to contribute. Thank you!

Window of Opportunity

The Boys of Summer roll along, but we need your help to complete this year's journey. Please see our site for the latest on how to contribute. Thank you!

Our beloved Oakland A's pulled off a huge trade on Friday, landing two top-tier starting pitchers for the elite price of two top prospects and a pitcher who has started for the A's this year, but, by most accounts, was falling out of favor. Why give up these top two prospects, though - one of whom is considered top-10 in all of Major League Baseball? Because the time to win is now.

Next question: what does this have to do with Parkinson's Disease and the Boys of Summer? The time for my dad to maximize his health is now, too. We're running parallel in that regard with our favorite team. Their are windows of opportunity in life that one has to accomplish certain goals. Those windows do not remain open forever. There are costs for passing through them. It can be painful, expensive and frightening as what's on the other side is not guaranteed. But neither is what's on the other side. Change is a constant.

The A's have had a great run over the last three years, winning the AL West in dramatic and exciting fashion. They have the best club in baseball, via their record, coming into the All-Star Break. It doesn't matter, as the prize is the ring in October. My dad has, by most accounts we have seen, stayed ahead of the curve in regard to managing his PD. He's done lots of interesting and out-of-the box treatments during his 13 years of being diagnosed -- but never something this intensive. Why now? Because he was falling behind and we knew it.

There was a man named John Trudeau we met in Detroit during our 2004 Boys of Summer journey. He was incredibly kind to us, offering us a place to stay and allowing us to interview him for the film, despite his body being racked with pain from Parkinson's and Lymphadema. One of the most striking things he said to my dad, he said when the cameras stopped rolling: "Don't let the disease eat you." My dad has taken that to heart and we've talked about that quite a bit. This year, he felt the disease was starting to eat him. So he's gone all in with this treatment with Dr. DeMartino. He's made significant changes in his diet, added lots of specific supplements and had four treatments a week over the last two months, living in Las Vegas for six weeks straight now. Why all this effort and sacrifice for something that is as unknown as what he's doing (and know that "a cure" has been taken off the table - the World Series ring here is pain reduction and a boost in quality of life)? Because my dad has decided he wants to live - and what he was sliding into back in the spring was feeling less and less like any kind of life he wanted.

So go A's - go all in, Billy Beane (Oakland A's General Manager). This is our year. Thankfully, you're not fool enough to think the A's will just keep winning and giving themselves a chance. Change is much too constant a bitch. We're all in, too, and we'll be measuring our success alongside our beloved Green and Gold.

The Boys of Summer roll along, but we need your help to complete this year's journey. Please see our site for the latest on how to contribute. Thank you!