Rivals Are Really Enjoying the Beane-Dip

Billy Beane’s commando attack on the long-established principles of building and maintaining a baseball franchise, a reputation stoked by a fawning book he did not write called “Moneyball,” has left few sympathizers for his Oakland A’s, last and looking it in the American League West.

Scouts feeling underappreciated by Beane’s theories and general managers feeling intimidated by Beane’s charisma have arrived now at smug, a long-in-coming superiority jolt kept afloat as the Athletics’ struggle through injuries and the trades of Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. It doesn’t hurt that teams run by Beane disciples Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi -- the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays -- are running lukewarm as well.

Baseball doesn’t much stand for change. It helps make it the sport it is, which you are free to take how you would like.

A system born of his own baseball sensibilities and the limitations of a payroll that has shrunk in relation to the league’s foremost franchises, Beane’s instinct- and computer-driven strategies, along with the arrival of Mulder, Hudson and Barry Zito, put the A’s among the elite. The trip back is going to take time; the money-driven trades of Mulder and Hudson brought, at best, varied reviews, and Zito, who has deserved better than his 2-6 record, can be a free agent after this season, if the A’s do not pick up his 2006 option, or next.

All of which has provided a small thrill to the baseball folks who don’t particularly care for Beane, or his manner, or his game.

“And,” Beane said, chuckling, “they never put their names to it.”

If nothing else, he added, “People do care about what we’re doing, which is something.”

Or not doing, as the case may be.

The A’s have lost half their pitching staff to injury, and this week closer Octavio Dotel opted for elbow surgery despite several medical opinions that advised against it. Eric Chavez, in the first season of a six-year, $66-million contract, has slumped; a home run Thursday was his fifth, and two hits took his average to .225. Jason Kendall is batting .246 and, as expected, providing no power. Eric Byrnes, who appears to be in Manager Ken Macha’s rearview mirror, is in a three-man platoon with Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty. Mark Kotsay and Kielty have hit some, but the A’s have hit 30 home runs and have a team OPS of .673, both by far the worst in baseball.

They also are on pace to lose more than 1,000 player games to the disabled list. Last season, only the Boston Red Sox sacrificed as many as 600 games to the DL and made the playoffs.

“It’s gotten progressively worse,” Beane said. “That being said, that’s part of the game. ... You know, that’s the job. Deal with it. Shame on me as the GM for not being able to respond well enough.”

Yet this week found Beane, whose tirades in the clubhouse and testy phone calls to the manager’s office have become legend -- “urban legend,” he has claimed -- cool and buoyant. Starter Rich Harden and reliever Kiko Calero are due back from injuries soon, Bobby Crosby returned from the disabled list hitting and, through Thursday night, the A’s had won four in a row.

New owner Lew Wolff has been understanding and optimistic through two very difficult months and, besides, Beane has Pope-like job security; he is signed through 2012 and his ownership stake in the franchise is nearly 5%.

So, they trundle onward, rebuilding and reassessing, living in the glare of the last decade, Beane not at all humbled by life near the bottom.

“I don’t embrace losing, but I do embrace the opportunity that losing presents,” Beane said. “I am more energized this year. It’s a challenge.”

Bats and pieces

About half of the 71 major and minor league players suspended for violating baseball’s Joint Drug Agreement are from Latin American countries and Puerto Rico, and there are concerns they are not sufficiently informed on the requirements of the program. About the same number of American players (35) have been suspended, and we assume they were informed and chose to cheat anyway. Players from Latin America make up about a quarter of the major leagues and more than one third of the minor leagues, according to ESPN.com research. Many of these players have English-speaking agents, coaches, team officials and union representatives, and the drug agreement is written in English and Spanish. In off-season and spring-training meetings, according to a player from Puerto Rico who attended them, medical experts display numerous bottles that contain illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and the list of banned substances are covered in both languages. The presumption that Latin players are less culpable because of a presupposed language barrier is both naive and permissive. The notion they are unable to understand the agreement is borderline racist.

Jamie Moyer became the Mariners’ franchise leader in victories this week. Because Moyer is old (43 in November) and what the baseball guys call “a pitcher” (throws about 84 mph), one might assume those 131 wins were simply the product of longevity. But when Moyer passed Randy Johnson on Monday, his winning percentage as a Mariner (.652) was better than Johnson’s (.637). Moyer averaged 16 wins from 1997 to 2003. ... The Toronto Blue Jays joined the league with the Mariners in 1977. Their all-time leader in wins is Dave Stieb (175). ... One agent on Scott Boras, in the wake of the Stephen Drew-Jered Weaver signings: “I am a salesman. He is a warrior.”

When Buddy Bell became the 14th manager of the Kansas City Royals this week, he admitted at his introductory news conference, “I didn’t even know what the Kansas City Royals’ record was until today.” Kudos to Buddy for then going through with the news conference. While the Royals then went out and swept the enigmatic New York Yankees, the Bell hire is going to take some getting used to. He has taken over bad teams before (1996 Tigers, 2000 Rockies), and had one winning season in six. In both cases, Bell was gone by the third season, by which time his winning percentage was lower than those of his predecessors (Sparky Anderson in Detroit, Jim Leyland in Colorado) and, eventually, his successors (Larry Parrish in Detroit, Clint Hurdle in Colorado). Bell is well-regarded in baseball circles, but the Royals don’t have a lot more promise than Bell’s previous situations.

How much longer managers choose to pitch to Derrek Lee, when he hits in front of Jeromy Burnitz (.267, eight home runs, 32 RBIs), remains to be seen. But another four months like his first two and Lee would have a .389 batting average, 53 home runs and 156 RBIs. All of those would have led the Triple Crown categories in the National League last season (Barry Bonds .362, Adrian Beltre 48 home runs, Vinny Castilla 131 RBIs). ... Mark Prior, in barely more than three seasons, has suffered injuries to his left hamstring, right shoulder, right Achilles’ tendon and, last week, was hit in the pitching elbow by a line drive. Since the start of last season, he has made 30 starts. Kerry Wood has made 27.

There are lingering questions in Boston about Curt Schilling’s ankle, and whether the postseason procedures and off-season surgery have prematurely ended his run as a front-end starter. The Red Sox still owe him $14.5 million this season and $26 million over the next two seasons. The price, perhaps, of ending an 86-year curse. ... Juan Gonzalez lasted three pitches and they cost the Cleveland Indians outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who was designated for assignment to clear room on the roster for Gonzalez. ... The team that acquires Roger Clemens, assuming the downtrodden Astros lose their taste for the sellout crowds Clemens inspires, won’t get him cheap. Aside from the cost in top-end prospects and Clemens’ prorated $18-million salary, the pitcher would be due a $3-million trade kicker. ... Huston Street pitched the ninth inning Thursday for his first big league save, less than a year after being drafted out of Texas by the A’s. Following only 25 minor-league appearances in 2004, Street has a 1.88 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 28 2/3 major league innings.

If Juan Pierre gets going, the Marlins could end the Braves’ run of division titles. Through two months, Pierre was hitting .260, his on-base percentage was .313 and he had stolen 11 bases, all way off his recent career numbers. Insiders believe he remains bothered by a spring-training calf injury.. ... Former Dodger owner Peter O’Malley traveled to Oakland for Tuesday night’s A’s-Devil Ray game, where Hideo Nomo attempted to get his 200th win over a career split between the Japanese and major leagues. Nomo lost, and pitches again tonight in Seattle.