If my math serves me, what he was clocked driving at was 40 miles faster than any 2006 pitch he has thrown.

Guess we won't let Loaiza anywhere NEAR a Suzuki motorcycle, huh kids?

Trade him now for 25cents on the dollar. This is a good time for the A's organization to send a message to their entire system/fanbase. I wish I could go to the game just to boo him today.

That last sentence raises the question, Ken: Who's on your list of least favorite A's players of all time?

I've been trying to come up with names, and I can't think of anyone who I actively hated to see in the uniform. I do not have particularly fond memories of Kenny Rogers (though I wonder how much of that is colored by his post-A's exploits) or Rueben Sierra, but that's as far as my thinking goes. I guess one of the latter installments of Rickey Henderson or the post-homeplate-missing Eric Byrnes also were unacceptable to me, but those were largely related to on-the-field issues as opposed to personality disorders (mine or theirs). Same goes for Jim Mecir, who my wife thinks is named "Oh no!" because that's what I yelled every time he came into a ballgame from 2003 onward.

4

... he's just Rob Picciolo
and everywhere he goes
people wonder why he's playing
bobbles every ball
running into walls
oooh .... what they're saying ...

And of course, seconds after hitting submit, it came to me -- Arthur Rhodes. Horrible on the mound. Took a lot of money to be horrible. And then acted like an opera diva when Mark Mulder had the temerity to suggest, in the blandest way possible, that maybe it would be a good idea if the bullpen didn't blow so many games. Arthur Rhodes -- easily the leader in the clubhouse. Esteban Loaiza would have to run over Stomper on his way to the field to equal the level of disdain I felt after just one season of Arthur Rhodes.

4 I was thinking of making such a top (bottom?) 10 list. Of course, such a list is highly subjective and irrational. In order to qualify, I have to have disliked them while they played for the A's. So no Giambis or Troy Neels, who made me hate them after they left.

So here are my top candidates:

Ruben Sierra

...big gap...

Arthur Rhodes
Randy Ready
Kevin Seitzer
Buddy Groom
Ernie Young
Jimmy Haynes
Jim Spencer
Don Baylor (twice!)
Ozzie Canseco
Mike Moore
Ariel Prieto
Ben Grieve
Johnny Damon
Mike Holtz
Mike Venafro
Charles Thomas

Wow, Charles Thomas makes the list w/ only 46 ABs for the big club. That is some efficient dislike-generation.

No Giambis, with 2 to choose from? I couldn't stand Jeremy Giambi even before he didn't slide.

It helps that Thomas was part of the lousy Tim Hudson trade. If he was just a minor leaguer coming up through the system, I doubt I'd have any animosity towards him.

I can't honestly say I disliked the Giambis while they were here. I dislike them now.

And, oh, man--duh!

Terrence Long.