You know what's more depressing than watching your favorite team start the season 0-2? Watching your favorite team go 0-2 while you're doing your taxes.

I kinda figured that an 0-2 start might be likely when Joe Blanton became the #2 pitcher because of Esteban Loaiza's injury. I also don't like the fact that Bob Geren set up the rotation so that Rich Harden would miss the entire four-game Angels series. The A's might go into their home opener something with a 2-5 record, or worse, just because the pitching matchups weren't lined up well.

Tonight's game is the only game in the entire first week where the A's have the obvious advantage in the pitching matchups. So if you can have a must-win in the first week of the season, tonight's game is it. If the A's lose tonight, my next post will be entitled "Panic NOW!!!"