Pop Psychology

So we're 3-4.

Losing the last two games to the A's hurts in the short-term, which may extend through April depending on the outcome of the upcoming road trip, but it's not really that big a disaster.

Small sample size.

The greater problems are in the weak starting rotation and the still punchless offense. On that count, it was good to see the M's putting late-inning pressure on the Athletics excellent bullpen. OK, so it was mostly pressure on one of the weak links in that pen, Kirk Saarloos, but I'm not complaining. That's one of those "chemistry" good signs, in which we get a sense that the team won't immediately give up just because they're behind.

You know that Bavasi and any apologists he has left will claim that such behavior is the result of the Everett signing. Don't fall for that one. If the team's players are incapable of staying motivated while being paid millions of dollars and while enjoying the cheers of fans who have paid to come watch them, then they're not worth having in the first place. If it takes Carl Everett to "fire up" otherwise careless players, that speaks pretty loudly about...Bavasi's ineptness at team construction. Huh.

In any case, it's still WAY too early to panic. But it's not too early to realistically ask whether the team that we see on the field is capable of contending for a winning record in 2006. I remain skeptical, but I'll admit that this first week has shown some positive signs, so as a fan, I'm willing to go along irrationally with the premise that we're still in it.

Go M's!