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A's rise above their payroll

Despite tight budget and offseason defections, Oakland is on verge of AL-record win streak.

Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 4, 2002

OAKLAND, Calif. -- There was a school of thought this spring that said the Athletics' brief resurgence had probably ended with the winter's free-agent walkouts of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen.

But manager Art Howe and the players left behind never went to that school. They have proven that losing three Js can lead to a lot more Ws.

"We're just a bunch of guys having fun," pitcher Barry Zito said. "We're not going to worry about the attention or the expectations."

There will be plenty of both tonight in Oakland, where the A's face Royals 15-game winner Paul Byrd. A Byrd in hand would give the A's a 20-game winning streak, the longest in American League history, and another reminder that it doesn't take a big budget to do big things.

Oakland's streak is the third-longest since 1900.

Oakland's payroll and fan support are among baseball's smallest, and its success, along with the startling run of the Twins, contradicts commissioner Bud Selig's assertion that low-budget teams can't compete. The issue was at the center of labor negotiations that ended Friday with a tentative agreement, averting a strike.

The A's also lost Giambi, their team leader and top run-producer last season, to the Yankees, whose opening-day payroll of $126-million was more than three times Oakland's.

"We realize this is something for the record books," Zito said. "It's so big that it's not going to set in for a while. Maybe when we're in the playoffs, we'll look back and say, 'Man, we were hitting on all cylinders for a long time there.' "

Most of the A's key players are in their first five seasons in the majors. Many were drafted by general manager Billy Beane, and they don't know any clubhouse atmosphere other than the good-natured fraternity house managed by Art Howe at the Coliseum, where everybody seems to get along.

"I think we've got the best team chemistry out there," Zito said.

The A's won early, but they struggled for an identity. They've found it during the streak: Miguel Tejada has assumed Giambi's role as the big bat, and Oakland's starting rotation of Mark Mulder, Cory Lidle, Zito and Tim Hudson has been among the best in baseball.

"We had to feel our way along for a while, but once they figured out they could do it without certain people, it all really came together," said Howe, whose relaxed leadership keeps his team cool under pressure. "It's really like a playoff climate now. I think the energy in the air is outstanding."

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