We may not agree with his decisions, but can Billy Beane pull the trigger on a deal or what? Having watched the Oakland A's my entire life, it always knocks me off my feet to check the internet (do we really read the morning paper any longer?) and see where Beane has once again sent what we thought was the team's most seasoned pitcher off to another franchise.

"Kentucky" Joe Blanton, a mainstay in the Oakland rotation for the last four seasons, is gone after a 212 inning per season average over the previous three years for the A's. Besides Blanton, flamethrower Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin were recently traded to the Chicago Cubs so the A's could be seen as having cleaned house… or have they?

Doubtful at best. Over the past few seasons, Beane dealt away the best young pitching in baseball in Tim Hudson (Atlanta), Mark Mulder (St. Louis), Barry Zito (San Francisco) and Dan Harden (Arizona), but the A's farm system, the best in the game, is loaded with prospects.

As current ace Justin Duchscherer accurately stated it in a recent article, "I don't think anybody thought we'd be any good, but we are." He added, "I'm sure people are thinking we'll start fading in the second half, especially with all the injuries. But that's great, as far as I'm concerned. Let everyone say what they want. We're fine without all the attention and the only opinions that matter are those of the guys in our own clubhouse, and we know what we're capable of doing."

The A's have proved year in and out, even for this lifelong fan, that they will somehow end up with 88-95 wins and have a very real chance at the playoffs come October ,while battling the pitching-rich Anaheim Angels to the bitter end. They'll do it despite hitting a league-low .247 (only Washington is lower in all of baseball at .243), because of a major league-leading team ERA of 3.43.

Oakland's way of doing business could be questioned by those who wonder why they make such deals when their team is still in the race, but they are always pointing toward the future. But time and time again, they have proven that a team is only as good as the players who can remain injury-free, especially on the mound, and that's why Harden is gone. Blanton was a solid performer in his time in Oakland and pitched with some tough luck this season. He did receive backing from a rather anemic offense (just two regular position players hitting over .266), but an ERA just a shade under five didn't help either.

Does the Oakland brass just own a knack for knowing when a player, more specifically a pitcher, has had his best days? A closer examination of the "Big Three" from the early part of the decade provides the answer.

Mark Mulder, 31, who is now with the St. Louis Cardinals, is once again on the disabled list as he has been for a good portion of the last three years of his four in Missouri. His first year there went as his time in Oakland had, as he finished 16-8 after going 81-42 in just fewer than five full seasons in the Bay area. His health is the biggest issue and his best days are probably behind him.

Tim Hudson, 33, was the mainstay of the Oakland staff a few years ago and he will most certainly end his career as did one-time Oakland legend Jim "Catfish" Hunter, by being a model of consistency. Hudson was 92-39 in Oakland and has gone 53-38 so far in Atlanta, so whatever his secret is to staying healthy, he does it. As a result, he rarely misses a start, plus he can be counted on to make a quality start every time on the hill. His track record certainly renders him the one the closest to "the one that got away" status of all of the pitchers Oakland has shipped out of the Bay area.

Thirty-year old Barry Zito, he of the monster contract and the once-mesmerizing curveball, can't get it together, as he has struggled to the tune of 4-12 with a 5.62 ERA this season and an 11-13 mark last year (with a 4.53 ERA). During his run in Oakland, Zito had one season (2004) when he went 11-11 with a 4.48 ERA, that came anywhere near his adventures across the bay in San Francisco. In fact, if we throw out 2004, Zito was 91-52 with ERA's ranging from 2.72 to 3.86 with the A's.

So is Beane just a cost-conscious fanatic or does he really know what he's doing? He definitely knows what he is doing, and the "Big Three," 275-144 in Oakland compared to 84-71 since their departure, support that rationale.