Lose 10 in a row to drop 20 games under .500 and fans will ask, loudly and repeatedly, “Why watch? This team is unwatchable!” Then Christian Bethancourt comes out of nowhere to barrel balls at the rate of Mike Trout and you’re squinting to see if there’s any way a 30 year old journeyman could emerge to be part of the next competitive A’s team.
And then they call up Jonah Bride. And while more casual fans will simply ask, “WHO???” more knowledgeable fanatics will be familiar with Bride and will be asking instead, “So what is this guy all about?