First off, with the promising, and well-received, front page debut of JosephTDeClercq I am finally taking the plunge and officially changing my user name to NiTDecorcq. It's pronounced "Nico" and adding a silent 7 before the "rcq" is optional, because options are good and I wish some of our players had them.
Hope springs eternal, and spring is a time for eternal hope, so when you hear that the A's could win 71, 81, or 91 games this season your proper response is, "A 91 win season -- so you're saying there's a chance?" There may not be a good chance but there's a chance.