Quote:

From purely a fan standpoint, I think that the annual (and sometimes bi-annual) announcements of Harden's inevitable trips to the DL are terrible PR for the A's organization. Every year, the baseball world is sold the party line that the A's can only really compete if Harden stays healthy as their ace, and from the limited experience we have of Harden, it's hard to ignore the value that an elite pitcher adds to a team. There are times when we can almost taste a 20 win season, and as Spring Training rolls over into April, somehow we believe that this could be the year that Harden finally stays on the mound. Of course, as every A's fan knows all too well, that hope will soon give way to the shattering reality of the moment when Harden pauses on the mound, shakes an arm; grabs his side, winces just enough, and we can write the script from there. Management will announce that Harden is day-to-day, he will be scratched from a start, then put on the DL, and will be lucky to return at all. In four years, Harden has not deviated from this pattern. At what point is enough simply enough? At what point would we rather start a season with a durable pitcher who will go 16-9 with a reasonable ERA instead of a potential superstar who will go two or three starts before breaking fans' hearts, upsetting the team, forcing roster moves, requiring medical care, and taking up both salary and space on the bench?

ESPN.com - Blogs - Rob Neyer Blog