Welcome to Inside the A's!
Welcome in to Inside the A's! I wanted to take a couple of minutes to welcome you to the site and share my vision for what this site can be!
But first, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jason Burke, the host of the Locked on A's podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. The entire Locked On network is built around "your team, every day" so I am used to providing news, analysis, and opinions on the A's on a pretty regular basis.
Thus far I have recorded 475 episodes of Locked on A's, so if the current state of affairs with the A's isn't your cup of tea, then you can also go relive some happier times. Be advised that the A's recent history in terms of the playoffs hasn't been great, so be wary of those late-season episodes!
Some of the guests I've had on include current players Cole Irvin, Tony Kemp, Jonah Bride, and A's Public Address Announcer Amelia Schimmel. With each guest, I'm trying to ask questions that I'm actually interested in, not just stuff we already know the answers to. I will be taking that with me into my interviews for this site, so you'll be getting details you won't find anywhere else here at Inside the A's.
An example of this is when I had Cole Irvin on Locked on A's for the second time last November, and he told me he was working on adding a cutter in 2022. We had that information months before Spring Training.
When I had Amelia Schimmel on the show, we talked about her work as the producer of game entertainment for the A's before becoming the public address announcer, and I tried to get her to let me know how they pick the dot racing winners each game. I like to have fun, but I also love learning more about how the players think through certain situations on the field.
Before the podcast, I had written at numerous other baseball sites, covering a slew of different teams as different opportunities arose, but the A's are the team I grew up with and continue to watch on a daily basis.
So that's me.
As for Inside the A's, I want to build this into a place with insightful A's coverage. If the A's are losing a bunch of games, I'm not going to bury anyone. I'm not a hot take monster. I think Draymond Green would call my approach "new media" though I won't be punching any colleagues.
Instead of just touting a player's lousy run, I'll provide details as to what isn't working for that player and give them time to make adjustments before reassessing.
Part of the reason I operate like that is because I like the team--even when they're bad--and I just want to share my love of the Oakland A's with others. If I come in here and write about how Mark Kotsay made one bad bullpen move and now he deserves to be fired, then that's not a cohesive argument and is very click-baity. I may have some takes now and again, but I'm going to back them up with the reasons I feel that way, too.
I also feel like the A's don't get 1) enough media coverage and 2) enough positive media coverage, so my goal is to help bridge that gap a little. Since Susan Slusser left the A's beat to cover the Giants for the San Francisco Chronicle, A's fans have felt her absence. My goal is help fill some of that void with Inside the A's.
I know that people are drawn to havoc and that'll make them click on an article if they feel like they're going to read some sassy gossip, and I'm not saying there won't be sass (there definitely will be), but it's not going to be tabloid-esque.
This offseason I'm going to look back and review some player seasons and take a look at where the excelled, where they struggled, and if they're a fit for the 2023 roster. I'll also be taking a look back at A's history, because there are just so many great stories to be told there. I'll be discussing any news, rumors, or ballpark updates as they relate to the A's. I'll delve into the farm system with some player spotlights to get you more acquainted with the next crop of guys coming up.
I'm also going to get overly excited about Minor League free agent signings and the Rule 5 Draft. You have been warned.
Regardless of what kind of A's coverage you like, there is going to be something under the Oakland A's banner for everyone to enjoy here at Inside the A's.
Get social with us: @ByJasonB + @InsideTheAs + @LockedonAs