Lew Wolff talks up the Athletics chances for 2008:

Fans will get something different, all right. The roster will be nothing like the one in the 2006 ALCS, let alone last year's.

"The whole thing is, looking at it passionately, I think we've improved the ballclub. We've certainly improved the probability of improving the ballclub," Wolff said. "If none of these offers came to us, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. At the winter meetings, Billy wanted to make clear that if a team wanted to knock his socks off, he'd be willing to listen. You're always going to feel that way.

"I kept reading the articles, and it's, 'Oh, my God, they're throwing away the season.' I don't believe that's true at all. I'm not going to go out to the game with the idea we're going to lose. We'll have a pretty good team on the field."

Wolff is more optimistic than most, but he has to be. It's his team.

I love the improving the probability of improving the ballclub line.