Who knew?

We'll have plenty of time this offseason to talk about that of which RRS is and isn't capable, but after a strong afternoon of confounding the A's with his curveball, RRS has accumulated a sample size of ten starts, and I gotta say, the data is pretty encouraging.

Not included is the fact that, in his ten starts, RRS averaged 104 pitches per. This from a guy who hadn't been a regular starter since 2005. I'll stop short of calling that "impressive", since it's really not, but it is definitely commendable. As a bonus, he showed no signs of wearing down. Not during games with high pitch counts, not after games with high pitch counts, not at the end of a long season - you could make a convincing argument that RRS' final two appearances of the year were his best. Hell, if you look at how much energy he seems to have when you read his blog, you get the feeling like he could play another one or two months. That says something. This is one guy who just really, really loves his job, and because of his talent and dedication, it would appear that he's just about written himself into next year's starting five. Which is exactly what we've all wanted to get out of this trial from the beginning.

Ryan, following your progress is one of the most - and only - enjoyable parts of cheering for this team, and I look forward to watching you build yourself a career as a starter down the road. I wish I could mail you a hug. Never leave us. Seriously. Never leave us. If you leave us I swear to God shit's gonna get real.