http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...ight&type=lgns

Last season the A's tied for sixth in the American League in batting, with a .270 average and 1,545 hits. The league leaders were Anaheim and Boston, at .282; Boston had 1,613 hits, Anaheim 1,603.


Now, we all know about Beane's belief in the mystical power of a base on balls. The A's organization preaches that at every turn. Oakland drew the third-most walks in the A.L. last season, but was ninth in runs. Conclusion: Hits will always drive in more runs than walks.


So how do the A's address that? To reach Boston's hits total from a year ago, the A's would need only 68 more. That's one more hit every 2.38 games, right?


Now, spread that requirement among the nine guys in the A's batting order, and let them take turns. Presto! Each guy needs just to get one more hit every 21 games.


Of course, it doesn't have to work that way. Chavez could get one more hit every 10 games, while Crosby gets one more hit every 30 games. But you get the point. A little more production from each batter, and the A's will be where Boston was last year. That's the winning formula. That's the theme for this season.


Can the Kings of Clubs trump Three Aces?


If the A's are going back to the playoffs, they had better