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	Friday, July 14
	Midseason report: Oakland A's By Andrew Ayres ESPN.com
	The Oakland A's find themselves chasing Seattle for the lead in the AL West as we hit the All-Star break. The better news is that if the season ended today, Oakland would be the wild-card representative. With that in mind, it's time to take a look at the good, the bad and everything in between from the first half of the 2000 season. First-half MVP: Jason Giambi earned his way into his first All-Star game. He deserves it. Thankfully, the fans had the good sense to vote him in, even though he plays for one of the lower-profile teams in the AL. His numbers are eye-popping (.338, 22 HR, 78 RBI through July 5) and one reason the A's could be playing in October. Biggest disappointment: What's wrong with John Jaha? The DH who slugged 35 homers for the A's last year has had a major first-half slump. Through July 5, he's hitting .179 with just one homer. For now, manager Art Howe is being patient with Jaha, whose 111 RBI were key to last year's run by the A's. Biggest surprise: No matter how impressive he was at the end of last year, the emergence of Jason Isringhausen as a solid closer has been one of the best developments for the A's in the first half. He's put up 19 saves in 22 opportunities through July 5. Second-half goals: No doubt, this team is a contender. But the team needs more production from veterans like Matt Stairs (.215 must be a misprint) and Jaha. But even if all the bats aren't there, the starting pitching, with a young ace in the making (Tim Hudson) and a couple of solid veterans in Kevin Appier and Gil Heredia, could pull out a few pitcher's duels. Grade: -- Giambi's carrying this team. (Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best) We told you what we thought of the Athletics' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about what the A's have to do in the second half.		ALSO SEE MLB midseason reports ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage Kurkjian: Stories of the first half Ten second-half questions for the AL Ten second-half questions for the NL Midseason Feedback: Athletics