Linda Cohn's response (paraphrased from memory) to the Oakland Athletics trading of Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson: "Oakland Athletics fans had better get used to their team being more like Kansas City."

I suspect that athletics, because of the zero-sum nature of the contest, produces this type of thinking. Instead of applauding the bold moves of Billy Beane (which could, in the end, be wrong), most people think of it as nothing but a step backward. Which it is in the short-term. But athletic leagues are one-shot games. The A's will not only play the 2005 season but the 2006 season, etc. This trade I think positions them to be successful long-term although I admit that success is by no means a sure thing.

Thinking only in the short-term gets you the New York Mets.