Sam made the predictions. Now it’s time to open the receipts.

What did he get right about the 2026 A’s — what did he completely whiff on — and what did this season teach us about where this organization is really headed?

This is the SEASON FINALE of WHERE STATS MEET INSTINCT on The House Always Wins Media Network, and this isn’t your typical season recap.

Sam entered 2026 believing the A’s had a path toward roughly .500 baseball if enough things broke their way. Instead, injuries piled up, the pitching staff struggled, the bullpen became the weakness he feared, the defense exposed roster-construction problems, and pitching in Sacramento proved even more punishing than he anticipated.

But Sam also got some things right — and got some things wrong in ways he’s pretty happy about.

We’re revisiting his preseason evaluations of Jacob Lopez, Colby Thomas, Zack Gelof, Henry Bolte, Luis Severino, Nick Kurtz and Jack Perkins, along with the bullpen, outfield defense and the biggest question facing the entire organization:

WHERE IS THE PITCHING COMING FROM?

Because the A’s may have their skill players. They may have young bats worth building around. They may even have a franchise cornerstone in Nick Kurtz.

But Sam compares the pitching staff to the quarterback of a football team: until you solve that position, everything else becomes secondary.

And now comes an offseason filled with uncertainty — a GM search, a potentially changing front-office philosophy, major pitching decisions, roster construction questions, the final Sacramento season and the organization's eventual move toward Las Vegas.

Most importantly, this finale is about accountability.

Anybody can sound like a genius after the season is over. The challenge is putting your analysis on the record beforehand and coming back later willing to say:

I nailed this. I completely missed this. Here’s why. And here’s what I learned.

That’s where statistics actually meet instinct.

👇 YOUR TURN: What did YOU get most wrong about the 2026 A’s?

Drop it in the comments, subscribe to The House Always Wins Media Network, and join us as we head into one of the most unpredictable A’s offseasons in years.

THE SEASON IS OVER. NOW COMES THE VERDICT. The A’s finish the 2026 season 64–98. Tonight at 9:00 PM PT, there’s one Last Call left. Welcome to THE STATE OF THE BOONION — the 2026 Season Finale of LAST CALL: A’S POSTGAME, LIVE on the House Always Wins Media Network. This isn't another postgame show. There is no game tomorrow. No series to preview. No “we’ll get ’em next time.” After 162 games, it’s time to put the entire season under the microscope. We’re handing out the final grade for the 2026 A’s. What went right? What went wrong? Who became part of the future? What has to change? And after a 64–98 finish, what should we realistically expect in 2027? Then we go beyond the roster. What is the state of the A’s fanbase? After everything this fanbase has lived through, where does it stand tonight—and what does being an A’s fan look like going forward? Then we're turning the cameras on ourselves. We'll tell the story of the House Always Wins Media Network—where this thing started, what we built during the 2026 season, what worked, what didn't, where HAW stands today, and where we're taking it next. And we're saving the final chapter for the people without whom none of this exists: YOU. The viewers. The listeners. The commenters. The people who agreed with us. The people who thought we were out of our damn minds. And the A’s fans who kept showing up. 64 wins. 98 losses. 162 games. One final conversation. 🍺 THE STATE OF THE BOONION ⚾ LAST CALL: A’S POSTGAME — SEASON FINALE 📺 LIVE TONIGHT — 9:00 PM PT 🎙️ HOUSE ALWAYS WINS MEDIA NETWORK The lights are going down. The glasses are almost empty. There’s one conversation left.

THE HUNT IS OVER.

162 games. A final record of 64–98. And one last trip into the woods for THE HABIT HUNTER.

In the 2026 SEASON FINALE, Tim “Hobbs” Burns closes the book on a season that gave A’s fans just about everything imaginable—young players worth believing in, maddening situational hitting, a pitching staff that surrendered home runs at an alarming rate, bullpen disasters, questionable managerial decisions, flashes of real promise and plenty of moments that could only happen to the A’s.

But this finale is about much more than Game 162.

Who actually earned a place on the 2027 roster?

Did Lawrence Butler’s monster finish change the conversation? What did Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof show down the stretch? Is Jeff McNeil worth bringing back? Which young players deserve another opportunity—and which pitchers should never make us watch this movie again?

And then there is Mark Kotsay.

After a 64–98 finish, Tim unloads on the decisions that frustrated him throughout the season and asks the question hanging over the organization as the offseason begins: should Kotsay remain the manager?

But late in the finale, THE HABIT HUNTER becomes something completely different.

Tim reveals something he has secretly been doing in every episode throughout the entire season.

Hidden inside Habit Hunter have been Easter eggs—quotes from people who inspired him, philosophers and teachers, favorite movies, legendary sports moments and pieces of his own life.

There was a reason for all of them.

And that reason is bigger than baseball.

This is the final Habit Hunter of the 2026 season.

One last hunt.

One hell of a ride.

And maybe, after hearing Tim's revelation, you'll want to go back to Episode 1 and start hunting for what he left behind.

THE HABIT HUNTER Part of the HOUSE ALWAYS WINS MEDIA NETWORK

Like the episode, subscribe to the network, and tell us in the comments:

Who stays for 2027?

Who goes?

And how many Habit Hunter Easter eggs can YOU find?