For a good many years in the not-so-distant past, the A’s had one of the most dynamic starting rotations in the game.

Now the A’s have, without question, the least dynamic starting rotation in the game, and that’s the sole reason they’ve been all but unwatchable since the All-Star break.

Oakland baseball used to be synonymous with must-see starting pitchers. Start with Tim Hudson, who debuted in 1999. An undersized Everyman with a rifle right arm and a nasty, I-dare-you-to-beat-me mound presence, he was a pleasure to watch work.

So were Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, who burst onto the national scene a year after Hudson and helped transform the A’s into perennial playoff contenders. Sure, having exciting young position players such as Jason Giambi, Miggy Tejada, Eric Chavez coming up at the same time helped, but everything started and ended with The Big Three.

Actually, Oakland’s excellence on the mound didn’t end with Hudson, Mulder and Zito. The late Cory Lidle was a far better pitcher in green and gold than he was anywhere else. You could say the same of Ted Lilly, who took the ball on short rest to win perhaps the biggest game of the 2003 regular season.

That was the same year that Rich Harden made his debut with the A’s, and while Harden’s tenure in Oakland has to be hind-sighted as a massive disappointment because of his health problems, when he was on the mound you couldn’t take your eyes off him.

Then came Joe Blanton and Dan Haren. Say what you want about Blanton’s belly, but also say he was a good pitcher and fun to watch. As for Haren, you don’t really need to say anything but this: All-Star starter in 2007, All-Star again – in a new league – in 2008.

What are the A’s trotting out there now? A steady stream of mediocrity.

Perhaps that’s unfair to Justin Duchscherer. But when a control pitcher with the mound presence of a crumpled-up fast-food wrapper is your ace, you’re in big trouble.

Look who follows The Duke these days. Greg Smith and Dana Eveland are No. 5 starters on a good team. Dallas Braden is a colorful guy, but his numbers are black-and-white ugly. Sean Gallagher? He throws hard, but he’s hurt. Of course he is. They traded Harden to get him.

Oh, and don’t forget about Dan Meyer. You already have, you say? Good for you. There’s nothing memorable about him. Nor is there anything memorable about the 2008 A’s—other than the fastest fade from relevance in recent big-league history.

Good luck to you, Billy Beane. It’s going to be a tough rebuild without building blocks on the mound.