Frustration is useless, so the Oakland Athletics insist they do not feel it. This is hard to believe, but maybe it is part of the reason that, as the game keeps evolving, the A’s remain one step ahead.

Their only reward, alas, is the process of outsmarting their competition. To be fulfilled by the journey, not the final outcome, is surely a sign of enlightenment. But still — seven playoff appearances in the last 14 seasons, no victories beyond the first round and, most discouraging, no new stadium, and not even a shovel in the ground.

Yet, as pitchers and catchers prepare to report to spring training in Phoenix next week, Lew Wolff, the Athletics’ owner, said he could not be more excited. His team has won the last two American League West titles in the dumpy old Coliseum, and his general manager, Billy Beane, has engineered another sneaky-smart off-season.

“I couldn’t have any more fun than I’m having, dealing with the players and the young guys,” Wolff said in a telephone interview last week. “Everybody’s young to me, of course.”