Tim Lincecum: Putting The "Pot" In "Potpourri"
by Nico on Nov 6, 2009 8:17 PM PST
18 comments
Several assorted items this fine day...Join me after the jump (it's to conclusions -- what a fun ride!) as we talk about many different topics, some of real substance. And I mean that quite literally.
18 comments | 0 recs
Final tally for the ex-A's
by Flashfire on Nov 6, 2009 9:00 AM PST
17 comments
Elsewhere an A's fan and friend once spoke of the Giambi Curse, something like "No championship, either brother, ever" after both had moved on from their time in Oakland.
What happens the year after the Yankees move on from Jason Giambi? World Series win. Hey, after failing to buy one for the better part of the decade, they finally did the inevitable again. It was only a matter of time but it's nothing I'm impressed by.
Following in the cupcakey steps of Joe Blanton and future (and maybe current already) beer-leaguer Matt Stairs last year, two more former A's can lay claim to their first World Series win: Nick Swisher and, of all people, Chad Gaudin. He did pitch an inning in the ALCS! Swisher even matched Blanton's tally last year with a World Series home run. The bad news for him is he had about as much success at the plate otherwise as Blanton would be expected to. Thanks to people named Rodriguez, Jeter, Sabathia, Posada, Matsui, Damon, Rivera and so on, there's a ring he's going to get to wear.
Here's a recap of the ex-A's in the World Series, to be followed by their overall playoff totals.
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So What Do We Do Now?
by 67MARQUEZ on Nov 5, 2009 6:30 AM PST
150 comments
What a year, huh?
My first season as a front-page writer is officially in the books, and it was an amazing- and often humbling- experience. No question, I had some very large shoes to fill. But I had two wonderful coaches in Nico and baseballgirl, for whom this has become old hat. I wish to personally thank them- and Tyler- for their patience and support this year.
On the eve of Athletic Nation's sixth birthday, I think it is safe to say that this has been the site's most trying season- and this says nothing of the team's performance on the field. I will spare you the gory details, but "meta-thread" was an all-too popular phrase around here for awhile. And just as we have become accustomed to seeing favorite ballplayers leave Oakland for greener pastures, AN lost a core group of people that had come up through the site's farm system.
But I am not here to talk about what Athletics Nation is not. Just like that little team over at 7000 Coliseum Way has done through the years, AN will rebuild and continue to reinvent itself. Maybe it's not the site you once knew and were fond of; well hell, neither are the A's, but we keep showing up. And if you feel the urge to wax nostalgic over Jennifer, do it. It's no different than getting teary-eyed over Marco. Look, I am the last guy to tell you not to talk about the past.
I don't mind looking ahead either, and I will echo Nico's sentiments about sticking around for the off-season. For many of you, this is the most wonderful time of the year, when rosterbation and speculation take over Athletics Nation.
There might be a retro piece or two from yours truly, including the conclusion of Scrapbook Memories, and the Decade in Review. If you are into that sort of thing.
And for the non-statsy, game-thread crowd, we will keep you entertained. Maybe Leopold Bloom and I will find the time to renew our DLD rivalry. (Or like Rickey working with Jemile Weeks, maybe monkeyball will come out of hiding and show us how it's done). Perhaps someone would like to take on the arduous task of bringing back the QOTM's. I know Nico has some other fun stuff planned, as do I, but why spoil the surprise?
So there will be plenty to see and do to get you through the winter. And remember, Spring Training tickets go on sale December 8...if you weren't sure what to get me for Christmas.
As for the new-look Athletics Nation, I'll leave the interior design comments for someone else. For me, it doesn't matter what the house looks like.
It's who lives there that counts.
150 comments | 1 recs
The Yankees Win It!
by baseballgirl on Nov 4, 2009 9:19 PM PST
38 comments
Well, the trophy comes back to the American League with the Yankees win tonight. The Bronx Bombers take home their 27th World Championship after a rather disappointing game six. Hideki Matsui drove in six runs as Pettitte outlasted Pedro in the dubious pitching duel; the final score was 7-3. There isn't much left to say about Mariano Rivera that hasn't already been said, but wow, does he still look good at 40!
So ends the baseball season of 2009. Here's to 2010!
38 comments | 0 recs
Open Thread: World Series - Game 6 (cont)
by baseballgirl on Nov 4, 2009 7:53 PM PST
315 comments
The Phillies look like they have wasted their last chance; Chase chased a ball outside to strike out with two on. The Yankees hang on to a comfortable 7-3 lead, going to the bottom of the seventh.
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Open Thread: World Series - Game 6
by baseballgirl on Nov 4, 2009 4:28 PM PST
706 comments
Okay, I know I say this all the time, but just watch it.You know you want to.
It will be one of the last baseball games of 2009 (possibly the last game), and it has Pedro Martinez going up against Andy Pettitte. The Phillies have their backs to the wall for yet another night, looking to tie the series with a win. Yankee Stadium is commanding an average of $1,000 to attend tonight's contest. It's the highest grossing event in StubHub history.
Pedro allowed three runs in six innings in the loss last week, but he will have the advantage of five days rest. His competition will be pitching on just three.
So who will be the hero tonight? Will the Phillies take it to Game 7 or will the Yankees celebrate yet another championship; the first one in their new park? The Game starts in thirty minutes.
706 comments | 0 recs
To Replay or Not To Replay: The Debate of the Playoffs
by baseballgirl on Nov 3, 2009 9:54 AM PST
200 comments
I know this has been done before, but I think it's worth revisiting in light of Selig's quotes, and with the great minds of AN. I am curious to see what people think.
Let's start with this:
Selig said of implementing broader usage of instant replay, "I'm not afraid of change. We've made more changes in the last 17 years than ever before. But ... baseball's a game of pace, and when you go to a game, you can't have calls being looked at, pitchers waiting on the mound for three or four minutes. It breaks the pace of the game."
And this:
"This goes on every time there's a controversial call," Selig said. "I understand the Phil Cuzzi call and others. But frankly, I'm quite satisfied with the way things are."We need to do a little work, clean up some things. But do I think we need more replay? No. Baseball is not the kind of game that can have interminable delays."
Aside from the obvious, as in really?????? Are you sure we're talking about the right sport what with the pitching coach visits, the manager visits, the catcher visits, the arguing on the field, and the ten thousand other delays in baseball, would it really be the end of the world to usher in some of the advances in technology to call the game correctly?
I'm not asking for replays on every play. Obviously, I don't want robots behind home plate. I'm just asking baseball to take a look at what has been done with technology in other sports in order to have an opportunity for a team to not to win or lose a game on a bad call. And I don't think that's too much to ask for.
200 comments | 1 recs |
Escape To New York: Phillies Stay Alive with 8-6 Win
by 67MARQUEZ on Nov 2, 2009 8:37 PM PST
22 comments
Well the tease was on in the 9th, but thanks in part to a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Derek Jeter, there will be at least one more baseball game in 2009.
Chase Utley homered twice, the second one providing insurance the Phillies ultimately needed, and Cliff Lee, even in human form, was good enough to send this Series back to New York.
Utley joins Reggie Jackson as the only men to hit five home runs in a single Series.
See you Wednesday.
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AL West Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles
|
97 | 65 | .598 | 0 | Lost 1 |
|
Texas
|
87 | 75 | .537 | 10 | Lost 2 |
|
Seattle
|
85 | 77 | .524 | 12 | Won 2 |
|
Oakland
|
75 | 87 | .462 | 22 | Lost 7 |
(updated 11.7.2009 at 2:19 AM PST)
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
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