Having spent all of summer in a part of the world that cares only about basketball and boxing, it feels good to be back in the Bay Area in time to catch one last month of baseball. And it feels damn good to find the A's in a good position to win AL West.

But it was no fun at all trying to keep track of the A's halfway around the world. I was running errands one afternoon, right around the time when I expected an A's-Angels game to wrap up on the West Coast, when I spotted a guy wearing an A's cap. I almost ran him down, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, "Do you just like wearing that cap or are you really an A's fan and if you are do you know what the final score is?" And once, I found myself so starved of baseball that I actually watched a Yankees game. Against Tampa Bay.

Thankfully, my husband was able to send game recaps by SMS to my cellphone. Reading them was so much fun, I thought I'd share them with y'all. Here's an abbreviated look at the season so far.

5/30
home safe A's 23-28 4gb Rangers harden may return sunday plants a bit dry

5/31
I know it's early, but Blanton 118 pitch CG shutout Kendall 2R HR in 8th inn OAK 7 KC 0 final AN apeshit

6/1
zito 7ip calero street, thomas hr kendall hbp kotsay 2r hr dj hr oak 4 min 0 final zito 1000 career k kotsay 100 career hr

6/13
joey pitchd 8 shutout inns but gave up 2 h in top 9th, street hits batr, k's next 2, gets f7 for 2-0 win v sea. payton hr, kendall rbi single. 0.5 gb tex.

6/14
6 batters get hits, 5 get rbi's, & haren gives up 1r [4h] in 7 inns for 7-2 win. 34-31, 0.5 gb tex.

6/15
dj 4-4 4rbi, payton 3-5, loaiza 6inn 3er, sweeps sea 9-6 despite 2 errs to tie tex. thomas dl, loaiza 120mph dui.

6/16
zito 8ip 11k [tie career hi] 0bb 3er, melhuse 3-5 payton 3-4 chavvy kielty 2-4 a's beat lad 7-3, 0.5 gm ahead of tex

6/17
17th inn crosby 2-out walkoff walk. 6 pitchers each. 25 lob total. game time just over 5 hours.

6/18
good joey came to play. 2r in 8+ inns. payton scoot 3-4 swish 2-4 kielty 2rbi triple. street gets 3 outs w/ 2 on for 5-2 win. Lad swept, 10gm w streak, 0.5gm ahead of tex.

6/19
A's shut out 0-7 by col despite 7 hits & 4bb. haren is 6-6 despite 2er in 7ip.

6/20
A's shut out 0-6 w/ 1 hit. swish 3bb. team 8k 6bb 6lob. col 10 hits 4bb 8lob. loaiza 3.2ip 6er.

6/21
Swish 2hr+scoring bb beats col 3-2 in xtra inn

6/23
joey wobbly, but kendall single kielty single kotsay sacfly to tie gm, swish triples for lead in 9th, street saves 4-3 @sfg.

6/25
loaiza throws 97 pitch cg 1-4 w. started wobbly, 4-4 in 4th. kndl 3-4 cros 2rbi 2r dj 2-3 2bb paytn 4-5 3rbi perez 2rbi swish 2bb 2r

6/29
haren 6ip 2r, strt allows 2r bot 9th, 5-5, flores 4ip 1h. scoot bb kndl hbp chvy ibb perez bb top 14th. a's win 6-5. swish 5k chvy 3k

7/03
joey duke huston sharp. cros 2out 2rbi single, payton 3r hr. 5-3 win v. det. swish 0-2 2bb.

7/04
jpay 10th inn walkoff hit 2-1 a's. kots 2-5, jpay 2-5 2rbi, hrn 7ip 1hr 0bb 7k strt 2k.

7/06
ft bot 9th walkoff hr. a's 7 laa 5. loai-sey wobbly saur-duk-strt solid swish hr 3bb jp 2rbi bb! dj hr. vlad 3-3 2bb

7/07
zito 8ip 3r, lackey cg 1h 10k 0bb. 0-3 final.

7/09
a's lose 2-4. swish chav croz dj ellis hitless.

7/13
A's def bos 5-4 11inn. ns 2-5 hr bb, ft 2-5 bb, bk 2rbi, mk 2-5, jk jp 2-6, 14 pitchers total

7/14
mb 4-5 bb 3rbi me 3-6 hr 5rbi mk 3-5 bb ns 2-5 bb jp 2-6 bc 3bb, bz 5ip 2r ks 2ip rf 2ip 1r, oak 15 bos 3

7/26
ft 2hr 4rbi. ns, ec 2-4. ms 2-3. bc 1-2 bb rbi. haren 7ip 4h 1r. a's avoid bos sweep 5-1.

7/27
A's def .295 TOR 5-2. ec 2rbi, jp 2-3 bb hr, mb 2-4, ms 2-3. jb 7ip 5h 2er 1bb 4k, jd hs 0h.

7/29
bz allows 1st inn gs hr, but 6ip. mb 3-4 bb, jp 3-5, mk 2-4 bb, ec 2-3 bb, ns+ms+me 0-12 5k. oakW7-4

7/31
haren cg 5k 0bb, mb 2-3 hr bb, jp 2r hr, mk 2-4, oak w 3-1

8/04
bz 7ip 1r w/fly open, jd 2ip 1r. scoot 3-3 hr bb 2rbi. a's turn 3dp, gi2dp, def sea 5-2.

8/05
haren 7ip 4h 2bb 2r 7k. ft 3-3 2bb, jp 2-4 bb, mk 2-5 bb, ns 1-3 2bb, a's l16ob, def sea 5-2.

8/07
loaiza 6.2ip 4r bb 4k, me 2-4 4rbi hr, ns 2-4 rbi, mb hr 2rbi, ms 1-2 2bb, jk 2-5. rare 5-3 dp. a's def tex7-4.

8/08
komine bad, tex 2 2r hr in 3rd. ns 3r hr, ft 2-4, jp hr, 3 tex err, 4 oak dp [gm endg batr intrfrnce]. saar 4ip 0r. a's w 7-6.

8/12
joey 6.1ip 2er. jk 2-5 2rbi, ms 2-4 rbi, mb 1-2 3bb, ec 1-3 2bb. 11lob, but a's beat d-rays 6-3. now 4.5 ahd of laa.

8/13
Both P's stellar, 3h each. loaiza 8ip 1r, ec 2-2 bb 2r hr on ec bkpk day, ft 1-4, rest 0-21 2bb. a's sweep tb 3-1.

8/14
bz 5ip 4er. ns 2-4 3rbi [incl bot 8 2rhr] on bls deth ann. ft 1-3 hr bb. me hr. ec 2-3 bb. jd pickoff ichro, W 5-4.

8/15
ks 6ip 2r. jp 3-3 2bb, ns 3-4 4rbi, ms 2-4 4rbi, mk 2-4 bb, mb 1-3 2bb, ft 1-2 2bb, ec 1-3 bb. a's def sea 11-2.

8/16
dh 6ip 0r 8k. me 2-4 3r hr, ns 3bb, jk 3-4, 8lob. duke+kndy+strt 1h@, a's w 4-0, 15th strght v sea. 6.5 ahd of laa+tex

8/21
haren 8r in 2inn, 5.2 ip. jk 4-5 2rbi/bk 3-5 2rhr 4rbi/ec 3-4 rbi/mb hr rbi/jp 2-5 hr. a's cmbk 12-10 v tor.

8/23
loaiza 4h 0bb 7k cg shutout. mb 2-5 2rhr 3rbi, ft 2-4 2rhr, jk 2-5 rbi, bk 2-5, ns 2bb, me 2bb. a's 6 tor 0

8/25
bz 0h thru 7, 8.1ip 2h 3r 2k 2bb. ns 2-5 3rbi, jp 3-5, me&mk 2-4 bb rbi, mb 1-4 2rbi, jk 2-5 rbi, ec 2-4. a's whip tex 9-3.