Weekend Link Dump 5/19-5/20: I feel so relaxed!

by oblique on May 19, 2007 12:08 PM PDT

Last night was amazing; we had our way with the visiting San Francisco Giants, including ~~two~~ three home runs. I need a cigarette.

Ooh, they just called, and we're seeing them again tonight!!

According to the papers, a healthy Johnson was a key to the success of the evening. Go figure!

Mark Purdy wrote up kind of a glum summary of the event, including some standard insight into the mind of Zito:

You'd think, therefore, that Zito would have ridden his old Coliseum comfort zone to one of his better outings. Instead, he seemed out of sorts and unable to get a handle on his control. In that woeful first inning, Zito had 0-2 counts on two batters - and then chucked up four consecutive balls to put both on base. Zito conceded there were moments when he couldn't get it out of his head that he was pitching to old friends.
"But it's my job to block that out and treat them as normal opponents," Zito said. "I couldn't get that put-away pitch. It's a fine line ..."

Of course, none of this really matters to most Giants fans; the real question is, what about Bonds?

The Giants writers are second-guessing their team's trade of Jeremy Accardo to the Blue Jays.

Alright, enough about the Giants..seriously..this is totally a pattern with me; after one great night I'm obsessing about them...all I want is to see them again...

Meanwhile, in other news:

* Jason Giambi and MLB are having a little spat.

* Liberty Media now owns the Braves.

* MLB is giving up on October and looking for some November heroes.

That's all I've got. I have to go call everyone I know, and then start getting ready for what should be a good romp tonight!

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two home runs?

I counted three..

HR - D Johnson (5, 3rd inning off B Zito 1 on, 0 Out), T Buck (4, 7th inning off J Sanchez 0 on, 0 Out), M Ellis (3, 8th inning off S Kline 3 on, 0 Out).

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on May 19, 2007 12:10 PM PDT reply actions

You're right!

The evening was even more amazing than I'd remembered!

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on May 19, 2007 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Given our frequent reference to the Chronicle...

I find this news somewhat disturbing:

S.F. Chronicle cutting newsroom staff by 25%

"This is one of the biggest one-time hits we've heard about anywhere in the country," said Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, in Washington.
...
Analysts predicted the reductions at The Chronicle could have repercussions for readers. While an increasing number of people get news from online aggregators such as Google News and Yahoo, those stories are most often originally reported by print journalists.
"That's not just trimming fat, that's an amputation. That's losing a limb," said Rosenstiel, who grew up in the Bay Area.

by Soaker on May 19, 2007 12:12 PM PDT reply actions

especially when viewed in context of the (for all practical purposes) merger of the Oakland Trib, Contra Costa Times, and San Jose Mercury News under one big MediaNews corporate banner. In effect, other than the Chron, there is now just one major daily paper for the entire Bay Area, even though it's branded under different mastheads. And now with the Chron's cuts...bad news for fans of multiple professional journalism outlets.

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions

Q: What do Kendall & Tom Glavine have in common ?

A: 0.188 batting average.

by green star oakland on May 19, 2007 12:15 PM PDT reply actions

I'm still a fan of Kendall

he had a similar slow start last year and finished as our best hitter behind JayPay, albeit this time his slump is well into May.

It'll be interesting to see how the rookie skipper handles his veteran catcher. I think at the least, he should consider platooning Melhuse /Kendall and totally give the job to Piazza when he returns.

Remember 2 vote early and often for your Oakland A's to this yr's AS game in SF.

by sf drift king on May 19, 2007 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions

best hitter behind jaypay??

if you think payton and kendall were the two best hitters on the a's last year, you're qualified to be the GM of the angels or giants.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 1:41 PM PDT up reply actions

I think he's referring to batting average

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 19, 2007 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions

thank you!

Remember 2 vote early and often for your Oakland A's to this yr's AS game in SF.

by sf drift king on May 20, 2007 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

In order for Kendall to reach last year's AVG

He has to hit at a near .325 clip the rest of the year.

by lenscrafters on May 19, 2007 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions

well,

he is a life time .300 hitter.

Remember 2 vote early and often for your Oakland A's to this yr's AS game in SF.

by sf drift king on May 20, 2007 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions

I am very curious

how much the change from Piazza to Kendall at catcher would cost the A's, exactly. People whose opinions I respect here have dismissed Piazza-as-catcher out of hand because of how bad he is on D...specifically, against the steal. But hell, he caught all year for SD in '06. Did his woeful arm cost more SB-fueled runs than his bat produced as compared to Kendall's production? Really, his arm and pitch calling would have to cost a hell of a lot to cost more than the difference vis the Kendall OPS would produce.

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions

i am also curious

(yellow).

with piazza, would opposing runners steal third base as well as second?

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions

on Zito's "fine line"

seems like another variation on his "trying to be too fine" of seasons past

Oh, and just for discussion's sake:
Bullpen help? How about Troy Percival?

http://www.pe.com/sports/baseball/br...

by OaklandSi on May 19, 2007 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

Troy Percival is making a comeback

But doesn't foresee it with the Angels. Bring him to Oakland!

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/Hea...

"Imagine all the Hebrews goin dumb"-Tell Me When To Go

by ohad on May 19, 2007 12:23 PM PDT reply actions

no thanks

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions

giants fans are not optimistic today

http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/sto...

(read story and first three comments)

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 12:30 PM PDT reply actions

Awesome.

Also, McCovey Chronicles Poetic Interlude (c/o Talking Heads)

http://mccoveychronicles.com/story/2...

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on May 19, 2007 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions

accardo

my theory:
http://www.athleticsnation.com/comme...

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 12:35 PM PDT reply actions

It's his way of supporting Bonds

by trading away for cheap anyone whose name has any resemblance to Hank Aaron's.

Or maybe he just really hates the A's..

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on May 19, 2007 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Not fair or accurate

Sabean traded ineffective SP, not decent relief pitchers. So don't knock him for trading players decent relief pitchers.

Laugh at him for being too stupid to consider moving those struggling SP into the bullpen!

Yep. Warm and fuzzy... that's me.

by grover on May 19, 2007 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Preakness Player of the Game

Here are the morning line Preakness odds, with an A’s player I’ve randomly associated with each horse. Let’s see if the winning horse can confer some good juju upon his A’s mate. Post time is 3:15 PST.

Mint Slewlep, 30-1. Player: Kendall. Note: by all rights this should be Loaiza’s horse, but what can ya do?

Xchanger, 15-1. Player: Buck. Note: Do horses have wrists?

Circular Quay, 8-1. Player: Cust. Note: If ever a big leaguer took a circular path to the bigs, it’s Jack Cust.

Curlin, 7-2. Player: DJ. Note: I like DJ’s red beard.

King of the Roxy, 12-1. Player: Ellis. Note: My personal pick; as with Ellis, the heart speaks louder than the head.

Flying First Class, 20-1. Player: Bocachica. Note: A touch of irony, given that both horse and player really oughtn’t be here.

Hard Spun, 5-2. Player: Swisher. Note: Both loved by Face Lick Girl (which is itself a great name for a horse).

Street Sense, 7-5. Player: Haren. Note: Heavy favorite, hoping to nail down another leg of the Triple Crown/Cy Young race. Though Danny’s mane is more unkempt.

So I’m going middling longshot with King of the Roxy/Ellis, though I would love to see a Triple Crown threat heading into next month’s Belmont.

P.S. This post is in no way meant as code for a military coup.

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 12:41 PM PDT reply actions

Argh! Left off:

C P West, 20-1. Player: Robertson. Note: Just happy to be here.

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions

lonestarball

http://www.lonestarball.com/story/20...

worked for me last time.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions

That guy is sharp

He likes Curlin (DJ) as a non-favorite, but like most everyone hopes that Street Sense (Haren) takes the second leg of the Triple Crown. Betting the horses has some interesting similarities with GM'ing on a limited budget...it's not about getting the best horse/player, it's about getting the best value for your betting/payroll dollar.

I also have to love the lonestar guy's note on C P West (slightly edited): "Zito...is in way, way over his head. He'd be second choice in a good (3rd starter duel)."

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions

DJ by a nose! Nice call, lonestarball guy

And definitely twangs the what-might've-been string on the lonestarball guy's harp vis the poor ride Curlin got in the Derby.

Watt Funk Staturist

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 19, 2007 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions

AL east

will be 10.5 games in a few minutes, is it out of reach already?

i told my red sox friend it i thought it was over at 10, but i didn't expect that to be the case in mid-may...

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on May 19, 2007 1:02 PM PDT reply actions

Baseless?

You'd think, therefore, that Zito would have ridden his old Coliseum comfort zone to one of his better outings.

In his first few seasons, Zito's home stats were slightly better than his road stats. The last few seasons, that trend reversed.

I know it's a small sample size, but here are his 2006 home/road splits:

Home: 109 IP, 57 ER, 18 HR, 113H, 1.45 WHIP, .275 BAA, 4.71 ERA
Road: 112 IP, 37 ER, 9 HR, 98 H, 1.36 WHIP, .240 BAA, 2.97 ERA

That doesn't seem too comfortable to me.

He's not going to try to kill you, I'm just going to try to doink you. -Rex Hudler

by JediLeroy on May 19, 2007 1:16 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, but if you ignore the opening day start

and the one against Texas...and the one against the Red Sox....and that other one against Texas...

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on May 19, 2007 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Obsession!

You've been incessantly texting the Giants today, haven't you?

The A's DL: To infinity, and beyond!

by Poppy on May 19, 2007 1:38 PM PDT reply actions

There's nothing wrong with that

I just want them to know how I feel!

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on May 19, 2007 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions

watching NY game on TV

Yanks loaded bases on Glavine top of 1st, but only managed one run.

Then in the bottom Yanks' starter Rasner gets hit in the hand and has to leave the game. Mike Myers was hurriedly called into service (he has never come into a game in his entire pro career earlier than the third).

Gives up a HR to Wright, allows stolen bases by Endy Chavez and Shawn Green, among other things. Of course, Reyes also got on base and scored on a sac fly.

Bottom of first over, Mets already lead 3-1. Top of second, Cano hits a solo HR. Glavine doesn't look like anything great today so far, either.

(By the way I've never been a Yankees fan and love that they are behind. But I do feel sorry for all the injuries especially to their young pitchers.

by OaklandSi on May 19, 2007 1:40 PM PDT reply actions