Youneverknow
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 9:30 AM PDT
in News
92 comments
It’s Friday the 13th, the A’s have lost 4 in a row, and Johan Santana is the opposing pitcher tonight. Sounds like you need a “pick-me-up,” so let me tell you about one of the games that taught me the most about baseball back when I was still young and goat-free, I mean carefree: Tony La Russa’s debut game as A’s manager.
The 1986 A’s were in shambles, having just fired their manager and played for a week under interim manager Jeff Newman, whose legacy, besides a 2-8 record, was his quote to the press that “I have no idea what I’m doing.” The hapless A’s were in Fenway Park, where they were unlikely to find their hap. At this point in A’s history, Fenway was a true chamber of horrors that made the Metrodome seem, in comparison, like a Buddhist sanctuary. At Fenway Park in the mid-80s, the A’s were usually down 5-0 by the end of the National Anthem.
The opposing pitcher was Roger Clemens who, in 1986, was Johan Santana and then some; as La Russa’s A’s came to Boston in July, 1986, Clemens was on his way to going 24-4 with a league-leading 2.48 ERA. The A’s didn’t even have a starting pitcher ready, so they spot-started a journeyman who had gone 0-6 the year before and had compiled a 6.57 ERA in 8 relief appearances when Oakland picked him up off the scrap heap.
It was the ultimate mismatch, but a Dave Kingman HR helped the A’s pull off a win in a game I was sure the A’s couldn’t possibly win. That game was the first in a series of games Roger Clemens would lose over the years to his nemesis, Dave Stewart. And now you know…The rest of the story…
Who knew? Who knew that the A’s had accidentally picked up a 4-time 20-game winner, or that Oakland would be in the World Series in two years? Does this mean Lenny DiNardo will win 80 games by the end of 2011? Probably not. But baseball is infinitely unpredictable, and that’s just another reason to love it, and watch it, even when your team is driving you crazy. See you at 5:00pm for another attempt at that elusive 45th win.
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That is a great "beat Boston" story
Last year was good, too. I was in Alaska flying around, with no access to "live action". I kept checking the scores by whatever was handy (TV, newspaper, public internet at the library or the lodge) and expected the A's to be trounced in Boston a la the NY series vs the Mets this year.
.
How happy was I with the triumphs each day!! It was like looking in your wallet, and finding a twenty stuck in with the credit cards!
Nice, Nico! Your excellent writing, as usual!
Great "look for the silver lining".
If I ever need a turd polished, I think I know who might be expert at it!
by One won lost won on Jul 13, 2007 9:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
great story
i love dave stewart. great career turnaround and it's sad that he never won a cy young award. thankfully, he got a ring.
my only issue with the story is that we're down in the dumps as fans, not because we can't win games. we've won 44 of them. the problem is that it feels like we're playing out the string.
the a's have been great the past few years because we had hope that the a's were going to be in the hunt.
nobody feels that way now. so great story, but even if we win the high will be temporary. especially if we can't win again tomorrow against silva and again on sunday against bonser.
by inbillywetrust on Jul 13, 2007 9:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Did Dave Stewart have a career ending injury?
Just wondering why Clemens has been around so much longer. Luck, or B12 injections?
by MobiusKlein on Jul 13, 2007 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Satanic pact
by monkeyball on Jul 13, 2007 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
For me, the moral of the story
isn't so much "don't worry, be happy," but that sometimes in baseball things look one way when they are in fact another. Loaiza's second half last year, Cust's May this year, Casilla's 4th callup...Who knows what tonight will bring, or the rest of the series, or the second half? Guess we just have to watch!
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i'm an even keel guy...
i am a 'one game at a time' kind of guy.
i'll continue watch or listen to all of the games and i appreciate the uplifting story.
by inbillywetrust on Jul 13, 2007 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
where have you been hiding your optimism sir?
by rebus on Jul 13, 2007 10:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I Had That Box Score Tackedon My Wall For Years!!
I totally remember that game. I had just moved from the Bay Area to Chico to go to college the following fall. I had no cable and at that time no Chico station carried the A's (or the Giants for that matter) regularly, so when the A's were going to be on Monday Night Baseball on ABC it was one of my few chances to watch them on TV that season, even though they had been rock bottom all year. Though I was optimistic because they had just hired La Russa (the White Sox were so stupid to get rid of him) and Dave Stewart was to start his first game as an Oakland A. Clemens was undefeated at the time ( I think he was actually 14 and 0!)and I thought, oh, no, they are going to send a cast off like Dave Stewart to face Clemens and the mighty Red Sox, who were on their way to an AL pennant. But Stewart was on his game from the start and don't forget that Kingman's HR was followed immediately by a then-rookie Jose Canseco home run off Clemens who just looked terrible. Little did I know that it was beginning of several great Stewart/ Clemens matchups over the next several years. It was the only baseball game that I ever watched where I was confident that a new era had begun. The next day I cut that box score out of the Chico Enterprise Record and tacked it to my wall where it remained all throughout college and I think it is still in scrapbook of mine at the bottom of the closet.
by may7 on Jul 13, 2007 10:09 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks, Soaker!
I hadn't recalled the Canseco HR--for some reason I only remembered the Kingman HR. I also didn't remember that Doug Bair had pitched 2.1 perfect innings for the save.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
only chance at success
kidnap cuddyer
by jubjub on Jul 13, 2007 10:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I am less depressed than I was two minutes ago
by LoneStranger on Jul 13, 2007 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Ya Nico
Lenny DiNardo is going to throw a no hitter!
But seriously, that game in New York last year, I thought we had no chance to win, and we did.
Anybody got the lineup for that game? I gotta see that again.
It was like
Kendall, Perez, Kotsay, Scutaro, Rouse, Johnson, blah blah, the worst A's lineup i've ever seen. And the A's won! Anything can happen!
by chavyizdamn3 on Jul 13, 2007 10:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
What's the record for baserunners in a no-hitter?
I'm pretty sure Lenny's no-no will challenge that mark. In fact, I'd venture to say that it's better than even odds that a Lenny DiNardo no-hitter would not be a shutout.
It would be sardonically appropriate for this year if Lenny D gave up 1 run on no hits and the A's lost the game.
by PaulThomas on Jul 13, 2007 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It can't be a no-hitter because
Calero needs to come in to get one of his patented "base hit DPs".
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was at that game wih my two kids
We were on vacation in New York and got lucky with the timing.
Several great memories from that game:
Kielty mashing a homer vs. Johnson.
Mike Rouse: Hit machine.
Antonio Perez's bomb (come again?).
Johnson booed off of the field.
Haren in command.
But then the rains came--a complete downpour. Along with others, we fled. The A's led 6-1 or 6-2 at the time, though the Yankees were mounting a two-out rally in the 6th or 7th.
Later that night, on my way with my wife to a jazz club, we passed a bar, and I saw the game on and the Yankees now down by one in the 9th, 6-5, I think. Of course, we skipped the jazz, got a drink and watched Street (who?) finish off the Yankees.
The A's, of course, finished them off that weekend, beating Mussina with Sarloos on Saturday, and then winning behind Zito on Sunday behind Swisher's inside-the-park home run.
A great weekend. But somehow I don't think it will be replicated this weekend.
by RLangford on Jul 13, 2007 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hilarious post.
"At Fenway Park in the mid-80s, the A’s were usually down 5-0 by the end of the National Anthem"
All I can say is that's it been a fun ride. I will stick with these guys, and who knows, maybe there is a little green and gold magic left. I don't care for any other sports, so I'm stuck like Richard Gere in "An Officer and a Gentlemen"....I got nowhere else to go.
by alox on Jul 13, 2007 10:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
LOL, I kinda feel that way too--
What am I going to do, go root for another team? My spleen is green and my gall bladder is yellow, for Criminy's sake!
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I know the feeling.
Although my gall bladder was stolen while I was asleep a few years ago. I can still taste bile...it rises up just about every evening around 7:00 PM PST.
by alox on Jul 13, 2007 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's funny--for me it rises up
every time I see Crosby at the plate.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
1986 Memories
That season was the turning point. I hope the current team doesn't have to hit the depths of Jackie Moore's managerial despair, Kingman's gifting a rat to Susan Fornoff et al. Realistically starting with '86 the A's had 3 straight ROYs + Steinbach. Does anyone see that kind of promise in the current farm system. The Dodgers once had high hopes for Stewart, gave up on him only to see him emerge as an Ahtletic. Is there any possibility Harden follows this pattern? I doubt it. I think his upside is Steve Karsay and more likeley Steve Ontiveros.
I read a great Tony Phillips quote about Stewart --"...when Stewart took the mound he didn't look like he wanted to beat you, he looked like he wanted to kick your ass."
by NoeValley on Jul 13, 2007 10:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Kingman
by GeorgiaBoy on Jul 13, 2007 10:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Canseco
...wa 3 for 5. What current #3 hitter does he remind you of? Right, no one. I remember a moonshot he hit off of Clemens earlier in the season in Oakland. On the A's 1st trip into Boston Andujar pitched a complete game and Canseco hit an opposite field HR over the bullpen in right center.
by NoeValley on Jul 13, 2007 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Speaking of Andujar:
The title of today's post. One word.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
More Andujar
Didn't he charaterize it as the one English word he knew.
by NoeValley on Jul 13, 2007 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is a classic quote
As well as one said to Dave Niehaus, when he broadcast for the Angels,
"Dave, that error (by Jim Fregosi, which let in the tying and winning run in the bottom of the ninth) was the Coupe de Ville."
by One won lost won on Jul 13, 2007 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dave Kingman got me throught a lot of bad years
I loved that guy. He would hit 30+ hrs and be in contention for the HR lead like every year. wonder what he would have looked like if Canseco had come along a few years sooner and they were "buddys"
by Anarch on Jul 13, 2007 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hate To Be the Pessimist but
Santana at the Metrodome in the 2nd half of the season + A's current offense =
the prospects of a no hitter.
I like our chances Saturday and Sunday with Blanton and Dan H on the hill. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a split of the series.
by EastbayBen on Jul 13, 2007 10:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Never give up on a game before it starts
Santana could have one blip and it could cost him a 3-run HR. DiNardo could match Santana for 6 innings and we could beat their bullpen. The Twins defense could have a bad day. Santana could pull a groin muscle fielding a chopper in the 2nd inning. Swisher could have a "career day" and go 4/4 with 2 HRs.
Or, more realistically, the roof could leak and we could get a tie.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But with our luck
it would be one of those hideous ties that Zito designed.
by andeux on Jul 13, 2007 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
or even worse: the one Bud designed
by monkeyball on Jul 13, 2007 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Realistically
a heat wave could knock out power, no lights, so re-schedule whole series for a later date.
2009 season.
by One won lost won on Jul 13, 2007 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Especially if Cust rips a hole in it
with a pop-up.
by Nick on Jul 13, 2007 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did you watch...
...Game 1 of the ALDS last year?
The odds are in favor of Santana, obviously, but that's why they still play the game.
by UncleLeo on Jul 13, 2007 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, if they don't play it
they'll make less money off tickets and concessions and stuff.
by Nick on Jul 13, 2007 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
hey all and Nico nice post
I meant to post this in the midseason thread but since he didn't have any great night last night I can post it without fear of retribution. Here it is and I know you will all let me have it.
Chavez is going to have a breakout second half.
I just have a feeling that he is gonna get in a groove, shake off the nagging injuries, step up as a leader and produce in the second half like a 4-5 hitter should. I know plenty of AN is down in the dumps about this guy but I just don't see a quiter in him and I think he is gonna turn it around and make us all feel a little bit better about the future with him at the hot corner in Oakland.
Commence throwing things.
by marco magic on Jul 13, 2007 11:17 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Everyone put a shamrock in your pocket!
by iglew on Jul 13, 2007 11:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
he won't fit
by jubjub on Jul 13, 2007 11:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He looks like Sean Penn(Spicoli) on 'roids
by McFood on Jul 13, 2007 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anybody have the Chavvy/BoCro "K" over/under . .
for tonight?
Personally, I'd say 6.
by millbraeforAsfan on Jul 13, 2007 12:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Ok, I would just like to point out
Bobby did NOT strike out last night! He hit a beautiful double and scored the first run. His two outs were on balls to the outfield that were hit rather well. In fact, his last out I commented on how nice his swing actually looked in comparison to what it usually looks like.
So yeah, cut Bobby a little slack, even if just for one day, OK!
by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Jul 13, 2007 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm sympathetic
but I doubt he's going to get even a little slack cut around here anytime soon. But it could be worse. Your tag could be JasonKendallsGirl.
by ArakSOT on Jul 13, 2007 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Perception trumps reality
Here are the strikeout rates of the A's regulars (as a percentage of plate appearances):
Cust 34
Chavez 21
Buck 20
Swisher 18
Crosby 17
Ellis 15
Johnson 15
Kendall 9
Stewart 8
Kotsay 8
Crosby is right in the middle. And I'll take the high-K guys over the low-K ones any day. There's something to be said for swinging for the fences. (And, yes, there's something to be said for cutting down on your swing with 2 strikes, as well.)
by andeux on Jul 13, 2007 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
vs Santana (SSS caveat)
Cust 100 (no, really: 3 AB, 3 K)
Chavez 41
Swisher 25
Crosby 28
Ellis 33
Johnson 44
Kendall 8
Stewart 11
Kotsay 33
by monkeyball on Jul 13, 2007 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Let me guess:
Small Sample Size Seen Sauntering Slowly South Since Saturday's Spectuacular Sunset Somewhat Sensibly Selling Sally's Seashore Soaked Seashells?
A important statistical concept, though I've always felt that the word "size" was utterly redundant.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That or it's just Poppy having a hissy fit.
by Ice Cream on Jul 13, 2007 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, Nico guessed right.
Damn, he's good.
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That...
was truly awesome. My hat's off to you... well, it would be if I was wearing a hat... and if, you know, you hadn't ruined it by throwing in an "A important" instead of "an important"... But something like that is like throwing a no hitter instead of perfect game. Sure it could be better, but really, if you're not satisfied by it, you're just being a picky son of bitch.
by DMOAS on Jul 13, 2007 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually
if you were wearing a hat, it wouldn't be off. Since you're not, it is.
(My hat is off to Nico, too. Been off for several days, in fact.)
by iglew on Jul 13, 2007 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
For as much greif that we have givin Kendall all
year, if BC has a worse avg than him, and its getting close, I will have to come down on BC as hard or worse. No slack for me.
by Anarch on Jul 13, 2007 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
another bad game or 2 ...
... and Kotsay can sink below Kendall as well.
by monkeyball on Jul 13, 2007 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
good greif!
by ArakSOT on Jul 13, 2007 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was in the car during most of last night's game
So I couldn't post. But it sounded to me as if Bobby Crosby made an intelligent, non-routine play in the seventh. Granted, it didn't affect the outcome of the game in the slightest. But still -- it could be a good omen.
by Englishmajor on Jul 13, 2007 12:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Yup, it's the "hawt DP" I linked in today's DLD
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
which isn't mac-friendly, apparently
Neither was salbs. Unless it's user incompetence, a completely plausible explanation.
by ArakSOT on Jul 13, 2007 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
D'oh!
It's the "Stewart begins DP" video link on the Top Plays Archive page...
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 1:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
TYSM!
I'd never been to that page! And that DP was UBER-hawt!
by ArakSOT on Jul 13, 2007 1:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<<<<<THUD>>>>>
You've got to be kidding.
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Me either!
Sorry Poppy. Don't hurt yourself.
by pam5981 on Jul 13, 2007 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Excellent post!
I remember that. Not as much detail, but most of it. And you're right, it is a big reason why I love the game. Sometimes we need reminding.
by UncleLeo on Jul 13, 2007 1:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Good memories
I remember this game quite well. Jim Palmer was doing the color commentary for ABC, and he couldn't wait to drool all over Clemens, and at the same time rip Stew a new one, so it was sweet, not only to see the A's beat Boston's ass, but also for Stew to out-pitch Clemens.
by doctorK on Jul 13, 2007 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loved reading this. Thanks, Nico.
by Ice Cream on Jul 13, 2007 1:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Piazza chat with front office
does anybody know happened here? Piazza seems to have disappeared into a witness protection program.
by oak1 on Jul 13, 2007 1:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Plus it's Chavy and Johnson,
which is hardly protection.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i thought it was protection
from kendall the pirate. hope agents beane and forst take care of him though - he deserves it.
by oak1 on Jul 13, 2007 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nico --
I thought LaRussa's first game was a few days earlier when the A's squared off with Cleveland in Oakland ... I'm pretty sure it was Stewart's first appearance (although I know Boston was his first start) ... it seemed like I was all by myself in the bleachers -- day game -- the Indians up 8-0 (or something like that) ... Stewart comes in to mop up and promptly nails Tony Bernazard (I think) ... the Tribe manager, Pat Corrales, goes out to argue with the umpire, and on his way back to the dugout says something to Stew.
They meet at the first base line, Corrales trys to throw what looked to me like a karate kick ... Stew knocks it down with his left arm and throws the most perfect round-house right I've seen in my life ... DOWN GOES CORRALES! Needless to say, the benches emptied ...one of the best baseball fights I've ever seen. I remember Kingman sitting on Otis Nixon's arms pounding the crap out of him and Joe Carter flying in from nowhere and clocking Kong with another right.
Now that's how you handle your business! I remember thinking to myself, "FINALLY, an A (Stewart) with some heart!!!!!" Aaahhhhh, the good ole' days!!!!!
Anyways, you sure that wasn't LaRussa's first game, too?
by Vacafan on Jul 13, 2007 2:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I was at that game, "broadcasting" it
with a tape recorder in the CF bleachers, as I did 5-10 times/year to sharpen my skills. Classic fight, especially the Senior Citizen Karate Kick. I thought the Fenway game was La Russa's first, but I wouldn't stake my reputation on it. (I do know the Fenway game was in the first week of La Russa's tenure for sure, because I found an article from just a few days before, announcing that he "would be taking over...")
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You and me
in the bleachers? Who'da thunk it? I had Stewart sign my A's cap after the game ... he wrote, "Keep swingin', Dave Stewart"
Want to hear the sad part? I wagered that cap vs. a Lasorda jersey in October '88 .... BASTARDS!
by Vacafan on Jul 13, 2007 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Wait a minute...
Do you have a beard, a pony tail, one leg missing, and a hook?
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have your bird
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lenny - The Sacrifical Lamb
Don't think we have a Dave Stewart going against Johan tonight. But it is a smart move to pitch Lenny rather that Blanton or Haren against Johan; who has a 45-4 record post All Star Break over the past 4 years. Maybe the A's can get a split in the series.
by scarr1 on Jul 13, 2007 2:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Wow...Two "Will you be watching when?"
...posts in consecutive days. It must be the new (stolen) mantra of AN! ;)
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 13, 2007 2:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
The boxscore to that game is here:
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1...
Clemens was 14-1 coming in. The Kingman and Canseco homers were back-to-back. It was indeed LaRussa's first game. Pretty significant.
by TacoBellManager on Jul 13, 2007 2:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Lenny's gonna pull a Saarloos
by oblique on Jul 13, 2007 3:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He's gonna give up
9 hits in 5 innings? Great.
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
<goes on DL with pulled Saarloos>
by oblique on Jul 13, 2007 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He's changing his name to DiiNaardoo?
by Poppy on Jul 13, 2007 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
kotsay grabs some pine today
kielty in there vs santana. kendall still behind the plate though.
by oak1 on Jul 13, 2007 3:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
still behind the plate an ON my nerves
by ak_A on Jul 13, 2007 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, your post and Kendall
have something in common: The "d" is missing!
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
too bad
his post didn't say, "still behind the plate an N my nerves." That way it could have had the "d" and "o" missing, and would have truly reflected Kendall's year.
by BlameChannel53 on Jul 13, 2007 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Piazza going out on a rehab. assignment today
looks like he'll be back in about a week. interesting!
by oak1 on Jul 13, 2007 3:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
<starts frantically browsing
Twins prospects list>
by Nico on Jul 13, 2007 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm gonna go out on a limb
And say this is the only game we win this series. Thats is all
by wordfromthewise on Jul 13, 2007 4:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
DJ hit..still on pace for 27 k's
by athleticsBB4life on Jul 13, 2007 5:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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