Just Your Typical Sunday Afternoon at the Ballpark
by baseballgirl on Sep 16, 2007 5:03 PM PDT
in News
97 comments
So, how best to describe today’s marathon contest? I would venture to say that offense was not a problem for either team, but if you were looking forward to today’s billed pitching match-up, you were probably disappointed. Padilla pitched to exactly two batters before making the game-ending mistake of hitting Nick Swisher, who promptly charged the mound, taking himself and Padilla out of the game. On the other side, DiNardo didn’t make it through two; a pitching line of 1.2 IP, 2H, 4BB, 5ER speaks for itself.
Lugo was only marginally better in his two innings of work, but Braden was able to pitch the next three without further incident. The A’s offense, in the meantime, backed by excellent days by Suzuki (why, oh why couldn’t he have started the season!), Hannahan and Ellis, made up the deficit and actually led the A’s to a slim 8-7 lead going to the eighth.
Enter Andrew Brown. Exit the ball, as Michael Young cleared the bases with a grand slam, putting Texas on top 11-8. The A’s rallied for another comeback in their half of the inning, but were only able to score one. A seemingly insignificant ruling (a catcher cannot stop the ball using his mask) would have given the A’s another run, since the penalty is two bases for each base-runner, but Geren could not win the argument.
When it was all said and done, the A’s had fallen short, losing the final game of the series 11-9. Today’s BartonWatch finds Daric with a hit, a walk, and an RBI, and the EllisHomerunTracker climbs to 18.
All in all, this series was by no means a showcase of top major league talent, but at least it suggests that the A’s were better than someone this season. And that’s just going to have to be enough for 2007.
And if you want to see highlights from the game, don’t miss Swish’s ‘takedown’. That should be excellent fodder for the 2008 A’s commercials. Either that, or ‘introduction to wrestling’.
The A’s take on Seattle tomorrow at 7:05
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video of swisher.....
charging the mound, now up on mlb.com.
takedown, almost...
by arch on Sep 16, 2007 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
anyone still think
we should send this guy to LA?
it's ludicrous to think that we would.
The A's need someone like Swisher to go to battle with. He posseses the kind of energy and passion that the underdog A's can't afford to do without.
That and he's a pretty good (and young) talent.
by 67MARQUEZ on Sep 16, 2007 5:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I was pretty disgusted with Brown
walking Wilkerson on 4 pitches ahead of Michael Young. Today the A's pitchers had a very Rangers-like tendency not to throw strikes early or often. I'm not used to that--and I don't want to get used to it.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 6:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
just got back from the fights
er...game.
another sloppy one -- one of many this last couple of weeks. Sorry to see Brown melt down, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.
I was glad to see Blevins' MLB debut...guy's got a live arm. He is extremely tall and skinny (looked funny warming up next to Brown).
by OaklandSi on Sep 16, 2007 6:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Blevins
His mom sat right near me and took pictures while he pitched. She was in tears at the end of his inning, very emotional. She said that when he called to tell her he'd been traded from Chicago to Oakland, she asked if that was a good thing. He said, "Mom, go look in my room." His bedroom at home is full of A's stuff. She said Oakland has always been his favorite team. They live in Toledo, Ohio. I now have a new favorite player to root for.
by skigurl on Sep 16, 2007 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow...that is really great
I've got a game story too. One of the vendors is a close friend of my friend. This vendor came over today and told us a Ranger bullpen pitcher made some remark about wanting ice cream to him as he was selling to fans in the seats near the visiting bullpen. The vendor said "working man to working man, I'll sell you ice cream if you want."
the Texas pitcher said "nah, not unless you'll give it away for free." The vendor replied, 'How much more do you make than me? You don't want me busting you in front of your teammates now, do you?"
The pitcher just scowled at him.
Not as nice a story as yours, but just a true game tale to share here.
by OaklandSi on Sep 16, 2007 6:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how old is the kid
by xbhaskarx on Sep 17, 2007 1:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
IIRC,
his mom said he just turned 24.
Love your story, too, OaklandSi. Wonder who it was? Chair-throwing Frankie, maybe?
by skigurl on Sep 17, 2007 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I asked the vendor, but he didn't
pay attention and couldn't identify him, unfortunately.
by OaklandSi on Sep 17, 2007 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So tell me
Who'd DiNardo hit to get tossed out in the 2nd?
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Sep 16, 2007 6:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Some new call-up...
I think his name was Notsuzuki'sglove
by CoryC123 on Sep 16, 2007 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It wasn't Chuck Meriwether's strike zone.
by Mabster on Sep 16, 2007 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
DiNardo couldn't find the plate with Yahoo maps
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I couldn't find Lake Moultrie with Yahoo maps
At least, not at first. But eventually, success was mine.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blevins had a nice inning....
What's with all the walks the Oakland's pitching staff has been giving up? We're supposed to do this to the opposition, it's not supposed to happen to us!
by athleticsBB4life on Sep 16, 2007 6:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
to think we lost the season series to Texas is...
DISGUSTING!!!
by athleticsBB4life on Sep 16, 2007 6:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
omann
got to the coliseum RIGHTTT as the charge happened..heard it from outside...saw the replay as i was buying tickets..but exciting game for sure
by GooooAs on Sep 16, 2007 6:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
lol at hannahan
what was he doing diving OVER the pile in the brawl?
by gotgreen on Sep 16, 2007 6:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He's been face down in the grass before
Didn't care for it.
by Englishmajor on Sep 16, 2007 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Plus the toaster told him to do it
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Rotoworld says Swish is likely to be suspended
but also mentions that Hannahan might get suspended as well...if so that's a costly swan dive
by OaklandSi on Sep 16, 2007 7:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Swisher's a given, but
why Hannahan? For breaking that bottle of Heineken over Blalock's head?
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 8:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bullpen use and high leverage situations
If you're going to pull DiNardo in the 2nd inning with 2 runs in, the bases loaded, and a 2-0 count on the batter, isn't that a good time to bring in a hot hand - if not your hottest - from the bullpen to stop the bleeding ? Escaping from that inning without further damage would have been the difference in this game.
by green star oakland on Sep 16, 2007 8:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
melhuse speaketh about the incident
Melhuse said that he wasn't aware of any anti-Swisher sentiment in the Texas clubhouse, but he, too, felt like Swisher had a bull's-eye on his back.
"I would definitely say something was up in this series," Melhuse said. "Obviously, Swish had a good series against them, and maybe they saw something they didn't like."
Melhuse also suggested that Padilla wasn't acting alone, based on the way the fateful at-bat played out.
"You could see they were on the same page, the way [Saltalamacchia] was setting up," he said. "It's obvious there was some intent."
by gotgreen on Sep 16, 2007 8:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
video??
by xbhaskarx on Sep 16, 2007 8:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
under MORE COVERAGE
you can see the "Swisher charges the mound" clip HERE.
by gotgreen on Sep 16, 2007 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
wow
i haven't been paying attention.
so the rangers hit swisher on friday, saturday and sunday?
and padilla almost hit swisher three times before he actually hit him?
has there been any retaliation from out pitchers? i would hope so...
by xbhaskarx on Sep 16, 2007 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, sort of. Our pitchers haven't
actually thrown at any of their hitters, but they have spread some nasty rumors about them and written many unsavory things on various MySpace pages.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, Ozzman99,
"great minds drink alike"! I mean ... No, that's right.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ah, I could watch that clip all night. :)
Too bad Swish didn't get more of the loser. Sucks that he'll most likely suspended for it. There's no excuse for throwing at a batter, over and over.
by Gromit1025 on Sep 16, 2007 8:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Whereas running at a person
and attacking him, well...I mean, ya gotta do that!
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 8:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
crosby
what was HE doing out there pushing and shoving with that injured hand of his?!
by gotgreen on Sep 16, 2007 8:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hah. I totally saw that on the clip
and thought "get out of there! you're gonna break something!"
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 8:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's Crosby
He could break something getting out of bed in the morning.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I broke something getting
out of bed this morning. Wind.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's a nice way to start the day, isn't it?
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and sustain it
by ak_A on Sep 16, 2007 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sustain what? The day? Or...?
Eew.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If anyone ever invented a car
that ran on farts, I'd be in stinky heaven. And a lot more farmers would grow beans.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And I'd be biking a lot more
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
biker shorts
may be causing that bulging dick in your back.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I need to stop riding tandem
<calls Piazza, cancels ride>
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
When a guy asks
if you want to ride on his handlebar, make sure he doesn't have a mustache.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whenever anyone asks about
the wheels on my bike, I refer them to my spokesperson.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
otg, the season will soon be over.
by ak_A on Sep 16, 2007 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Aaand..MKT just now figures out what OTG means.
by oblique on Sep 16, 2007 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
...isn't it
Oh Thank God?
And I have no confidence that this "witty banter" will not continue long into the offseason.
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that's what I figure
but I like "onions, thyme, garlic." It sounds like a Ron Burgundy exclamation.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
couldn't resist...
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
btw
If you're implying that you find the banter between Nico and I less than entertaining, I just don't believe it. Don't act like you're not impressed.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
There it is.
less than entertaining
;)
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Made of glass, that boy.
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Anyone remember Todd Shell?
Niners LB from the 80's. Nicknamed Crystal by his teammates.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
backing up his team..
the family of oakland a's =)
except i guess its not the smartest thing to do
by GooooAs on Sep 16, 2007 9:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Small sample size alert but...
I was impressed with Bevins. I'm not too familiar with him, but from what I've read, it looks like he was pretty good in the minors (especially his K/BB rate). It'd be nice if he could be a solid addition to the BP.
About the BP, what exactly is the cause of their decline? Sure, Duke would have been a help but after Street, Duke, and Embree there's a lot of question marks. Usually pitching is a strong point but even in our SP rotation anything beyond Haren, Blanton, and Gaudin is a question mark aswell.
And continuing with some food for thought, one of those analysts was speculating that we send DJ to SF for Nate Schierholtz... just throwing it out there. I don't personally know enough about him to make a case either way.
by AsWin on Sep 16, 2007 8:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
BP
How often, really do you see relief pitchers with long, consistent careers. Sure, a few guys stand out, like Rivera. But they are the exceptions that prove the rule, I think. Plus, they are usually closers. It seems to me that building a bullpen is 2 parts player evaluation and 2 parts luck. As you said, even with Duke, the pen would have been iffy beyond him, Street and Embree. On the other hand, who knew Calero would be so bad? And if Harden and Loaiza had been healthy, the pen would have had DiNardo and Kennedy. DiNardo was good out of them pen early in the year, and Kennedy had a good year last year. Street, Duke, Calero, Embree, DiNardo, and Kennedy would be a strong group who could share the workload.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also, we're relying heavily on
guys who shouldn't be "high leverage" pitchers. Brown and Casilla are inconsistent; hence why they are not established set-up guys like Duchscherer. But we have been forced to pitch them as if they were Duke. And they're not.
As for DJ/Schierholz, Schierholz is an excellent prospect whereas DJ is a 28 year old AAAA player. So sadly, that's not going to happen.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Could I have more typos?
I meant 3 parts player evaluation, not 2. And I meant "the pen," not "them pen."
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Typos. God almighty.
Thats' freaking patetic.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm my own worst critic
Except for oh2b21likehuston.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh yeah--I criticize him way more too.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Plus, if I'm bad enough
I might get my own column and get mocked by FJM.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I attribute most of my typos
to a bulging dick in my back.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You'd think that would cause
problems worse than typos.
by pam5981 on Sep 16, 2007 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not necessarily
Capote had that problem, and his writing didn't suffer at all.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's true man.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good idea
Henceforth, all of my typos will be attributed to your bulging disc.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who said anything about a bulging disc?
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another typo?
Or I'm too lazy to read every word. Take your pick.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have a legitimate excuse for my mistakes--
lab tests have shown that I have typo blood. In fact, the lab called Thursday to say, "Woof! Woof! Bar-rar-rar-rar-ar!!!!!"
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You and Hamlet.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Isn't that a vacuum cleaner?
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think so
The one that scared oh2b.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Or not 2b...
See how it always comes back to Hamlet?
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shakespeare is the center of the universe
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I always assumed the government
was the center of the universe--you know, infinite density.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
apparently, my belly is the center
of the universe.
by ozzman99 on Sep 16, 2007 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
schierholtz
hits for a high average and has some pop. worst batting average in the minors was his .270 when he spent a year in hell, or norwich.
i would love to see him in an oakland uniform...he's a dodgers fan anyway :-p
and he's my good friend's older brother.
by flipgatey3 on Sep 17, 2007 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
any giveaways?
does anyone happen to have any of those cowboy hats they'd like to get off of their hands?
by GooooAs on Sep 16, 2007 9:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Any giveaways?
Try the game.
by Nico on Sep 16, 2007 9:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fire Washington
He doesn't have any leadership with his rangers. Washington needs to show his toughness and take Padilla out of the rotation or fine him.
by Arcman on Sep 16, 2007 10:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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