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Around SBN: Leandro Damiao Is Still Really Good

MLB 2K8 A's Roster

I'm relieved that Blez brought this up already.  I was afraid of the stigma if I was the first to write about baseball video games.  I'm a  nerd to the point that I actually get slightly more enjoyment out of updating rosters than playing the game itself.  To that end, if anyone else on here has the same malady as me, enjoy the following.

 

 

Star-divide

For the guys whose name has to be changed, I'll put the fake name you'll find them under in quotations and their real name next to it in parenthesis.

Free Agents

Kirk Saarloos
Mike Sweeney
"Kerry Fuller" (Keith Foulke)
Matthew LaCroy

(And if anybody's interested, "Randy Carter" is Roger Clemens, "Joe Young" is Barry Bonds)

AAA Roster

Position Players (Alphabetically)
3B - "Will Belkin" (Wes Bankston)
C - "Joseph Bishop" (Jeremy Brown... cutting him hurt a little...)
LF - Hiram Bocachica
C - "J.T. Crosby" (J.D. Closser... had no problem cutting him)
SS - J.J. Furmaniak
CF - "Chris Gossard" (Carlos Gonzalez)
CF - "Jared Hanson" (Javier Herrera)
2B - Kevin Melillo
SS - "Chris Parker" (Cliff Pennington)
LF - Danny Putnam
3B - "Virgil Spillane"
1B - Jake Striker

Pitchers
MR - Jerry Blevins
SP - Dallas Braden
MR - Andrew Brown
MR - Troy Cate
CL - "Sean Dean"
SP - Dana Eveland
SP - "Gene Gross" (Gio Gonzalez)
LR - "Bobby Holt" (Brad Halsey)
SP - Shane Komine
MR - Jay Marshall
SP - Dan Meyer
SU - "Lenny Rosa"
LR - "Jerry Wolf" (Jason Windsor)

AA Roster

Position Players
RF - "Noel Bradley"
RF - "Luke Cunnane" (Luke Cobb)
1B - "Gavin Dirk"
1B - "Nick Eleen"
3B - "Wayne Kensing"
2B - "Marion Kerr"
C - "Jared Meekins"
C - "Juan Ramirez"
LF - "Ray Robertson" (Richie Robnett)
C - "Marcus Slate"
3B - "Bruce Snelling"
LF - "Boyd Spooner"

Pitchers
LR - "Jim Bradley
MR - "Harry Cartwright"
MR - "Fergie DeJesus" (Fautino De los Santos)
MR - "Juan Guzman"
SP - "Frankie Heredia"
LR - "Seth Kaneko"
SP - "Jerry Larson"
SP - "Mario Mason"
SP - "Marty Morris" (Mike Mitchell)
CL - "George Small" (Greg Smith)
SP - "Darrin Stanley"
MR - "Marty Wendell"
SU - "Blake Zerbib" (Brad "Ziggy" Ziegler)

A Roster

Position Players
LF - "Jeremy Buchanan"
SS - "Einar Cedeno"
CF - "Alex Clayton"
RF - "Kenny Crosbie"
1B - "Tim Estes"
CF - "Tracy Jackson"
3B - "Monte Long" (Myron Leslie)
RF - "Mitter Mathis"
2B - "Aaron Penn"
C - "Lamar Pollard" (Landon Powell)
1B - "Harvey Pride"
LF - "Juan Pridie"
C - "Alvin Rude" (Anthony Recker)

Pitchers
SP - "Brian Alson" (Brett Anderson)
SP - "Adam Brinkman"
CL - "Brett Denney"
SP - "Seth Dorie"
LR - "Kelson Hootman"
SP - "Luke Luzietti"
SU - "Jay Read" (Jason Ray)
SP - "Bill Sanders"
MR - "Justin Shelby"
MR - "Nelson Solis"
MR - "Ronny Woodward" (Ryan Webb)

Well, that's what I have so far.  I encourage anyone who knows their stuff about minor leaguers to go ahead and make suggestions about the names I couldn't figure out.

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I'm going to hazard a guess

that "Virgil Spillane" is Vasili Spanos.

Alex Clayton could be Aaron Cunningham.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Mar 6, 2008 4:00 PM PST reply actions  

I thought the same thing...

... but Komine's already in the game on the AAA roster. And his computer-generated picture makes him look like Marky Mark.

by Joey C. on Mar 6, 2008 5:49 PM PST up reply actions  

the only reason I don't play

is I'm sure I'd get addicted....baseball already takes up too much of my time ;-)

by OaklandSi on Mar 6, 2008 4:06 PM PST reply actions  

FYI

Tim Wakefield no-hits the A's in game 4 of the season.

At least, Tim Wakefield no-hit me in game 4 of my Franchise season. Damn knuckleballs. I couldn't touch the guy.

by HigherPie on Mar 6, 2008 5:16 PM PST reply actions  

Is Troy Cate

a real person or is that Trevor Cahill?

by Syphon on Mar 6, 2008 5:21 PM PST reply actions  

Real person

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Mar 6, 2008 5:39 PM PST up reply actions  

Glaring omissions:

Gregorio Petit
Jeff Baisley
Jermaine Mitchell
Trevor Cahill
Ben Jukich
Jared Lansford (I thought it might be "Jerry Larson," but the height/weight/age is way off)
Chris Carter

by Joey C. on Mar 6, 2008 5:52 PM PST reply actions  

Ben Jukich can't be that glaring of an omission

since I have absolutely no idea who he is.

Nick Blasi doesn't seem to have made it either.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Mar 6, 2008 5:58 PM PST up reply actions  

Jukich

He isnt on the A's anymore he was part of the Denorfia trade.

by Zabat on Mar 6, 2008 9:03 PM PST up reply actions  

Some more guesses

1B - "Gavin Dirk" (Greg Doolittle)
1B - "Nick Eleen" (Steve Kleen)
C - "Jared Meekins" (Jed Morris)
C - "Juan Ramirez" (Julio Rivera)
C - "Marcus Slate" (Matt Smith)
LF - "Boyd Spooner" (Brian Stavisky or Chad Boyd)
SP - "Mario Mason" (Mike Madsen)
1B - "Tim Estes" (Tommy Everidge)
1B - "Harvey Pride" (Haas Pratt)
SS - "Einar Cedeno" (Eddie Cornejo)
RF - "Mitter Mathis" (Mike Massaro)
CF - "Tracy Jackson"(Todd Johnson)
LF - "Juan Pridie" (JD Pruitt?)
LF - "Jeremy Buchanan" (Jermaine Mitchell?)
SP - "Adam Brinkman" (Andrew Bailey)
CL - "Brett Denney" (Branden Dewing?)
SP - "Seth Dorie" (Scot Drucker)
SP - "Luke Luzietti"(Lee Land?)

"Tomorrow it may rain." - Leo Durocher

by andeux on Mar 6, 2008 6:32 PM PST reply actions  

Complete off topic and random

But I just noticed "Adam Brinkman" is a SP now. Back on MVP, he was a power-hitting speedster 3B/CF (2004), and a contact hitting 3B/OF (2005). I gotta wonder if he's a relative of Ben Brinkman (one of the main developers).

Oh, and it seems like the initials of the "fake name" correspond to a real person if the "fake name" player represents someone, so that would void out some guesses i.e. Nick Eleen - Steve Kleen, Boyd Sponner - Chad Boyd.

by Kaiser99 on Mar 6, 2008 8:15 PM PST up reply actions  

nooooooooooooooooooo

LF - "Juan Pridie" (juan pierre?)

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 Mar 7, 2008 9:26 AM PST up reply actions  

I'd like it better if it was Jason Pridie

At least he can actually hit...

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Mar 7, 2008 10:06 AM PST up reply actions  

I finally tried the demo

today and I actually really liked it. It seems like they fixed the batting issues from last year's game. I might actually buy a baseball game for the first time in a couple of years. I've only rented the games in the past.

by Tyler Bleszinski on Mar 6, 2008 7:22 PM PST reply actions  

Im happy with..

the 2K8 Version. If I had a PS3 Id get the show but since I got 360 I had to go 2k8.

by Syphon on Mar 6, 2008 7:38 PM PST up reply actions  

Hit Stick 2.0

I don't like how they took away the ability to try to hit for power or for contact. I mean, just 'cuz last year's game had waaaaay too many homers doesn't mean you should take away the distinction altogether. The first time I hit into a double play grounder with runners on the corners and 1 out, I'm going to be livid.

Hmmmm...

Actually, that's a pretty good simulation of A's baseball...

by Joey C. on Mar 6, 2008 8:39 PM PST up reply actions  

Thats why..

you gotta hold up on the left stick.

by Syphon on Mar 6, 2008 10:08 PM PST up reply actions  

update roster

can you download the updated the roster through live and then import it into the franchise mode? and i also thought it was funny that almost every athletic has an almost identical speed rating.

by tombo tuna on Mar 7, 2008 10:15 AM PST reply actions  

0?

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Mar 7, 2008 10:31 AM PST up reply actions  

Names

Lenny Rosa could be Luis Ramirez, but it seems odd that Ramirez is on A Stockton roster but the game has this Rosa guy on the AAA roster. By the way, i like your avatar. The best foo fighters album yet, in my opinion.

"Didja ever look at a dollar bill, man? There's some spooky s*** goin' on there. And it's green too." -Slater

by OrlandoAsFan on Mar 7, 2008 11:29 AM PST reply actions  

the avatar comment

was directed towards Joey C.

"Didja ever look at a dollar bill, man? There's some spooky s*** goin' on there. And it's green too." -Slater

by OrlandoAsFan on Mar 7, 2008 11:30 AM PST up reply actions  

Thanks

It's in my personal top 3.

by Joey C. on Mar 7, 2008 5:35 PM PST up reply actions  

Names

Jake Striker is probably Jason Stokes.
I wonder if Sean Dean is Sam Demel.

by Apex on Mar 7, 2008 4:50 PM PST reply actions  

how did you figure out the fake players?

guess by name and then compare stats and apperance?

A's all the way in 08 . . . oh never mind!

by micdog2001 on Mar 8, 2008 12:22 AM PST reply actions  

By the way Joey C.

I like making the roster out as well.

and I posted a diary on baseball video games back on AN 2.0 in January or something. So don't feel bad.

I like MVP baseball 2005 and I spent hours creating and editing players and fixing the roster because only a few players were still with the team. After hours and hours of work disaster struck. Waking up one saturday morning I hastily tried loading my roster to play a game and instead saved over it with the default roster. It sucked but I did all the work over again.

A's all the way in 08 . . . oh never mind!

by micdog2001 on Mar 8, 2008 12:29 AM PST reply actions  

I know your pain

I've spent way too many hours updating the rosters in MVP 2005. Great game, though.

As for your question above, the fake-named players all have the same first letter of the first and last name of the real players, and generally speaking have the same height/weight/age as listed by the organization. A lot of them have the right jersey number and batting stance/pitching wind-up, too.

by Joey C. on Mar 8, 2008 2:07 PM PST up reply actions  

I'm sure this has been explained before,

but why isn't everyone just in the game to begin with? Especially the guys who have been in the major leagues before.

"The hard... is what makes it great."

by Jjjsixsix on Mar 8, 2008 8:34 PM PST reply actions  

Licensing

Minor leaguers aren't part of the MLBPA. Some MLB players aren't either (Kevin Millar, the late Cory Lidle, Barry Bonds) for various reasons like crossing the line during the strike, not signing on because they want to market themselves and get 100%, etc. Using fake names is a way around it. Sure, gaming companies can pay for the minor league license too, but their target demographics are regular gamers who want to play baseball with real players, not the hardcore fans who would want a realistic, indepth minor league system. It's possibly, but not feasible $$$-wise for companies at this point.

Not sure how it works exactly for players who had a cup of coffee in the majors before being sent down again with no real chance of going back up. Some are in, others have fake names, and others are not there at all.

by Kaiser99 on Mar 9, 2008 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions  

Bocachica on the A's?

Geez, you'd think they wouldn't include guys who left the team mid-2007.

Anyway, I think Jake Striker is Jason Stokes.

by thejd44 on Mar 8, 2008 10:16 PM PST reply actions  

Edits

I tried to edit the post to include some of the suggestions, but the changes aren't showing up here. What gives?

by Joey C. on Mar 9, 2008 2:58 PM PDT reply actions  

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