7:2:8 DLD | Honoring the Boycott

by ArakSOT on Jul 2, 2008 8:55 AM PDT Comment 56 comments

Gosh darn it to heck, I hate it when this happens. Still, I suppose it could have been worse:

Tuesday, Harden said he had a dead-arm kind of feeling, which he has had in the past and which is normal for pitchers around midseason

So, go Dana! Saunders ain't gonna make it easy for you.

In other news, our lovable moppets were apparently on hand for the inspiration of WALL-E's look:

The idea actually came while the director was at an Oakland A's playoff game, almost five years ago, when the home team was competing against the Boston Red Sox.

(h/t Catfish Stew)

And because the grouch will mention it, but is, I suppose, too humble to link to it, our own salb's piece over at THT: Good team, bad team, glad team, sad team:

That must frustrate Oakland fans looking up at the Halos in the standings. The A's are the inverse of the Angels: a slightly above-average team playing extremely well but with only a slightly above-average number of wins to show for it.

Dump away!

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Dead arm...

Is surely code for something, but I just can’t think what.

by Squeaky on Jul 2, 2008 9:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm guessing something small.

SARS, maybe.

by mikev on Jul 2, 2008 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

impetigo

Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.

by salb918 on Jul 2, 2008 9:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My name is Impetigo Montoya. You killed my pitcher. Prepare to die!

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

WALL-E

In other words, the robot’s look is the result of the Coli’s massive foul territory—if Andrew Stanton needs binoculars from his (presumably) high-priced/insider-access seats.

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 9:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The mlb.com A's page has some decent stuff on it

A run down looks like this
1. Ziggy getting some more attention this time for Rookie of the Month
2. More on the Inoa soon to be signing, but not really a lot of new info
3. Thomas injury info
4. todays game preview has some more info and injury updates
5. Sam Demel of Stockton is a Harry Potter book fan and is learning that you can’t just through straight fast balls (attention Allen Embree) and be successful all the time a
6. Jerry Belvins may be going to Law School if the baseball things doesnt work out for him.
7. Allstar voting end today at 8:59 pm PT so if you have not used up all 28 of you chances to vote what are you waiting forgo vote.

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 9:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

here the link, second try

” >

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

once more for good luck and if it dont work just go to mlb.com yourself

” >link

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 9:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

allow me...

link

"The Athletics at Fremont" is pretty bad

by ArakSOT on Jul 2, 2008 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks idk what i was doing wrong

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know you guys are eagerly anticipating

my photo diary, but you guys will have to wait until tonight.

by Jennifer on Jul 2, 2008 9:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

probably best

I already get very little done here at work….if that diary posts during the workday, I may as well go home….although the internet is faster here…. ;)

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jul 2, 2008 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kind of a colorless dump

Needs more pictures.

How do the angels get to sleep when the devil leaves the porchlight on?

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jul 2, 2008 10:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Eat some beets

or corn.

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jul 2, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crucible Fire Arts Festival coming up near West Oakland BART

Next week, details here. It has been fantastic fun in past years, before they became so proud of the tickets. Still quite remarkable blend of sculpture and combustion.

Here’s”the vortex:”

The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus

by The Dogfather on Jul 2, 2008 10:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Whoa

Chavez to DL, Wes Bankston promoted

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jul 2, 2008 10:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bankston

(following up my own post)
has hit .275/.316/.491 with 14 home runs this year at Sacramento.
Obviously he’s not Jason Bay, or even Casey Blake, but it looks like a shot at getting some of that right-handed power that everyone has been clamoring for, as well as providing an option other than Barton at 1B.

"May a nit suck Cajun geese?" wonders Red. No, we see gnu Jack Cust in a yam.

by andeux on Jul 2, 2008 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if they're going to play him at third.

He has six games there this year, during which he’s committed three errors. Amazingly, he has committed 20 errors in 36 career games as a minor-league third baseman.

So much for achieving my dream of getting Jack Hannahan out of the lineup…

So it goes.

by jeepers on Jul 2, 2008 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LaRoche is right handed.

Blanton for LaRoche + somebody else

by mikev on Jul 2, 2008 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

as the kids say, nagahapa

Blanton has no value right now.

And Chavez going on the DL (and Hannahan not hitting … and Beane calling up Wes freakin’ Bankston) reduces Beane’s leverage even further.

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Gaudin instead?

I think it’s a shame he’s wasting away in our bullpen. He ought to be able to help somebody’s rotation, even if it isn’t ours.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Jul 2, 2008 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

with Gaudin stuck in the 'pen, his value is currently minimized

The A’s have two pitchers on the 25-man with trade value that is anywhere commensurate with their performance value if retained: Harden, and Street. And after last night, Harden’s stock may start dropping (precipitously, if he follows all his previous dead-arm/whatever examples).

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 11:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think a smart team would still see the value in Gaudin.

If Beane’s phone didn’t ring off the hook when he was demoted, they should have a group MLB GM ad for Ambien.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Jul 2, 2008 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

of course a smart team would

But they’d also tell Beane, hey, you demoted him to AAA, you bounced him to the ‘pen—he must suck! Give him to us for our AAAA roster filler!

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

On the plus side

With a secure spot, Hannahan may raise his .649 OPS a point or two and knock Bill Hall into the “worst OPS among qualified 3B” slot

by nevermoor on Jul 2, 2008 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

props to the A's for DL'ing him

Years past (presuming his status isn’t actually horrific), they would have let him linger another 10-20 days.

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

By that you mean 30-40+ days, yes?

"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."

by Kyli on Jul 3, 2008 8:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rotoworld sure is tough on prospects.

Aaron Cunningham went 4-for-5 with two homers and a double Tuesday for Double-A Midland.
At .290/.363/.458 with seven homers in 214 at-bats, Cunningham hasn’t been quite as productive as hoped in the Texas League. However, he missed the first month of the season with a broken wrist, accounting for the modest power numbers he’s produced to date. Four of his homers have come in the last nine games, so maybe he’s found his stroke now.

He is OPS .821, what are they expecting?

by theblackpearl on Jul 2, 2008 11:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Their best hitter was Jesus Guzman

who was called up to AAA recently.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 2, 2008 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does anyone ever rue the days any more?

I think the world needs more day ruers.

"You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy."

-Charles Manson

by kaweahkaweah on Jul 2, 2008 11:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rue-ella DeVille?

I want an A's-Rays ALCS.

by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 2, 2008 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hear Emeril rouxs the day.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Jul 2, 2008 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A while ago, I'd hoped that Emil was the ruse of the day.

"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL

by oblique on Jul 2, 2008 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pro-lifers RU 486 the day

How do the angels get to sleep when the devil leaves the porchlight on?

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jul 2, 2008 12:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In the Hundred Acre Wood, Kanga Roos the day.

Blueberry

by Ice Cream on Jul 2, 2008 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Former A's player sighting

Freddie Bynum (if he had enought apperances to be eligible) was purchased from minors by the O birds

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 11:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

and

Mark Kotsay must be taped back together enough to be activated from the DL

by A'sfaninNC on Jul 2, 2008 11:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Joe Blanton has a new blog

http://joeblanton.mlblogs.com/

by theblackpearl on Jul 2, 2008 12:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This was a fun article on Tim Lincecum

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/07/01/lincecum0707/index.html

Children, until we have taught them better, will be perfectly happy with a seasonal round of games in which conkers succeeds hopscotch.

by salb918 on Jul 2, 2008 12:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh, please.

The A’s have banned candy bars and ice cream from their clubhouse, at home and on the road. The A’s aren’t the first team to institute such a ban, but it puzzled at least one player: “I understand they have a lot of money invested in us, so it makes sense to try to keep us healthy, but we are grown men. It seems a little high school to me.

(from Thunderbutt’s 2nd link)

There's no textbook for how to treat a geriatric tapir.

by Poppy on Jul 2, 2008 1:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

As long as they don't ban cupcakes.

"You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody's crazy."

-Charles Manson

by kaweahkaweah on Jul 2, 2008 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess that means Larry is staying away from the clubhouse

He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp. He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Jul 2, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

First beer, now this.

What’s left? Soon we’ll be seeing pictures of Rich Harden and Bobby Crosby hanging in the clubhouse, munching on rice cakes and fighting over the carrot juice.

So it goes.

by jeepers on Jul 2, 2008 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously.

Is a world without Guinness floats a world worth living in?

"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."

by Kyli on Jul 3, 2008 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Murderous Moppets?

Fortunately, this is his age-28 year: his killing productivity is likely to decline. Impressive range, though. -Monkeyball

by Leopold Bloom on Jul 2, 2008 2:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Lemurs! Conkers!

Don't blame me, I voted for Ice Cream

by Englishmajor on Jul 2, 2008 3:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

One of only five teams in baseball with a winning road record, the A’s are playing just well enough to make a trading deadline fire sale by Billy Beane a crying shame. Catching the Angels for the AL West title might be an easier proposition than staying in a wild-card race with the Red Sox-Rays runner up.

Is he talking about a fire sale last year? if so I wonder if the writer realizes that the “fire sale” is one of the reasons the A’s first half went as well as it did.

Or does he know something we don’t about this years deadline? OR is he looking into a crystal ball?

You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}

by micdog2001 on Jul 2, 2008 5:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Baseball America discusses the Inoa signing with Beane

here.

Money quotes (so to speak):

“The family really did their homework,” said Owens, a big, outgoing man who exudes charm and personality. “It goes back to the triumvirate of (Tim) Hudson, (Mark) Mulder and (Barry) Zito, then seeing the new guys develop—(Dana) Eveland, (Greg) Smith and Santiago Casilla. They saw the success of that vs. the other clubs pursuing Michael. They felt very comfortable that they were in the best hands in baseball as far as developing pitching talent.”

“It’s no secret we had reduced our major-league payroll,” Beane said. “We wanted to continue to reinvest what would normally be major league payroll into the infrastructure.”

“The money we invested, say $4.25 million, would be better than signing one major league player at 4.25,” he said. “It does relate very much to the major league payroll. The risks and potential of what this kid could do was worth it to us.”

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 2, 2008 6:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A's on Yahoo Front Page

I liked seeing this:

by cagrrrl on Jul 3, 2008 3:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow, we were outbid for Inoa

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-inoa070308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Disappointment tinged Buckley’s voice. He had visited the Dominican three times to watch Inoa pitch. Cincinnati – low-revenue Cincinnati, immortalized by former owner Marge Schott’s penny pinching, and only recently willing to loosen the purse strings under owner Bob Castellini – reportedly offered Inoa about $5 million. Inoa preferred Oakland’s track record of developing pitchers, and it didn’t hurt that A’s owner Lew Wolff and general manager Billy Beane commissioned a private plane to the Dominican for a meet and greet several weeks before the July 2 signing date.

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Jul 3, 2008 3:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs