DLD 8.6.08 -- Gimme Something to Believe In.
Given the stomach punch we've all recently been subjected to, I've been thinking about what could possibly give us hope, here in this seemingly dark pit of despair. I've got something for all of us to believe in: believe in Frank Thomas.
I've done some thinking lately about our venerable DH and his legacy, and I've come to the conclusion that Mr. Thomas has valid reason to be very, very bitter. Thomas has been a vocal advocate for steroids testing for about 13 years. He was the only active player to openly talk to the Mitchell Report. He, if anyone is, is free from the taint of steroids.
I remember, as many of you do, the incredible feat it was to get to 30 home runs in a season, much less 40, 50, 60 or 70. If you couple the way in which home runs were hit prior to the steroids era and the numbers that Big Frank has put up without help, his stats are really impressive.
His awesomeness gets lost in the mix however. Several reasons:
1. Five of the top ten home run hitters of all-time, strangely enough, came to be in the steroids era. We don't have the answers to who and how and how long and all that. But we can, fairly safely I think, assume that not all of those players' numbers are legitimate. If they don't do steroids, Frank stands out more, as he should.
2. He played the majority of his career on the Southside. He was not blessed with a career in a major market, or at least not the top billing in a major market. The White Sox are the Bay Area A's, and the A's are the A's and Toronto is an afterthought in the AL East (I mean, when they're not spanking us). point is, he's never had the full attention of the media in the regular season.
3. He worked the count as well as anyone. Frank, even early in his career, was never opposed to taking a walk. If you didn't give him something to hit, he'd take his base. If you did, or made a mistake, he almost always made you pay for it. But contrary to what we at AN think, walks are not sexy.
4. His playoff experience...well, let's just say he has as much playoff experience in gold and green in one year as he did in 16 with the Sox. We gave him his only postseason winning series. He hasn't really had the media's full attention in the post-season.
5. His home run totals are consistent (thank you, Mr. Morgan) with the home run leaders in the pre-steroids era, also known as "not sexy." Here are his season totals for the last nineteen years: 7, 32, 24, 41, 38, 40, 40, 35, 29, 15, 43, 4, 28, 42, 18, 12, 39, 26, 7. As a point of reference, Reggie led the league in home runs four times. He had 32 in '73, 36 in '75, 41 in '80 and 39 in '82.
Frank Thomas is, essentially, the anti-Bonds. He apparently took the road less traveled. This is not so much an indictment of the steroids era, as much as a call for hailing a contrarian who refused to play along. So, we should, if nothing else, bathe in the splendor and glory that is The Big Hurt for the remainder of the season. He's our guy. And he's gotten the short end of the baseball legacy stick and he's managed to keep a good attitude about it, and let's face it, the guy's just awesome. Huge man-crush. 'Nuff said.
Okay, linky links:
SuSlu's worried about our closer's sleeping.
If Bob Geren says this about you:
"A real base-running mistake," Geren said.
is that the equivalent of a real manager calling you out?
SuSlu also said those bums in the GWN had the audacity to boo Big Frank on Monday. Well, Canada, allow me to say "Boo!" to you:
Frank Thomas, let go by the Blue Jays in April after he complained about diminished playing time, drew scattered boos in his first appearance in Toronto since he was released.
In case you missed it in yesterday's DLD, sslinger brought us emergency sandwich. Apologies for the repeat, but I didn't want anyone to miss it, and I wanted you all to note where the call(s) originated.
JoPo, Live at Budokan, er, China!
Read up on the hero of the day.
Fagitaboutit --this is in my neck of the woods--perhaps I should go up for a couple days and do an AN special report...
Jim Caple at ESPN (I know, I know--I'm sleeping with the enemy) has an interesting debate about closers and their changed role in baseball in the last twenty-five years, including quotes from BB. Billy is asked why the modern ball club will bring in their closer up by three, but not normally in a late-inning situations where the game is clearly on the line:
"I'll tell you why," Oakland general manager Billy Beane says. "It's the same reason more football coaches don't go for it on fourth-and-1. Because when it doesn't work, 30 of you guys come storming in wondering why the manager didn't go to the closer. It's turned into a situation where a lot of emotion is tied to that decision, just as a lot of emotion is tied to the fourth-down decision. Even if you know the odds, it's more comfortable being wrong when you go to the closer or the punter.
"The position has become very media-driven. It became a national story when Boston announced it would go with a bullpen by committee."
It will probably be less of a story in Oakland.
Dump away, peeps, dump away.
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I had a nightmare last night that the A's can't win a baseball game!
Thank god I woke up…
by capper3 on
Aug 6, 2008 7:48 AM PDT
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Ah! It's real! It's real!
Soylient Green is people! Soylient Gr…wait, what?
By process of elimination (the only process I endorse), I guess that makes you a piece of lamb. @('.')@
by Leopold Bloom on
Aug 6, 2008 8:06 AM PDT
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Looks like someone
woke up on the wrong side of Suzanne Pleshette this morning!
"All managers are losers, they are the most expendable pieces of furniture on the face of the Earth."- Ted Williams
by Gaijin_Suketto on
Aug 6, 2008 4:00 PM PDT
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Beane talks the talk.
Won’t Geren please walk the walk?
Ziggy watch: 26 G, 34.0 IP, 19 H, 9 BB, 15 K, 72% GB, 0 XBH, 0.00 ERA, ∞ ERA+.
Hershesier stress alert: moderate.
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
Aug 6, 2008 8:28 AM PDT
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comparing closers to 4th down in football
i believe some economists did a study a few years ago on 4th downs. they determined that coaches should go for it more often but don’t because they could get fired. anyone have info on that?
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
Aug 6, 2008 8:55 AM PDT
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Yea....couldnt find the full paper, but
A few years ago, this paper by Berkeley economist David Romer got a lot of publicity. It used to be titled It’s Fourth Down and What Does the Bellman Equation Say? A Dynamic-Programming Analysis of Football Strategy, but he has changed the name to Do Firms Maximize? Evidence from Professional Football. It was just published last month in The Journal of Political Economy.
Bring back Hammer.
by OaktownPower on
Aug 6, 2008 9:33 AM PDT
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(this is bordering on work-related for me....)
Here’s a paper from April 2006: Do Firms Maximize? Evidence from Professional Football
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on
Aug 6, 2008 9:56 AM PDT
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Also just about every in-season Easterbrook (ESPN's TMQ) column harps on this
Teams should go for it a LOT more than they do. It would be better to never punt than to punt as often as they now do (although both strategies are stupid).
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson
by nevermoor on
Aug 7, 2008 11:47 AM PDT
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The weird thing about it in football
is that most fans actually WANT their team to do the right thing in those situations, so the downside is that someone might write a nasty article?
The A's colors are green and gold.
by mikeA on
Aug 6, 2008 9:42 AM PDT
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Coaches and managers (and GMs) have their own unique utilitiy function,
and a lot of their risk assessment has to do with how the media might respond.
It’s not without rationale, either – look at how Paul DePodesta and Grady Little got run out of town.
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
Aug 6, 2008 9:44 AM PDT
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the fans WANT it
until it backfires and costs the team a game, and then they want to fire the coach.
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
Aug 6, 2008 9:54 AM PDT
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Yup
If the team gets that yard, the coach is a genius. Otherwise, pack your bags and see what college programs are hiring.
Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.
by Joey C. on
Aug 6, 2008 2:02 PM PDT
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Fans =/= media
Fans want excitement. The media wants traditional behavior that fits their predeveloped storylines. Those can overlap (eg the hit-and-run in baseball) or conflict (fourth and 1).
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
by PaulThomas on
Aug 6, 2008 12:24 PM PDT
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predeveloped is the key word here
I’m sure 4th and 1 is evaluated by coaches in terms of risk. They pick the evaluation that conforms with consensus, even if it doesn’t maximize utility. That’s rational on their part in terms of risk.
by ohmangoAs on
Aug 6, 2008 12:36 PM PDT
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I liked the T-Rex one, that's pretty funny.
A couple of questions:
1. If you can have bad communication with a T-Rex “Roar, rawwwwwr, roar” then why did he say in the previous one “Hey look an asteroid run for you lives!”?
2. Do unicorns really make good parachutes? Or are they just messing with me?
—-just messing---i’m bored in math class.
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:17 AM PDT
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Few more questions!
Is that guy gay? The unicorn kinda looks like a girl unicorn, but the t-rex looks like a guy t-rex, just saying!
Oh, is that Mark Ellis dating the unicorn?
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:19 AM PDT
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Mark Ellis is a P-I-M-P!! PIMPIN'!
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:20 AM PDT
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What are you doing in math class?
Even here at U of Oregon, with the whole quarters thing, summer school is out.
Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.
by Joey C. on
Aug 6, 2008 2:04 PM PDT
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I am taking Summer Semester sessions! Because I'm a total geek.
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 7, 2008 8:35 AM PDT
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Morning!
Mr. Bloom! Sleep well?
Stomper is a badass!
by lynnzgal on
Aug 6, 2008 8:32 AM PDT
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nope.
tired. and sleepy. and blurry. and making signs.
By process of elimination (the only process I endorse), I guess that makes you a piece of lamb. @('.')@
by Leopold Bloom on
Aug 6, 2008 8:40 AM PDT
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Awww!
Well, just be careful with those signs, haha!
Stomper is a badass!
by lynnzgal on
Aug 6, 2008 8:48 AM PDT
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I had a sign
earlier this morning that was supposed to read “For Rent” but I was so tired that I made the sign to read “For Rend”—someone later came and tore the apartment complex in twain.
Oops.
By process of elimination (the only process I endorse), I guess that makes you a piece of lamb. @('.')@
by Leopold Bloom on
Aug 6, 2008 9:09 AM PDT
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LMBO!!
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:31 AM PDT
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LMGMO!
In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!
by DMOAS on
Aug 6, 2008 9:34 AM PDT
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Question mark?
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:37 AM PDT
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The technical term
for the B or the A
In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!
by DMOAS on
Aug 6, 2008 11:01 AM PDT
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Okay got it! :D
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 7, 2008 8:35 AM PDT
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Huh
Reading the title, I thought for sure there would be a reference to this. Instead, I just have a song stuck in my head…..
There's no crying in baseball!
by gigglingone on
Aug 6, 2008 9:04 AM PDT
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It was more the Springsteen song,
but I prefer the one sung by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn.
By process of elimination (the only process I endorse), I guess that makes you a piece of lamb. @('.')@
by Leopold Bloom on
Aug 6, 2008 9:07 AM PDT
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And here I thought it was ...
Must be a generational thing.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on
Aug 6, 2008 10:16 AM PDT
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Woo! Aimee reference on AN! Woo!
happy dance
"Sad songs are my favorite songs." - Lenny DiNardo
by cagrrrl on
Aug 7, 2008 3:27 PM PDT
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I immediately thought
of this Poison song.
(Formerly Nobody Girl)
"We are a complete freak show." -- Billy Beane
by day-to-day on
Aug 6, 2008 11:00 AM PDT
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same here
in fact, when i saw gigglineone’s comment linked to song lyrics, i assumed it was the poison song.
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
Aug 6, 2008 11:03 AM PDT
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Dudes, I was shfitzing so much during that inning!

AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:10 AM PDT
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Good news for teams I follow
My team in slo-pitch community softball made the finals! The championship game is tomorrow. The favorites were upset in the semi-finals, and they had destroyed us earlier in the season. So, we might actually have a chance in the final round.
In case you’re wondering how nerdy this league is, the teams in the finals are the Robust All-Stars and the Base Pairs. Unfortunately for the astrophysics department, the Compact Objects was eliminated earlier.
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
Aug 6, 2008 9:12 AM PDT
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I have often eliminated Compact Objects
This is the highest-known density of gorillas that's ever been found. @('.')@
by monkeyball on
Aug 6, 2008 9:14 AM PDT
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I thought you played washtub bass
for Compact Objects…
"All managers are losers, they are the most expendable pieces of furniture on the face of the Earth."- Ted Williams
by Gaijin_Suketto on
Aug 6, 2008 4:20 PM PDT
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No, he played gutbucket.
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
Aug 6, 2008 4:31 PM PDT
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Yes, but can you also rap
like the folks in this video from the Large Hadron Collider?
Sure, but it won’t be as funny when they create stranglets that kill us all.
They want to steal the land papers which is why they have tried to break in. But they had to give up after being bitten by Chhotu.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
Aug 6, 2008 9:19 AM PDT
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That's okay, it isn't all that funny to begin with.
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
Aug 6, 2008 9:34 AM PDT
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Hey, speaking of the LHC.
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
Aug 6, 2008 9:36 AM PDT
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Congrats and good luck
erm..I mean, fortuitous coincidences!
"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL
by oblique on
Aug 6, 2008 9:44 AM PDT
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i came to work this morning
to find my chavez bobble like this:

""These guys are a different breed of ballclub." - Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on the A's
by gotgreen on
Aug 6, 2008 9:22 AM PDT
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+1
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:29 AM PDT
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LOL
awww division
"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL
by oblique on
Aug 6, 2008 9:42 AM PDT
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I hurt inside
Ryan Sweeney: I probably irrationally embraced him before you did.
by Joey C. on
Aug 6, 2008 2:05 PM PDT
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We all do, Joey.
We all do.
By process of elimination (the only process I endorse), I guess that makes you a piece of lamb. @('.')@
by Leopold Bloom on
Aug 6, 2008 2:22 PM PDT
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Perfect
Now all you need is some ear drops for the Travis Buck bobblehead.
Bob Geren and Ken Macha both enjoy jai lai.
by CarGon's Jock on
Aug 6, 2008 4:08 PM PDT
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It's nice to know that someone replaced Dan Johnson.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."
by Kyli on
Aug 7, 2008 11:14 PM PDT
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Unsurprisingly,
I dreamt last night about Gio Gonzalez…
"Life is a horizontal fall" -Jean Cocteau
by King Richard on
Aug 6, 2008 9:27 AM PDT
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Woah! Brotha, keep it to yourself! No i'm just messing with ya, so what happened?
Well unless it’s dirty, you might be too embarrassed to share!
AHHHH! I left the stove on!!!
********OaKlAnDaThLeTiCs********
by LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn on
Aug 6, 2008 9:30 AM PDT
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Maybe this should be our...
CLOSER!!!
She gets it done
Enjoy the game
by DCinWC on
Aug 6, 2008 9:30 AM PDT
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Andrew Brown should steal Huston's rooks next game and tell him "rooks are for closers"
The A's colors are green and gold.
by mikeA on
Aug 6, 2008 9:57 AM PDT
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put that coffee down!
coffee is for closers only

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
Aug 6, 2008 10:20 AM PDT
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the a's should bring in eck to berate street, embree and brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKzMd328bMw
baldwin = eck
mitch and murray = beane and forst
spacey = geren
roma = ziggy (excused from the meeting)
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
Aug 6, 2008 10:33 AM PDT
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HA HA HA HA HA
Perfect casting!
"All your baserunner are belong to Greg Smith" ~ walk off bunt
by Philip Christy on
Aug 6, 2008 10:38 AM PDT
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heh, it works out pretty well
of course street is moss, brown is his sidekick aronow, and embree is old and desperate shelly the machine levine.
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
Aug 6, 2008 10:51 AM PDT
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I'm thinking Foulke is The Machine Levine.
"All your baserunner are belong to Greg Smith" ~ walk off bunt
by Philip Christy on
Aug 6, 2008 10:58 AM PDT
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yeah, the levine character can be an mixture of foulke and embree.
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
Aug 6, 2008 11:06 AM PDT
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