GOG 2009 #52

by colin on Oct 2, 2009 12:50 PM PDT Comment 15 comments

The season is coming to an end and, after yet another sweep at the hands of the Mariners, it just can't come soon enough.

But, before we move on to prospect rankings, hot stoves, or (gasp) subjects other than baseball, there are two small matters left. First, our record against LAAAAAA sits currently at 7-9. They may have the division all wrapped up, but they haven't clinched the season series yet. Now is the time where the Athletics will stand up against their hated rivals, send forth their champions, and fight their way by victory. Of course, when I say champions, I mean Dana Eveland and Edgar Gonzalez, so this might not be as epic as I am hoping for.

The second small matter? Oh yeah, that's the GOG!

Links

Probable pitchers
Angels stats
Based on the poll results in GOG #51, this is going to be the last GOG of 2009. Of course, I'm a bit behind on my grading and the GOG #00 results are still to be tallied, so the race is still wide open (remember that GOG #00 questions count double, so there is a potential for 75 points right there). Anyway, keep your eyes open for a special GOG #00 results fANpost, complete with pretty plots, plus the end of the season recap and final standings!

GOG #52 :: The Very Last One (32 points possible)

Three game series vs Los Angeles Angels -- October 2-4

UPDATE -- answers added below in bold

Series outcome [3 points] 3-0 Angels
This series marks the first time when Scott Kazmir will face the A's as a hated Angel, rather than a lovable Ray. Predict his IP/ER/K [2 points each] 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 K
Dana Eveland's lifetime ERA against the Angels currently sits at a hellish 6.66 (19 ER in 25 and two-thirds). Does he improve that mark in his Saturday start, or does he decline further into pitching purgatory? [+1 if right, -1 if wrong] Dana allowed 4 ER in 4.2 innings, so he actually managed to increase his ERA vs the Angels to 6.82
In (hopefully) his last series as an Athletics, predict Bobby Crosby's AB/H/RBI [2 points each] 5 AB, 2 H, 0 RBI
Chone Figgins has been leading the way for the Angels this season, and leading his own way to a big fat free agent contract, with a spectacular 6.1 Wins Above Replacement. He has been good at everything (well, except for hitting for power), with a .300 batting average, league leading 101 walks, 42 stolen bases, and excellent defense at third base. How many times will Chone reach base against Oakland? [3 points] Figgins reached base only twice
Making a final RoY push, does Andrew Bailey earn a save in the series? Does he allow any earned runs? [+1 for each right answer, -1 for each wrong] no save, no earned runs (in 2 innings)
For the 2009 season, the A's and Angels have very similar team UZR, both slightly better than average. However, the two teams save their runs in very different ways. The A's have a pretty nice range score, thanks mostly to Rajai Davis, Ryan Sweeney, and Matt Holliday. The Angels outfield of Rivera, Hunter, and Abreu just doesn't have those kind of legs. On the other hand, the A's UZR is cut down by errors and missing double plays, thanks to an infield that has had a heavy dose of Adam Kennedy (often playing out of position at third), Bobby Crosby (ditto), and an uncharacteristicly bad half-season with the glove from Orlando Cabrera. For the series, which team commits more errors? Which team turns more double plays? Which team records more outfield putouts? [+1 for each right answer, -1 for each wrong] Both teams tied, with 1 error apiece. LAAAA turned 7 double plays to Oakland's 3. Oakland outfielders made more putouts, 19 to 15.
In 2008, the three Oakland relievers with the most innings pitched were Street, Embree, and Ziegler, who combined for 191.1 total. With three games left to play, this year's top three (Bailey, Wuertz, and Ziegler) have thrown a whopping 230.1 innings! How many IP for that ace trio in this series? [3 points] 5 innings total (2 for Bailey, 1 for Wuertz, 2 for Ziggy)
Perhaps it is appropriate that the last game of the 2009 season starts with Edgar Gonzalez on the mound. Will he manage to post a game score of at least 50 (which roughly corresponds to a quality start)? [+1 if right, -1 if wrong] Dropped this question, since Edgar didn't start
Taking a small detour to the one bit of pennant race excitement -- If the Twins win all three of their remaining games (against the Royals) *and* the Tigers lose their three games (against the White Sox), then Minnesota wins the AL Central outright. If the Twins lose one game *or* the Tigers win one, then they will finish in a tie, leading to a one game playoff on Tuesday. Do either of these two scenarios occur? [+1 if right, -1 if wrong] yes
Who wins GOG #52, before this question is taken into account? [3 points] zaniac75

The series kicks off with my man Gio on the mound, at 7:05 pm. Don't miss your last chance to GOG!

Results

Well, this was a nice hard one to finish off the season. Don't feel bad if your score was low.

Overall scoring statistics

mean = 1.61538 points
standard deviation = 3.12353 points
mode = 2 points

via cfcp.uchicago.edu

Your Scores

Congratulations to zaniac75 for winning GOG #52. However, nevermoor turned in the next best score, so he's still got a strong grip on first place. Of course, there are a lot of points up for grabs with GOG #00 still to be graded. The suspense is killing me! (but not enough to make me actually, you know, go and grade those results)

name	place (this GOG)	score (this GOG)	# of GOGs	place (all GOG)	score (all GOG)	place (by AVG)	score by AVG
zaniac75	1	7	50	2	360	5	0.223
nevermoor	2	5	47	1	374	2	0.245
Angry Sean	3	4	46	9	248	20	0.166
easyraider		4	21	19	143	7	0.205
Rated-R Superstar	5	3	46	3	316	6	0.216
micdog2001	6	2	43	5	285	8	0.205
doctorK		2	52	7	270	22	0.161
mikev		2	2	58	19	N/E	0.292
colin	9	0	50	6	281	18	0.175
fruitattack		0	12	48	31	N/E	0.079
streetfan	11	-2	47	13	217	23	0.142
stranahanahan		-2	16	33	78	N/E	0.159
JLeverenz	13	-4	33	15	214	9	0.202
Mantecan As Fan	DNP	--	1	96	1	N/E	0.024
swatnick	DNP	--	30	8	252	1	0.263
SoCal As Fan	DNP	--	14	30	93	N/E	0.200
NateHST	DNP	--	15	26	112	N/E	0.225
DCinWC	DNP	--	16	32	84	N/E	0.158
GoAs	DNP	--	35	12	226	11	0.195
mikeA	DNP	--	31	11	232	4	0.227
ZeroIndulgence	DNP	--	20	25	116	16	0.176
gigglingone	DNP	--	16	24	117	N/E	0.225
Kimberly	DNP	--	21	20	131	12	0.189
oblique	DNP	--	38	13	217	17	0.176
vegAN ryAN	DNP	--	4	52	27	N/E	0.185
diehardoaklandfan22	DNP	--	16	28	106	N/E	0.202
Walton711	DNP	--	1	78	9	N/E	0.214
travdog6	DNP	--	2	96	1	N/E	0.013
Boonee	DNP	--	3	58	19	N/E	0.174
RayJEdd	DNP	--	12	29	104	N/E	0.252
A'sBowlingLeague	DNP	--	2	58	19	N/E	0.244
elephantbaseball	DNP	--	19	21	126	10	0.200
brian.only	DNP	--	4	69	14	N/E	0.096
robertmelvin	DNP	--	6	43	41	N/E	0.188
OaktownPower	DNP	--	16	27	110	N/E	0.201
roscoe	DNP	--	29	18	161	19	0.168
Flashfire	DNP	--	1	88	6	N/E	0.143
designatedforassignment	DNP	--	3	68	16	N/E	0.145
tresselfan	DNP	--	4	85	7	N/E	0.046
KMoAsFan	DNP	--	4	57	20	N/E	0.137
Gallagher's Watermelons	DNP	--	1	74	10	N/E	0.238
GreenOctober69	DNP	--	1	82	8	N/E	0.190
SLOtown	DNP	--	10	37	60	N/E	0.174
baseballnut020	DNP	--	9	41	51	N/E	0.173
MaineAthletic	DNP	--	12	34	73	N/E	0.187
j_rich36	DNP	--	1	85	7	N/E	0.167
scutaroknowstheway	DNP	--	1	92	3	N/E	0.071
train80	DNP	--	35	16	206	14	0.179
FormerHuntsvilleStar	DNP	--	11	31	88	N/E	0.251
jay_sensei	DNP	--	6	42	44	N/E	0.227
Athletix Man	DNP	--	9	38	59	N/E	0.199
A'sfaninNC	DNP	--	39	4	290	3	0.230
Athletics fan and runner	DNP	--	6	52	27	N/E	0.133
Holy Toledo!	DNP	--	1	92	3	N/E	0.083
Nico	DNP	--	1	74	10	N/E	0.278
EddieVegas_NRAF	DNP	--	1	100	-1	N/E	-0.028
JLaff	DNP	--	1	91	4	N/E	0.111
WaddellCanseco	DNP	--	5	51	28	N/E	0.164
crb29	DNP	--	11	35	70	N/E	0.196
eastcoasta'sfan	DNP	--	4	56	23	N/E	0.161
Oaktownflav	DNP	--	3	65	17	N/E	0.156
Future Ed	DNP	--	6	43	41	N/E	0.197
JediLeroy	DNP	--	1	82	8	N/E	0.222
Dalesman	DNP	--	2	88	6	N/E	0.083
nateh37	DNP	--	7	45	39	N/E	0.174
anomaly_kat	DNP	--	3	62	18	N/E	0.173
muffinpryde	DNP	--	43	10	247	15	0.177
sprtsnwyn	DNP	--	2	65	17	N/E	0.250
VORP is too nerdy	DNP	--	4	47	32	N/E	0.234
asyouwish33	DNP	--	1	82	8	N/E	0.250
jeffro	DNP	--	4	62	18	N/E	0.150
Cutthemullet	DNP	--	3	55	24	N/E	0.238
stabbin_mcadams	DNP	--	1	74	10	N/E	0.312
jasonthea	DNP	--	4	49	30	N/E	0.219
adragon	DNP	--	32	17	167	21	0.161
Helloooo 1st	DNP	--	6	46	34	N/E	0.165
King Richard	DNP	--	2	71	13	N/E	0.203
jpl	DNP	--	8	40	55	N/E	0.222
baseballgirl	DNP	--	1	74	10	N/E	0.286
whiteshoes40	DNP	--	18	36	68	24	0.116
walkoff baltimore chop	DNP	--	1	85	7	N/E	0.200
spiffyjwc	DNP	--	2	71	13	N/E	0.194
samljm	DNP	--	1	78	9	N/E	0.265
pam5981	DNP	--	7	38	59	N/E	0.276
Gaijin_Suketto	DNP	--	1	69	14	N/E	0.424
harenshair	DNP	--	15	21	126	N/E	0.249
tosk	DNP	--	5	50	29	N/E	0.179
Leopold Bloom	DNP	--	1	96	1	N/E	0.029
ElQuesoCapitan	DNP	--	3	62	18	N/E	0.194
Trainman	DNP	--	2	92	3	N/E	0.049
OptimistPrime	DNP	--	1	90	5	N/E	0.179
dtownmbrown	DNP	--	4	54	25	N/E	0.182
Blicks	DNP	--	21	21	126	13	0.183
chillicothe20	DNP	--	1	78	9	N/E	0.265
ChadGod	DNP	--	1	71	13	N/E	0.382
SamYam	DNP	--	3	58	19	N/E	0.186
JLopez	DNP	--	4	78	9	N/E	0.069
robbo650	DNP	--	4	65	17	N/E	0.132
Steve in Napa	DNP	--	1	96	1	N/E	0.032
cuppingmaster	DNP	--	1	92	3	N/E	0.094

3 recs | Comment 15 comments

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Comments

1. A’s 3-0
2. 6/3/6
3. Improve it
4. 3/1/0
5. 6 times
6. yes, no
7. Angels, A’s Angels
8. 9 innings
9. No
10. No
11. Nevermoor

"Did you know you can comment on Athletics Nation from your phone or PDA? SB Nation has launched mobile commenting. Check it out next time you’re at the game or bar and have something to say."

by stranahanahan on Oct 2, 2009 1:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I hate using the narrow view

1. 2-1 A’s
2. 5 IP/2 ER/4 K
3. Improve
4. 4/0/0
5. 5
6. Yes, No
7. Errors – A’s, DP – A’s, Outfield putouts – A’s
8. 7 IP
9. No
10. No
11. ~~Anybody but me~~ colin (hey, you’d better remember to post an entry)

"If Vin Mazzaro comes anywhere near me with shaving cream he’s gonna be coming away with a bloody stump" – Dallas Braden

by doctorK on Oct 2, 2009 1:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This has been fun, thanks for everything colin

   1. 2-1 LAAA
   2. 6 / 3 / 5
   3. Improve
   4. 0/0/0
   5. 5
   6. Yes, No
   7. A’s: Errors and OF Putouts, Angels: DPs
   8. 5
   9. Yes
  10. No
  11. I have to guess me

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Oct 2, 2009 1:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm kinda sad right now :( I think the guys at fear the fin have a gog type game. I'll have to get in on that.

1.2-1 A’s
2.5/3/4
3.Improve
4. 0/0/0 It’s been a fun ride Crosby……….Wait no it hasn’t.
5.2
6. No, No
7.Angels all around
8.6
9.No
10. I hope so,but no
11. Colin. Thank’s for all the hard work!

"Macha hates you"- Tacoma fans heckling Kielty

by zaniac75 on Oct 2, 2009 2:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I've got a lot of grading to do

2-1 Oakland, since that somehow worked with these same three starters last time
Kazmir :: 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 K
Eveland lowers his ERA
Crosby :: 3 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI
Figgins reaches base 4 times (with one day off)
yes, no
Oakland for all three
7 IP for Bailey/Wuertz/Ziggy
nope
nope
Rated-R Superstar

by colin on Oct 2, 2009 2:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Been staying away from the GOGs… since this is the last one, here goes…

Are you gonna have playoff GOGs?

1. 2-1 Oakland
2. 5 2/3IP, 4ER, 6K
3. Yes
4. 5/0/1
5. 3
6. Yes and No
7. A’s, A’s, Slegna
8. 6IP
9. No
10. Yes
11. ~~Bobby Crosby~~ nevermoor

100% Athletics, 100% Baseball. 2009 Athletics, 40% Baseball.

by fruitattack on Oct 2, 2009 5:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm so sad that this is the last GOG.

What will I do instead of my homework now?

1. 2-1 A’s
2. 6IP/ 3ER/ 5K
3. Raises his ERA
4. 4AB/ 1H/ 0RBI
5. Five
6. Yes, No
7. Errors- A’s; Double Plays- Angels; Outfield Put Outs- A’s
8. Six
9. No
10. No
11. doctorK

by Angry Sean on Oct 2, 2009 5:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

GOG 52

2-1, Angels
6 IP, 1 ER, 7 K
Improve
4 AB, 0 H, 0 RBI
4 times
Yes; no
Athletics; Athletics; Athletics
6.2 IP
Yes
No
zaniac75

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Oct 2, 2009 6:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

1) 2-1 Angels
2) 6/3/4
3) Improves
4) 5/1/0
5) 6
6) Saves – Yes, Earned Runs – No
7) Errors – A’s, DPs – Angels, Outfield Putouts – A’s
8) 4.1
9) No
10) No
11) easyraider

by easyraider on Oct 2, 2009 6:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's a GOG to the finish - Thanks Colin, you da man!

1. 2-1 A’s
2. 6 IP/ 3 ER/ 4 K
3. improves (I hope, since I will be at the game)
4. 1 AB/ 0 H/ 0 RBI
5. 4 times
6. Yes/ No
7. A’s, Angels, A’s
8. 4 IP
9. No
10. No
11. micdog2001 (hey, I can dream and it would be cool to win the first and last GOG excluding GOG 00)

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

by micdog2001 on Oct 2, 2009 6:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The end is nigh

   1. 2-1 A’s
   2. 6/1/5
   3. Improves
   4. 7/3/2
   5. 4 times
   6. Yes to the save, no to the ER
   7. more errors: Angels, more double plays: A’s Which team records more outfield putouts: Angels
   8. 7 1/3 IP
   9. No
  10. No
  11. errr, me? (JLeverenz to make it official)

There is no gravity - the earth just sucks.

by JLeverenz on Oct 2, 2009 6:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The Last One...Boo

We said it before, we’ll say it again: Thanks colin!!

Three game series vs Los Angeles Angels — October 2-4

   1. Series outcome A’s 2, LAAAA’s 1 (OAK rebound)
   2. Scott Kazmir will face the A’s as a hated Angel, rather than a lovable Ray. Predict his IP/ER/K 6IP, 3ER, 3Ks
   3. Dana Eveland. Does he improve that mark in his Saturday start, or does he decline further into pitching purgatory? Decline (Why can’t Bailey be the starter?!)
   4. Predict Bobby Crosby’s AB/H/RBI 3AB, 1H, 1RBI
   5. How many times will Chone reach base against Oakland? 6
   6. Does Andrew Bailey earn a save in the series? Does he allow any earned runs? Yes. Yes
   7. For the series, which team commits more errors? Which team turns more double plays? Which team records more outfield putouts? A’s more errors, A’s more DPs, Angels more putouts
   8. With three games left to play, this year’s top three (Bailey, Wuertz, and Ziegler) have thrown a whopping 230.1 innings! How many IP for that ace trio in this series? 8
   9. Edgar Gonzalez on the mound. Will he manage to post a game score of at least 50 (which roughly corresponds to a quality start)? Yes
  10. If the Twins lose one game or the Tigers win one, then they will finish in a tie, leading to a one game playoff on Tuesday. Do either of these two scenarios occur? No
  11. Who wins GOG #52, before this question is taken into account? micdog (We should all win?!)