Ellis & Cust Back-To-Back, Then BEAST! 3 HRs In A's 80th Win
by Nico on Oct 2, 2010 9:54 PM PDT
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PrintDavid Pauley was perfect for 11 batters, but then rather unperfect for the next two. Mark Ellis broke up the perfect game, no-hitter, and shutout with a bomb into the left field seats in the 4th Jack Cust followed with a high drive to left-center that wasn't quite going to make it over the wall, so Michael Saunders gave it a boost and tipped it over for a 2-0 A's lead.
Oakland's next two runs, giving them a 4-1 lead, came courtesy of Chris Carter's third major league homerun in the 5th. When he hits one, he leaves no doubt. It atoned nicely for Carter's defensive gaffe the previous half inning, which put the M's on the board: After taking a circuitous route to a fly ball, Carter unleashed a flop that could qualify as summing up the Mariners' season through interpretive dance.
The A's 5th and final run, in the 8th inning, was a "Rajai Run" in which the A's CFer singled, stole 2nd and 3rd, and flew home on a medium fly ball to Ichiro in RF. The two steals gave Rajai 50 for the season.
The other storyline was Brett Anderson, who threw 122 pitches in 7 innings and required a trip to the mound from Steve Sayles after a soft liner back to the mound startled Anderson, and gave him apparent whiplash as he flopped to the ground in what could qualify as summing up an epileptic moose through interpretive dance.
So basically, there was a lot of dancing. The Mariners lose for the 100th time and the A's move into sole possession of 2nd place with a chance to finish the season at .500 with a win tomorrow.
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Yay for A's wins!!!!
And three home runs! In the same game!!! WOO HOO!!!
There's no crying in baseball!
Anyone want to guess how many home runs Carter hits until he hits a cheapie?
All three have been no-doubters. Absolute bombs.
The career HR record-breaker will be his first-ever bullshit homer.
Just you watch.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Oct 2, 2010 11:50 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll never forget it. It was so weirdly disappointing.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Oct 2, 2010 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I keep watching the clip of Carter's bomb
over and over on the A’s website. Can A’s has batspeed pls k thx?
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Um, I'm sure this has been discusses already
But why did Brett Anderson throw 122 pitches today? I mean seriously, is there a dumber human being on the planet than Bob Geren?
it was discussed in the game thread
we came up with the character “bernie” from the moves
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Fuck yeah!
3-3. Flight at 7am tomorrow. Ouch.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on Oct 2, 2010 10:26 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I e
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on Oct 3, 2010 12:32 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
(funfunfun)
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
by Englishmajor on Oct 3, 2010 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions
So the A's have Brett Anderson throw 122 pitches
and both he and Barton get hurt.
Meanwhile, every possible thing that can go wrong, in the reverse-standings race, is going wrong. Detroit keeps losing to Baltimore, the Angels lose to the Rangers, and the A’s are now in a position to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by winning tomorrow and having Detroit drop a fourth straight game to the Orioles.
If ever there was a time to throw out not your B, not your C, but your D lineup, tomorrow would surely be that time. Lord knows the Mariners are doing the reverse.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
by PaulThomas on Oct 2, 2010 10:27 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
At least Josh Donaldson played well
oh..
At least Breslow finally got a day off.
oh…
Pam liked my old sig better.
I always wondered what difference managers really made
I’m still not convinced that there are great managers that can improve a team. But I’m positive that a stupid one can successfully destroy a team.
You may be on to something.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Oct 2, 2010 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm pretty sure that means a great manager can improve a team.
If there are stupid, awful managers, it follows that the opposite of them are great managers.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Oct 2, 2010 11:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Is Detroit trying to tank?
Their lineups for the Orioles series have been awful. Or have they been dealing with injuries?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Oct 2, 2010 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I know Magglio's hurt, but the others are probably just being benched
So yeah, I think they’re tanking.
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
Cabrera, Guillen, Laird, and Magglio are all hurt
Kerwin Danley is a horrible umpire. So is C.B. Bucknor.
Because we really want to tank games on purpose just to get the season over with,
that really says a lot about the organization.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Letting the best pitcher on your team throw 122 pitches, A CAREER HIGH, in his last start of the season
when he’s already been injured AND the team is mathematically eliminated AND HE ALMOST HURT HIMSELF AGAIN ANYWAY…
That’s not tanking. That’s simply moronic.
Pam liked my old sig better.
Uh, if I recall he was talking about the lineup?
I don’t care what the pitchers do, craig breslow is already dead so we have no say in that.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Great, let's have Anderson pitch tomorrow too.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Oct 2, 2010 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah I like how people miss my point and overreact.
LOVELY.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm sorry.
Did you not imply that because the pitchers are “dead”, we shouldn’t care what we do with them?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Oct 2, 2010 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm saying that complaining about what stupid decision the manager made
can’t change what already happened.
But we shouldn’t even make game threads if we all think the team should be tanking games at the end of an unsignificant season.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions
That's silly.
There’s a HUGE gain to getting a protected 1st round pick. Huge. Getting that pick gives us the best chance to win in the future.
I don't get you people.
One day you want to finish at .500, the next day you wished we tanked games for prospects.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Great, just go ahead and assign me arguments from other people that I supposedly made.
Can I at least pick which guy I get assigned to me? I’d prefer to still be a Cust fan.
I'm talking about the attitude vibe from everyone here, not just you.
Good lord.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions
if it's all opinions, stop trying so hard to prove me wrong
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions
It makes a lot more sense now than it did a few days ago,
but even today you can’t count the value of the pick at 100%. You have to factor in the probabilities.
If the A’s try to win, what are their chances of winning? Maybe 60%? And what are the chances if we put out the D lineup? Maybe 45%? And what are the chances that Detroit wins anyway and makes it all irrelevant? Maybe 50%.
So the expected value of tanking is not the value of the protected draft pick; it’s 15% x 50% the value of the protected draft pick. And that’s still assuming that the A’s actually sign a type A free agent, which is not at all certain, so factor in another x 80%.
I’ve said plenty of times that I’m opposed to tanking just out of principle, but I can respect a rational argument trying to balance the pros and cons. But if you’re going to be rational, you have to do the math right. This entire argument has been buggered from the get-go, because all the pro-tanking people are pretending that just by deciding to put out a weaker lineup we automatically get the protected draft pick, which is just utterly preposterous. Even now, on the last day, when it’s actually almost practical, it’s still only got a small chance to make a difference.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Seattle's awfulness is a constant in the equation.
What is relevant to the value of tanking is the difference between our win expectation value with the A lineup and our win expectation value with the D lineup. What Seattle puts out there moves both values in the same direction.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
And Seattle's playing their 'half our roster is from Tacoma' lineup too
Last of the Ninth - Photography
And at the least, giving their prospects some playing time since they have nothing better to do
Meanwhile, Josh Donaldson and Eric Sogard get to watch the games a lot.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
They got Ackley, who's an elite position prospect
They can shove it.
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
Heh
will crosby spread his legs so far apart at bat that the games will have to be rated nc-17 -- emperor nobody
You can erase out the "probability of A's winning" factor
because that’s exactly the same factor that is used to multiply whatever putative negative “prestige” impact tanking the game will have. It cancels out.
The Detroit result will likely be somewhat predictable before the A’s hand in their lineup card.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Screw that. I want to finish 500.
That’s what I’ve been rooting for all season. If the Tigers and the Angels want to tank, fine, but I want no part of it.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
by iglew on Oct 2, 2010 11:32 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
OK
Just be aware that you’ll be rooting for the team to finish .500 next year too…
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Not if the team adds a good FA or two, etc.
Because nobody they draft next year is helping them that year.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I guarantee you
The team will not sign a Type A free agent and lose the #18 pick in next year’s draft. Not in that draft class.
It’s not going to happen. If they win and Detroit loses, forget about Crawford, forget about Werth, forget about de la Rosa, forget about Beltre, forget about Hudson, forget about Lilly. There’s no chance. Maybe the team should be throwing all caution to the wind and completely conceding the future, but they won’t do that.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
No, I'm rooting for the team to beat expectations.
What drives me crazy about all these pretend-you’re-the-GM discussions on AN and elsewhere is that you¹ arbitrarily choose which things we’re allowed to hope for and pretend we make a difference, and which things we have to treat as scientific facts that must be accepted.
Fact number one is that nothing that any of us says here makes a whit of difference to what the teams will actually do. Fact number two is that all the things we’re discussing are probabilities somewhere between 0% and 100%. The only difference is that some of them have been formally approximated and published as stats and others haven’t.
There is some small chance that the A’s will sign, say, Adrian Beltre for 2011. There is also some small chance that, say, Cliff Pennington will turn into a rock star and have a 7 WAR season. So why is it somehow rational for you¹ to say “the numbers tell us it’s extremely unlikely we can win with a team full of Cliff Penningtons; therefore we need to hope that Billy Beane signs Adrian Beltre” but it’s not rational for me to say “history tells us that no one any good is going to sign with Oakland; therefore we need to hope that our team full of scrubs pull a magical season out of their ass and wins 95 games anyway”? Either way we’re treating one thing that is probabilistic and out of our control as if it were were an fixed likelihood and treating another thing that is probabilistic and out of our control as a decision that we can pretend to make as part of our pretend-you-run-the-team game.
Sorry for the rant, but this has been pissing me off for a long time. I realize it’s run off topic a bit, but you² triggered it by applying your arbitrary rules of what we pretend to control and what we can’t pretend to control by telling me what I’m rooting for. You’re wrong. I’m not rooting for the team to finish 500 next year.
[1] you = generic you, not necessarily Paul
[2] you = Paul specifically.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
No
You’re rooting for a short-term result that will make it more likely that the team will struggle to reach .500 next year.
This is not affirmations class. I know that you rooting for something does not make it more (or less) likely to happen. I just find your desires bizarre. You appear to want something that will, if it comes to pass, make you, yourself, less happy in the future. It’s like wishing to find a syringe of heroin under your pillow.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
No
Let’s assume it’s a filthy syringe infected with AIDS. It actually makes the metaphor even more apt.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
I think you missed the point of my rant,
but I’ll try to address your issue in your terms.
First, as I noted elsewhere, I don’t think the A’s winning tomorrow makes that much difference to next year’s odds. There is a ~50% chance that Detroit wins and makes it irrelevant. There’s a non-trivial chance that the A’s wouldn’t sign a decent free agent even if the pick is protected, which also makes it irrelevant. There is a chance that Lew/Billy will define their 2011 target as a team that is ~X good, in which case any loss in draft position will be compensated for in better spending. Etc, etc, etc. A win tomorrow is a win tomorrow; it may or may not be losses later.
Second, I’m discounting the future at my own personal rate. I am 99% sure that I’m going to watch the game tomorrow and care about the result. I am considerably less sure that I’m going to care about wins in 2011. Maybe the team will change its colors to black which pisses me off enough to stop being a fan. Maybe I’ll fall in love tomorrow and elope to France and forget about baseball. Maybe I’ll die. Maybe I’ll just lose interest. Maybe by random chance the ~80 games that I pay attention to will be the ones we win and not the ones we lose so I won’t care.
And even if I do care about baseball in 2011 just as much as I care about baseball tomorrow, is it really so mysterious to you that I would place more value on the near future than the distant future? Earlier this week I ate too much pizza and had a tummy ache later that evening. I know better, but I ate the pizza anyway and I enjoyed it. We make short-term decisions all the time. This is not some bizarre eccentricity of iglew, it’s basic human nature.
I get that you’re exaggerating with the syringe metaphor, and that’s fine. But really, A’s wins are not a life and death situation. It’s just getting some fun out of the sport. I know I’ll enjoy it if we win tomorrow. If we lose next year, whatever. I’d love for the A’s to have a 90-win season, but it’s not like I’m going to be devastated if they don’t. It’s important to defer gratification when it has real consequences to my life; when it’s just entertainment that’s all in my head anyway, not so much.
You say you find my desires bizarre, but if you really mean that and aren’t just exaggerating, then you’re choosing to be bizarrely ignorant of elementary human behavior.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
human behavior is not quantifiable
100010100011111010100101110011
BK: This guy is on fire, he is really smokin'.
KenKo: Oh yeah, Bill? What's he smokin'?
Melodramatic much?
Perfect world scenario…
Detroit wins.
Angels lose.
A’s win.
Then the A’s get 2nd place and the 18th pick.
The monster at the end of this blog.
How about
A’s lose, angels win Detroit wins
A’s pick protected, angels not
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
by Future Ed on Oct 3, 2010 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Angels still have the protected pick there.
Detroit still finishes over the Angels, so Angels get the protection.
If Detroit lost as well, THEN slegnA would lose the pick thanks to tiebreaker.
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
Huge overreaction
Barton didn’t get injured, he aggravated a completely insignificant nagging injury that he has five months to heal. Anderson’s “injury” is so insignificant that he’s not even hurt. However, just to be safe, the A’s will be giving him an extra 170 days in between starts, so he should be able to manage the 15 extra pitches he threw OK.
As for not losing on purpose, well, it’s not their fault they’re playing the worst team in the majors, who couldn’t win if they tried. The A’s certainly did everything they could to make you happy on that front going into this series. Sorry they don’t suck enough for you.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Last game for Cust in A's uniform?
More and more it looks like Carter will be the A’s DH next year unless Barton is traded which is unlikely. Top 3 Cust destinations are 1. yanks 2. Rays 3. Rangers.
I think Cust will be back
He’s way to good a bargain to let walk. Besides, isn’t Carter supposed to be working on his defense over the winter? If they really do end up with a logjam at the end of ST, it shouldn’t be too hard to move Cust at that point.
Cust pay will go up
He will not be a bargain next year. I see him at about 5 million a year but with Carter needing a position it will be Cust traded or let go.
True.
It will walk, strikeout, or HR.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
by Nico on Oct 3, 2010 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Are we getting Jackson and Sweeney back
Along with Coco there will be no room for Cust. Carter will be LF or DH
Hopefully no, but even if one or both is back,
there is room for 5 OFers considering injuries and platoons/rest. Sweeney, for example, would be a great 4th OFer and Rajai a great 5th, behind Carter, Crisp, and someone else good.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Yeah
The injury factor alone means we may need 35 backups.
One thing that is going to piss everyone off is that if Carter plays LF and even if he hits 3 HR’s in a game,. Geren is going to pull him and put Rajai in there for defense or some other non-slugger out there.
Carter has to be the starting LF next year
Hopefully he’ll improve his defense this winter so that Bobbo won’t keep replacing him late in games
I would like Geren to go sky diving, swimming under water with
no air tank andf if all else fails, bungee jumping without the bungee cord.
I don't mind the late replacement in the right situation
It makes it more likely you can put him in LF if you can reduce about 20% of his defensive chances while getting him 95% of the ABs.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Gotta love the 3 bombs he has hit
Not a cheap one there.
Is it wrong to think he might hit at least 30 next season. His plate discipline has impressed me this time around.
I could see him hitting 30 HRs, but maybe with
not so great other numbers, e.g., .235/.320 with a lot of Ks but solid slugging.
At the moment, I’d say he’s a “mistake hitter” — which is better than his first stint when he was “Bobby Crosby.” The next step will be to succeed against the better pitchers and decent pitches.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Replacing him late in games is basically telling him his defense sucks. While this may be true at the moment, it’s the end of the season, give the guy a little confidence heading into the offseason.
I think he knows his defense sucks.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
I mean how else is he going to break his thumb?
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's interesting,
I think Slusser mentioned that since Venezuela isn’t affiliated with MLB, the A’s can’t technically tell his team what to do with him. If they feel like it, they could play him at 1B all season. But since he asked, and I’m sure that the A’s suggested, he’ll hopefully get lots of time in LF.
You don't throw away Cust for Jackson or Sweeney.
That’d be like releasing Brett Anderson because we’ve got Josh Outman back.
Which asks the question
why TF did Beane want Jackson in the 1st place.
Because he used to be a guy he wanted 5 years ago?
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Yes
Beane is not the GM he was 5 years ago so that makes sense.
I read where Cust would like the green light 3-0 more often. ESPN recap I think. Too lazy to look.
piggybacked by ESPN
but reported by Slusser:
Cust homered on a 3-0 pitch for the first time in his career, and Cust said it was because the A’s nearly always put on the don’t-swing sign.
“I wish I could swing every time 3-0,” he said. “There I was just trying to hit a home run. When they do (allow it), I like it – it’s the only time you know what you’re going to get.”
important to give credit where credit is due
That answers a lot of the "Why don't they ever swing there?" questions
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Doesn't it go against a quasi unwritten rule to swing 3-0?
Also, I hate unwritten rules. Someone should turn them into written rules.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Not at all.
That would be silly. It’s just that it’s usually worth it to take the 3-0 pitch, so most teams do it most of the time.
agree, but it might help the A's not to be so predictable
so I see Cust getting the swing sign as a good thing
Totally
Swinging occasionally at 3-0 pitches actually gets you MORE walks in the long run, because pitchers can’t just lob one down the middle 3-0.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Well unwritten rules are all silly.
I remember a few years back, Vlad hit a homerun 3-0, and subsequently got plunked. I think that was just a lone incident and ESPN making it out to be something more, though.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
at least twice other teams have burned the A's on this in 2010
notably that big HR by Thome with runners on base
Yeah, it's standard not to swing on 3-0
But it’s true that’s where you’re going to see the pitch you’re definitely looking for more often than not.
The risk of making an out on a 3-0 pitch just outweighs the probability of reaching base somehow by the end of the AB.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
It would be nice to see Suzuki & Kouz actually get to a count thats more than 2 pitches
but hackers gotta hack I guess :/
Haha
That should be a t-shirt
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
I'm a bigger fan of hackers gonna hack,
like haters gonna hate, but either one works.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
he has liked him ever since he scouted him in college
Beane has a propensity for pursuing players who he has liked for a long time
And for overlooking that they have aged 5 years and 3 injuries.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
pinstripe alley wants their troll back
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on Oct 2, 2010 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm fine with Carter as regular starter in LF
with maybe occasional games at 1B or DH when Barton or Cust takes a day off.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
he's 23 years old, is athletic and has played mostly at 1B
I would prefer to give him more time – to learn to be at least an average left fielder, before making him a designated hitter.
Rajai is only guy in the league with 50SB and 50RBI's
by Belinelli's the savior on Oct 2, 2010 10:57 PM PDT reply actions
congrats to him based on two meaningless stats
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
they are without knowing success rate
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
Since the 2nd place non playoffs teams split 4% of the playoff pot.
Who gets it if the Angels and A’s tie for second or do they split the al west 2nd place share. So the 7k-10k each 2nd place player gets becomes half? Just always wonder but the little things that doesn’t affect us at all. But it is quite a nice incentive for the A’s to win tomorrow.
by Athletix Man on Oct 2, 2010 11:37 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I guarantee you
each and every one of the players on 2nd place teams ask for their share in singles.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Regular tie-breaker rules for division
would be head-to-head match-up, so I see no reason why it would be any different for second place. Who won the season series between Angels and Athletics this year? I haven’t counted, but I’m guessing they did.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Paul's comment above is really important
If the A’s win tomorrow, and Detroit loses, the A’s finished with the 15th-best record in MLB, and they don’t have a protected first-round pick if they sign a Type A FA. It’s that simple. It would mean that the A’s would lose the No. 19 overall pick in the draft next year if they signed a really good player this offseason. Ugh.
80 wins is enough of a milestone for me. For the first time I can remember, I’ll be rooting for my favorite team to lose tomorrow. Because I still want to cling to this irrational hope that they’ll make a play for Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adrian Beltre, V-Mart, or Adam Dunn this offseason. (In that order of priority).
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 2, 2010 11:49 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I guess that makes my comment above even more important.
Do the players have 10k to play for each tomorrow or do they own some tie breaker with the Angels. Might matter in how hard they try.
by Athletix Man on Oct 2, 2010 11:53 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
They have the tie breaker against both Angels and Tigers
They have to either tie or finish worse than one of those teams to have a protected pick.
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
In terms of 2nd place though, the slegnA have the tiebreaker
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
The same can be said for the probabilistic wins in future years
on account of better draft position.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Between 18 and 19 sure
Between 18 and no pick not so much.
Choosy Feebas choose Leopold Bloom nipples
Daring. Sensual. Invigorating. Squirrel.
BLOOM. For men.
If the eggs actually hatch I made more than a mistake, I made some scientifically impossible crime.
the tiger and angel game will be over before the a's game
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
And I musta crossed my eyes or something when checking the standings
’Cause my Angels statement is all kinda wrong.
The monster at the end of this blog.
If they won't make a play for a Type A FA
just because it costs them a draft pick, you should find a different team to root for anyway.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
For the first time I can remember, I’ll be rooting for my favorite team to lose tomorrow.
every rational a’s fan should have been rooting against the a’s in the last game of the 2007 season, when kurt suzuki’s walk off home run took them ahead of the rangers in the standings and the rangers drafted justin smoak while the a’s ended up with jemile weeks.
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
I didn't remember that game/scenario
Still, we couldn’t have known at the moment of Zook’s walkoff that that one exact pick would’ve been the difference in landing Smoak.
I feel like this scenario is more cut-and-dry.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions
you have no idea about a lot of things
I won’t bother explaining my POV on this one.
We should just sign Manny Ramirez for a lot of money.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Neither do you apparently.
Manny for a lot of money would be stupid but manny at $5MM would be smart. V-Mart is a terrible C and a 1B/DH at this point, whats even your rationale there??? Other than wasting money he’s a horrific fit in Oakland.
But yeah continue thinking Crawford or all those other guys are going to sign here over Boston/LAA/Mets, totally going to happen.
If Detroit and the A's both win who comes up 16th
They went 3-3 head-to-head.
Coin toss for the future of the franchise???
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Oct 3, 2010 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
the tiebreaker is last year's record
Tigers had a better record last year, and they won today, so the A’s protected pick is secure no matter what happens in today’s A’s game.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions
So root for the damn Tigers and hope they win
by richwol1 on Oct 3, 2010 12:45 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
here here
But look at the crap the Tigers are trotting out there lately.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 8:37 AM PDT up reply actions
Tigers are mailing it in
After it camer out the Tigers didn’t want to lose their draft pick they have lost 3 stright against the O’s.
Just saw a replay of Carter's defense.
He could use some work….
Go Tigers and Mariners! Seriously, I want that protected pick.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Detroit will use the bullpen to finish out Sunday's game
Per Rotowire:
News: Coke will start Sunday’s season finale against the Orioles, and the Tigers will use their bullpen to finish out the season, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Analysis: Coke’s start Sunday will be his first of his career in the majors. Manager Jim Leyland is choosing to exclusively throw bullpen arms on Sunday. It’ll make for an interesting game if nothing else. Coke’s fantasy value is actually hurt by the start, though. It’d take an exceptional set of circumstances for Coke to get through the requisite five innings to earn the win as the starter.
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Tigers need to win. Manage like Game 7, Leyland!
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
I remember when Brad Kilby started for the A's at the end of last season
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I remember Brad Kilby.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Oct 3, 2010 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
There's about five games today that have impact upon the A's final finish
The team could finish today with a draft pick as low as #19 overall (which would be unprotected), or as high as #14 overall. That’s a pretty big swing on one day’s worth of games!
- vs. #19 might not end up being a big deal, but sometimes it can be. For example, I was very excited about the team’s last two first-round picks – Michael Choice and Grant Green – and neither guy would’ve been available five picks after the slot the A’s picked them in. Sometimes five slots could be the difference between getting exactly the guy you wanted and settling for something else.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
Wow, formatting fail
Third sentence should read, “No. 14 pick vs. No. 19 might not end up being a big deal, but sometimes it can be.”
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Lay out the various scenarios, please?
1) IF Both Det and A’s win, both finish at .500, none of the other teams in play can finish even with them (all the others are 80-82) and Det/Oak went 3-3 head-to-head, so who is the 15th worst, who is 16th in that scenario?
2)IF either Det or the A’s win, and the other does not, then that team will finish 15th in the standings.
3) If both lose, and all the 79-82 teams win (FLA already has), then all the teams finish with a final mark of 80-82 and I don’t have a clue how it gets sorted out: FLA, DET, OAK, NYM, LAD, LAAA. LAAA would beat OAK, having won the season series, for 2nd place, but I gather in terms of picks, it may have to do with the PREVIOUS years’ finish, is that right?
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Oct 3, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Does it matter?
I don’t see the A’s signing a top FA this offseason. They will obtain a bat but in a trade with mazzaro as the center piece. Werth, Crawford, or Dunn will cost way to much to obtain and Wolfe is not going to spend like some of you hope.
WIll someone please win the argument
so I don’t accidentally ruin the A’s future by rooting for the wrong result????
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Good grief, I hope the Tigers just win today
because if not, and the A’s finish at .500, we’ll be hearing about the calamitous last couple days of the 2010 season from the rosterbaters and interwebs GM wannabes all winter.
OHMIGAW!
Per SuSlu: Josh Donaldson says he’s playing first base today.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY
I’m rooting for Donaldson to hit a grand slam, regardless of the outcome of the game!!!!
/joshdonaldsonfanboy
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
Cust hitting third
Davis cf, Ellis 2b, Cust dh, Suzuki c, Kouzmanoff 3b, Carter lf, Donaldson 1b, Hermedia rf, Pennington ss
Well thank god Suzuki's in.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Hmm, let's see...
Day game after a night game…game 162 of a season Suzuki has been brutally overworked…
No.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Kurt is gonna start catching pitchers in instructs tomorrow.
Geren’s orders.
by danmerqury on Oct 3, 2010 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
And we wonder why he seems unhappy.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Every gripe we have
about Geren goes back to Beane. He gets all the blame for everything that goes wrong as far as I’m concerned.
Go off to soccer like yesterday please!!!
Sorry Danny
I have not been a fan of Billy Beane for a number of years.
Just the fact that he has his best friend costing us wins every year is half of it.
The other half is I do not think he has a clue when it comes to offense. We shall see.
Was that English?
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
i chuckled hard at this, and rec'd it dm
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions
WHY DID THEY TAKE OUT DAMON
HE’S A FA IN A WALK YEAR. HE WANTS TO WIIIINNNN.
Needs moar dingerz and moar Josh Donaldson.
OK so here's my latest fantasy-scenario...
Sign Beltre by making the best financial offer (my hunch is that he’s more realistically attainable than the other good FAs), package some combo of Kouz, Mazzaro, Donaldson to land Kalish as everyday RFer for a lineup of:
Crisp – CF
Barton – 1B
Carter – LF
Cust – DH
Beltre – 3B
Kalish – RF
Suzuki – C
Ellis – 2B
Pennington – SS
with Rajai and Rosales in the mix, and a rotation of
Anderson
Cahill
Gio
Braden
Outman or Cramer or FA pickup
and a bullpen of
Bailey
Devine
Wuertz
Ziggy
Breslow
Blevins
Bonser
Possible? I like Kalish a lot, from what I’ve seen and heard.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Of course, don't know what exactly it would take to get Kalish,
nor ultimately how good he is, but could that roster win? Seems like it.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Kalish?
Interesting. Do you think the Sox would want a COF in return? Sweeney has always hit well in Fenway. Not sure if a package including Sweeney could be worth it.
I guess in LF - isn't Drew set in RF?
My guess is that Kalish will turn out to be like what Sweeney was supposed to become (hitting for 15 HR power with excellent defense, and not having terrible knees). He just seems like one of those players who naturally does things right (hits to all fields, sees pitches, gets a good jump on balls, uses arm well, etc.).
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
That's a ridiculous overpay for Kalish.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Oct 3, 2010 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Huh?
I didn’t mean all of them, just that the choices might come from those guys – guys we can part with whom Boston might want.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Kalish? Really?
Additionally, its already being said that Ellsbury is going to be the one being shopped this winter, and Kalish will most likely platoon/be the 4th OF/CF in waiting until Cameron gets hurt/sucks.
I’d rather we try and land JD Drew and Jed Lowrie instead, that covers RF & 2B.
I'm not sure Kalish can play RF
I could be wrong there, but I think he is a natural LFer, limited by below average arm strength.
grover or a similarly encyclopedic prospect maven could probably confirm for me, please help.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
If the Red Sox lose Beltre, I think their most realistic scenario becomes this:
Red Sox move Youkilis back to third.
Then they sign Carlos Pena or Paul Konerko as a stopgap.
Then they make a huge play for A-Gon, Prince Fielder, or Pujols (if Pujols doesn’t sign an extension) after 2011.
I think that scenario is more likely than them accepting a .290 OBP out of Kouzmatron.
"It’s ideal if your hobby and your living can merge. But you are not going to stop your hobby if you can’t make money out of it. Your hobby is all about trading time for enjoyment. My job is what I do. My hobby is who I am." -Tango
by notsellingjeans on Oct 3, 2010 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Could be - though Youkilis at 3B, no longer a spring chicken,
and Konerko at 1B, is pretty shaky defensively.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Aw, Huddy.
Huddy just hit an RBI single to put the Braves ahead 3-2. Hee hee.
…and now Braves up 5-2. Brooks Conrad was involved in this rally. Weird.
Earlier on TWIAB, Buan was replaying highlights from 2000-2004
including Hudson in the clubhouse after the A’s won the West in 2000. I miss our Timmy.
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
by Englishmajor on Oct 3, 2010 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Thought you all would get a chuckle out of this guy's analytical baseball skills on sfgate
“smokinjoe”:
I am an A’s fan from the 70’s great teams to today. This current pitching staff is as good as any in the past, in it’s own way. It does not need superstar defense. It needs some star hitting power. To be a contender the A’s need to keep some consistency. Hang on to Kurt S., Kouzmanouf, Coco Crisp, Ellis, and Carter. Pennington at short is a great defensive player but is only 50-50 at the bat. If a better shotstop is available , take him. All of the rest of the very nice and good players the A’s have, need to be traded or let go and rebuild this team with some true stars. yes and that does mean Raji Davis, Barton, Sweeny, Cust, Larrish, and the other handful of good to OK players. You know to keep on saying there is potential in a player year after year and nothing happens is crazy. That never happens with the great players even when they are rookies. Ricky H.,McGuire, Carney L., Reggie J., Rick Monday, Dave H., Gaillego, Tony Phillips, Sal Bando, etc. Build us a great lineup
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Oct 3, 2010 12:08 PM PDT reply actions
I think joe should stop smokin'.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Detroit has tied it, apparently
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Oct 3, 2010 12:09 PM PDT reply actions
sole possession of 2nd place. heh heh heh...ours-ours-ours.
alaska A currently residing in northern Idaho. --- theme for september = relax, take it easy, and don't struggle.
I'm exhausted.
I kinda want to watch the Giants lose more than I want to watch the A’s win…is that wrong of me?
Getting food and caffeine (since I haven’t moved since I got home) and can’t wait to gamethread one last time with you people.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
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