Stellar Pitching and Key Double-Plays Lead First-Place A's To Series Win
by baseballgirl on May 5, 2010 4:22 PM PDT
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CT post-game discussion continues here.
The first game thread could have been mistaken for a puppy-training website, with the "DOWN, CAHILL, DOWN!" instructions, but that is probably the best advice one could give Cahill. Well, aside from telling him not to walk Max Ramirez (twice!).
Despite some defensive problems behind him (a misplayed ball in center, a dropped popup by Kouzmanoff and a later throwing error), Cahill had little trouble winning his first game of the season with his 5+ innings of work combined with four innings of help by the A's solid bullpen. Cahill left more pitches up in the zone than he should have, but his end result was pretty fantastic; he didn't allow an earned run in the outing, despite giving up five hits and three walks (he struck out four).
The game started out on an ominous note; Andrus ended an 11-pitch opening at-bat with a single, but after two close plays at first base on the pickoff, Powell made a perfect throw to second base to gun him down before he could inflict damage on the bases.
The A's put up immediate run support for their young pitcher; after a leadoff single by Pennington and a ground-rule double by Barton, both Sweeney and Kouzmanoff grounded out to get both runners home. The A's would cling to the two-run lead until Patterson (yes, Patterson, yes, I KNOW!) belted a solo homerun in the fifth to extend the lead to three.
Meanwhile, Cahill gave up some hard-hit balls in the second, and a basehit that wasn't exactly his fault (it looked like Rajai misjudged a fly ball), but he escaped unscathed. Interestingly enough, Cahill's first ground ball out didn't come until the third inning, and it was a big one, as a double play erased the ill-advised lead-off walk.
Cahill gave up another one-out walk in the fifth inning, followed by a single (after Kouz lost a foul ball in the sun on the at-bat), but he got lucky with Elvis Andrus's first GIDP of the year to end the inning, with Texas still held scoreless. Cahill would start the sixth, but after a throwing error by Kouzmanoff and a single brought runners to the corners with no one out, Tyson Ross would replace him. He would give up the unearned run, but the third double-play of the game helped him to escape a crooked number.
Rajai singled to open the seventh, and stole third base after an interestingly-called Pennington sacrifice bunt got him to second, continuing his successful run of stolen bases (he has been thrown out only once, and it was on a pitchout). Barton knocked him in with a hustling double, and the A's added a much-needed insurance run.
In somewhat sad news (for those of us who remember the pre-injury Chavy), Kouzmanoff was intentionally walked in the inning to bring up Chavez, who was pinch-hit for by Fox. If pinch-hitting for your DH isn't an ominous sign, I don't know what is. The A's would only score one in the inning, but it would be enough.
Brad Ziegler, who continues to be awesome, shut down Texas in the eighth with only 8 pitches (even recording a strikeout) and Bailey blew through the ninth for his fifth save of the season and second in two days.
This was a great win for the A's, considering the red-hot Rays are coming to visit on Friday (we might need the game thread!)
In injury news, Ellis is rehabbing, but with no timetable on his return, and from multiple Twitter posts: "Duchscherer received cortisone shot, will attempt to throw again May 10 or 11."
Great series; see you all back on Friday!
Current Series
3 game series vs Rays @ Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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Tampa Bay Rays Friday, May 7, 2010, 7:05 PM PDT |
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| Sat 05/08 | 1:05 PM PDT | |
| Sun 05/09 | 1:05 PM PDT | |
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Comments
That joke isn't funny anymore.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Heaven knows I'm miserable now.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
It's okay.
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.
"With Chance on first, and Evers on third,
Great things from the Cubs will soon be heard."
here's me, returning from several sunny day seats around the ballpark
I moved around, ending up in the first row near our bullpen…. Bailey whips it in there and from watching him in the ‘pen get loose I know, well, I couldn’t hit it anyway. Ball was smacking the glove of the catcher SO loudly.
This was a strange game…. I expected it to be harder and tenser than it was, I guess. When I got there I immediately noticed that Coco Crisp was in CF shagging BP flies, so I yelled down to him to throw me the ball… he pointed to his taped fingers on his throwing hand and waved me off LOLOL I’d expect he comes back not too long from now and then we can really get down to business offensively, perhaps.
Barton might be becoming a monster. His ball in the 1st was stroked real good; I thought it was gonna get up but it bounced over off the track in CF. There’s just something about his look at the plate, you just see “quality, disciplined AB” written across his back every time. He also made a tight stab on that ball to end the 6th, which saved a run from scoring from 3rd, huge play.
Ross continues to impress me and you can see the hitters are wondering “WTF?” when they see his stuff. Vlad’s single for their lone run was a typical first pitch Vlad swing, scrape it off the dirt into left, nowhere near the zone LOL After that Ross was pretty filthy and had them off balance throughout.
Cahill was Cahill, a mixed bag…. I worry that he does not have the fearlessness in the zone you need to do it at this level. Too many walks, too many times losing the release point and elevating. Luckily his balls that were up (yes, I said his balls were up LOL naughty naughty people) were so up that no damage save too many BBs and too many pitches thrown could be done. Ross really limited the carnage in that 6th and probably sealed the outcome.
Patterson cracks me up, I confess I liked his play today and he was responsible for the biggest laughs of the day… maybe no one else notices this but those involved, but every time an out is made, Eric signals how many outs there are. To the left field drummers, exclusively. It’s kind of a riot and it made me crack up numerous times…. he doesn’t signal Rajai or Sweeney or anyone else, just the drummers, who acknowledge him each time. He put a nice swing on that bomb, too… that was indeed the only ball of several that had a shot that actually got out today, so kudos to E-Pat for the stylish percussionist love and the HR, which was a big add-on for us in this game. If only his glove was not made of polenta, I’d be inclined to give him a chance.
Speaking of D, Ian Kinsler really impressed me with his today…. he made 3 plays that had he not done so we’d have won 8 or 10 to 1… each one was difficult and he did all of them with style. The one he chased down in foul ground in the visiting bullpen was kind of astonishing in person. His team isn’t in 2nd place this afternoon because of him, this much is clear.
What else? So many kids today, like 14 middle school classes. I thought there were maybe, hmmm, 17,500 there at the peak today? Didn’t catch the attendance but that was my eyeball estimate from several different vantage points on Mt. Davis and at field level today. I scored a $2 seat and sat up in the front of 243 for the first 5 and then sort of walked around.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
Great report EN, thanks
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Great report!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Last Night I Got A Kick Out Of shouting, "Uno...Uno" at him:
Everytime we recorded the first out of the inning. Then it was “Dos…Uno”…Then Finally, Adios!!!
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on May 5, 2010 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions
he was very into the drummers all day
honestly I thought it was way cool, like the fans are the 10th man and need to be sure how many outs there are.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 5, 2010 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions
That tradition goes back decades with the left fielder
It is actually the girls in LF that train each one…There is no place like it…Left Field that is.
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on May 5, 2010 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions
That was of course in between jabs from an anonamous AN'er who kept yelling:
“You’re being sent to Cleveland with Mookie” and I heard they need a 25th man in Pittsburgh to join Crosby"
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on May 5, 2010 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Patterson seems to me
to possess some semblance of a stick, there is SOME potential roduction there. What kills him for me is the D; his glove is pure 100% obsidian and what’s woorse is sometimes he looks kind of scared going for the ball, like he’s afraid to be exposed out there.
Today he looked fine, but it wasn’t exactly a busy day in LF today, so there is that.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 5, 2010 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
production, I forgot the p!
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 5, 2010 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions
His defense is terrible. he doesn't have outfielder instincts:
he is a second baseman, and not a very good one at that.
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on May 5, 2010 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah
Crisp will be back soon enough… he looked raring to go in BP in the outfield, sprightly little Coco.
The LF bleachers are always strange for me to sit in… I have never felt as welcome there and when we bring drums or whatnot we do the RF bleachers. The game I yelled at Milton Bradley all night, where he clammed the last fly ball and we won, I sat in the LF ones and to be honest I thought the LF drummers thought I was some sort of mental patient turned loose from Atascadero State Hospital for the evening.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 5, 2010 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions
This post makes me hate Patterson less.
More HRs would also help in that respect.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
"Si" ya Friday!
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on May 5, 2010 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Great report, EN
I was in skigurl’s fine seat, the fourth row of 117, for the first five innings; and then fainting from the heat, had to retreat to the back of the field level. Too bad I didn’t know you were there — you could have taken that prime space. You didn’t catch the attendance because they don’t announce it any more, but I would guess maybe even 20,000; second deck was pretty full, odd to see the bleachers relatively empty.
Stomper was wearing a sombrero in honor of Cinco de Mayo, and he was high-fiving the kids in the corridors afterward, while his Fun Team or whatever his entourage is called were handing something out to the parents waiting for their offspring to come back from the pachyderm flesh-pressing…so naturally I had to go see what it was. It was a tacky little serape with the Corona label on it for your beer bottle to wear. Yay, Stomper family values!
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
They announced attendance on the air....
It was around 15,000, which is practically a sell-out by the A’s standards.
It’s pathetic that they don’t announce it at the ballpark.
There’s plenty of blame to go around when it comes to explaining why this team is still playing in an antiquated, multi-use stadium.
But responsibility for the current abysmal attendance rests squarely on ownership. I have an open mind as to whether or not they’ve intentionally tried to kill attendance. But if they haven’t tried to do so, they must be among the most incompetent ownership groups in all pro sports.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 7:26 PM PDT up reply actions
There's a big article in the Chronicle today about this
Here it is Ziggy’s tweet gets mentioned (I’m sure he’s thrilled).
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
Saw that.
I thought it was pretty good, other than the Ziggy bit that seemed strained and unnecessary.
Wolff ended up looking typically terrible. He kinda instantiates the A’s lack of PR prowess even while denying that it’s about marketing.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 7:52 PM PDT up reply actions
There are few things I regard less
than the A’s PR/marketing dept. It wasn’t until the Bay Bridge Series on April 4th that they finally had a pocket schedule available that had the times of the away games. (I called the ticket office a week before that and they said they still didn’t have them.)
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
give them a break
I mean, the games in Texas, for example, are scheduled to start at 7:05, but, and I bet you and most of the AN community doesn’t either, that totally doesn’t mean it starts at 7:05 in California. There is a TON of research to do.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
It's kind of amazing
to think about how much work must go into finding out these obscure facts.
i'm getting tired of reading these types of articles
they undermine the A’s on field success and hurt more than they help.
"I get nervous every fifth day," Braden said. "I figure the day that goes away is the day I saddle up behind the 7-Eleven desk."
Evidence much?
How do such articles “undermine the A’s on field success”? Where do you see evidence of this effect.
These guys are professionals. And this year, they seem to be a group of professionals who like each other and work genuinely hard to win.
Nothing in that article—with the exception of the Ziggy stuff, which is silly and which Z has already dealt with—says anything whatsoever about the players. Lew Wolff is the guy who owns the team, not one of the players. Criticism of Wolff is not criticism of what goes on on the field, and the players understand that.
And to the extent that “clapping louder” translates into on field success, I’d success that actual loud clapping (i.e. attendance) is far more important than metaphorical loud clapping. And the A’s shitty p.r./marketing contributes mightily to the relative lack of people applauding at A’s games.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions
deeply disturbing stuff, the Shea article
I try to write about this stuff and all I get is enraged…. I can’t address it without just laying out not just the conspiracy of Wolff and Selig to do the least possible to stay in Oakland, but the outright conspiracy we see every day, paraded before us in this dead economy. The idea that we are straight up living in the Great Depression II here: people are down to their last morsel all around us and the media says NOTHING.
It’s as if the plutocrats have decided that much like the way you’ll never see bodies from a war on TV after Viet Nam, you’ll never hear news that might decrease your consumer instinct, which is being fed constantly by the oligarchs and their corporate minions to keep the paradigm in the air, much like the juggler’s balls. Ah, the juggler’s balls…. sometimes I dunno whether to kick the juggler in his balls, that we might have an end to the dominion of the Man Behind the Curtain here in our Oz fantasy land.
I don’t wanna pee on the parade so instead I’ll tell you my dream from the other night…. I woke up straight from this dream and went to the ballgame, that’s how powerful it was:
I dreamed that the public funds were rejected by the SJ voters and Wolff blew up at last and sold the team to someone else… it was not specifically stated in the dream who it was, but this person had philanthropically (with help from his very rich and generous friends) built the new ballpark in JLS and a BART extension has been constructed from West Oakland here into the JLS complex, a beautiful underground station at B’Way and JLS had been constructed for the shuttle trains, with shuttles running from 24th St./Mission to JLS during the peak game times. The extension was fantastic, an elevated train that turned right at the tunnel instead of going to the Lake Merritt stop and instead took a quick and scenic jaunt over the streets down into the underground under JLS.
Additionally, a museum had been constructed in the ballpark complex, of the Athletics franchise through Philly, KC and here… 110 years of memorabilia was on display and there were interactive exhibits of everything from Connie Mack’s white suit to Charlie Finley’s orange baseballs. The whole of Jack London Square was transformed into a sort of bubbling village, with shopping, music and food venues to the right of Broadway (way more than now, even given the recent JLS expansion) and the whole stadium complex to the left.
The name of the complex was The Walter Haas Pavilion in my dream, and the walkway to and from the stadium itself from JLS was called the Bill King Promenade. In the dream, my subconscious made signage for the train station that said “Jack London Square/Walter Haas Pavilion” and the font was the A’s font, with the HaA’s on the signage highlighted to incorporate the “A’s” logo… it was truly splendid and I was sad to wake up in a way.
Anyway I got right out of bed and out to the ballpark, tired as I was; I couldn’t see not going after dreaming what I dreamt like that.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 6, 2010 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
by Nick on May 6, 2010 6:24 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well said
''I love Billy Beane. The only mistake he has ever made was writing that braggy book about himself, and how he's so good at computers.'' - Ken Tremendous
by fridaynightfan on May 6, 2010 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions
Plus my oicture is in that article from the game on Monday....LOL
There is no A in OFFENSE!!
by wacchampions on May 5, 2010 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Anyone get a picture of Stomper avec sombrero?! pleasepleaseplease
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:29 AM PDT up reply actions
How's this?
''I love Billy Beane. The only mistake he has ever made was writing that braggy book about himself, and how he's so good at computers.'' - Ken Tremendous
by fridaynightfan on May 6, 2010 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I was there too
2 dollar seats- 227? 2 DOllar Dogs (they didn’t treat me so well-nor did the sun) and a great game. I kept a scorecard, as always. And A Bailey poster in the program- only 5 bucks!
Rooting for the Yankees is like cheering the tanks at Tianamen Square.
question for danmerqury or other SABR dudes/dudettes
i was re-reading the FIP post today and i have a question.
since it effectively treats all batted balls in play as the same, does that mean it produces a higher FIP than deserved for sinkerball pitchers than flyball pitchers?
what’s the added dimension of xFIP and tERA?
There's no consensus on whether FIP or tRA is better
Each has its advocates.
On the plus side, tRA is better because it introduces useful information from balls in play.
On the minus side, tRA is worse because it introduces random noise from balls in play.
So it’s kind of a question of which you think outweighs the other. Personally, I’d say it’s about a wash right now, but tRA has the potential to get better as categorization of balls in play improves.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on May 5, 2010 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
tRA and xFIP correlate almost identically to next-year's ERA
FIP is a good ways behind those two.
For samples as small as a season or less, I’d definitely suggest using those statistics. When it’s more like 2-4 seasons, FIP starts looking better. Eventually (assuming the guy sticks around) you’ll have a large enough sample that ERA/RA is actually preferable.
Arthur Dent: You know, it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.
Ford Prefect: Why, what did she tell you?
Arthur Dent: I don't know, I didn't listen!
Treating all batted balls the same works for most pitchers who have roughly average FB/GB splits
But yeah, FIP tends to unfairly penalize pitchers who can get great GB rates consistently (like Cahill and Ziegler). Ziegler’s posted better ERAs than FIPs every year in the majors.
As far as tRA/tERA vs. FIP, it depends. The formula for tRA is essentially the same as FIP except they also include GB, IF FB, OF FB, and LD. Like Iglew says, while it does add valuable information, it also adds a lot of statistical noise. Whenever HitFX comes out, they’ll be able to refine batted ball descriptions much better.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
Yes, thanks for this quick summary of something I've been wondering. Same goes for iglew's post above.
You guys kick ass, and I really appreciate your learned explanations.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
i agree
i’m trying to learn to use WAR, wOBA and FIP/tRA in discussions with friends to kick up the dialogue.
buddy asked about freddy sanchez. i had it in my head that he was good player. i used ellis as a benchmark and found that they’ve produced a similar WAR over their careers. the comparison is helped by the fact that they’ve played a similar # of games. freddy seems to have more offensive value, mark has more defensive value. my buddies were pissed because they thought sanchez was the better player and that ellis was mediocre.
good times.
I think next week I'll try to explain wOBA.
I know a lot of people have had questions about that one. The thing about WAR is that it’s a counting stat, not a rate stat. So yeah, you can really only make the comparison if they’ve played around the same number of games. It’s kind of like the difference between counting career hits or career batting average.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
wOBA makes sense to me and i get how its calc'd
i think the next stuff is to do player comparisons (say Gio Gonzalez vs Jonathan Sanchez) to understand what the stats do and do not tell us.
I don't.
I resent that you know more than me, and actively seek ways to undermine you both.
To this extent, I’ve dug several punji-lined pits in the backyard, covered with twigs and leaves, in anticipation of your sojourning through my lawn. Punks.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 6, 2010 1:42 AM PDT up reply actions
Excellent to see Trevor and Ziggy K Hamilton (Trevor doing it twice!)
Both have had their problems with LHs, and both put Hamilton away.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
PATTERSON!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Awful...you can't hit homeruns more than 400 feet?
What is that?
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Go InBilly and BBG!
Make Epat keep hitting! Use your verbal bashing magic on him.
Zooey Deschanel!
by ChickenStanley on May 5, 2010 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Win(s)
Awesome.
As for Mr. Chavez getting the PH treatment, I don’t see the hubbub, bub. He’s been part of a strict platoon all year, with Fox getting the ABs against lefties. There were runners on, and it just made good sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that having your DH replaced in high-leverage situations is heartening (when examined in a vacuum), but I think a real message would be sent if he was replaced when facing a right-handed pitcher.
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
I do agree
It was more the intentional walk for me, in all honestly. Even with the matchup
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
Yeah, kind of a slap in the face
Kouz may be a better hitter against lefties than righties, but it’s not as though he’s a lefty-killer in the mold of Byrnesy Kielty.
"Smokey, this be not the foul jungles of the darkest East Orient. This be ninepins. We are bound by laws."
so when do we put chavez out of his misery?
like jason kendall, he’s not good enough to get injured (crosby was the exception).
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
It's not that hard to convert an "H" into an "L," after all. Teeny shifts.
H → U → L
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Thanks, BBG (and EN) for great recaps of a game I had to miss in its entirety.
Sounds like a fun one. I was tempted to walk out of work around 11:30 and just go, but that would have meant, er, lying or something, which I’m simply not very good at. (I have more practical than moral qualms, sadly.)
Chavy is down to -0.4 WAR. That means he is almost half a win below replacement. I mean, I can understand this from folks like Gross and Fox and Powell. After all, they are expected to be replacement level players, and their numbers reflect that. But our starting DH? Oh, the laughingstock, the laughingstock.
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
In a completetly frightening development
Eric Patterson is now 3rd on the team in HRs.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
I think he leads us in slugging.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 5, 2010 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
milton bradlol update
Milton Bradley to Mariners: "Can you help me?’’
Interesting day down at the ballyard, as the Mariners announced that Milton Bradley will sit out at least the next few days to deal with what general manager Jack Zduriencik termed "some very personal and very emotional things in his life right now.’’
Bradley addressed his team in a closed door meeting and explained that he had issues he had to work out. Zduriencik said the team is going to get Bradley the help he needs and give him time to get himself right.
This morning, as the team was preparing to head off into groups to speak to various local schools, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu received a phone call from Bradley, who several team sources confirmed had stormed out of Safeco Field after being benched at the start of last night’s seventh inning.
After a lengthy conversation on the phone, Bradley came down to Safeco for a private conversation, face-to-face, with Wakamatsu and Zduriencik in which he asked them to help him with his issues.
Zduriencik said Bradley’s exact words were along the lines of "Can you help me? I need your help.’’
Zduriencik said Bradley will be allowed to remain with the team in uniform. He is not on official leave and so the team will be playing with a 24-man roster for now. Zduriencik said he’ll monitor the situation for a few days and see what has to be done next.
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
Wow. That sounds like an enormous step for Bradley.
I’ve said it before, and I know other folks here agree: Bradley is not a bad person, but playing major-league baseball seems to bring out the worst in him and his temper, his anger at himself and others. I don’t remember ever hearing about him saying something like, “I need help.” I hope he can figure this out.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
"That sounds like an enormous step for Bradley."
< rolls eyes >
"A strikeout is the most embarrassing, pathetic thing that can happen, and I’d take it out on the umpires," says Bradley, who sought anger-management counseling during the winter. When asked if his off-season marriage or a call after the bottle incident from childhood hero Magic Johnson (who explained how he learned from his own temper problem early in his career) had framed his decision, Bradley slowly shakes his head and says, "The most important step was looking in the mirror. In the past I might have said, I’m just a guy caught in a bad situation. Now I look and say that I brought it on myself."
Bradley’s nadir, he says, was the three-day jail sentence he served in December, the result of a 2003 traffic stop from which he sped away after refusing to accept a police officer’s ticket. "You sit there alone for 72 hours, just you and your thoughts in a jail cell in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio," says Bradley. "It’s like, ‘I got a million-dollar house, I got cars, I got money, I’m a pro ballplayer, and I’m sitting in jail. So what does it mean?’ Meanwhile other people I’ve been blaming for my problems for years are out living their lives, not thinking about me. All that put together made me want to [start fresh]."
that was five years ago
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 think you're both right on this one
Asking for help IS a huge step forward — and Bradley’s problems run deep, deep, deep. It’s not like he’s going to be fine tomorrow, or maybe ever, just because he said “I need help.” But it’s a heck of a lot better than saying, “I need your help convincing the world that it’s all the Chicago media’s fault.”
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
(((hugs))) to Milton
No, srsly….more or less srsly anyhow. Asking for help is a good thing.
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
wow that is fantastic
This is a tremendous step for MB, he has finally acknowledged that the problem is in the mirror and he needs help, awesome news.
If that guy wasn’t always so busy short-circuiting himself, there is literally no speculating where his game might finally elevate to, seriously. The first step to real recovery = admitting you have a problem and asking for help or treatment.
From my experience and knowing so many people with huge anger issues, I gotta say that from everything I’ve ever seen of Milton when he gets nuts, it looks to me that it’s issues with the father that abandoned him and hit his mom and so forth… this is a common wellspring of male rage and he seems the classic case of it to me: that when he blows up it’s the dad…. he can’t get at the dad and the lack of justice coming in the life of the child from the father makes guys snap, crackle and pop.
This is from an ESPN magazine article from when he was on the Dodgers:
One of Bradley’s gifts is an ability to explain the irrational with disarming rationality. But it’s remarkable how many lessons you can learn when you open your mind to accept them. The one-on-one therapy let him tell his life story to an unbiased person, someone to help instead of judge. He also told the story of his father, Milton Sr., whose temper made it hard for him to hold a job. “Anger basically ruined my father’s life,” Milton says. Last September, Milton Sr. refused to attend his own father’s funeral, despite his son’s insistence that he go. Imagine those conversations. Milton looked at his father and said, “This is where I get it from.” He hasn’t been in contact with Milton Sr. since. “Some things are genetic,” he says. “But you reach a point where you have to control your own life.”
I disagree that it’s just more BS this time… for him to drive away and then come back distraught and begging for help is a major step for someone like him. He’s bagged out and driven away from many games in the middle of the game, but this is the first time he came back and asked for help. If it’s finally clear to him that his anger is ruining his life and that he’s got no one, not even his dad, to blame for his actions and his bad vibes, this is a step in the right direction.
Bradley is NOT a dumb jock: anyone who’s ever heard him interviewed knows he is on the articulate side of these baseball players… I believe he can grow up and be smart enough to change. Can you imagine what it must be like for him? There’s a part in that ESPN article where these people are getting his autograph and this little kid won’t make eye contact with MB, so MB asks him why? Are you afraid of me? And this little kid nods and looks away. I mean, if that doesn’t tell you what the guy must go through, I dunno what would.
I myself as you all know have tormented him for a full 3 hours, purely on the basis of baseball-related stuff and leaving the personal largely out of it, only because he’s the one guy in the league that has shown himself repeatedly to be able to let it affect his play between the lines…. sure enough he clammed that game for the M’s, on the last play, and I’m sure the gamelong abuse he receives from every visiting LF section he plays in front of doesn’t help his play all that very much, him being like he is.
Maybe it is all just more self-aggrandized infantilism from him, but seeing him come back and ask for them to get him the help he needs seems a step in the right direction to me, and one he is gonna need to take because one day he is gonna get all hot and drive off in a rage and run someone over he is isn’t even gonna see through the red..
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 5, 2010 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I hope he fixes the problem.
There are three things I can observe related to Milton Bradley, based on hearing him speak and his actions in life:
1) He is a very intelligent human being
2) I am very glad than I am not the son of a crack addict and an absentee felon
3) I truly hope his innate intelligence and talent can overcome observation #2
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Speaking of Bradley brings memories of the Ethier trade?
Checking out his average, HRs, etc.recently, reminded me what a terrible decision this trade was…..could it be Beane’s worst deal???
Can you imagine an outfield with both CarGon and Ethier?!?
I can’t believe no one’s brought this up in the last couple weeks.
by Elvez on May 5, 2010 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I know!
What a fresh and non-dumb topic of discussion!
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
by danmerqury on May 5, 2010 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Especially since the A's had such a bad season in 2006!
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
and bradley had a higher WAR in 2006
2007 and 2008!
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
by Future Ed on May 5, 2010 7:09 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not to mention our 1st draft pick
we gave up to sign Loiza. 2006 we had a shot to beat Detroit, injuries really killed us in the playoffs that year.
seriously?
this again? Does it have to be in every thread?
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
Yes. Obv.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Until Cust stops stricking out so damn much, anyway.
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 guy totally sucks.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Angels lose again. woohoo!
6 game losing streak for them.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Ho-lee.
Six? That rocks.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
He failed to fail, however.
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
He just wasn't made for these times.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 7:31 PM PDT up reply actions
God only knows where the Giants would be without him
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I need to return all my tickets...
…for Wednesday games, and make sure that they’re no where near a large group. This was the second time I’ve been surrounded by a gaggle of school-age children! Sure, they’re enthusiastic, but, damnit, they won’t stay in their seats! I missed Barton’s near-HR, and almost Patterson’s! They kept climbing over all the seats.
And what was up with that pop up Kouzmanoff missed? Did he lose it in the sun? It looked like he just stopped, and let it drop.
"With Chance on first, and Evers on third,
Great things from the Cubs will soon be heard."
won't somebody please think of the pop-ups?
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
not enough people at games.
too many people at games
MAKE UP YOUR GODDAMN MIND, FOLKS
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
by mikev on May 5, 2010 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not enough people IN THEIR SEATS
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on May 5, 2010 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Anybody only get spanish languae commercials
when trying to listen to the Mariners/ rays game?
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
lots of interviews from after the game today
over at the CSNCA site (Bailey, Patterson, Gio, Tyson, Rajai, Cahill).
Also, Urban talked to Dallas about the whole ARod thing again. Unfortunately that means you have to listen to Urban prattle on about his playing days and other nonsense, but you also get to listen to Dallas. And Dallas is awesome.
the only thing worse than hearing sports writers
talk about their playing days, is reading it here on AN.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - danmerqury
You know, back when I played
readers would often make comments just like yours. Only the guy’s name would be Present Ed.
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
When Strong Bad gets an email he doesn't like,
you can be sure it is from Delete Ed.
''I love Billy Beane. The only mistake he has ever made was writing that braggy book about himself, and how he's so good at computers.'' - Ken Tremendous
by fridaynightfan on May 6, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Evan Longoria is 0-for-3, though.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 5, 2010 8:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Wouldn't mind if he got stuck in a little slump this weekend.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Since he’s hitting .353, I wonder what “a little slump” is.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 5, 2010 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions
We have a few examples we can show him
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
...What the hell is that.
The selfish, they're all standing in line, faithing and hoping to buy themselves time.
Me, I figure as each breath goes by, I only own my mind.
I just see a black and white photo of an umbrella
Wait — have you been hitting the LSD again?
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
Go Rays (for now)
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Rays ahead 5-2 now.
Not looking forward to playing them.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Yeah. It's gonna be bad.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Especially if the Price is right
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
"Bad" as in badass...or "bad" as in, well, bad
(I fear I can guess which you mean….and I agree)
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 5, 2010 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
You're RIGHT!
I just got distracted because I was watching the score hoping they’d beat the M’s!
YAY WE WON
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
The way I look at it,
every team, no matter how good or bad, sweeps sometimes and gets swept sometimes, and not often the way you’d expect on paper (see Baltimore/Boston this week). Maybe it’s the A’s turn to cool the Rays off for 3 days. And yes, I may be insane.
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, I agree. I'd love to see the A's kick ass. I just...I'm skeptical.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
You're probably one of those morans
who’s been brainwashed to believe that Evan Longoria is better than Kevin Kouzmanoff or that BJ Upton is more talented than Rajai Davis.
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
The Rays remind me of the early '00 A's.
So ridiculously stocked with top shelf young talent. Unbeatable when they’re hot.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
So they're due to have crippling injuries non-stop
from 2017-2020!
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 kinda feels like we are going to have crippling injuries forever.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I like it!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
It kind of scares me.
Probably could hide the staples pretty well, though.
by whiteshoes40 on May 5, 2010 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions
barton rivercats bobblehead had a mohawk
i have it, but this is the only picture i could find via gis:
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 seriously hate Sportscenter. Why do I watch?
I’m inviting this kind of pain.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Who ends up with more home runs in Oakland this year?
Patterson or Chavez?
Might as well Jump! - Van Halen
Does Chavy need to stay alive to be considered "with" the team?
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2010 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions
M's cut Byrnes, Byrnes joins softball team.
'Sometimes you're the bug; sometimes you're the windshield.'
-- Torii Hunter quoted by Susan Slusser.
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