Gonzalez Leads A's to Sixth Win in Seven Games
by baseballgirl on Jul 2, 2010 7:00 PM PDT
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PrintWe may have had our frustrations with the A's this month, but it seems like there is no cure for a losing streak quite like playing Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland.
The A's have now won 6 out of their last 7 games since the Cincinnati series, and are playing some pretty good baseball.
Gio Gonzalez was a little wobbly tonight; giving up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the end result was 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and it's hard to ask for more than that.
Breslow relieved Gio with two outs in the seventh and threw the eighth as well (with three right-handed hitters scheduled). He was exceptional; striking out three of the four batters he faced.
Bailey pitched a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save to lead the A's to their league-leading 9th shutout of the season.
Perhaps the difference in the game (and Gio's toughest jam) came in the sixth inning with two outs. Gio gave up three straight singles to load the bases, and he gave up a sure single to right field, but an incredible heads-up play from Sweeney to Barton resulted in the uncommon 9-3 putout--the runner was thrown out at first from right field.
The A's put one run on the board in the very first inning on a bases-loaded walk to Jack Cust and scored two more on a bases-loaded double by Ellis. Daric Barton--who wasn't even scheduled to start tonight--went 2-5 today. The A's couldn't score more than three, but with tonight's pitching, that's all they would need.
So we are officially half-way through the season, and one game under .500. Right now, that doesn't sound half bad.
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And for us to keep playing Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cleveland!
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
Sweeney And Barton Were Ready
Sweeney’s shallow position and Barton being ready for a throw were not lucky… they were the result of game planning. Even the Indians announcers said that Redmond has no power to right.
I think Tye Waller gets the credit for that one
And I noticed he was grinning ear to ear in the dugout and greeting Sweeney/Barton.
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 was Todd Steverson I thought
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
Nah, it was Waller.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
He was the one smiling in the dugout
But the postgame article on the main site says it was Steverson’s idea. Or I might be going insane. Or both.
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
Geren said it was Stevenson
Of course, knowing Geren….
Yeah, but Geren never grins (that's his problem right?) so that doesn't necessarily preclude him from playing a part.
I’d better stop defending him though, or people will get the wrong idea about me.
Nah it's fine, Billy
The guy clearly deserves to have his job.
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
SHE'S UNDERAGE!!!
Give Travis Buck her number, though.
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
This was a very Gio-type game.
Thanks for being Gio, Gio.
by whiteshoes40 on Jul 2, 2010 7:28 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Dreamy Gio is dreamy.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
who would of thunk it
Gio, Cahill, and Mazarro are our best pitchers now! Scary to think how they will last the rest of the season. Exciting looking to next year!
didn't we go through this before...
you amended to “claymort FTBND”
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Wouldn't it have been easier..
To just use the EDIT button? OH! WAIT!! there isn’t one. Someone must know how to use the software that runs this blog and could change that. Most of the blogs I am on have an edit button so that you can go back and change or delete what you typed and repost. That is a very handy button. Just a THOUGHT…
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
I'm glad there's no edit for comments.
It’s more like a conversation this way. If you can go back and change everything then it’s like rewriting history.
We all make mistakes, it’s no big deal. Most don’t require corrections and if they do you can add another comment like asfansince1989 did here. If you find you’re making too many corrections, then preview more carefully before posting.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
I totally agrww
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
A good thought
There is a preview button so you can reread your post - but if you post, and then change your mind or want to make further changes, you can’t delete it.
Mazzaro?
Healthiest, maybe, but he has a looooooong way to go.
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
His last start didn't encourage me much
6BB, 2K to a poor team. He’s fortunate that he didn’t get lit up.
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
Mazzaro'slast 5 games..
Since he was named an actual starter.
29IP 26H 11BB 14Ks 3.41ERA
So hes been not bad.
"Carter's 25-game hitting streak isn't any normal streak. He's 46 for 97 (.474 average) during the run, adding 16 walks and compiling 81 total bases in the process. I'm out of superlatives for what he's doing." - Kevin Goldstein
Seems to be he doesn't have the stuff to get through a lineup more than once
Maybe twice
"The A's have to be setting some record this year for simultaneously maximizing team quality and player anonymity. I guess that’s sort of their thing though." - Luke in MN
No I'm pretty sure he was talking about
{insert pretty much any A’s pitcher except Cahill and Gio}.
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
So Brett Anderson is forgotten now?
Jeez he missed some games this year but he’s miles better than anyone we have….although its nice TC+Gio are stepping up.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
As Macha would say, "He's a non factor"
until he gets healthy.
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
So you've read my bumpersticker?
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
Yay! we won!
As usual I missed the game. It’s been a busy week. Family stuff.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Thats why they have MLB Mobile audio !!
I have it and listen to the games at work while mindlessly typing numbers into routers. I don’t know how I could follow the team without it. You can turn the audio on and off so as to not bother family. You can get audio for your desktop too if you dont have an Iphone. They have Video but the price is beyond outrageous!
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
When iglew does family stuff, he does FAMILY STUFF
He doesn’t want to be distracted by the game, he wants to enjoy his family.
Ask me about my squirrel.
um, sort of
I don’t want to go into details, but a lengthy illness has come to an end. A few of you may remember earlier discussions.
But you’re right about distractions. If I’m busy I’m busy. I have MLB audio and I listen to games when I’m in a position to pay attention. If I’m doing something else I’m not going to distract myself by having the game in the background. I’m not a double-tasker.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
That's mostly what I meant
And for the other thing, sorry bud. that’s rough.
Ask me about my squirrel.
Hope you're doing okay.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Thanks, guys.
None of us were particularly close to him, and since the end was anticipated literally for years, it wasn’t exactly a shock. Even so, when you lose a parent it’s a milestone, even if he was an absent and long-invalid one.
I haven’t had any conscious feelings about it, but I’ve been in a weird funk for the past week where I tend to be oversensitive and get tired easily. Most of all, I’ve been absent-minded.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
No wonder I haven't noticed any change!
Just my way of saying “condolences to the extent you want 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
Don't look now
But the “superior” Bay Area baseball team has the same amount of wins as the supposedly “inferior” team.
The Bear Will Not Quit, The Bear Will Not Die
CAL 34 - STAN 28
Buuuuuuaaaaahaha....
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
AAAAAHAHAHAHA
amazing.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
I'm liking his 2:1 GB:FB ratio.
If the A’s infield can play good defense behind him it might turn out alright tomorrow. Nothing else in his numbers strikes me as particularly good or bad, although he’s definitely on a bit of a hot streak. He’s probably not a guy I’d want toeing the rubber every five days, but he looks like a pretty reasonable spot starter, and definitely worthy of Ross’ roster spot (or Bowers’ for that matter, but I’d rather preserve Ross’ service time and let him start in AAA).
He's basically Tomko:
He sucks, but he could get on a nice roll for a month and that’d be just fine by me.
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 missed the specifics on the Bonser deal.
Is he going straight to the 25 man roster, or did he sign a minor league contract?
Good thing that.
Sounds like his arm is held together with hobnails and chewing gum. Same with Tomko. I’m skeptical either are in the A’s future. Nice job on having a cool name though. Maybe we can put him on a team with Dusty Coleman and that other guy I’ve forgotten about.
You mean straight to the DL, 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
No no -- I meant 15-day DL
That’s optimistic.
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
Jeez you're a harsh task master.
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
You kids and your crazy fonts are running wild!
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 9:16 PM PDT up reply actions
This world is going to Hellvetica.
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
Hey, an underline appears when I hover over a letter.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
For me, a rabid turtle wearing a red dress appears.
Are you sober?
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, I never drink. It might be you. Do you know where your pants are?
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, they're right here under my briefs.
{hic}
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, but when I put my glasses on
everyone thinks I’m Jeff Kent.
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 be a total jerk.
It’s exhausting.
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
dude...where's your mototcycle!
"By the end of the year, I'll have Dallas throwing right-handed'' -Ben Sheets
Aha.
I was wondering how to get around the div problem since span didn’t work. I didn’t think of trying it that way. Well played, DMOAS.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
yeah
I was playing with it, I really wanted the label tag to work and stumbled on the a tag.
Ask me about my squirrel.
The important thing is that
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on Jul 3, 2010 12:20 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
ooooooooh.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Look at you elitists with your coloured fonts.
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Are you looking at my ass?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Look what is happening in the AL West.
MLB
Fuentes blows save after incredible run by Saunders. Aviles RBI double. #royals 1 #angels 1. And #rangers blow lead.
3 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 9:44 PM PDT reply actions
Nico, Macha would say he’s a " non entity."
by dashman33 on Jul 2, 2010 10:13 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
8 games back
the pythag records for the AL west have everyone with the same record as the do in real life. Except the Angels, their Pythag is 41-40. blech
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
What's new, you can chop their head off and they go on a winning streak....
Adenhart last year, Morales this year- not to mention all the losses in the offseason.
sigh…
I don't know
I can’t stand Scioscia. It can’t be him
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
I hate the slegnA and I hate Scioscia
But IMO it is him.
It’s his philosophy and its ingrained in those little slegnA’s.
All coaches in organized baseball
are better than Geren. He is a hapless buffoon. By the was, thanks for slegnA !! I can’t stand to type the other word either! slegnA SUCK!
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
Agreed
But out of respect I think many would appreciate if you didn’t refer to Adenhart in that way…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 2, 2010 11:58 PM PDT up reply actions
No worries
didn’t want to come across too harsh, just think we’re a bit classier than Lookout Landing, in there complete disrespect towards his memory earlier this year.
Plus, I feel an odd connection with him:
1. I saw his ML debut
2. I happened to be at In Cahoots (the place he was headed the night of the accident) just a few nights before
3. I had tickets to that last game but wasn’t able to attend.
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Fact: there are only 5 good teams in the AL this year.
Yanks, Boston, TB, Minnesota & Texas.
Its weird looking at the Wild Card standings, as LAA, Chicago, Det & Toronto have run differentials that leave a lot to be desired. The NL is more logical, all the positives come before the negatives. Weird.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
Run differential alone is kind of a poor measure of the quality of team
Schedule’s too unbalanced to use it.
Ask me about my squirrel.
How so?
You have to score & prevent runs to win a game, dontchya? What would the unbalanced schedule have to do with that? Im pretty sure the Yankees would still be a +87 team if they had to only play the league leaders or the cellar dwellers.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
Good teams beat up bad teams
And beat up good teams by a smaller margin. If teams played to their true talent every game, games where two teams had a large gap in talent would end in lopsided scores, obviously skewing run differential.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Yes, but that would skew W-L record just as much.
Run differential may indeed be a poor measure of the quality of a team, but for the same reason W-L record is equally poor.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Not sure I'd agree with it skewing the W-L record
But I do agree that W-L is a poor measure.
Ask me about my squirrel.
Vignette is saying that good teams beat up on bad teams,
and a team that has faced a weak schedule gets to pile on its run differential with lopsided scores.
This is true, but it’s equally true that good teams win more games against bad teams, so the same weak schedule lets a team pile on its W-L record, too.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Right
Which is part of where W-L fails. But depending on how many opportunities you have against bad teams and how many against really good teams, it can make the difference of 5 to 10 games (assuming you actually take advantage of the difference).
Ask me about my squirrel.
It's nowhere near that simple
Forget about the unbalanced schedule and think about this. It’s harder to score runs against the Yankees than the Orioles, yes? So if you play 81 games against each, but win all of them 1 – 0. Those 1 – 0 games against the Yankees mean a lot more than the 1 – 0 games against the Orioles. Why? Because the average team beats the Orioles by more than 1 run, but the average team also loses by more than 1 run to the Yankees. So you can artificially inflate your run differential simply by playing weaker teams more (or even better) than you do against losing teams. Hell, based to using average score per game, if you lose to the Yankees 1 – 0 you’ve actually played better than if you beat the Orioles 1 – 0.
The reality of run differential (and the pythag numbers) in a vacuum is it doesn’t account for the difficulty in scoring or preventing those runs you get against the average team playing the team you got or gave them up to.
I’ll share the numbers with you soon in a fanpost if I don’t get too busy with life. It’s actually pretty interesting, but it would take some time to setup and make it visible for you to really see it all. I’ll say this though,
Ask me about my squirrel.
I look forward to your analysis.
I don’t see how weak or strong schedule breaks the correlation between RS-RS and W-L. Playing against a bunch of weak teams is functionally the same as being a strong team, and playing against a bunch of strong teams is functionally the same as being a weak team. With regard to being a strong or weak team, the Pythag correlation is demonstrated. Why would opponent strength make it any different? I’m not seeing it.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Well it's less about strength of schedule
so much as normalizing or comparing similar events. I won’t say my version of looking at this is any better (it’s way too above me to make that claim and having not shared my methodology I could be way off base in what I’m doing) nor will I say it’s in any way better than traditional methods, but it’s a way of comparing team’s run differential where teams don’t play the same teams and/or the same number of times. Especially when, say, the ‘06 A’s play can take advantage of the fact that they got the ‘06 Mariners 18 times when other teams didn’t. Just a cursory look at the data shows it’s not making to much a difference in who the best teams are, but I’ve heard claims like the ’09 Angels were over-rated which just looks untrue.
Ask me about my squirrel.
Radical
Yeah let us see that, I’m fascinated by things like this. Does it account for good teams going soft and either not playing their regular lineup, or subbing players out in blowouts who sometimes dont keep the score a blowout? Because that happens quite often. A 10-2 game ends up a 10-7 final because they put in their mop-up non-good RPs, bench players and AAAA/25th man types. Replacing a good player with a guy who is below or at replacement level will mean the score will eventually swing back the other way.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
Sort of but not directly
It mostly accounts for it through sample size. It’s using a team’s full 162 game schedule as a base so that sort of thing should be appropriately weighted down. Without looking it up, the highest per game run differential a team has is below the 2 run mark, but most range around the one to negative one mark. For instance, the best team in the last 10 years was the 2001 Mariners (no surprise) and the worst team is the 2003 Tigers (also, likely no surprise) so at the very least it’s staying true to final results in a lot of ways.
I think the only way to really show a lot of this (I went back to 1999) is to build a web site to let you browse it for yourself other wise I’m just inappropriately (and “unintellectually”) cherry picking interesting little tid-bits here and there without really showing you anything useful. I have the database built, it’s just a matter of building a website capable of allowing you to play around.
Ask me about my squirrel.
Boston has been good all along,
The slow start was just because they had a ton of injuries.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
And again they have a lot of injuries
No Pedroia, no SS, a very lucky Beltre and a bad bullpen.
Age and injuries will catch them soon enough
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 2, 2010 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I know!
Whatever, I attribute it to him enjoying the Green Monster all too much.
If he keeps this up, Beltre will really be remembered for having only 2 solid offensive seasons…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Actually his road OPS is 200 points higher than at home.
Thats the real killer, dude would have had a 900 OPS here.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
What?!?
Ok, I’m a fool for not looking that up.
Now, jealousy rears its ugly head…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Boston's record is very Angels-esque.
Tonight, their starting lineup had Eric Patterson, Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, and Kevin Cash in it. THEY STILL WON.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
Who would BB go after at the deadline if the A's were to 'add'
All 9 positions seem to be filled right now.
Bullpen help?
Hard to say, anyone who has power? Starting pitching, bullpen?
There are needs across the board due to injuries, but I think the team REALLY needs a slugger more than anything.
Well, there aren't any amazing position players on the team sadly.
I think someone who played average D, could knock out 25+, and slug over .450 would trump pretty much anyone on the lineup barring Suzuki maybe.
Now whether we’ll actually get anyone like that is another story.
Uggla, PLEASE
Whatever it takes within reason to get him before someone else does!
Plus, considering his beefs with Hanley, he just wants to win, he’s not a stats guy…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:01 AM PDT up reply actions
It would take a lot. Florida doesn't give players away.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
good point.
but I’d be demanding Hanley and not Uggla.
SIG SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP. INQUIRE WITHIN.
I think you're going to need a bigger knife.
Ask me about my squirrel.
What do you think it would really take?!?
Could something like a Lansford, Haviland, Cardenas package be enough?
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:06 AM PDT up reply actions
No
Think one of Carter/Taylor/Green. Maybe Weeks could be the headliner if the secondary prospect is good.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
You really think it would cost that much???
I mean, I’m not arguing, I just don’t know.
I’m thinking his value will probably be around the same now as it will in the winter.
I was also looking at their weaknesses, as they have bullpen struggles (Lansford), we’d be replacing what we acquired (Cardenas) and everyone appreciates a SP (Haviland). Perhaps they’d want better than Haviland, but I’d think Cardenas holds more value than Weeks, and someone like Lansford could intrigue a team like Florida if they view him as a Closer or Setup man…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Well
I think it will take 1 top 100 prospect. Cardenas has an outside chance. But given the reports pretty much every prospect site has been saying for the past year and a half, I doubt it. Haviland and Lansford are nothing more than a Clay Mortenson/Greg Smith/Dana Eveland type throw in. And neither have even put up numbers in AAA like those three.
I mean I would do that Uggla deal in a heartbeat even though I hold Cardenas in higher esteem than most. And considering how many trade rumors have been around Uggla and the fact that he’s still in Miami should tell you something. It’s going to take more than you’d easily give up.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Ok, I can agree with that
I was sort of assuming it would take more than that, but I do put this in question:
Cardenas has an outside chance. But given the reports pretty much every prospect site has been saying for the past year and a half, I doubt it.
Considering he was around the bottom of most top 100 lists, I don’t think scouts are too hard on him…
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:45 AM PDT up reply actions
He was at the bottom of lists
But he’s a year older and he’s back in Midland. His age isn’t as big a positive any more. He’s young but he’s not super young. And his lack of power is really starting to negatively affect his status.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Paulino's line probaby is similar to what Donaldson would put up in the majors...
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes, a DH or a bat with power in it.
Preferably a DH, but beggars can be choosers. The A’s are still in the hunt. On the fringe, but still clinging to a remote chance to overtake the Rangers. If Beane were allowed to bring in a hitter, I’d like to see a veteran hitter from the NL who we can make into a DH, but until recently was a position player who lost their position to a younger player. Kinda like Benji Molina, but not as big a liability on the base paths. Also better Hitter. With a hot hitting veteran bat the A’s are a better team that has a chance at the playoffs. Angels are struggling to keep from taking on water themselves. Rangers are going to go through their June Swoon Soon that they go through every year. It is just a matter of time before the A’s have a chance at winning the West. BUT, the A’s need their front office to step up, and I really dont see the A’s front office doing anything but waiting for the team to make a misstep and have the Owner Lew Wolff run outside of the A’s Front Office to run the “White Flag” up the flagpole and immediately start dumping salary and quality position players and pitchers! Wolff is HOPING that the A’s fall out of contention 15+ games or so. Then he could Dump salary and collect up a bunch of CHEAP farm players who MAY be good 5 years from now. In the rest of the baseball world, your GM brings in a bat and no problems. It sucks to be a fan of the A’s because it is a given that the ownership doesn’t give a damn about the wins and losses of the team. It is always a money issue for Wolff. Always claiming poverty, Wolff has not made ANY kind of emotional investment into this team. For Wolff, the A’s are nothing more than a sure income for his retirement. The More Money he can SQUEEZE out of the A’s (ie: Collecting his MLB Welfare Luxury Tax Checks, TV Revenue, Season Tickets, trades for “Cash Considerations” A’s Paraphernalia, and any other money stream he can thing of. ), the more Wolff likes it. Lew Wolff spent the 3rd lowest payroll again for the 3rd year in a row: – http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/salaries – Just the bare minimum to field a team. Next, Wolff tries to pick up a player that will generate some interest that he has no intention of signing long term. This year is was Ben Sheets (last year it was Holiday) but that has backfired somewhat. Sheets has not been able to get healthy enough to be that great pitcher he used to be, so it looks like Wolff will have to eat his salary. He can still be traded in the off season or next year in Spring Training. Wolff doesn’t renegotiate contracts. If a player is a good player, he is getting traded before Wolff has to pay fair market value. Either that or Wolff just lets players walk. The last long term contract Wolff signed off on was Chavez, and that was a disaster. Since then Wolff has signed NOTHING in the way of a long term deal for a hitter. LEW WOLFF IS THE WORST OWNER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND PERHAPS THE WORST OWNER IN ALL OF ORGANIZED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ! Just look at his track record.
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
DH NL DH
BUT HOPING CHEAP MAY ANY SQUEEZE
LEW WOLFF IS THE WORST OWNER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL AND PERHAPS THE WORST OWNER IN ALL OF ORGANIZED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
He's not
He’s not even the worst owner in the Bay Area. Both Chris Cohan and Al Davis are worse, and it’s not even close.
The worst owner in baseball is Jeffrey Loria, though Pittburgh ownership, which pockets every penny of the payroll tax, may be a close second.
Heh.
Not as good of material as before. But good try.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
it might have been better without that last sentence
I didn’t know what to do with it
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Yeah you were just going by the agreed upon rules.
Kinda got thrown a curveball there.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Great win
I’m surprised at how you can pickup KTRB down I-5 to near Lost Hills and CA 46.
@MAD_Marvin
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Jul 2, 2010 10:25 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
This from over at McCovey ...
Sabean has always resorted to blaming ANYONE but himself. Even the fans. He’s a piece of shit mother fucking asshole.
by BayLife5518 on Jul 2, 2010 8:20 PM PDT up reply actions
This makes my friggin’ week — classic.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
by Vacafan on Jul 2, 2010 10:39 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd!
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Jul 3, 2010 12:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm looking at the AA All-Star Game photos
and Jared Lansford got the save. Is this guy a legit prospect?
He's legit.
I wouldn’t call him a great prospect, but he is a promising reliever in AA, for as much as that’s worth. He’s more than just pedigree.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
He was one six reasonable to good relief prospects of a year or so ago
Those six were Demel, Bailey, Italiano, Hunter, Carignan, and Lansford. Then 2009 came and Bailey dominated MLB, Demel did OK in the minors, Carignan, Hunter, and Italiano all lost what little command they had and/or got injured. And Lansford was absolutely terrible in AAA.
The dude wanted to be a 3b like his father when drafted. Only the A’s could have convinced him to become a pitcher (where he was more highly viewed). He didn’t see tons of success as a SP and he battled injuries as much as any young arm. He found a nice niche in the pen as he slowly ascended the ladder. And then he hit the wall in AAA. Basically he is the story of all relief prospects. He was a starter and moved to the pen. His performance fluctuates year to year. Long story shorter than it already is, he needs to be in AAA but he is nothing more than a mediocre relief prospect. And that is simply not that good. I could see a couple of league average middle reliever years in the future. But much more should be unexpected.
Also as a side note, in the AA All Star game, Lansford gave up three singles only to see one of those runners thrown out at home.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
He could be if he ever learned control
And young fireballers seldom do…
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Blast from the past
Madsen used to be a guy I really liked too. And Recker. Since then, I’ve grown way more cynical about prospects (and learned more about park and age adjustments).
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
and he was so good in Reservoir Dogs too
Stuck in the middle with you.
Your Lansford story is the opposite of what I'd heard
Version I read said that Lansford wanted to pitch, but the family didn’t like/trust the track record of some of the teams that picked ahead of the A’s in developing pitchers. So Jared told folks he wanted to play infield… only teams didn’t like him as much as a hitter. Carney made it known to Oakland that his son would be willing to pitch for them if the A’s drafted him.
The monster at the end of this blog.
That's the story I heard.
Ask me about my squirrel.
This could be right
All I know is that Lansford would have played 3b if he was drafted by another team and that’s why he fell to the A’s.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
oakclubhouse
#Athletics seventh-round pick Jordan Tripp made his debut tonight and went 2-for-4 with a triple for the AZL A’s.
1 minute ago via web
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 2, 2010 10:42 PM PDT reply actions
Another athletic outfielder?
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
I see last day for Cabrera and maybe Shipman
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Choice and/or Lewis sign sooner.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
I agree on Cabrera, not so much on Shipman
Cabrera’s going to need above-slot money but I haven’t heard the same on Shipman. Heard conflicting reports on Lewis. The A’s haven’t even begun talks with Choice, so the delay is on management not agent demands.
The monster at the end of this blog.
The delay is quite simple
Lew Wolff is old fashioned. He has to count every penny he pinches like Scrooge McDUCK, being sure not to overspend even a PENNY for mediocre talent. Wolff spends the BARE MINIMUM and don’t try to get all emotional with all that Wins and Losses talk!! It is STRICTLY BUSINESS for Lew Wolff! What a Steaming Mound of DUNG Lew Wolff is! We say this every year, yet we keep on expecting Wolff to change. Wolff is the Worst Owner in all of Professional Sports! He couldn’t care less about A’s wins or losses. All he cares about is how much MONEY he can squeeze out of the A’s. Pathetic! Can anyone realistically point out a worse owner than the TOTAL POS that owns the A’s??? I can’t, and I am a big sports fan. BUT, I have never seen this kind of total disregard for wins and losses by an owner. A total Disconnection between the Team and Ownership. The Young players play their butts off, and Ownership does not in any way assist or try to build up the team for any kind of stretch run to win a very winnable AL West Pennant. No help from ownership AT ALL! When was the last time you saw Wolff at the GAME! It is WAY past time that MLB Investigate the shady way the A’s Organization has been run since Lew Wolff assumed control. Wolff is so ANTI Competition, that he is negatively effecting the outcome of games and interfering with the integrity of the game itself. Wolff should not only be forced to use every PENNY of the MLB Luxury Tax Welfare check he gets every year for remaining FAR BELOW the Luxury Tax Threshold, but there should be a MINIMUM Salary Requirement for owners like Wolff that prevents them from setting the team up to be bottom feeders that generate a steady retirement income for LEW! I guess it pays to be the owner of a team that is designed to fail every year. Planned Mediocrity! 100% Bargain Basement Baseball!
Wolff needs to be FORCED OUT of Baseball! He is a terrible owner who couldn’t care less about the fans. He has made that abundantly clear over the years. Wolff is bad for baseball. What a total CREEP! I just wish someone would come along and purchase the A’s, move them if they must, and attempt to be more competitive by spending more than the 3rd worst payroll for the 3rd year running! The Yankees spent 205 Million this year to the A’s 51 Million!!! Where is the level playing field! The salary cap keeps big market teams from overspending to buy World Series rings somewhat, but it does NOTHING to protect Small Market Fans from the predatory behavior and total disregard for baseball integrity that Lew Wolf has shown in his ownership of the team! I guess they never thought an owner of a professional baseball team would never stoop so low as to behave the way that Lew Wolff does!!
Has anyone seen that Cretin at a GAME ??? Maybe he is hiding under those Hideous tarps in the Bleachers! By the way, under those tarps does Wolff also charge people for the SHADE !?! If Wolff runs up the White Flag and the A’s are still in the race, does MLB step in and take over the team? At what point do the other owners cry foul when owners like Wolff act in a way that is detrimental to the overall health of MLB? What Wolff is doing is detrimental to Baseball. No one EVER expected an owner to be this CHEAP or have so little regard for the product they put on the field. There needs to be a Minimum Salary Cap just for Lew Wolff. Maybe that would make it so that he sells the team. As it stands now, Wolff has no reason to change the ATM/IRA Mentality he has toward Professional Baseball Team Ownership! Unless MLB comes in and removes Wolff, or he dies, the A’s will NEVER be a team that can challenge for a pennant. Wolff has no regard for the A’s
Fans that have long suffered the curse of being fans of a small market team in a league that rewards big market teams with more and better prospects. The System allows big market teams to control the payrolls so that small market teams are unable to keep their quality players because of constant Money Concerns. You cant even buy an A’s Jersey because you never know if the player on the back is going to be in Oakland more than a year! It is very hard to be an A’s fan, and I salute anyone who is able to be supportive despite the attitude of the A’s Ownership. Maybe if Wolff showed up and watched a few games, maybe he might see that the Young A’s players have made the emotional investment to win. Wolff needs to change the way he runs the A’s. He needs to run the team more as a professional baseball team and less like a business. Wolff could make money AND field a team that has a chance if he cared. However he is far too concerned with squeezing every red penny out of the A’s by trading our talent for “Cash Considerations”, dumping players who are due for a raise instead of trying to sign players and maintain a core of talent, and refusing to spend money on free agents no matter how desperate the need the team on the field has. The A’s have needed a veteran bat in the lineup for 2 years now. Holiday was a bait and switch move to generate some interest, but they NEVER even CONSIDERED resigning Holiday to keep him in Oakland. Imagine how good the A’s would be now with Holiday in the lineup? The A’s fans deserve FAR BETTER than the way that Wolff has treated them. The A’s fans, no matter how small that group has now become, are loyal to a fault. Fans still show up to the games KNOWING that ownership not only doesn’t care about the on field product, but constantly threatens to move the team. The Fans are not supposed to be manipulated and disrespected the way Wolff has done for all the time he has owned the A’s. How does a fan generate a connection with a team that is always in flux??? When does this roller coaster stop?
More Importantly, WHEN does MLB step in and fix the problems they themselves have caused with the major holes in the Luxury Tax system. There needs to be some provision that penalizes owners like Wolff and forces them to spend more money to field a better product. Making Wolff spend the Luxury Tax Welfare Check on team improvements would be a good start. Wolf and Beane already have it set up so that they make money whether or not anyone shows up to the games at the Stadium. Between the Luxury tax check and the TV Revenue, Wolff is able to make money because of his low salary obligations. Imagine how good the A’s would be if they spent like the Gnats do?? That is hard to do, because as a fan you must know that the A’s ownership is always looking to save a penny or unload a veteran salary any way they can no matter what effect it has on the club. Wolff is a complete D-BAG! Again, WORST PRO SPORTS OWNER BY FAR!! Sell the TEAM LEW !! YOU SUCK as an Owner! Sell the team and GO AWAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
Dude, you're becoming a caricature of yourself.
That’s not a bad thing, though.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
It's kinda fun for us.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
yeah
I’m not doing this one, I will leave it to the professional, FF.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
I'll try
blah blah blah SCREAM blah blah blah.
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
You're not doing it right, Nico.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Blah blah blah blah blah, Nico
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'll try my hand.
But whole phrases and sentences spoil it, so I only used every other word of them, and no duplicates.
DUCK? PENNY.
BARE? STRICTLY!!!
DUNG = MONEY.
TOTAL. BUT ….AT GAME WAY, ANTI FAR, LEW FORCED CREEP.
NOTHING SHADE, EVER CHEAP. NEVER!
AND, CONSIDERED BETTER, KNOWING…. WHEN D-BAG , WORST SPORTS BY FAR! TEAM SUCK!! GO AWAY !!!
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
by Englishmajor on Jul 3, 2010 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
again, i did not stick it out, and miss seeing the final hurrah.
alaska A residing in northern Idaho.
GERMANYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
I just watched the replay of Ryan throwing out Redmond at first --
Kuiper was SO confused. It was a little ridiculous. The Indians announcers knew what was happening right away, and they had even been talking about how shallow Ryan was playing in RF, anticipating that kind of opportunity. Can we get a new play-by-play guy? Pretty pretty please?
kuiper didn't know if the run counted
I wouldn’t mind the tv taking cotroneo
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
That's why I watch the other team's broadcast....unless it's the White Sox or the Rangers.
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Missed the game
Watched the highlights on the Oakland Athletics site. Kuiper missed the call, and the screen image pretty much missed the call as well, showing the guy scoring then switching back to first, almost too late. Kuiper was completely confused, even after it happened. And the only replay that had was the missed one.
Then I watched it on the Cleveland Indians site for comparison. Not only did the announcer get it right immediately, as it happened, but the camera was on Sweeney as soon as he got the ball, and followed him and Barton. The editor had two replays ready to show it again.
At least Kuiper was following the game
During the “Turn Back the Clock” broadcast, Kuiper and Fosse spent an entire inning - as the A’s scored runs - ignoring the game completely to reminisce. Since the video team isn’t particularly on top of showing statistics, names or replays, watching an A’s broadcast is sometimes like watching amateur night on You Tube.
It’s Kuiper’s job to keep Fosse in the game, making comments, not letting him slip and slide all over the place. It’s also Kuiper’s job to ensure we actually know what’s going on. And it’s the video editor’s job not to take naps.
Count me as an NRAF
Who watches EVERY AWAY GAME telecast. I used to watch Fosse/Kuiper during Angel, Ranger, and White Sox series, but I can’t even do that anymore. Fosse & Kuiper are very, very boring, predictable, and wrong… a lot.
by Colorado Fan on Jul 3, 2010 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
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