Open Thread Game 155: A's v Rangers
by jeffro on Sep 26, 2010 1:00 PM PDT
Email
PrintTexas Rangers at Oakland Athletics, Sep 26, 2010 1:05 PM PDT
Some randomness to start the game thread (because I didn't want to push Nico's UZR discussion of the front page yet. Go. Read. Discuss. It is what makes AN awesome):
- If it was 1960, the Athletic men in Green and Gold (and sometimes Black) would have been relevant right up to the penultimate day! I just realized that when I wrote "Open Thread Game 154."
- With yesterday's loss, the A's are at .500 for the 4367th time this season.Okay, it is actually not that many times, but still. Joe Morgan would have trouble arguing that this team is not "consistent." Well, he wouldn't have trouble arguing it, he just wouldn't make much sense if he did. Wait, does he ever care if he makes sense?
- In a somewhat related note: Why have the Giants become the official "we whine about everything" club? San Jose? Humidor? That they have to pay Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand for a few more years? Wait, that wasn't related at all. Go Padres!
- We still have a few days to vote for Bill. It is pretty clear that he will be on the ballot this year. Now we just need to figure out who to bug to get them to vote for him. All I know is past Ford C. Frick Award winners have a vote... Jon Miller, your email box is about to be flooded.
Lastly, the smell of champagne permeates the bowels of our beloved, if broken, "baseball" stadium. Once again, it is not the A's with the hangover, the damp clubhouse or plastic sheeting in their lockers. Congratulations to the Rangers. The A's were relevant a lot longer this year than last, for that I am thankful. We have all known, for at least a month, that the road was just too tough to hoe. But this team has been doing anything but playing out the string and the effort is neither unnoticed, nor unappreciated..
2011, officially, starts today.
Current Series
Rangers lead the series 2-1
| Thu 09/23 | 5 - 0 win | |
| Fri 09/24 | 3 - 10 loss | |
| Sat 09/25 | 3 - 4 loss | |
|
Texas Rangers Sunday, Sep 26, 2010, 1:05 PM PDT |
||
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Comments
why is Kurt suzuki playing?
and francour dh. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHa
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Where is Chris Carter
and is anyone else getting logged out of AN and having to (of course) log back in about 5 times a day
the logging in and out seems to be a problem for everyone
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
It's some kind of problem with the cookies.
If you close your browser, SBN doesn’t remember who you are.
thats why i have my username and password tattooed all over my body
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
This kinda happens with my brain as well.
Stupid brain cookies.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions
There is absolutely no reason for Kurt Suzuki to do anything put PH for the rest of the year.
Bob Geren is bad at managing this baseball team.
I imagine the reason why all the starters are out is because it's the last home game.
If Suzuki is still out there tomorrow….
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Good point.
Fan appreciation day is a good reason to be playing all the regulars.
Let the no-names who are auditioning for next year get their time on the final road trip.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Why? I love exhibition games
My only complaint is that they didn’t bring up Fautino.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Awesome!
Trevor can win his 18th.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Zito won 23 and Mulder 18 in 2002. Mulder won 17 in 2004
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Can you help with this one??
Pleeze
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 2:01 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
For a second I thought it was actually true
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Athletics Nation – It’s like a library, for A’s fans
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Shhhh.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
WE'LL JUST HAVE TO BE REALLY LOUD
TO MAKE UP FOR EVERYONE WHO’S AT THE GAME
by whiteshoes40 on Sep 26, 2010 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions
So all caps all thread?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
NOW IS THE KEITH GINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
You mean because it's usually us?
Why have the Giants become the official “we whine about everything” club?
We’re small market. Whaaa. There’s East Coast Bias. Whaaa. There’s Red Sox fans in our stadium. Whaaa. ESPN doesn’t care about us. Whaaa.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
They take their lumps of sugar hard
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
And yet it helps the medicine go down in a most delightful way.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions
2011 does not officially start today.
There are eight more games to play.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
or is it nine?
Wait a minute. How can this be game #154? If it’s #154, then we’ve played 153 games, and if we’ve played an odd number of games, how can we be at 500?
Something doesn’t add up here.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
So the headline of this post is incorrect?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Just today, or has the count been off for a while?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
It's just this type of cavalier attitude that lost us the division
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions
You need to work on this for next season.
I think we can win a 3 team race with Texas and Anaheim, if we get a couple of OF and don’t give up anything off the major league roster.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
and
they wouldn’t have really been in it on the second to last day, even it was yesterday and 960, because they were still 8 games out.
I mailed this one in.
It's not all your fault. This attitude was pervasive among anyone who batted
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd never throw him a strike and if he walked, so be it
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
He might be able to walk once, but there's now way he could stop himself from swinging every AB
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
How did we let him get away? First Nelson Cruz and now this.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Sticking a kid with two last names....
when mama just ain’t sure.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
But Esteban German has two first names
It should really be Steve Nelson and Herman Cross
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Twins?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Well played alox
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:21 PM PDT up reply actions
I"m not even allowed in Mexico.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
What did you do?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Ouch.
What does that say about Lyndon Baines Johnson?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Mama liked red necks?
a lot.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Custater
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I still miss Marco Scutaro. And Jack Hannahan.
And Antonio Per—- wait, no, not that last one. Not at all.
by whiteshoes40 on Sep 26, 2010 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Scutaro anyway.
I miss the good players
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions
I guess he's no Clifton Pennington. OK he is.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Thank Daric Barton for that
We cut DJ for very little reason other than we wanted Barton to play a full a year and be so shitty we send him back down for most of the next year.
Billy needs to start putting more effort in, he’s turning into a real lame duck GM.
I was kidding about Dan Johnson.
But Barton’s job was a good idea. Look at him now. Sometimes, players take a year or two to really figure it out.
Yeah, youre right
Im not bummed about Barton, but DJ really did nothing to lose his job. Its way cool he’s finally getting another chance.
Other than hitting really badly over two seasons?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions
He never hit badly though
compared to the players we have now, Id kill for a guy with 18 HR and and 768 OPS, those were the numbers that caused him to lose his job to the point where he had to play indy ball and in Japan before the Rays made him thier AAA 1B this year, where he went crazy and threw up a 1053 OPS with 30 HR in only 98 games (that means he’s nearing 40 HR over the full season, thats better than Carter).
He’d sure have been a better LF option for us than the slop we threw out there this year. We should have kept him.
You do realize that he was worth only 1.1 WAR that year right?
That bat is nothing special for a first baseman. And if you throw him in the outfield he’ll probably be worse than replacement level considering all the runs he’ll cost you on defense.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Sad fact coming up
D. Johnson WAR 2007: 1.1
D. Barton 1B WAR 2008: 0.1
J. Giambi 1B WAR 2009: 0.1
So, you see now why I miss him.
Talk about hindsight.
There was no way Johnson was going to get a significant amount of at bats after Barton’s ’07 September and ’07 season in AAA. No one believed or had any inkling he was going to be as bad as he was in ’08.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Is the attendance supposed to be $40K or something today?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
It's my stingy mind playing tricks on me. Money money money.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Are we winning yet?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Maybe in the future
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh.
Are we in the playoffs yet?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Maybe in the future
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Wait so the Rangers scored early
Sounds like the Raiders game.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
He probably wants to
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Is Andres Blanco related to Gregor Blanco?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
LOL Saints missed 29 yard FG
I thought that game was dust when they were on the 11 yard line of Atlanta
Now they lose to Atl
Some guy on TV predicted that
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I am rooting for Minny this year
and last. No because of Favre but they have so much talent even though that idiot Rice screwed his team over by not having hip surgery at the end of last season.
Should I root for them too? I have no NFL team.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Rotowire says Andrew Bailey
had surgery to “remove loose bodies” from his elbow.
Did Brett get that surgery, too?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
by iglew on Sep 26, 2010 1:30 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I think he had them surgically attached
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions
He looks like he's 45 in that picture
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Ha
Raider Nation in Glendale. TD Miller.
7-7
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
A's really going to lose their last home game to rangers 2nd squad?
That’s pretty damn pathetic I’m sorry
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:33 PM PDT reply actions
That 2nd squad is pretty awesome
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, it IS fan appreciation day
And it appears that Trevordactuyl is starting his regression toward the mean a bit before 2011…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Trevor is no bad very often
but he is awful today.
He is going to destroy his nice ERA
I'm just watching gameday,
but it looks like his control is a bit off, and he’s a little nibbly with the corners.
His body language is also weary
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
3-0 deficit to A's is insurmountable
Colby Lewis on the mound… anticipate lots of foul outs and ground out :) oakland a’s
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
He gave up lots of line drives with us
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Hi all. Freakishly hot out here.
Need some good oaktown mojo!!!
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 1:35 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Where are you?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Section 124
Still sunny. Hoping for some shade eventually.
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 2:04 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
How many times this year...
did the A’s offense put up double digit runs in a game?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I'm betting fewer than double digit times
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Six times:
April 23 = 10-0
April 25 = 11-0
June 8 = 10-1
June 25 = 14-4
July 10 = 15-1
July 24 = 10-2
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
All six games at home
April 23 = 10-0 vs Indians
April 25 = 11-0 vs Indians
June 8 = 10-1 vs Angels
June 25 = 14-4 vs Pirates
July 10 = 15-1 vs Angels
July 24 = 10-2 vs White Sox
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I wish Chavez were in the lineup today. He wouldn't even have to play. Just get introduced.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
That doesn't take long. Of course it's too late now
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I read that as they'd have to resucitate him and all that....
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Could be one of those ceremonial things
Put him in the starting lineup, then have someone else come in for defense in the 1st.
Or a late pinch hit appearance for old times sake.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
:-(
Yes, I wish so, too.
Actually, I’d like him to have an at-bat. What the hell. He’s awesome, the fans would love it. One sub-optimal at-bat isn’t going to kill us.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I truly believe the A's have to get rid of Cust afer this year
Because I do not think he would be starter for any other major league team. Didn’t he get released and nobody signed him?
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:40 PM PDT reply actions
Why? Im new here.
have people actually made arguments for his case? defending him?
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions
But this is our last chance to have the same argument till tomorrow
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes. That's why guys like you have had to keep making arguments against him
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes.
If you really are new here, I apologize for the coincidence. But new people come here all the time just to rag on Cust. When we see it often enough it looks like trolling, even if you mean it genuinely. We had this exact same discussion with someone else just two days ago. If mikev were here today he’d be going ballistic right now.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I'm considering going ballistic in his absence....just to see what it's like.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:48 PM PDT up reply actions
So Carter gets a day off but Suzuki plays?
JJ Martin
The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker
True Grit
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Right here,
right now…..this is what has killed us all year. A lousy two out single…..
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Well there were also the one out doubles and the none out triples
We haven’t hit anytime or anywhere
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Dem's is facts.
Sad facts….but facts nonetheless.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Although I hear there are those internally in the A's organization
That despise Chavez.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
Oooh...is your source similar to Nico's "whispers from the clubhouse"?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions
If you mean this question seriously, then I'm with you.
I too am curious what H4tC’s source is.
But if you’re being snarky, then -1. Nothing wrong with hearing second-hand whispers, so long as we take them for what they are.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I'm being serious and critical. If "snarky" means a cheap shot with the semi-intent of being funny, then I'm not
I have zero respect for anonymously sourced mudslinging
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Seriously...
Chavez hasn’t been around enough in the last three years for anyone in the front office to even notice that he’s on the team.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Right. If this is true, I want to see a named source, and for that matter, a named reporter.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Cool.
I’m also interested in anonymously (un)sourced reports. If H4tC or Nico or anyone else wants to say, “I know someone who is works with the team and occasionally hears things, but it would be inappropriate for me to name him or her,” then I’m fine with that. Obviously, we’ll treat it differently from a sourced official comment, but it’s still worth hearing. I do not agree with the idea that anything that can’t be substantiated shouldn’t be said at all.
That said, where did Hit4 go? When you say “I hear”, what do you mean? Heard from people in the clubhouse who actually know? Heard from loudmouth talk radio “analysts” speculating? Heard from your drunk buddies? It makes a difference.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
True enough.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
The former
Wasn’t sure if he was referring the media that covers the A’s or the front office itself. Seems like Chavez’s attitude about coming back to play, getting hurt, getting shut down, is tiresome to hear.
Not to short change all of the accomplishments Chavez has had with the A’s.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
If you're going to keep saying this, I want to know your name and his name
and get a direct quote
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't. I respect if you don't want to name names.
I do want to know more about the person’s relationship to the team and yours to him, if you’re at liberty to disclose either.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I respect that as well,
I just usually don’t buy into anonymous sources on AN.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Pathetic.
We should never bring up inside info, so you can get the info, even if we can’t get specific about the source? Nonsense.
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
At least he didn't make it the central point in a front page article
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions
And that is a synopsis....
of our season. Thanks Cliffy….keep the good times rolling!
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Base loaded groundout
Would love a win here last game of the season
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Ya but Clifton has far exceeded my expectations...
OK not “far”. Just enough.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd go with "far".
I expected a terrible bat from Cliff. Like, Matts bad. Instead, he’s one step from league average overall, which makes him above average with the bat for a SS. And the plus defense is great too.
I thought he'd be a 1-2 WAR player. He's a 2-3 WAR player. One WAR isn't really "far"
but doubling the WAR kinda is.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah, I see.
Yeah, I had worse expectations. 1 WAR, at best. Now, he’s at 3. About time something nice worked out for us.
Indeed
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions
SHut him down
no point in pitching rest of season.
Fine by me
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions
He's tired.
It’s been a long season. Nothing wrong with him other than he’s throwing down the middle of the plate.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Why isn't the opposing pitcher tired?
by James Patterson on Sep 26, 2010 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Cause he's not as young as Trevor?
Trevor’s 22. Colby’s been around for a while, both here and in Japan.
Cahill is young...
Second year in the majors. They don’t throw this much in the minors. The Rangers are riding a wave of euphoria having clinched and all. There’s luck involved too. They’re flaring pitches for hits as well as hitting it on the screws. They’re not missing the fat pitches and getting lucky with the good pitches. Such is life.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Let's hope Trevor's recent spat with bad luck doesn't carry over to next season.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Right. I want awesome luck next season.
That and a couple of OF could mean a World Series win.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Can you imagine how much it must suck
to pitch, and pitch well, in front of this sad sack offense? I can’t blame him if he’s letting down a little.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I blame any professional who lets down. Not to say I don't do it, but then I blame myself
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, maybe so.
But I prefer him to dial it back a bit. Time to think of next season.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I had forgotten Mazzaro was with the team.
by whiteshoes40 on Sep 26, 2010 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm pretty sure Bob has, too...
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I guess Brett's approach is another way.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I wonder Teagarden will get much playing time in the playoffs
No A’s pitching out there to get hits.
Unless maybe the Rangers make the World Series and see the likes of Joe Blanton, Barry Zito, and Aaron Harang.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
Jose Guillen
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Ryan Sweeney’s left knee has checked out and he will not need to have surgery.
Sweeney had patella surgery on the right knee July 30, and it was thought that he may need a procedure on the left knee, as well. That appears not to be the case, though, and the outfielder is hoping to be ready for spring training.
50 bucks says this issue crops up again in spring training and he will need surgery.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Agreed. If it "checks out" why has he been out for 42 months?
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not gonna take that bet...
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think there's a bookie alive who would.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Or dead for that matter
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, maybe the A's have gotten a bit lucky with Hermida
What’s his contract status, anyone know?
He plays the field OK, and who knows, maybe now that Sweeney’s going to need amputation…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't want Hermida anywhere close to the starting lineup next season.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
He's got a lot more upside than most of our spare parts
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions
So does Bobby Crosby.
I don’t know if Hermida will make a good 4th outfielder considering how bad he is at defense. I’d rather -GASP- have Rajai. Even in his one good year, he only managed 2.7 WAR.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Bobby has an upside still?
Hermida looks at least better in the field than the Matts. He’s got a cannon for an arm. No range? I just checked out his negative UZR’s on fangraphs.
I’d rather have Rajai, too. We have to have a backup for Crisp. Rajai gets bad reads on the ball, but he often gets to them nonetheless. Plus, he has usefulness on base when he can get there.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions
So did* Bobby Crosby.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Semantics, but,
technically he still does. He still has 30 HR ability, it’s just very unlikely with his love of low and outside sliders.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
I bet he doesn't actually love them
He just doesn’t see them as low and outside until it’s too late.
“Blast! It’s that durned slider again!” strik three!
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd take him as a 5th or 4th and DFA Gross
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Has Cahill really given up 11 hits through 3 innings?!
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Yes, and his ERA went up from 2.81 to 3.05
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Bleeders and bloops or solid hits?
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Enough solid hits to not be just bad luck
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
ZOMG Regression!!!
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Not the first game of the regression, either.
Seems except for that one 7-2 victory (last time out), he’s been hit pretty hard in the last 4 or 5 games, is my lazy memory..
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Could be fatigue
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Then why on earth start him?
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Leave Cahill out there
Maybe he can keep the pattern going and give up four in the 4th.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
gave up runs for the cycle
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Matt Cain with a no-no through 6, at Coors no less.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Hideo Nomo did such a thing
Pre-humidor no less.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Sep 26, 2010 2:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Ya THINK????
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 is a starter and he's underworked
Bullpen innings is not a problem. Pitching a guy who’s getting shellacked after your trainer has been to the mound is a problem.
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 to mention there's really no reason for him to be out there since you just got eliminated yesterday
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I mean it makes sense that the guy may just be out of gas
Pitching tired is generally a bad idea, so if he’s gassed better to chill than to push.
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 get the hopes up that this team is going to win anything substantial next year
There are too many issues with management for it to be good.
Do I want them to win? Of course. Do I think Beane can get it done. NO
If we had another GM and manager. YES
Why is he starting the 4th....
If Cahill and Gio have injury issues next year, I’m blaming Bob.
And why is Francoeur killing us this series…
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:16 PM PDT up reply actions
What ever happened to Mazzaro?
It’s too bad we don’t have a guy like him in the bullpen right now.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
haha
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Embarrassing that they just leave him in there
I love the A’s but I HATE the idiots that run the team.
They are incompetent beyond belief.
Did anyone else read the article about the A's on ESPN today?
Good recap and summary about the A’s pointing to future success, but what team had the writer been watching when he wrote: " …Kurt Suzuki is entrenched as one of the best overall catchers in the majors." Huh? Our GIDP King has a batting line of .245 BA, 12 HR, 68 RBI, .309 OBP, .366 SLG, and he bats FOURTH! Those are pathetic numbers for a #4 hitter—even on the A’s. As for his defense, he has thrown out only 23% of the runners attempting to steal this season and wouldn’t attempt to block a player off home plate, even if it were a little leaguer. Sheesh, even Jason Kendall, whom A’s fans used to give a hard time about his noodle arm had a better efficiency rating (29%) before he got hurt this year.
I think it's just a down year
caused by overworking him to death.
Well, he's definitely having a terrible year at the plate,
but I believe in his ability to improve next year – he’s smart and hard-working and I think he’ll figure some stuff out. I’m more concerned about his throwing, but it’s not a career pattern. He’s still a very good player, just one who should bat around #6 or #7.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Kurt Suzuki has the best....
…publicist in the game. He really isnt very good, and gets overworked to the point where he cant even develop into good. He might be decent at the plate and at throwing out runners, but for some reason people ignore his numbers all the time when talking about him.
Not necessarily good publicist.
Could very likely just be luck. Sport talkers at the ESPN level are pretty stupid about details. They just repeat the same buzz they keep hearing. So if by chance a guy happens to be good at one time and a bunch of people say so, it can get repeated and become conventional wisdom even if there’s no lasting basis for it. (And likewise if someone gets a reputation for being bad.)
Kurt’s not bad, but his reputation is definitely better than he is. People just say “oh yeah, I’ve heard of him,” so they assume he must be great. I don’t think it’s a deliberate publicity plan, though. I think it’s just dumb chance that it happened to him rather than somebody else.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I think he also has a pretty terrific reputation amongst opposing players/coaches
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
All of what you wrote is true.
A great deal of sportswriters do pathetic amounts of research on stats. Id hazard that most posters on here do hours upon hours more work than the so-called “analysts” do. If anyone actually looked at his numbers this year they’d realize he’s been putrid for a guy who is supposed to be better.
Having said all that...
Am I wrong to believe that there are a lot of other positions that need to be addressed before catcher?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
You got that right. Even the backup options are OK. Kurt is OK. Catcher is not about hitting
He’s an OK #7 hitter. It’s not his fault Bob keeps putting him at #3 or #4. His approach at the plate is awful, and I hope the A’s get a real hitting coach and ditch SKaalen.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I find that it's really hard to judge the quality of a hitting coach.
If you give him bad hitters, he’s going to look bad, and it’s not necessarily his doing. But Kurt’s horrible all-year approach and Daric’s bunting…that’s enough of a reason to me.
Don't forget the "Jack Cust swinging moar" experiment of last year.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions
We seem to fire a lot of them though.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I don't have it firsthand. But there was this thread earlier in the year
A guy who’s a Brewers fan said he was run out of town there, and that he was truly bad. And the Brewers hit well. There are good hitting coaches. Dwayne Murphy has done wonders for the Blue Jays, and he could help the A’s, too, but he’s lower our OBP (and increase our SLG).
I agree about judging the guy against these “hitters” but it could be he’s part of the reason. And, as far as Daric bunting, he did that on his own, apparently. And I agreed with it, when he did it when we were up against the King Felix types. It’s OK to play for one run early in a game when otherwise you’re likely to get shut out. It’s all context.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions
he'd, not he's
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Just look at his splits
He’s been awful in August and September, and in August he played in his most games of any month (26).
And he’s not even going to come close to the 147 and 148 games he played in 09 and 08. Probably won’t quite hit 130 this season.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Only because he was on the DL, which doesn't really qualify as rest
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
It depends on how willing he is to go back to the plate approach he had during his early years.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 26, 2010 2:22 PM PDT up reply actions
All he has to do is walk more, GIDP less
and he’d live up to this “one of the best overall catchers in the game” tag. I mean according to this, he has the 21st best WAR out of all catchers this year. Thats not “one of the best overall catchers in the game” its more “he’s one of the catchers in the game”.
For future reference, you don't "hoe a road"
You hoe a row.
Row ho ho.
Dang, i was hoping Cahill was going to cruise to an easy 18.
Matt Cain no hitter bid broken up by former A Jay Payton!!!
Best A’s news of the day.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Wasn't that Shannon Stewart?
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
another name
in the “slightly below average outfielders that we get for a year or two on their way to nowhere”
Watching the Raiders game, I found out that there is a man on this earth named "LaRod Stephens-Howling".
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Adopted son of one of our clients is named
“LaRod Lover”. For real.
He was in college basketball, but I don’t think he was a top prospect.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I love this Cuban guy's accent.
When he says “Vince” it sounds like “Bence”.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
He was the A’s Spanish broadcast guy when I was a child.
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
Ooh, just gave a shout-out for Vizquel+Alomar
as the best double-play pair ever. I agree with that.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Oh come on, blue!
How can you call a pitch that’s clearly a strike a strike when Daric Barton took it?
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Hi
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on Sep 26, 2010 2:48 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I still have the MLB audio playing
and I still have the game thread open, but I’m not really paying attention. I’m actually double tasking today, looking at porn doing other stuff on the computer.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Hah.
Yeah, I’ve got the game thread open, but I’m mainly watching the Raiders game. At least that one’s close.
Its pretty painful here too
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on Sep 26, 2010 2:56 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Hi Pam
I was expect a one-word post that starts with F.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I'm not really paying attention to the game
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
by pam5981 on Sep 26, 2010 2:57 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's the suite malaise.
Or maybe end of season malaise.
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 3:20 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
That's the suite malaise.
Or maybe end of season malaise.
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 3:20 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Rockies just lost. Giambi caught looking as Cain gets a CG.
They’re all but done.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
checking in as I am back from the office....oh my
here I thought, we would be loosey-goosey-no-pressure-we-are-out-of-it-play-relaxed-and-then-the-runs-will-pour….evidently not.
alaska A currently residing in northern Idaho. --- theme for september = relax, take it easy, and don't struggle.
They did pour.
But for Texas.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Hey that was smooth.
Replace all the other guys as normal, but then replace Ellis right after so that he can get a little recognition from the crowd as he goes out, since it could be his last game here. Well played.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Hope Geren doens't know something we don't.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
It was pretty special.
He waved to the crowd. He got it!!
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 3:59 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I don't think he's going anywhere, actually
But in case I’m wrong, yes, that’s classy, and so unlike the A’s…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I think at this point they honestly haven't decieded.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I do hope they pick up the option, though.
I’m not sold on Sogard as a starter, and one more year of Ellis would be a nice way of bridging over to Cardenas.
I agree.
And his UZR (for what it’s worth) is back up near the best years, much better than last year’s. And he’s hit very well this month. I think he wants to stay. The option doesn’t look quite so bad now as it did early in the year. And I think they’d be taking a risk if they didn’t pick it up and tried to re-sign him at a lower cost…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions
It's one thing to try that non-tender/decline then sign for cheaper trick with Conor Jackson,
but to such a long-time vet as Ellis? It’s kind of a slap in the face.
that's one risk. The other is that some other club needs a veteran 2nd baseman
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions
And no one (including us) needs Conor Jackson. Yet.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions
I think they really do deal with this
after the season is over. I mean, sure, they think about it, but you don’t really decide until you sit down with Mark and talk about his career and his future, what he wants to do, how much money he expects, etc.
They’ll do that some time shortly after Oct 2. Doesn’t make sense to do it now, no matter how much folks here want to speculate and plan ahead.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
It matters that it's a club option, though. How much he gets is already decided
Sure, they talk with him about what he wants, but they already know what he’ll get paid if they exercise the option.
As to the timing, of course you’re correct.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions
So his UZR has adjusted to match my eyes?
Buuuaaaaahaha!!!!!!!
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
Exactly what I thought, too
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Hee hee hee!
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
Haven't I been saying that all year?
I’m not into being smug/right, but I was insisting on this back when UZR didn’t agree and I took a lot of grief for it.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
LOL - much of it was from you-know-who
It’s all good.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
PT, DFA?
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions
The latter.
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
What's odd is that I don't think Ellis has played better in the second half
If anything, I’d say his first half was better. Not sure why UZR likes him so much more now compared to halfway through the season.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's just one of those small sample quirks, I think.
Half a season of UZR can obviously fluctuate quite a bit.
Yeah, but if he played better in the first half, of the two halves,
he shouldn’t go from “pretty good” to “really good!” small sample or not.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
Well, no.
That “perfect UZR” someone brought up in the UZR thread would work the way you’ve said. But UZR isn’t perfect, and it’s totally possible that he performed better in the first half, yet put up higher UZR numbers in the second.
Thank God we have eyeballs!!!!!
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'd still trust UZR over eyes, though.
Jeter passes the eyeball test with flying colors. Every defensive stat gives him horrible ratings.
Even the hopping stat?
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Sometimes our eyes catch up to UZR.
Sometimes UZR catches up to our eyes.
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
which makes it pretty suspect
It’s certainly not like OBP or whatever. If your OBP is higher in the first half it’s demonstrably the case that you got on base at a higher rate in the first half.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
{Except my eyeballs,
which are now insured by Lloyds of London}
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 don't get this.
Why would it be better? From the sound of it, it’s just as subjective as human observation.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Yes, but it's a whole lot more
data points of human observation, grouped together for an overall picture.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
But without the ability to "think"
(“good positioning,” “tougher play than it looked because the ball was knuckling,” etc.) Some of what I like about observation and don’t like about UZR has to do with our ability to integrate common sense when appropriate.
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
Why should this be true?
The human mind correlates data points….albeit in a subjective manner. It’s only a question of whether or not you “trust” the particular mind processing the data.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Sure, you may well trust
yours or Nico’s judgment more than the collective UZR watchers’, but the fact remains that the UZR group watches many many more games. Unless you think they’re incompetent in comparison, that makes a difference.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
{runs out of blog crying}
The number of games UZR sees is a point in its favor. But isn’t the calculation pretty mechanical? Does it make a big difference if its rep has seen 1,000 games or 2,000?
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, but...
I think it also speaks to inherent problems with UZR. It just isn’t good enough yet. It can’t see vectors (like the ball tailing away is a lot harder to get to than a straight shot, etc ad nauseum.
UZR fluctuates so extremely year over year on so many players that I just think it’s not a real stat yet…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions
It works quite well, though.
And it’s better than anything else we’ve got.
Kinda curious, when you say vectors, do you mean batted ball vectors? Even those wouldn’t account for tailing.
I think it works "ok"
Ellis, this season, is a good example of it not working better than that.
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 shouldn't call it vectors, since they would correct for the tailing
No, in a perfect fielding stat world, whatever the ball did would show. A dotted line tailing away from the fielder, whatever you’d call it, would score higher than a straight shot into the mitt.
And one of the biggest downfalls of UZR is it actually penalizes a player for good positioning. Early this year, when Sweeney was certainly not at his best, knee-wise, he so often was positioned perfectly. The ball would come directly to him. That counts next to nothing in UZR…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah, I see.
But penalized for good positioning? UZR looks at where the ball is relative to the field, not relative to the fielder. Good positioning gets rewarded.
But isn't that also a problem?
It really should be “positioning neutral,” 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
Well, it does make some crude adjustments for positioning.
For example, it looks at a batter and groups him into one of two groups—power or no power. It assumes that he outfielders are playing back for the power ones.
But that doesn't account for
players being shifted into right-center or shaded up the middle, etc. That’s huge.
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 does that too.
LHB and RHB get a little adjustment, and the human stringer notes whether or not a shift was put on. It’s not perfect, but it’s something, at least.
Right, but what I'm saying is that
those adjustments are automated, based on norms and general trends. I don’t think that’s the basis for a great system, personally. “The hitter is a power hitter so the LFer is probably playing deep (even though he happens not to be in this case)!”
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 say "yet", but it is the nature of defense
that it isn’t going to get better. The problem is not in the stat. The problem is that data just doesn’t exist for the same level of predictive power as there can be for hitting or pitching.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
I say 'yet' because they keep working to refine it.
As long as no one uses it to substitute for eyes, I don’t really have a problem. But when it becomes a major component of WAR, and then WAR is bandied about as a certainty about a specific player’s value or lack thereof to the team, I have a problem with it.
For me, the perfect example is Rajai Davis. He has clear and demonstrable defects (especially his approach to hitting), and he is more exciting in the outfield than he ought to be, but he is not a minus CF’er, despite what UZR says.
But he is evaluated here as if he is practically worthless. I think UZR tells you he isn’t as good as he looks to the casual fan, but far overstates the case…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I completely agree with you about
use of UZR and WAR. Where I don’t agree is your apparent assumption that sufficient “refinement” will solve the problem.
Ultimately the problem with defensive stats is that there just aren’t enough meaningful defensive plays to give enough information about a player to ever make it a “real stat”, no matter how refined.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Honestly, if you regressed UZR, as is,
to incorporate, as a percentage of its rating, feedback from (in the A’s case) someone like Ken Korach (sees every game, is very knowledgeable), that alone would make it better.
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
sUZR
scout-corrected
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions
I actually do not assume def stats will ever be good enough
I only know that the sabremetricians continue to tinker with them. I actually try not to “assume” anything (as in the old saw about ass and u and me)- it’s sort of a passion of mine to try to be open. I, like you, I think, like to watch baseball, and also am interested in stats, but I am not doctrinaire about them.
I very much agree the stat as now collected is just there to fill a void, since stat-heads abhor lack of information.
I remain open to the possibility that with enough information, defensive stats might become useful someday.
I do understand that inherently, defensive stats will always be much more noisy for individual players than offensive stats. I think the current state of defensive stats might make them useful for team evaluations, but I haven’t delved into that much.
My eyes tell me the A’s infield defense is very good. Which I prefer to their UZR ratings, whatever they are.
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions
I always say this and I know NOTHING about UZR. I just know what I like in a player.!
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
You know more than you think.
;-)
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
pre-tease is on!
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
WTF????
Why didn’t we call up all the Sacramento players in June?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I know, huh?
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions
I think maybe the Rangers' mop-up guy is not the best scrubber around...
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Which is odd...
because the A’s have a way of making other teams scrubs look like Cy Young.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
True, that
But they don’t often get to see mop-up time. They’re usually ‘in the game’. As in, not 8 runs down…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
They've been frustrating that way all year....
usually with 47 LOB.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I like HRs.
If this is a 2011 preview-I like!!
CT ..."he’s not just an asshat with a mic" - cuppingmaster
by Berry Jo on Sep 26, 2010 3:57 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
and now the tease, too!
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
It's like a contagious disease...
this hitting thing.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
I'll be damned.
Iglew, is the most run the A’s have scored in a single inning all year?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Not sure
Maybe 8 in the 3rd against Anaheim on July 10.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Kazmir
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes
Confirmed now. That is indeed the most runs A’s have scored in one inning this year.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
that's just pathetic
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions
oh. I misunderstood
I thought today’s 6 was the most all year. 8 is better…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
For heaven's sake no....
Get another Rivercat up there.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Cust...
They should’ve brought up another RiverCat, like, Carter…
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:00 PM PDT reply actions
Seems to be two sides to that Rivercats offense idea...
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:05 PM PDT reply actions
Wow, the Rangers are just KILLING the ball.
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
tee hee
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions
"I'm A Moran But I'm Fast"?
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
Wash runs circles around Geren.
Good managing.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
A tortoise could run circles around Geren
A stupid tortoise
"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins
by justANotherAsFan on Sep 26, 2010 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Wrong Glen.
Rodriguez got himself out. Right out of the game.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
He really sucks
Lights up the radar gun, had a great week, but…sucks.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
It's a wonder....
yeah, he can light up the gun. But it’d be nice if he would dial it back a notch or two and throw strikes on semi-consistent basis.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
This game is funny.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Hell of a shutdown inning.
Protect the 6-run inning by giving up 7.
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'll just be that much funnier if we win.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
Which we probably will.
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
Apparently Rajai wants to be a Rivercat too.
wonder if the FO will accommodate?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
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