Athletics Nation: FanPosts

Why Oakland Fan Pledge?

2013-06-17T18:31:36Z

Oakland Fan Pledge is a fan-based initiative, started in late April, developed to show Major League Baseball, A’s ownership, and Oakland city officials that local fans will support a new ballpark in Oakland by pledging their dollars to buy tickets. Visit www.oaklandfanpledge.com to learn more.

When we were developing Oakland Fan Pledge, we looked at what pieces were still missing from the landscape of many active “Keep the A’s in Oakland” groups. To figure that out, we delved into some tough questions. Ever since the A’s current ownership has threatened to abandon Oakland, there has been plenty of rhetoric among the fanbase along the lines of, “If the ownership commits to Oakland, fans will jump in there and support the team, buy tickets and everyone will live happily ever after.” As fans of the A’s and Oakland, we too have believed that, but why? The A’s are playing like a team poised to make a run to the playoffs, yet attendance is currently in the bottom half of MLB teams. What is holding this “shadow fanbase” back from packing the Coliseum the way Giants fans fill AT&T Park?

We believe there are two key reasons. The first is the most obvious one: the Coliseum, despite the history and great times we have all experienced there, is not an adequate baseball stadium. In fact, with the sewage issue we saw Sunday, it may not even be suitable for playing in. If you are reading this, then you are likely a rabid fan, and the luxuries of a modern stadium may mean less to you than the more casual fan. But deep down most A’s fans know that our 50 year-old temple to the A’s no longer cuts it. The A’s attract fans to watch them play despite where they play, as opposed to teams with newer facilities and fan amenities that draw well in large part because of their new stadiums.

The second reason is more difficult to define or quantify. A huge issue impacting fans is the systematic disregarding of the fanbase in Oakland that has occurred during the reign of the current ownership. In the responses we have received through pledges at our website over the past six weeks, a common theme is that ownership and the plan to move to San Jose has actively caused people to stay away. Fans have directly said they previously were season ticket holders, but decided not to renew when the owners made clear they were no longer interested in keeping the A’s in Oakland. To put a statistic behind this, of the over 4,000 Ticket Plan Seat pledges we have received so far, 2/3 are currently not season ticket holders. That is a huge percentage and these are people that have money that they want to spend on A’s season tickets, but aren’t, largely because they don’t see ownership caring about current fans. They see ownership caring about the future fans, and corporate interests, in the South Bay. This too is a prickly subject because some will argue that as long as the A’s are in the Bay Area, it doesn’t really matter. From what the fans have told us, nothing could be further from the truth. The physical distance, tangible detachment from the city they love, and sense of abandonment are all regularly cited as reasons why the move to San Jose will cause them to either severely limit their attendance, stop attending games in person, or stop following the A’s altogether. Those are some serious consequences, but as we know, Oakland A’s fans are a seriously passionate bunch.

As the two of us were talking about why we thought Oakland Fan Pledge was a great idea, it was never a matter of if it would succeed, but when. We know that if we can reach the full extent of the Oakland A’s fanbase, and they can show the ownership and MLB what the A’s remaining in Oakland means to them, that united voice will not be able to be ignored any longer. We need your help to make this happen. Visit our site, see what you can afford to pledge, make that commitment and then tell everyone you know to do the same.

John Jackson & John Hansen

Founders, Oakland Fan Pledge

www.OaklandFanPledge.com

via www.oaklandfanpledge.com

Oakland Fan Pledge is a fan-based initiative, started in late April, developed to show Major League Baseball, A’s ownership, and Oakland city officials that local fans will support a new ballpark in Oakland by pledging their dollars to buy tickets. Visit www.oaklandfanpledge.com to learn more.

John Jackson & John Hansen

Founders, Oakland Fan Pledge

www.OaklandFanPledge.com

The A’s today and of late

2013-06-17T02:34:31Z

I went to the Coliseum today with the intent of taking in a game. But while I was watching what was happening today it struck me how things at the game today were different from recent games and recent years. As I sat there watching an enthusiastic crowd sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and singing along myself, one of the most obvious things was I could hear everyone else singing too. This isn't nearly a given. I don't usually sing the National Anthem because if I sing I can't hear anyone else sing. So while singing Take Me Out it strikes me that I can barely hear myself over everyone else. This crowd didn't just show up in droves, they're into it. And the crowd is this enthusiastic while it is still a close game (4-2).

Of course this wasn't the first moment I noticed that the A’s had a very healthy crowd. No, that would have been when I did my usual walk-up to the ticket machine to get a day-of-game ticket and found that about half the on-screen section buttons were missing. It seemed some sections had sold out. Unusually, there was no MVP Infield button at all, which surely meant the visiting bullpen was going to be subject to boisterous choruses of whoop-whoos. But that's okay, I'm in a good mood, I'll upgrade. So I punch the MVP Infield button, I'm worth it. Now I'll just… wait a minute! No seats available in this section either? Huh? This is just getting stranger and stranger.

Okay, I'll just click Field Level, no biggie. Seat comes up, row 38? Wheelchair companion ticket? What? Wait, I think these seats suck. This can't be right. Clearly this machine is just on the fritz. I quickly bounce over to the seating chart on the wall (helpfully on the other side of the entrance to the Westside Club) and see that yep, indeed those seats do suck. So I bounce back and select another machine, one which is presumably working properly.

Click. Click. Wait? This one only has two sections available: Loge seats and SRO! Now it finally sinks in. After weeks of great play fans are finally turning out to see the A’s play! The Coli is on the verge of selling out! I desperately run back to the first machine again to see if it still has a ticket for sale with an actual seat associated with it. It does, and I take the 38th row seat as if it were a trophy instead of a curse. The MBP Infield section, that sort of section so many teams see as the heart of their revenue, with their large group of season ticket sales; but that is actually an easy place to find seats day-of-game at the Coli is sold out!

I guess maybe I wasn't imagining it when it sounded to me like the scalpers at the entrance to the BART bridge actually did sound when they said "anyone selling tickets?" like they meant it instead of as cover for wanting to sell off the tickets they had. I remember also seeing that billboard on I-880 on the way to the park that had been absent for the past 2 or 3 seasons. The last time I remember seeing it it said "These guys can play" or maybe "Green collar baseball". Yep, it was that long ago.

Seeing games an on TV it was clear that this year the A’s were drawing thousands more than this time last year. Go check. Look up a clip for an A’s homerun in the first half of last year. This year on a sparse day the first 2-3 rows of the outfield seats will be filled. Last year at this time on a sparse day there were 5-8 people total sitting in any section of the outfield, if any at all. I think back to 2-3 years ago when the A’s seemed to value Matsui mostly for the Japanese tourists he would draw to the game, who would buy those high-priced Field Infield seats and load up on 55 Matsui merchandise for good measure. You could pick them out easily, as they would be in a troop in the first row (21) of the Field Infield. Of course for other teams, getting 8 seats in a row at the front of a lower bowl infield section is hard without a lot of advance notice, but not in Oakland, not in 2010!

Sure enough, I get down (ha, it's not even a step down because my seat is so far back) to my seat and you look around to the border between sections 108 and 109 and you can't see a difference between them. Looking across you can't see the border between 125 and 126 either. Normally, you'd see where people had avoided the more expensive infield sections but today it’s full all across. Indeed, it’s full everywhere. The SRO sections aren’t full yet, but those ticketholders are probably all at the beer stand. All the seats are sold and virtually everyone has shown up too.

Look around and there are many jerseys (purchased, not just giveaways) with current players’ names and numbers on them. From the guy in 109 who caught a foul ball in his white 52 Cespedes jersey to the fleets of 16 Reddicks, the lesser number of 4 Crisps (including mine) and the growing number of 20 Donaldsons. This was not the case a few years back when any on-field or replica jersey was almost invariably a 24 Henderson, a 53 Eckersley or a 34 Fingers (why so few 9 Jacksons?). All this from a team which one would typically expect may never retire another number because in order for a player to retire an Athletic, they first have to not be traded out of town a year before they become a free agent. And while you can see lots of current players’s jerseys now, what you don't see a lot of is BP caps for sale in any size similar to a normal human head. You see them on human heads all over the concourses, but the shop is busy rearranging all their 6s and 7-7/8ths in order to make it look enough like they have stock to draw in customers and try to sell them something else.

A few seasons ago (indeed only 1.5!) a common refrain was that the A’s were intentionally trying to under-draw in order to plead poverty and make a case for a new stadium in a more high-tech town. And indeed even as a fan it was hard to dismiss the allegations. But now things just seem a lot different. Sure, there are a lot of people here, but is that why it’s easy to dismiss the allegations or is it just another effect of a change in ways by the team?

To me it feels natural. The team is looking forward. Everything used to be about how many times the team had recently made the playoffs. Or the streak. Or the Big 3. But the team was getting worse and worse each year. Results were declining, but the team seemed to be throwing in the towel too. To understand it you hardly need to look at more than one person in the dugout. Bob Geren. It was really hard to see Bob Geren as an investment in the team and really easy to see him as a placeholder.

Strangely (perhaps ironically) the turning point seemed to center around 2011. The season was full of anticipation of the release of the movie Moneyball. This was going to be the franchise’s opportunity to really cash in on its recent past. The movie was timed to release near the end of the season. All the A’s had to do was be in the playoff hunt to maximize the positive impact of the movie. But the season started out slowly and took a dive from there. After a 9-game losing streak, Bob Geren was cut loose on June 8th (game 63) and Bob Melvin took over. Melvin and the team didn't exactly turn it around on a dime and when the movie premiered on September 19th, the A’s were 19 games back in the AL West. The A’s finished the season 14 games below .500.

The offseason brought some obvious changes, with the A’s seeming to give away what they had and held dear and began looking to the future. Moneyball had come and went twice, once as a popular novel and once as a surprisingly well-received movie. Sure, the awards were nice but the team hadn’t been to the playoffs in 6 years and it was becoming harder and harder to pretend there were any laurels left to rest on.

In the off season, Beane traded away the pitching duo of Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez and the 28 wins between them. And to make it worse, the only semblance of a long-term franchise player the A’s had, Mark Ellis, had been traded away in the stretch in 2011. Whatever 2012 was going to be, it wasn’t going to bear much resemblance to 2011. Beane was again cursed by many for trading away the farm for a group of mostly-prospects who may end up never amounting to anything more than mostly-prospects.

And it certainly didn’t. 2012 brought a new look and eventually new results. Beginning with a shocking signing of Cuban question mark Yoenis Cespedes and with the help of the core players received in the off-season Beane moves and some assistance from veterans and unlikely pickups Brandon Inge and Jonny Gomes the A’s brought a new look and new success. A success which allowed the A’s to stop talking so much about the past and concentrate more on what they were putting on the field.

And the results are of course fantastic. Not only is the team doing better, but the fans are responding. They are showing up in greater numbers and taking a bigger interest in the team on the field. The crowd is eager to cheer Reddick on as he battles back to form from a slow season start and a self-imposed injury. And who can blame them? Last year when Coco and Cespedes were on the DL and the A’s were in a dark stretch Reddick was putting on a show at the plate and in the outfield. If anything, Reddick’s cheers are bigger than those for Coco Crisp, who went from over-the-hill to superfluous (signing of Cespedes) to playoff goat to superfluous again (signing of Chris Young) to popular frequent sparkplug who the fans now to seem to mostly just wish could play more often.

But today, he is playing. And he’s delivering as usual. And so is new-look Reddick. And Cespedes is chiming in too, to cheers of sí Cespedes from the crowd. Donaldson is continuing to baffle, in such a breakout fashion that one has to wonder if somehow Billy Beane traded that other Josh Donaldson for this one offseason in a kind of mirror of the previous year’s Sweeney-Reddick trade. And in case you were thinking of forgetting about them, Seth Smith and Brandon Moss (last remaining holdover of the all-Brandon era) made doing that a lot harder with their long bombs in the late innings while the seagulls circle impatiently overhead, waiting for this team to tire of showing the baseball world how much they have to offer.

GOG 2013 #23 Let's Mess With Texas!

2013-06-17T00:47:22Z

The A's start their 7 game roadtrip with a four game set in Texas. So far, Texas has lost 6 games in a row! Can the A's keep this trend alive? The A's come in to the series 3 games ahead of Texas in the standings, and hope to come out of this series ahead by even more! Let's Go A's!

Stuff:

Them

Probable Pitchers

Do your homework

The Questions:

1. Series Outcome: 4 games (4 points)

2. Heavy Hitters: Beltre, Cruz and Murphy combined have averaged on a per-game basis: 1/2 of a HR, around 3 Hits, around 1 BB, exactly 2 K, and a little less than 2 RBI. For this Texas Trio combined for the four game series, guess Over/Under/Tie: 2 HR / 12 H / 4 BB / 8 K / 8 RBI. [2 points each, 10 total]

3. Pick an A: Choose ONE of either Cespedes, Donaldson or Moss, and predict his PA / H / XBH / BB / K for the series. [3 points each, 15 total]

4. Game Score 50/50: For each game in the series, predict which pitcher gets the higher Game Score. [2 points each, 8 total] Unfortunately for me, any time there's a 50% chance of getting something correct, there's a 90% chance that I get it wrong! So, if you're like me and you end up getting ALL FOUR guesses wrong, then you get 3 points for your futility!

5. Relief: For each team's bullpen for the series, guess Over/Under/Tie: 10 IP / 5 ER / 2 Saves / 10 K / 4 BB (1 point each, 10 total)

6. WPA Goatz: Name the position players with the lowest WPA for each team, each game. That makes 8 total guesses (you can name the same player twice if you think they'll do it twice). It does not matter which game the player has the lowest WPA. (That is, if you guess "Sogard," he can suck for the A's in any of the four games for you to score points. If he sucks in two games, you only get points for one, unless you name him twice.) (2 points each) (16 total)

63 points possible. Answers due by 5:05pm on Monday.

Stuff:

Them

Probable Pitchers

Do your homework

The Questions:

1. Series Outcome: 4 games (4 points)

3. Pick an A: Choose ONE of either Cespedes, Donaldson or Moss, and predict his PA / H / XBH / BB / K for the series. [3 points each, 15 total]

5. Relief: For each team's bullpen for the series, guess Over/Under/Tie: 10 IP / 5 ER / 2 Saves / 10 K / 4 BB (1 point each, 10 total)

63 points possible. Answers due by 5:05pm on Monday.

Oakland A's All-Time Record vs MLB Opponents

2013-06-16T05:47:34Z

Does anyone know where I can find the A's all-time record vs all of the MLB teams? I would like to know what their record is against the Mariners. The last few years it feels like the Mariners have got the A's number. I have tried MLB.com/A's.com/Wikipedia. I would like to know the all-time record vs the Yankees as well.

Let's Go Oakland A's!

Grant Green should be called up

2013-06-16T05:09:53Z

I think now is the time to finally see what Grant Green can do. He is hitting .300 with 7 HRs and 16 doubles at Sacramento right now and everything I've ever read about him says the guy can hit. While we sit and try and figure out the best way to platoon Sogard and Rosales in the line up every day I think Grant Green would be an upgrade over both. He doesn't offer huge power but how many middle infielders actually do?

If either Sogard or Rosales were hitting .300 with some power they would have cemented themselves as a starter already. Now can Green hit that well at the highest level? That remains to be seen but throughout his minor league career every scouting report says his bat will. So what is the hold up? ....Oh yeah. His glove. Until I am able to see him play for myself I'm not convinced his glove is that bad. At least not for 2B. Any player that was able to stick at SS all the way to AAA has to have some skill set with the glove.

The problem with Green was that the A's tried to make him stick at shortstop all the way to AAA before they decided he wasn't an MLB shortstop. They did so because we had no shortstops anywhere in our pipeline, he probably should have been moved off of SS a year or two sooner. That doesn't make him a bad defender, just a bad MLB shortstop. There IS a BIG difference. There are a lot of good MLB defenders that couldn't stick at shortstop. When the A's took Green off of SS the most logical move would be 2B right? The A's instead moved him to 3B, then to CF.

Why you ask? Because when the A's gave up on Green at SS, Weeks was earning the tag "untouchable" at the major league level. Also, at the same time we had nobody, and I mean nobody to play 3B (Kouz, Hannahan anyone?) Ok 3B didn't work out for him apparently so 2B is next right?.....nope, CF. Why? Coco Crisp, our only CFer, was due to be a free agent after the 2011 season. Our other outfielders Josh Willingham and David Dejesus were free agents at seasons end. All we had left for a starting OFer was Ryan Sweeney.

Grant Green was shuffled from SS to 3B to CF not because they were best suited for him but because they were trying to fill organizational needs. Everyone thinks he is defensive liability because of his inability to stick anywhere. I think he didn't stick anywhere because he was forced into positions he shouldn't have been playing in the first place. I could be wrong, I've never seen him play. But I would like to see him play before I tag him as a poor defensive 2Bman. Everyone says the guy can hit, lets bring him up and see if he can field.

On This Date 100 Years Ago- June 15, 1913

2013-06-15T19:23:32Z

Dave Gregg: he didn't play for the Athletics, he played for the Cleveland Naps (as the future "Indians" were called then).

On this date, Dave Gregg made his major league debut for the Naps, pitching one complete inning. One inning.

Here was his line: six batters faced, two hits, two runs, one HBP, two balks called.

Dave Gregg never appeared in another ML game. One and done! Baseball Reference has a list of 900-plus players who only played in one game for their entire MLB career. Most names are obscure, but one factoid you can use to win some bar bets: Larry Yount. Robin Yount's brother! He was one of the 900+ who only played in one game in the "Show", and never took the field again.

Dave Gregg: he didn't play for the Athletics, he played for the Cleveland Naps (as the future "Indians" were called then).

On this date, Dave Gregg made his major league debut for the Naps, pitching one complete inning. One inning.

Here was his line: six batters faced, two hits, two runs, one HBP, two balks called.

Why is A's consistently the lowest GB/FB ratio in MLB?

2013-06-14T20:00:39Z

I just saw this, for the last 10 years, below are A's GB/FB ratio, vs the MLB avg, and ranking (lowest), from ESPN

2013: 0.67, 0.87, 1st

2012: 0.68, 0.88, 1st

2011: 0.74, 0.86, 1st

2010: 0.76, 0.84, 4th

2009: 0.74, 0.82, 6th

2008: 0.73, 0.83, 6th

2007: 0.72, 0.82, 3rd

2006: 0.77, 0.83, 7th

2005: 0.77, 0.84, 4th

2004: 0.73, 0.84, 3rd

I wonder if there is a ball park effect? Boston also seems to be consistently low year after year. But I can't see any ball park similarity between O.Co vs Fenway.

While the league's GB/FB has been going up, A's ratio has taken a dive the last two years. Any way this is related to their recent success? I can't think of an obvious reason since they are not a long ball team. Maybe if we count doubles? Argument against this is that in their 2006 season when the Big Hurt and Swisher were matching HR's game after game, their GB/FB ratio is actually high for the A's.

I just saw this, for the last 10 years, below are A's GB/FB ratio, vs the MLB avg, and ranking (lowest), from ESPN

2013: 0.67, 0.87, 1st

2012: 0.68, 0.88, 1st

2011: 0.74, 0.86, 1st

2010: 0.76, 0.84, 4th

2009: 0.74, 0.82, 6th

2008: 0.73, 0.83, 6th

2007: 0.72, 0.82, 3rd

2006: 0.77, 0.83, 7th

2005: 0.77, 0.84, 4th

2004: 0.73, 0.84, 3rd

I wonder if there is a ball park effect? Boston also seems to be consistently low year after year. But I can't see any ball park similarity between O.Co vs Fenway.

First time to an Oakland game.

2013-06-14T03:41:19Z

I'm running in the San Francisco Marathon this weekend and while I am in the bay area I will be taking in an Athletics game. I grew up in Detroit and am a Tigers fan, but I loved the Bash Brothers and the As of the 80s and have owned a some form of Athletics jersey since I was a kid. BTW, I know the weekend series is against Seattle.

Anyway, is there anything I should know about the stadium, area it is in. My family is planning on taking the BART over to the stadium, is this a wise decision or not? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

1B Situation on A's Minors

2013-06-13T16:51:36Z

Since I follow the A's minors to get a better idea of who can come up quickly and help the big team sooner or later, there is a situation that is making me wondering if Barton place on the organization is now blocking better prospects and development that could help the organization in the long term.

First of all, Barton is not a current member of the A's 40 men roster, and his MLB experience with the A's has been marginal except for the 2010 season that looks more and more distant every day. That being said, the only reason to keep Barton on the organization is for depth purposes, but with Freiman and Moss on the big team making a good 1B platoon that can be better if Moss gets to his 2012 self, Barton options to get to the Majors with the A's are slim and limited to a series of injuries (specially that there is a lefty 1B in Sacto in Shane Peterson, already a member of the 40 men roster)

Now, if there is nobody in Double A making a push for a Triple A shot, I won't have a problem, but let's look at the stats posted so far by Anthony Aliotti this year:

Slash line of .363/.461/.571 with OPS over .900 in every of the first 3 months of the season, and at 26 next month, his time has come to prove him in Triple A, by performance, age and even defense (1 error only though this season) so the only reason to keep him in Midland is because the FO still sees value in keeping Barton within the Organization (value that I don't see anymore)

Now, Aliotti is not the only 1B prospect being blocked by Barton. In Stockton, we have a guy that is having a very good season in the Cal League. Max Muncy has been the Ports most dangerous hitter for most of the season, belting 16 HRs already, and OPSing over .900 for the season. Now, I know Cal League is not the best parameter for power or hitting, but if a hitter dominates the league, so let's push him to the next level and find out if his power is for real!

Nope, we can't, since the next level is occupied by Aliotti, having a very nice season there by his own.

Barton situation is not about himself anymore, is about player and prospect development and 2 players that has better future in the organization than him, and are demanding with their bats and gloves a promotion that is being blocked by a player that has very little to add to our organization.

Barton needs to go.

Now, if there is nobody in Double A making a push for a Triple A shot, I won't have a problem, but let's look at the stats posted so far by Anthony Aliotti this year:

Nope, we can't, since the next level is occupied by Aliotti, having a very nice season there by his own.

Barton needs to go.

GOG #22 vs. the M's - Missing the Mariners Yet? (ANSWERS UPDATED)

2013-06-13T15:20:11Z

I was. I get used to these guys over the course of the season. No big rivalry. I don't want them to do badly, so long as their success is not at our expense. Their fans seem nice - they are solid fans, regardless of the ill performance of their team and usual front office/dugout mismanagement. What do you think?

Stuff

Fangraphs A's page

Lookout Landing

Probable Pitchers

Do Your Homework! Score Your Last GOG - Episode #XXI - The Empire Strikes Out

The Questions

1. Series Outcome, 3 Games. [3 points]

#1. M's, 2-1

2. Kendrys Marinales. Congrats to Kendrys Morales, getting out of the cesspool of L.A. (Anaheim). He got a raw deal in 2010: he was hitting .290/.346/.487 with 11 HR in 51 games when his dumb-ass teammates broke his leg. This year, his stats are almost identical (through Wednesday): .292/.351/.465 with 8 HRs in 63 games, and his wRC+ (park & league adjusted measurement) has actually gone up a few points, from 128 to 130. Guess his PA / XBH. Does his new season OPS reach its 2010 mark of .833 at the end of the series? [3 points each, then 1 point, 7 total]

#2. 12 PA / 0 XBH / No, OPS less than .833 (down to .786, on 1-for-12)

3. A's pitchers have finally been getting deeper into games as the season wears on. What is the minimum number of innings pitched by an A's starter? What is the maximum number? What is the average Game Score of all three starters (5 pts. exact to nearest whole number, 2 points for +/-2)? [2 points each, then up to 5 points each, 9 possible]

#3. 6.0 IP Least / 7.0 IP Most / GS Average = 51 (from 51.3 - Milone 57, Griffin 41, Colon 56) - 2 pts for 49-53

4. Felix is Theirs. I like the Felix Hernandez fans in King's Court, counting every K with placards in their bright yellow shirts. Let's help them out, here. How many K's for Felix? Now, list the players he K's: +2 for every K you name, -1 for every guess you make who doesn't K. You can guess 2 or even 3 K's for a single player, if you like - same rules apply (if you guess 3 Ks and the player gets only 1 K, you'll come out even, see?). No negative accumulated scores. [3 points, then +2/-1, some huge number technically possible, but limited probably to about 43 points total for a record-tying, 9-inning game.]

#4. 8 K Total / Moss, Donaldson (2), Coco, Cespedes (2), Smith, Young

5. The CY Controversy. The Other One. Yes, I am talking about Chris Young, AN's newest controversy. The major discovery is that his O-Swing% - swings at balls off the plate, is up, with the same amount of contact. This is presumably one reason for his low BABIP. Guess his PA / H / BB. Does his BABIP improve from its current mark of .193? Does he keep his O-Swing% below 25% [2 points each, then 1 point each, 8 total]

#5. 7 PA / 3 H / 1 BB / Yes, BABIP improves to .198 (from .188 at beginning of series, on 2-for4)

Update: * O-Swing below 25% (on 3 for 16 = 19%)

Game 1: 0% on 0-for-8: called strike, single (z) / ball, ball, ball, called strike, foul (z), double (z) / ball, ball, ball, (int.)ball / called strike, foul (z), foul (z), ball, homerun (z) = 8 balls, no O-swings

Game 2: 37.5% on 3-for-8: ball, called strike, called strike, ball, ball, foul (?), foul (?), foul (?), swinging strike (z) / foul (?), ball, fly out (?) / ball, called strike, called strike, ground out (?) = 5 balls and 3 O-Swings on 6 contacts

Game 3: dnp

6. Balf(%&@(#^%. It is nice to have the best f-*$#)@-ing closer in the game, right? Does Grant Balfour get a Save? Does he Blow a Save? [1 point each, 2 total]

#6. No Save / No Blown Save

7. Obligatory WPA. Which position player has the Highest Single-Game WPA over the entire series? For each team, guess 1, 2, or 3 players, for a complementary score of 5 points, then 3 points, then 2 points. For a bonus 3 pts. each, guess that highest WPA for each team within .025. [Up to 5 points each, then 3 points each, 16 possible.]

#7. Young / Morse / A's: .210 (.185-.235 ok) / M's: .224 (.199-.249 ok)

(Possible points = 48 and some ridiculous number of additional points that won't materialize.)

Answers must be posted by Gametime (Friday, 7:05 p.m., left coast time).

Stuff

Fangraphs A's page

Lookout Landing

Probable Pitchers

Do Your Homework! Score Your Last GOG - Episode #XXI - The Empire Strikes Out

The Questions

1. Series Outcome, 3 Games. [3 points]

#1. M's, 2-1

#2. 12 PA / 0 XBH / No, OPS less than .833 (down to .786, on 1-for-12)

#3. 6.0 IP Least / 7.0 IP Most / GS Average = 51 (from 51.3 - Milone 57, Griffin 41, Colon 56) - 2 pts for 49-53

#4. 8 K Total / Moss, Donaldson (2), Coco, Cespedes (2), Smith, Young

#5. 7 PA / 3 H / 1 BB / Yes, BABIP improves to .198 (from .188 at beginning of series, on 2-for4)

Update: * O-Swing below 25% (on 3 for 16 = 19%)

Game 1: 0% on 0-for-8: called strike, single (z) / ball, ball, ball, called strike, foul (z), double (z) / ball, ball, ball, (int.)ball / called strike, foul (z), foul (z), ball, homerun (z) = 8 balls, no O-swings

Game 2: 37.5% on 3-for-8: ball, called strike, called strike, ball, ball, foul (?), foul (?), foul (?), swinging strike (z) / foul (?), ball, fly out (?) / ball, called strike, called strike, ground out (?) = 5 balls and 3 O-Swings on 6 contacts

Game 3: dnp

6. Balf(%&@(#^%. It is nice to have the best f-*$#)@-ing closer in the game, right? Does Grant Balfour get a Save? Does he Blow a Save? [1 point each, 2 total]

#6. No Save / No Blown Save

#7. Young / Morse / A's: .210 (.185-.235 ok) / M's: .224 (.199-.249 ok)

(Possible points = 48 and some ridiculous number of additional points that won't materialize.)

Answers must be posted by Gametime (Friday, 7:05 p.m., left coast time).

Lew Wolfe Interview

2013-06-12T18:20:27Z

Wow, I was really disappointed by his interview with Chris Townsend yesterday.

Go to 95.7the game.com for a clip of it. http://media.957thegame.com/a/76119347/lew-wolff-joins-bucher-and-towny-for-newsmaker-week.htm

I just wanted to hear that he was dedicated to the A's, that he loved our team and it's traditions and how he would take this team to the next level.

Instead it was a businessman talking about money and how he will NEVER stay in Oakland.

He had NOTHING positive to say for the fans, not even a thank you for your support.

He had NOTHING to say about the success of the A's.

This guys has NO love for the A's, it's ONLY a biz for him, his buddy got him a cush investment and now he's raking in cash from it.

Lew Wolfe needs to SELL this team as soon as possible. Go buy a hot dog company or something, this guy cares nothing about baseball or the A's, just milking it for every dollar he can.

Wow, I was really disappointed by his interview with Chris Townsend yesterday.

Go to 95.7the game.com for a clip of it. http://media.957thegame.com/a/76119347/lew-wolff-joins-bucher-and-towny-for-newsmaker-week.htm

I just wanted to hear that he was dedicated to the A's, that he loved our team and it's traditions and how he would take this team to the next level.

Instead it was a businessman talking about money and how he will NEVER stay in Oakland.

He had NOTHING positive to say for the fans, not even a thank you for your support.

He had NOTHING to say about the success of the A's.

This guys has NO love for the A's, it's ONLY a biz for him, his buddy got him a cush investment and now he's raking in cash from it.

Lew Wolfe needs to SELL this team as soon as possible. Go buy a hot dog company or something, this guy cares nothing about baseball or the A's, just milking it for every dollar he can.

Tonight's First Pitch

2013-06-12T17:55:00Z

I live in Kansas City, which has been the first city in the country to get high-speed google fiber internet service. Google has been incredibly involved in the community with this roll-out and tonight they're going to do something special for a young baseball player who lives in Kansas City, MO. And yes, it has to do with tonight's A's-Yankees game.

Here's the video - the A's posted this to their facebook page today but in case anyone hasn't had the chance to see it it's pretty amazing stuff.

Nick's First Pitch

Here's the video - the A's posted this to their facebook page today but in case anyone hasn't had the chance to see it it's pretty amazing stuff.

Nick's First Pitch

Boom goes the Dynamic Ticket Pricing

2013-06-10T22:56:17Z

A little more than ten years ago I lived Eastern Europe for a while and internet access was not the sort of thing you took for granted. Usually you'd go to a cafe if you wanted to send somebody an email. Often times the owner's kid would have filled the screen with porn site pop up ads, and it would take you 40 czech korunas worth of internet access just to clear them out.

Once I took a trip to London where I went to an internet cafe called EasyEverything (which was a sister company to EasyJet). EasyEverything was unique in that it was open 24 hours a day, and offered dynamically changing rates for internet access. Middle of the night? Cheap craigslist missed connections. Lunch break? Expensive ebay shopping. It was orange and impersonal and it felt like the future.

Fast forward a decade, and dynamically fluctuating ticket prices have come to Oakland.

I'm wondering if people any dynamic ticket buying experiences they'd like to share: in your experience do ticket prices come down as game day approaches or do they go up? Is there a sweet spot a few weeks out? Any great deals? Any terrible ones?

At the end of the day this is s a pretty self-serving post: I'm coming to town this weekend and I'm planning on going to the game on Sunday. Should I buy tickets now? Later? Will the Raging Gnome giveaway ensure my tickets are more expensive than I'm used to? Will fathers' day? Is there any sense in waiting till the last minute?

Fast forward a decade, and dynamically fluctuating ticket prices have come to Oakland.

ALS Awareness Event and Fundraiser at the Coliseum on 7/27

2013-06-10T22:25:34Z

Hi everyone. I'm visiting from Halos Heaven to ask a favor. On 7/27, when you guys are hosting the Angels, the A's will be sponsoring an ALS awareness event.

ALS is also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", and it is one of the cruelest fates around. The victim slowly loses all motor control, until he or she is completely paralyzed, and is unable to speak. In the later stages, the patient cannot even breathe unassisted. The worst part of this is that the patient is totally aware of everything that is happening to him or her.

Now, you guys don't know me from Adam, but I met several of you a few years back at the AN/HH get-together in Anaheim. My late wife suffered from this hellish disease for three years before succumbing to it.

Therefore, I am asking you all a favor. Please go to the game on 7/27 and help to fight ALS. Do it for me... Do it for Lou Gehrig... I don't care. Just, please go, and help.

Information on this event may be found here.

For more information about Lou Gehrig's Disease in general, please visit the ALS Association. For the local chapter of ALSA, please see The Golden West Chapter

Thank you so much,

red floyd

Hi everyone. I'm visiting from Halos Heaven to ask a favor. On 7/27, when you guys are hosting the Angels, the A's will be sponsoring an ALS awareness event.

Therefore, I am asking you all a favor. Please go to the game on 7/27 and help to fight ALS. Do it for me... Do it for Lou Gehrig... I don't care. Just, please go, and help.

Information on this event may be found here.

For more information about Lou Gehrig's Disease in general, please visit the ALS Association. For the local chapter of ALSA, please see The Golden West Chapter

Thank you so much,

red floyd

Athletics Nation: FanPosts

Top 5 River Cats Ready for Oakland

Which current Sacramento River Cat would you most like to see in Oakland?

Why Oakland Fan Pledge?

Oakland Fan Pledge is a fan-based initiative, started in late April, developed to show Major League Baseball, A’s ownership, and Oakland city officials that local fans will support a new ballpark in Oakland by pledging their dollars to buy tickets. Visit www.oaklandfanpledge.com to learn more.

Oakland Fan Pledge is a fan-based initiative, started in late April, developed to show Major League Baseball, A’s ownership, and Oakland city officials that local fans will support a new ballpark in Oakland by pledging their dollars to buy tickets. Visit www.oaklandfanpledge.com to learn more.

The A’s today and of late

GOG 2013 #23 Let's Mess With Texas!

Stuff:

The Questions:

Stuff:

The Questions:

Oakland A's All-Time Record vs MLB Opponents

Grant Green should be called up

On This Date 100 Years Ago- June 15, 1913

Why is A's consistently the lowest GB/FB ratio in MLB?

First time to an Oakland game.

1B Situation on A's Minors

GOG #22 vs. the M's - Missing the Mariners Yet? (ANSWERS UPDATED)

Stuff

The Questions

Stuff

The Questions

Lew Wolfe Interview

Tonight's First Pitch

Boom goes the Dynamic Ticket Pricing

ALS Awareness Event and Fundraiser at the Coliseum on 7/27