Athletics Nation

Pics: Visalia Oaks at Stockton Ports

Flashfire — Fri, 09 May 2008 05:16:45 -0000

As part one of a personal doubleheader for me, I went to Stockton for a morning game against Visalia. About half a day after the Ports shut out the Oaks 14-0 behind a start from rehabbing Oakland starter Rich Harden, Stockton's bats didn't show up. Visalia's Eddie Romero shut the Ports down as he pitched into the seventh and Ed Easley homered twice and drove in 4 to help the Oaks win 6-0.

The first was highly controversial as it looked like the ball hit just below the top of the wall in left field and a fan made a timely reach to catch it, with the umpires ruling it went out. That brought Ports manager Darren Bush out for a lengthy argument he somehow avoided getting the thumb over. Later, Easley took Oakland's Keith Foulke (also in town on a rehab assignment) deep.

On a personal note, I was somewhat disappointed I missed seeing either Brett Anderson or Trevor Cahill throw for Stockton. The way it turned out, a day off Monday and Harden's start Tuesday ended up pushing both of them back a couple days. That's just how it goes sometimes, though I probably would have focused more on taking shots of them and I may have missed some of what I got instead.

As nice as Banner Island Ballpark is, I think it's proving to be a little tough to shoot during the early starts because of the position of the sun. Early in the game pitching shots came out well from the first base side but there was enough glare on the seats behind the hitters that it was difficult to get a really good balance. I just find it changes a lot as noon approaches and beyond and with the sun mostly shining from behind the players most of the photos have to be shot into the brightness.

The comparison will be clear when you see some shots from the second game in Modesto when the sun was behind me a lot more. The lighting there was enough that I could shoot with a 1/4000 shutter speed and still get some very well-balanced results. I don't know how much it will stand out to people in general but it's something I notice right away.

A sample:

5/7/08: Visalia Oaks at Stockton Ports

number 27 retires 27 in a row

67MARQUEZ — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:34:56 -0000

A couple of years ago my niece sent out invitations to her son’s first birthday party, but rather than a normal hour like one o’clock, the time of the event was set for something like 5:17pm. The reason behind such clever thinking, naturally, had to with the exact time that she gave birth. In another words, it wasn’t really a first birthday party until the guest of honor had actually turned one year old. The idea was kind of dorky, but we played along.

And yet here I am, on the 40th anniversary of the greatest all-around game by a Major League pitcher, and by the time this thing goes to press, James Augustus Hunter would have been on the mound (in labor, if you will) and on his way to pitching the first Perfect Game in the American League since 1922. Catfish capped off his evening with a near spotless showing at the plate, collecting three hits in four at-bats, and driving in three of Oakland's four runs.

No truth to the rumor that he sold peanuts between innings.

The A's were still getting acclimated to their Bay Area digs when Hunter showed off the form that would eventually earn him enshrinement into the Hall-of-Fame. The Twins, for their part, had a couple of guys of their own with Cooperstown credentials: Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew. But they were no match for the 22-year old from Hertford, North Carolina who made history in front of a sparse crowd of 6,298 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Adding to the drama was the scoreless tie that the teams were locked in through six innings until Hunter threw down a bunt single to drive home Rick Monday with the game's first run in the bottom of the seventh. A bases-loaded walk pushed the A's lead to 2-0 in the eighth, and brought Catfish to the plate. Unfazed by the pressure that was surely building as the last inning approached, Hunter singled home two runs to make it 4-0. All in a night’s work, my friends.

In the ninth John Roseboro grounded out to second, and Bruce Look was called out on strikes. That brought up pinch-hitter Rich Reese who worked the count full before taking a called third strike. Catfish was mobbed by teammates on the mound, his place in history secure.

Catfish is carried off the mound after his Perfect Game.

Jim Hunter’s story is one of perseverance on the field and ultimately tragedy off of it. Signed right out of high school by owner Charlie Finely in 1964, Hunter never played a single inning in the minors. It was Finley who gave Catfish his colorful nickname, and it was Finley who took a chance on him when so many teams shied away after the youngster lost part of his foot in a gunshot accident.

Hunter’s rise to stardom came as quick as he set down the Twins that night of May 8, 1968. From prep star in 1964 to American League All-Star in ’67. He won twenty games for the first time in 1971, and he reached that plateau five seasons in succession. He was especially tough when the stakes were high: during the A’s three-year reign as champions, Catfish posted a 7-1 post-season record, including 4-0 in the World Series. He put a stamp on a decade of dominance by capturing the Cy Young Award in 1974.

That season turned out to be his last in an Oakland uniform, and by 1979 he was out of baseball. Twenty years later, Catfish was gone for good, a victim of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 53. That he left this life on 9/9/99 was somehow symbolic, the nines aligning perfectly just as Jim Hunter was in perfect alignment for nine innings forty years ago tonight.

Any NRAF'ers in the Atlanta area & who plan to attend the

Imaseasonticketholder — Fri, 09 May 2008 01:05:06 -0000

the games ?

I am going on the roadie but have not cemented hotel plans. Any suggestions for a clean, safe hotel on the mass transit line for MARTA ?

Also, what do you think the A's fans representation will be ? How are opposing fans treated, is it food ol' southern hospitality.

I am so psyched to see Huddy, and the rumor is that if Harden is still in one piece after his start on Sunday, it will be Huddy vs Harden.

Not to make him lower case, but I'm also thrilled to see my guy, Kotsay.

Souvenirs, anyone?

Holy Incubation Period, Batman!!

madmongoose — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:25:57 -0000

On January 14, 2002 the A's made a 4 for 2 trade with the Texas Rangers-- sending pitcher Mario Ramos, first baseman Jason Hart, catcher Gerald Laird and outfielder Ryan Ludwick in exchange for top first base prospect Carlos Pena and LOOGY Mike Venafro.

We all know how quickly Beane and the A's soured on Pena-- he lost the starting job he had been traded for (this other first base guy had signed with the Yankees-- remember??) in a month-- was sent down to AAA around the time of the Giambi-Menechino, et. al, Beane massacre-- and then was shipped out to Detroit as part of the 3 team extravaganza involving Jeff Weaver, Jeremy Bonderman and Ted Lilly. He settled in to 3+ mildly productive years of about 800 OPS before a lost season with the Red Sox until... he exploded into one of the AL's best power hitters last season in Tampa. He's off to a slow start this year but should still be a key part of a very interesting team with all kinds of young talent.

Laird of course gradually worked his way through the Texas system and is a pretty adequate catcher that plays most of the time, though not close to every day. Hart, Ramos and Venafro are all long gone.

But the 6th wheel in this deal-- 30 year old Ryan Ludwick-- is experiencing his own mid-career renaissance. He hit two bombs today-- that's 7 in only platoon work for the Cardinals-- with an OPS well over 1.000.

This post is not a criticism of that deal or the one that followed-- where we lost the object of Beane's chair-throwing (who is in turn becoming a bit of a disappointment) but gained the Holy Grail Durazo for a couple of seasons with the prospects who came with Lilly-- or even the somewhat puzzling Lilly for Kielty swap. It's simply a commentary that sometimes patience-- or a change in scenery plus years of maturity-- does finally pay off for a player. in a somewhat weird way, with little or no regret that none of them are still here, I'm glad to see Laird, Pena and Ludwick all doing well.

Baseball on TV

mwolfson — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:37:02 -0000

In reading some of the responses to a thread I posted elsewhere at AN, I realized it's been too long since soliciting "state-of-the-state" opinions from this blog's readers on what they like and don't like about baseball on television.

As I have said previously on AN, we in the sports TV business do these games for you, the viewer, not each other. And we're always looking for ways to not only bring new fans to the game, but increase our viewing audience as well.

Having been a Major League Baseball television producer and director for over 30 years, I understand the need to connect with our audience.

Thus, I'd appreciate your thoughts about A's baseball TV coverage. Please keep in mind that I am just the producer/director of the TV36 broadcasts. Though I am a great fan of the game and am able to respond to "broad brush" comments and questions, I cannot respond to comments made about Comcast's coverage. What I will say is that the people who do their games are very talented colleagues for whom I have the utmost respect . Those of us who live in Northern California are very lucky to have such a high quality regional sports network as Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area available to us.

OK, so have at it. Let me know what you think. I value your opinion. In fact, in years past responses from this post have lead to changes in our telecast. I eagerly look forward to your input.

Mark Wolfson

Executive Producer/Director

Oakland A's Baseball

KICU/TV36

DLD 5/8/08: Can someone do too much to fit in?

theblackpearl — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:18:58 -0000

We all like Nick Swisher, and love his fun loving attitude, and his awareness of Cancer since the passing of his grandmother, but pink facial hair will just be atrocious.

Center fielder Nick Swisher, left-hander John Danks and catcher Toby Hall will dye their facial hair pink in honor of Mother's Day and make a donation to a breast-cancer foundation in Chicago on behalf of their teammates.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8112684/Clubs-lacking-punch-should-start-heating-up

Bob Watson says he doesn't want the Rocket's distractions on his USA team.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Roger Clemens isn't welcome on the U.S. Olympic baseball team.

U.S. general manager Bob Watson said Wednesday that he isn't considering the 45-year-old right-hander for his roster for the Beijing Games.

"From my standpoint, we don't need that type of distraction," Watson said.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/05/07/clemens.olympics.ap/index.html

Haren trade a win-win?

1. THE DAN HAREN EXTRAVAGANZA

(A's send Haren and RHP Connor Robertson to the Diamondbacks for LHP Dana Eveland, LHP Greg Smith, 1B Chris Carter, OF Carlos Gonzalez, OF Aaron Cunningham and LHP Brett Anderson).

Haren

The whole idea of any trade, theoretically, is to make both teams better. So it's tough to beat this one. Arizona wouldn't have the best record in baseball without Haren. But this deal is just as responsible for the A's being 22-14.

Haren has ripped off six quality starts, so he's been as good as advertised. Meanwhile, the A's have gone 10-3 in games started by Eveland and Smith; Anderson is 5-1 in Class A; Gonzalez is hitting .343, with a .410 on-base percentage, in Triple-A. So this trade has set up the A's to be good for years -- just what Billy Beane had in mind.

"Billy knew we had depth that we'd probably talk about," Arizona GM Josh Byrnes said. "So they came out of this with quality and quantity. And for us to get a starting pitcher at Dan Haren's level without getting into free agency … was something that really fit."

Scout's View: "Probably as good a baseball deal as you'll see. Arizona did a hell of a job recognizing this was their chance to win and going out and getting a guy like Haren, and still keeping their top tier of prospects. And Oakland got guys who can help them for a long time."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3386182

A Weekly A's Radio Talk Show?

SportsRambler — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:32:02 -0000

Hello A's Fans:

I'm Chetan and I'm one of the hosts of the new show The Sports Ramble which is premiering Sunday, May 18th, 2008 on 1220AM KNTS radio! Like my friend, westsideclubbin said it will be on Sundays from 8PM to 10PM and is a call-in show for all A's fans to talk about your A's. The show will also discuss Raiders, Warriors, Sharks, and other Bay Area and National Sports stories. Our main emphasis is East Bay Sports to answer back at what KNBR has all day for the Giants and 49ers! Because our radio station signal is weak at that time of day we encourage listeners to listen live as we are streamed online on 1220knts.com.

We want you to tune in, call-in, and be involved as this show is for all you crazy die-hard A's fans!

Team with only three names

iglew — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:19:56 -0000

In yesterday's game thread, Future Ed asked, "How many names are needed for a complete line up? 4?" and he proposed a lineup made up of Suzukis, Sweeneys, Ramirezes, and Sanchezes. I'm sure one could complete a lineup card with just three names, it's only a question of how deep one has to dig into the minor leagues to do it.

This suggests an amusing puzzle: What's the best team you can construct using only three last names? Go ahead and fill out the roster as far as you like, but I guarantee you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel by the time you reach 25. Pitching counts, too. Try to come up with enough staff to get through a playoff series.

No restrictions on where the players come from, but every player is considered in terms of his talent right now. So if you want to promote someone from the minors (or college, or Japan) or bring someone out of retirement, go ahead ... but if he's not in the big leagues right now, it's probably because he isn't that good.

Here's my best effort:

Lineup:
• Hanley Ramirez, SS (Florida)
• Aramis Ramirez, 3B (Cubs)
• Manny Ramirez, LF (Boston)
• Melky Cabrera, CF (Yankees)
• Miguel Cabrera, 1B (Detroit)
• Ramon Hernandez, C (Baltimore)
• Orlando Cabrera, DH (White Sox)
• Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B (Cleveland)
• Jolbert Cabrera, RF (now playing in Japan, I think)

Bench:
• Luis Hernandez, 2B/SS (Baltimore)
• Alexei Ramirez, CF/2B/SS (White Sox)
• Yordany Ramirez, OF (Houston, AAA scrub)
• Anderson Hernandez, 2B (Mets, AAA scrub)
• Max Ramirez, C (Texas, AA prospect)

Rotation:
• Felix Hernandez (Seattle)
• Daniel Cabrera (Baltimore)
• Livan Hernandez (Minnesota)
• Horacio Ramirez (unemployed!)

Bullpen:
• Ramon Ramirez (Kansas City)
• Edwar Ramirez (Yankees)
• Fernando Hernandez (White Sox sent him back to AA)
• Erasmo Ramirez (now in AAA somewhere, I think)

I'm afraid I don't really have a fourth starter -- not until Orlando Hernandez comes off the DL, anyway. Ho Ram is terrible, but I don't have any better ideas. There's another Ramon Ramirez in Cincinnati's AA rotation. I suppose I could give him a try. My bullpen is also pretty thin, though there's probably a few more guys I'm not thinking of. (Baltimore's Fernando Cabrera is also on the DL.)

The top of my lineup looks great, but it falls off pretty dramatically at the end. If it were just the lineup, I could improve it by dumping Hernandezes for Lees (Derrek! Carlos! Cliff!), but then my rotation suffers. It's bad enough I don't have a fourth starter; I'm not willing to go out there without even a third.

Lots of other tempting names out there -- Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Jones, Johnson, and probably more I'm not thinking of -- but I couldn't get them to add up to a whole team.

Can you do better?

(Warning: If you take this challenge seriously, be prepared to waste a lot of time. I thought it would be fun to play around with it for a lark, and then the next thing I knew three hours had gone by....)

Promotions?

Zonis — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:38:40 -0000

I noticed when browsing our minor league stats that it might just be time for some promotions around the system.

While Sacramento is not nessisarily filled with prosperous players, it has a few players that could be leaving the team soon. Travis Buck (rehab) and Carlos Gonzalez could make their way to the big club, with Denorfia and Sweeney potentially taking their place. But Gio Gonzalez is struggling at Sactown, and Sacramento looks like it could use some pitching help.

Meanwhile, James Simmons is tearing it up in Midland, along with Vince Mazzaro, but Simmons has the peripherals to support his ERA. The newly promoted Henry Rodriguez is struggling at MIdland though, and outside Mazz and Simms, the rotation looks thin.

So why not promote Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson to Midland, and promote Kane County fixtures Travis Banwart and Craig Italiano.

On the offensive side, the A's could promote Sean Doolittle to Midland and allow both Doolittle and Carter to have 1B Duties with out splitting it between them. At Midland Jesus Guzman should be promoted with hopes that he continues to hit in AAA and potentially could battle for the 2B job if/when Ellis leaves for Free Agency at the end of the year. Thus far, he's our only good 2B 'prospect'. Corey Brown, at Kane County, can be called up to replace Doolittle on the roster and take the outfield/DH job with Carter.

And that concludes my rambling fanpost

Foulke in Stockton today

Flashfire — Thu, 08 May 2008 03:56:31 -0000

I was working the game in Stockton today and got to see Foulke's two innings. The first was very fast as the Visalia hitters were swinging early but he ran into some trouble in his second inning, giving up a home run. In addition to that, four of his six outs came by way of the fly ball and two or three of them were very deep.

I'm not sure if he was just there to get the ball over the plate and get back into the feel of things against live hitters or if he was trying to do more than that, so I don't know how much can or should be made of this. He did look frustrated at times. I guess only time will tell once he's back up with the A's.

Just thought I'd let you all know.

Four letter words.

passionately objective — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:21:26 -0000

IF: (ERA - WHIP) x (X + OBP) = Playoffs, then X = ?

It's funny what a difference a year makes, and doesn't make. Here are some interesting stats (at least to me) that I'd like to share, and no, the equation that you see is not remotely factual. All stats, however, are factual, prior to any games being played today.

Oakland is 3rd in the AL behind BOS and DET with a .339 OBP.

Not surprising at all to say the least, if you've read or heard of Moneyball. At the end of the season last year, 2007, the A's finished with a .338 OBP, which was good enough for 6th in the AL. No too terribly different, yet somehow these A's are faring far better than last year?

Oakland as a team is hitting .254 in 2008, 8th best in the AL.

That's not at all suprising to me, considering the past few years since the A's have been, to put it mildly, offensively challenged. Would it surprise you to know that in 2007 the team batted .256, which was 13th best in the AL? Slightly better average than this year, even if just by a hair.

Oakland has hit 18 HRs.....the worst teams are KC and MIN, with 16 HRs.

Where has all the power gone? In 2007 the A's hit 171 HRs, which was 7th best in the AL, and so far this season they're second to last in HRs. What ever happened to patience AND power? The Rangers have twice as many HRs as the A's, with 36.

How are the A's doing it? Enter the four letter word: RISP.

Oakland is 1st in the entire MLB, hitting at a .315 clip with RISP

Last year, the A's were hitting a miserable .246 with runners in RISP. So they're getting on base at virtually the same rate, but now they're doing something about it. Although the A's have virtually the same BA and OBP, and have been hitting fewer HRs, their RISP is through the roof. As a reslt of the RISP being so high, it has shot the A's from the bottom 1/3 of the AL in RBI and Runs scored to the top 1/3 of the league.

The season is young and alot can change, like Emil Brown's refusal to not drive in runs, but timely hitting has made the entire difference offensively for the A's, because the other mentioned stats are nearly identical to last years offensive team stats.

Did I mention the pitching yet?

The team ERA is #1 in all of MLB.

The 3.09 ERA is the best in the bigs, whereas last years mark of 4.28 was good enough for 6th in the AL.

- Walks: 2008 - 4th in AL / 2007 - 8th in AL

- Strikeouts: 2008 - Tied for 2nd in AL / 2007 - 9th in AL

- WHIP: 2008 - 1st in MLB / 2007 - 6th in AL

The ball drops here:

The A's, long known for defense and pitching, have committed 27 errors in 2008.

It gets uglier, the only team in the AL that have committed more errors than the A's are the Texas Rangers. Ouch, that's not a distinction that anyone would want to have. In other news, Cust is responsible for 25 of Oakland's 27 errors...kidding.

The good news:

The return of a healthy Chavez, if that ever happens, will assuredly help the A's defensively. As time goes on, Sweeney and Barton will sooner or later learn the fact that any ground ball hit to the right side of the field belongs to Mark Ellis, and that they need only to cover the bag and catch his throw. I'd also assume that Cust doesn't want to pull any Canseco's anytime soon, and he's working on catching the ball.

For those of you still counting, X = RISP.

Go A's.

Gaudin to Bullpen

ru155 — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:45:19 -0000

According to SFGate.com Gaudin has been the loser in the Space-For-Harden Sweepstakes.

DrumBeat

I'm a little surprised that they kept both Eveland and Smith in the rotation, but I guess both of them throwing lights out stuff this week had to of been a big factor.

Also in the paper, the Colorado Rockies were turned down when asking about Blanton. I guess Beane really has faith that this team is going to be competitive on the strength of the rotation. Also it'll be really important for a vet like Blanton to help along Smith and Eveland so they don't drop off. They'll have to learn to adjust their game and improve their game prep.

Sports Ramble on 1220 AM KNTS

westsideclubbin — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:59:31 -0000

I’ve come bearing news of a new East Bay oriented sports show. The Sports Ramble will premiere on 1220 AM KNTS on Sunday May 18 from 8 to 10 p.m. Chetan Chaudhari and Louis Perez will be your hosts. I’m one of the producer/ engineers working on the show and we’re very excited to bring you a show where our A’s get top billing over that team across the Bay. We will also discuss the Warriors, Raiders and Sharks during the show, We’ll have some regular features, and we’re working on interviews with players and local sports journalists.

It will be a caller driven show so I not only invite, but encourage ANers to call in, at 800-516-1220 during the show, and truly let your voice be heard. We will be relying on folks like you all to keep the show going. This is something that the Bay Area has needed for a long long time and we hope to have your support.

For NRAFs the show can also be streamed live at 1220knts.com .

Please feel free to offer suggestions below, and let us know what you want hear.

All's fair in love and Baseball

passionately objective — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:09:52 -0000

At the end of the final season of Barry Zito's contract (2006), the A's conceded that they could not afford to resign the beloved lefty. The sound of thousands of teenage (and otherwise) broken hearts echoed across the East Bay, and the Barry Zito era in Oakland was all but officially over.

Then, suprisingly, it was the Giants - alawys happy to one up the A's - that swooped in and stole the ace of the staff and defacto leader of the club, at the tune of $126M. It's funny how things work out, because everyone this side of the sun knows how the rest of that story has gone so far.

Fast forward to present day, where the Giants find themselves in a rebuilding mode of sorts. In the midst of this rebuilding mode, one Rajai Davis hits a terrible slump. Out of options, he gets picked up on waivers by these Oakland Athletics. Curious move considering the depth that the A's have in the OF, but welcomed by myself since I'd admired Rajai's talent from across the bay since his arrival last season. How did he go from the toast of KNBR (which isn't saying much) to the latest great move by the A's front office?

Rajai's stats in 12 games w/ SF (yahoo sports)

Season	Avg.	SLG	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
2008-SFG	.056	.056	12	18	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	4	0	0

Rajai's stats in 11 games w/ OAK

Season	Avg.	SLG	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	E
2008-OAK	.333	.476	11	21	3	7	10	1	1	0	4	1	3	1	0	0

I understand that it's early in the season, and players always have ups and downs, but this is pretty impressive and substantial improvement over almost two equal sample sizes. The A's acqusition of Davis, and the Giants signing of Zito is (fairly or unfairly) yet another feather in Beane's genius cap, and another blemish on Sabean's resume.

Rajai's stats with the A's can be written off as a hot streak, which I do not refute, but that's not necessarily what this is about. This example does more to tell the saga that has been the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants over the past 10 years. So while the Giants have had Bonds, the home runs, the splash hits, the ballpark, the All Star Game, and the allure that is the city of San Francisco:

Nothing compares to a winner, and it's a reminder that all's fair in love and baseball.

Go A's.

Your man on the scene

FreeSeatUpgrade — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:40:01 -0000

"Is this Heaven?" "No, it’s the BART lot."

Midweek Day Game: seductive gateway drug. The first one’s $2. Next thing you know it you’re unshaven, unemployed, and drinking beers at 11 AM.

It’s sooooooooo good.

Sadly, I am fully employed. And partially shaven. Despite these obstacles, I will soon be savoring a gourmet brunch of burrito and Suds-Over-Asphalt, after which I'll repair to my choice of sun-kissed Coliseum seats.

Scratch a fan alone at a ballgame and you’ll find a geek. And maybe tetanus. No geek-denier me, I’ll wear it today, and if fickle technology and fickle'r motivation allow I’ll bust out the laptop and keep you posted in this thread. If it works I'll post again before first pitch.

This is gonna kill my chances with the ladies.

DLD 5/7/08: Blah

gigglingone — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:08:13 -0000

I'm having a crappy week, so I need a DLD. The Monday one is, well, from Monday. Today is Wednesday. What happened to Tuesday?

Here's some links. Y'all have to provide more.

This headline scared the crap out of me. I closed the windows in case they were flying around here. Then I realized that "lost" did not mean missing.
Penguins always makes me smile.
I didn't realize this was still on tv. Does anyone even watch that channel?
If you are going to steal candy bars, don't eat them until after you get away....
I wish I knew about this website years ago. Brilliant idea. Brilliant.

12:35 game time today. Thank goodness. Until then, dump away....

who is our WC competition??

madmongoose — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:42:23 -0000

After playing .600 ball for nearly six weeks, and with this kind of pitching depth, and with players such as Ellis, Barton and Thomas bound to hit better-- let alone any contributions that Gonzalez or Chavez might make-- I am reasonably certain this team will contend for the playoffs. This is not going to be one of those years when at least 3 teams run and hide with 95+ wins. Our 85-90 should keep us in the hunt pretty much all year.

I am also reasonably certain that, while I wouldn't count them out of anything, our likeliest playoff ticket will come through the WC-- if the Angels can play this well without Lackey, they will be tough to beat with him

So who is it?

Not the Mariners-- two starting pitchers and 2 or 3 hitters is not enough; Detroit? i suppose it's possible, but the pitching seems very problemmatic and while the lineup could get going and bludgeon teams to depth, i am reminded of the fact that a good chunk of their everyday players are past their primes; Cleveland also has pitching woes and with Hafner on a year plus falloff their lineup is not the same; Tampa is intriguing but i suspect still a year away. Toronto seems hopelessly screwed up; Minnesota and Chicago are Ok teams, nothing more.

Which leaves you-know-who. Kennedy and Hughes have failed. Jeter and ARod have been hurt., posada might be facing rotator cuff surgery; Giambi is as bad as normal. But they have more resources than problems-- and Wang, Joba and Rivera are nice bulwarks. But wouldn't it be nice to lock horns with the Yanks for much of the summer? Is that what any of us expected this season??

A's need Barry Bonds...again?

passionately objective — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:08:49 -0000

Hello Friends,

Let me first say thank you for reading my blog, if anyone actually is, and welcome to my first blog on Athletics Nation.

I was recently reading a column by The Great Art Spander, and he was lobbying to Billy Beane that the A's needed Barry Bonds. Well, while the thought of an offensive weapon of Bonds' caliber would be intriguing, the cons heavily outweigh the pros in this instance.

Let's look at possible positions for Barry. That's an easy one, OF and DH. The outfield is currently a living definition of a logjam, with Cust, Sweeney, Denorfia, Buck, Brown, and Davis....where would Bonds fit? Oh, did I mention that defense is somewhat of a concern right now, and Bonds is not necessarily an upgrade that this point in his career?

Ok, that leaves us with the DH position. Well, that would be OK, if it weren't for the recent addition of Frank Thomas. Oh, and Mike Sweeney could have something to say about it, but I guess you could just move him to 1B, right? Oh, but then the question begs to be answered, what do you do with Daric Barton?

Well, I guess the A's could sign Bonds and just send down Barton and Sweeney to.....yeah, I won't even finish that sentence. So not only are the logistics not there, but it's not a smart move by the club to bring in a guy like Bonds. He is a proven force at the plate, but also a force in a clubhouse. To take a clubhouse that's as loose and relaxed as Oakland's, and expose them to a the polarizing figure that is Bonds would hurt the very same young talent they're trying to develop.

Imagine a young player just finding his place with the club, and he's just getting to know the guys and here comes Bonds with all of the negative media and attention. Imagine having to all of the sudden be PC about everything you say about this guy because he took your job, but "he's the greatest ever"...or whatever. Imagine going from an extroverted locker room to having to clam up and tread softly while walking on eggshells in a glass house during a rock slide. I'm sure you get the point.

So here is what the A's DO need: They need a healthy Harden. They need a healthy Chavez. They need Crosby to stay on the field, and they could use a little more Travis Buck. They need fans to show up. They need a new ballpark in Oakland, not Fremont. (But I'll take Fremont over the alternatives) With all due respect Mr. Spander, they need alot of things, but none of which are named Barry Bonds.

Sure they could use the attendance boost, and the media attention, and the other sorts of revenue that comes along with one Barry Bonds, but I'll take my A's just as they are.

TV36 A's Telecasts Need Your Help

mwolfson — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:39:25 -0000

AN folks,

We’re starting a new feature on our TV36 A’s telecasts, and need your help. I've come to you because in the past I've seen some very nice baseball photos posted here.

We’re looking for baseball oriented photos to be submitted by A’s fans, for the “Snapfish Baseball Snapshot” which will run in every one of our telecasts.

If we use your photo on the air, you will automatically be entered in a contest that will have some very unique prizes. Those prizes should be announced with all the contest details in the days to come.

If you have some fun baseball photos you’d like to submit (you’ll get photo credit on the air, of course), you can do so at Snapfish.com/baseball.

Anyway, thanks much for your help.

Mark Wolfson

Executive Producer/Director

Oakland A's Baseball

KICU/TV36

Kentucky Joe in 2008

JediLeroy — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:48:12 -0000

I want to preface this by saying that I am not a statistician. This could all be hogwash, so bear with me.

Last year, Joe Blanton reach career bests in a few categories, including strikeouts (140) and K/9 (5.48). While Blanton is pitching deep into games this year (sample size warning), he is not striking out many batters. Blanton's 3.56 K/9 is by far the lowest of any of the A's starters, and good for 45th out of the 48 pitchers who have amassed at least 40 innings this year.

In addition to his low strikeout totals, Blanton is giving up 10.5 H/9, as opposed to last year's rate of 9.39. While his BB/9 is as solid as it’s ever been, his WHIP has jumped to 1.347 (last year: 1.217). His ERA+ is 99, even though he’s seemingly having a good season. It’s not a huge sample, but on average, Joe’s struggles typically seem to escalate after the fifth inning.

That Joe struggles later in the game isn’t any huge revelation. Conventional wisdom says that batters get more comfortable after having seen a pitcher a couple times already. On top of that, pitchers tire and lose effectiveness as a game goes on. With decreased command, pitchers will typically either walk more batters or leave pitches in the zone for hitters to demolish. The graph isn’t perfect, because with such a small sample, one bad inning can skew all the rest of the data.

So, is Bob Geren leaving Blanton in too long? While Blanton has given up 15 runs (12 earned) in the 40 first-through-fifth innings that he’s pitched, he has been tagged for 12 runs (all earned) in the 15 2/3 innings that he’s pitched beyond the fifth. Blanton’s blanked the opponents in four seventh innings so far and given up two runs and one run, respectively, in the other seventh innings he’s pitched in. He’s had one shutout eighth inning and given up runs in both of the other eighth innings he’s pitched in. While he’s pitched six shutout sixth innings, he’s allowed a lot of people to reach base.

Joe gives up a lot of hits, and almost always has baserunners to deal with. It’s hard for me to make any conclusions with this data, other than the obvious ones. Perhaps you guys have some insights.

Let’s go back to the subject of strikeouts. With only eight starts in the books, it’s probably a bit premature to try to find the reason why Joe isn’t striking anybody out. Is it his stuff?

I found an article at THT from February that tries to find the best pitch in the majors in 2007. It’s an interesting study, though I’m not sure if it accounts for park effects. According to the study, Joe Blanton had the second-best slider in the majors last year. His changeup was also rated second in the majors, while his sweeping curveball was ranked 15th.

Most pitchers with good offspeed stuff still throw fastballs the majority of the time to keep hitters off-balance. Blanton is no different. He threw his fastball 54.2% of the time last year, and is only slightly below that amount in 2008 (53.5%). His changeups have been slightly more frequent this year than in the past, moving from 15.1 to 16.9. So early in the season, it’s fair to say that this could be random variation. His curveball selection has risen from 14.4% to 20.9%.

Last year, Joe Blanton threw his slider 16.3% of the time (567 times out of 3481 total pitches). This year, he has only thrown it 8.7% of the time. In essence, he has thrown the curveball in place of the slider almost half the time. Why has he been so stingy with the sliders? Could the lack of second-best-in-the-league sliders have anything to do with his dangerous decline in strikeouts?