Podcast & Links: Second Half Preview

There's a baseball game tonight!! It's been a long week, and I haven't personally seen an A's game since July 6. Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour are All-Stars, Josh Donaldson is not, Yoenis Cespedes is the Home Run Derby Champ, and Oakland is primed for a huge second half and an exciting pennant run.

On today's episode of the Phil Naessens Show, we discuss Cespedes, Colon, Sonny Gray, Grant Green, and Oakland's second half schedule. You can listen to the show right here on AN via the media player directly below this sentence. My segment starts at 31:10 and goes for about 26 minutes.

Give it a listen and leave your feedback in the comments!

And now, a Daily Link Dump!

- Here are a couple of second half preview from San Jose Mercury News and Swingin' A's.

- This is what it looks like when ESPN realizes that you have a good player on your team. This happens to Oakland about once per decade.

- On the other hand, it turns out that racism is still a thing.

- A.J. Griffin is the 12th coolest pitcher in the Majors, according to Fangraphs' pCOOL scores.

- I don't know what the hell this is, but it involves Walter White wearing an A's hat.

- Jeff Sullivan writes on the possibility (probability?) of the Rangers acquiring Matt Garza.

- Unrelated to the A's, but Derek Lowe is retiring after 17 seasons in the Majors. He had a good, solid career.

...And Torrey's Taco Stand, aka Daily Link Dump Part Deux!

- Today's starting lineup is out.

- Progress from Brett Anderson.

- Andrew Bailey appears to be done for the year.

On this day a year ago, the A's picked up a home win against the Yankees for the first time since April 22, 2010, when Dallas Braden told A-Rod to get off the mound. The Yankees haven't won at the Coliseum since then.

Dump away in the comments!