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Many of you will doubtless write me off as a loony when you read this, but I suffer from a rare mental condition: I am a loyal fan for two Major League teams, the Oakland Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I used to contribute quite a bit, and I haven't written a post on AN or Bucsdugout since they were called "Diaries", but I thought this topic would be worthy of a bit of baseball scribing. 

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Many of you will doubtless write me off as a loony when you read this, but I suffer from a rare mental condition: I am a loyal fan for two Major League teams, the Oakland Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I used to contribute quite a bit, and I haven't written a post on AN or Bucsdugout since they were called "Diaries", but I thought this topic would be worthy of a bit of baseball scribing. 

I grew up in Centre County, Pennsylvania, an area whose name very literally describes its position between the western and eastern metropoli of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.  I was born in 1961 into a family of Pirate fans. Though I was not alive when Bill Mazeroski hit the greatest home run in World Series history, I like to console myself by the fact that I was surely conceived as my parents were basking in the off season glory of the great victory of the underdog Bucs over the over-stocked Yanks.

As we were three hours from Pittsburgh, we only got to go to one or two games a season, but I LOVED to go to the game.  We had an annoying joke in our family that when we were going to a game, one of us would ask another fan heading toward the ball park if they were "Goin' to the ball game?".  We were pegged as simpletons, but we had our yucks.

The Pirates in the sixties and the seventies were magic to me.  Most enchanted was I by the great Roberto Clemente, whose charisma and talents seemed mystically intense and infinitely deep.  1971 was what will doubtless be for me the acme of my baseball experience as a fan: as a ten year old, my team won the World Series. I can still name the entire team.

In 1972, when the Pirates lost to the Cncinnati Reds in the playoffs, I was distraught.  I hated the Reds, and there wasn't a chance I was going to root for them in the World Series.  Even though I knew nothing about them, and everyone else was for the Reds (our area was decidedly National League), I decided to root for the A's.  Well, over the next three World Series I discovered that The Moustache Gang was a great team to root for.

In 1984, I moved to Oakland to attend graduate school, and I started to go to A's games.  My youthful fling at A's fandom, which had been dormant over the years as I had struggled on with the Pirates through trying times, was renewed. I thought the Coliseum was gorgeous, and I could go see the Pirates play two series a year at the 'Stick. I became an A's season ticket holder (this is still one of the great deals in baseball, and I remember I got my first half season seat in section 317 - 41 games for less than $300).  I had come from the Wasteland (can you say "three hour drive to Three Rivers Stadium?") and had arrived in Baseball Heaven. 

This was all before Interleague of course, so it was easier to reconcile my mental dysfunctionality of being a fan of two teams.  Back then, the A's and Pirates both pretty much sucked (certain exceptional years around 1990 notwithstanding), so there was little chance of them playing each other; I was safe.  

Then Interleague began.  For a few years it didn't matter much as teams played only close regional matchups, but then... Tuesday June 18, 2002.  It was the first time I had to bear the pain of watching my teams go against each other.  I went to all three games in that series, but I found myself physically unable to root for either team.  I suppose it was my way of dealing with the difficulty of being loyal to the teams I loved, but I just sat there, silent (drinking). 

But now it comes around every few years like a bastard comet: this Pirates at Athletics series.  This year I will be going to only Saturday’s game, but my formula for surviving the mental challenge will be the same.  Please don’t mock, but rather pity the fool in his Pirates 59Fifty and Joe Rudi jersey (I’ll have my Clemente Tshirt on underneath, with my A’s Hoodie ready in the bullpen for a chilly Coliseum evening).

Well the Pirate fan in me tried to ignore all the ex-Buccos patrolling the dugout and foul lines for the Tigers while they were (altogether too quickly) eliminating my no-show A's last week.  But now that that's all over and done with, I can freely root for the Detroits the rest of the way, and here's a big reason why:

Jim Leyland  Manager
Don Slaught  Hitting Coach
Lloyd McClendon  Bullpen Coach
Gene Lamont  Third Base Coach
Rafael Belliard  Infield Coach
Andy Van Slyke  First Base Coach  

The only coach on the Tigers staff with no apparent Pirates connection is Chuck Hernandez the Pitching Coach.

Funny that Willie Randolph might also end up managing in the series.  I'm one of probably only a handful of people who might remember being in the Three Rivers crowd on that day back in the mid 70s ('75?) when Willie got his first major league hit.

I've often said that what I really want for a gift is for my team to win on my birthday.  Since it's in mid-October, that hope has always been imbued with extra meaning, and of course, has rarely even been a possibility. This year, thanks to the A's, it's going to happen.  

I was afraid they'd schedule this game for daytime (after calling in with "NineInning-gitis" last week, I was loath to take another day off work), but I saw during the Mets/Dodgers game it would be Tuesday at 5pm.  Hallelujah!

Out of superstition I'd better not tell you what I'll be wishing for but my promise to you all is that I will be sure to blow out ALL forty five of the candles on my birthday cake.

What a great season the A's are having, especially at home.  It seemed like they've been winning every game I've been to, so I decided to review my ticket stubs and figure out what the A's record has been at the games I've attended.

I've been to 32 games, and the A's are 22-10 in those games.  After starting 2-5, they've gone 20-5 since May 5. And, incredibly, they've won the last ten games I've attended.  

I go to a lot of games, and expect to see the A's take a bunch of losses, but they just seem to win all the time, especially recently.  This is FAN NIRVANA (though I'd still rather be watching it all from sect. 317)!

Are there other crazies out there who keep track of the A's record in the games they've attended?  Anybody got a perfect record (either you haven't seen 'em lose, or you're the ultimate trooper who's been to every game)?

On the morning of the first day of 1973, my eleven year old mind was full of football.  Achingly full, as I'd just endured the critical losses of both my two teams (Steelers and Penn State in playoffs and Sugar bowl) the day before.   In light of my more recent passions the baseball season was a dim memory; it had ended badly for me, too, with the loss of my Pirates to the Reds in the NLCS.  Larger concerns like earthquake victims in Nicaragua and the war in Vietnam I was content to ignore, as young children are entitled.  So after a quick breakfast (Wheaties, no doubt), I ran out of the house and down the street to the neighbors' large corner lot where we played pickup football.

As the kids were gathering, one of them broke the awful news, "Did you hear about Clementy?"  

"No.  What about him?"

"He's DEAD.  His plane crashed.  I saw it on TV."

This was simply not possible; I ran home immediately but found no solace in the confirmation of the news.  I spent the entire day in my room, balling my eyes out, utterly inconsolable.  And yet, still, I couldn't believe it.  Surely the great Roberto would have been able to break a window and jump out of the plane as it was falling.  Surely my hero and absolute idol, so Godlike in my mind, would soon be seen swimming to shore.  But as the certainty of his end became obvious with the passing of time, hope faded away, and was replaced by sadness.  So much sadness, especially for his family.  The image of Roberto, Jr. kissing a large photograph of his father is still gut-wrenchingly painful to me.  And the hope of his survival was also replaced, strangely, by anger and confusion.  Anger that he would so willingly give his life for a place I'd never even heard of.  The Why of it I just could not comprehend.  

David Maraniss' new book, Clemente:  The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero takes me right back to that terrible day, and it also goes a long way toward explaining the Why of it which was so difficult for me to get my eleven year old mind around.  Maraniss has succeeded both in creating a work which brings us closer to an understanding of not only the part of Clemente that was the baseball player (one of the most misunderstood superstars of his time), but also the whole man.  It is an imperfect work, though, which is as it should be; it is fighting the considerable combined forces of Time and Enigma which have contrived to distance us further from the part of the Clemente story which rightfully abides in myth.  

Maraniss' description and storytelling are superior, but it is the research and anecdotal material derived from interviews where the skill of the author is most apparent.  I love a book with footnotes, and this one has 351 of them.  Scores of former teammates and adversaries, family members, and friends were interviewed in researching the book, and from these many viewpoints, a picture of a most complicated man materializes.  One who is at times both heroic and comic, sacred and profane, thoughtful and emotionally passionate, fiercely proud and touchingly humble.

Exquisite details ranging from the obscure to the profound abound in the text: Branch Rickey's skeptical assessment of the young talent, Roberto's reverent and awkward manner in courting his future wife, Vera, his apparent skill as a self taught chiropractor, the explanation of his choosing the number 21, his haunting fear of dying in a plane crash.  Many pages are devoted to describing the Puerto Rico of his youth, and attention is given to the earlier generation of great baseball players from the island, including the sad story of Hiram Bithorn.  In fact, some of the best moments in the book describe his relationship to the people and land of Puerto Rico, and many of the most telling descriptions in the book come from the interviews with Clemente's fellow Puerto Ricans. It is obvious that these interviews were conducted in Spanish, and they create a balance with the more "American" viewpoint from which earlier Clemente biographies have been drawn, and from which, of course, readers like myself have mostly been informed.  

The book would be incomplete without describing the Great One's many run-ins with the press, and Maraniss certainly does not disappoint, with numerous examples both frustrating and humorous.  His frequent quotes from the Pittsburgh Courier, a small circulation "black" newspaper of the time are refreshing.  Even the Courier, though, would quote Clemente with phonetic spellings of his mispronunciations which even I knew annoyed him back then, and thus we see that beyond being an outsider because of his skin color, he was doubly an outsider because of his difficulty with the English language.  In fact, one of the strongest themes of the book chronicles the racism which he encountered upon his arrival in the United States.  The descriptions of the Jim Crow treatment of black athletes in Florida for spring training are shocking, and Clemente was in the thick of it.

Maraniss' treatment of the baseball side of Clemente is equally exciting and revealing, though not really where the book discovers new things.  When Maraniss delivers us the voices of the players of Clemente's generation, though, (names like Jose Pagan, Manny Sanguillen, Steve Blass, Vic Power, Orlando Cepeda)  descriptions of on field events get magical, as they should in a book that will undoubtedly only be filed in the "Sports" section at Barns Ignoble.  Maraniss' analyses of Clemente as a baseball player might fall short of perfection, however, for the sabermetrically minded.

Details concerning the earthquake, Nicaraguan dictator Somoza's hampering of relief efforts, the plane crash and aftermath are painstakingly revealed.  In the footnotes the author describes his acquisition of two dusty boxes of legal and Federal Aviation Agency documents labelled "Clemente" as striking the goldmine, and he delivers the story to the reader effectively.  It is simply appalling to learn the details of the circumstances of the crash; the futile tragedy is revealed in all its ignominy.

Much of the last chapter of the book is devoted to memories of the death of Clemente by people who were close to him.  Many describe strikingly similar reactions to my own upon hearing the news on that stark January morning.  The reaader gets a sense of a great community of people who loved the man and have mourned him these thirty some years, and it is gratifying for one who shares the sentiment to bask in it.  Thankfully Maraniss also avoids worshipping Clemente, and many stories reflect what a straightforward, even crude man he could be at times.  

This book is a must read not only for older fans like myself who want to know more about one of the great baseball personalities, but also for young fans who want to learn more of the history, not only of the game, but of the world that surrounds the game.  

Pretty funny "content" over at:   http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50814

"After five years of serving Pittsburgh as their state-of-the-art sporting facility, PNC Park, the home of the rundown, poorly maintained Pirates, said Tuesday it is threatening to leave Pittsburgh unless a new team can be built within the next three years".

As I mentioned in yesterday's thread I went to this one.  Had great seats in the first row behind the Giants dugout (you know they're good seats when you realize that's Orlando Cepeda sitting five seats over from you!).

Not many Pirate fans in attendance, to be sure, though I saw one guy in a '71 gold cap and Steelers 58 jersey (I could have sworn he was swilling an Iron as well).  There is a general benign disdain for the Pirates by the average Giants fan, as though it's somehow beneath them to have to play such a bush league outfit; their true hatred, of course, is reserved for the Dodgers and somewhat less so for their other division rivals.

Nice to come up with a win, but it sure seems like we lucked out to get it, as the tying run would easily have scored if an INCREDIBLY stupid Giants fan hadn't interfered on that double (on a hit and run mind you- or "run and hit" as the Gunner would've called it) in the ninth.  Gonzales, truthfully, gave it up and was the beneficiary of some big time good luck there.

Santos was very impressive.  He was mixing it up really well.  Great play by Sanchez and Casey on that pesky bunt attempt.  Man were the Giants fans HOWLING about the call, but I thought it was a good one (I would, right? actually my Giants fan friend thought he got him too). Torres was lights out for the second night in a row.  Interesting to notice that hardly any Giants fans seemed to remember him (though he is a big goat in their history).

The offense got just enough done, with Casey an unbelievable four for four (after a four for five the night before), and Bay's homer the decider.  Really it wasn't enough offense, as it turned out, since the Giants really should have tied it in the ninth.    

It was a nice ride on BART back to Oakland.  In a car filled with baseball fans, I was the only one wearing a Pirates cap.

Here's a link ( http://altoonacurve.com/news/?id=5227 )to an article on a pretty hilarious Promotion the Altoona Curve are doing: "Frivolous Lawsuit Night".  

My favorite is "137 women 18 and older will receive a free cup of lukewarm coffee".

Sometimes when I read the comments on this site I think maybe we should organize a class action frivolous lawsuit against the Pirates front office!

which everyone knows were at Forbes Field.  

Here's the link:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06130/688769-63.stm  It's actually rather sad to read, as it really sheds light on the pathetic end to the legend's great career: the image from the article of him shuffling back to his hotel after realizing his hopes to be a manager are not to be fulfilled will stay with me forever.

Does anyone else have Forbes memories they'd like to share?  I'd love to read them.  

I was born in '61 (conceived during the off-season of '60, with my parents basking in the glory of the WS victory over the hated Yanks), and I made the trip from State College to Forbes about 5 or 6 times before they tore it down.  Mostly my memories are of driving a long time, then being SUPREMELY disappointed when Clemente wasn't in the starting lineup (this must have happened more than once, as I remember it very vividly).  I did, thankfully, get to see him play on several occasions; we even have a Clemente opposite field extra base hit on old grainy super 8 film... absolutely classic.

I want to recommend this article (I got the hard copy magazine, but I'm guessing you can read it on line as well- sorry don't have the link).

Absolutely incredible and heartwarming story about Hines Ward returning to Korea (he was born there) with his Korean mother to "rid himself of the hurt and anger- and shame" he felt growing up the ultimate outsider in American culture.  

My favorite part of the article describes when asked to sign an autograph, Ward would write: "THANKS FOR HELPING ME LEARN ABOUT KOREAN TRADITION. GO STEELERS."

here's the link, though you probably already know that Whisenhunt has decided to stay on as OC for the Steelers. Here's the link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-raiders-coachsearch&prov=ap&type=lgns

This is great news! His play calling is innovative and gets results: this guy may be biggest reason Cowher got the Steelers to the Superbowl this year.  
 

Who wants them?  GreenandGoldGirl originally wanted them, but she hasn't returned my emails, so I'll re-offer them to whoever wants them.  You'll have to pick them up at my place (I'm like 8 minutes from the Coliseum) if you want to go early, though, 'cause my daughter and I probably  are not going to leave the house til 10:30 or so.

Numerous baseball sites nominated for best baseball site of 2005, and AN isn't even on the list!  

http://www.redreporter.com/story/2005/12/20/21158/982

I'm going to create a user account at RedReporter and post a comment with a write in vote for AN.  Maybe some of you would like to join me.

Undoubtedly many of you already know about this site, but here's the link
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/ to an excellent site which features very detailed lists of each team's contracted players. I just bookmarked it, but I think it'd be a good addition to the "General Sites and Research" links window.  

I was invited to a get together yesterday of eight fans, some of the "regulars" of section 317, for whom I am naturally the official AN liaison.  Their mission was to pen a letter addressing their collective dissatisfaction with the new policy of no season ticket sales (the jury seems to be still out on whether third deck tickets will be available for "big games" ) in the view level.  

I thought that perhaps some of you might want to add your names to ours on the letter.  Lewis, the chief scribe of the letter, plans to send it in a few days, so that if you want to add your name to the letter, he will do it.  If you would prefer to keep your real name a secret (rather than posting a comment), feel free to email me at ferglow@sbcglobal.net

After the letter, in the extended copy of this diary I'll include a few photos (if I can figure out how) of our session yesterday, at Lewis and Gail's lovely Oakland home.  I have to say that these are the most dedicated and longstanding A's fans I've ever met.  Eloise, whose picture many of you will undoubtedly recognize (you'll have to imagine the faded green pin-studded bucket hat she always wears), goes to almost every game, and has for decades.  I include these rather boring shots to help put a face on some of the fans most drastically affected by the pending closing of the view level.

Here's the letter:

Dear Mr. Wolff, Mr. Crowley, and Mr. Beane:
We are a group of friends who have been attending A's games in Section 317 for between ten and thirty-seven years. We did not start out as friends, but, over the years, as we followed our team through its ups and downs, we developed a bond, not only with the Athletics, but with each other, forming a strong and caring community. Some of us have been A's fans and customers for decades; others shifted our loyalties to Oakland when the Giants raised their tickets prices to a level that drove us out of Pac Bell Park. Most of us are A's season ticket holders. Every one of us has convinced friends and relatives to buy tickets, always in the upper deck.
All of us were distressed to learn of your plan to close the upper deck at the Coliseum. Some of us are on fixed incomes, and none of us would be considered affluent.. The offer to sell outfield plaza level seats to season ticket holders at seven dollars each would represent a price increase of up to one hundred per cent and place us in an area from which our view of home plate, our ability to follow the flight of the ball, and our perception of the complexities of pitching and positioning would be seriously compromised. The proposed restructuring of prices and availability also would have a devastating effect on our community.
Our strong preference is that you keep the view level open at the current prices, which make frequent visits to the ball park feasible for a wide range of people. However, we understand your reasons for not choosing that option. The overhead caused by keeping unprofitable concession stands open, the need for security, and the benefits of optimization provided by a limited seating capacity are legitimate considerations.
We believe that those considerations can be met by closing off most of the upper deck, but leaving sections 316 through 318 open. We loyal fans, who would continue to sit in that area, do not require concession stands that are immediately available. Limiting seating in the view level to three sections would require a minimum number of security personnel. And the amount of seats you would open up would not be so great that you would lose the benefits of a significantly lowered seating capacity.
Another, less preferred, way in which you could meet both your needs and ours would be to sell partial season tickets to view level seats for only those games for which you anticipate a large turnout. You could accommodate your increased attendance in those plaza level seats you now are offering us, and we would continue to enjoy, at least for a limited number of games, the benefits of our current seating.
If you are unable to accept any of our suggestions, please, at least, retain some meaningful incentives for older fans and children, who are, after all, the future of the game.
We hope you will consider these alternatives to your proposed actions, actions that would leave many long time A's fans unable to attend the games we love, in the company of friends we have come to love as well.
Sincerely,

Continue reading this post »

Hip Hip Hooray, the box office guys DID call me about changing my seat from 317 to another section.  They offered a move to section 200-203, or 231-234 for $7 per game, or section 204-208 or 226-230 for $10 a game.  Those are pretty good discounts (though probably for 2006 only) for the displaced season ticket holders.  

I still worry about the effect this is going to have on attendance, plus I'm bummed that I'm not going to be able to watch the games with the "regulars" in 317.  I'm also a little bummed I'm going to lose my angle in 317(right behind the plate), but I'll live. But if this keeps the A's in Oakland, I'll be happy (I'm sure hoping the conspiracy guys are wrong on this one).  

Perhaps what I'm most concerned with is the effect this will have on the younger, poorer demographic.  With that in mind, I think it is IMPERATIVE that the A's offer some great discounts for fans under 16 years old ($5-8 for plaza level, I'm thinking), and continue to offer the "family packs" (an outrageously good deal for us breeders), the Saag's coupons, and to perhaps expand their promotional ticket offers.

Well, I guess my paranoia got the best of me (though I'm clearly not the only one).  In retrospect I wish I'd waited to find out about this change when they called, but I do think it's a topic worthy of discussion (again I'm clearly not the only one, considering the two hundred-odd posts), and so therefore do not regret "spilling the beans" with the first diary.  

I feel pretty well mollified by the respectful way the ticket people contacted me to offer me an "upgrade" (I really don't see it as such- I LOVED section 317 and will go back there if it is opened in the future).  However, the call was just poorly timed considering I already knew of the impending changes in policy from their website.

I signed up (at least tentatively) for a seat in section 226.  So I guess I'll need to come up with a new AN handle.  I'd love to hear your suggestions (don't trash me too much!) for a new handle.  Plus, I'll put up a poll with some I've been considering ("Brian in 317" was pretty dorky, anyway!)

Because the first diary generated so much interesting commentary, in the extended content I copied some of the most salient posts from the thread.

Continue reading this post »

Forewarned by OaklandSi's original post on this topic, I called the Athletics box office about season tickets in the "view" level.  According to the guy I spoke with THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DECK SEATING FOR ANY GAME FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. When I told him I'd had a season ticket in 317 for years, he answered with silence.
I asked him what would happen if all the lower seats sold, his reply was that they wouldn't even open the upper deck in that situation.  I asked why this hadn't been announced to us "valued" season ticket holders, and he said they just haven't announced it yet.
He asked if I'd like to go over second deck seating packages, and I said "not now... I'm a little too pissed off."

Obviously we'll still be going to games, and equally obviously the new ownership wants to squeeze as much as they can out of us loyal, "valued" season ticket holders.

This is unbelievable.  

Thanks a lot, Lew.

I ran into a former student of mine, who is a Giants fan (and has seats in the owner's box at "the plastic glove"), at school a couple of weeks ago.  He keeps trying to get me to go to a Giants game with him, but I told him I can't until next year since I'm going to so many A's games.  His response was "Ah, they're gonna fold."  I said, "we'll see", but secretly am pissed because I don't diss his team, and don't appreciate him dissing mine.  

So I run into him again last Wednesday (after Tuesday night's win-A's 1.5 games back).  He had called me over the weekend, and I hadn't returned his call.  He said, "I had an extra ticket... you could have seen Barry hit one".  My reply: "I've seen him hit lots.  And I have to save my baseball time for the A's"  And he says it again: "Ah, they're gonna fold".  At which point I got pissed.  "They haven't folded yet, and they've already had a great season, and passed my own expectations for them.  Believe me, I could say negative things about your team, but I don't, so I don't appreciate you saying them about my team."  I was clearly pissed, and may have burned my bridge with him with my (over-?) reaction.

The trouble is, watching the game last night, I wondered if this was the beginning of the "fold" he predicted.  The poor efforts with runners in scoring position were suspect, and Crosby and Ellis' botched DP was particularly onerous.  

I don't mind not making the playoffs, but don't want to see the season end with the Angels pulling away.  I still think no matter what happens, this has been a great season, but my pride is on the line now... I want to be able to face this guy and say the A's didn't "fold".

I don't know if this deserves a diary, but I'm going to submit it anyway...

That's right, the guy who missed all of last season with a possible career-ending injury who has come back like a house afire (currently hitting .326 with career-high 10 homers) isn't even on the list of candidates for comeback player of the year. Here are the choices:
 Jason Giambi - Yankees
 Roy Halladay - Blue Jays
 Bob Wickman - Indians
 Jay Gibbons - Orioles
 Barry Zito - Athletics
 Richie Sexson - Mariners
These guys are all deserving of being on the list, but how could they miss Ellis???? You can't even write him in, you can only vote for the ones on the list.

Seems to me it's a foregone conclusion that Jason Giambi will win this award. After all, Giambi had A LOT OF COMPLICATIONS DUE TO STEROID USE to get over, so he deserves to be the comeback guy.  Oh yeah, and he's a YANKEE (thanks as usual, east coast biased media). Give me a break!  

Here's the link to the "Viagra Comeback Player of the Year award contest":
http://click.mlb.com/ct/click?q=32-Gx5IIrQCjBkA99bDFQasZSkrNHnR

What a pathetic joke.  Ellis deserves this award.

Sorry this isn't a diary featuring insightful observations backed up by rigorous statistical analysis.  I just want the Pirates community to recognize the birthday of one of the greats of the team and of all baseball (and my all-time hero).  

I miss you so much Roberto, and especially today, which would have been your seventy first birthday.  

I posted a poll on who your favorite Pirate of all time is.  I didn't have enough spots to list everybody who came to mind, though, so if your favorite Bucco is Barry Bonds (or someone more worthy), write him in as a comment to this diary.

I apologize if this already got some attention, but I've really noticed how much the abscence of Swisher hurt us in the last series.  His abscence seemed especially hurtful on Tuesday night with Hat facing the leftie pitchers in two critical situations.  

I think they may miss him not only for his switch-hitting bat and versatile defense, but maybe they most miss that brash positivity he brings to the team.  I'm hoping (and predicting) that his return will also mark the return of the bunched hits and runs.  

Sorry I don't have any stats to back these observations up.

Sounds odd, and it is.  A short "retro prospect" write up on Jason Kendall by John Sickels at: http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2005/7/10/18210/2210

Two things I thought were funny: Kendall had a bad rep for not being great at throwing out runners and the comparables including Sanguillen (a TOTALLY different approach at the plate) and Cochrane (pretty heady company). I think it'd be hard to find anyone who would disagree now that Kendall has been a great addition to the club (starting from his terrific handling of the young staff to his current run of great OBP). Not a homer in sight, though, and the slugging percentage is truly on the low side. And oh yes, he's a bit pricey, but does taking on his contract along with the resigning of Kotsay signal of a new era in A's baseball where they can pay some more competitive prices for worthy talent?

Sorry, this one's not about the Bucs, it's just a "human interest" story about an all-star Steelers fan (brief excerpts below link):

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~29553~2954090,00.html

Fan takes loyalties to the grave
James Henry Smith was a zealous Pittsburgh Steelers fan in life, and even death could not keep him from his favorite spot: in a recliner, in front of a TV showing his beloved team in action.
Smith, 55, of Pittsburgh, died of prostate cancer on June 30th. Because his death wasn't unexpected, his family was able to plan for an unusual viewing Tuesday night.

The Samuel E. Coston Funeral Home erected a small stage in a viewing room, and arranged furniture on it much as it was in Smith's home on game day Sundays.

Smith's body was on the recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights.

"I couldn't stop crying after looking at the Steeler blanket in his lap,' said his sister, MaryAnn Nails, 58. "He loved football and nobody did (anything) until the game went off. It was just like he was at home.'

Some of you may be aware that I have a split allegiance between the A's and the Pirates (it has something to do with growing up in central Pennsylvania).  Anyway, I am delighted to welcome Bucs Dugout to the Sportsblog family.  The site is a little quiet right now (I think a total of 5 people have registered and posted!), but us BD pioneers (I'm "Momen 21" there) have high hopes for the site.

Today Charlie, the webmaster at Bucs Dugout, posted a diary commenting on an interview conducted with a beat writer for the Pirates that was in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Among the topics of discussion were "Moneyball" and Billy Beane's success in Oakland (in contrast with Pirates GM Littlefield's lack of success in building a good small market team).

Here's a link:
http://www.bucsdugout.com/story/2005/6/29/4452/98885#2

It would be great to have some of our AN folks come and visit and help jumpstart the site.  It will remind you of when AN was just starting out.  The topic of the above link is certainly something you will all have opinions on!

Great to welcome you to the Family!! I'm a longtime regular at the flagship sportsblog, www.athleticsnation.com (I'm Brian in 317 at that site) and am a lifelong Pirates fan as well as a relatively recent Oakland A's fan (I live in Oakland and have had season tix for five years).

I hope that this site blossoms into the kind of thriving fan community we have at Athletics Nation, where there are at least ten new diaries daily.  The last game's open thread (phil) garnered over 300 posts!  

Anyway, I'm delighted to find Buc's Dugout and expect to become a regular here as well (which will nauseate my wife even more than she is now over my AN addiction).

In the "Ding Dong..." thread tankerraid, who was at the game last night, commented on A's/RedSox fan relations, mentioning at one point his friend said, "You tolerate us, we'll tolerate you"... yeah- try that line at Fenway sometime when the Red Sox are playing the Athletics.  And I'll safely wager he's never tried that line in Yankee Stadium, either.
However sarcastic that sounds my tendency is to support the idea of toleration of fans of the other team. I am happy that my friends (who are true, long-suffering RedSox fans) finally have a WS victory to celebrate.  I am , however, still very pissed we didn't beat them in '03 and I harbour a DEEP resentment about that.  

I was at last night's game (YEAHHH!), and I must say I witnessed all kinds of fan behaviour among the Red Sox and A's faithful, ranging from benign to awful. Most RedSox fans are perfectly OK people, whose personalities I generally like. Walking on the concourse last night a little (mislead) girl's Bosox cap flew off, and a grown up Boston fan picked it up and said, "Heah yah ahh" in a totally fake Boston accent.  It made me want to "vomit in my mouth", but I endured. Disgusting but benign.

There was some gloating early in the game by Bozox fans (I intensely dislike gloating by any visiting fans, and especially Red Sox fans- there are just too many of them!).  Obnoxious.

But equally obnoxious are our own fans who feel they must gloat and spout ugly expletives.  You think I'll bring my four year old daughter to a game where fans are yelling "Boston Sucks" and other vulgarities? Hell no! (I am aware of the disingenuous sound of that but you are all adults and can take it). But, basically, can't we be more creative in our sloganeering at the ball park?  Does anybody have anything better than "Boston Sucks"(which everyone knows isn't even true any more)?  And can't we be more tolerant as well... after all there would be no baseball without the other teams.  

I finally got my brother, who is a high school basketball coach and lifelong baseball fan, to read Moneyball, and he recently emailed me this:

"I am reading Moneyball, and wondered is there any type of "sabremetrics regarding basketball, debunking old theories of successful teams, stats that are most important, etc?"

Anybody feel like weighing in on this?  I'll post my response to him as the first comment.