FormerHuntsvilleStar
Feb 11, 2008 May 29, 2012 22 6067
A's fan in Cary, N.C. Became one growing up in Huntsville, Ala., where the Stars were the A's Double-A affiliate from 1985-99. Screen name comes from The Huntsville Times, which would put "former Huntsville Star" in front of every major leaguer who played for the Stars.
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Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville
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AN March Madness group on Yahoo!
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Mar 17, 2008 10:32 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
It's been asked a couple of times (by me on one occasion) whether we're having another Yahoo! NCAA Tournament bracket group again.
Since I haven't heard from anyone else, I decided to go ahead and create the group this year:
http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1
Click on "Join a Group"...
The Group ID# is 129574
The password to join is WeMissSwish
Even if you don't miss Swish, humor me anyway. :)
Thanks for joining!
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WLD 7/14/07 - If only...
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 14, 2007 10:05 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Don't you just love it when an error in your newspaper makes you dream and wish it were reality? Take my copy this morning's News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), for example:
DLD 4/2: Tick, tick, tick...
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Apr 2, 2007 10:16 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Happy Opening Day! Baseball is really back, and it rocks.
I took the day off for this. Now I just need to know how to watch all the games (outside of the smorgasboard ESPN and ESPN2 has for today), namely OAKLAND at SEATTLE at 12:35 p.m. PDT/3:35 p.m. EDT.
UPDATE: A's fire Macha
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Oct 16, 2006 7:46 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
It's official: The Oakland Athletics have fired Ken Macha.
Here's the latest from Sussan Slusser and the San Francisco Chronicle.
The primary reason is reportedly "Macha's problems communicating with players, along with what injured players have described as a callous attitude toward them."
This story does not name possible replacements.
More linkage:
- FoxSports.com: A's fire Macha despite run to ALCS
- ESPN.com: After quick ALCS exit, A's fire manager Macha
Blez has his reaction on the front page.
(Thanks to rsur5 and salb918 for finding the updated links.)
Daily Link Dump 8/19: Update on Huston
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Aug 19, 2006 9:10 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Yeah, yesterday stunk to high heaven. And for those of you wanting Huston Street injury information, it's a right groin strain and he's considered day-to-day.
Link Dump 6/3: Wakey, wakey!
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 3, 2006 9:08 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
It's my monthly Daily Link Dump, straight from Cup crazy North Carolina, where I can post this thing probably before many of you have woken up. So WAKE UP already!
Link Dump 4/22: Zito asked about future -- again
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Apr 22, 2006 10:22 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Mornin', folks! Beautiful day, isn't it?
Link Dump 3/8: Bonds, South Africa and Kendall's wife
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Mar 8, 2006 10:42 AM EST
on Athletics Nation
I'm at my parents' house in Alabama this week. I'm bored. I'll try one of these Daily Link Dump Diaries. What the heck. Oh yes...and Happy Birthday, Sharon!
Back in N.C.: Thanks and some below-average photos
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Aug 16, 2005 5:31 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Hi y'all! My wife and I got back to North Carolina last night, immediately greeted by the nasty humidity that we were so not missing in our four-day stay in the Bay Area.
We went sightseeing tour around San Francisco and took a bay cruise from Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday. Then we went to Oakland Saturday and Sunday for my first A's games at the Coliseum.
Evaluating trades: In-season vs. off-season
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Aug 10, 2005 3:59 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
During the horrific month of May, there were some ramblings from a number of baseball analysts and columnists who declared the Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder deals to be busts, many because the folks we got were stinking it up and Huddy and Mulder were doing A-OK.
Survey stats and stuff...
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 13, 2005 5:27 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
I've now put all the AN Member Location Surveys in one spot.
Click here to see them. This link will be in my signature.
[editor's note, by FormerHuntsvilleStar: We've hit the 400 mark in responses! Thanks! Also, Portland, OR has now surpassed New York City for the most ANers responded from a non-California city. Not bad for supposedly Mariners country! ;) ]
AN Members: Where are you FROM?
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 11, 2005 9:45 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Hiya, folks! First, I asked "Where do you live right now?" Now, I'm asking "Where are you from?"
By popular request, I have created another Athletics Nation member map -- this time, instead of where you live right now, the dots and flags represent WHERE YOU ARE FROM.
The ladies love "Lex Sweden"
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 8, 2005 7:13 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Hello, I'm Alfred Blacksburg.
Well, not really. That's the "alias" I got from this site -- the Ron Mexico name generator. I heard about it on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning."
Gammons: Haren, not Duchscherer, Colon
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jul 8, 2005 7:50 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Just heard this during Peter Gammons' regular Friday visit to "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio.
Gammons said that instead of putting Justin Duchscherer and Bartolo Colon (ANA) on the AL All-Star team, he would've gone with Dan Haren and Mike Timlin (BOS). "That's just my opinion," he said.
Statistics from the AN Nationality Survey
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 28, 2005 9:53 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
OK! Here are the current results from the Athletics Nation Member Nationality Survey II. This is out of 368 AN Members responding through July 12, 2005.
Keep in mind this is still an ongoing survey! If you haven't put in your location yet, or if you need to make a change, post it here or e-mail me any time. Thank you all for your help!
AN Nationality Survey Continues!
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 26, 2005 8:33 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
With over 220 responses to the first thread (and the increased load time that goes with it), I decided to open up a fresh one. We're at over 150 responders so far and climbing. Thank you all!
I'll be posting some percentage data soon. Now let's continue... :)
And for those of you who don't know what this is about, click here.
Quick version: Please post where you live right now and I'll put it on the map. Please do so even if your town has already been mentioned, so we can find out what percentage of ANers are in Oakland, the Bay Area, California, overseas, etc.
AN Members Nationality Official Survey II (or "Fill the AN Map!")
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 25, 2005 11:18 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Hi all. Last month Alex posted a diary entitled "AN members nationality. Official Survey." It had a poll asking ANers, "Where are you from?" Click here for the results.
It was a good idea. I'd like to take it a step further.
See below a map of the United States and southern Canada. Notice there's an increasing amount of yellow dots scattered across the country, representing where AN members currently live.
I want more dots! Please post the city, state and/or country of where you LIVE RIGHT NOW (not your birthplace or where you grew up) on THIS PAGE (since this one's rather long). I'll put your city on the map.
Even if your city's already mentioned, please post it anyway. I'm also keeping a tally of where everyone is, so we can find out what percentage of ANers are in Oakland, the Bay Area, California, west of the Mississippi or some other "general big ass region."
For folks outside the U.S. and Canada, I'll put that country's flag and name under "other countries." If there's enough to warrant it, I may make a full world map. You'll notice I've put Italy already, as Alex is "official italian AN representative."
ADDED: A Bay Area closeup map. All Bay Area cities and towns represented are highlighted. I threw it together, but I hope it's readable.
Every so often I'll show the updated map so we can all see how big Athletics Nation really is. Let's fill 'er up! And thank you.
BAY AREA CLOSEUP: 
I Don't Believe In If Anymore
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 23, 2005 11:44 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
I offer this little parody of Roger Whittaker's "I Don't Believe In If Anymore."
Harden to start Tuesday!
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Jun 20, 2005 8:41 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Temper, temper
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on May 14, 2005 11:14 AM EDT
on Athletics Nation
I can't tell.
I can't tell whether I've finally gotten control of my emotions after A's losses, or whether I'm now in acceptance of something. Or whether it's only because my expectations were lower this year.
You see, I have a temper. I hate to lose, and I hate to see my teams lose. Maybe it's inherited from my dad, or perhaps imitating him whenever Alabama lost a football game. Maybe it was because I didn't like being picked on when screwing up playing softball or kickball or football during P.E. as a kid.
Even up through last year, if I saw the A's lose, I was not in best of moods. I'd assume a number of you feel the same way. My most "memorable" episode came at Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. I was 14 years old. Once Kirk Gibson hit that ball into the stands, I shouted "Good night!" to my mom and went to bed. Then I cried and pounded my bed in rage. It's not one of my proudest moments.
A lot of this has to do with expectations. Maybe it's timing. I fully expected the A's to smack around the Dodgers in that Series. I fully expected the A's to smack around the Reds two years later, but I think the World Series win in '89 softened the blow. I didn't take the '92 ALCS loss to the Blue Jays very well, though.
In 2000, I was disappointed that the A's could finish off the Yankees, but I felt great and thought this could be the start of something big. However, you didn't want to be near me in October the next four seasons -- because I expected more. I didn't watch Game 5 of the 2003 ALDS (vs. Boston) because I didn't think I could take it (especially after the three previous Game 5 loses). I saw the highlights the next morning on SportsCenter. When they got to Terrence Long's final at-bat and switched the audio to radio, I was expecting a game-winning RBI hit. When I saw the called strike three, I had problems focusing the rest of the day at work.
This year, however, with Hudson and Mulder gone and a lot of young talented pitchers working to make names for themselves, my expectations were a bit lower. Instead of "I expect the A's to contend and make the playoffs," it's "I'd LIKE the A's to contend and make the playoffs." And with this different expectation comes different emotional responses with each game. I'm happy after every win, sure, but every loss brings a shrug and a "We'll get 'em next time. We'll learn."
I've always tried to keep my temper in check, even though I've failed a number of times. I've kept trying to tell myself "It's only a game -- and one you can't control." Apparently lower expectations have been keeping my temper in check, but I sure don't want the A's expectations to be lower. Optimally, I'd like to root for the A's hard, be happy when they win, and be semi-rational and calm after a loss. Obviously that'll never happen... :P
I'm curious: Has your emotional reactions to A's losses differed this year, because a) we're getting numb to it by these recent weeks of struggles or b) the overall lowered expectations of this year's club? Or are they gnawing at you more than ever? Or is it the same? Or is this even an issue with you?
Byrnes, Zito on 'Teammates' on Tuesday
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on May 11, 2005 10:12 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
Saw the commercial for the upcoming episode of "Teammates," the ESPN game show, which broadcasts Tuesday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. This is the one with Eric Byrnes and Barry Zito.
A's trade in May? Mais non...
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on May 2, 2005 7:04 PM EDT
on Athletics Nation
It's May. Will the A's actually make a headliner in the transaction this month? Should they do something this month? I say no and no.
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