I haven't seen anyone note the Ray's comeback win last night against the (hated) Bosox. DJ's ph homerun, to tie it up in the 9th, hours after arriving from the minors.

Good on DJ, he deserves some success. And it's with a team in the playoffs!

I also saw he's now a LF with some skills developed at 3B too. 

Nah, we don't have any place for a player like that.

Say, probably a nerdy question, but does anyone know about the chartered 747 the A's flew to Japan?  What airline or what markings were on it?

Did anybody go to the airport and see them off?

Thanks for any info.

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SuSlu reporting in her Chronicle blog that Nickeroo has been traded to the Chisox for three prospects. Not official yet but "confirmed by three sources" ...

Jeez, I didn't think "rebuilding" meant our younger guys too. Yikes.

I'm thinking I'm going to enjoy 2008 less than I already thought I wasn't going to enjoy it.

Talk among yourselves ....

My wife and I are planning a trip to A's Spring Training for the first time. We'd love some advice on

• Best part of ST to attend
• Hotel where the A's stay or ?
• Regular place the players hang out in the evenings ... bar or restaurant?

We'll likely go for 3 days. Any other tips?

Thanks in advance.

Just saw a blurb that the A's picked up relief pitcher Jermaine Van Buren from the Nationals. For a PTBNL. CBS Sportsline describes him as "a slow-developing relief prospect..."  He's 27-28 yrs old.

He doesn't sound very promising, but in Billy We Trust. Let's assume he knows something about Van Buren we don't see ... but then, it wouldn't have to be much compared to the 'pen's performance this week. I'll take a warm body with a fresh arm.

Or maybe he's headed for Sacto for now? No word on this from the A's as of this posting.

This move APPEARS to help the halos rotation, but Weaver -- at least the last few years -- has sucked, and hurt his team, wherever he has pitched.

He's kind of a false facade of a pitcher. Entirely hittable -- I see the 06 A's lineup eating him up -- and a weak sister in a rotation. The A's hitters should feast on him.

This is GOOD news for us and another step to the division crown for the Athletics!

Comments?

Hi folks,

Fun times, these, waiting to see what Billy does next, eh?

While we're waiting, here's a trivia question for you all on a fun A's fact...

In the 1999 season, one A's win was accomplished by four pitchers ... all of them with the first name of Tim.

I'll spot you the easy one -- Huddy. Can you name the other three?

Hi friends,
As I posted here a week or two ago, I'm involved with a film called "A Player To Be Named Later" (many of you know of it, of course...) soon to be seen on many PBS stations.

It features Marco Scutaro during his 2002 season with AAA Indianapolis. In the Bay Area, it's on Saturday, 10/1/05 at 5:30pm on KQED/Channel 9.

We made a little 30 second promotional spot for this program (alas, KQED chose not to run the promo) and, since I made it, I heavily featured Mr Scutaro in it ... 4 appearances by my count, including a soundbite.

Here's the link to see the spot. I know it's small on the screen, but you'll recognize the second baseman's flair and the closing dash to homeplate as none other than our hero Scoot.

Enjoy! (You'll need Quicktime to play this)

http://epstv.com/athletics/playerpromo.mov

Hi folks, In my day job, as opposed to my other occupation of living and dying with the A's, I distribute television programs to PBS stations across the country. One of those shows is a great baseball film "A Player To Be Named Later" prominently featuring our own Marco Scutaro! It will be broadcast in the Bay Area on KQED/Ch 9 Saturday, October 1st, at 5:30pm. So be sure to tune in! The 90 min film follows basically 4 players on the Indianapolis Indians, then the Brewers AAA affiliate, for one season. There are cameos by players with some A's connections, most memorably Allen "Meat" Levrault...and a couple of others. It's a great little film about the struggles and mostly heartbreak young pro players go through trying to make The Show. Of the guys featured in the film, only Scoot is still in professional ball. Hope y'all in the Bay Area can catch this film (if you haven't already bought the DVD) and it'd be great if you let Channel 9 know you liked it. Now...let's kick some Cleveland butt!

... started with AN in spring training cuz I can never get enuff A's.

Particpated some then hung back and have lurked most of the season. Admit I've been put off by the rampant negativity on the site when things weren't going well ... and they weren't going well for sooooo long. Made me wonder if I was going to stop checking in with AN.

But you gotta have heart ... and hope.

I've been a diehard fanatic since I move to the BA in 1970. Moved away in 1978 and remained a fanatic. Watch EVERY game on satellite.

I think Blez does an amazing job with this site. I wonder a lot, though, about a site for A's fans that has so much BS and whining and relatively little (with exceptions like Blez and Nico and others...) positive, newsy, and original. Don't get me wrong, I love you all, we're all A's birds of a feather. But, here we are, in the midst of a heroic season.... and yet I watched the threads the other day with backbiting and nastiness and nothing to do with the White Elephants triumphing!

I don't give a rat's ass about Chris Shelton. Ya know?

I care about Chavvy, Zito, Kots, DJ, Booby and Bubby, Mister Kendall, Scoot, young Rich and all the rest. I don't actually CARE, actually, I LOVE these guys. I figured, last spring, this is what this site is about. I think it is, but gimme a break with the whining and unrelated crap. Let me know what you think....

I'm probably a lot older than most of you guys. Yeah, all the sadder for me. But I saw Fosse play and I saw Billy North go nuts in a Sunday doubleheader, I shook Joe Rudi's hand, got roughed up in a friggin ice cream parlor by Reggie (true, details to follow...), and I touched Catfish on his first day back to the Mausoleum as a Yankee (press pass, I had). I was in the stands when Jeremy didn't slide, oy veh. I saw Huston pitch in Austin just 2 years ago. I was dedicated throughout the miserable "Triple A's" years (but we love you, Shooty...) of the 80's. I now live in Virginia but I don't miss a game on sat, mlb, or radio. Get to see them in person a few times a year, somewhere. Cut me and I bleed green and gold.

The point is, there's something special about this team (over the years), even as it changes -- even BECAUSE it changes. I don't care if me and you and you and you have to carry these guys on our backs to the finish line this year, we're gonna do it. We're gonna goddam do it because it's destiny.

Let's just all put all our good karma into these guys. I'm no candy ass, but AN can be a powerful source of strength and shared information and a powerful Force for our Green and Gold.

Love you all ... let's just think about the A's for the next 57 games. Hey, if it was easy, they wouldn't need us. Eh what?

Go A's!

Or ... I could be wrong.

I'm gonna be present more in the coming weeks and you're just gonna have to hear what I think.

PS: I'll say it out loud: Urban's all right with me, too, bless him. Even tho he'll never publish my questions ... hey, they're not all THAT stupid, Mychal!

- Moonshiner

OK, i'm only kidding but he did the job tonight, bless him.

I'll take him as #5...

We had some offense and that's good too.

hope Nick continues as good as he looks...

Go A's !!!

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Hi all,
Just registered on AN and making my first post. The past couple of weeks AN has become a habit for me as, like you, I can't get enough Athletics.

Been an A's fan since the 70's dynasty, while living in Oakland, and ever since tho my life subsequently took me to the East. Fanatically watch every game (satellite or mlb) or listen on internet radio. Sometimes think I should get a Life but then think, "Nah ... go A's!"

I think I may be about the only A's fan in the Blue Ridge Mts of Virginia where I'm living now.

I was in the stands that critical day when Jeremy didn't slide. Argh! Come to think of it, there was a lot Jeremy didn't do with the A's, huh.

Going out of my skin waiting til Monday. Like a lot of you, I'm absolutely convinced these A's will surprise -- no way last in the division. As always, they'll make it fun (and sometimes agonizing) and I say this summer will be GOOD!

Too bad there's not a spot for Bocachica -- I thought he might be Shooty Babbitt reincarnated (oops, guess Shooty's not dead, but you know what I mean). Like the outfield we have, of course, 'cept my doubts about Kielty.

Anyway, just saying hi and will see y'all on AN in the future.