SB Nation User Blog: SportySpice

Korach Charity -- Last Call!

SportySpice — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:37:04 -0000

With the 2008 baseball season finally winding down, it's time to collect the last of the pledges to Ken Korach's Winning for the Community charity, which supports baseball programs in Oakland schools.

Thanks to everyone who has pitched in to contribute so far. I've sent $1,760 to the A's Community Fund that we've raised so far.

BUT! We're still short 10 pledges totaling roughly $900. If the financial mess out there has hit you hard, and you can't send in your pledge, I understand. But if you've just forgotten or put it off, then now is the time to send in your money.

AND, if you didn't pledge at the start, but would still like to contribute, that's fine, too.

Please send your pledge to me at the address below so that I can keep track of the amount that AN has raised. And also, PLEASE write your AN name somewhere when you send your check, so that I can cross you off the list.

If you have questions, email me at sbeck97@gmail.com

Thanks!

Susan Beck

10510 Park Lane

Apt. 301

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Korach Charity -- Calling All Pledges!

SportySpice — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:40:14 -0000

Thanks to all who have sent me their pledges for Ken's Winning for the Community Project. But I still have received less than half the pledges made.

So in case you didn't see my FanPost the first time, I'm now collecting the pledges for Ken's charity. If you simply put off sending in your check, now's the time to act.

Make checks payable to: A's Community Fund (and write Winning for the Community somewhere on the check)

Please send the checks to me (since I'm keeping track of the money raised by AN) and I'll forward them all to the A's Foundation.

If you have any questions, my email is sbeck97@gmail.com.

Susan Beck

10510 Park Lane

Apt. 301

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Sept. 12 Event for Korach Charity

SportySpice — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:16:10 -0000

I won't be breaking news here by saying it's been a rough year for the A's and their fans. Brutal.

But here's one positive thing you can do that will make a difference to kids in the East Bay. Send your pledge money to Ken Korach's Winning for the Community Fund.

At the beginning of the season A's radio god Ken Korach generously pledged $100 for every A's win, with the money going to support baseball in Oakland Schools. A lot of people here at AN jumped in and offered to make their own pledges, usually in the $1 -2 range per victory. Here's a link to the pledge thread. To date, we've raised $2,646.15!

On September 12, Ken will present a check to the Foundation at the A's game. And our our own Batgirl will present the check from AN. So even though the season isn't over, it's time to start collecting money for pledges. It's up to you to decide how much you want to pay. You could pay just for wins to date, and pay the rest later. Or you could pretend that the A's will will end up at .500 and write a check based on 81 wins. That's what I'll do.

And of course, if you didn't make a pledge and want to chip in--even for $5 or $10--every dollar is appreciated.

According to Ken, total pledges, including AN, should add up to about $24,000, which is $4,000 for each of the high schools that will get money. One of the coaches told Ken that this would be the perfect amount to really make a big difference with their budget.

Make the checks payable to "A's Communty Fund" and make a note at the bottom that says "Winning for the Community."

You can send the checks to me at the address below. (I'm asking people to send checks to me so that we can keep track of how much AN raises.) If you have any questions, you can email me at sbeck97@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone who is contributing. Go A's!

Susan Beck

10510 Park Lane, Apt. 301

Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Korach Charity Update

SportySpice — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:53:24 -0000

Now that we’re about to head into the second half of this crazy season, it’s a good time to update everyone on AN’s generous contributions to Ken Korach’s charity, Winning for the Community, and invite other to join the fun. For those who don’t know, or have forgotten, or whose brains are fried from processing the 45,683 posts on the Blanton and Harden trades, here’s a reminder of what this is all about.

At the start of the season, A’s brilliant broadcaster Ken Korach announced that he will be donating $100 this season for every A’s win. The money will go to a foundation that will give badly-needed money to baseball programs at Oakland schools. Here’s a link with more information about the program. Korach encouraged others to join him with contributions, and AN members generously took up the challenge. We’ve got a total of 24 people who have pledged amounts ranging from 50 cents to $4 per victory, for a total of $40.71 per win.

To date, AN has raised $2,076.51. Thanks to everyone who has chipped in. (You can check out the current total of AN contributions throughout the season by looking at the box in the left hand column of this site.)

Ken has expressed his gratitude to AN on the air and on this site. See his thank you note here.

A lot of people are surprised how well the A’s have done so far. Some say it’s the great pitching. But maybe it’s the good karma created by AN contributions to Ken’s charity. So if you want to see our scrappy band of muppets have a great second half, it couldn’t hurt to join the contributors list.

To join, add your name to this list here. If you want to be anonymous, email me at sbeck97@gmail.com.

Go A’s!

DLD 4/14: "It's too freaking cold."

SportySpice — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:12:00 -0000

I like to think of myself as someone who is open to new experiences. And sitting in wind-whipped snow during a baseball game was interesting in a wow-isn’t-this-weird sort of way. But I'd prefer not to do it again.

Batgirl and I and our friend Bob were at all three Cleveland games this weekend, and stayed for the final out of each game. We enjoyed a rain delay Friday, light cold drizzle Saturday, and Sunday's festive flurries.

Ryan Sweeney summed up the conditions:

"It's too freaking cold."

Added Ellis:

"It was miserable."

I learned a few things. Donnie Murphy is careful about protecting his skin. Bobby Crosby looks good at the plate. Progressive Field is lovely. And those chemical hand warmers work really well.

I had bought bleacher tickets in advance for Sunday, envisioning a day spent busily applying sunscreen. Instead, we were wrapped in down coats and blankets and ponchos, and still lasted just 4 innings out there.

We spent the rest of the game roaming the protected concession area, lingering in the heated team gift shop, and drinking hot chocolate, as the A's played like they wanted to be somewhere else (and I don't blame them).

By the end of the game, the sun came out, the wind died, and it felt relatively balmy and warm. It was 40 degrees.

On the bright side, the Indians are offering buy-one-get-one-free tickets to future games for everyone who came to Sunday’s snow fest. Now aren't you kicking yourself for not being there?

It was very satisfying to see the A’s beat the Indians’ two aces, especially since the local sports media here trashes the A’s at every turn. One radio guy yesterday was droning on about how the A’s are one of the two worst teams in baseball.

Batgirl and I were wondering about this: Which team has the most rain delays at its home stadium? Anyone know? My guess (without googling it) is Kansas City.

Korach Charity -- Let's Help

SportySpice — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:48:38 -0000

Ken Korach is starting a charity called the Winning for the Community Foundation to help local Oakland school baseball programs. Link.

Ken will be donating $100 for every A's victory this year, and the A's Community Fund will match that money. Korach says he's hoping others step up and contribute.

Let's do it.

Not only is it a good cause, but it would be a meaningful way for us to show Korach how much we appreciate him. He's one of the absolute best in the game, and has been a good friend of AN over the years.

Whether you can afford 25 cents per win, or a $1 per win, or $5 a win, or like Ken, $100 per win, the money can make a difference.

To start things off, I'll pledge $2 per win. This is one time, I'd be thrilled to write a check for more than $162.

You can join the growing list of contributors by posting your donation below, or if you'd rather be anonymous, you can email me at sbeck97@gmail.com.

DLD 4/4 -- Watching Cleveland

SportySpice — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:13:06 -0000

Since the A's are playing Cleveland tonight, and I'm now living in "The Green City by the Blue Lake" (TM pending), I thought I'd start off today's link dump with a Cleveland point of view.

Somehow, even in Cleveland, the A's get slighted.

Saturday afternoon's game at Oakland (4:07 p.m.) is currently the only game that will not be televised this season.

For roster watchers, Victor Martinez (hamstring) may be back in the lineup.

Sadly, there's no sign that Chief Wahoo may get the boot anytime soon.

Faye Brings Them, a real Cleveland Indian, attended maybe her 30th home opener Monday without seeing a pitch. She stood and weathered insults outside Progressive Field, holding a sign that read: "Find A New Theme."

....

She joined about 30 other American Indians on Ontario Street beseeching owners of the city's professional baseball team to retire Chief Wahoo and to change the team name.

"We're looking at the self-esteem of our children," she softly explained.

A shirtless young man in a cartoonish headdress walked past. ... He let out a war whoop and began to dance. His friends roared in laughter.

"If we don't change the name," she said, "nothing changes."

I love Cleveland, but this is shameful and inexcusable.

Oh, so you want to talk about the A's? Fine.

Duke is really excited to start tonight, but he's relaxed.

The A's may be 100 % Baseball, but they're also like 30 % striking out.

Through four games, the A's have struck out 34 times. "They're going to go down," hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo said of the K totals. "Obviously, they're higher than what we'd like, and the two-strike hits aren't where we need them to be, but we're just getting going. There's not enough data to panic.

Okay, panic button off.

All aboard the Royals' bandwagon. And have you checked out Royals Review? That place is hopping. Let's hope their early success doesn't make them all humorless and arrogant.

And finally, as a new NRAF, these 10 p.m. starts are going to kill me. Do you people actually stay up to watch the whole game? If you don't, do you avoid seeing the score until you watch the game the next day? I need a strategy.