SBNation.com User Blog: Torrey's Tacos

How The Other Half Lives

Torrey's Tacos — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:51:30 -0000

While the A's were on the road, I ended up at AT&T Park on two separate occasions. Here's a bit of insight as to what goes on at that peculiar place.

On Friday the 3rd, I got a call at 5:00 from a friend who was already going to the game that night but got upgraded to better seats. Who was I to turn down a chance to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch? I headed over to the San Bruno Caltrain station at about 5:40, 20 minutes before my train arrived. Or so I thought. A car had been parked on the tracks in Palo Alto. I waited with my brother and met two pretty cool guys who were stuck in the same predicament. They were heading to the game for a 21st birthday and they're the type of fans every team wants to have. They knew and loved their team and we spent nearly two hours waiting for the train and talking about all sorts of stuff, from the NBA playoffs to the schools they went to growing up. Hundreds of other people were at the station during the time we waited. Most of them fit the negative stereotype of Giants fans: they were just there to party, drink and get high. Almost all of them left before we finally got a train at 7:30. During the 90 minutes of waiting, 8 southbound trains passed us and 3 completely full northbound trains passed us as well. Most of the people who were at the station around 6:00 had left and decided to go home and forget about the game which they had spent copious amounts of money on, while a few decided to drive up and park near the stadium.

As much as I hate showing up late to a game, I must say it gives a cool perspective as to what the stadium is like during a game. I'm normally in my seat from 20-30 minutes before the first pitch is thrown until a couple of minutes after the game ends, so I rarely see the goings-on in the rest of the ballpark. We got to the stadium in the fourth inning. We got in quickly, although there were a few other people who had just gotten off the train who were finally filing into the ballpark. I hadn't eaten anything in about seven and a half hours. I bolted for the food lines, which were quite long. All the while, I had been using my phone so that I could keep my scorebook updated. It made for quite a funny sight, which attracted the guy waiting in front me in line.

Line Guy was one of the most memorable people I've ever met at a ballgame. I don't know the last time I've ever seen anyone that intoxicated at a stadium or elsewhere, and I've been to parties with large groups of ridiculously wealthy teenagers without parents around. Over the next 20 minutes, he tried to carry on some sort of conversation. I barely remember it and I assume he remembers even less. It included him telling me to watch Major League, his comments on high school basketball because he saw my Burlingame Basketball sweatshirt and something about public transit. At least I think that's what he was trying to say. I couldn't tell what most of his words were other than fuck, which was every other word he said. That's not usually a bad thing, but my much younger brother was right there. I would've ignored Line Guy or told him to leave me alone, but I didn't need to see him both angry and drunk. He finally gets to the front of the line, and says, "I'll have a beer, and ... do you guys have any fuckin' sausages?"

The sausages were at the next stand. I put up with this guy for 20 minutes, and he was in the wrong line.

I finally got my food a few minutes later and got into my seats as the fifth inning draws to a close. AT&T Park has some of the best food out there, but the Coliseum wins on cheesesteaks. At this point, the Dodgers led 1-0 despite paying tribute to LOB City. The woman sitting next to me also fit every negative stereotype you could find. She brought binoculars, but was far more interested in using them to watch the hoodrats fight in the bleachers. There were at least six large fights over the last four innings. She had the most memorable line of the night: "you get so distracted here that you don't even watch the game!" I was also informed that an inning before I got to my seat, a Giants fan in the next section over and two rows up randomly started telling a vendor to go fuck himself. I counted at least three death threats aimed at Dodger fans. At one point, I miss a pitch while eating and ask if the batter (I think it was Pagan) swung at the pitch. Nobody within two rows knew. None of them were paying attention to the game. I also found it funny that Zito walked four and allowed four hits while only striking out one, yet he got a standing ovation.

I guess this game was supposed to help make up for every break the Giants didn't get during their first 50 years in San Francisco. 50 years of McCovey's line drives being caught, Scott Speizio homers, Benny Agbayani walkofs, Pudge Rodriguez's plays at the plate and Ray Durham batting cleanup. The Dodgers had 12 hits in this game and also drew six walks. They combined it all to produce one run. Meanwhile, the Giants had three hits on the night entering the ninth inning. They too had one run.

San Francisco's catcher comes to bat to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning against Ronald Belisario. On a full count, he hits a home run. Of course.

Did I still have a good time? Yes, actually. I got to see Clayton Kershaw pitch and got to watch a thrilling game, despite the unfortunate ending.

One of my friends ended up with a ticket on Sunday, and said that a woman sitting in his row was contemplating when to get food. She didn't mind missing part of the game but she didn't want to miss "the Journey thing". (In the middle of the 8th, they do a sing-along with "Don't Stop Believin'" or "Lights".)

I was back the next Friday to see Tim Hudson with two of my friends, one of which is probably the biggest Giants fan I know. The guy loves his team and loves baseball. A Friday night against the Braves is quite different than one against the Dodgers. The place had maybe 15,000 people there when the national anthem was performed at 7:03. When the game began at 7:15, there were no more than 20,000 in their seats.

Shortly after first pitch. One out into the game, to be exact.

Usually, the place is pretty full during the middle innings. Not on this night. There were visible pockets of empty seats everywhere, even in the bleachers, which are usually quite crowded.

SURE LOOKS LIKE A SELLOUT TO ME

This was in the fourth inning. Still noticeable pockets of empty seats all over, especially at the ends of each seating zone, which leads me to believe the team didn't really sell all of these.

On this night, they continued making up for all the breaks they didn't get over those first 50 years. In the fourth, they scored six runs on eight hits. Of these eight, two were hit hard. Of the other six, five were soft grounders that found holes in the infield, and one, hit by Belt, bounced right in front of the plate and took a huge hop and cleared Freddie Freeman's glove by a foot or two, ending up as a double down the right-field line. As soon as the inning ended, a sizable group of fans headed for the exits. After four innings. They certainly weren't all leaving to watch the Warriors game. It wasn't even a marathon game or anything; it took 2:39 to play the whole thing, and that was with a 22-minute bottom of the fourth.

The real torture would be staying until the end of the game. This was taken in the bottom of the 8th.

Bleachers in the top of the 9th.

This was one of the most subdued crowds I had ever seen there. They cheered during the six-run rally, but that was really it. Aside from when Cain had two strikes on Jordan Schafer, they didn't cheer at all with two strikes on Atlanta batters. We also had decent fans sitting near us, which I guess was just luck of the draw. They seemed to have a general understanding of the game, save for a guy yelling to turn two when the bases were empty and everyone (at least 90% of those in attendance) acting as if routine flyouts were homers. They actually did hit one homer on the night when Pagan went yard in the sixth. "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" is arguably the best home run song in the majors. I also found it funny that nobody, save for my diehard friend, sang along with "Bye Bye Baby" when the inning ended. It's one of the best traditions in baseball.

In all, despite the rotten outcome, it was a nice night at a very nice place to see a game.

I'll be back there on Tuesday to see Strasburg take the hill. Hope to see everyone there on the 29th and 30th.

While the A's were on the road, I ended up at AT&T Park on two separate occasions. Here's a bit of insight as to what goes on at that peculiar place.

The sausages were at the next stand. I put up with this guy for 20 minutes, and he was in the wrong line.

San Francisco's catcher comes to bat to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning against Ronald Belisario. On a full count, he hits a home run. Of course.

Did I still have a good time? Yes, actually. I got to see Clayton Kershaw pitch and got to watch a thrilling game, despite the unfortunate ending.

Shortly after first pitch. One out into the game, to be exact.

Usually, the place is pretty full during the middle innings. Not on this night. There were visible pockets of empty seats everywhere, even in the bleachers, which are usually quite crowded.

SURE LOOKS LIKE A SELLOUT TO ME

This was in the fourth inning. Still noticeable pockets of empty seats all over, especially at the ends of each seating zone, which leads me to believe the team didn't really sell all of these.

The real torture would be staying until the end of the game. This was taken in the bottom of the 8th.

Bleachers in the top of the 9th.

In all, despite the rotten outcome, it was a nice night at a very nice place to see a game.

I'll be back there on Tuesday to see Strasburg take the hill. Hope to see everyone there on the 29th and 30th.

Scribbling In Garbage Time

Torrey's Tacos — Thu, 02 May 2013 03:55:39 -0000

Editors' Note: This is another in a series of FanPosts from those AN members looking towards a weekly front page writing gig. This note will appear above every FanPost for this purpose. Community: please provide feedback and/or recs where you see appropriate.

Thanks! - cuppingmaster

Today, we take a look at Evan Scribner and the A's attempts to fill the role of garbage-time reliever. He was picked up via waivers from San Diego in October of 2011.

He has a career K:BB ratio of 2.3:1. Unfortunately, his career ground ball % is only 36.9%, leaving him at the mercy of the opposing bats, weather and his outfielders. As indicated by his appearance on Tuesday, he simply does not have the stuff to face power hitters.

Scribbles currently boasts four pitches: fastball, cutter, changeup and curve. The changeup is seldom used and the command is spotty. The fastball tops out around 90 mph. The cutter comes in around 84 and the curveball is in the low 70s. When he uses the curveball well, he can roll through a couple of innings.

Let's take a look at one of his best performances.

0:03 - Curve, ground ball out: This is what Scribner can go to to pick up weak contact for outs. The well-placed curve won't get hit hard.

0:13 - Fastball, ground ball out: Pitch came in a bit high, but Andrus was unable to capitalize. Kind of an unremarkable pitch, but it was OK for a first pitch. It wasn't right out over the plate, but it got the job done.

0:21 - Perfect pitch to throw to Hamilton, the curveball in the dirt. The curve can be an awfully good out pitch. When he has his command, he can mix it with the fastball and retire a few guys.

0:33 - Fastball right out over the plate. This was a gift from the BABIP gods. Moss was positioned perfectly. Unfortunately, this was a very hard-hit ball that Scribner left out over the plate. It's pitches like these that lead to performances like last Tuesday against Anaheim.

0:41 - Curveball out over the plate, between the belt and the knees. Another hard-hit ball to the right place.

0:45 - Nice location! He has to keep locating the fastball like that.

0:53 - Nice job putting the fastball low in the zone. That's a ball that's rarely going to leave the infield.

1:08 - Good job keeping the fastball from the heart of the plate. He gave Kinsler a bit more of the plate than he should have on an 0-2 pitch, though.

1:15 - Fastball out over the plate. Not great. Luckily, Andrus isn't known for power.

So, what is there to take away from this performance? He doesn't have enough pitches to do much more than relief work, and unless he really masters that curve, he won't be able to do much more than the role he's currently in. He got away with a few mistakes, though he made quite a few nice pitches. The pitch that struck out Napoli was excellent. If he can master the changeup or cutter, he'd be able to do a lot of damage against opposing hitters. Every single one of the pitches in that video was a fastball or curve. Here's an appearance against a much weaker Padres lineup, as well. It didn't really change my conclusions about him.

Since the departure of Travis Blackley, the A's have experimented with both Scribner and Jesse Chavez in hopes of finding someone who can eat up innings. Unfortunately, Blackley had a very poor spring in 2013 and it appeared to Beane and the rest of the front office that his 2012 was just a flash in the pan. What they had in 2012 was a very rare commodity: a swingman who could fill in as a spot starter, long reliever or even as a middle reliever. He could be plugged into essentially any role the A's needed. Right now, they seem to be looking to use that 7th bullpen spot on a guy who can simply eat up innings. Unfortunately, it's hard to find someone who is on a big-league roster to eat up innings while not giving up runs. Most of the garbage-time relievers who don't give up runs quickly find themselves in bigger roles and those who do give up runs quickly find themselves out of the major leagues. It's one of those roles where they're looking for the least ugly girl at the dance.

Past the 25-man roster, there are few viable options at the moment. Looking through the River Cats roster, Figueroa appears to be struggling, while Ekstrom and Banwart, the only viable candidates right now, aren't on the 40-man. Andrew Werner struggled through his first four starts but looked quite good last Friday against Salt Lake City. However, I can't imagine the A's will put him in the bullpen. Andrew Carignan and Jordan Norberto remain out with injuries. My personal hope is that Norberto fully recovers, pans out and can work as a legitimate middle reliever who can routinely go 1-2 innings.

For the moment, it appears to be Scribner or Chavez.

In other words, Scribner or bust.

Thanks! - cuppingmaster

Today, we take a look at Evan Scribner and the A's attempts to fill the role of garbage-time reliever. He was picked up via waivers from San Diego in October of 2011.

Let's take a look at one of his best performances.

0:03 - Curve, ground ball out: This is what Scribner can go to to pick up weak contact for outs. The well-placed curve won't get hit hard.

0:21 - Perfect pitch to throw to Hamilton, the curveball in the dirt. The curve can be an awfully good out pitch. When he has his command, he can mix it with the fastball and retire a few guys.

0:41 - Curveball out over the plate, between the belt and the knees. Another hard-hit ball to the right place.

0:45 - Nice location! He has to keep locating the fastball like that.

0:53 - Nice job putting the fastball low in the zone. That's a ball that's rarely going to leave the infield.

1:08 - Good job keeping the fastball from the heart of the plate. He gave Kinsler a bit more of the plate than he should have on an 0-2 pitch, though.

1:15 - Fastball out over the plate. Not great. Luckily, Andrus isn't known for power.

For the moment, it appears to be Scribner or Chavez.

In other words, Scribner or bust.

2013 GOG #5: Marwins and Trogdors and Peacocks, oh my! - ANSWERS POSTED

Torrey's Tacos — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:49:46 -0000

Them

Do your homework

GOG #4 vs the Motor City Kitties

Baseball Reference

1. Series outcome: Three-game series at O.co vs. the ‘stros. (3 points) A's sweep!

2. Doctor Shreddick: Josh Reddick has struggled through the early goings this season. Is a series against Houston just what the doctor ordered? Guess Josh’s PA/H/XBH/K. (2 points each, 8 total) 8/1/1/1

3. Cute, cuddly home run-hitting teddy bears: It’s Trogdor’s return to the Coliseum! Guess his PA/H/BB/K. (2 points each) Does he go yard? Does he commit an error? (1 point for HR and error) (10 total) 12/1/2/4, no, no

4. Norris and Norris: North Bay native Bud Norris is slated to start for Houston in the final game of the series. Guess his IP/H/BB/K. (2 points each) Since he’s a righty, he’s unlikely to face D-No. If he does, though, does D-No reach base against him? (1 point) (9 total) 0.2/5/3/0, yes

5. What time is it? GAME TIME! Guess the average time of the three games in the series. We will round off to the nearest minute (6 points exact, 4 points +/- 1-3 minutes, 2 points +/- 5-7 minutes, 1 point +/- 8-10 minutes) 3:20

6. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! It’s time for the Oakland A’s dot racing! As most of you know, the dot race takes place during the middle of the fourth inning. Guess the score of each game, in no particular order, in the middle of the fourth. You can pick the same score more than once. You don’t have to assign each score to a specific date. (2 points each) Has any starting pitcher been yanked by the middle of the fourth? (1 point) If yes, who? (4 points for correct pitcher, 2 points for a correct no) I’ll be at Tuesday’s game, so guess the winner of Tuesday’s dot race (green, gold or white). (1 point) (maximum 12 points) 6-1, 2-0, 6-1, yes, Bedard and Norris, gold dot

7. Odds and Ends:

a) Name someone who gets hit by a pitch. You can also guess Nobody. (1 point for a correct player, 2 points for a correct Nobody, 3 points if the correct player is the first player pegged in the series) Nobody

b) Guess the total number of double plays in the series. (2 points correct, 1 point +/- 1) 4

c) Guess how many saves are recorded in the series. (1 point) 2

d) How many triples are hit in the series? (1 point) 3

e) Guess the highest number of relievers used in a game by a single team. (1 point) 4

BONUS: Give yourself one point for each game you attend this series.

56 points total + 3 bonus points possible

Answers due Monday at 7:05 PDT.

A's Let's Do This

Them

Do your homework

GOG #4 vs the Motor City Kitties

Baseball Reference

1. Series outcome: Three-game series at O.co vs. the ‘stros. (3 points) A's sweep!

7. Odds and Ends:

b) Guess the total number of double plays in the series. (2 points correct, 1 point +/- 1) 4

c) Guess how many saves are recorded in the series. (1 point) 2

d) How many triples are hit in the series? (1 point) 3

e) Guess the highest number of relievers used in a game by a single team. (1 point) 4

BONUS: Give yourself one point for each game you attend this series.

56 points total + 3 bonus points possible

Answers due Monday at 7:05 PDT.

A's Let's Do This

RE: My Visits to the Coliseum

Torrey's Tacos — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 23:06:21 -0000

Hey guys. I once read some line somewhere about judging people and it had something to do with judging yourself ... anyway, I don't remember the full quote, but now that I've reviewed the Phone Book and Safeco Field, I felt it would be fun to review the Coliseum while I'm at it.

I've been to the Coli 50 times, the first of which came on July 14, 2001, in a game we lost 5-3 to the Dodgers in 15 innings. (That game was just one of the three I've ever left early, and it was not by choice.) #50 was $2 Wednesday and the 6-2 win over the Mariners.

With all of the games I've been to, it's tough for me to come up with just one that typifies my experience in Oakland. I guess I'll go with the game on August 18, 2012 because it was one of my favorites games I've attended in recent years.

I went to this game with a close friend of mine who I've known since first grade (ten and a half years ago). We had wanted to go to the 2002 win streak ceremony ever since it was announced. We were probably going to get Plaza Infield seats like we normally do. Then we found some seats on StubHub that were only two-thirds of face value.

Are you kidding me? I couldn't believe when I found this deal. Excellent seats at a low price, and not just for some weeknight game. For the Moneyball reunion.

This was one of the coolest ceremonies I've ever seen. They did a great job in honoring the games and the players.

With an awesome finish.

The game itself was a fun one, in which we took a 4-0 lead in the third inning against Corey Kluber. That lead ballooned to 8-1, and the atmosphere became pretty relaxed.

I had the good fortune of sitting around a group of dedicated fans, and we all had a good time basking in the glow of those 20 games in 2002. Eventually, our discussion turned to what was happening out in left field. The out-of-town board quickly changed. An 8-0 slegnA lead was cut to 8-7 thanks to CJ Wilson and a potent Tampa Bay offense.

We ended up winning 8-5 after Scribbles and Blevins struggled, and Balfour had to come in to get the last out.

BLURRY VICTORY

This game exemplified everything I love about the Coliseum and A's fans. Affordable, an exciting product on the field and dedicated fans in the seats. The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way that night was that I didn't do the movie viewing on the field after the game. We were uncertain if the movie would be over by midnight, and that's when BART closes for the night.

Without a blank perspective, it's tough for me to get an unbiased opinion on A's games. Luckily, I took a friend to Wednesday's game who had never been to one in Oakland. He's been picking up the A's lately out of hatred for that team in San Francisco.

We showed up at about 5:20 Wednesday, a bit earlier than we'd usually arrive for a weeknight game against a ho-hum opponent, but with the Warriors at home, showing up later would've made parking a mess. As transportation goes, it's pretty accessible. BART is a good deal if you're going solo or with one other person, and otherwise, parking at the stadium is a better deal. $17 for a stadium parking lot isn't such a bad deal. I'd say there aren't too many parking lots that allow for the tailgating experience you can get in Oakland.

He was impressed by the amount of tailgating. Once we got inside, he liked Dick Callahan's voice and the mural inside the entrance. He also liked our seats (section 230) because we could see the entirety of the field, and because of the prices.

(In regard to $2 Wednesdays and Plaza Outfield seating, I love the promotion. It's a great way to draw in fans on nights that would otherwise be pretty empty and appeal to fans that can't afford most games. As for Plaza Outfield seating, I don't normally sit out there aside from the Wednesdays. On the nights when they're priced around $10 I don't mind sitting out there.)

As for concessions, he thought the prices were a bit high, but not as dramatically high as they are at many other venues. He was thoroughly impressed by the cheese steaks, and he liked sitting at the West Side Club (Bar & Grille) and taking in a few other games on the TVs.

He loved watching what the fans in left and right field did for each player. Overall, he was impressed and wants to go back again.

Quantitative stuff:

Visual: 4/10 As a stadium itself, it's an eyesore. We all know that. But it's our eyesore. The views from most of the seats are just fine, though. I've never sat Plaza Reserved or in the Bleachers, but I've sat just about everywhere else and I can say that with the exception of a couple Plaza Outfield seats, you can see the entirety of the field. Even from those Plaza Outfield seats, the only thing you're missing is a bit of the LF or RF corner. We also have scoreboards.

Staff: 9/10 The staff is always friendly and helpful. At times, the concession workers can be a bit slow, or the staff can be a bit too lenient (not throwing out smokers, etc) but overall, they do a great job making sure you enjoy yourself.

Fans: 8.5/10 What we don't always have in quantity is certainly there in quantity. No matter what size the crowd is, it's noisy. The paid crowd slightly exceeded 15,000 on Wednesday, yet the place was roaring during every rally. There are a couple nincompoops who show up every now and then and act like idiots in front of everyone, but the crowds are usually well-behaved, and overall, fans are very good about showing up on time and staying until the end.

Concessions: 7.5/10 There's not a ton of variety here from your standard ballpark fare, save for the West Side Club (Bar & Grille). But that doesn't mean the food can't be good. I love the cheesesteaks at the stand behind section 117, and you can't go wrong with hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, garlic fries, or any of the other standard food. There's just not much variety. Prices are pretty average for concessions.

Extras: 3/10 Those three points are for Kara, dot racing, the West Side Club and promos like Elvis impersonators on 50's Day. I can't rate any of the stuff like The Field because I'm underage and thus haven't been in there yet. Unfortunately, one of my favorite pregame activities is now gone. I would play on the Xboxes with friends before games, but now that 2K only makes their game for the PS3, that's all gone. I don't need all of the distractions during a ballgame, though. It doesn't bother me.

Overall: 6.4/10 + 1 bonus point for affordability = 7.4/10 Yes, I'm pretty biased here. As a stadium, no, it's not much. As a place to watch a baseball game at a reasonable price, it's great. As a place for other stuff, it really isn't. If I was a fan of an out-of-state team, would I still go to A's games? Yes. I probably wouldn't go as frequently, but I'd probably go 5-10 times a year. If I had no preference between Oakland and San Francisco, I'd certainly say San Francisco is the better of the ballparks but Oakland is far more affordable.

In conclusion, the Coliseum, as an empty shell, isn't much to be proud of. But with the prices, on-field product, fans and the atmosphere they create, it truly is a fun place for baseball. It's not going to appeal to the casual fan. There isn't anything else to do other than watch the game. But who needs that? It's perfect for someone like me.

Let's Make This A Great Year

Torrey's Tacos — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:32:45 -0000

Hi all, I've been waiting to say this for a while: welcome to 2013! The start of the season is just a few days away.

The magic of 2012 is all under our belts and now a new season awaits. I fully plan on making this year one of my favorites on record.

I've lived in the Bay Area for all of the nearly 17 years of my life. However, this will probably be my last full season in the Bay Area for quite some time. In the fall of 2014, I'll be heading off to college somewhere, and it will almost certainly be out of state. One of my prospective locations happens to be another AL West city. In any case, I'll be at least a few hundred miles away from the A's for sizable parts of the next few seasons. 2013 will be the last time I get to be with this team from start to finish for quite a long time.

Thus, this season needs to be one that I can fondly remember for quite a long time. I fully plan on spending an overwhelming amount of time at the Coliseum this summer, and I know I'll be making it to at least two away games as well. Last year, I attended 17 A's games, and my goal is to at least match that this year. That's not an easy feat. I've tried to go to at least one more game every year, which worked for a while. I was at 2 in 2009, 5 in 2010, 7 in 2011 and then 17 in 2012. It won't be easy to top that, but I'll try. My goal is to continue attending games with my family and a very close friend who I've been going to games with for 10 years now, but I also plan on working in a few new people to my rotation. I want to share this year with as many people as possible.

So what could make 2013 a great year? Well, the term "great" can, thankfully, be broadly interpreted. I'm not saying we have to win the division title on the final day of the year with help from a major error by a player I can't stand. I'm not saying we have to win a specific amount of games, or walk off a certain amount of times. Most of my goals for this year aren't very specific. I just want to have a good time this year. This team has been an integral part of my life for the last 11 years and I want to make this year top all of the rest because it'll be the last one I can experience at such a close proximity for quite a long time.

There are a few specific things that have to happen this year to make it great, though. We have to beat our rivals. There are very few feelings in the world better than watching visiting bandwagon fans leave in the 8th inning. There need to be thrilling games, but we all know that most of these 162 battles will leave us with soiled pants, as Zonis taught us last year. Finally, my last season in the Bay Area needs to end better than 2012 finished. Everything that happened after the team walked off the field on October 11 was basically one steaming pile of fuck, made only slightly better by A-Rod and Cano's struggles.

So, let's do this thing. 2013 awaits. I have no idea what it will behold, but I know it will be a memorable year for me. I couldn't think of a better group of fans to sure it with than you guys. I love being able to go to a game and hear the fans in my section break down the tendencies of the opposing pitcher and watch an 8-0 slegnA lead fall apart on the out-of-town board. I hope it brings as much to your lives as it will to mine.

Hi all, I've been waiting to say this for a while: welcome to 2013! The start of the season is just a few days away.

The magic of 2012 is all under our belts and now a new season awaits. I fully plan on making this year one of my favorites on record.

In a Perfect World...

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:43:49 -0000

I've been thinking about this question for a while now and have asked a few of my friends what they've thought about it.

It's very simple: In a perfect world, who would be the 10 playoff teams? Basically, all you have to do is pick a winner of each division and two wild card teams. No need to go any further into it than that. No need to pick who the teams would face in the divisional series or who would win. Just pick the teams that would make it, and maybe give a brief explanation for why you chose them.

Simple enough, right?

I'll start.

AL West: A's - Pretty obvious pick there.

AL Central: Twins - Tough choice. I'm fine with that entire division except for the White Sox but I like Compliant Pork more than any of the other players on the other teams in that division.

AL East: Rays - Always had a soft spot for them. I see a lot of similarities between them and the A's: A small-market team in a poor stadium with a small but dedicated fanbase that is often looked down upon.

AL Wild Card: Mariners and Orioles - I've never had anything against the Mariners, and I really liked my trip to Safeco. I don't mind them at all. As for the Orioles, I have lots of family in Baltimore and I find them to be a fun team to watch with a good fanbase (40,000 chanting "You Suck" at the Yankees can't be wrong!).

NL West: Diamondbacks - I already liked them when they had Cahill and Ziegler, and I love Paul Goldschmidt because he dominates San Francisco. Adding Pennington made me pull for them a bit more and now they have BMac, and who doesn't want to see him do well?

NL Central: Brewers - Not sure why but I've always had a thing for Milwaukee.

NL East: Nationals - Before they had Gio I liked them but since he got traded I've really been pulling for them.

NL Wild Card: Padres and Phillies - San Diego is another small-market team that hates the Giants and I like all of the Philly teams. I was also considering the Reds and Cardinals, I've always liked them a bit as well.

Those explanations were a bit more lengthy than they need to be but you get the point.

Your turn!

I've been thinking about this question for a while now and have asked a few of my friends what they've thought about it.

Simple enough, right?

I'll start.

AL West: A's - Pretty obvious pick there.

AL Central: Twins - Tough choice. I'm fine with that entire division except for the White Sox but I like Compliant Pork more than any of the other players on the other teams in that division.

NL Central: Brewers - Not sure why but I've always had a thing for Milwaukee.

NL East: Nationals - Before they had Gio I liked them but since he got traded I've really been pulling for them.

Those explanations were a bit more lengthy than they need to be but you get the point.

Your turn!

Opening Night 2013

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:57:40 -0000

They're on sale! Ha bisky!

I'm surprised there wasn't already a fanpost for this.

1) Are you going?

2) If yes, where are you sitting?

3) Are you tailgating? Where? With who? (I reject the usage of the word "whom," for all of you grammar enthusiasts.)

4) Is there any sort of AN meetup?

My responses:

1) Yes!

2) Section 219.

3) Most likely not tailgating. My plan is to show up when the gates open and spend some time in the West Side Club and maybe play on the Xboxes with some friends for a little while, or go to my seats and watch batting practice. I'm available for tailgating if I can get a group together for it, though. I'm on Spring Break at that point so I have no time restrictions.

4) I hope so! We should get an AN logo tent for tailgating! LSU's site (And The Valley Shook) has a tent with a logo on at for tailgating. Maybe we could get an AN banner to go in the RF bleachers!

This will be my second straight Opening Night. I also attended 2012's and witnessed the Cespy bomb first-hand. Hope to see you all on April 1st! Maybe the April Fool joke could be Felix Hernandez doing his best impression of Brett Tomko.

They're on sale! Ha bisky!

I'm surprised there wasn't already a fanpost for this.

1) Are you going?

2) If yes, where are you sitting?

3) Are you tailgating? Where? With who? (I reject the usage of the word "whom," for all of you grammar enthusiasts.)

4) Is there any sort of AN meetup?

My responses:

1) Yes!

2) Section 219.

4) I hope so! We should get an AN logo tent for tailgating! LSU's site (And The Valley Shook) has a tent with a logo on at for tailgating. Maybe we could get an AN banner to go in the RF bleachers!

2013 Scheduling Change?

Torrey's Tacos — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:26:24 -0000

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this yet, but it appears that a couple of dates on the 2013 schedule have been flipped around. May 27 and 28 are at home, while the 29th and 30th will now be played at San Francisco. I'm fairly certain the dates were initially flipped around, with the first two at the Phone Booth. I haven't been able to find any other changes to the schedule, but I'm not sure if that's just my inattention or if no other changes have been made.

Has anyone else found any other changes made to the schedule?

Additionally, while we're on the subject of that interleague series, is anyone else planning to go to the games at San Francisco? I was thinking it would be cool to do some sort of informal meetup when we take over the Dark Side. Winning on the road, and doing so with a large group of fans, is one of the most enjoyable things out there.

Happy Thanksgiving, pilgrims!

Has anyone else found any other changes made to the schedule?

Happy Thanksgiving, pilgrims!

An unfortunate situation

Torrey's Tacos — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:54:47 -0000

Hello again, McC. I've posted here a couple times before but spend most of my time over at Athletics Nation. First off, congratulations. Your team played quite well in those last few games.

Unfortunately, during the aftermath of Sunday night's game, things got wild across much of San Francisco. On Market Street, a man's shoeshine stand was set afire. The man is an ex-addict and, as the article will inform you, is homeless. He rents a single-room unit on a weekly basis.

I'm not saying anyone from McCovey Chronicles, or any real fans at all, did this. But this sad event did happen in occurrence with the Giants' victory so I was thinking this would be a good place to raise awareness.

I'm a regular on Fear The Fin (lurker for years, member since March) and in early April, a fundraiser was held over at Nucks Misconduct to help out a writer from Minnesota's blog, Hockey Wilderness. The HW writer had a death in the family and needed to finance a funeral, so NM donated $50 for every 1,000 comments on their game threads that night. Word spread all across SB Nation, and the thread also became a home for pretty much all of Broad Street Hockey as well for the night.

I'm not saying a similar fundraiser should be done, nor should McC assume responsibility for the acts of a couple of idiots. What I'm saying, and what the Nucks Misconduct fundraiser showed, is that we, the users of SB Nation, can all work together to make a difference and help someone out in their time of need. If anyone knows how to help the shoeshiner or how to contact him, please help so that we can assist him.

Remember, assisting him doesn't just mean giving money. We can't all afford to make a contribution. What we all can do is tell everyone, both on SB Nation and around the Bay Area, that this man is going through some rough times and could use some assistance. If the message is circulated enough, contributions will be made to help Mr. Moore.

EDIT: According to another ANer, a site has been made to donate to assist Mr. Moore. I'll post the link shortly if I can find it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to spread the word or contact Mr. Moore?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this and enjoy your celebrations.

Hello again, McC. I've posted here a couple times before but spend most of my time over at Athletics Nation. First off, congratulations. Your team played quite well in those last few games.

EDIT: According to another ANer, a site has been made to donate to assist Mr. Moore. I'll post the link shortly if I can find it.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to spread the word or contact Mr. Moore?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this and enjoy your celebrations.

Wear Green and Gold on Wednesday!

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:34:52 -0000

I feel that we should all wear green and gold on Wednesday. It's Halloween, so there's an excuse to dress up however you feel like. Moreover, there's a certain parade taking place Wednesday. While all of those people are off at their procession of sorts, we'll all be at work, in class or wherever it may be. It will be a Giants-free workplace, classroom, whatever else it may be. Why not take that opportunity and turn it into an all-A's party?

Spread the word to any other A's fans that live around you and use Wednesday as a day to celebrate this season. Relive all 15 walkoffs. Reminisce about the incredible month of July. This is really a perfect chance to celebrate the 2012 Oakland Athletics without interference from anyone else because they'll all be off doing other things. And if there are some slegnA fans, Yankee fans or whatever else around you, even better!

I know I'll be wearing green and gold on Wednesday. I suggest you do too.

Marco Scutaro, Dan Straily, Charlie Culberson and a whole bunch of confusion

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:50:37 -0000

Hey Purple Row, A's fan here. I hung out over here one night during a series against San Francisco. Thanks a lot for being so welcoming and finding ways to put up with such a rough year.

What still blows my mind is the whole series of events in which Marco Scutaro was traded. The Colorado FO reportedly wanted Dan Straily from the A's. Straily is one of the top pitching prospects in the Oakland system. He recorded over 200 strikeouts in the minor leagues this year. The A's naturally backed away from that deal.

The FO then approached San Francisco, a division rival, to trade Scutaro. And in return they asked for ... Charlie Culberson? A scrub AAAA middle infielder? Really?

This leads me to ask a few questions...

-What the hell was the FO thinking?

-Do they have any idea how to handle pitching?

-Do they really have that much faith in Culberson?

-Did they really hand a world title to a division rival, one that a lot of their fans can't stand?

Hey Purple Row, A's fan here. I hung out over here one night during a series against San Francisco. Thanks a lot for being so welcoming and finding ways to put up with such a rough year.

The FO then approached San Francisco, a division rival, to trade Scutaro. And in return they asked for ... Charlie Culberson? A scrub AAAA middle infielder? Really?

This leads me to ask a few questions...

-What the hell was the FO thinking?

-Do they have any idea how to handle pitching?

-Do they really have that much faith in Culberson?

-Did they really hand a world title to a division rival, one that a lot of their fans can't stand?

You may rec now.

Torrey's Tacos — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:27:30 -0000

You may rec now.

The Way I See That Other Team That We Share The Market With

Torrey's Tacos — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 01:36:17 -0000

First off, I have a lot of reasons to actually be * shudder * a Giants fan. I live 20 minutes south of San Francisco, the first game I ever saw was at AT&T Park, Barry Bonds hit the first home run I ever saw, and I also saw him hit one into the water the night after he broke the record. But even at the age of 3 I wasn’t really cheering for them.

I could tell, even back then, that there were a lot of people that went to games there that weren’t so much in it for the actual baseball. No, I didn’t hate them or anything, but the A’s were always my favorite team. I went to a game against the Dodgers on my 5th birthday and that put it over the edge. I loved the feeling at the Coliseum. I loved the drums out in left field (they were all in left field in 2001, IIRC).

My attitude towards San Francisco soured in 2002. Everyone around me was suddenly a huge Giants fan. At recess every day I would spend half of the time chasing down the asshole who stole my A’s hat and the other half of the time hiding from said asshole. Then one day I found another kid wearing A’s gear. To this day we’re best friends and attended six games together this year. In my first grade class, we had the music teacher play piano and we would always sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as one of our songs. It turned into a shouting match and I drowned out 19 Giants fans all on my own. (Eventually, we all were instructed to sing "root for the home team" to end the conflict.) I was pulling for the slegnA (desperate times call for desperate measures) in the World Series and celebrated when Erstad caught Lofton’s flyout to end the whole thing.

After 2003, the amount of interest in the Giants really seemed to die down, save for the efforts of Barry Bonds. I loved when AT&T Park was so easy on the wallet. It was just a nice place to watch a ballgame.

The rivalry games with San Francisco were a lot of fun when it was just two local teams playing against each other.

As for Bonds, I never objected to him. Regardless of what steroids may have done for him, they didn’t allow him to be the most disciplined player at the plate. He had an amazing eye up there.

Then 2010 rolled around, and everything changed. Suddenly, everyone was a Giants fan. You didn’t hear the end of it anywhere. Torture. Cody Ross. Brian Wilson’s beard. I was glad to see my friends who actually watched baseball through their unsuccessful years have the ability to enjoy some postseason baseball. What bothered me was all the riffraff that suddenly acted as if they were lifelong fans. I totally understand not wanting to go to as many games when a team is playing poorly. This year, I attended more games than I did in the previous two years combined because of the games I attended in September and October. But that’s not to say I didn’t attend games at all or say that baseball was boring during the bad years. I’m not even kidding, people who suddenly called themselves lifelong fans used to say that baseball was boring and a waste of time.

What happened in 2010 actually inspired me to become an even bigger A’s fan. Come 2011, I was full of animosity towards San Francisco. Their season-opening 2-1 loss at Dodger Stadium was delightful. (The events that immediately followed were tragic. It’s very nice to see that Bryan Stow continues to recover. I wish him the best.) As infuriating as the 10-game losing streak was, no games were as bad as the three at AT&T that year. But things took a change for the better. On June 16, 2011, I saw what really differentiated A’s fans from those DSFs. A friend had an extra seat in section 117, row 15, just three rows behind Diamond Level. It was a Thursday afternoon against the Royals. Paid crowd: 11,775. The fans who showed up on that warm afternoon were amazing. They weren’t at the game because it was a trendy thing to do. There were no stupid animal hats. There was no conversation about what nightclub to go to after leaving in the 8th inning because the game was boring. There was conversation about Jeff Francis’ need to paint the corners of the strike zone because his pitches lacked both velocity and movement. There was conversation about Jemile Weeks’ speed, and when he hit a deep flyout in his final at-bat to finish off a 2-for-4 day with 3 RBI, he was given a huge ovation that sounded like there were three times as many people in the building. No, not every A’s fan has such a discerning eye for the abilities of the opposing starter. But on the sold-out nights, just like the weekday afternoons with under 12,000, the fans are there to watch a baseball game.

The three days that followed were by far my favorite days of the season, and really my favorite games of the last four years. The 2010 postseason’s lingering effects were still being felt. You even had people show up at the Coliseum wearing shirts like "Torture never felt so good!" It pissed the hell out of me and I was ready for payback.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of the three games of that series, but I didn’t miss a moment of it thanks to the TV and radio. Things didn’t look too good heading into the series. We were 30-40, they were 39-31. We sent Graham Godfrey, Guillermo Moscoso and Trevor Cahill to the mound against Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain. We had already been swept at the Phone Booth and had lost six straight games that actually counted to them and nine straight if you count the preseason games that were played in April.

Before 2010 happened, A’s fans made up roughly two thirds of the crowd when San Francisco came to play at the Coliseum. Suddenly, it was a 50-50 split. The two-run rally in the eighth sent the San Francisco fans home early, as they are wont to do, and Andrew Bailey finished off the first win over the DSFs in 13 months.

They weren’t about to wait another 13 months for another one, though. After San Francisco continued their trend of catching every conceivable break and a Moscoso throwing error led to two runs in the top of the fifth, the A’s came to bat in the bottom half and after a pair of RBI doubles tied the game, Hideki Matsui sent a single through the hole on the right side to put the A’s up 4-2 and send the roughly 18,000 A’s fans at the game, as well as those of us watching at home, into a frenzy. Once again, the bougie fans left in the 8th. Andrew Bailey induced a game-ending double play in the 9th and we ensured ourselves of at least a win in the series.

I had to leave the next morning at 5 am to go off to camp for a week, but there was no way I was missing A’s Talk. It was arguably the best show of Chris Townsend’s life. He ripped the first-year fans for a solid hour and even took a shot at the slegnA with their Rally Monkey for all the similarities between the two fanbases. A postgame talk show doesn’t normally elicit a standing ovation. This one did.

I headed off to camp with my Scout troop the very next morning and made sure that we’d have the game on the radio. My Scout troop was roughly a quarter actual baseball fans and three-quarters bandwagoners. For example, when they won an NLCS game against the Phillies, multiple kids asked if they had won the World Series. When we had a trivia contest at a troop party, none of them could seem to answer the simplest of questions (who’s the closer for the Giants?) and yet they had the audacity to call themselves fans.

We had the radio on in the car I traveled in for the first six innings. One of the last things I heard before we arrived at the camp was Coco Crisp’s single to tie the game. We got the radio back on in the top of the 8th when Cahill got Buriss to fly out and the clueless DSF fans could be heard on the radio screaming as if it was a home run. With one out in the bottom of the 8th, as I struggled to listen over the static and the conversation of those who had just been pretending to be baseball fans a few short months ago, Landon Powell stepped up to the plate and hit his only home run of the season and tenth of his career. I ran around the campsite. After a devout session of prayer that Fuentes would actually do something right, the based gods listened. He struck out Cody Ross. SWEEP!

That sweep made the 2011 season worth putting up with. Come September, the Diamondbacks cut their magic number down to 1. With a tie game in the 8th inning, Paul Goldschmidt ripped a triple into the right-field corner. J.J. Putz finished off the ballgame and the Diamondbacks won the NL West. A night later, while I was at a movie theater watching Moneyball, they officially eliminated San Francisco from the postseason hunt.

And guess what? Barely anyone was talking about baseball. Not even when the Cardinals and Rangers played one of the most memorable games of the generation.

On May 15 of this year, I went to the Rockies-Giants game. Got a good deal for decent seats on Stubhub and decided to go. The Rockies were one of the last teams I hadn’t seen in person. I sat behind these three girls in panda hats that spent the entirety of their time at the game either screaming for routine fly balls and posting to Facebook. Did I mention they arrived in the third and left in the seventh? I remember when KNBR always had callers who were so proud of the fact that SF fans showed up on time and stayed for the whole game. That’s a thing of the past!

Of all the non-blowout wins this year, my two favorites were Game 162 and the game on May 20 at AT&T Park. We snapped an 11-game losing streak at San Francisco. The A's went behind 2-0 early on, but they exploded for four runs in the fourth inning including a two-run single by Collin Cowgill and this play. Colon got out of a 4-2 jam in the bottom of the 5th, but a two-run lead wasn't safe. In fact, they blew a 4-2 lead in the final game of the series at the Phone Booth in 2011. Josh Reddick provided some insurance in the 7th inning and sent the bougie fans home with a two-run home run. The Let's Go Oakland chants took over in the 9th inning although A's fans made up less than 20% of the crowd. Brian Fuentes struck out Brandon Crawford to ended it and the monkey, seal, overweight panda, whatever it may have been, was lifted off of the A's backs.

I was also at the first game of the Derek Norris series. I’ve been to games against the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers but no other opposing fans are as bad as the San Francisco fans. Take the three sitting a few rows below me that had the need to wave stuffed giraffes in front of everyone, or the two who began shouting profanities at all the A’s fans in the section when Cook exploded. How about the constant flow of fans walking in front of you at all times? During Game 4 of the ALDS, fans would only walk in front of you between innings. These San Francisco fans would leave their seat because, in their words, not mine, they were bored.

The first two games of that series were the two worst losses of the year. Worse than Game 2 against Detroit. Worse than the Yankee Stadium debacle. The third game was just more of the same at first. Reddick was called out trying to stretch a single into a double, yet Crawford never applied the tag. Smith’s would-be game-tying double was called foul. We were a strike away from getting swept at home.

Derek Norris unleashed the wrath of a mighty lumberjack.

That was honestly my favorite win of the year. Better than winning the division. Better than Game 4 of the ALDS. All of that stuff was a bonus.

Now, we sit here again, watching as these idiots pretend they suddenly like baseball and call themselves lifelong fans. Have fun explaining what a Triple Crown is to these numbskulls. And how a double play works.

I don’t hate most of the Giants’ players. I envy AT&T Park as a stadium itself. I like their actual dedicated fans. What bothers me are all of these instant fans who carry themselves around with their dickhead attitude. What bothers me is the territorial rights. Do they realize that they could be setting up for the World Series at Tropicana Field right now? I’m fine with a new ballpark in either Oakland or San Jose. What bothers me is the way the Giants and their fans look down upon us as a second-class team. No, it’s not "all Bay Area, brah". It’s not like that at all. It’s a team that looks down upon us an has been trying to force us out of the market altogether.

I’ll be at all four games against these guys next year. Maybe in 2014 we can have the first two at home and the last two on the road to fit with the 25th anniversary of the 1989 series. Maybe we can sweep them again. All I know is nothing is better than beating these guys, and the next best thing is seeing them lose. Go Tigers.

The rivalry games with San Francisco were a lot of fun when it was just two local teams playing against each other.

As for Bonds, I never objected to him. Regardless of what steroids may have done for him, they didn’t allow him to be the most disciplined player at the plate. He had an amazing eye up there.

And guess what? Barely anyone was talking about baseball. Not even when the Cardinals and Rangers played one of the most memorable games of the generation.

Derek Norris unleashed the wrath of a mighty lumberjack.

That was honestly my favorite win of the year. Better than winning the division. Better than Game 4 of the ALDS. All of that stuff was a bonus.

Congratulations!

Torrey's Tacos — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 02:20:51 -0000

Hey, Tigers fans. I'm an A's fan who posts over at Athletics Nation and I want to just thank you guys for a great series.

This series offered pretty much everything baseball fans could hope for. Both teams had a thrilling win to celebrate and a gut-wrenching loss that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. It was good action between two very good teams.

On top of that, I'd like to thank all the Tigers fans for being good sports and for making this series a good experience for all parties involved. I'm certainly not leaving this series with a bad taste in my mouth. Sure, Alburquerque had his little thing, but it wasn't really that big of a deal. It wasn't as if we had players fighting or anything.

Thanks a lot for a great series that will be remembered for years to come. As much as the end of a season hurts, I'm glad to say we went out against a team with a very good fanbase and classy players. I shudder to think what would have happened if the White Sox had won the AL Central instead.

Thank you one last time, and beat those Yankees!

It's not done just yet.

Torrey's Tacos — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:04:36 -0000

It's not done just yet.

Baseball Bingo

Torrey's Tacos — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:43:07 -0000

I've decided to create a little bingo game for all the playoff games not featuring the A's.

What it is: Like you may have seen at minor-league ballparks, you get a bingo card and instead of having numbers read off, you fill out your card based on events during the game. For example, a double by the shortstop could correspond with N32. Naturally, if the shortstop was to hit a double, you'd cross out N32 on your card.

How to play: Just fill out one of these before the first pitch of a game and be sure to declare what team you're playing as.

I want to run one! Post here in the comments if you want to bingo-master a game.

How to run a baseball bingo game: You'll normally want the traditional single, double, triple, home run, walk, ground out and fly out for a batter plus one other, whether it be RBI, strike out, stolen base or whatever statistic you choose to go by. Make sure you have the same thing for each of the 9 players in the lineup, and, since there are a total of 75 numbers that can be called in bingo, come up with either 7 or 8 outcomes for each spot in the lineup. Then, to round out the 75 spots, come up with few miscellaneous stats that can occur for anyone on the team to count.

Example of bingo with 8 outcomes per batter

Example of bingo with 7 outcomes per batter

With that, let's get right to it! If you want to sign up for a game, just post in the comments and make sure your scorecard is ready the day before the game.

NOTE: For NL games, I'll usually do it by spot in the order. For AL games, I'll usually do it by position instead of spot in the order.

Still Alive

Torrey's Tacos — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:31:39 -0000

This was a triumph
I'm making a note here, huge success
It's hard to win if you don't have the money
Oakland Athletics
We win when we must because we can
For the good of all of us
Except the Yankees, who suck.
But there's no sense crying over every mistake
You just earn the draft picks from the players they take
And the baseball gets done
And the ballgames get won
And the franchise will be still alive
I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
Even though you broke our hearts and beat us
And tore us to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
When we lost, it hurt but then
Fuentes got DFA'd

Now the chalk on dirt makes a beautiful line
And tarp is off, first pitch will be on time
So I'm glad we got burned
Never pitch Tyson, we learned
And the franchise will be still alive

Go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay at home
In a stadium that's built for football
And then we will walk off
And dance the Bernie right on the field
Anyway, this team is great
Our GM's smarter than you

Look at me still talking while there's sabermetrics to run
We can talk later after the series has been won
I have matchups to review
There's more research still to do
And the franchise will be still alive
And believe me we are still alive
I hate the Giants and we're still alive
CJ sucks and we are still alive
We don't have money but we're still alive
And when you lose we will be still alive
Still alive
Still alive

Link to original song

This was a triumph
I'm making a note here, huge success
It's hard to win if you don't have the money
Oakland Athletics 
We win when we must because we can
For the good of all of us
Except the Yankees, who suck.
But there's no sense crying over every mistake
You just earn the draft picks from the players they take
And the baseball gets done
And the ballgames get won
And the franchise will be still alive
I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
Even though you broke our hearts and beat us
And tore us to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
When we lost, it hurt but then
Fuentes got DFA'd

Now the chalk on dirt makes a beautiful line
And tarp is off, first pitch will be on time
So I'm glad we got burned
Never pitch Tyson, we learned
And the franchise will be still alive

Go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay at home
In a stadium that's built for football
And then we will walk off
And dance the Bernie right on the field
Anyway, this team is great
Our GM's smarter than you

Look at me still talking while there's sabermetrics to run
We can talk later after the series has been won
I have matchups to review
There's more research still to do
And the franchise will be still alive
And believe me we are still alive
I hate the Giants and we're still alive
CJ sucks and we are still alive
We don't have money but we're still alive
And when you lose we will be still alive
Still alive
Still alive

Link to original song

Everyone calm down.

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:57:32 -0000

Everyone calm down.

RE: My Visits to AT&T Park

Torrey's Tacos — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:01:38 -0000

Hey, McC. Hope you guys enjoyed your night at the park! I was at last night's series opener with the Braves. I've been at AT&T Park from time to time since 2000, 20 times total, in fact. I've sat all over the building, from 328, row 16 (luckily that was only once) to 115, row F (unfortunately that was only one) and just about everywhere in between. I've had the privilege of going to four games at the place this year, and now that I've gotten around to it, I wanted to post my opinion on the place just like I did for Safeco over at Lookout Landing.

The game I went to last night was a bit different than my normal routine. I was attending a group event, so we tailgated at one of the party areas. I love tailgating, but with all the restaurants in the area, it's understandable why more people don't do it. Normally, I get in the gates quickly and walk around for a while until I make a decision on food, and then get over to my seat and eat while watching BP. I absolutely love all of the stuff adorning the walls that celebrates the team's history, especially all the different uniforms they've worn over the years.

Normally (excluding last night, when I was in 143), the first thing you see when you head to your seat is the scoreboard. God damn, it's nice. I really like the way they lay out the stats on there. I can't think of a better configuration. The quality of the screen is amazing, and the boards that hang along the facing of the Club Level do a nice job too.

My favorite place to sit is Club Level, but I haven't been able to do that since June 2010 because the prices went way the hell up. View Box is great, and the first five to nine rows of View Reserve from about 322 to 310 are good.

The concessions are top-notch. I was planning on the Cha Cha Bowl, but that'll have to wait since we tailgated. Overall, the amount of choices you have at the concession stands are amazing. The concessions reflect the diversity of the Bay Area while still reminding you that you're at a baseball game.

I'm amazed with how good the angles are from almost every seat (barring a few in the LF corner). I was sitting all the way out in 143, and we had a perfect view of the strike zone and we could see the entire field (except for a couple tiny pockets where the RF wall gets weird). The seating was planned out pretty well when they designed the place.

As for the actual games, it's a bit different at AT&T than at other parks. The entertainment between innings is definitely a lot of unique stuff that you don't find at most parks, some of which is really innovative and funny (having the race out in McCovey Cove), and some of which is ... well ... I don't know how to describe it other than as the Fist Pump Cam. I'm relieved to say I was fist pump-free at 3 of 4 games this year.

As for the quantitative stuff:

Visual: 10/10 The views are simply astonishing, whether it's the stadium itself or its surroundings. I love the design of the ballpark itself. You can spend tons of time just looking at the RF wall and trying to figure out the best way to position an outfielder to play it and all the bounces you can get off of it, or you can watch boats out in the water. Mays Field (that is what you guys call it on this site, right) has some of the best views in the entire major league. The sightlines from almost every seat in the building are great. Other than a few sections way out in the LF corner, just about every seat in the whole building is great. Other than the sections ending in 32-36, there aren't too many places where anyone could mind sitting.

And I'm extremely jealous of your scoreboard. Ours suck.

Staff: 9/10 The staff members working the gates are always welcoming, the chefs and other workers at the concessions treat you well, and they really do a good job to enhance your experience. At times, an usher can be a bit strict, but it's tough trying to deal with a crowd of that size. Additionally, whoever picks the music does a fantastic job. I love when they use Nirvana's "Breed" when they show their Top 5 Highlights, and Another One Bites The Dust is a classic. I also like using "The Distance" when the pitcher comes out to try to finish off a complete game. AT&T has some of the best music in the majors.

Fans: 8/10 OK, OK, I'm admittedly a bit biased here. I've had some very good experiences talking to lifelong fans that really love the sport, but at times you're sitting near someone who decides to hold up a sign in front of your face that says something like "Buster's Favorite Gamer Babe" while screaming in the worst high-pitched voice imaginable and disrupting you in every way imaginable. You also get a ton of people walking in front of you all night long, especially on a weeknight when a lot of people aren't there for all nine innings.

This is a shot of the crowd when Michael Bourn stepped into the box to open up Thursday night's game. That's a lot of empty seats at the start.

There was also a fight about 20 rows below me in the CF bleachers very late in the game, but that's bound to happen when you've got a lot of people in an area where the seating is set up so that it's easy for people to move about, and if those people are inebriated, there are going to be fights from time to time. What surprised me was that it was all Giants fans involved, rather than fans on opposite sides. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of the people that get in fights aren't real fans, but this category that I'm ranking pertains to all of the people in the stadium. Everyone's gotta share the ballpark. Luckily, the fights are pretty rare, and are usually restricted to the bleachers. Other than that, fans are usually well-behaved. The final rating is an 8 because the fans turn out in large quantities, and a lot of dedicated fans come to the games, but you have the bandwagoners and the late-arriving, early-leaving groups that take away from the experience. Overall, you have a good experience with the fans.

Concessions: 9/10 I can't think of a single professional venue where the food is this good. The garlic fries are the best I've ever had, and the ice cream sundaes are so good that even in 55-degree weather they're a good decision. I'd give the concessions an 11 but the prices are just like the rent. Too damn high. I don't even eat seafood, but I've been at games with people who really enjoy it and they were blown away by the $16 price on the Crazy Crab Sandwich. That's simply ridiculous. They charge a small fortune for a meal, but with that many people showing up at games and food that's so high-quality, they can get away with it.

Extras: 10/10 There is so much to do at the Phone Booth. I remember playing at Little Pac Bell and throwing at the pitching area when I was little, and I still like walking around the ballpark during BP. There's too much to do there in just one trip.

Overall: 9/10 AT&T Park is a state-of-the-art facility. The sightlines are great, the surroundings are fantastic, the staff is friendly, the fan experience is usually pretty good and the concessions are amazing. The only problem is the price. The cost of almost everything at the games, from tickets to concessions, is through the roof (save for tickets on Stubhub for a few weeknights during the school year). Aside from that, this is one of the best facilities in the major leagues and I'm pleased to say I have the privilege of attending games there a couple times a year.

And with that, the Giants are 13-7 at AT&T Park when I've seen them. Bumgarner is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.35 in my presence, and in 3 of the 4 games I went to this year, the starter went into the 9th inning (6/28, 8/14, 8/23).

They should hook me up with free tickets if they want more wins. :P

Thanks a lot, and GO SHARKS!

Streak Weekend Scoreboard Watching

Torrey's Tacos — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:15:27 -0000

There are a lot of big series on tap across the board this weekend. What would be the best outcome for the green and gold?

Well, I think we don't need to delve too deep into this series we have against the Indians. Here's my take on the six others:

Red Sox @ Yankees: If the Yanks can take care of business, which they should considering how they just manhandled the Rangers, they can all but write off the Red Sox for good. I think we're approaching the point where with all the off-field distractions and the general struggle of competing in the AL East, the Red Sox will be done for. A Yankee series victory would be great for us.

Orioles @ Tigers: This is a bit of an interesting one. I'd say if the Royals can defeat the White Sox, it would be perfectly fine for the Tigers to steamroll the O's, take charge in the AL Central and never look back while the White Sox plummet into oblivion. In the more likely event that the White Sox win the series at KC, what would be the best scenario? Who would we want to win this series, and would we want a sweep or a split?

Rangers @ Blue Jays: With the Jays 7.5 games behind us, 9 out of a playoff spot and just a half-game above Seattle, it would be nice if they can play well the rest of the way and do some damage by playing spoiler.

White Sox @ Royals: Let's hope that it's Our Time.

Rays @ slegnA: It would seem that a Tampa series win would be welcomed, but we only have three games left against Tampa so we can only do so much to impact their fate. On the other hand, we still have seven games left against the Fountain Valley Angels of San Juan Capistrano, so we can do some damage to them. Still, I'd rather see the rest of the AL West have trouble down the road, so I'll be pulling for the Rays, but it's important to keep in mind that a slegnA series win wouldn't be as bad as it seems.

Twins @ Mariners: We've got the Twins Monday through Wednesday and six against the Mariners next month. The Mariners are starting to play well and are now 9 games under the .500 mark. Would you rather have a Twins team coming off of a rough series into the Coliseum, or have the Mariners stop their recent trend and not pose a threat to us when we face them down the road?

So, that's my thoughts on the weekend.

Tl;dr version:

Pulling for: NYY vs BOS, KC vs CWS, TOR vs TEX

Leaning towards: TB @ ANA

Unsure: BAL @ DET, MIN @ SEA

How do you guys feel about this weekend all around the AL?

Visiting AT&T Park

Torrey's Tacos — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:18:08 -0000

Hey guys, how's it going? Nice to see a few FTF members around here. I'm a huge A's fan and I regularly post over at Athletics Nation* and I'll be going to the Giants-Braves game on August 23rd.

I've been to AT&T more than a few times (19, in fact) dating all the way back to 2000 but I had always done things on my own. I've been to the same concessions and had the same routine for most of the games I've been to there and I was wondering if you guys had any advice for how to make my experience at AT&T Park the best it could possibly be.

On that note, what do you guys feel are the best concessions and experiences a fan can have at AT&T Park? Which amenities are the best to take advantage of?

Thanks for any advice you guys have. In the few days after the game, I'll post a review of the park just like I did over at Lookout Landing after I visited their park over the summer.

* Disclaimer: Over on AN I've said a few unkind things about the Giants and I just want to make it clear that none of it is directed toward you guys, the McC members. I've read some game threads over here and know some of you guys from over at FTF and I really like the community over here. What I'm against is that whole stadium situation and the bandwagon fans with the panda hats, fake beards, Melkmen hats (at least they had those for a bit), baby Giraffes, fist pumps, and all those other things. Not to mention they show up late and leave early. I remember when KNBR would have callers who would pride themselves on not arriving late or leaving early and unfortunately that's a thing of the past. Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up and let you guys know that I think the posters over here are all right.

I also have a few questions.

1) Most games, I see someone blowing bubbles out somewhere in the vicinity of section 304. What's up with that?

2) Are there certain days where they do the fist pump cam? I've had the luck to avoid it two out of three times this year.

3) When did the guy waving the flag that goes around the bleachers and upper deck start doing that?

Thanks a lot, and to the FTFers over here, GO SHARKS!

Hey guys, how's it going? Nice to see a few FTF members around here. I'm a huge A's fan and I regularly post over at Athletics Nation* and I'll be going to the Giants-Braves game on August 23rd.

On that note, what do you guys feel are the best concessions and experiences a fan can have at AT&T Park? Which amenities are the best to take advantage of?

Thanks for any advice you guys have. In the few days after the game, I'll post a review of the park just like I did over at Lookout Landing after I visited their park over the summer.

I also have a few questions.

1) Most games, I see someone blowing bubbles out somewhere in the vicinity of section 304. What's up with that?

2) Are there certain days where they do the fist pump cam? I've had the luck to avoid it two out of three times this year.

3) When did the guy waving the flag that goes around the bleachers and upper deck start doing that?

Thanks a lot, and to the FTFers over here, GO SHARKS!

GOG #39: Because Sometimes You Just Gotta Write a GOG With Your Left Hand

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 05:20:18 -0000

Them

Do your homework

GOG #38 vs the White Sox

Them

Do your homework

GOG #38 vs the White Sox

Baseball Reference

The Questions

1. Series outcome: 3 games at Kauffman Stadium. (3 points) 2-1 Royals

2. Throwing Blanks: The A’s are 3-3 against KC this year, but all three losses have been shutouts. Will there be any shutouts thrown by either team this series? (1 point) What’s the latest inning a team scores their first run in? (3 points) Yes, 6th

3. Will Frenchy Make a Poupon This Series?: This is the obligatory Jeff Francoeur question. Guess his PA/H/BB/K. (2 points each) 11/2/0/3

4. She's Looking Good, Vern: Chris Carter has been playing well lately. He’s got a modest average of .272 but he boasts an on-base percentage over .400 and an OPS over 1.000. Guess Chris’ PA/BB/H/XBH for the series (2 points each). How many games does he start at 1B? (1 point) 11/2/2/1, 2

5. Kiss the Cook: OK, Ryan Cook hasn’t been at his best lately, to put it lightly. Maybe a return to Kauffman Stadium, where he pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts in the All-Star Game, will help change that. Guess Ryan’s IP/BB/H/K. (2 points each) 0.2/0/1/0

6. Rock Bottom Remainders: Rock Bottom Remainders: The bottom of the order has been a source of much stress from this Oakland team. Will the 7-8-9 hitters collect more hits or strikeouts? (1 point) Will the bottom 3 get an XBH? (1 point) How about a home run? (1 point) Which team’s bottom three spots will have a higher slugging percentage for the series, A’s or Royals? (1 point) Do any Oakland players start all three games in the bottom three spots in the lineup? Name them. (2 points for every correct guess, but a single incorrect guess eliminates all points for the question. Maximum of 6 points.) Strikeouts, No, No, Royals, Pennington

7. Odds and Ends:
a) How many players do the A’s use this series? (2 points, 4 points if you correctly guess a number over 25) 22
b) Kauffman Stadium averages 1.85 home runs per game. That would mean 5.55 over a three-game series. Will there be more or less than 5.55 home runs in this series? (1 point) Less
c) Guess the attendance for the three games. (3 points if within 1,000, 2 if within 3,000, 1 if within 4,000) 46,043
d) What is the earliest inning a team takes the lead in for good over the three games? (2 points) 5th
e) The Astros are a mind-boggling 11-46 on the road this year. Although this has nothing to do with the A’s or Royals, I just find it so amazing that it deserves a question. Tuesday and Wednesday, they have games at Wrigley field. Do they win at least one of those? (1 point) (Probable Pitchers) Yes
f) How many times will the bases be left loaded by either team this series? (2 points, 1 point if +/- 1) 2
g) Will any reliever pitch in a game without recording an out? (1 point) No
h) Will we need more than three game threads for any of the games? (1 point) No
i) Clown Question, Bro: Because I’m going to the Nats-Gnats game Tuesday: The Nats and stnaiG are playing Tuesday and Wednesday to complete a three-game set. How many of those games are won by Washington? (1 point) (Probable Pitchers) 1

Bonus: Give yourself 5 points if you’re attending a game in this series! Also, 3 points to the first person to correctly name the source of the title of this GOG!

58 points + 8 bonus points possible

LET'S GO OAKLAND

Answers due Tuesday at 5:10 pm PDT

Going to see the Lancaster JetHawks

Torrey's Tacos — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 23:22:31 -0000

Hey, Astros fans. I'm a big-time A's fan who lives in the Bay Area. You can regularly find me over at Athletics Nation, and in the winter months you can find me at Fear The Fin. I'll be seeing the Lancaster JetHawks take on the San Jose Giants Sunday evening and I was wondering if there were any specific players, whether they're big-time prospects or players on rehab assignments (I know Sandoval is rehabbing with them this weekend) that I should look out for.

Thanks a lot, guys, and ... well ... enjoy the rest of the season, and best of luck to the Texans for the 15 games when they aren't playing the Ravens.

You may breathe a sigh of relief

Torrey's Tacos — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:28:54 -0000

@SanJoseSharks New jersey numbers for #SJSharks: Demers-5, Stuart-7, Desjardins-10, Galiardi-21, Burish-37. New jerseys available at the Sharks Store.

What does this mean? Why is this so important? Demers taking the number 5 jersey means a certain Colin White will not be wearing it next year. Although it was pretty obvious White wasn't coming back, we now have official proof. I'd consider this as much of an official announcement from the team that White won't be returning as we're going to get.

You may begin celebrating ...

NOW!

You may begin celebrating ...

NOW!

RE: My Visit to Safeco Field

Torrey's Tacos — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:37:48 -0000

Hi again, Mariners fans. I came around these parts about a month ago asking about Safeco Field and I was directed to a plethora of information. I went to the Mariners-Orioles game on July 4. Safeco is the fourth big-league stadium that I have had the pleasure to visit. The first three can't be much more different than each other. I've been to 3 games at the old Yankee Stadium, 18 at ~~Pac Bell~~ ~~SBC~~ ~~it hasn't been called Verizon yet~~ AT&T Park and 39 at the often-renamed Oakland Coliseum.

I arrived at Safeco just after 11 am, right around when the gates opened. It was pretty quiet and empty at that point. The very first thing I saw was the giant retractable roof hanging outside the stadium. It's not what I'd call visually appealing, but the roof is definitely a big benefit to have so it's definitely worth it. I like how it doesn't hang too much into the stadium when it's not being used. I entered at the gate behind left-center field and I loved that the very first vendor I saw had one of the "Jesus Saves" stickers on his cart. That sort of stuff always impresses me. I was also impressed with how nice the view was even from way out past the wall in center field. I strolled around The Pen and the surrounding area for a while and it quickly dawned on me why so many people sit out there during games. You've still got a nice view out there.

I think my favorite thing of all about your stadium was the lower concourse. I've never seen a setup where you can see the field no matter where you are. If you have to hurry over to the stadium just before gametime, you don't have to decide between going to your seat without food or getting food and missing the action. Definitely a very, very nice touch.

The Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest was impressive. I love learning about the history of the sport, and the museum offered a ton of it. It seems you guys are big on Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dave Niehaus and Alvin Davis. I also thought it was cool to see the stuff on Jay Buhner and John Olerud. I always liked Olerud, and I'm finally getting to an age where I can say I grew up watching some of those players.

The concessions were great. They give you a ton of garlic fries, and the cheese steaks are top-notch. As a Mtn Dew drinker with a serious addiction, I also like the selection of drinks from the bottles instead of having to take around a massive cup, filled as full as it can be without a top. Makes carrying stuff a lot easier.

I sat in row 2 of section 332, and the view was great. I love sitting in the second level of ballparks, and I find it unfortunate that a lot of new stadiums are reducing the size of the second level, jacking up the prices, and in some cases, like Safeco, making the seats behind the plate all luxury boxes. However, the view from my seats were great. They came with the sightlines you get from sitting in the second level without the cost. It's really changed my opinion on the aforementioned situation with the second level in new parks.

As for the game itself, it's clear why Noesi has been sent down. Is Iwakuma going to be taking his spot? I also apologize for carrying the injury bug that has been plaguing the A's all year long. Sorry about Montero getting hurt.

The atmosphere at the ballpark was nice. Attendance was just under 22,000 and the fans were loud. The stadium is well-built for noise, just like the football stadium next door. The staff was also as friendly as can be and the fans created a very welcoming atmosphere. The people sitting around me were friendly and knowledgeable. We also had a few kids roaming the empty parts of the upper deck and waving their shirts around at times. That made for some laughs between innings.

This is the first time I'm posting a review of a stadium, so I've decided to do a bit of a report card format to try and quantify things.

Visual: 8/10 The sightlines are great, although the retractable roof in the "open position" and the outfield seats take away from some of the views of the ballpark. Still, people go to games for the action on the field, not what's around it (save for the bandwagon Giants fans). I don't think all of the outfield seating is necessary, but with the stadium being required to face northeast, it's not like there would be views of Puget Sound from its location. (The views of Puget Sound from the upper deck concourse were nice.)

Staff: 10/10 The chefs are great, the ushers are friendly and they help give the game such a nice feel.

Fans: 10/10 The fans are dedicated, knowledgeable and friendly. It's a nice family atmosphere, and the amount of fans that are waiting out these tough years impresses me.

Concessions: 10/10 You get a lot of food, which justifies the prices, and it tastes great.

Extras: 10/10 The extra amenities at the ballpark are great. I love the museum, and all of the team history spread across the park is great for visitors and newcomers. I especially like all of the tributes to Dave Niehaus. I'd love to see the A's do something similar for Bill King when we finally get a new stadium in 2173.

Overall: 9.6/10 I loved Safeco Field. It has a lot of the amenities that new parks offer without getting to the point of too many bells and whistles that distract people from the game itself. The fans and staff complete the atmosphere. I'd definitely visit again.

With that, I'd like to thank all of you here at Lookout Landing as well as the fans and staff that make Safeco Field so enjoyable. If any of you are to ever visit the Coliseum, feel free to ask around Athletics Nation about what you can do to make your experience the best it can be.

That game was the third time I've seen the Mariners in person, making them 1-2. They lost to the A's 3-2 way back on July 28, 2004 and beat them 7-3 on April 6 of this year, Opening Night at the Coliseum.

Thanks again, and best of luck the rest of the way! We could sure use some help from you guys against all these teams hovering around the .500 mark.

GOG 2012 #26: Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle

Torrey's Tacos — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:54:56 -0000

Them

Do your homework

Them

Do your homework

The Questions

1. Series outcome: Three-game set at Safeco. (3 points) 2-1 A's

2. Son of a Gun: Tommy Gun is coming off of a dazzling complete game on Wednesday against the Dodgers, but of course, his numbers aren't as pretty on the road. Seattle has a lot of the same characteristics with the marine layer, so we'll see if Tommy can use the park to his advantage. Guess Tommy's IP/H/BB/K. (2 points each) [7/5/0/5] On Tuesday, Seattle will send Jason Vargas to the hill, who, like Tommy, is a Southern California native. Vargas picked up a W on Opening Night at the Coliseum. He's allowed 20 homers in 16 starts, including that bomb by Yoenis Cespedes on opening night. Guess Vargas' IP/H/K/BB. (1 point each) [6.2/3/10/2] Does anyone for the Green and Gold take Vargas deep? Who? (1 for yes or no, 3 for correct hitter) Yes, Cespedes

3. Man of the Hour: With his walkoff homer, it's obligatory to dedicate one question to Derek Norris. Guess Derek's PA/H/BB/XBH for the series. (2 points each) [4/1/0/0] Seattle's Jesus Montero, acquired from the Skanks for Michael Pineda in the offseason, is starting to solidify his role behind the plate. Guess Montero's PA/H/BB/K for the series. (2 points each) [11/3/0/5] Does any catcher allow a passed ball this series? (1 point) No

4. Oh, the Guilt: We don't need to revisit what Ryan Cook did Friday. The question is what will he do this series? Guess Ryan's IP/BB/K/SV. (1 point each) [2/1/3/2] Like Cook, Seattle's Tom Wilhelmsen stepped into the closer role after the closer from the start of the year, Brandon League, couldn't get the job done. Guess Wilhelmsen's IP/H/BB/K. (1 point each) [2/0/0/2] Does anyone blow a save in the ninth inning during the series? (1 point) No

5. Starting pitchers: Guess one of the six starters for each of the questions. You can also guess a tie between two or more starters. You don't need to guess which starters tie, just say tie. However, picking one starter that ends up in a tie will not earn you the point. (1 point each)
a) Which starter allows the most extra-base hits? Vargas - 2
b) Which starter throws the most pitches? Milone - 110
c) Which starter throws the fewest innings? Millwood - 2 2/3
d) Which starter throws the most strikeouts? Tie - 10
e) Which starter walks the most batters? Parker - 4
f) Which starter has the worst ball-strike ratio? Blackley - 59%

6. Kibbles and Bits:
a) Guess the total number of outfield assists in the series. (1 point) 1
b) Do any games this series go to extra innings? (1 point) No
c) What is the shortest outing by a starter in this series (3 points if precise down to thirds of an inning, 1 point if correct inning but not precise thirds) 2 2/3 (If you guessed 2 or 2 1/3 you get 1 point)
d) Which of these will we see the most this series, triples, HBPs or balks? (1 point) HBP
e) Will either team collect 12+ hits in a game? (1 point) Hell No
f) Will the A's make any changes to the 25-man roster during the series? (1 point) No
g) Which team turns more double plays? (1 point) Mariners, 5-4

7. Who wins the College World Series, South Carolina or Arizona? (1 point) Arizona Justin Smoak is a former Gamecock himself. He's hitting just .217 right now. Will his BA be higher or lower at the end of the series? (1 point) Lower

62 possible points + bonus below

Bonus! Any fans up north attending a game in this series, add 5 points for each one you attend.

Answers due by Monday @ 7:05 pm PDT

Goals for the 2012-13 Season

Torrey's Tacos — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:57:25 -0000

This post is about everything except for what actually happens on the ice. We all have the same desired outcome for the season, and predicting anything out of an upcoming season isn't going to go too well because the game can be affected by one missed call, one bounce, one deflection, one stanchion. This post is about what I want to see everywhere except on the ice.

Every game sold out

Sounds doable. Reports say 91% of season ticket holders are getting renewals, compared to 92% after the 2010-11 season.

A realignment idea that doesn't suck

Hopefully it ends up with Nashville to the SE, Winnipeg to the NW, Dallas to the Central and Colorado to the Pacific. Moving anyone further north, like Detroit or Columbus, puts a team like New Jersey in the southeast and breaks up the hatefest of rivalries that is the Atlantic Division. I don't want four conferences. I don't hope any of you guys do, either.

More player-specific chants

Without Seto or Cheechoo, we don't really have any more chants for a single player. I'd love a Nemo chant before each playoff game like the Nabby chant. Other ideas: BOOURNS! I should've thought of that one before the season ended.

Guess The Outcome Game

Over at Athletics Nation, we have something for each series called a GOG, or Guess the Outcome Game. As you can see here, it's a game where we predict the outcome for each series. This is a very good example of the type of questions we usually have. Before the beginning of each series, we answer seven questions that can vary from guessing the WPA leaders for the series to guessing who leads in outfield assists or the attendance for the series. We also have a big one at the start of the season. The whole game is a lot of fun to play and I think it would be quite popular here. I'm wondering, though, would it be done with one game per road trip, one per homestand, or one per week? I was thinking maybe doing one each week would be a good way of doing it, since the ones at AN typically cover three games, and if there's a week with just one game, we can have a special two-week GOG.

Start a Seven Nation Army chant at HP Pavilion

Because how can you resist something as awesome as this.

Can't wait until October!

Every game sold out

Sounds doable. Reports say 91% of season ticket holders are getting renewals, compared to 92% after the 2010-11 season.

A realignment idea that doesn't suck

More player-specific chants

Guess The Outcome Game

Start a Seven Nation Army chant at HP Pavilion

Because how can you resist something as awesome as this.

Can't wait until October!

Visiting Safeco Field

Torrey's Tacos — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:02:57 -0000

Hey guys, I'm a huge A's fan and a baseball fan in general. You can find me over at Athletics Nation and at the Oakland Coliseum on a regular basis. This summer, I'll be taking a trip up north and will be visiting Safeco Field on July 4 when the Mariners face the Orioles. I've been trying to figure out what I can do to get the most out of my trip to Safeco. My general idea is to take a self-guided tour of the ballpark before the game and then end up at my seat 20-30 minutes before the game begins.

I was wondering what you guys feel is the best of the best at the stadium. What are the best concession stands? Are there any unique experiences a fan can have at Safeco? What time do the gates open for a 1:10 pm start?

Thanks a lot for any advice you guys have. I'm really looking forward to seeing your stadium as well as the rest of the Pacific Northwest.

Let's get this done.

Torrey's Tacos — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:16:45 -0000

Let's get this done.

Something to remember for this weekend.

Torrey's Tacos — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:54:39 -0000

Something to remember for this weekend.