Nothing can make me feel better. The season ended with a battle of tough defenses waging a field position war of the ages only to have the outcome decided by anemic offenses and a lack of better judgment. In hindsight, does KW10 try to make a play again? I think yes for sure. Would the result be different? Had I not watched the previous 60+ minutes of play, I would say yes 9 out of 10. Problem is I did watch the game and I feel lucky that our beloved Niners were there in the first place, but as I am sure some of you did also, I looked over at my wife on the diving punt catch and remarked that "KW10 might cost us the game with bad decisions like that..."

Continue reading this post »

Rumor has it that it is possible that Boston might package Crisp +1 for Blanton.

link--> 

Would this move helps us out or are we moving to another d-strong plate challenged cf'r. If this deal gets done could we pull more than one top ten from Boston? I am curious for AN's thoughts! Personally, and I may be dreaming, I would love to see it go down as follows:

 

Boston: Blanton

Oakland: Crisp, Oscar Tejeda and Ryan Kalish as a starting point and maybe another B pitching prospect.

 

Thoughts?

Just my opinion.......

I don't post too often any more, but read everyday. Although there still seems to be a split opinion on AN regarding MB, mainly fueled by cutthemullet, the thing I can't get over is the track record.

Poll

With Current A's direction

8%

Playoffs in new stadium

9 votes

3%

devaluing the team for quick sale to vegas

4 votes

22%

Playoffs in '08

25 votes

26%

who cares...just fire the trainers!!

29 votes

24%

Playoffs in '09

27 votes

15%

Athletics four year drought

17 votes

111 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

Anemic offense. Shut down starting pitching. Already overworked bullpen and a rookie.

Continue reading this post »

Just yesterday I was in the begining stages of what will play out to be a season long arguement with some Padres Fans. The issue? Rotations. They actually went so far as to create a premium work wasting poster board about 4'x 5' quoting my statment, " If Rich Harden is healthy, he could be the best pitcher in basball". Needless to say they found this commical and thought it worthy of posting using a fork lift, thus placing it out of my reach. But here is the thing, even if I could reach this poster to take it down, I don't think I would.

Continue reading this post »

It's official. We have the first injury of the year. Bobby K is out 3-6 weeks and all of a sudden Stewart is looking like a miracle pickup. I would like to believe it's not the case but I can't help wondering if this "injury" could be a little convenient thing that allows us to keep Goleski. It almost seems like we should give Goleski a deeper shot at the lineup in any case because of Kotsay and his ailing back. Hmmmm.

I just wanted to throw this out there and see what comes of it. Me, I'm a little worried that we don't have the depth or pipeline talent to get through this season without some platoon style help that can hit both left and right handed pitching.

Side Notes:

Holy Grail knocked a three run inter-squad bomb today.

There is a great story, (short but good) on the Windsor/Suzuki story on oaklandathletics.com that is a good read, and kinda makes you think about the Melhuse topic of yesterday.

Poll

Kielty' injury is a........

28%

normal thing that happens in spring training

13 votes

15%

sign of things to come

7 votes

17%

problem due to the compression weight of his hair

8 votes

23%

a dl means to keep Goleski

11 votes

15%

a good reason to trade Kotsay & Johnson for a young CF

7 votes

46 votes | Poll has closed

Hey all! if you read my profile you would see that the first non-hospital blanket to touch my young fresh born toosh was an A's wrap. Never thought it would happen, but here I am. My wife and I are expecting a new young bouncing (no I won't actually try it,) baby boy in May! How perfect, right in time for the thick of baseball season! So here is the deal........I need a boys name. I wan't to hear what creative names from Athletics history I can use! My wife, having been with me ten years has become an A's fan and therefore knows most current and past lost stars so lets skip the decade or so. Here are my front runners but I want to hear yours!!

1)Dennis.....would this make him an alcie and help him recover?

2)Carney.......just wait for high school

3)Walter.....again just bait for sschool

4)Dave.......not bad CF and P, two stars covered but plain

5)Catfish........wifey didn't dig this one too much

So let me have it AN, help name a new A's fan for life!!

Poll

Which Name Do You Like Best?

11%

Dennis

11 votes

13%

None read my post!

13 votes

15%

Carney

15 votes

9%

Walter

9 votes

14%

Dave

14 votes

36%

Catfish

35 votes

97 votes | Poll has closed

With this offseason showing us no real additions to get AN excited it seems that there is a slide in anticipation. The same topics keep comming up in the doomsday predictions.

1.) We lost Zito....all is lost
2.) Without Big Hurt we are hopless to ever score a run.
3.) Jay Payton should have won the batting crown with special considerations for doubles.

Sure, we have lost without adding, but what else is new? Minus last year, we have become use to this as we see this years class move on. Happens to us very often, yet we seem to be in the hunt year in year out. Two years ago was a rebuilding year. We were in the hunt untill the last week of the season. We traded Huddy and Mulder, people were terrified that we were left with only Zito, and now he somehow has become the messiah gone astray. Our farm is bleak, hell we mine as well just get together and drink our grape kool aide with Mr. Jones.

I don't buy it. I believe Billy can keep us in it. Without injury we HAVE talent. Notice there were no if's in that sentence. I choose to think positive and know that as A's, we thrive on being the underdog, and well.......we are really the underdog so we should do great! So I want, in my infinite dumbness, to change my thoughts and predictions in "norcalfan land"

1.) WHEN Harden has no injuries this year he will win 21 games.

2.) WHEN E-chav stops posting on www.e_chav@injury_prone.net, he will hit .285 with 35 dings

3.) WHEN Ellis stops running into Crosby BOTH will be part of one of the best tandom field % seasons ever.

4.) WHEN Swish realizes balls are scared of the bleachers in Oakland, he will hit .305 28 120

5.) WHEN Loiza gets drunk and punches the jukebox at (insert emeryville bar here) he will have magically released his shoulder and will be able to throw 90+ all season.

6.) WHEN Kotsay's back feels better, he will be a damn good announcer.

7.) WHEN Garen has the choice of who to start in the OF against a lefty, Kielty will actually get some playin' time.

8.) WHEN Vlad starts his slump this year, the rest of LAAoSCoSan Juan's bats all follow, we will seal up the division in July.

9.) WHEN A's fans realize Haren is better than Zito, everybody will cheer up a little bit.

10.) WHEN we keep the faith in Billy, we will be happier in the offseason!

Wow! The Giants are really smart! No really. We are off again in a season where we are slated to finish 2nd to last in our division again. As usuall, I expect we will walk away with the west riding an excellent 2nd half and getting abnormally good performances from the unexpected sources. My list is as follows:

1) 126 million.....wow. What does SF know about our ex-2nd tier starter that the Yankees didn't?
I got an idea, maybe SF should really try to solidfy their rotation by offering Clemens 246 Million over the next six years as a bench coach with a start clause of 3 per year. That would make sense!

2. I am hearing a lot of anti Giants smack, almost reflective of bitterness over this signing. Why? I know they get all the press in the Bay, but what could be better than the Big Market team across the bay pigeon holing themselves into a small market team over the next 7 years for a declining over-rated future middle reliever? Pro Dodgers? Anybody who roots for the A's and prefers ANY LA team is just deranged in my opinion. Anybody remember Kirk Gibson? Always duck the fodgers under any circumstance.
3. Durazo.....Why do I have a feeling this is going to be huge? I believe in my heart this will be the push that get's us through Ruby + Pizza = the Frank Thomas anomoly.
4. Zito not to Mets......then here we go. I think this will really help us in the pursuit of Milledge who now becomes a even less valuble in a trade for starting pitching. Do California DUI laws carry over to NY?
5. Angels.......keep spending guys, I really think it's going to work out for you!

That's it for now....I hate the offseason.

I have been readin' but not postin'. As of today, I can finally speak of the heartbreak that was last year. there are a lot of topics out in our little corner of the world that I feel compeld to address, if for no one else but myself:

1.) FT gone, surprise surprise. You tellin' me nobody saw this comming? I thought all the talk from BB and LW of us certainly getting FT back was the doomsday foreshadowing, but let us not forget the drama salery wise from CWS prior to comming to Oaktown. Good luck to our leader/renta player. Me, I feel a Mulder-esq season in the makings for Big FT. Still thanks for the help and good luck.

2.) Jay Payton. I think we gotta' make a move and sign this guy. Many AN'ers feel like he wouldn't take a 4th outfielder role.....i'm sorry, what is he now? Jay can give us good at bats as well as give Kotsay much needed time off.

3. Bob Crob and Harden. It was either Nico or Blez who were up in arms about a not talked about issue in our trainers. Done. Fired. Ousted. Asked nicely to leave. Nuf Said. We need trainers who actively and proactively treat our players. It seems as if they are stuck in reaction mode and that doesn't sit well with me as we lose valueable and cheap seasons to strange injuries.
4. How does our infield react to the loss of Washington? I am worried about this one, but I have to say that deep down, like Thomas, Washington has taught these kids all he knows and has brought them as far as he can. I think a lot of the praise regarding his relationship with players is based on our players not having a strong relationship with THE manager. Best wishes to Ron, 2 and out in Texas sadly.

5.) Barry Bonds. I have a few things on this one. If you stop rooting for the A's if he is signed, good riddance. A true fan would never threaten to leave his/her team, at least in my opinion. I don't feel we stand to gain lots of new fans from having him, especially SF fans as they are tired of him as well, see billboards in SF last year. We will gain ticket sales, but not fans. If he gets well, which is tough after taking all thoses steroids, he is one of the best hitters of all time. Steriods don't improve your eye or plate patience or hand eye coordination. Mixing hime in a chavez, bonds, bradley may really help chavy get his mojo going and with any luck a severe drop in the order for crosby may be perfect as well. All this being said, AN is just bored. Bonds is not comming to O-Town as he, even as a rental, is out of our price range.

6.) Zito. Breaks my heart becasue the guy just seems right in NorCal. I loved watching him grow up in the league. I will always remember many gutsy performances and reflect on them when talking to my kids. On that note.......see ya!
Honestly, this guy is dying for the big show. He needs to fail in that enviroment to relize what he had with our fans, fine. Sure he was reliable, but just wait and see Barry how that reliablity holds water in a Boston, New York, Los Angeles enviroment after getting shelled two outings in a row. News flash Barry, learn a spliter or some some other pitch or your "magical" curve will really get rocked as your other stuff aint' all that. You are not an Ace, stop acting like it. Barry's best fit would be LAA as he has proved in the AL West, nobody cares what you do. I really really wish Barry good luck as he was a great professional with us, but I fear for his safety.....be carefull what you wish for sound 'bout right?

7.) Adam Dunn....no news really, but does he not seem like he could be an A? Discuss.

Hey, at least we're not the Red Sox. 51 million dollar dinner anyone?

Peace to AN......
Go A's

Read this, it can't help but bring a smile to your face and take your mind off of baseball:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15242140/?GT1=8618

But since I have to fill the required spaces,

remeber Detroit had to suck for about a century to be able to draft all those young arms. We were out ofthe mix for what, 2 years? Time to go on a four game winning streak!

I'm about 13 bud selects' into this loss. I feel like a 60 oz raw t-bone tossed into the tiger cage at an ethiopian zoo. I mean, is it wrong to take this personally? I wasn't out on that cold ass field, I can't throw a fastball more than say, 65, I didn't nut up and pitch after what should have been a season ending injury, yet I would just like a few moments alone with Magglio and kenny, lets say 6-10, just to let them know a little bit about how I feel. We could have a coffee, maybe a scone and I could introduce them to my college friend Easton. I don't feel like it's over, hell the Red Sox came back ya know? yet it still feels like years since I walked head down with my green & yellow refelctin' in the sun, not out of embarrasment, but out of sadness.

Really, who do these punks think they are? Take 3 outta' 4 from the 200 million dollar kids and all the sudden YOU have a date with destiny? Sheesh. Waht, you middle of the country blue collar motor city cocks' feel like you DESRVE to get to the big show why, just because you work counts, have heart, study, provide geritol to your manager and basicly play fudamentally sound baseball.....the nerve.

I'm 30 and feel like a little baby. My wife has granted me a temporary restraining order of 10 feet....she knows whats up. I love her, but baby....give me at least untill Sunday without any "next year will be better" ca ca please. Should this effect me/ us this way? Does anybody else feel.......empty after todays shutout? This one stings something rotten.

Passing Thoughts,

1.) Rich.....nails brother, great job!
2.) E-Chav....even though you should be hitting 8th, always, you ARE the heart and soul of this team.
3.) How important is Ellis, I think thats clear.
4.) Kotsay, I said goddamn that guys got some range.
5.) Estaban....not as bad as it looked, ballsy performance. (don't ever...ever run smack on E-Chav again!)
6.) Milton....don't get frustrated, everybody WANTs to contribute.
7.) Frank, don't get down, it's about time some team realized they should do a little tape time on you.
8.) Player to be named later, MLB now knows your name for real!
9.) BZ......Good luck elswhere. Never missed a start, never complained, never learned a spliter. Ready for the stage? We will see how you like the love you got in NORCAL when AL East gets a look at that 88 mph @ the letters.
10.) Bob-crob. 2 words, titanium spine. get one and I'll see you in zona next spring.
11.) Bullpen.....HELL YEAH, all year guys...you da men!!
12.) Huston, buy the bull durham dvd, watch it about 127 times this offseason and be ready to rock next year. I foresee LOTS of one run gut checks next year, we need you buddy!
13.) Wolffe, please please please, not the Fremont A's of San Jose, that's my best Angels joke!
14.) haren. YOU! YOU! YOU! Shut these smug bastards up will you please?
15.) What the hell kind of name is magglio. High, I'm Magglio.....sounds like oatmeal comming out of my nose!
16.) ESPN, go ahead and start showing the yankees year in review, we know your dying to!

To those lucky bastard fans in the motor city, is it your destiny to win three in a row or ours to lose 3 in a row?

LOVE AN
LOVE Oak-Town
Let's go Oak_Land

Last night was hard to swallow. But easy now folks, don't throw in the towel just yet. We lost one game....thats it! If you thought we were going to roll up on the Tigers and sweep again, you are in a dream world. In the third and forth, two blown dp's could have changed the whole thing around. If the A's are trailing 2-0 or 3-0 instead of 5-0, that would've changed how the Tigers pitching attacked our hitters. Had the umpire behind the plate and just a touch of consistency......different game. So we made up for a 1 error performance against the twins by melting down in one game. This team is too proud to roll over and die. Zito will pitch again this year in an A's uniform, for better or for worse.

GIDP was another issue, in fact setting a record I believe, that kills innings, but is completely better than weak pop-ups and shallow fly balls. Any of those dp balls find holes and we would be nuts deep in the game. look for the positives people, jeez.

How about our relievers? Gave up some hits, sure, but allowed zero runs. I feel like the bulk of the comments from last night are stuck in 5 game series mode. Seven games peeps.....remember we won the last series? People all already up saying Estaban will roll over tonight. Shut it. Positive thoughts need to be shot out of us into the Oakland dugout. If your at the game remember what you are watching. Make some noise when the bullpen gets some big outs regardless of the score. Get behind these boys who have given us this year, which is far from over.

There will be a different ump behind the plate tonight and a different attitude in the dugout. people were saying all over last night that there is no underdog in this series, the A's just needed to get that underdog swagger back.

LET'S GO A'S

My co-workers laughed all day at my ensamble,
my old A's hat with those lovely white salt rings, suprisingly faded 2006 al west chapion shirt, mustard and relish staind grey away jersey and to boot......green pants. Yeah I wore them proud. The girls probably thought i was a little sally boy as I danced around and poured my sprite over my head while dancing the jig on the front lawn, but who cares. Finally San Diego shuts up!! No more Choakland, no more los angeles angels of west covina orange county provence bitch comments...especially no more Padres smack, (down 0-2, lol) and finally no more caddy girls asking how I could wear "those" colors.

Jason Kendal and Mark Kotsay......hell fuck yeah! Marco....Marco marco marco. You made the team buddy....no, you MADE the team buddy! Oakland Fans...Hell Yeah! A sell out of A's fans....YES! Dan Haren......gutsy man, gutsy, and we get to celebrate while ESPN cuts to pictures of Derek "I shoula' been a woman" Jeter taking ground balls. Fuck it. Who cares? we're going on and them damn Yanks' gots some work to do before losing to us in the ALCS. I was overwhelmed, you?

Then on the way home, sitting in traffic with my f'd up sprite hair dew it hit me........This is great, but not good enough.

I know I know.....whata' douch I am moving forword as my team sips the bubly, but it's not enough. At this point I still feel a little empty.
It's not the loss of Ellis, although that stings, he's money and deserved to play with this team, it's not Bobby who has inspired his team regardless of average, it's not Huston looking all too much vunerable and it's not the impending loss of BZ. This team NEEDS the world series. I need the world series. This is so fuckin' special and we are so freakin' lucky to have beane and now that I live in diego, we're all so lucky to have lived, been born or affiliated with Nor Cal in some way that I would feel this special moment may be forgotton by the non-NorCals as soon as the Yankees buy a new team next year if we don't move on to the Big One. Win the Big One.
It is OUR time. The AN folks, the die hard A's fans who couldn't understand why Boston sells out our park and we can't during the playoffs. The loc's who didn't turn face after we lost 0-9 in closeout games. Those of us who still embrace Crazy George's bald ass head, have seen Hewy lewis sing muliple national anthems, capt' Carney......Hendu.....back to back to back rookies of the year.....Eck strike out Kevin the "batman" mitchell with a sick ass slider. We desrve this and at this point, frankly, This IS our year. In the words of Lyn Strait, "I will not die untill I get some."

Get yours Oakland....get yours!

Love A's and the AN nation.

PS Duck the Fankees

It seems that in the last 6 years, The A's have has some type of omen/miracle that often sealed their doom. If the A's had an "omen" free game they would win, but often times some strange
occurance would lend itself to a loss. What makes this year different? Confidence. Even better, often unproven confidence, (see last a's @ twins series).

Todays omen........day game @ metrodome.....milton back back back....uh oh.

coulda' been the omen, used to be the omen. Not now...not today...not this year. Kotsay showing his CF abilities does the right thing, backs up 100% and is able to recover the ceiling ball in time to prevent the omen drivin' inside the parkr'.

Zito walks first batter......OMEN!
Zito later proclaimed he does pitch better after walking the first batter, but it was J Kendall steppin' up to squash what easily could have been two on, no out 3-4-5 due. HUGE!

Blez was right in saying Big Hurt was a litte muffed after attempted throw out at first, still not advancing on what would have been a very close play from third started a manager inspired OMEN posssibilty. Would we have need Hurts' bomb in the 9th had we had a pinch runner? Who cares now, but still ify call by Mr. Solid (Macha) in my opinion.

Passing Thoughts:

1.) Paint the inside of the dome you norway freaks!!

2.) No east coast bias here.....three day games to start for A's and Padres? Mularky!! Shinanagans! You guys take the day off from work too?

3.) Loaiza, pitch well tomorrow and I will get hammered and drive you around doin' 125.

4.) NFL...force the Raiders to play at Santa Clara university for the rest of the year so the World Champion A's can win some home games without getting a first down!

This is the year...I feel it...Lets go Oak-Land

As our magic number shrinks to five, I can't help but feel a sweep in the first of two Angels series would be, well....not gradifying enough. Billy has worked his magic, yet again, and we are back in a position to win the AL west and can enter the playoffs with a lineup beyond the means of our salery. Half of me wants a win vs Cle. and a sweep of the San Juan Angels of the greater southern california region to seal the deal, but oh man........how sweet to return the favor of winning the division in Angel stadium! Knowing that anything can happen in any given day, prolonging an AL West title seems stupid and, well, a little crazy but just think of it....The water fall in the background, the collective sad march of the fairweather faithfull slowly drudging out of Disney stadium. How sweeeeet. As a NorCal man trapped in Socal, I cannot deny I would love to see all of my Athletics faithfull, whom actually attended home games, (all 18 of you) to get rewarded with a home town celebration, but the comments, teasing, put downs and nick names I have endured in San Diego over the past two years needs penance. Heck I even endured 1 and 2 in SD to the Padres, whos fans only come out when their team is over .600. All in all, I believe this is the year. A world series ring to say goodbye to Zito, redmeption for a once forgoten Big Hurt, a diamond shot of cortazon for a proud gold glove center fielder and finnally October redemption for an Oakland team that deserves better! Props to AN for great brethren and ultimate support!

PS, at the sd v oak series I saw another AN tee shirt.....whoever you are......NAILS!!

Poll

How would you see the west won?

55%

In Oaktown

51 votes

10%

In Disney

10 votes

33%

who cares just win it!

31 votes

92 votes | Poll has closed

I am floored and in awe. After the many years of second half runs, I have to admit that I hade signed off on a rebuilding year. The first half of the year I endured constant guff from 1.2 million "non-A's" fans of san diego. Yellow and green drew as many comments as stares. I clinged to the hope that despite his streaks, Byrnes would remain an A. At the time, I would have been content with Byrnes staying as an A being a good rebuilding year. That said..........
After all these years you would think I would be able to keep the faith, and I have beane reborn!
It seems as if the rebuilding year has become only a chemistry rebuilding year, and it is over. The valant run to date is fantastic and with Barry regaining confidence, (note to Macha, he will always be a Cy canidate if he NEVER throws above 105 pitches!!!)Harden doing what we ALL knew he would, Haren consistently getting better with, and I know it seems a strech, Hudson like quick outs, we are in a position for thw wild card if not the AL west title! I believe we need one more trade to bolster our run at the AL west.
Being a oakland-sana cruz to san diego transplant,
I saw a full J.Payton season, even had the pleasure of meeting him a few times @ my job, he will have Byrnes like batting streaks, but as Peter Gammons said, Eric Byrnes HAD to make those exciting diving plays BECAUSE he misjudged the fly ball in the first place. Now that may not always be true, but Payton is a good fill in outfielder who will be consistent good glove.

The Trade? Prospects for Dunn. Maybe Cruz and Blanton.....blasphemy you say? Meyer will be ready next year to at least pitch s well as Blanton I feel, this year plus one at a discount for Dunn seems long enough to develope replacmente talent, knowing we won't resign Dunn after next year. He K's a lot, ( 1-3 I think) but he would provide a HR threat, even though it is from the left side. I believe Blanton is expendable because Joe Kennedy will become a great 3-5 starter effectively replacing the left hand consistent arm of Mulder. Heck we strike out so little we have room for dunn, we can keep the team we have and go for the wild card, but I think a move for dunn would give us at leats a statement to counter Vlad......on a side note, caught the entire A's San juan Capistrano-Los Angeles-Riverside Angels of The greater Los Angeles basin and Anaheim series, It was a great time to be wearing the yellow and gold in disneys stadium!!!
Go A's

Poll

Do the A's make one final deal before the deadline?

39%

Who cares, just keep winning and beat the Angels!

26 votes

33%

Yes, they need one more bat!

22 votes

27%

No, why would you ever screw with th new found Chemistry!

18 votes

66 votes | Poll has closed