Hello A's fans!  I've met several of you over the years and hope that you are up for another A's tailgate on Saturday.  I just returned from Oakland and had a blast tailgating with everyone from the Bay Area.  Let's keep this thing going and meet up in the front row/corner lot near right field so that we can discuss our beloved team again.  The renovated K is worth seeing if you haven't already so come on down.   

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"Half a league.  Half a league.  Cannons to the right of me.  Cannons to the left of me.  Cannons in front of me."

This excerpt made me think of our season in a nutshell.  Every time we believe that we are starting to make progress in one area- BOOM!- we quickly find out that we are staring down the barrel of a gun.

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Well as a celebration that May is now over combined with the win today, I thought it was okay to come out and post and in-game thread diary that affects the division.  The Mariners are currently trying like hell to make up the deficit and have cut it to 4-3 as of now.  Let's see if our end to May can end with a Mariner victory and get us a little closer, as Hawk would say, to the "bad guys."

With all of the technology improvements in today's world... it takes the younger folks to help us middle-aged (30's style) people keep up with everything.  I humbly request the aid of the most intelligent sports-bloggers around.  It's new laptop time and I feel clueless even after educating myself over the last couple of weeks.

So many of you have posted live shots of TV on AN and if Directv monopolizes EI, I will promise to do the same once I figure it all out.

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I know it's crazy to post pictures from Spring Training now but I did put the time into taking them so I wanted to share them with the good people of AN.  I hope you enjoy them.

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SI has published their version of proposed starters for this year's All-Star game and it continues to baffle me as to the blatant disregard of players who deserve to make the ballot.  

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/john_donovan/05/31/al.allstars/index.html

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Phil Nevin has been traded to Chicago for Jerry Hairston.

Click here....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2464915

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As a person who has lived near the KC area and hung out with several of their fans... I find this completelely humorous yet very sad at the same time.  I apologize if this may have been posted elsewhere.

"Chad Carroll auctioned off 25 years of loyalty to the Royals for only $278.47" which seems like a "roll back" price equivalent to what their owner, David Glass, spends on his entire roster.

Read story...
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/05/03/bc.bba.royals.allegiance.ap/index.html

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I have a lot to learn about digital cameras and not enough time before leaving for Phoenix.  PLEASE HELP!

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Just read this Susan Slusser article a few minutes ago and didn't see if anyone else posted it or not.

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Why does everyone hate Nick Swisher?  He is a good player and should play all the time.  Everyone is hating him and for what?  

People need to quit hating Huston Street because of all the saves he blew this year.  The guy is rookie of the year but why doesn't anyone like him?  He is a good closer and doesn't throw as hard as Dotel but he's good.

How come nobody thinks Blanton did a good job?  He probably doesn't know how to pitch yet but he's only a rookie and Redman probably would have done much better anyway, right?  Blanton is a good pitcher.  He pitches good.  Nobody knows how good of a pitcher he is yet but I'm tellin you everyone will like him more next year.

Dan Johnson is a great player but he gets no respect from anyone around here.  Does anyone really know that he is a good player for being a rookie?  No one respects him but you'll see how wrong you were about him after another year of playing for the A's.  He is going to be great.

The A's may not have any chance next year with the team they are fielding but people need to not dog them for the year they had this year.  They could have been much worse and finishing second ain't all that bad really is it?  At least they won the AL West and Texas hasn't lately and everyone's payroll is higher.

Obviously the odds are stacked against this team but, hell, when were they not?  Low payroll, young talent and our only high-priced free agents are out for the year.  Then you have the Lost Angels of Santa Domingo Sisters of the Poor (or I guess rich now!) spending Arte's money on all kinds of free agents including an MVP named Vlad.  We should be done, right?  WRONG!!

Let's look at the pitching matchups and why this season is not over.  Come on now...

Tonight:

Kenny Rogers vs. Dan Haren
Reason we'll win- MOTIVATION- This guy specifically asked if he could pitch to us.  While yes you can, Mr. Rogers, and you'll see later on tonight that it was a mistake to ask to face the A's.  Go shove another poor camera man down on the 30-yard line tonight since the stadium will still have a football-feel.  JACKASS!@%

Saturday:

R.A. Dickey vs. Barry Zito
Reason we'll win- Zito ain't losing to a guy name R.A. and we'll leave it at that.

Sunday:

Juan Dominguez vs. Joe Blanton
Reason we'll win- Dominguez actually scares me a little bit but Blanton (to borrow a Zito quote) has been "out of his tree."  He is arguably the best pitcher in the AL right now.  

Monday:
John Lackey vs. Kirk Saarloos
Reason we'll win- Lackey has been soooo dominant against the A's this year and the guy is due to lose.  The real reason we win this game is because the Angels offense will finally slow down after having to average 8 runs to win 2 of 3 from Tampa Bay.  We are so due to hit Lackey this year.

Tuesday:
Ervin Santana vs. Joe Kennnedy
Reason we'll win- Santana has thrown very well against the A's this year but each start he has gotten progressively worse or, at least, easier to figure out vs. the rest of the league.  More video means better AB's and he also doesn't pitch as well on the road.  Kennedy has really pitched well while filling in for Harden with the exception of the Minnesota game.  I really believe he knows the entire world is against him and that mentality will lead him to victory on Tuesday.  I predict a gem by Kennedy.

Wednesday
Paul Byrd vs. Dan Haren
Reason we'll win- Byrd is very hittable and he used to play for the KC Royals.  The A's will remember that and treat him like the overachieving pitcher that he really has become.  His old style wind up will fail him and Haren will be nails.

Thursday
Jarod Washburn vs. Barry Zito
Reason we'll lose... YES... lose- Because this game will be for the sweep.  Everyone will be back on the A's bandwagon and Zito will give us an inner-assurance that the victory is somehow guaranteed.  However... the A's will make us pull our hair out once more and remind us that we all said we would be happy with 3 out of 4.

This will give us a one game lead heading into our respective series with Seattle and Texas.  All I'm saying is that we still have a chance.  We may not see Colon if my matchups end up being correct and that is a blessing because I would have predicted the Angels to win if he was scheduled to pitch.  What an amazing year so far but there is much more to come...

Agree or disagree?  You can't see it happening?  Sure you can!  Look closely and have faith!!!

I swore that I would never post this MOJO thread again but I have no choice at this point.  Please leave a positive A's comment in this thread but leave the negative stuff for another thread.  I realize that this posting hinges just before the A's are going to head out for a BRUTAL road trip but I still have faith in these boys.  

The Angels of "wherever the F--K!" are capable of scoring two runs or less every night so I'll be damned if I'm ready to throw in the frickin' towel at this point!!  The Angels have pitched like Cy Young no matter who is on the mound and it's ridiculous to think it will continue.  The bats, however, could remain sleepy because their lineup is not nearly what it once was and their bullpen has been very shaky.  Shields is wild, Donnelly looks like the worst pitcher in baseball, Mary Kay-Rod is no longer dominate and you can tell it's all between their own ears.   Sorry for any intended bad language but it feels necessary right now.  

I am going with Matt Watson as the key cog in oiling our little, lovable machine back into running condition. I sure hope he plays tonight but I see no other remaining choice short of Rickey coming back.  Gosh... we really do need a leadoff hitter right now!

Go A's!  Lean on A's Nation and we'll provide a little extra pop in your bat tonight and beyond!!

The post must go on because it's been 7-0 since inception.  I somehow dropped one victory off my diary at some point but that figures for a guy who never gets any sleep because he stays up watching A's games, waiting for Blez's commentary, AN posts and Urban's innocent first account of the game.  You know the "rough draft" without the interviews or the clever punch that shows up after he has had a couple of cervezas.  

My non-prediction last night figured Kielty to have a good night and... oh boy... was it ever a good night for Mr. Heatmiser against Mary Kay-Rod.

http://www.cmsrun.org/graphics/heatmiser5.gif

That is literally one of the best baseball games I have ever seen in my lifetime.  Another favorite was Ramon dropping the bunt down against Boston in extra-frames so this team always seems to do it in dramatic fashion.  My man, Huston, honestly looked like he was intentionally challenging "BIG BAD VLAD" to a duel by letting Chone & GA reach base via the free pass.   I'll never know for sure!  

Tonight I am hoping for another victory and I believe that Diego is about ready for Dad to crank another one onto the miniature golf course in left-center.  A little medium "oppo" if you will.  Go Athletics of Oakland, CA!!!

Positive A's comment = Negative Angels comment

I am posting tonight in the hopes that we go 6-0 in the "MOJO" thread posting and there will be no predictions.  However, the hero that I chose the last two games actually played great the following game.  Go Ronnie Kietly!  This post is more of an anti-Halo post because I hate (I mean dislike) the Angels and for a lot of reasons.

Remember an Anti-Halo comment = a postive A's comment.

Part I- I dislike the Angels fan base because they have an entirely misconceived perception of the actual success of their franchise.  Congrats on the W.S. victory a couple of years back but this in no way makes you an elite franchise.  I dislike the Rally Monkey.  I really HATE that those stupid little sticks are going to be smacked together all night tonight because it may drive Bill King crazy.  "Holy Toledo of Sylvania, OH!"  I think they served their purpose against the Yankees but this is not the playoffs and we are no damn Yankees.  Hey... feel free to pull out the Rally Monkey if we get to Colon early.  You can come back and then "Mary Kay-Rod" can let another ball fall short of his glove while he is pouting about the strike zone.  Speaking of pouting- Ref. Part II & III below

Part II- Huddler and Physioc are horrible.  I actually have to listen to them on the telecast tonight because MLB is carrying their feed and I don't have KICU.  Hopefully XM Radio will save my life tonight but the moments leading up to finding out whose announcers are calling the game on XM are quite tense.  Back to Hudd & Fizz... Huddler acts like they are the greatest team of all-time even as they continue to get swept by those Rays.  Look!  We have 4 integral rookies and a 50 million dollar payroll yet we are still leading the division by 1 game.  How 'bout them apples, Wonder Dog?  Physioc is an ass-kisser and not really worth talking about.  Is he related to Alan Colmes from "Hannity & Colmes?"

Part III- I meandered over to "another" website and found some shocking news!  Extra! Extra!!Angels fans are finally upset with their beloved Sciosia (or Socsia... whichever spelling version you prefer).  Remember when Blez traded questions and the remarks were made about Sciosha being untouchable by their fan base?  Hmmm... I guess Soash-uh must have finally done something wrong in make-believe "Mickey Mouseland!"  Is he the biggest "cry baby" of all current coaches in MLB?  He whines about every call and thinks he can rattle players by checking up on their uniform code or complaining about how they use the rubber when throwing a pitch.  What a little biatch!

Part IV- The rocks behind the stadium fences look entirely stupid and remind me of Phase II of the miniature golf course that was supposed to be built had their been a second part to "Overboard."  Didn't see that one, huh? It's a good, wholesome family movie that is much too clean for Disney Family channel or MTV.  Back to the rocks... hopefully Lew Wolff will deliver a better stadium than that plastic looking toy.  The Rally Monkey is played out like my "MOJO" post so PLEASE get rid of it!

Part V- Is that really Bartolo Colon's hair or is it a hair piece that is sewn to his hat?  I really don't understand where the hair stops growing and where his neck begins so let's hire a PI and get to the bottom of this.  I know that it's rude to make a comment but he is the one that continues to wear it that way.... so he is really kind of open to criticism IMO.  Do the words "GET IN MY BELLY" fit this guy at all?

Part VI- Kick their ass tonight, A's.  I know Colon hasn't lost in awhile but the game of baseball proves that over time things tend to even out.  Regardless of what happens tonight I wouldn't trade this A's TEAM for the world.  They have been more incredible than I can put into words this year and I smell a W.S. or two in the next 5 years.  Let's go A's!!!!  Kick some ASS*%@(#*&@%^

The "FRICKIN' MOJO" thread is now going for 5-0 and I will hope that it continues for yet another day.  I was going to be thrilled with a 3 out 4 series win but now I WANT IT ALL!  Mainly because Baltimore and KC sent things south for us last week.

I'm going with Bobby Kielty today as the key guy against the lefty.  Bedard is having a great year but his long-term stats tell me that we will get to him.  Hopefully Mr. Saarloos is up to his regular bag of tricks!  

My predictions are 3-1 so I'm done making them for the most part.  Go A's!!!  AN MOJO will aid you in your quest... just lean on us whenever you need a little positive push.

This is my mandatory post for continuing the A's winning streak.  I predicted Payton to deliver 3 rbi's yesterday but the guy ended up going 4-5 and was an obvious key to the win yesterday.  He was batted in 3 times... so good enough for me.

My key to the game today will be Nick Swishah.  He will deliver the KEY blow for MOJO and there will be no predictions beyond that.

Go A's!  Let's STOMPer the s*** out of 'em!!!!

Though there have been few comments to the "MOJO" thread in general, the A's have won 3 games during that span so it must continue.  My picks have been Chavvy to hit a homerun in Gm 1(and he did), Kendall to come up big in Gm 2 (and he somehow did) and Crosby to come up with 3 hits in Gm 3 (the homerun, 2 rbi and walk combined are good enough for me).  The Royals are beatin' the Yanks and Tampa Bay brought us very close to the California Angels soon to be from "Death Valley!" Here goes with the continuance of the "FRICKIN' MOJO" to keep flying along with the A's.  Game 4's positive comment/prediction:

Jay Payton will help out J. Kennedy by delivering 3 r'sbi in an A's 9-4 victory keeping Nico's version of double-digit scoring intact!!  

Leave an AN positive comment so the baseball gods will remain with our beloved A's.  Go Athletics!!!

The "Oriole Mojo" was evident last time when they handed the A's an unexpected sweep (God... did that really happen?).  Well this week it's time to turn the tables on them and my hope is actually for a 3 out of 4 series victory so we can get back on our ol' track.  Let's leave some positive comments as to why things will be different this time.  I predicted Chavvy would hit a homerun in his first game back and he did.  I also said Kendall would get things figured out and he exceeded my expectations by getting 3 hits instead of 2.  Here is a start for Game #1 vs. the OREOS:

#1- Blanton will finally be given ample run support of 7 runs continuing the string of high-scoring affairs for the A's in a 7-3 victory.  The biggest help will come from Mr. Bobby Crosby as he regains his stroke to right field, goes 3 for 5 and gives us all hope for the future.  Go Royals, Rays, Jays and, of course, A's.  

Please leave some positive comments thereby aiding the A's in the "Mojo REVERSE" that has  recently shown signs of going away.  

Let's go Oakland!!  

Well... we definitely created some seriously good vibes for the A's last night so there really seems to be a need to keep this going.  As I have always done (you know... one day in a row and all) I will begin by leading off with a positive statement.  Positive statements are the ONLY type of statements allowed within this thread.

#1- Jason Kendall will bat #2 behind Ellie and have two crucial hits delivering Zito more run support than he will need in a 7-3 decisive rubber game victory.  

Remember last night that I predicted that Chavvy would jack one for his new son and that came true.  Well... obviously Kendall needs positive mojo as much as anyone in the baseball world so I'll anticpate his luck changing today.  No predictions on his first homer of the year, though.

Kick some ass today, A's!!  AN will help deliver another victory.

The A's are in an obvious slump and it's time to start moving towards positive vibes before it's too late for this team.  Please add your positive comments (and only positive comments) to this thread.  I will begin the process of why the A's will turn things around tonight and I wonder if Vlad's wife might be having a baby anytime soon???

#1- Eric Chavez will hit a homerun for his brand new baby boy and the A's score an unbelievable 6 runs for a 6-4 Saarloos victory over Bond Her Man.

First of all let me say "thanks" to Blez for allowing me to create the "In Billy We Trust/Athletics Nation" sign for the weekend series in KC.  I finished the beautiful thing around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, got home to watch the Minnesota game that was DVR'd that day (even though I had listened to it live already), did a bunch of laundry, packed the ever-crucial A's gear and then got on the road at 6:00 a.m. the next morning to watch the hottest team this side of the Death Valley sun*!*  To simply put it... I was tired up until game-time all of the days in KC because I played golf during the day on Friday/Saturday and had too many cervezas at night.  However, once gametime arrived... everything was fine.

Although I was unable to bring the sign to the game on Friday night, I told A's fans to look for it on Saturday and Sunday.  I stood up much of the game including every time the game returned from a commercial or the A's scored a run, which was quite often in case you forgot.  After a while there were several people who got really pissed off at me for standing up but I didn't really care.  Although a couple of fans shouted "sit the 'f' down" over and over in front of my 13-year old nephew (which really pissed me off) I still held the sign up with all the energy I could muster.  The kid painted his hair green for God's sakes so they should have known we were rabid about our frickin' A's!!  Next... the fans threw peanuts until a couple of them hit me in the head but I still persevered while thinking of Mark Ellis hitting that solo shot against the Twins to cut the game to a one-run lead.  You know... after "Rolaids Relief Man" Billy "Goat" Koch blew the game ruining a great chance at a World Series IMO.  Seriously, do you remember how jacked up Ellis looked when he hit that homerun?  It was reminiscent of when Louden Swain came out to wrestle Brian Chute in "Vision Quest" while "Red Rider's- Lunatic Fringe" is thumping your surround sound.  Well anyway... that was my attitude and all be damned if I'm gonna let a bunch of poor sports ruin my chances of getting AN some exposure.  Oh... that was only Saturday's game too.

Once I got back to the hotel I was reading my text version of the Internet and saw that my name was on the website, which was very exciting because this site is so frickin' incredible that I often have a hard time believing it even exists.  Honestly, my nephew and I were just PROUD of getting AN any exposure of any kind.  Seriously PROUD!  Then we went down to the Business Center of the Clarion Hotel and pulled up the website on their 386 CPU and there was a picture of the sign for all to see.  Side note-- I actually do have a mouth unlike the black spot that seems to have replaced it in the picture.  Too bad there was no mention of it on TV but, hey, that's okay.  One day at a time...

On Sunday it was extremely hot at the game and I still exposed the sign quite a bit especially at the end of the game but I guess there was no TV exposure.  Surprising because there was no one two rows in front or back of me after the 7th inning.  One guy was yelling at me the first four innings and when I say he looked like Lackey I am not kidding.  Hopefully the picture turns out well enough to show you guys because this guy hit every branch on the way down the ugly tree... including a pile of them laying on the ground before he fell.  He was a Boston fan in KC and said the A's sucked.  I had to remind him that the four titles of 72, 73, 74 and 89 didn't take 86 years to complete but that never sunk in with his limited IQ.  I should have told "Slingblade" to watch his mouth too because my nephew "is just a boy."  Sorry Blez for stealing your line.

Lastly, let me also kind of back up by saying that I met several AN'ers before the game and had my picture taken with several other A's fans along with my sign.  They all loved it!  I asked those people to post so hopefully they will do so in the near future.  I met smith1051, jennifer, athleticsfan4ever and have forgotten a couple of names but it was great to meet you all.  jennifer was very nice.  smith1051 was a blast.  I believe athleticsfan4ever just stopped by to say hi but he seemed like a great guy too.

I'll be hoping that Fosse is on my TV tonight rather than "Wonder Mutt" and his pal, DIPSHIT! Otherwise I have to go to the "self-promoting network" and that won't be any fun.  Go A's!!  

More to come... photos with me and my AN tee, along with a 1973 Oakland A's World Series Trophy... but that will probably be next week.  

Look for a sign!

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By trading Hudson and Mulder it was well documented that the joke of Moneyball was soon to be exposed... according to those that KNOW the game.  

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