Stuff

The Questions

1. Series Outcome. 3 Games. [3 points]

2. Albert Pujols. Since the last time we saw him, Albert Pujols is doing quite a bit better at the plate, though his numbers will surely remain pretty terrible until a good bit of the season has gone. He even had an 8-game hit streak going into Sunday's game! Does he get a hit in every game of the series? Guess his: H / XBH / HR. [1 point, then 2 points each, 7 total]

3. Jered vs. Jarrod. After Jarrod Parker's debacle against San Francisco, it is hard to imagine him going up against Jered Weaver in Wednesday's day game. For both pitchers, guess their: IP / BB / K / Pitches Thrown (+/-3). [2 points each, then 3 pts., 18 possible]

4. You Make the Lineup Card. With Coco likely back on the team, the outfield may settle down a bit. Or maybe not? Name the starting LF, CF, RF, and DH for each game. [1 point each, 12 total]

5. Was Josh a Fluke? It sure was fun to see/hear Josh Donaldson's "breakout game" against the Giants. While it will be nice to see more of this, it is hard to be too optimistic. Yes or no, does Josh have a multi-hit game? Does he have a multi-run game? A multiple RBI game? A multiple Strikeout game? [1 point each, 4 total]

6. Cook Watch. Ryan Cook is up to 18 appearances, 20.2 IP, without giving up a Run. He has only allowed 4 hits, and none of his 6 Inherited Runners have scored. Guess his: Appearances / H / K. Does he allow an IR to score? [2 points each, then 1 pt., 7 total]

7. Obligatory WPA. Both the A's and the Angels are really hoping to see better production out of their infield corners, and their DH (though sometime DH Mark Trumbo is hiting the cover off the ball). Which team has a better cumulative WPA for each of the positions: 1B, 3B, and DH. What player has the best single game performance at any of these positions? [2 points each, then 4 points, 10 total]

(Possible points = 61.)

Answers must be poted by Gametime (7:05 p.m.).

This is stupid. Really, I am the very last person to do a GOG about a game between the A's and the San Francisco Giants. For one thing, I HATE everything about the National League. Well, what I hate is that they refuse the DH, which is fine for them but shouldn't apply to exhibition interleague play. I also know absolutely next-to-nothing about the Giants. I am a total homer, and have almost no idea who is on their roster. Yes, I actively ignore the Giants, as opposed to my occasional, spurious interest in the Brewers or the Dodgers or the Mets.

But, abandoned to my lonely task as GOG-Mod (for which I was neither nominated nor selected), here goes with a quick-as-fire fill-in GOG.

Stuff

The Questions

1. Series Outcome. Three Games. What a bore. [3 points]

2. Hitting Question. The A's may have 33 homeruns, but they sit last in the league with a BA of .215, based on a BABIP that is league worst at .256. What is the A's BA for the series, +/-.010? What is their BABIP, +/-.010? [3 points each, 6 total] Consolation questions - score points for these only if you are not correct on the earlier questions: Is the A's BA higher or lower than .215? Is their BABIP higher or lower than .256? [1 point each, 2 possible - but only if you miss the higher scoring questions]

3. Starting Pitcher Question. Of the 6 starters, how many will have a Game Score above 50? Whose will be highest? Whose lowest? Which A's pitcher gets a hit? Which A's pitcher lays down a successful Sacrifice Bunt? (Obviously, "None" is acceptable for these last two.) [2 points each, 10 total]

4. Someone interesting from the Other Team. Well, I am sure there isn't one, but I did read a fangraphs article about some raking hitter named Cabrera but not on the Tigers. Yeah, it confused me, too, even more so when I found out his name was "Melky." To his credit, he already has 50 hits, and leads the Giants in both Runs and in RsBI. What are his PA / H / Runs / RsBI? [2 points each, 8 total]

5. An Athletic on Fire or Not. Dude, this is so Josh Reddick. He now has 10 homeruns, and an OPS that is a very un-A's-like .883. Guess his HR / H / K. Does his OPS reach .890, yes or no? [2 points each, then 1 pt., 7 total]

6. Some interesting Statistic or Comparative Metric. Fangraphs has been strongly pushing the Shutdown/Meltdown stat as a replacement for the Save, which they rightly think skews salaries, contract length, etc. A Shutdown is when a relief pitcher increases his team’s win probability by 6% (0.060 WPA), and a Meltdown is the opposite (-.060 WPA). Name a pitcher from each team who gets a Shutdown and one from each team who gets a Meltdown ("None" is acceptable for any of these.) [2 points each, 8 total]

7. Obligatory WPA. Name the three players from each team with the highest WPA in the series, in any game. (That is, a single game could have two or even all three of these!). As always, you can guess the same player twice if you think they will have two of the highest WPA scores. [3 points each, 18 possible]

(Possible points = 60.)

Answers must be poted by Gametime (7:05 p.m.).

[Due to the late posting of the GOG, I avoided questions that depend heavily on tonight's game. Late entries will be accepted, up to the end of the fifth inning. If you miss it, well, point totals will be low.]

Stuff

The Questions

1. Series Outcome. 3 Games. [3 points] A's, 2-1

2. Homerun Question. Welcome to the Monster. Do the two teams hit More then, Fewer than, or Exactly 9 HRs together in the series? [3 points] Fewer than 9 HRs (5 - Reddick, Ortiz 2, Aviles, McDonald)

3. Starting Pitcher Question. Jarrod Parker had a solid debut last week. Guess: IP / H / BB / K. [2 points each, 8 total] 6.2 IP / 4 H / 2 BB / 4 K

4. Someone interesting from the Other Team. Ryan Sweeney is apparently making the most of his opposite field skills, to the tune of a League-leading 11 doubles, a slugging percentage of .567 and an OPS of .962. What are his PA / H / 2Bs? [2 points each, 6 total] 7 PA / 1 H / 1 2B

5. An Athletic on Fire or Not. Brandon Inge is reportedly starting Monday night's game. Does he start Tuesday? Wednesday? [1 point each, 2 total] Yes, Starts on Tuesday / Yes, on Wednesday

6. Some interesting Statistic or Comparative Metric. The Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox are at 120, 118, and 116 runs scored, respectively. What is the order of the three teams at the end of their games on Wednesday? [1 point for each correct, 3 total] High to Low - Rangers (136), Red Sox (132), Yankees (121)

7. Obligatory WPA. Who has the Highest and Lowest single game WPA for each Team. Position players and pitchers are allowed. For 1 additional point each, guess the WPA within .050. The additional points only kick in if you choose the correct player! [2 points each, then 2 pts. additional, 16 possible] A’s, McCarthy (.310) & Milone (-.349) / Sox, Middlebrooks (.162) & Doubront (-.210)

A’s, McCarthy = .260 to .360 / Milone = -.299 to -.399 / Middlebrooks .112 to .212 / Doubront -.160 to -.260

(Possible points = 41.)

Answers must be posted by the end of the Fifth Inning, Game 1, Monday night (time variable).

Look Out - Here Comes Cleveland

Stuff

The Questions

1. Series Outcome. Three games back in Oakland! Cleveland comes in 5-1 on the road. [3 points]

2. Who digs the Long Ball? The A's have 12 homers already, through the first 14 games. Last year, their 12th homer took them until Game 27! How many HRs do they hit this series? Who hits one? ("Nobody" is a possible, if motivationally suspect, answer.) [3 points each, 6 total]

3. What's the Game Score. Among the A's starters - Graham Godfrey, Brandon McCarthy and Tyson Ross - who has the best Game Score? How many have a Game Score over 50? For each, is their Game Score higher or lower than their opponent? (Game Score is an easily calculable metric that better captures a pitcher's performance than Quality Start.) [2 points, then 1 pt. each, 6 total]

4. Meet the 2014 Indians. Cleveland recently locked up the arbitration years of Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana. Cabrera is on the bereavement list, but we can expect some fire from their impressive young catcher. Which team's catchers have more: H / XBH / K? And defensively, which team has more Thrown Out Stealing / PBs? (You can call for "A's," "Cleveland," or "Tie" in any of these.) [1 point each, 5 total]

5. Reddick makes my... Josh Reddick heated up in Anaheim, throwing out runners at will, hitting the ball hard all over the park (at least until the last game). How does he fare, back in the offense-depressive Coliseum? Guess his H / XBH / BB / K. Does he throw out any runners (doubling them off counts)? [2 points each, then 1 pt., 9 total]

6. Three for Three Four. Jonny Gomes mildly spoiled this question late in the last game by lining a single in the 8th. Before that, he had 3 Hits, 3 Jacks, ISO = .500. Does Gomes hit a HR? Does he get a hit that is not a homerun? He also has 10 Ks in 21 ABs. How many Gomes Ks for the series? Does his K/AB end up at or above 50%? [1 point each, then 2 points each, 6 total]

7. Obligatory WPA. Name the position players with the highest WPA for each team, each game. That makes 6 total guesses (you can name the same player twice if you think they'll do it twice). It does not matter which game the player has the highest WPA. (That is, if you guess "Donaldson," he can lead the A's in any of the three games for you to score points. If he leads in two games, you only get points for one, unless you name him twice. Any takers?) [2 points each, 12 total]

(Possible points = 47.)

Answers must be poted by Friday Gametime (7:05 p.m.).

Did we start the season? Yes. But for anyone who may have missed it, the A's and Mariners are hitting the "reset" button. Of course, the results of the original series aren't tossed out, but it is already getting hard to remember last week's results..

Even if you missed GOG #1 (March baseball?), you should start playing now. Most everyone misses a few, and some folks drop off along the way.

Also, please "rec" this post so it doesn't get knocked off the shelf. When you come back to score, "unrec" it and it will disappear.

GOG #02 - Let's Re-sink the Re-Mariners!

Stuff

The Questions

Final Update. A's lose both games, but Cespedes is en route to 121 homers this year. Update after Game 1 - A's lost 7-3. McCarthy gets roughed up, things go downhill form there. We forgot to win against the guy that isn't Felix Hernandez.

1. Series Outcome. Another splitsville? A two-game sweep? You call the Series Outcome! [2 points] M's sweep, 2-0

2. Getting better all the time? Ok, we lost our 8th straight Opening Day, but the good news is that we kept Felix Hernandez from getting his first Win of 2012. Can we do better this time around: How many hits do the A's get off Felix? Do they get a home run? Does Felix get a Complete Game? A Win? Does Felix have a Hit Batsman (HBP)? Does an A's third baseman commit an error? [2 points, then 1 point each, 7 total] A's, 8 H / Yes, A's Hit HR (Weeks) / No CG / Yes, Felix Win / Yes, Felix has HBP (Cespedes) / No 3B Error in Game

3. Control is everything. Brandon McCarthy and Bartolo Colon could turn out to be a helluva 1-2 punch this year - or maybe they are just pitching against the Mariners. The good news is that in their 15 IP, they have 1 BB and 9 Ks. Guess Over/Under/Exact for the following combined stats: 14 IP / 2 BB / 10 K / 3 Runs Allowed. [1 point each, 4 total] Under (9.1 IP) / Exactly (2 BB) / Under (6 K) / Over (12 Runs Allowed)

4. Moving Back the Fences. Yes, the A's hit 3 HRs in two games in Japan, and the M's hit 2. But now we head back to Oakland. How many HRs for each team over the two games? Name 1 player on each team who hits a HR ("none" is acceptable answer, obviously). [3 points each, then 2 points each, 10 possible] A's, 3 HRs - Cespedes (2) & Weeks / M's 1 - Saunders

5. Remove the Bunting, Please. Just Run Faster. When will it end? Even if sacrifice bunts are occasionally called for, the A's nearly always seem to get it wrong. Yes or No, do the A's lay down a successful Sac Bunt this series? And while we're moving along the basepaths, guess the total SB and CS for each team. (Last series, the A's were 2-2, the M's 4-1.) [2 points, then 1 pt. each, 6 total] A's, No Sacs / A's, 0 SB - 0 CS / M's, 3 SB - 2 CS

6. Pick Your Poison. Choose any two A's position starters and guess their series totals: PA / H / BB / K. It doesn't matter if they start one or both games, but you can't guess for someone who is only coming off the bench. As of this writing, Josh Donaldson is pegged for the 3B start next game, and Adam Rosales has been sent down. I have no idea about 1B decisions, and some of us are still itching for a Collin Cowgill start, but may not get to scratch that one for a while. [2 points each, 16 possible]

Weeks, 10-3-0-1 / Crisp, 9-4-0-1 / Reddick, 8-3-0-2 / Gomes, 3-0-1-1

Smith, 5-2-1-0 / Cespedes, 8-2-0-4 / Suzuki, 8-1-0-1 / Donaldson, 4-0-0-1

Ka'aihue, 5-2-0-1 / Allen, 3-0-0-3 / Pennington, 8-0-0-1 / Sogard, 4-1-0-0

7. Can you hear a Pin Drop? At last year's Home Opener, the O.Co Coliseum sold out (36,067). For Game 2 on Saturday, attendance dropped to 15,088. Is the Game 2 attendance Over or Under last year's? Guess the actual attendance. [1 point, then variable: 5 points for +/-50, 3 pts. for +/-250, 1 pt. for +/-1000; 6 points possible] Over Last Year's Attendance / 16, 612 (5 pts., 16,562-16,662; 3 pts., 16,362-16,862; 1 pt., 15,612-17,612)

(Possible points = 51.)

Answers must be poted by Friday Gametime (7:05 p.m.).

And now, on to the Real Thing. ... Or is it? These games against the Mariners have a bit of the Exhibition feel, and while I think it is great p.r. and fun for players and fans alike, it is hard to think that it has relevance to the actual 2012 season. No matter, let's GOG!

Your answers must be posted by the first pitch of the first game. It is useful to check back before gametime, because sometimes you may have skipped a question, and the GOG creator or someone else will point it out. Feel free to ask for clarifications, as the questions are sometimes ambiguous or even wrong.

GOG #01 - Let's Sink the Mariners!

Seven out of our first eleven games are against the M's - and two of the first three will be against Felix Hernandez. (N.b., the Lookout Landing tagline is "Felix is ours and you can't have him.") This does not bode well for an undefeated season, and anyway, the A's have had us on a bit of a roller-coaster ride all winter. First, they dumped a lot of talent and semi-talent (for future talent), and ANers were talking about losing 100 games. Then, a series of acquisitions, which crescendoed in the signing of Yoenis Cespedes, had many of us thinking that we were again a .500 and better team. As of this writing, the A's have open questions at 1B and 3B, but everything looks pretty stable.

Stuff

The Questions

1. Series Outcome. A's and M's could be the Battle for the Basement. What is the Series Outcome? [2 points] Tie, 1-1

2. Bad Memories. On last year's Opening Day, Felix Hernandez held the A's to 5 hits and 2 runs in a nine inning complete game. The highlight came early: Josh Willingham's first inning homer (click to view) was amazing. How many hits do the A's get off Felix? Do they get a home run? Does Felix get a Complete Game? Also in the bad memory department, Kevin Kouzmanoff kicked (!) off the year with 2 errors and a mis-play. Does an A's third-baseman commit an error on Opening Day? [2 points, then 1 point each, 5 total] 5 Hits off Felix / 0 HR / No CG / Yes, Error (Sogard)

3. Our new ace. All eyes are on Brandon McCarthy, the new A's #1. Guess his IP / BB / K. Is his FIP above or below 3.00? [2 points each, then 1 pt., 7 total] 7 IP / 0 BB / 3 K / FIP Over 3.00 (3.05)

4. Cuban Demigod. We sure have a lot of eyes. All the rest of them are on Yoenis Cespedes, the A's hope for real power over the next four years and more. Guess Cespedes's H / XBH / HR / K over both games. [2 points each, 8 total] 2 H / 2 XBH / 1 HR / 3 K

5. At the Corners. The competitions for starting first baseman and third baseman - Brandon Allen and Kila Ka'aihue with Daric Barton left at home; Eric Sogard, Josh Donaldson, and Adam Rosales [and maybe even Wes Timmons!] at the hot corner until a better option comes along - will definitely continue past Opening Day. We want to see production now. For each position, guess number of times On Base (H+BB+HBP), XBH, Ks, Errors. (Pinch hitters do not count unless they are also the defensive replacement.) [2 points each, 16 total] Firstbase: 1 OB / 0 XBH / 2 K / 0 E; Thirdbase: 1 OB / 0 XBH / 0 K / 1 E

6. Return of the Japanese Mariners. Ichiro Suzuki, Munenori Kawasaki, and Hisashi Iwakuma are all traveling to Japan, though it is not clear if Kawasaki will be on the 25-man roster. Ichiro hasn't played in Japan since 2001, and both Kawasaki and Iwakuma have barely left the island! Guess the following: Ichiro's H; Kawasaki's Games Played; Iwakuma's IP. [2 points each, 6 total] Suzuki, 4 H / Kawasaki, 0 G / Iwakuma, 0 IP

7. Better End of the Pen. Let's not forget the Grant Balfour vs. Brian Fuentes closer duel, resolved correctly in favor of the cursing Australian. Which has more of: Appearances / IP / R / BB / K (tie is acceptable answer). [1 point each, 5 total] Balfour, Appearances (2-1) / Balfour, IP (2-1) / Tie, BB (0-0) / Tie, Runs (0-0) / Balfour, K (1-0)

(Possible points = 49.)

Answers must be poted by Wednesday Gametime (3:05 a.m.) - which feels more like Tuesday night, so don't get lost across the international dateline!

You know Spring Training is over when ... the first GOG shows up in the AN Fanposts!

For those of you who don't know, GOG is AN's Guess the Outcome Game. Before each series, a volunteer will post a series of questions - Guess Brandon McCarthy's IP / H / BB [2 pts. each], for instance; or, Will Chris Carter get any PAs this series [1 pt.]; or, Name 1 player on each team to hit a HR [2 pts. each] - and everybody makes their best guesses in the Comments. After the series, we tally up, and keep a running score throughout the season.

In last year's GOG 2011 #00 post, Colin offered a nice history of the GOG, and you can see some representative samples by cuppingmaster (2011 #14) or me (2011 #48).

What I love about GOGging is that it splits the difference between statistical expectations and the wild randomness that will always characterize a two-, three-, or four-game series. If you play, you'll learn just how useful statistics like WAR, wOBA, WPA, Game Score, and FIP can be - but you'll also get to guess whether Jemile Weeks gets his 12th three-bagger, or Grant Balfour gets another Save.

Who can play? Everyone! All you need to do is to check the Fanposts for the next GOG after each series ends, and put your guesses in the comments. After the series, check back and score yourself (answers will be posted). We can keep a running tally throughout the season.

What do we need? Volunteers to post new GOGs, and maybe someone to keep track of scores. And you! So, let's get started!

Season predictions - 2012 GOG #00

Every year since I've been playing, we start with a long-ish GOG that will be scored at the very end of the season. It isn't included in the overall scores, but has its own bragging rights. And, you can see just how drastically things can change in six months! (Last year, I guessed Daric Barton as the season fWAR leader, and Hideki Matsui with 21 homers - hahaha!)

Stuff You'll Need

The Questions

The Competition

1. What is Oakland's 2012 win total? [5 points, 3 points if within two or less]

2. Predict the final AL West rankings. [2 points for each correct, 8 points possible] Does Houston have a better record than any team in the AL West? [1 point]

3. Name the Division Winners and Wildcards for both Leagues (as if we could care). [0 pts. each, 0 total]

The Leaderboards

4. Last year, Josh Willingham led the team with 29 homers. Who is the 2012 home run leader of the A's? How many homers does he hit? [2 points each, 4 total]

5. Last year, Willingham was also the team leader in OPS (.810) - no other qualifying player even cracked .700, though Weeks and Scott Sizemore did. Who leads the team in OPS this year? How many players crack .700 (minimum PA = 300). [2 pts., then 4 pts. 6 total]

6. Which pitcher has the most: Innings Pitched? Wins? K's? [2 pts. each, 6 total]

Fan Faves

7. Brandon McCarthy's 2.86 FIP led the American League, and his 1.32 BB/9 was third (after Josh Tomlin and Dan Haren). Most commentators will probably say he is not expected to repeat that performance. Does he have a FIP < (below) 3.25? BB/9 < (below) 2.0? [2 pts. each, 4 total]

8. Jemile Weeks was such a highlight of 2011. In less than 100 games, he hit 26 doubles and 8 triples. Guess (+/-2 for each) his Hits / Doubles / Triples / Stolen Bases. [3 pts. each, 5 pts. for exact, 20 pts.possible]

9. Yoenis Cespedes. The Demigod. The mystery. Guess his Plate Appearances (+/-10) / Extra-Base Hits (+/- 5) / Home runs (+/-2). [3 pts. each, 5 for exact, 15 possible]

Old Friends and "All Stars"

10. We all miss Gio Gonzalez, but wish him well. Yes or no, does he reach 18 wins? 200 K's? Does he stay under 75 BB's? Is he in the NL Top 10 on the Cy Young Predictor (he was #10 in the AL in 2011)? [1 pt. each, 4 total]

11. Some of us miss Trevordactyl Cahill, and either wish him well or seek vindication for thinking him overhyped and undertalented. Does Cahill manage 10 wins? Does he have a FIP < 4.00? [1 pt. each, 2 total]

12. Same goes for Andrew Bailey. In his new pitcher-unfriendly digs, does he manage a WHIP < (below) 1.2? A K/9 > (above) 9.0? A K/BB > (above) 3.0? A HR/9 < (below) .80? How many Saves does he rack up (+/-1)? [1 pt. each, then 2 pts., 6 total]

13. And there went Josh Willingham. Although not an Athletic any longer, does Josh lead all Athletics in HRs? In RBIs? [2 pts. each, 4 total]

Changing Faces

14. First off, who the heck is even gonna be on the A's roster? Name the 3 pitchers who get the most Game Starts? Which of the outfielders - Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, Collin Cowgill, Seth Smith, Jonny Gomes, Manny Ramirez, Chris Carter, Jermaine Mitchell - get more than 350 PAs (DH PAs included, so long as they do not exceed 80% of the total PAs for that player)? [1 pt. each for SP; 2 pts. each for OF, but minus (-) 2 pts. for wrong guesses, maybe 15 possible points?]

15. Name two players who drop off the Opening Day 40-man roster by July 31, by trade or release or priesthood or whatever - "none" is an acceptable answer for one or both. [2 pts. each, 4 pts. total]

16. Here's a question lifted from last year: How many games (+/-2) does Chris Carter play in the Majors this year? (Hint: Last Year's answer was 15.) [3 pts., 5 pts. if exact]

17. And we all want to know: How many games does Manny Ramirez play for the A's? [2 pts. if the correct answer is "0", 5 pts. if not]

Enemies

18. We will play a lot of games against the Angels, newly featuring Albert Pujols: 19, by my count. How many HRs does Albert crush off of A's pitchers? How many XBH? [2 pts. each, 4 pts. each]

19. Against the Yankees, 10 games. How many do we win? [5 pts.]

San Jose, here we come?

20. Last year, the A's were last in the Majors with a total home attendance of 1,476,792. Do they beat this number in 2012 (and by "beat" I mean "exceed")? Are they last in the Majors again? Do the A's have a MLB-sanctioned commitment to move to San Jose by the last day of the regular season? [1 pt. each, then 3 pts., 5 total]

That's it! Let me know if you can volunteer to create a GOG sometime soon. And get ready to be really familiar with the Seattle M's.

Series 1: Seattle, March 28-29 - paris (posted)

2. Seattle, April 6-7

3. Kansas City, April 9-11 - cuppingmaster

4. Seattle, April 13-15

5. L.A. Angels, April 16-19

No Big Surprises - vignette17, congratulations! 

We all expected vignette17, the leader by a good margin throughout the year, to maintain his top honors to the end.  Urgent Mirth managed a bit of a Rays-like run, but fell short in the end.  Other obvious standouts were nevermoor, danmerqury, and cuppingmaster. New GOGsters weenmAN, Athletix Man, and PDXAthleticsFan all broke the top ten. 

Many thanks to the GOG-writers throughout the year: colin (who got this year's GOGging off the ground), nevermoor, cuppingmaster, PDXAthleticsfan, GoAs, streetfan, stranahanahan, and doctorK.  A special shoutout for doctorK, whose own-GOGging was a monumental disaster.  He came in last or nearly last on every GOG he authored!   If there were a BABIP for own-GOGs, doctorK would have set a record low.

About halfway through the season we instituted a "proxy" system, whereby if any players missed posting answers, they would score as their chosen proxy scored.  Since some folks were doing this anyway (e.g., "I'll copy nevermoor's answers!"), it seemed to make sense to formalize it.  I have to wonder, though, if it didn't contribute to an "out with a whimper, not a bang" to this year's GOGging, since by September we typically had just over half the active players posting on any given series.  Or, maybe they just wanted the draft position!

As a result - and much to my good fortune - I began keeping track of the points and leaderboard "old-style," that is, points only for playing.  This seriously advantaged the more obsessive players among us, and detracted heavily from some players who had been near the top, but dropped out of sight in September.  I took over the lead when the actual good GOGgers missed a few rounds (the high-scoring kind, too!), but then got caught by Urgent Mirth in the final series of the year - we tied! 

A few interesting results follow.  Let me know if anything stands out to you:

• Urgent Mirth had the highest GOG average;
• vignette17 won (or tied, tie counts for a win) 10 times, or 24% of the time he played; Jason James, this year's late joiner, won 21% of the time he played, and nevermoor with 8 wins also was at 21%. 
• Compare this to danmerqury, who did not win a single time in 46 plays, but nevertheless stayed near the top of the leaderboard the entire season. A statistical oddity, given that his average is near the top, too!
• The collected statistics for GOG Authors shows a lower per-GOG average than any single player (except streetfan - but let it be known that streetfan played entirely in the first half of the season, when the scores, like the A's batting averages, were lower).  Own-GOGging is proven hazardous, yet again, and frowned upon by 4 out of 5 major religions.

It hardly needs saying, but GOGging is my favorite fansport, and I hope that everyone from this year keeps coming back, and that we're joined by some fresh faces again in 2012.

Final Leaderboard

Final Note - I am pretty much responsible for any and all errors, as this was all done by hand on an excel/numbers spreadsheet.  I can post the season tally sheets to googledocs if requested. There are scores as well for folks who played fewer than 21 games, but at that point, we're at less than 40%, and I had to draw a line somewhere (I think that last year's cutoff for qualification was 50%).

If only we had known...  There we were, spending our off-season months imagining the A's being a contender, and then convincing ourselves it was possible.  Well, maybe it was, but our predictions for the season didn't exactly pan out as planned. 

Since the comments have closed on the original GOG #00, here are the questions once again, and some of my favorite answers, right and wrong.  In the comments is a scored example.

A's Don't (Quite) Roll Over for Rangers - What About the Angels?

How to keep ourselves entertained through the drudgery of a lost September?  Revenge, of course.  Whatever we do well, these days, at least we're doing it to our least favored division-mates!

(All stats except playoff positions prior to Sunday's games.)

Stuff

• Probable Pitchers
• Score Your Last GOG
• Halos Heaven

The Questions (73 points possible - but you won't get them all)

Game 3 Update: Weaver unsurprisingly casts web of illusion to ensnare A's batters, so we lose 4-1. Game 2 Update: A long, painful, 6-3 loss as the A's ground into 8 or 9 double plays, and Michael Wuertz brings his D-Game to the park, again. Game 1 Update: A's win 6-3. Gio given 3-0 lead by the Pig, keeps game out of Halos' reach long enough for Balfour to close it out. Brandon Allen continues to do his Chris Carter imitation.

1. Sigh.  We have to play the Angels twice more before we can put this season behind us.  Predict the Series Outcome. [3 points] Angels Win the Series, 2-1

2. The Angels are surprisingly close to the Rangers (2.5 back) - enough so that I would be worried were I a Rangers fan.  At the end of the A's series, by how many games are they apart? (Rangers to play two games to the Angels's three, so at the Angels best, a tie is possible.)  [3 points]  In other playoff "news," Tampa Bay is making a run at Boston, now 3.5 back.  How many games behind Boston is Tampa Bay at the end of Wednesday's games? (Rays to play three games to Boston's two.) [3 points] Angels, 3 Games Back / Rays, 4 Games Back

3. The pitching staff has been the weakest link for the post-ASB A's.  With the exception of two recent stunning starts by Brandon McCarthy & Guillermo Moscoso, and a clutch 28th out Saturday in Texas by Andrew Bailey, there's been little to cheer.  Of the A's starters, who goes deepest into the game?  Which reliever pitches the most total innings?  Which reliever gets a Shutdown (WPA > .100, none is acceptable)?  Do the A's give up fewer than 18 runs total for the series? [2 points each, 8 total] Gio, Goes Deepest (6.2 IP) / FDLS & Breslow, Most Relief IP (2.1 IP each) / No Shutdowns / Yes, Fewer than 18 Runs Given Up (13)

4. After a pretty solid start, Brandon Allen has gone 0-fer-Texas (and 0-fer-KC, before that).  Michael Taylor has hardly done better, though to the consternation of A's fans everywhere, he has ridden a lot of pine. Both currently have a BA of .214, whatever that's worth.  Predict the following for each: PA / H / XBH / BB / K [2 points each, 20 total] Allen: 12 PA / 3 H / 2 XBH / 1 BB / 4 K; Taylor: 4 PA / 1 H / 0 XBH / 1 BB / 1 K

5. Apparently, 4 of the last 5 rookies to lead their team in HRs and RBIs have won Rookie of the Year.  Mark Trumbo's 26 HR and 80 RBIs lead team runner-up Torii Hunter's 20 HR & 75 RBIs. How many HR / RBI for Trumbo? How many for Hunter?  [2 points each, 8 total] Trumbo, 1 HR & 2 RBI / Hunter, 0 HR & 0 RBI

5.5 [Sorry - I snuck an extra question in!]. Jemile Weeks, on the other hand, is not a part of the Rookie of the Year competition (unless you listen to KenKo's effusive comments!).  He leads all AL Rookies with a .306 BA.  Given a low 4.8 BB%, his OBP is just .344 - but still good enough to lead all A's except for Ryan Sweeney.  How many H / BB for Weeks?  How many for Sweeney? [2 points each, 8 total] Weeks, 1 H & 1 BB / Sweeney, 1 H & 1 BB

6. The only thing that could be much worse than facing Jered Weaver would be facing Weaver and Haren.  Still, both Jerome Williams and Joel Pineiro are coming off excellent starts.  Guess Weaver's Game Score (+/-3)? Does any starting pitcher (either team) have a better Game Score than Weaver, yes or no?  Which A's starter has the best Game Score?  Guess that Game Score (+/-3).  [2 points each, 8 total] Weaver's GS = 60 (57-63 ok) / No Pitcher Has Better GS / Gio, Best A's GS / 57 (54-60 ok)

7. Let's not forget our trusty Starz 'n Goatz!  Name three position players from either team (that's right, no pitchers) who will have the highest WPA among all batters in one of the games.  There will only be one player from each game with this achievement, so you are giving three names total, not three from each team.  (If you choose a player who does this more than once, you will get points for each game they do it.)  Now, do the same for the lowest WPA each game. [2 points each, 12 total] Starz: Willingham (.244) & Matsui (.235) & Abreu (.232) / Goatz: Trout (-.150) & Sweeney (-.314) & Sizemore (-.123)

A's Stumble into the All Star Break. 

Even with a league leading team ERA of 3.09, the A's remain in the AL West Cellar, and are guaranteed to be there through the All Star Break.  Now, while we can hope that a strong first half finish can propel a winning second half, we have to make it through four games contending with the Rangers' bats.  Or perhaps it will simply be enough to act as spoiler, knocking the Rangers out of possession of first place for the first time in two months.  Either way, there's a lot of baseball to be played this week, and none next week, so enjoy!

(All stats prior to Wednesday's games.)

Stuff

• Probable Pitchers
• Score Your Last GOG
• Lone Star Ball

The Questions (43 + n points possible)

Concluded with Game 4.  In repeat performance, A's make Cy Young out of marginal pitcher, prove that baseball is unwinnable.

Previously: Game 1: A's manage to make a Cy Young look-alike out of another marginally successful pitcher! Game 2: Gio replicates May 11 performance with 7 Runs and a Grand Slam, this time to Napoli. Game 3. Hamilton Crushes A's before Bailey manages 28th out, ends up with a 1.087 WPA.

0. Choose your proxy.  To try to be fair to everyone competing for the top GoGging honors, it is about time to formalize the proxy system that has been used by a number of us.  That is, when we know we're out of town, we sometimes say "I'll copy paris7's answers," so as not to fall too terribly behind.  There is a good precedent for doing this, which includes the occasional late-posted GoG which can unjustly penalize someone at work or traveling or doing child care.  So, everyone should pick one person among the regulars (see any recent Leaderboard for the 21 of us playing on a regular basis) whose score they will receive in case they miss a GoG post.  I will keep the names of proxies along with the point totals I've been maintaining.  And please, you don't all need to choose vignette to do well - just ask danmerqury!

1. Predict the Series Outcome for this 4-Game Series. [4 points] Rangers, 4-0

2. The A-nemic's are hitting .236 with a .302 on-base percentage and a .341 slugging percentage . This compares to .268 / .329 / .439 for the Rangers.  In fact, the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington leads the league in HRs at 127 - nearly 3 per game!  Guess the total XBH & HR for each team, +/-1.  [2 points each, 8 total]  Then, name any number of players who hit a HR for 1 point each - but if you get even one wrong, no points!  [1 point each, n total] Don't forget the +/-1 for all XBH and HR totals: A's, 5 XBH & 3 HR / Rangers, 16 XBH & 7 HR / Sizemore, Young, Napoli, Kinsler, Beltre (3), Willingham, Crisp, Hamilton -

3. Remember Gio's May 11 start, with 7 runs in 2.2 innings, including Mitch Moreland's Grand Slam - and then the rain came out to wash everything away?  Well, Thursday's game is a makeup of that lucky day, and is also Rich Harden's second start. Hopefully he does better than Gio's May performance!  Guess Harden's IP / R / BB / K.  Moreland has ridden some pine the last few days, but deserves a chance on the makeup day - does Moreland get a hit?  [2 points each, then 1 point, 9 total]  5 IP / 5 R / 2 BB / 2 K / Yes, Moreland gets his Hit

4. The Rangers lead the league in Stolen Bases with 84, and have only been thrown out 22 times for the best percentage, too.  Ian Kinsler has stolen 18 in a row without being caught.  How many SB & CS for each team? Does Kinsler get Caught Stealing? [1 point each, 5 total] A's, 2 SB & 2 CS / Rangers, 3 SB & 0 CS / No, Kinsler doesn't get CS

5. Jemile Weeks continues to thrill A's fans everywhere with his dynamic play, snagging 31 hits in his 26 games (including 8 doubles and three triples).  Guess Weeks' H / R / XBH.  [2 points each, 6 total] 3 H / 0 R / 0 XBH

6. The big matchup in the series is All Star Gio Gonzalez against C.J. Wilson.  Which pitcher has the better Game Score, Gio or C.J.?  Does any pitcher on the A's have a better Game Score than Gio, yes or no?  Anybody on the Rangers better than Wilson?  [1 point each, 3 total]  C.J., Better Game Score (56 to Gio's 30) / Yes, an A's Pitcher Has a Better GS than Gio (Cahill 67, McCarthy 38, Harden 31) /  Yes, a Rangers Pitcher Has a Better GS than C.J. (Holland 84, Harrison 73)

7. Let's not forget our trusty Starz 'n Goatz!  Name four position players from either team (that's right, no pitchers) who will have the highest WPA among all batters in one of the games.  There will only be one player from each game with this achievement, so you are giving four names total, not four from each team.  (If you choose a player who does this more than once, you will get points for each game they do it.) [2 points each, 8 total] Hamilton x2 (.106, G.1 / 1.087, G.3), Napoli (.204, G.2), Beltre (.218, G.4) - Hamilton scores 4 pts.

A's Get Back to .500! 

Hot on a four-game win streak, and with a bullpen that Ken Korach calls "the envy of all of baseball," the A's are ready to make their run from the cellar back into first place.  (Not that it is such a long trip, in the AL West).  To do so, they'll have to burn through the Yankees, which is more probable given the A's 46 hits in their last 4 games.  

(Most statistics below as of 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.)

Stuff

• Probable Pitchers
• Score Your Last GOG

The Questions (37 points possible)

Game 1 came and went.  Game 2 came and went.  Badly.  Game 3 came and went.  Let's hope this is the low point of the season, yes?  Final Results follow.

1. Last year, the A's went 1-9 against the Evil Empire.  Predict the Series Outcome. [3 points] Empire, 3-0

2. In 2010, the Yankees came to Oakland twice, April 20-22 and July 5-7. Total attandance for the first series was 72,046, and for the second 79,396, with no sellouts. We sure hates it when the Coliseum is filled with Yankee fans.  Guess the Total Attendance for the series, +/1 1,000.  Do any of the games Sell Out (last year, sellout = 35,067; I think the 36,067 listed for Opening Day 2011 at baseball-reference is an error).  [2 points, then 1 point] 83,117 (35,067, 22,581, & 25,469) / Sell Out, Monday 

Congrats to GoAs, the only one to hit the Attendance Figure +/- 1000, with 83,900, or 783 from the total.  I missed points by a mere 117 persons. 

3. Yankee DH Jorge Posada made a little stink about being dropped to 9th in the batting order, due to his .174 Batting Average. He's moved back up to 7th over the last few games, though he is not playing the finale against Seattle.  Does Posada start a game anywhere other than 7th?  Guess his PA / H / BB.  Does his BA rise or fall over the course of the series?  [1 point each, 5 total] Yes, Starts other than 7th (6th) / 4 PA / 0 H / 0 BB / BA Falls to .169

4. The Yankees lead the MLB in homeruns (78) and multi-homer games (24), which are responsible for just over 50% of their total runs.  How many HR do they hit during the series? Do homeruns account for at least 50% of their total runs? Name one player on each team who hits a homerun.  [2 points, then 1 point each, 5 total] Yanks, 4 HR / No, HR fewer than 50% of Runs (9 to 12) / Teixeira, Granderson, Swisher, & Cano / DeJesus & Willingham

5. The A's are sending their "Big Three" to the mound for this series: Trevor Cahill has a 2.02 ERA, Brett Anderson a 2.84 ERA, and Gio Gonzalez a 2.17 ERA.  Predict their combined totals for the following: ER / H / BB / K. [2 points each for exact, 1 point if +/- 1, 8 points total] 17 ER / 19 H / 12 BB / 9 K

These numbers are illustrative.  However, I think we are all better off not mentioning them after this day.  Ever.

6. A's position players are slowly bringing up their Batting Averages, to the point that six A's are now batting over .250. Which A's player has the most H / R / BB? [2 points each, 6 total]  DeJesus, Most H (4) / DeJesus, Most R (2) / DeJesus, Laroche, Crisp, Jackson, Ellis, & Kouz, Most BB (1 - all of them score the points)

7. An Andrew Bailey showing has come.  Will he continue to match Joey Devine in a scoreless odyssey?  Predict the following for Bailey and Devine: IP  / R (both Earned and Unearned) / K. [1 point each, 6 total] Bailey, 1 IP / 0 R / 0 K / Devine, 1.2 IP / 0 R / 1 K

Post Answers by Gametime, 1:10 p.m., Monday, May 30.

A's in First Place! 

The A's are currently tied for first with Texas, a half-game in front of the Angels.  Can we put up a real winning streak and get a first-place cushion, before the return of Hamilton and Cruz to the Texas lineup?

Stuff

• Probable Pitchers
• Twins Website
• Twinkie Town
• Score Your Last GOG

Leaderboard

The Questions (39 points possible)

Final Results - A's drop two at home to pennant-chasing Twins. Answers in Bold, below.

1. The A's are two games over .500 going into today's game, the first of a two-game set.  Predict the Series Outcome. [2 points] Twins Sweep, 2-0

2. The Twins have surprised most of MLB with how awful they are this year. On the road (where they have played 25 of their games), they are hitting a mere .208 BA with just 12 homeruns. Compare this to last year, when they were batting over .280 in September, leading the league!  Do they get a HR this series?  Do they bat over .208? [1 point each, 2 total] Yes, Hit a Homer (3, Rivera, Morneau, Plouffe) / Yes, BA over .208 (26/80 = .325)

3. Starz, Position Players: Name two A's position players (includes DH, but not pitchers) who have a Positive WPA for the series, and two who have a Negative WPA for the series. [1 point each, 4 total] Postive WPA - Kouz, Matsui, Sweeney / Negative WPA - Barton, Suzuki, Pennington, Willingham, Jackson, DeJesus, Ellis / [Powell with an even .000 WPA]

4. Mark Ellis is trying his hardest to prove to AN that he is not washed up at the plate, though his defensive reflexes appear more than intact. Predict his PA / H / XBH.  How many Assists?  How many Double Plays is he a part of (includes runners doubled off)? [2 points each, 10 total] 8 PA / 1 H / 0 XBH / 7 Assists / Part of 2 Double Plays

5. Brandon McCarthy has the best WAR (1.8) among A's pitchers, but also the most losses (4).  This is due to his low BB rate, lack of homers given up, and when it comes to the losses: his errors. Does he get a Win, Loss, or No Decision tonight? Then, Over/Under/Exact for each of the following:  IP - 7 / HR - 1 / BB - 2 / K - 5  [1 point each, 5 total] No Decision / Exactly 7 IP / Under 1 HR (0) / Under 2 BBs (0) / Under 5 Ks (1)

6. The A's may not have a perfect OF, but we do have a lot of OFers!  Which outfielder has the most of each in this series: PA / H / RBIs / BBs? All ties count for points. [2 points each; 8 total] DeJesus, Most PAs (9) / Sweeney, Most H (2) / All Tied, Most RBIs (0) / Sweeney, Most BBs (2) [Note: Everybody gets points for the RBI Question!]

7. The A's bullpen continues to shine.  For all Relievers taken as a group, predict the total: IP (+/- .2, or 2/3 of an Inning) / Inherited Runs Allowed to Score / Ks (+/-1) / BB (+/-1). [2 points each, 8 total] 12.0 IP (11.1 - 12.2 ok) / 1 Inherited Runner Allowed to Score / 8 Ks (7-9 ok) / 3 BB (2-4 ok)

For those who are wondering what the first 8 series have wrought, here is a simple Leaderboard.  I did a Pages Spreadsheet, saved it in Excel, exported it and copied the htm source code, and now somewhere along the line is an irritating running script - I hope it loads ok for you all, or I'll take it down.  So, let me make just a few points:

1. Since I did the scoring by hand, there is no guarantee that all the scores herein are correct.  If it seems wrong, or you just want to double-check, please go back through your GOGs and let me know in the comments.

2. I did have color highlights for the "winners" of each round, but they got lost in the translations.

3. Most important: what do we do from here?  Do we set up a self-sustaining site for remaining GOGs?  Does someone want to take it over?  Do you want me to continue to collect results and give them to someone else for posting (for better visual presentation)? 

Discuss!