SB Nation User Blog: tankerraid

6/21 DLD: Sleeping it off

tankerraid — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:44:33 -0000

Since everyone is still sleeping it off after a wild night of drunkenness (induced by the vapors streaming from Loaiza, no doubt), I'll do the dirty with the DLD.

USA Today failed to have a colorful graph documenting a lame Macha joke and the fact that Colorado isn't afraid of Zito's balls. Actually, if they had a graph, this article would be salvageable. It's not worth reading. Move on.

Andrew Bailey can't wait to start his baseball career.

Brown is getting motion sickness from too much travelling.

And the M's are glad that they have found some teams who will bend and obey!

Another A's History Moment

tankerraid — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 21:08:08 -0000

I was doing some research on something totally unrelated to the A's (you know, cuz I need a breather five days into the season) and I found this article, which I transcribed here.

I found the article interesting for many reasons, one of which was the fact that I had NO idea that the A's almost went to Denver. It is also kind of comforting to know that the franchise has had a dangling-string-like attachment to Oakland for a very long time now.

I also think the line about Oakland and San Francisco hating the hell out of each other is pretty funny.

The Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg Pennsylvania)
Friday, February 10, 1978

INNER CITY FEUD KILLS A'S DEAL

DENVER (AP)-Denver millionaire Marvin Davis said he was in shock Thursday when his $12 million bid to bring the Oakland A's to this city received its death blow in the midst of an Oakland-San Francisco inter-city feud.

The on-again, off-again A's sale collapsed when the San Francisco Giants released this statement Thursday:

"All negotiations regarding the possibility of the Giant games in the Oakland Coliseum have ended."

"That's it as far as I'm concerned," Davis said. '(American League president Lee) MacPhail just called to say it's all over. He was very depressed and as for me, I'm in shock.

"You see, I thought I had a deal this morning. MacPhail had called and said that it was on. Bowie (baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn) and (A's owner Charlie) Finley also thought it was going through.

"But from what I've been told it (Thursday's final meeting in San Francisco) was almost a shootout. Those two cities hate the hell out of each other."

Finley's only hope to break his lease with the Oakland Coliseum had rested with San Francisco allowing the Giants to play enough games in Oakland to satisfy Oakland officials.

"Everybody, Kuhn, Charlie, and MacPhail, fought like hell to get something done to enable this sale of the A's to go through. But it was no use," Davis said bitterly.

And the Denver oilman's enthusiasm for bringing major league baseball to Denver apparently has cooled.

"I'm still interested in owning a major league baseball team, but we'll have to reassess everything and take a good, hard look," Davis said after Thursday's development.

"I'll tell you one thing," Davis added. "The next deal will be nice and clean."

Those who do not know their history...

tankerraid — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 19:12:09 -0000

are doomed to read about it here.

Well, it's been a tough week for us all, especially when someone masquerading as a Royals fan takes the time to condescend to us about our lack of true baseball fandom, and how much we, generally, suck.

My one catharsis through this all has been working on the answers to my Reverse A's FAQ which you all so graciously provided questions for a while back.

Answering these questions really took my head out of the moment, and made me realize that yes, the A's have had successes and flubs, and that's part of what makes this team so exciting to watch. The sense of "anything is possible" goes both ways... tomorrow really is another day for the green and gold.

What is for sure is that this ballclub has an amazing history that we can all be really proud of, allowing us to wear our A's hats proudly, even the day after we lost a series to the most terrible team in baseball.

Enjoy the answers to the FAQ, and if you see any errors (or if it was clear I wasn't getting the point of a questions) let me know. I had to rely on The Grand Olde Internet for help, so there are undoubtedly errors.

Cheers!
Jenn
-----
EARLY YEARS

Q: What is the nickname usually used when referring to Cornelius McGillicudy? Who was he?
A:Connie Mack. Mack was the first manager of the Philadelphia Athletics, which he managed from 1901 until 1950, retiring at age 88. Under his guidance the Athletics won five World Series titles.

Q:How did the A's adopt an elephant for a mascot?
A:NY Giants manager John McGraw scoffed at the Athletics as a "White Elephant." Manager Connie Mack adopted the animal as the mascot for the team, and that year (1902) the Athletics won the AL pennant.

Q:What was the name of the ball park the A's played in for forty years (and their original city)?
A: The Philadelphia A's played in Shibe Park.

Q: To what city did the A's move in 1954?
A:Kansas City. The team remained there until 1967.

Q:What were the names of the three HOFers on the pitching staff of the Athletics of the early 1900s?
A:Charles Albert "Chief" Bender (HOF: 1953; 212-127, no-hitter in 1910, pitched three complete games in the 1911 World Series). George Edward "Rube" Waddell (HOF: 1946; 193-143, 2316 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA, 261 complete games.). Edward Stewart Plank (HOF: 1946; 326-194, 2.35 ERA, 2246 strikeouts).

Q:Who were the two famous (HOF) sluggers of the 30s A's?
A: James Emory "Jimmie" Fox (HOF: 1951; second batter to hit over 500 homeruns, 12 seasons with 30+ HR, back-to-back MVP awards in 1932/1933), Al "Bucketfoot" Simmons (HOF: 1953; 307 HR, .334 average)

Q: What was the name of the HOF pitcher who dominated the league in the early 1930s?
A: Lefty Grove (HOF: 1947; nine ERA titles, went 79-15 in 1929-1931 as an A).

Q: What was the tricky strategy employed by the A's manager that began the 1929 WS?
A: Connie Mack selected Howard Ehmke, relatively unknown and the team's "last place" pitcher, to start the first game of the World Series. The Athletics won the game 3-1.

Q: Who was the "100,000 dollar infield"?
A: Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, and Frank Baker. The four led the team to World Series victories in 1910, 1911, and 1913.

Q: What was the best regular-season record the A's have ever had, and what year was it?
A: The 1931 Philadelphia A's went 107-45 for .704 play.

OAKLAND YEARS

Q: To which field does a hitter have to hit the ball in order for Ray Fosse say "he had a great approach?" ?
A: ?

Q: Which A's player, nickamed "Captain," anchored the team in the 80's with stellar defense at third base and a solid bat, and, come to think of it, should have won at least 2 gold gloves but Gary Gaetti of the Twins got more publicity? What jersey number did he wear?
A: "Captain" Carney Lansford, who wore jersey number 4.

Q: Name the last four A's managers, in chronological order.
A: Ken Macha (2003-?); Art Howe (1996-2002); Tony LaRussa (1986-1995); Jeff Newman (1986)

Q: Who wrote Moneyball?
A: Michael Lewis

Q:Name at least five major players/teammates we've traded or lost to free agency in the last five years.
A: Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Johnny Damon.

Q:What happens every season that Bill King absolutely hates?
A: Interleague play.

Q:Who is the most famous batboy for Oakland in 2005?
A: Adam (what's his last name?)

Q:Who will be announcing the game along with Ray Fosse... tonight, tomorrow, Sunday?
A: Glen Kuiper.

Q:Who takes care of the field at McAfee Coliseum?
A: Head Groundskeeper is currently Clay Wood. The A's field is widely recognized as one of the finest in baseball, until early September when nasty football cleats create bad hop nightmares for the outfield.

Q:Name the starting position players of 1993, aka the start of the regressive years.
A: Opening day roster for that year was as follows: Rickey Henderson (LF), Dave Henderson (CF), Ruben Sierra (RF), Mark McGwire (1B), Troy Neel (DH), Terry Steinbach (C), Jerry Browne (3B), Mike Bordick (SS), Lance Blankenship (2B)

Q:Who were the "Bash Brothers?"
A: Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco.

Q:Which famous A's pitcher pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins in 1968 (the first year that the A's played in Oakland)?
A: Catfish Hunter pitched a perfect game, at the Oakland Coliseum, on May 8th, 1968. In 107 pitches, Hunter led the Oakland A's to a 4-0 win.

Q:What aspect of the game was Rickey Henderson most famous for? And, what was his "quirky" habit with the press?
A: Rickey Henley Henderson utilized speed to become the third modern-era player to steal 100 bases in a season. Henderson actually had three 100+ SB seasons. Rickey Henderson, for whatever reason, refers to himself in the third person.

Q:What happened during the 1989 World Series?
A: The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred shortly before the start of Game 3. The game was postponed for ten days; Oakland would eventually win that game 13-7.

Q:Who is the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics?
A: Billy Beane

Q:Which teams have general managers that worked for the A's under Billy Beane?
A: Los Angeles Dodgers (Paul DePodesta), Toronto Blue Jays (JP Ricciardi). Also, Grady Fuson, former scouting director for the A's is Assistant GM for the Texas Rangers. (Not sure if that's all?)

Q:Who is the assistant general manager for the Oakland Athletics?
A: David Forst.

Q:How did the A's make the playoffs in 2001?
A: A's entered the playoffs in 2001 as the wild card team.

Q:Who is the oldest player on the team?
A: Currently, the oldest player on the active roster is Keiichi Yabu (b. 9/28/68), followed by Scott Hatteberg (b. 12/14/69).

Q:Who was the notorious owner of the A's during the early 1970s?
A: Charles O. Finley. Among his eccentricities revealed on and off the field were the donkey, Charley O., the use of orange baseballs, the hiring of bat girls, the presence of sheep grazing beyond the outfield fence, and the installation of mechanical "rabbits" that gave balls to the home plate umpires.

Q:What players did the A's receive in the Mark McGwire trade in 1997 from the St. Louis Cardinals?
A: Blake Stein, Eric Ludwick and TJ Mathews

Q:Why are the A's colors Green and Gold?
A: The A's changed from team colors of Blue, Red and White in 1962 to Green, Gold and White in 1963, under the ownership of Charles Finley, supposedly in order to attract attention and build interest by bedecking the players with garish uniforms.

Q:Before Stomper, what was the A's mascot?
A: The elephant, in one form or another, was the mascot of the A's for most of their history, with the exception of the use of the simple letter A in the 1900's. and a twenty year stint of Charlie-O the mule as the mascot of the Oakland team.

Q:Which team and years did Fosse play for, and what was his uni number, when he was on a world series team?
A: Fosse played with the Oakland Athletics from 1973 to 1975, and appeared with the Oakland A's in the 1974 World Series. Fosse wore jersey number 10.

Q:What was rapper MC Hammer's relationship to the Oakland Athletics?
A: MC Hammer was a bat/ball boy for the Oakland Athletics beginning in 1974, hired, of course, by Charlie Finely. Hammer choreographed elaborate dance routines to perform during down times in the game. A few A's players invested with Hammer to allow him to make his first album.

Q:What was the name of the team owner who pledged to keep the A's in Oakland in the late 70s, 80s?
A: ?

Q:What is the meaning of "iceplant in the outfield"?
A: Prior to the development of Mt. Davis, the old bleacher section used to be topped by a ring of iceplant.

Q:2000. Who started ALDS game 5 against the Yankees and gave up six runs in the first inning?
A: Gil Heredia. The Yankees went on to win the tie-breaking game 7 to 5.

Q:2001. How did the only run score in Game 3 of the ALDS (the Slide Jeremy Slide game)? And who had a strange injury during Game 4 - what was it?
A: Game 3 of that year's series was won by the Yankees on a HR by Posada. The "Slide Jeremy Slide" comes from the fact that Giambi failed to slide into home, and was called out at the plate. The Yankees, having dropped games 1 & 2, won game 3 on the solo shot, then went on to take games four and five for the series. In game four, Jermaine Dye fouled a ball off of his leg, breaking a bone.

Q:2001--Who were the starting pitchers in that Game 3?
A: Starting pitchers for game 3 were Zito and Mussina.

Q: 2002. Which pitcher gave up three runs in the ninth inning of Game 5 against the Twins, and who hit what should have been a series-winning 3-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to trim the Twins' lead to 1?
A: A's closer Billy Koch gave up three runs to the Twins in the ninth. Mark Ellis hit a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth. The A's lost the game 5-4.

Q: 2003. Who were the last two A's hitters to strike out in the 9th inning of Game 5, against Derek Lowe?
A: Adam Melhuse and Terence Long. The A's left bases loaded on T Long's strikeout, losing the game 4-3.

Q:Later, in Game 5 of that series, regarding the question above--which of the 9th-inning strikeout victims was a pinch-hitter, and for whom did he pinch-hit?
A: Melhuse batted for Jermaine Dye.

Q: 2003--With the A's leading the ALDS 2-0 going into Game 3, what two baserunning gaffes caused the A's to lose another heart-wrenching Game 3, despite a brilliant pitching performance by Ted Lilly?
A: Byrnes failed to touch home plate despite a wild throw to the Sox catcher Varitek. Tejada was tagged out between third and home, having assumed incorrectly that Mueller was guilty of obstruction and that he could advance to home. (If I recall Tejada's play correctly... I remember being very confused at the time)

Q:Who was the A's captain in the glory years of 72-74? What position did he play?
A: "Captain" Sal Bando played 3B primarily, but also played as DH and 2B.

Q:Who was the notorious right fielder for the A's in those years? What was his number?
A: Reggie "Mr. October" Jackson wore jersey number 9.

Q:Who pitched in all 7 games of the 1973 world series?
A: LHP Darold Knowles pitched all seven games of the 1973 World Series, earning saves in two of those games.

ALL-TIMERS

Q:Who holds the A's record for most leadoff homeruns?
A: ?

Q:What two MLB franchises are tied for 2nd to the New York Yankees in all-time World Championships in Major League Baseball?
A: Yankees (26), Cardinals (9), Athletics (9). The A's have appeared in 14 World Series. Five series wins occurred in Philadelphia, four in Oakland.

Q:Who holds the A's record for Stolen Bases and how many?
A: Rickey Henderson holds the record for most stolen bases in the history of the Oakland A's organization. In 1982 he recorded 130 stolen bases. Henderson had 1,395 stolen bases over the course of his major league career.

Q:Who has the best winning percentage in the majors post-All-Star break?
A: I assume the A's?

Q:What cities besides Oakland have the Athletics played in?
A: Philadelphia, and Kansas City

Q:What year did the A's win 20 games in a row?
A: 2002. The streak went from August 13 to September 4th, ending in a loss against the Twins.

Q:How many teams have had longer winning streaks than the A's in a single season? Which teams were they, and which years did they accomplish the feat?
A: The A's 20-game winning streak is outpaced by the 1916 New York Giants team, who had a 26-game winning streak. That streak included a tie-game, however; the longest streak without a tie-game is 21, accomplished by the 1935 Chicago Cubs.

Q:Which numbers are retired by the Oakland A's and who do they represent?
A: Rollie Fingers (34), Dennis Eckersley (43), Reggie Jackson (9), Catfish Hunter (27), Jackie Robinson (42-retired across baseball).

Q:What 3 A's won back-to-back-to-back ROY awards?
A: Jose Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), and Walt Weiss (1988)

Q:The A's have had 6 ROY. Can you name them?
A: Harry Byrd (1952-Philadelphia), Jose Canseco (1986), Mark McGwire (1987), Walt Weiss (1988), Ben Grieve (1998), Bobby Crosby (2004)

Q:Who is Roy Steele?
A: Roy Steele is the PA Announcer for the Oakland A's, better known as "The Voice of God."

Q:Which all-star game moment does A's announcer Ray Fosse never ever need to see another highlight of, and why?
A: After twelve innings the National League won the 1970 All-Star game when Pete Rose slammed into Ray Fosse at the plate, causing Fosse to drop the ball. Poor Foss.

Q:Which other major league teams wear white shoes?
A: None (?).

Were you there? Or: Notable Quotables

tankerraid — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 15:14:20 -0000

45,000 people in the Coliseum totally, as they say colloquially, "rocked my body" last night. This despite the fact that I am somewhat partial to smaller crowds where neither the beer nor my bladder control runs out before I get to the front of the line.

The crowd was amusing though, I have to give them credit. From the closet (read: no gear, all fear) Angels fan in front of me who only showed his colors after they scored (I gave his seven year old daughter one of my playoff pompoms which she raucously used to cheer for the A's the rest of the night--hah!) to this gem that I heard in line:

Man #1, looking at close up of Duke pitching in the 7th: Is that Durazo?

Man #2, confidently: No, he's not pitching today.

It was an all around almost surreal experience for us fans used to quiet cold nights. What did you see or hear?

Ready?

DISH!

A's Power Mix

tankerraid — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 20:43:01 -0000

Hi everyone!

In an effort to de-funkify myself I'm making an A's Power Mix to be listened to on the way to the game today.

Anyone have any suggestions on any songs to add?

Here's what I have thus far:

The Boys of Summer-Don Henley
Real Good Looking Boy-The Who
Oakland Zone-Tower of Power
Green and Gold-Roy Ayers
Hit' Em Hard-Run-DMC
I Ran-A Flock of Seagulls
Green, Green Grass of Home-Johnny Cash
Ace of Spades-Motörhead
Beer-Asylum Street Spankers
Take Me Out to the Ballgame-Ronnie Neuman
Baseball Theme-Vince Guaraldi Trio
Great Balls of Fire-Jerry Lee Lewis
Been Caught Stealing-Jane's Addiction
Live to Win-Motörhead
Celebration -Kool & The Gang

Also, on the subject of music, does anyone know what Swish's at-bat music was? Not the one he changed back to, but the one with the banjo that he had for a while?

Reverse A's FAQ

tankerraid — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 22:27:29 -0000

Okay, as I have mentioned before, I am a person who has only recently (within the past four years or so) really gotten into baseball. As a result, I have alot of backlog of learning when it comes to this game.

While I had some smattered tutelage over the years from my brother about game basics and his two favorite teams (the Padres and the Giants), I have absolutely no share in the archetypal memory of the A's.

So, I'm wondering if the good folks of AN would deign to help me put together a reverse FAQ for the A's. Not answers, but questions. Questions that point to things any good A's fan should know.

(The most obvious example is "In what year(s) did the A's win the World Series?" You get the drift.)

I'm curious, mainly, about what fundamentals of the history of the organization, both recent and distant, I really should have a grasp on in order to understand the team and the game today.

Now, I know that nothing can really replace the experience of being a fan of a team day in and day out year after year (I'm amazed at what I've learned in the past few years), but this is baseball, after all, so cold hard data must play a part, too.

I'm ready to cram for some sort of non-existant exam! Thanks!

A's Dreams

tankerraid — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 18:17:27 -0000

Okay, I know that things have, perhaps, gone a little too far when the A's are effectively invading my subconscious mind, but whatever.

The other night I had the strangest dream about Chavy coming to my birthday party. Strangely, I couldn't attend my own birthday party (a sleepover, nonetheless), but when I got to my house the next morning, Chavy had left a present on the sleeping bag that he had slept in the night before. (Does that sound dirty?)

For whatever reason, I was really disappointed because he had left me a Seth Etherton hat. Nevermind that it appeared to be signed by the whole team, to Seth, congratulating him on his first merch... I mean, Seth Etherton? I'm sure he's a real nice guy, but... Seth Etherton?

Regardless, while I was watching the game last night on television, and Chavy came up to bat, I just couldn't help thinking what a nice guy he was for coming to my party.

Nutso? Insane? Needing a vacation? All three? Am I alone in weaving these boys of summer into my nocturnal world? ... Wait, does that sound dirty?

My Little Post

tankerraid — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:40:27 -0000

Well, this is my first post. I feel like it's my first foray into some sort of 12-step program, really, but that may just be okay. Because after twenty-five years of ignoring sports completely, I discovered baseball four years ago. And it has consumed me.

It's been a privileged few years for a novice baseball fan to be living in the bay area. The way it has seemed to me since 2001, your local teams are always in contention for first place in their division, and most likely make it to the playoffs... right? ?? ??

I didn't heed my brother who tried to use his prolific years of Pad-zillas fandom (our family is originally from San Diego) to educate me about how even your heroes can fall. I lived in a pleasant glow, where dropping one game behind first place seemed like a tragedy and the certainty of victory was very intoxicating, indeed.

2005. Well. I don't have to explain to anyone around AN. That sickening feeling in the bottom of my stomach as the team wastes offensive opportunities and rips apart at the seams defensively is hard to deal with. When I watch the away games, and things go horribly awry, I yell and shut off the television. I stomp around my apartment. I pour myself a beer. Two minutes later, I return to the television, flip it on while mumbling under my breath... perhaps... just perhaps... they got out of the f*g inning.

So there is this emotional drama. And it is pretty draining. But it arises, I think, less from the idea that the players themselves are lacking, and more from a sense of disappointment, because I truly believe that these players are capable of so much more.

I haven't arrived at the stage where I can twist stats around to confirm my own gut instincts. I know, too, that I'm not the first fan in baseball history to insist that "this team is so much better than it plays!" I just know that I always turn the television back on, and so I suppose there is some optimism there, some sense of needing to watch no matter how ugly the crash and burn because I believe that eventually things will turn around.

So believing is what I intend to do.

I also intend to:

1. Not grumble about the past. As far as I can tell all the players who have gone are not coming back. Unlike my goldfish who died when I was in fifth grade, these players may well go on to perform great feats of baseball excellence. From what else I can tell, none of those triumphs (or any of their defeats) are going to directly help or hinder the A's, so their performance, to my opinion about our current team, is irrelevant.

I know baseball fans like to crunch numbers. My brother became a pro at Excel because he likes to consider every numerical possibility. I, however, am not like that. So less stress for me, I guess.

2. Be loud and proud at all the games I attend. The fans of Oakland taught me something that I know for sure Giants fans could learn: you don't stop cheering when they're down, because that's when your cheering matters the most.

This weekend, I look forward to making the Boston and Yankees fans uncomfortable with my calm certainty and loud Oakland pride. They will be befuddled, trying to provoke me with "Oakland sucks" taunts.

Yes, the fact of their mere presence will irk me as always, and I will find myself rolling my eyes and saying "If (city) is so f*g great, why in the hell don't you go back there?"

But ultimately, after all of the various noreastern circuses have come and gone, with only memories and wind-tussled hot dog wrappers spinning in their wake, I will still be looking forward to my next A's game, donning my hat and clutching my pompoms, knowing that even if we don't win this time, Bobby Kielty's hair is still way better than that cave man Johnny Damon's. And in the end, that's really all that matters.