SB Nation User Blog: whiteshoes40

One fan. Seventeen games. Nine hundred pictures.

whiteshoes40 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:38:06 -0000

Don't worry, I'm not planning on posting all 900 pictures. (That's an approximate number, by the way.)

This is a chronicle of my season at the ballpark. What's that you say? The season's not over? Well, mine is, because after this week, I will once again be an NRAF. Sigh. I'm most upset to be missing Turn Back the Clock Day. Y'all know how much I love throwbacks.

Anyway. As you could probably tell by the title, I tend to take a lot of pictures. I'm not a professional photographer or anything close to that; I just snap photos with my point-and-shoot digital camera. But I snap a lot of them, so usually there are a few that turn out halfway decent. And now I'm sharing them with all of you.

Join me on this journey through the season, from Opening Night to Root Beer Float Day, from the time of Beef-Brawn-TNT-Dynamite to the freshly minted Tommy Everidge Era. You'll laugh, you'll cry more, you'll mourn the loss of half-a-dozen players, you'll wish we could start the season all over again.

Or something like that.

Game #1: April 10. Mariners. L 4-5.

Opening Night! Oh, the excitement. The optimism. The as-yet-untarnished hope for this season. Shiny white uniforms, snazzy new players, a winning record... yep, things were looking up.

After the ceremony, the players gave their black OPD caps to the police officers.

And... play ball! Welcome to the bigs, Brett! And welcome back, Chavy!

...and we'll just forget about the rest of that game.

Game #2: April 11. Mariners. L 5-8.

Okay, so last night didn't go exactly as planned. That's why we like baseball! There's a new game every day! And this is a day game! I like day games!

...except when I get sunburned. And when we lose. Again. This is not a good start.

O, magical stirrups. Why could your power not prevent our beloved purveyor of high-socked fashion from going under the dreaded knife?

Our trusty we're-not-selling-jeans-here backup catcher, on 3rd after his first major-league hit.

Cust! First home run of the season for him and the A's.

Gallagher, we hardly knew ye this year. I'm going to go ahead and blame the long hair for his rapid fall from favor.

Game #3: April 13. Red Sox. W 8-2.

My pictures from this game are pretty crappy, but who cares? We beat the Red Sox!

Oh hi Ryan. I missed you.

Celebration!

Game #4: April 24. Rays. L 2-8.

This game was notable because it involved a HANNAHAN sighting... and home run!

This is before one of the fireworks almost landed on us. Yes, it was chilly that night, but I didn't *really* want to set myself on fire.

The grass sure is pretty. We stayed on the field till security kicked us off. C'mon, guys, I wasn't gonna tear up the grass or anything. I just wanted to sleep there, that's all.

Game #5: May 4. Angels. L 2-5.

You may be sensing a pattern in the outcomes of the games I attended in the early part of the season. Kind of sucky, no?

Anderson warming up. And in the corner, you'll notice something interesting: proof that Holliday does, in fact, smile on occasion.

Holliday standing in against Anderson.

Petit (and somebody being stretched). I kinda forgot Petit was ever with the A's this year... too much roster turnover...

Blevins sighting!

Game #6: May 8. Blue Jays. W 5-3.

Our fearless Outman returns to the mound.

I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes. Yes, it is LIVE! DOT! RACING!

One-legged Wuertz.

Bailey, on his way to his All-Star first half. He is a worthy heir to the number 40, I suppose.

Victory! Oh, it is sweet indeed.

Game #7: May 25. Mariners. W 6-1.

This Memorial Day victory was quite enjoyable, except for...

The Dreaded Red Caps.

The red caps, they hurt me. They wounded my sensitive soul and hindered my photo-taking abilities so that all I have to share with you from this game is proof that I was there.

Game #8: May 26. Mariners. W 4-3.

The red caps are gone, and the bases are loaded! I have absolutely no memory of what happened in this particular moment, but we'll just pretend it was something good (as opposed to the entirely possible outcome of a strickout or double play).

Our illustrious fill-in second baseman was, once upon a time, batting .441. Sorry, Kennedy, it's only downhill from here.

High-fives all around!

Game #9: May 27. Mariners. L 1-6.

I hung out with Ryan in RF during this game. We're tight like that.

Game #10: June 5. Orioles. W 9-1.

This was during our week in Mazzaro World, I believe. That was a good week. Unfortunately my pictures aren't that exciting, so we'll just skip to the end and start the celebration.

Game #11: June 6. Orioles. W 9-4.

One of those odd 6 p.m. starts. Of course, we sat in right field once again. Hello, sun.

Cunningham? What are you doing here? I don't remember you being around in June. Like I said, too much roster turnover.

This was the night of the infamous Jordin Sparks concert. (I miss those commercials, starring Landon Powell describing how he listens to Jordin Sparks in his car.) The stage took over the infield while she sang.

Game #12: June 8. Twins. W 4-3.

Outman strikes again! 8 wins in a row!

And then... ohmigosh it's Dale! I didn't even know he had been called up until he came into the game.

Game #13: June 9. Twins. L 5-10.

Alas, all good things (like winning streaks) must come to an end. At least we put up a fight... The Twins had to bring Nathan into a game in which they had a 10-0 lead going into the 9th. Suckers.

Spying on the Twins during BP.

This is the guy that kept staring at my friend and me, even after he tossed us a couple baseballs. I did some research and discovered that he is Luis Ayala. Creeper.

Oh flexible Dale, who knew that your signature splits would soon become your downfall?

Outfield conference.

Cuddyer got a little bored in the 9th... pitching change after pitching change...

Game #14: June 29. Tigers. W 7-1.

Ellis is back! Hurrah!

And RyRy hit a home run! All is well.

Game #15: July 18. Angels. L 6-11.

This was a seriously ugly game. No lie. So this'll just be a one-and-done thing. Yep, there was a game, and I was there. That is all.

Game #16: July 21. Twins. L 2-3.

Here's where it gets more interesting. I had the privilege of going on the field during batting practice. I know, right? I was pretty excited. We had to stand in the dirt area behind home plate, just watching -- no autographs or actual player interaction allowed, apparently. But it was still awesome. And then we took a tour of the press box, which was also very cool. I didn't see KenKo, but I think I saw SuSlu (sorry, no photos from the press box).

So, here are some pics from BP.

Ry and Dale, together again. (Side note: hilarious article in the Rickey issue of A's magazine -- who knows Ryan better, Daric or his fiancee Tasha? Tasha won, sadly. She did admit that the first person Ryan calls after a game is his mom. Oh, Ryan.)

Crosby is taller in person... or at least when you're standing 15 feet away from him.

It's been a long season. Ellis needs a drink.

Oh noes! The Twins are stampeding! I hope Luis Ayala isn't in there somewhere.

And now for the game...

Welcome to Oakland, Scott Hairston.

Holliday... miss you, man.

Something new and different: Cust swings and misses. (He eventually walked, though.)

Kurt fouls one off.

Game #17: August 6. Rangers. L 4-6.

Root Beer Float Day! It's like my favoritest thing ever. I ended up with three autographs and five player sightings. It wasn't as crowded around the players as it's been in the past -- it seemed like most of the people were lined up to see Rickey. So it was easier for me to get autographs and pictures, which I always appreciate. (Also, I got my float from some Oakland firefighters... that was nice.)

The first player I ran into was Tommy Everidge. There weren't many people around, so it was pretty easy to get his autograph.

Then I saw Mr. Brett Anderson. He actually scooped a couple floats.

It was also not too busy around his area, at least when I was there. A guy passing by said to me, "Which player is that?" I told him, but I should have said, "Really? You can't even recognize Brett Anderson? He's started a ton of games this year..." Alas, I am too polite to say that.

Next we have All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.

It's hard to get good pictures when they're busy signing autographs with their heads down, but at least I got Andrew to sign my baseball.

Ziggy was hanging out with the firefighters. I got his autograph as well.

And then in the section reserved for the special/popular players were Nomar and Dallas.

Dallas and a random cute kid.

Aaand... the River Cats mascot. I forget his name, but he posed for my picture, so I like him.

Mascot Power! Stomper, Sharky (hiding behind Stomper), and unnamed River Cats mascot.

And one last game in the right field bleachers.

Our high-socked middle infield. Love.

And an outfield conference.

So I finished the 2009 season with a record of 8-9. Not too shabby.

Well, intrepid picture-viewers, we have made it to the end. It's been an interesting season. We went from an infield of Giambi-Ellis-Cabrera-Chavez to Everidge-Ellis-Pennington-Kennedy. I, for one, would not have predicted that at the beginning of the year.

Despite my sub-.500 record, I have thoroughly enjoyed attending so many games this year (17 is by far my single-season record). I hope to get to a couple games next year, but who knows if that will be possible... so in the meantime, go out to the Coliseum and take lots of pictures for me!

DLD 2.19.09: No news is good news

whiteshoes40 — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:37:14 -0000

This part of spring training is actually kind of boring: there's not much news to report, as far as I can see. I'll just take the optimistic approach and say that's a good thing. At least we're not hearing about thirty-seven different injuries to twenty-five different players... yet. [knocks on wood]

I do have a couple links, though...

Giambi did show up yesterday, according to SuSlu:

Jason Giambi did report to camp yesterday, but it was late in the afternoon after all the players were done with workouts and after the media, including writers from several national publications, had departed.

"Veteran move," he just told me with a big grin.

Urban is excited to see Crosby hit against real pitchers:

The pitchers are always way ahead of the hitters at this point, but I'm still pretty fired up to watch Bobby Crosby in the box. I've been watching him take BP against the standard 68-mph offerings of the coaching staff, and I like what I've seen thus far. His stance is completely different than anything he's employed as a pro, legs spread far apart to maximize his balance, and the ball has been jumping off his bat. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up against legit stuff.

And their other articles: Slusser writes about the bullpen, Stiglich writes about Ziggy and the WBC, and Urban writes about Holliday being a team leader.

Last but not least: a happy picture. Because I like pictures.

DLD 12.8.08: It's Monday.

whiteshoes40 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:15:49 -0000

So I guess I should put some links in this here link dump.

John Shea on the Winter Meetings.

Visit the Hot Stove Blog if you're craving rumors.

"But, Officer, my wife's in labor!" No joke.

Ah, the joys of family. Who hasn't wanted to throw a Christmas tree at his dad?

Okay, that's enough of that. On to the Caravan!

Just a few pictures to share from Travis and Ryan's signing at Stoneridge on Saturday.

Ryan sez: "You want me to do what?"

Pretty.

The A's site has recaps of each day, along with photo galleries, but I can't figure out how to post those photos here, so you'll just have to do the leg work yourself. I especially like the one of Travis and Ryan sitting on Santa's lap.

But wait! There's more. The Caravan isn't really over. Dallas Braden superfans, rejoice:

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9
A's Pitcher Dallas Braden will make several appearances in Stockton.

12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. Dallas Braden autograph session at The Graduate
2207 Country Club Blvd, Stockton

3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Dallas Braden autograph session at Les Schwab
3554 E Hammer Lane, Stockton

4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Dallas Braden autograph session at Fleet Feet Stockton
Warm Coat Drive, 6541 Pacific, Stockton

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10
9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Dallas Braden autograph session at WalMart
1205 South Main, Manteca

Happy Monday! Let the dumpage commence.

DLD 11.17.08: kRaZeE Hol(l)iday Fun

whiteshoes40 — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:05:01 -0000

Time for a new link dump!

The latest A's Fastball was quite interesting. Apparently the A's are doing this Holiday Caravan Tour thing, December 3-10. A week of stalking! Oooooh.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3
Noon-12:30 p.m. - Ryan Sweeney Live Online Chat at oaklandathletics.com

Start drafting your questions now! ... Hey, Ryan, do you have more modeling pictures hiding somewhere online?

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4

8:30-10:00 a.m. - Dana Eveland and Gio Gonzalez to assist SF Firefighter's Toy Drive
Old Station 30 at 3rd and Mission Rock (1300 4th Street), San Francisco

A's players will sign autographs or take pictures with anyone who donates an unwrapped new toy or book to the SF Firefighter's Toy Program from 8:30-10:00am.

6:00-9:00 p.m. - Vida Blue, Bert Campaneris and A's Mascot Stomper to attend Walnut Creek Holiday Parade of Lights and Tree Lighting
Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek

A's former players and the A's mascot Stomper will ride along in the Walnut Creek holiday parade down Broadway Plaza Street. After the parade, they will be at the A's sales table signing autographs and taking photos with fans.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6
4:00-6:00 p.m. - Ryan Sweeney, Travis Buck and A's Mascot Stomper meet with shoppers at Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton
2611 Stoneridge Mall, Pleasanton

A's players will pose for photographs and sign autographs at the Santa set in Grand Court for shoppers who make a $5 or more donation to the Simon Youth Foundation. A's mascot Stomper will also be on hand to pose for photos and hand out candy canes.

Hmm. Maybe Ryan and Travis will *be* Santa...

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7

7:00-8:30 a.m. - A's Mascot Stomper to make appearance at Mrs. Claus' Breakfast Nook Prior to San Jose Holiday Parade
The Tech Museum (Venture Hall) 201 South Market Street, San Jose

A's mascot Stomper will take photos with kids at a special meet and greet at the Mrs. Claus' Breakfast Nook, which kicks off the 27th Annual San Jose Holiday Parade.

8:30-11:00 a.m. - Ryan Sweeney, Travis Buck and A's Mascot Stomper will ride in the 27th Annual San Jose Holiday Parade
A's players and Stomper will ride along in this year's San Jose Holiday Parade. The parade will begin on Santa Clara Street and Delmas Avenue, near the HP Pavilion.

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Ryan Sweeney and Travis Buck autograph session at San Jose Holiday ParadeFest
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose

A's players will stop by the A's ticket booth for one hour to sign autographs for fans during the San Jose ParadeFest at Christmas in the Park.

Road trip to San Jose!

Other Holliday-related info:

Celebrate the signing of Matt Holliday by purchasing the Half Price Holiday Pack. Six games on the Field Level for only $13 per game! Order your Half Price Holiday Pack today while this offer is still available.

Aaaaand... spring training tickets are now on sale!

So, basically, the offseason is over: Thanksgiving, Holiday Caravan thingamajig, Christmas, FanFest, Spring Training, and then real A's baseball! Sweet.

Dump your links here, please!

DLD 10.16.08: Untitled Edition

whiteshoes40 — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:31:05 -0000

It seems to be time for a fresh link dump.

Phillies win!

Dodgers lose.

And on to the series that we really care about...

LL required reading: Rays Too Stupid to Crumble Under Postseason Pressure

Kazmir to start Game 5 instead of Shields. Um. Okay.

Longoria and Upton are awesome. Yeah, we know.

Evan Longoria wore a pinstriped suit, paisley tie and pocket square. He would’ve topped it off with a fedora but left it at the hotel. B.J. Upton rocked a velour jacket, T-shirt and jeans, capped by aviator sunglasses that covered half his face.

Paisley tie? Evan must have been interviewed by Craig Sager one too many times.

Rays @ Red Sox, 5:07 p.m. on TBS. Go Rays!

the end. (dld 9.22.08)

whiteshoes40 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:54:45 -0000

I would like to personally extend my thanks to the Mariners for crawling to the Coliseum this weekend (yes, that is a shameless link to AN's millionth comment, which, in case you missed it, just happened to be made by me!) and allowing us to SWEEEEEP the series. Three wins in three days? Who knew it was possible?

And even though this is a lost season, full of frustration and pain (especially for all the guys who got injured), I always have a great time at the Coliseum, and I always, always want the A's to win. Draft picks, Stephen Strasburg, we could've had SmOaK!!!11, blah blah blah--I cannot root for my team to lose. If they happen to lose, which was a far too common occurrence this season, so be it, but I will keep rooting for them to win, as hard as I can and as long as I can.

Thankfully I didn't have to deal with any losing this weekend. Instead, I saw lots of winning and lots of celebration, and I took LOTS of pictures. No, really, this post is huge. You have been warned.

So, Friday night, we saw a lot of good pitching and just enough offense to get by.

Felix pitches to Travis to start the game.

Ryan watches a pitch go by.

Ryan fails for the third out, so Travis has to bring out his cap and glove. This becomes a recurring theme over the weekend.

Later, after Trav's home run (which I didn't get on camera because I was eating an apple at the time), Ryan comes up again--and this time he doubles!

So, for a brief moment, Ry was hitting .300. I'm pretty sure he didn't have another hit for the rest of the series, so I made sure to catch the high point.

And after the game, the A's were kind enough to have a fireworks show in honor of my millionth comment (are you sick of me mentioning that yet?). After the fireworks, I considered rolling myself up in my green blanket and hiding under the bullpen bench so I could camp out on the field overnight. I just love it out there.

On to Saturday, which featured very little good pitching and a lot of wacky defensive changes. Before the game, there were drummers on the field for Japanese Heritage Day.

Travis had bring out RyRy's stuff again.

Captain Kirk, before he gave up all those runs and got the hook.

Deja vu all over again. I think Ryan's just lazy.

Aaaand it's Blevins time...

Hi Trav!

Then Grandpa Embree came in. 10 pitches later...

But hope was not lost. Bobby the Hairless Warrior stands triumphantly on second, watching the conference on the mound.

Carlos sighting!

Thanks, Corcoran.

Ryan gets someone else to do his work for him, as the outfield shuffle begins and he heads out to right (yay!).

And here's Dale getting ready to do the splits, if necessary (or even if not necessary).

Later: heywaitwhathappenedtotheinfield?

Victory!

After the game, the team chaplain, Donnie Moore, and some of the guys came out to talk a bit about their faith (apparently it was church community day). First, some big bodybuilders (and the chaplain) performed "feats of strength," such as ripping phone books in half, smashing stacks of bricks, and crushing cans of soda until they exploded.

Here, this guy is blowing up a hot water bottle until it explodes. That wouldn't be easy to do.

Our guys were sitting right in front of him, in the first couple rows, but they got scared of exploding things, like the hot water bottle, and especially the full soda cans (in the pic above, you can see Ziggy plugging one of his ears and Carlos shielding his face), and most of them moved over to the sides during those things.

That's Rajai, Gio, Outman, Carlos, and Smith (and some random kid). When I saw Smith, I thought, "Oooh, Greggles!" and then I wondered where in the world "Greggles" came from... I know I must've read it on AN somewhere...

Gio was a little scaredy cat during the soda can bit--I guess he didn't want to get his nice street clothes full of soda--because he practically ran all the way to the side and then over the caution tape, up the aisle five or so rows, till he was standing like right next to me in the aisle. I almost turned around to take a picture of him, but I figure that would've scared him more than the exploding soda, so I just waited till he was a bit further away.

So here are all the guys sitting on the dugout: Ziggy, Travis, Cliff, Huston, Outman, Carlos, Greg, Rajai, Gio (and Tye Waller next to Gio).

This was the part of the day when my camera battery decided to die, so I'd turn it on and quick take one picture before it shut off, and then repeat the process a few minutes later.

Rajai mentioned that his name means "victorious king." He is also the resident barber, and cut both Carlos' and Gio's hair (they were both very proud of their styles). Some of the guys pointed to Travis, saying he should be next, to which I say, Nooo, not the honey and sunshine!

Ooookay, I've made it to Sunday: the first half of the game wasn't all that spectacular, but it got much, much better as the afternoon went on.

Oh, and Sean: WHY must you pick the black tops?! Our last sight of the team, and they're wearing the worst uniforms. Not. Nice.

Pre-game stretching.

Ry tries not to be jealous as Dale fraternizes with the enemy.

After the 40th Anniversary Team ceremony, the current team finally takes the field.

Gio doing some stretching down by the bullpen during the game.

It was great to have drummers out in left field. Here, Travis joins them in signaling the number of outs.

Finally, we have a hit! Thanks, Carlos!

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite picture of the entire weekend.

News flash: Dale wants to take care of sick puppies!

Also, I would like to say thank you to Raul Ibanez, for taking such pride in his defense. Really, Raul, we couldn't have done it without you.

Ziggy came in in the 8th, which was slightly surprising, but I was okay with it. Oh, and Donnie Murphy was back! I didn't know he had been called up until Roy Steele announced he was playing third. Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to seeing our would-be vet back at the hot corner...

Cust rounds third after his 30th homer! Earlier in the game, I had a Cust basher sitting behind me. He was so proud when Jack popped out with runners on. By the time the 8th came around, he had moved. Too bad. I would've liked to hear his reaction to what Cust did in this at-bat.

9th inning! The final three outs at the Coliseum this year.

Victory! I think Ry's a little jealous of Carlos and Travis's jumping skillz.

Goodbye, boys. Thanks for a great weekend. I'll miss you. Come back soon.

Double Trouble: Open Photo Thread + Link Dump

whiteshoes40 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:39:00 -0000

It's early afternoon and we don't have a community dump yet, so I figure my photo diary/fAnPoSt can do double duty... but I'll leave the link dumping to y'all, 'cause I'm sticking to my pictures.

Mmmmkay, so I went to the game on Saturday and just happened to sit in the RF bleachers... and you'll never guess who happened to be patrolling RF.

How convenient.

The sun was annoying for the first hour or so, but it was pretty cool when it peeked through one of the holes in the 3rd deck.

So anyway, we enjoyed the view from the bleachers for quite a while.

And then we were sad---why must you run away from us, Ryan?

But he came back. And there was much rejoicing.

We also noticed that he took off his hat and rubbed his head a lot. Lice, maybe?

And then... hey, wait, we won? That was awesome. Yay Ryan!

Fireworks time! Party on the field!

So pretty...

Being on the field for the fireworks was awesome. I think the only other time I had been on the field was for FanFest several years ago, and it was all torn up and gross... this time, there were football lines, but it was still lovely. I wanted to stay out there forever. It was a glorious way to end a marvelous evening.

But wait, there's more! A reward for those of you who made it this far: scans from Swooney's article in the newest A's magazine.

And the community analysis of the tattoo begins... now.

Article highlights: No time for a girlfriend, has a 16-year-old brother named Kellen, apparently has no wild streak, and is BFFs with Dale:

Then Barton spilled some inside information. Turns out that Sweeney isn't just baseball 24/7. "We like to get away from the whole pro-athlete scene and just be normal people," says Barton. "We watch ultimate fighting on pay-per-view. Sometimes we go to Starbucks."

Aha! Too bad there are 15 million Starbucks in the Bay Area.

That's all from me. Dump your links and photos here!

DLD 8/26: Fine, I'll do it.

whiteshoes40 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:38:48 -0000

That's what I get for complaining about the lack of a DLD.

Beating the Angels is fun.

In related news, there was a 2.1 earthquake detected in Anaheim as Frank chugged home from third to score on a wild pitch.

Also:

Kurt Suzuki, who is from Hawaii, is happy his state produced the Little League World Series champs. "It's awesome," he said. Reliever Alan Embree was just as excited. "One of them said I was his favorite player - I almost fell over," the 38-year-old left-hander said.

That kid needs help.

Gio Gonzalez and Eric Patterson were named to the All-Pacific Coast League team.

Woohoo! We have All Stars! Or something.

Time for instant replay, starting Thursday.

It's not for everybody. Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, "When an NFL coach drops that red handkerchief, I go to the refrigerator for four or five minutes."

I think he meant to say that it takes him four or five minutes to walk to the refrigerator.

Okay, let's see: I've got links, block quotes, and a photo. That'll do. Now, dump!

Pictures: Floating on Root Beer (now with more Swooney!)

whiteshoes40 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:35:10 -0000

I'm slowly recovering from the fifteen root beer floats [belch] I had yesterday, as well as my weird sunburn (I think I need that colored sunscreen that shows you where you already put it, so you don't get random fingerprints on your shoulders...). Here's some pictures from Friday's game debacle vs. the Rangers, and a lot from Root Beer Float Day yesterday.

So, Gallagher pitched both of these games. And strangely enough, each time he got a lead, he gave up exactly the number of runs needed to tie it in the next inning. How convenient.

I needed photographic evidence that this 5-run inning actually happened. Fortunately, I took the picture before the lead magically disappeared.

Ellis summons his unicorn--"Get me out of here!"

And some discontented fans in the bleachers. Not really sure what to say about this sign.

Anyway, on to happier, more sugary times: the 9th annual Root Beer Float Day! There were lots of people there.

Huston was the first player out there, as far as we could tell.

There was a Stomper sighting...

And also a DiNardo sighting...

Eveland was out there for a while too. As I was taking a picture, a couple people asked me who he was. Guess he doesn't quite have the star factor yet.

After a half-hour or so, those players left. We also saw Dallas Braden and some of the coaches, and Glen Kuiper and his family (super cute little kids). So then we waited... and waited... and eventually Swooney and Carlos came out at the same time. It was a split-second decision: whom do we follow? Well, of course, we went for Swooney. I figured after I got his autograph, I could go get some pictures of Carlos, but that didn't really work out.

So this whole thing wasn't planned very well, because instead of putting Ryan at a table where a manageable line could form, they put him at one of the bars next to the KTVU (?) people, where a mob quickly formed. I think I need to get better at elbowing my way through crowds--it took us forever to get up to the counter. Carlos was ushered out while we were still waiting (sigh), but all that time in the mob gave me plenty of picture opportunities. And I did get his autograph, barely--I was the last one he signed for before he had to leave.

Ryan actually didn't make any floats, since he was taking pictures with people and signing stuff the whole time. But he was wearing an apron... sorry, Jennifer, not the kind you wanted.

Enough of that--on to the Swooney pics! There will be more coming; I took a bunch more on my sister's camera, which is nicer than mine, so there should be some good ones. Unfortuantely she disappeared with her camera before putting the pictures on the computer, so I'll edit this later tonight with more Swooney.

They were also selling old promo items, like the A's poker set and a Chavez puppet and some other stuff. I got the Chavez figurine (which, according to the "Different Brand of Baseball" packaging, is from 2005); appropriately, on the sample figurine on the table, Chavy's arm was broken off. It was his left arm, I think, so hopefully that figurine doesn't have voodoo-like powers, because then Chavy might find himself suddenly arm-less.

He kind of looks like he's flying. If he could learn how to do that, maybe he could play 3rd again--instead of throwing the ball to first, he could just fly it over there. You think Ellis would lend Chavy his unicorn?

Okay. Phew. That took forever. I forgot how much work it is to make one of these things, considering it's been like a year and a half since I posted a diary.

I'll try to add the rest of the pics soon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly have a craving for a root beer float...

EDIT: more pictures!

He was taking a picture with some random person, so I took the opportunity to get a picture of him smiling. He didn't do a whole lot of that when he was busy signing his name a zillion times...

Pensive.

Signing Jennifer's mug, perhaps?

He looks sad. Or bored. Or maybe both.

A bit happier.

And, last but not least, the amazing Ziggy! Double-play machine (in a good way)!

Link Dump 9/12: I Heart Frank

whiteshoes40 — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:29:25 -0000

Rise and shine-- it's another day of September A's baseball!

...meaning, of course, that the A's lost, but so did the Angels, so our magic number is down to 14.

And in case you hadn't heard, Frank Thomas has now homered in six straight games.

Frank Thomas has set the A's franchise record for consecutive games with a home run, and is closing in on the major-league mark:

Dale Long, 1956: 8
Don Mattingly, 1987: 8
Ken Griffey Jr, 1993: 8
Frank Thomas, 2006: 6

Also, from the same link, Jason Kendall has been playing with words and superglue:

Kendall was behind the plate Monday despite taking a broken bat off the noggin the night before.

"It felt like somebody cold-clocked me," Kendall said.

The flying barrel hit Kendall so hard, the foam pad on the inside of his helmet gauged an inch-long cut on his head, so he was taken to a hospital for repairs. He didn't need stitches, though.

"They basically super-glued me back together," said Kendall, who has caught a season-high 22 games in row. "I have a hard head."

Kendall tries to downplay it, but trainer Larry Davis estimates Kendall has had four or five concussions in his career, which is a concern, especially considering that Giants catcher Mike Matheny had his season ended by too many blows to the head.

"You play addition games with him, give him words to remember," Davis said. "He's fine today."

Davis saying "he's fine today"? Right. So how long till the funeral?

Speaking of funerals, apparently Rich Harden isn't dead quite yet. And he's even throwing changeups!

"He looked OK," pitching coach Curt Young said. "He came out of it healthy and was able to throw two simulated innings, 42 total pitches."

Among those pitches, Harden threw a handful of changeups for the first time since he sustained the injury throwing that pitch in early June.

A's at Twins tonight, 5:10 p.m. Pacific time. Be sure to watch the A's in their house of horrors and chronicle all the ups and downs in the game thread, so I can read about all the emotional turmoil you go through without actually having to experience it myself. Here's hoping the A's actually, you know, win a game in the Dome, as strange of a concept as that is.

Dump away!