Happy Memorial Day weekend, you FKers!
Tonight’s game is a Fox regional broadcast. Here’s your regionalization map. Sorry about that, Fresno.
#Athletics (Griffin) @ #Astros (Harrell): Crisp CF, Jaso C, Cespedes DH, Smith LF, Donaldson 3B, Moss 1B, Young RF, Sogard 2B, Rosales SS
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) May 25, 2013
Cespedes taking some grounders at shortstop with Lowrie. Just because.
— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) May 25, 2013
Added bonus for Fresno: Buck and McCarver.
Chris Young: “Good ol’ Texas southern barbecue always does the trick for me.”
SP A.J. Griffin is 6-0 w/1.98 ERA in nine career starts vs AL West opponents. Says some random Twitter guy.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!!!
Well you FKers better win. I guess I should be happy as it will force me to the radio and I usually drink more when listening to the radio.
Oh cool. Please comment generously.
As I only hit radio for a full game a few times a year, my guess is it would be a bunch of cuss words about how bad Vince is.
You could also let us know what you think of Chris Young.
Don’t forget Suck 1 & Suck 2.
I loved him. Was on my fantasy team when he was with the Padres. Thought he would be great.
Oh…THAT Chris Young.
av and I each have good friends that are canadian and live in canada that are named Chris Young.
Different people.
And I had planned to sit at the computer and work on some music cleanup while watching. Now thanks to wonderful TV and internet radio rules, I will be sitting in front of a couple grand of electronics and trying to get reception in from an AM station on a $25 iPod holder/radio.
$20 for gameday radio. You could go to the Astros’ feed when Vince comes on. Should be ipod compatible?
nope. Steve sparks. WOrse. unbelievably
But its a chance to join in the misery that is Vince. Of course (as shown below) my issue now is getting KK but at the same time getting some ESPN radio talking head giving me insight into the Eastern conference finals.
It’s actually a little surprising that Reno (a Giants market, as the A’s aren’t available on cable) is getting A’s-Astros over the Dodgers game.
The A’s aren’t on cable in Reno? Wow, that’s crazy.
Charter Communications, which has the cable monopoly in western Nevada and the Tahoe area, has never reached an agreement with Comcast to carry CSN California. They’ve had CSN Bay Area all along. If you want to watch the A’s, Kings or Sharks here, it’s DirecTV or Dish.
so with that map, what’s the point of a national broadcast if you are segregated into watching your local team
I just think one game for the entire country is something no one wants anymore. As the playoff ratings show people like to watch their team but they aren’t that interested in watching other teams play.
Yup.
LOL
The Giants have been the victims of two bad out calls on the basepaths. It’s heartbreaking, I tell you.
As another SF coach once said, bummer.
We’re day one on the vacation beard. We’ll see how long my wife lets me keep it.
At least as long as you’re still alive in the quest for Lord Stanley’s cup.
Heh…well, give it a week and my playoff hockey beard will be looking nice and Canadian.
The Fox graphic had “A. Rosales” at shortstop for Houston, which sounds good to me.
We’ll take Trogdor in return. Actually, make it Altuve.
He’s easy to overlook
does it bug anyone else that the guy on the beer commercial that is “from around the world” or whatever, the guy says Lego’s Nigeria?
Well nuts
not your usual entrance
Equal opportunity, uh, poster, or something like that.
These T-Mobile ads on Game Day Audio aren’t my favorite things ever.
I could have beat that one out.
Hmm…don’t see that everyday.
bunths for a hit
The shift has hit the fan.
lol
Hopefully that’ll mess with him. Had to race after it, got annoyed about the bunt too.
its against the unwritten rules to break up the no hitter with a bunt
Not early in the game nor in a close game.
exactly as good as I thought this morning
I didn’t mind the Astros’ burnt-orange alternate jerseys with the navy blue caps last night. Don’t much care for the orange caps though.
They seem unnecessary. Last night’s caps with today’s home whites would look sharp.
they are not the same color as the 80s caps, correct?
I think they’ve dialed down the brightness of the orange a little bit.
Oooo BASES LOADED FOR….young sogard and rosales….
Our big RBI men.
It really does seem like the Astros have loaded the bases with A’s within the first inning or two of every game we’ve played them this year.
It feels like a good time for an Arnold Palmer.
tea and lemonade?
Yep
Good time for a John Daly.
makers mark and cocaine?
That could work too. But Mikes hard lemonade and ice tea.
this was funny
Currently enjoying a Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB. There’s a 22 of the Stone Imperial Russian Stout in there for the later innings.
I really like their Howling Wolf. Great Lable, really good beer.
If the A’s are trailing after this half inning….
Chris “Roy Hobbs of Texas” Young strikes again.
CY keeps killing Houston
C.Y.
Is it that CY is heating up or is it just the HOU effect?
Maybe a little of both?
Keebs! He’ll catch Casper Wells yet!
Let’s get nice and crooked in this inning, please.
Sogard with a single!
He didn’t try to stretch it into a double!
SUCCESS!
Somehow we got through the evening’s first round of Sogales with relative success.
Thats basically what the A’s…Rangers down 2-1 to the Bruins…
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
wait, Ron washington’s team are playing UCLA?
Being an Astros fan must be fun.
em is a fan. she seems to be doing alright
We are all Astros fans now.
Well, 1977-1979 is on my A’s fan resume. You just have to adjust your attitude and take a “have fun and don’t worry about the results” approach.
And if you’re lucky you get rewarded with Rickey.
I guess the difference would be a lot of the A’s fans of those late 70’s teams got to enjoy 3 consecutive World Championships just a few years earlier. The Astros have been around since 1962 without a single title.
The difference was that bleacher tickets were $2 and parking was $1, so a trip to the Coliseum wasn’t the investment a game at Minute Maid Park is today.
Well, that only matters to people who go to the game…you can suffer as a fan without ever leaving your house.
Last year’s Astros were effectively the ’79 A’s. This year’s team looks more like the ’62 Mets.
minus the talent
FYI – I’ll miss you, Bedward.
I’ll miss you too, Jennifer…in fact I’ll miss all of you…well, except for Oz.
I love the Astros.
6-6 in the second
Jesus Lucas Harrell, that was right down the middle… next time put a bow on it will you?
Wow, this is quite the ass whuppin.
It almost feels like a Little League game where one team has players who have grown up faster.
moss? at second?
Former A Edgar Gonzalez warming up.
This road trip is like a “Where Are They Now” game, A’s castoffs edition.
I’ll freely admit I don’t remember Edgar Gonzalez.
Count yourself fortunate.
didn’t he pitch 7 and 2/3 no hitter against the rangers or something in 2010?
This inning may bring back some repressed memories.
Hey – I think Donaldson is wearing a wire.
snitchier than you think
The FBI is gonna nail Gallego for sure this time.
asvd
What’s your favorite piece of A’s gear?
The cup.
Two jewels, one cup?
The white OAKLAND tee-shirt that I tie-dyed green and gold.
This might surprise everyone but the preppy bastard here has no tie-dyed clothing.
Are we related?
Only by desire.
For tie-died stuff, right?
That I own? My Fingers jersey.
It boils down to the coaching… there’s no way I have a pitcher out there with a deer-in-the-headlights, please-come-get-me-outta-here look on his face that Harrell had in that inning. Astros have to school their players not to look defeated like that because the opposition starts salivating when they see a pitcher shaking in his cleats like that.
Well, if you can acquire a 30 year old relief pitcher with a 7.24 ERA twice in one season you have to do it.
Wow, nice way to win a game for the giants
Dunno I’ve ever seen that, a walkoff, come from behind inside-the-park job.
That was a long-ass half inning.
But it was mighty fine ass.
I see in true A’s fashion they still left the bases loaded after that 6-run inning.
Is Chris Carter on a Major League roster in two years?
he will still be 28 or so, so yeah, someone will give him work
Would the Astros count as a ML roster?
I guess the Astros announcers must drink a lot.
We’re on a nice 4 1/2 hour pace for tonight’s game.
I wonder how tall ALtuve is? Maybe Vince will mention it
Altuve is 5’6″, allegedly… up from 5’5″ last year.
I haven’t heard him being described as “gritty”, or a “grinder”. Oh yeah, he isn’t white.
People of non-Caucasian ethnicity are automatically gritty and grindy, so they don’t need the mention :D
I have. Hes one of the only ones.
Grays for the “national” game.
So, anyone here know hiw you go abiut getting one if them sneaky feeds I hear about?
If major media is going out of their way to screw me out of all legal ways to watch..FK em.
I would pass on my DirecTV feed if I could. This game is pretty much unwatchable even from the winning side. No idea what Fox was thinking in picking this.
I can’t imagine why anyone thought to put this on TV.
Still better than you think. And E-Gon just sucks.
Oh my goodness…this is almost sad at this point.
At this point, I’d be OK if Fox switched us to another game.
A moment of silence for Edgar Gonzalez’s major league career.
Guys that like fascinate me. Ten years (about 4 years of service time), ERA near 6.
It’s the front office inverse of the “what’s down in AAA can’t possibly be any worse” line of fan thinking.
I think we’ve made up for all those base running mistakes from last night.
The fk, it’s still the 4th?
Rosales still sucks ass.
Well…yeah
I’d say that the Houston crowd had been stunned into silence, except that they sounded exactly the same during the 9th inning comeback attempt vs Balfour last night.
that was so strange. I could have swore I heard LGO chants a couple of times.
Me too.
Well, Houston is a huge city so I’m sure there are a few A’s fans there. Every time I go to Kansas City or Dallas I see a handful of A’s fans.
Still on that 4.5 hour pace.
In five years when Mariano Rivera is up for the Hall of Fame…how exactly will some dumb ass defend not voting for him?
Yeah, he should be the first unanimous selection, but he won’t.
It’s so stupid. I feel the voters who voted against Rickey or Cal Ripken Jr. or Rivera when he’s up should lose their vote as there is no credible argument against voting for those guys.
It’s all part of the “Look at ME!!!!” school of everything so unique to America. Anyone else’s accomplishment can be overshadowed by someone just reacting to it out of need for illegitimate attention.
I agree with you, strip them of their votes. Not that that will ever happen but it’s an outrage they are allowed to determine someone’s unanimous qualifications playing a game the writers have never played.
It does seem like there should be a better way to have the vote.
I mean, it is nuts, just inexplicable. If Rivera or Ripken or Rickey (the 3 Rs?) aren’t unanimous, who is?
Of the guys in the game right now my guess is that either Rivera or Jeter will get the highest percentage of the vote. With all the PED stuff we might have a few years where no one gets in.
I’m curious to see what percentage Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson will get?
rickey
Relievers are just failed starters.
Only pitched 1200 innings, Jack Morris pitched 3 times that!
My only question is why the heck is he retiring? Of course maybe he’s just tired of the grind but the guy is still great.
Yeah, thanks a lot, Rollie Fingers!
Someone’ll say they just won’t vote for closers. Less crazy than some of the recent ones.
I’m worried it’ll be Jeter.
I really hope Melvin goes with this lineup (with Lowrie in if healthy) tomorrow despite the lefty.
I really hope we remember to set our alarm clocks and show up on time. At this point that is the only way I would be worried. I think after last night it simply took any steam the ‘stros had out of them. It almost feels like we could just throw our jockstraps out on the field and win.
No sdi? I give up on this game
Mitch Williams: “This offense just isn’t built to come back from this kind of deficit.”
They might be able to comeback if he was pitching.
I can hear the game!!!
Ugh, this is a blowout… [click]
So is Donaldson an All Star if he keeps things going?
His homer sent the Crawford Box fans scurrying like Houston roaches when the lights come on. That ball was belted.
No. AL 3B is stacked.
Put him at SS. Or C…
Raiders 10 Texans 3…Matt Flynn hit (insert obscure receiver here) in the back of the end zone.
Oh Ken…you weren’t there….you cannot bring up ******’* homer.
Chapman?
Diet Coke up my nose. OW,
asvd
I almost bashed a hole in my apartment floor when that
supposedlyhappened.This game thread has a vibe like I’m in a lounge at 2 in the morning by myself…I’m only sticking with the game because this is my last game for 10 weeks.
My posts in tonight’s game thread make more sense if you read them in the voice of Dan Rather.
Dan Rather than who?
Hmm…well it would have to either be Brokaw or Jennings I guess.
Courage.
Ha…and now we’ve entered the Dan Rather catch phrase part of the game thread.
Where Connie wangs chung tonight.
Those two seemed to hate each other more than the Sox and the Yanks.
You know Griffin isn’t really pitching all that good of a game.
He’s on pace to give up around 37 homers over 200 innings.
That doesn’t surprise me.
Are they talking about pitching to the score? SMH
Can we trade CY for Jason Castro?
I would settle for Fidel…
Fidel has great stamina.
And the beard is pre-grown.
Yep, that beard has been beating Yankee bastards for years now.
I guess smoking cigars and keeping your people driving 1957 Chevys is good for long term health.
I propose CY and Eric ‘Too Tall’ Sogard, for Altuve.
The Astros remind me of the tomato cans that Rocky fought in Rocky III.
Or the oil cans in The Jerk.
So Travis Blackley is still kind of in the Majors.
Rosales…you are the weakest link!
Goodbye!
Our announcers are a lot like me…they can’t remember the names of San Diego Padres either.
I’m still finding this game more interesting than most A’s vs Mariners games from the last 5 years.
Disagree. I like watching King Felix shutting us out three games in a row.
So, I’m blacked out in Arkansas for Astros games that 60% of people in Houston can’t even watch…thanks, Bud.
How often I wonder does a team have 4 home runs and still be behind by 5 runs?
Dominguez and Castro could be good players, and Altuve is already. They just need a couple more good young guys and a leadoff hitter and about 47 pitchers that can get anyone out in that tiny bandbox ballpark.
No, Vince that’s not ironic.
Don cha think?
Don’t you think?
Jesse Chavez could make himself useful yet tonight. I think you have to be ahead by at least 8 runs to bring him in for a mop-up win situation though.
And in a very SSS, Smith continues to do well against LHP relivers.
yay
I don’t think even DFA saw Donaldson being this good.
I don’t think Donaldson did.
Nope. Ill take it though.
YOU WERE WRONG AFTER ALL!!!
This.
Still the richest beggar.
I would have gone with land of the blind/one-eyed man myself.
King of the dipshits?
Fosse on radio in a 4-hour blowout is beyond intolerable. It’s endless diarrhea of the mouth.
Three announcers, one mike?
I like Coco Crisp but Mitch Williams must’ve forgotten that noodle arm when saying he plays an unbelievable CF.
Well, they say closers need to have short memories. And Williams has a lot to forget.
Maybe he was being ironic.
He’s not smart enough for that.
He didn’t say unbelievably good, did he?
This has got to be a lot like what those exhibitions the A’s used to play every year against the Midland AA team felt like. This Astros team is wretched.
Hey, even Jesse Chavez looks good against the Astros.
Ray: Are you tweeting?
Ken: Are you?
Ray: (laughing) No.
coincidentally, I sent a tweet to vince to remind him to tell Ken that there will not be a brewers cardinal world series again either.
Vince might even call it ironic
Man, I hope Lowrie gets well quickly. #RosalesSucks
Also, it doesn’t look like Jesse Chavez’s uniform fits him at all. Not even his hat.
I noticed that too.
Of course, I think that Jesse Chavez doesn’t fit with the A’s, so his uniform not fitting well is, uh, fitting.
Chavez only gets to participate in the game-ending handshake line a couple times a year.
That gawd, Auto-out Rosales was giving me a rash today.
so do you have to sound like a dickhead to get a sports radio show?
Pretty much.
the astros have scored more runs this series than the Rangers did in the last one.
they have almost doubled the rangers total
Okay, seating question. Approximately how many seats are in a section in the Value Deck?
Sec 317 is different than 316 and 318…significantly narrower, and the last few rows are covered by a football camera shack. For 316 and 318, I think the rows are 22 seats wide, and that there are 20 rows, so 440 seats, if I’m remembering right. I actually haven’t been up there yet this year.
All right, we have a consensus!
Does numbering in a row start on the left or right of a section?
I think it goes from right to left.
Thanks!
If you’re standing in front of the section looking up at it, the numbers go left to right, just like you’d read it in a math equation. I used to mess this up often enough that I forced myself to remember it correctly for good.
I just remember that the lower numbered seats are next to the lower numbered section.
That makes sense. I never sit anywhere where I would be standing in front of the section looking up at it.
Whew. This shit is difficult.
Also, beware that the Value Deck has quite a few seats that are obstructed by railings. You avoid most of that (but not all) if you’re in Row 12 or higher.
I’m going to say it’s around 400….this looks like 22 rows of about 20 seats each to me, but the front four or five rows are shorter because of the stairwells.
So these vintage WWII bombers have been buzzing my house all afternoon.
did you recently step into a time machine?
And if you did, can I come with you?
That’s why you don’t buy in Normandy.
I contracted with M&M Enterprises to bomb your house.
And everybody has a share!
b17
b25
ha! nailed it.
NERD!
The second one is a B24 (four engines).
You sunk my battleship.
BINGO!
that’s alright. i meant b52 anyway.
that’s what i get for piping in when it’s not german tanks. next time you’re not sure it’s a tiger II or a panther directly over your house,
i’m your guyrun!I had a job about 15 years ago where two guys with last names Panzer and Sherman shared an office.
awesome
I have a neighbor named Panzer. What was your colleague’s first name?
Scott
Awesome. That’s my neighbor.
Cool! He may not realize it, because I didn’t make it obvious, but I really enjoyed working with him. Very bright and sensible guy.
what’s crazy is how many people in the civil war had names of US tanks… and they didn’t even HAVE tanks back then.
no, what i mean is that it’s weird that with so many people in the civil war, only the ones with names of tanks rose to general.
but seriously, how did their emails end? “OK tanks bye.” “no tank YOU.”
Ball in the stand catching tips: don’t surround the ball. It will go through the hole. Designate a hand to go being the ball and then take the other hand and clasp on the ball after the ball hits the first hand.
How does one go about designating a hand to go be the ball?
I am sure you have that covered
You know it!
Brendan ryan does not bat ninth tonight.
Ouch
also, if this game is on free tv, why was it blacked out on my mlb.tv account?
Because fox wants you to watch it over their airwaves.
Preferably from a cable company they have an ownership stake in (coming to a future broadcast near you).
Watching Mariners games is kind of depressing.
Want some A’s/Astros pitching stats through 8 games? Here you go:
A’s starters: 50 IP, 47 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 7 BB, 53 SO, 3.42 ERA
Astros starters: 26.1 IP, 37 H, 38 R, 35 ER, 27 BB, 24 SO, 11.96 ERA
That’s 69.4% of all innings thrown by A’s starters, 38.2% of all innings thrown by Astros starters.
A’s relievers: 22 IP, 19 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 7 BB, 22 SO, 3.27 ERA
Astros relievers: 42.2 IP, 48 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 17 BB, 24 SO, 4.43 ERA
A’s pitchers: 72 IP, 66 H, 29 R, 27 ER, 14 BB, 75 SO, 3.38 ERA
Astros pitchers: 69 IP, 85 H, 62 R, 56 ER, 44 BB, 48 SO, 7.30 ERA
I could have sworn their relievers had pitched worse than that.
The 5 shutout innings by Clemens in Oakland didn’t hurt.
Other than that there were two or three games where the A’s scored early and often then sort of coasted.
to be fair, the A’s relievers, I am guessing, have been the scrivner/chavez/okajima kind rather than the Balfour/doolittle/cook kind.
As a side note, did COok and doolittle get flipped in 7th 8th duty?
Not so much.
Balfour: 5 IP
Doolittle: 2.2 IP
Cook: 3.1 IP
Blevins: 1 IP
Neshek: 2.2 IP
That’s 14.2 there. Resop gave up 3 of those runs in 1 IP of his own. Scribner, 1 in 3 IP.
It’s been our primary guys doing well, as you’d hope and expect.
huh, balfour 5 innings? interesting
4 saves and an inning in a blowout after not pitching for a few days, which of course lead to two straight save situations.