It’s a Wednesday in the sunshine to complete the short visit to Oakland by the Cincinnati Reds. Per the Slussbeat, the Reds have come to Oakland five times, each time to a differently named ballpark. Started with Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, currently the O.Co Coliseum. Quick, name the other three!
The A’s have the best night game record in baseball at 31-17. They have the third worst day game record at 13-17.
#Athletics Crisp late for what Melvin called "family issue," not emergency. "This was a planned thing," Melvin said. To arrive during game.
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) June 26, 2013
#Athletics Seth Smith hitting 2nd today. 6-for-11 (.545) with three jacks in his career off Bailey.
— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) June 26, 2013
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain at the top of the lineup:
Chris Young CF, Seth Smith DH, Jed Lowrie SS, Yoenis Cespedes LF, Brandon Moss 1B,Josh Donaldson 3B, Josh Reddick RF, Stephen Vogt C, Eric Sogard 2B. 
RHP A.J. Griffin (5-6, 3.90 ERA)

MacAfee, NetAss, and …
Count Floyd’s 3D House of Beef
Five names sounds wrong to me. The first two visits were in 1972 and 1990 and no corporate name was attached until the late 1990s.
According to Wikipedia, only 4 official names.
She’s wrong on multiple counts. B-R says this is the Reds’ 6th visit to Oakland.
1972, 1990, 2010: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
2004: Network Associates Coliseum
2007: McAfee Coliseum
2013: O.co Coliseum
I can’t remember a fifth specifically either. Maybe they’re counting the few weeks or so immediately after the current rights deal was inked when it was “Overstock.Com” before becoming O.Co.
May 2011 apparently. But the Reds didn’t visit that year.
Also, “UMAX Coliseum” was never finalized. But that was in 1997 anyway.
CY batting leadoff: .625/.667/1.500
Rosales batting leadoff: .333/.417/.476
I swear Melvin is some kind of savant.
Or maybe not.
idiot savant covers your bases
Are we counting World Series visits? I though it was the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in 1972 and 1990.
Gene Tenace, Jermaine Dye, David Justice in the clubhouse today per Korach.
A’s sporting the clean home whites, yay!
The gold alts clash with Griffin’s hair.
I should be up on a trail today, but I’ve donned my Bill King finery and will plop my butt out on the deck and enjoy this one on radio. The trails will be there tomorrow. It looks like we’ll have some gorgeous warm Sierra weather for the next few days so this would be a good weekend to come up, avoiding the insanity of Fourth of July.
Oh wow, Cincinnati announcers.
I think I’d rather not watch the game than spend three hours with Thom Brennaman shouting at me.
THESE GUYS…TALK IN MONOTONE…. STENTORIAN AND SERIOUS…. THE REDS SQUANDER A GOLDEN FIRST INNING CHANCE… DUSTY BAKER’S TOOTHPICK IS UNPLEASED… ALL YOUR BASE BELONG TO US…
THOM BRENNAMAN IS INCAPABLE OF MODULATING THE TONE OF HIS VOICE. PLEASE DO NOT MOCK HIM FOR THIS UNFORTUNATE CONDITION OVER WHICH HE HAS NO CONTROL.
AND THE REDS MISS OUT ON ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY… I SOUND LIKE THE VOICE OF BIG BROTHER IN “1984”… THE REDS ARE SUBSTITUTING WINSTON SMITH FOR ZACK COZART…. OH MY GOD I CAN’T STOP TALKING IN THIS SERIOUS, UNMODULATED VOICE…
As usual, nowhere around here is showing the game. Apparently there is some soccer thing going on.
Per the other thread, I may have to rethink my views on immigration.
I saw your doppelganger here at the game, almost said hi. So you can maybe feel good that at least he can watch.
izturis. stop it
Reddick with the “if I jump for this one, I’ll get on Sportscenter” leap there.
he didn’t want that one anyway
Boo-FKing-yah!
Lucky Lowrie on that play, missing the plate while the catcher lost control of the ball so he could go back and touch it, then Donaldson goes BOOM.
I like when Josh Does that
MAKING IT RAIN, even when it’s sunny out!!!
muggy
0-30 and counting.
Carter is taking BP at Minute Maid Park right now and has a batboy running out with updates.
New guy only has 2 K in his 30 (and counting) hitless ML at-bats. And to my eye last night made pretty good contact.
Carter had 13 K in his 0-32, which makes it a lot more understandable.
31
“Vogt is 0 for 6 as an A but I don’t think he really cares” (because the A’s won last night and are winning today). — Vince
Now THERE is a legit criticism of Vince. Of course he cares because he knows if you go 0 for (a bunch) in the big leagues you will quickly find yourself on the River Cats again and will get those early wake-up calls for the morning flight from SLC to Sacramento with the 3-hour layover in Las Vegas.
Dang (apparently) (hopefully) we won’t get a shot at 32 today. And by Friday Vogt might be back in Sacramento for Green or Nakajima.
MLB record is 35 (Vic Harris)
We probably talked about this when Carter was flailing away. I would have thought some pitcher went 0-for-50 in his career, just because Bob Buhl managed the infamous 0-for-70 in 1962.
I don’t count pitchers.
OK, we had our fun. Scouts know that move. they have relayed this info to pitchers. We can stop now.
Sogard is starting to piss me off with that.
Seriously what happened on that Lowrie play Vince and Ray won’t tell me.
the video is on gameday.
cespedes was running all the way, lowrie waited too long. both were at third, lowrie was sent. throw beat him by two feet. lowerie tried to slide around, missed the plate by a foot, catcher turned to tag and the ball rolled toward and beyond the prone lowrie, lowrie made a second effort to touch plate, was blocked by cathers knee , lowrie made third effort and touched the plate.
Thanks. Sounds exciting!
He slid past home without touching the plate or being tagged, and, rather than shove the catcher, proceeded to touch home.
LOL
sigh
then stop in the middle and point at Bill Mueller
Yeah, I was driving and listening during that call, it was horrible.
It wasn’t clear right away but I thought Vince straightened it out within a couple seconds, which is as long as it takes to read Ed’s description of the play above. It was a tough play to call. I don’t think Vince is great or anything but there are much worse out there and I do think some here go out of their way to bash the guy.
I honestly had no idea what happened at the end of the inning other than that Lowrie scored because the catcher dropped the ball.
My initial question about the play, that Vince didn’t clarify right away, was where Cespedes was. I assumed Lowrie had already scored and the issue was whether the tag play at home involved Cespedes. Yes, he screwed it up live but I knew quickly what the deal was.
He says Oakland a lot. I Like that
Fair enough. I put Vince about the 40th percentile.
I’m hardly above ad hominem criticisms but some of what I’ve seen on FK about Vince recently strikes me as leaning too much that way.
When there are so many others truly deserving of unmitigated scorn. I just turned on ESPN and literally could not take more than 60 second of Chris Berman’s “play by play,” which mostly consisted of him pimping the opening of a Yankee-branded steakhouse in NYC.
Let the ass kicking continue!
That’s an error! Give that no-account CY25 an error, damnit!
ken said he dropped it
And they need to stop referring to him as Chris. It’s way too fking similar to Crisp.
Yes, the preferred pronunciation has to be Sigh.
Scout:
strikes out young
CY25 wishes.
and:
Adam Melhuse in the house!
OK, that makes me feel better about the Young “hit”
LEFTY ON LEFTY! DFA SA
(outright, I suppose)
wait, release? what is the proper terminology?
All of the above.
A DFA takes him off the 40-man roster and exposes him to waivers.
Once he clears waivers he can be either outrighted (sent to minors) or released (sent to begin his new career).
DFA doesn’t immediately expose him to waivers. The DFA period is 10 days, and at some point during that 10 day period the player is exposed to a 3 day period of being on waivers.
Thanks, and go As.
PLATINUM?
platinum.
this is just getting Frieman an AT, right?
“line drive, just like riding a bike, and sogard scores…”
just tell me what happened.
sogard scored.
Thanks, and go As.
While riding a bike.
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.
I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like.
The Coliseum would sell out daily if they re-enacted that video daily.
Echoing Soaker’s comment from above:
The man has enough real flaws. No need to make up any.
I wished the word “lashes” was used more to describe line drives.
I also I think if I was calling games my homer call would be an understated “And that one isn’t coming back a HR for XXX”
Depending on inflection, that’d work for me. Of course, the ball would have to land somewhere away from fans who might throw it back (if hit by visiting player) in the field of play, in which case it would come back.
Not a fan of “lashed,” though. Conjures a batter swinging a whip.
I like the whipping idea for a low liner that cracks its way through the hole.
It wasn’t his worst call, not by a longshot, but I cringed at it in the moment because it is indicative of his tendency to jump to the context of what happened before describing what happened. A good radio play-by-play guy first tells us whether that ball is going to the wall or will be cut off by a fielder, whether the runner will score, and whether the batter will try for extra bases before adding a flourish like “just like riding a bike.” He does this all the damn time.
i agree with all of this
I heard the “step on the clutch” reference last week, almost facepalmed.
The only way I can think it even comes remotely close to working is by thinking of it like saying you have to step on the clutch to shift to a higher gear, but why not just be in that gear already and step on the gas?
Maybe it’s because when you step on the clutch, you put the car into neutral, which is like the state of calm readiness necessary to perform in a big spot. Either that or it’s completely nonsensical.
I’ll go with “completely nonsensical.”
I think it’s a hybrid – stepping on the gas in a clutch situation.
4-matic
Better than stepping on the clutch in a gas situation.
Yeah, that could backfire on you (gearhead joke).
Heh.
And he continues to use it like he thinks it means something
I have no disagreement with anything you said. I, too, would prefer that he put the ‘riding a bike’ bit at the end. If this is what Ed had said, I’d have nodded my agreement and moved along. It isn’t. When quotation marks are used without ellipses for omitted text, needless to say, it gives the impression that it’s a verbatim report. It wasn’t. This credits Ed’s omission to Vince and unfairly reinforces his negative image for people who didn’t hear the call themselves. I don’t mind the “reinforcing his negative image” part so much as the “unfairly” part. (Implying by omission) That Vince did not tell you what happened is not the same as his telling you what happened, albeit in an order we don’t prefer. That misrepresentation, intentional or no, is a bit too gross for my taste and may as well be a fabrication.
In general, I offer no defense for the variety of Vince’s gaffes: aforementioned wrong order of relay of facts and commentary, the awkward delivery, nonsensical phrasing, the works. In particular, I agree 100% with Ed about Vince’s forced narratives, find them equally as egregious and have scolded him (Vince) for it myself on occasion. There are, however, 162+ games and not all of his broadcasting infractions deserve the skewering they receive. I understand the cumulative misery on the part of those who grew up listening to King, Scully, Harwell et al. You helpfully break down the steps a “good radio play-by-play guy” will take in making a good call. Here’s the thing, though: By a show of hands, ladies and gentlemen, who here is under the impression that Vince is a good radio play-by-play guy? Anyone?….Yeah. He isn’t good, can be decent and mostly floats somewhere between mediocre and facepalm. Isn’t this pretty well established? It’s been seven years and a change isn’t on the horizon. The harping gets tiresome. There is a point past which the cynicism doesn’t seem sincere and justified, but petty and mean-spirited. Let’s move on, shall we?
Or at least, get better material. That I’ll happily applaud.
that’s fair.
DFA called me out on my dislike of the “oakland is the walkoff capitol of baseball.”
I disliked it for the same reason I disliked this bicycle call. the voice inflection and the crowd noise is telling my brain something is happening, I want the information immediately, or as soon as possible. yes, in each call there is an implied action, but it spots my brain from, for lack of a better term, euphoria build up to, “what the fuck is happening.” if he would tell me first, the action, second the flourish, my brain could fully release the endorphins. but there is a callus interruptus as it were.
it STOPS my brain
I appreciate this explanation. It illustrates your position better than a vague, “it must suck more if you’re used to better things” notion on my part. Thank you.
I do think I get on him for the slightest gaff. I also think he would be a great TV guy. he is at least entertaining, if befuddling.
I was thinking this the other day. I only catch him in small doses on the radio, but I was somewhere and had to get a total inning or two and the whole time I was thinking “I dont have this playing out in front of me, pks help describe…”
I think you see it too on the whole “A-team” thing. So we just need to get some other team to be ready to give him a lead TV deal and we are set…
He needs to replace Glen.
Ive been listening to a lot of radio this year and really he does the things that just annoy you, even though it might not be that big of a deal in the big scheme of things but when you add them all up you find them to be incredibly fustrating.
I quite liked Roxy and wish he would work with KK
I’ve decided to find him annoying and he’s done little to change my mind.
Point well taken. I shall try to hold Vince harpless as much as possible.
Good luck!
But seriously, no need to tiptoe around this. Having expressed this thought and having you and Ed acknowledge its existence, if not merit, is good enough for me. Such is the wonder of dialogue. I’d hate for people who engage freely and in good faith to have to hold back ( on my account, no less) because I do believe in the virtue of Kraut as a place where we can air our grievances, having done just that myself. Cheers.
I’d argue that telling a story out of order like he does is actually not telling you what happened at all. Sure all the pieces are technically there, but out of order pieces tell a distinctly different story from what actually happened. And that’s without adding in what’s lost as a result of the confusion the image of picturing that out of order story creates.
Like he does what happened at all out of order is actually not telling you I’d argue that telling a story. But out of order pieces are technically there, sure, all the pieces from what actually happened tell a distinctly different story. That out of order story creates and that’s without adding as a result of the confusion in what’s lost the image of picturing.
you are causing confusion and delay
dvas
What you need is closure. Be sure to click on the youtube.
Or misspelled words. For example, Vince maeks me wnat to pnuch sombodey. For relatively short bits of information, our minds overcome disorder relatively easily.
But you are right that it would be nice not to have to do that.
Much easier to connect dots when you’re actively trying to listen. When you’re only partially listening and then engage in the middle of a mess you’re going to be lost. And while you’re trying to connect those dots, you’re also receiving a new puzzle.
Big Nate!
Big Nate brings the BBQ!!!!
These Reds are pretty flatline for a first place team, no? I’d like our chances in a WS vs. these guys.
I think Melvin manages like an NL manager and this is one reason we dominate the NL.
To be totally fair to the Reds, though, they aren’t actually in first place right now (third) and are playing without Phillips. That being said, I really thought they would be better.
Yeah I expected a knock down, drag out battle and they kinda didn’t show up. I sure hope the Cardinals play this poorly on the weekend :D
LOL
SCOUT:
AJ Griffin in total beastly style.
Is there any exit strategy on Young? No one is taking the ~$5 million left this year, but maybe we can get off the hook for his buyout.
Woot!!!!
A complete game no less.
And in 2:20. Guess I have to work now.
Good job Arthur.
Nice win.
Right on, AJ! Way to go, boys! Have a great 48 hours off; nobody get arrested.
Throw a game, Arthur Joseph Griffin!!!! 2 hit, complete game SHUTOUT!!!! Bring on the Cardinals!!!! All your NL base belong to US!!!!!!!!
All your emails and texts belong to US.
I need to figure out teh easy way to win the rigged carnie games at the fair this weekend.
Thanks, and go As.
I guess not playing them isn’t an option because of the kids.
no no it’s for a pretty girl ™
Thanks, and go As.
Oh, that too.
One thing I have heard consistently is that your best way to get a big stuffed teddy bear is to bribe the carny.
But…
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/09/26/how-to-win-state-fair-games/
Also…
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/unplugged/step-learn-beat-carnival-games-185657836.html
So a win, and both DOMA and Prop 8 have been effectively struck down. Pretty good day.
And the best weather on earth! Welcome back home!
Hate you RAFs and your perfect weather. 95, 102, 106, 108, 111 is the 5 day forecast. One day the LOW is going to be 71. And as mother Aces used to point out, thats at 3:30 in the morning and it starts to heat up at 3:50.
Yeah, the game last night was great and the weather couldn’t have been better!
If only the SCOTUS didn’t screw up the Voting Rights Act yesterday.
No kidding.
Im really worried about the implications from the harrassment rulings on monday
The attorney for UT on one of those cases was a high school classmate of mine, and my debate partner for a year. We had somewhat different political views.
yeah… dick
Policy debate?
Yes.
Funny, if I used to know that you’d done policy debate in HS I had since forgotten it. Huge number of us FKers have that in our pasts.
It’s good preparation for arguing on the internet.
fuck you.
Did I win?
Fuck me! TURNAROUND!
This is interesting.
Perm, fuck everyone
fucking nerds
Counterplan, mandatory govt-run sex-for-nerds program.
Actor spec counterplan: Have the supreme court rule that fucking is a constitutionally protected right.
#salbait