He came slidin’ down the clubhouse tunnel like butter drippin’ off a hot biscuit. The aroma, the mean scent, was enough to arouse suspicion in even the oldest of Rangers that hung around the hot spot in those days.
Crisp 8 Lowrie 6 Donaldson 5 Moss 3 Cespedes 7 Callaspo 10 Jaso 2 Reddick 9 Sogard 4. Tommy the Cat 1.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Adorbs.
Cute! Those dolls are weird. I was just looking at them in the gift shop.
My wife hand-made dolls of Pedroia and Youkilis. The Youkilis doll is gone, first passed along to a White Sox fan and then presumably burned when he became a Yankee. The Pedroia doll is still sitting on a chair in my living room, plotting to kill us all.
I hope you’ve stuck pins in them at every opportunity.
The DA would deem your wife a culpably negligent accessory.
I think we all kind of want to see a picture of that doll…
I will post one, but you will regret it.
Wow.
It’s gonna be a tough night between the A’s game, Sharks game, and my work-at-home obligation. I think I’m up to the challenge so long as I ignore my family.
56° with the sun still up, wind gusts at 25 mph, lovely night for a televised game.
This weekend was the coldest and hottest I’ve ever been in Oakland.
Michael Choice wants his revenge.
Per Korach, Michael Choice is hitting leadoff with Choo out, because Washington didn’t want to make his other hitters have to bat in positions/order that were any different than what they are used to.
Give me a break
Donnie friggin Murphy. What lousy luck.
Tiny strike zone is tiny.
Hey, Sharks score! I missed it while watching Donnie Murphy’s crappy “hit.”
It’s the Rangers’ C squad. Throw fking strikes.
Annnnd the Rangers rookie pitcher will get the 20-year vet strike zone, surely.
Well, they stranded three. That could’ve been a lot worse.
Adrian Johnson is a great umpire, said no one ever.
andeux bait. How is it this organization hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in the internet era?
Hey, January 1994 was in the internet era!
Maybe “nuisance lawsuits” can be that growth industry that Buffalo has been searching for for the last 40 years or so.
Here would be a great time for Donaldson to force this guy to throw somce strikes before he goes hackin’.
I hit post just as he lined the second pitch up the middle.
Way to answer right back boys!
A swing like that would’ve been great last night as well.
The TV delay is helping tonight, I can watch the Sharks game with the A’s on the radio, and when Korach gets excited punch the previous channel button in time to see the big hit.
Just be competent tonight, Tommy boy.
Please score runs.
sigh
Ugh…
Bases juiced!
A’s runz please.
I am ready for a new third base coach.
Way too shallow to run on, wtf Gags…
I blame Lowrie for swinging at ball 4 twice.
There’s that too…
Well, that wasn’t smart.
Really hope this doesn’t bite us in the ass again tonight.
It will.
Milone…
It’s kind of difficult watching Tommy Milone pitch most of the time.
He looks better when you keep thinking about butter drippin off a hot biscuit.
I’ll take that trade.
That’s the Kouz we knew and
lovedsurvived.Sharks up 1-0 about to start the second period. I’d be lying if I said I’d seen enough of the game so far to say how the flow of play has been. Except that the Sharks are kicking ass!1ll!!1 They should stay out of the penalty box though, makes me nervous.
Power play goal for LA less than four minutes into the period. 1-1.
Glen Kuiper says J.P. Arencibia is in a “massive slump.” Doesn’t that pretty much sum up his whole career?
Glen’s? Yes.
5 hits and 4 walks in 3 IP…we are fortunate it’s just 3-2
Hell of a play!
A’s runz mojo!
Yes please.
Thanks, Kouz
Or whoever is playing 3B.
Okay now, score you fuckers!
Reset!
Damnit, Kings up 2-1 as the Sharks D lets the puck carrier waltz right up to the goal with a full head of steam.
Tied.
COCO!!!!
Glorious, glorious runs!
Keep em’ coming boys!
And just like that the Sharks tie it up 2-2! Hockey’s a weird game, “level of effort” means everything so much of the time, then for brief crucial moments becomes utterly irrelevant.
You get excited that the team has the lead. Then you remember the Milone is still pitching and you cringe.
Asides from that meatball to Fielder, I’ll take the last 2 innings of his.
Thank you marine layer.
6 A’s runz mojo!
Good on Cespy for not chasing those.
JPA counters the A’s 10-year lease proposal. Details TBD of course.
Also, it doesn’t much better than to click onto sfgate and see a headline like “Bumgarner throws complete game, impotent Giants still lose.”
Hm, conspicuous lack of “improved plumbing”.
It’s easier to hose the backed up raw sewage off of that.
Thanks, and go As.
Bwahahaha
A’s tell JPA to FK Off.
Thanks, and go As.
Actually that says “Let’s keep talking,” not fuck off. That’s what you do in a negotiation, duh.
Also, “our preference not to negotiate through the media?” Hypocrisy doesn’t come much more bald-faced than that.
Seems more like a “Let’s keep this professional. No one get too excited yet, this one’s not good enough.” But yeah, not a fuck off.
No surprise there, if the JPA didn’t bother to address all the issues the A’s raised.
That’s so fucking disingenuous by the A’s, this is exactly what is so fucking hypocritical about their negotiate through the media bullshit. The A’s make a 10-year lease proposal (which they trumpet to the media and feed at least 2 local columns about) that includes provisions they know the JPA won’t go for. The JPA counters with its own 10-year proposal which doesn’t immediately agree to all the A’s terms. That’s not “not bothering to address all the issues,” it’s fucking negotiating, and the A’s are the ones who instantly whine to the media about it. So fucking duplicitous.
In fairness, it wasn’t until the A’s leaked it to the media in the first place that they were even aware of it’s existence despite having it in hand well before the media did and not responding. Initially they denied receiving one only to go, “Ooops.” And “not bothering to address all the issues” simply means their counter didn’t address them. It could mean, like you said, you didn’t bend over backwards and let us fk you in the ass. But it could allow mean: you left out these parts that should be addressed/settled one way or the other (i.e. If you’re giving us the boot, we get 2 years notice. Then countering by including allowing them to get the boot, but not bothering to address what sort of notice was required). That being said, they are being duplicitous and have a tendency to play this game along with the Gnats all the time. It seems like SOP for MLB Negotiation: Bay Area Addition.
Was sitting near the Texas bullpen last night. Poreda is a big dude.
But he’s no Brawny!
I really really wanted Norris for Jaso last night.
NORRIS!
Bunting when they’re expecting it is the stupidest fucking thing you can do.
Exactly…
Especially bunting directly into the wheel play.
Why the fuck don’t they let him hit, that was exactly what they were expecting…
really.
Thanks, and go As.
No comment on bunts that lead to outs at the lead base.
We won’t regret these missed opportunities at all.
Well FK that for a game of soldiers.
Well, that was a wasted inning.
Coco giveth, and Coco…um…faileth to giveth.
Dumbest shit ever…
OK, 3rd period about to start, tied 2-2.
Damnit, radio has Vince on it.
Damnit, Sharks goal has puck in it.
Cool, penalty box has King in it.
In the King’s net is nice.
TWSS
Whew…almost disaster
Please Hammer don’t Hertl ’em!
Early season sample size but I feel a lot more comfortable with Abad right now than Doolittle.
If ever there were a time to make judgements on small samples, I kind of feel relief pitcher choices seems to be the most appropriate place to make them.
Insurance runz please.
I’m watching hockey. It looks 1) painful, 2) like it has shitty refs.
I think hockey refs are pretty good on the whole, given how tough it can be to draw the line between legal hits and felonious assault.
Yup. And if you want to talk shitty refs, the NBA is where it’s at.
I’m fairly certain I saw someone pull a knife out earlier.
Yeah, but that’s just hockey.
This Rangers pitcher must’ve never seen Callaspo run if he thinks he’s going anywhere.
3-3 with 5:45 left, come on Sharks!
Brian Quick is a POS.
Thanks, and go As.
Jonathan?
Jack?
if reddick takes a bat up with figeroa pitching melvin is fired
If they want to hit one of our worst hitters, they’re more than welcome to do so.
Well there’s another UCL reconstruction for Dr. Andrews.
I was rooting for that guy
Smart play there Stoll, LOL.
Please tell me Sharks fans call Vlasic, Pickles.
I had an uncle named Pickle. Fuck, now I want a sammich.
I do.
Thanks, and go As.
Ugh…
That was a terrible pitch to Moreland.
I don’t want to be that guy, but why not Abad for moreland?
Would’ve been Abad for Murphy (Moreland is PHing) but yes, that would still be a better matchup.
Moreland only came in to pinch hit for Murphy once Gregerson was in.
Get someone up Bob.
Heading to overtime, Sharks controlled the puck almost the whole last 5 min, even before the power play, lots of good chances but no dice. Yet.
LOLBuntz
NICE!!!!!
Nice squeeze fail.
Awesome play by Gregorson, I bet 80%+ big league pitchers don’t make that.
If this game doesn’t prove to both managers that bunting is lame, nothing will.
Don’t worry. Nothing will.
Someone tell me about OT in hockey. Time? Any crazy rules?
Sudden Death.
With hockey, is it literally death?
Yes.
Explains the knife earlier.
Sudden death. Regular 20-minute periods until someone scores.
They keep playing 20 minute periods until someone score. Don’t know what the record is; I watched a Flyers-Penguins game once that was settled in the fifth OT period.
Playoff hockey is like nothing else this way.
That was a terrible bunt. The infield’s in. The hitter is good. Let him hit.
Good for the A’s, though.
Can stop using Greggy as the closer?
MotherFKing shit.
JNVJENJVNJKDNBAJKFSDNKLBNSKFM;L,VD;L,V;LNEJRNBEJKBVKJFNVNX
FUUUUCK
Best Bullpen in Baseball!
Ugh.
The A’s are very lucky that didn’t go out.
Oh for fuck’s sake.
Gregerson’s velocity is completely shot.
Can the Gregerson experiment end tonight, please.
Well, I think I have had enough of Gregorson as closer.
We are (probably) losing this series to Kevin Kouzmanoff, Donnie Murphy, and Michael Choice.
Jim johnson will close the next opportunity. book it
USE THE MOTHERFUCKING 10 MILLION DOLLAR CLOSER YOU SORRY MOTHERFUCKERS
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKING BULLSHIT MOTHERFUCK
I want PIE dammit.
I had a bad feeling about Gregerson before the inning started, didn’t post anything (because of all the stuff about No Eeyores), and there it is.
The A’s have an awfully good record, even if they lose this game, for a team that can’t play defense and has a back end of the bullpen that’s a total mess.
Top of the order. With Barton hitting cleanup if someone gets on.
Visualize A’s wins.
Remember when the A’s were smart for not spending money on relievers because they’re so volatile?
And the best reliever so far this season? Abad. How much are the A’s paying him?
Followed closely by Otero.
TeAse at least boys?
Why home runs you shits, line drives…
Once again, we should have scored 2-3 more runs tonight…
I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TEAM WITH LESS KILLER INSTINCT THAN THIS MOTHERFUCKING COLLECTION OF SHITEATERS. EVER.
Well, that’s silly. The A’s are a team without a closer, which turns wins into losses, and with an inconsistent offense – which is par for the course.
Relax, Chicken Little.
Getting swept by the Rangers at home would not be good. I don’t care if it’s April.
can’t finish hitters can’t finish innings can’t finish ABs can’t finish games can’t finish series can’t DO SHIT
oh no a blown save we’re all gonna die some how this is barton’s fault blah fucking blah blah blah
Thanks, and go As.
Actually I think this one’s on you, MVFKer.
Can’t blame me, I was watching the sharks/at my kids little league game/at my other kids soccer practice
Thanks, and go As.
Best record in the league.
Well drat. Before yesterday the A’s weren’t playing near as good as their record suggested (Pythag people debunk as needed), and now against a serious team the weak spots weren’t so easily overcome. But we should be fine, starting tomorrow behind Sonny, let’s hope.
It did seem like a bit of a mirage.
Debunk: best wOBA against and second best wOBA (or reverse). By far the best differential in baseball.
This shit is real, even if our defense sucks.
Mariners twins astros mariners angels
Sharks win at least.
DEATH!
SHARKS
Marleau and Pavelski for the win, hell yes! Three games to zip!
Gutless
Some people need to put down the razor blades.
BUT IT’S SUDDEN DEATH.
You just want the opportunity for some good pictures.
I follow some blogs that posts photos…. some make me sick. Like a guy who killed himself with a saw.
It says “tape saw” but I think it meant “table saw.”
Well at least we’re not the Mariners.
Yet. And let’s keep it that way.
I made an innocuous comment to a coworker that while I do feel for the Mariners and their fans to some extent, the obnoxiousness of all thing Seattle Seahawk, is such that I hope they lose 130 games. I was surprised about how poorly he took it.
After this we get 4 games against the Astros.
I think the lack of effective closer is a metaphor for the failure of this group the last 3 years to finish in vital game situations of all varieties. I see ABs in counts up 2-0 and 3-1 where the hitter can’t finish the pitcher. I see RISP situations where a game-sealing crooked number is on the table and they cannot finish the big inning and end up coming away with just a run. I see pitchers like Straily go 0-2 and 1-2 on hitter after hitter after hitter and he cannot finish the guy off and ends up letting him on base, time after time after time. Of course I see playoff series after series since time immemorial, up 2-0, or up late in a game as the last two years with DET with a chance, like in Game 4 last year, to make a finishing statement… can’t do it. And I see these recent late inning bullpen meltdowns across the board, of course like tonight’s (and last night’s, really), but those are just the easiest, most obvious symptom of a total lack of ability to finish in meaningful, deterministic game situations.
My belief in this was dramatically shaken tonight. This group has to demonstrate it can man up to do-or-die stuff in games or it’s a pure also-ran this year, period.
The lack of an effective closer (thus far) is not a metaphor. It’s the lack of an effective closer.
The team has spent significant portions of the last two seasons failing to put teams away. Guys like Straily are guys like Straily. The team has, despite numerous opportunities, won exactly one playoff series since the 1990 American League Championship Series. This isn’t new, or unique, or anything we haven’t seen.
The A’s, barring more injuries in the starting rotation, are quite likely to remain contenders all season. They still have the best record in the league right now. I’m cranky about this game, and last night’s, because it does show what happens against non-Astro teams.
But geez, have you forgotten the plucky comeback wins so soon? The A’s didn’t win all those games by accident. I realize that I shouldn’t bicker with you when you want to vent, but it’s a long season.
Ask Rangers and Angels fans whether “failure to finish in vital game situations” has been a characteristic of the A’s recently.
I don’t have to ask them, my team is demonstrably better than theirs. I’ll ask the Detroit Tigers instead.
That’s pretty circular. The A’s were “demonstrably better” than the 2012 Rangers and Angels and the 2013 Rangers (the 2013 Angels were a goddamn tire fire) because they finished like a motherFKer. Finished all over them, repeatedly. They finished on the Tigers in the playoffs at least three very memorable times too. That’s why those series went five games. Sometimes you lose those series to teams you are about equal to in talent and mentality, especially when the other team has elite starting pitching.
tagline
Agreed.
only if it has a safety warning: [re-enactment. professional drivers used. in case of tire fire do not attempt extinguishing with bukake.]
Yeah, but come on. That would be hot!
The Gays are better than Rangers and Angels… demonstrably… hmm… what are our standards for better? I mean, there’s got to be some cross over, no?
While it’s important to maintain perspective, and keep track of the season’s positives (which outweigh the negatives), there are certainly major areas of concern. Some problems will probably solve themselves, hopefully sooner instead of later. But teams without reliable closers lose a lot of wins. And right now, the A’s are one of those teams. It’s easy to forget, because he struggled so much at the end of the season, how good Balfour was for the first half.
The A’s have tended to be a sharp defensive team, which they haven’t been so far this season. They have won in spite of this, but that won’t continue. The team is carrying a lot of dead weight on the roster. (This is a problem, hopefully like that of closer, that can be fixed.)
Bullpen has been excellent overall, just not in the ninth inning. It’s a very good bullpen, really not worried about that, and if I could pick two problems for my team to have it would be errors and bad baserunning, because that’s just not going to continue to any great extent. Losing to the Rangers is annoying and sucks, though, they are good…
I think getting an effective short stop and shifting lowrie to 2nd would be super. Sogard isn’t the problem per se, but I really don’t like him combined with people like johnson
With a groundball pitcher like Johnson, Lowrie at SS is probably a bigger problem then Sogard at 2B. But I share your hope of moving Lowrie to 2B, since his bat is obviously way way better than Sogard.
Consider that Punto is in when Sogard isn’t (against lefties). Moving Lowrie over would hopefully remove Punto from the equation.
I don’t think moving Lowrie to 2B would do that much good. His arm is fine, and he would still have no range and his ole technique of fielding ground balls at 2B.
Yeah, this.
I decided that last night was not the right time to point it out, but, for all the blown saves and snark about “best bullpen ever,” the A’s have the second-best bullpen ERA and WHIP in the league (after Boston).
By WPA, which gives more weight to the failures in high-leverage situations, the bullpen has been a hair below average overall, with most of the negative coming from Johnson. Otero, Abad, Cook, Doolittle and Pomeranz are all on the plus side, while after last night Gregerson is slightly negative.
Over the course of the whole season, I still expect the ‘pen to be a strength.
From the point of view of personnel, my biggest concerns in order are rotation back end and depth, both halves of the second base platoon, Reddick, and Barton.
Rotation back end and depth is my biggest concern. Very big trouble if one of the top three starters gets hurt.
Yep. The fact that Jesse Chavez is one of the top three starters is also a concern. I don’t think he has ever pitched more than 125 innings in a season as a professional.
How strong is the correlation between reliever WAR and WPA?
WPA is typically larger than WAR for closers because of just how important the situation typically is for closers.
I’m not quite clear this answers my question. I know closers accumulate “larger” WPAs than WAR, but I’m asking whether a better WAR (a better reliever) usually means a better WPA.
While looking at Gregerson, you can see that he’s a pretty consistent reliever (ERA around 2.50-3.00) overall but with inconsistent WPAs, just using one example.
So the real question is if positive WPA is a repeatable skill? It is over a large enough sample, but reliever volatility would make me believe that it will be way less reliable Y2Y than something like FIP or WAR.
oh, pooper scoopers.
no-sweep powers, activate!
Those of you on the ledge after the last two games, please step away from it.
Sweeping the Astros did not mean the A’s were the favorites to win it all, and a couple blown games against the Rangers does not mean they’re destined for another first round exit or worse.
This shit happens to every team, every season, no matter what. Yeah, to some more than others, but these guys have the look of a team that will be where they’re expected to be.
Hiccups happen. It’s no reason to suddenly shift gears from being gung-ho on the season to being Chicken Little all over again.
I’m experiencing that midweek day game dynamic of fervently wishing I could attend instead of working. Oh, how I dream of the day I flat quit my job on the spot, walk out the door and head directly to the ballpark. As of this moment, though, that day is not today.
me too. Boss is on vacation and all. Still can’t go
I just want to be able to go to the patk anytime I want. Maybe see you guys some.
Any of you FKers thinking about playing hooky for the 5/7 doubleheader?
Hoping to, won’t know if it’s doable until closer to the date.
i’d be down. don’t have ticket yet. (do i need a ticket from 4/4 to be able to enjoy the 2ble header, or can i just purchase a 5/7 and see both?)
You can purchase a new ticket. People using 4/4 tix need to exchange them for new 5/7 tix in advance, I believe.
cool. thanks.
We’ll be there.
So far my boss has been unable to find anyone to sub for me — which means I can’t go to either game.
Yay, we found someone. So I will go to both!
I have now officially taken the day off 5/7…don’t even have to fake an illness. Do you have tickets yet, have plans to get them, etc? I could make a lunchtime box office run this week if needed.
Scoring rules in baseball are stupid.
That said, why is that a 4-5-3 DP? That doesn’t describe the action
Second baseman to Third baseman to First baseman? I’m assuming there was a shift?
exactly. But to read it (traditionally) it seems there was a throw to third
But to call it a 4-6-3 would to be suggest someone who wasn’t involve was involved. It’s less about where the ball was thrown and more about who was involved. It’s part of the stats for put outs, assists, and double plays.
You can’t exactly change positional numbers based on where people are lined up.
I don’t know how to express it more clearly, its true.
Online play-by-play would note the runner out at 2nd as part of it, but if you’re keeping score yourself it might be worth noting a shift was on in some way.
I wish the shift were against the rules. It’s ugly and awkward. Baseball should be pretty and graceful, not ugly and awkward. Including in the scorebook.
I hate giving an assist to the third baseman when the guy is playing in short right field (not something the A’s have done so far but several teams are doing that).
Thanks, and go As.
I imagine you making that face while posting this.
I’m not sure it’s physically possible for me to make that face.
Thanks, and go As.
Well, the smile at least. The rest of it would be a tad difficult to pull off.
that is still donnie murphy, right?
D. Murphy of the Rangers always kills us.
Not sure. Let’s ask DoctorK.
yeah, I am trying to read a new file at the same time.