The lot is open. The sun is out. It’s already warm, shorts and tees for sure. I am drinking fresh hot coffee. Stop by and I’ll pour you a cup.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."415 thoughts on “The last home game, until the next one”
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i should have taken today off and gone.
Thanks, and go As.
Same. For all the complaining I did about ticket services not doing that special season ticket deal for today’s game, it never stopped me from buying another ticket.
And FSU I hope you took a little Baileys or something for that coffee. I did ;)
Please tell me this game is televised
It is!
this game is televised.
Now what about the revolution, is it?
only on a brand new gigantic iphone 6+ but the users STILL don’t hold it sideways to take video.
Thanks, and go As.
And they’ll think it’s the biggest phone ever even though it’s not.
but it’s got all these BRAND NEW FEATURES that android has had since 2011.
Thanks, and go As.
Like anyone cared about those until it was added to an Apple phone.
I sure didn’t.
EDIT: And still don’t.
FKing Apple. Has anyone ever had this happen: I was trying to download part 3 of a book from Audible to my Ipod yesterday. When I plugged my iTouch into my computer tower, itunes automatically came up and I transferred the book. Now my iTouch shows NO CONTENT other than part 3 of this book. No music, no playlists, no nothing. Only part 3 of the book. However, in the itunes interface where it shows my device, I can still see all of my music and playlists listed. What.the.fuck.? Any ideas how I can fix this? I’ve re-synced, I’ve shut the itouch down and re-booted. I’m stumped and super annoyed.
The proper Android response:
-Throw away iPod
-uninstall iTunes
-Use better programs
-profit
This is also correct. :)
Thanks, and go As.
no iDea.
Same computer that you normally sync the iTouch with?
It sounds like it somehow did a sync and only did the book, wiping everything else.
Thanks, and go As.
Same computer. When itunes asks for my login info I always hit cancel because I’m terrified of them upgrading me to another version. My friend did the upgrade and it did wipe her entire ipod, so that’s what I was trying to avoid. I seriously hate these apple assholes.
I’m not sure I have a good solution for you :(
Requiring itunes is really one of the dumbest things that apple could have done. Just let me drag and drop files onto the damn thing.
Thanks, and go As.
Thanks anyway.
was there a mismatch in the login names? maybe you switched the user name on your tower’s istore login when downloading, then when you synched, it made a new user on your itouch?
Do they also do volunteer work to pick up chicks? Do they like waffles? Where is Bed damnit!!!
the revolution is not an apple that falls when it’s ripe. unless you have to make a call.
Well you know…
now explain RJ9, because i didn’t get it.
Revolution #9
WTF does that have to do with apple???
oh wait.
Well that’s something at least. Otherwise, I’d have probably missed it
And the soundtrack is nothing but U2.
They’re too busy bending it in their pockets.
IT’S FEATURE NOT A BUG!
Is that a bent iPhone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
Depends which way the bend goes.
is that why my tailor asked if i phone to the right?
Oh. Fuld hitting 2nd against a LHP. Okay.
Thanks, and go As.
Bunt. Every time.
Predictions on todays turnout? If Newballpark has his numbers right we need 24,361 today.
I think 26,000 is announced and we pass it with about 1,500 to spare.
I hope they fudge the numbers to get it either way.
Thanks, and go As.
If it’s close, I suspect they’ll do that.
Said it before will say it again. Great PR story to let leak in a month or two that Lew bought 1k tix today to make sure we pushed over. And I thought about it even more-he would get the most bang for his buck by calling a non profit and saying “hey-you should be 1,000 tix at $5 each (or whatever dynamic deal he can make up)and OBTW I am going to donate x to you (x=what they are paying for tickets + a little extra).
Agreed. Or that no matter what it is (higher or lower) they announce exactly 24,361 so we end right on it. Or 24,360 so we can have morans go back and forth forever over if it should be considered 2Mil or not.
I’d guess about 24k min, but I figure it’ll be about 28k.
Actual attendance: 27,989.
[takes a bow]
hey, what was with those banners on the 1st level, behind 1st base last night? something about coliseum village. who brought those? did they show them on TV?
Did anyone else notice last night that there were two entire plaza infield sections, around 217 or so, that were almost completely empty, while the rest of the place was mostly full, including the Mt. Davis boxes? Very strange.
those are probably the plaza club. $34 or or with $10 added value. I usually get those once a year because the sections are totally empty
Can anyone explain what’s going on with this drama about the Giants players boycotting one of their loyal media mouthpieces? I saw all manner of drama unfolding on Twitter last night with Hank Schulman lashing out at some ESPN writer who, I guess in the course of criticizing the Giants players, called the Giants writers homers. I don’t really get what’s going on.
My understanding is Baggertly(?) wrote about an incident he witnessed in the clubhouse and they decided as a group that they wouldn’t talk to the media anymore if he’s around. So basically, the Giants’ players are taking a page out of their ownership’s book and being douches.
From what I read in articles and comments, their equivilent to Stiglich wrote the article about Romo having a little dust up with Shawon Dunston.
In the original article it mentioned some crap Romom did before and the Gnats players didnt like that. So the next day they said they were boycotting the press because of that guy.
And one of the parts that is a tiny bit interesting is the thoughts of where the line is, because while Baggarly isnt a Giant employee, he works for CNSBA which is owned in part by the Giants. So at what point does he not become Jane Lee and he instead is Kruk and Kuip?
CSN edited out the part about the prior incident because the players complained?
Thats the impression I got. The HBT comments have the most info I have seen. There are also speculations that the reporter has kinda dug up bones in the past that really have nothing to do with the story at hand.
My explanation is that the Gnats are a bunch of whiny little bitches.
I don’t understand the Kansas tollbooth system. I have to keep my ticket? Is this the fking airport?
Why does Kansas have tollbooths?
Hoping to attract phantoms. If you build it, they will come.
Maybe there is a god: Derek Jeter’s final game in Yankee Stadium could be cancelled because of rain
I read a follow up that they might actually ask the O’s to play after game 162 and before playoffs. While the article was about how stupid that would be, honestly why would the O’s care? Send rostered players 22-40 and make a farce of it. But if some little kid or crazy adult gets his last chance to see their hero why should anyone get that bent out of shape. Just make sure MLB and ESPN are turned off.
Thanks, and go As.
Okay. They can make that game up. But it needs to be played at Camden Yards.
That came can actually matter for the seeding in AL playoffs
Third choice: Perhaps God has had enough of this and just wants Mr #2 to go away.
Pick Door #3!! Pick Door #3!!!!
Four Choice: God decided it was best to put the poor puppy down.
They can play that Olberman piece on the Jumbotron instead
I don’t watch Keith Olbermann pieces on Jumbotrons…I’m a Republican.
I think every umpuire named “jerry” should be fired.
But what are your thoughts about umpires named “Gerry”.
same. fired.
Your Jerry based namism shows the dark nature of your heart, Ed.
josh, you were only going to be safe if beckham booted it. Don’t hurt yourself
The last comment, until the next one.
I’ll just assume we’re losing.
Teams don’t do champagne celebrations for just making the play in game…do they?
I hope they do. With gusto
They do. The A’s did two champagne celebrations in three days in 2012.
That’s silly. I like how the other sports do it…wait until you win the world championship.
explains the gusto.
I don’t know…$12.50 for that thing…that might be out of the A’s budget.
beats pumping dollar bills into the soda can machine.
That’s where Lew makes his tip money for the strippers.
I’m happy to hear the Dave Stewart got the GM gig in Arizona. I know it’s been a dream of his for a long time.
Totally missed that. Good for him
We’ll see if he fires he who shall not be named.
I’ve decided to do the right thing and have renamed both of my children, Derek Jeter. If you don’t do the same it means you love the terrorists and even worse…A-Rod.
Career War
ARod: 111
Jeter: 73.6
Thanks, and go As.
Yeah, but Jeter is a winner and stuff.
Sigh…this offense is still hard to watch. I’m tired of hoping that the other pitcher shits the bed with his control in order for anything to happen.
I am very much against anyone shitting the bed.
f ing lowrie
So Lowrie has 1 hit this series and is 0-10 against this guy forever. And I dont remember a big hit he has had for a month. But let’s make sure he doesnt have the day off and is not hitting 9th. (And yes, I know i am suggesting hitting . before Lowrie, that is how tired I am of him at the moment.)
Do you want Punto at SS?
Because this is how you get Punto at SS.
Thanks, and go As.
Keeb at SS and . at 2B then. Hell, I know it is just because I havent seen him much the last few days but I would almost say give…nope, not there yet.
Lowrie has a hit this series?
Folks I’m watching the game with called his GIDP…
Huh. Apparently he’s in line with the season numbers for September. Which isn’t good. But not nearly as bad as it seems. It just so happens he keeps coming up with scoring opportunities and sucking.
“At some point you believe that dam will burst.” Stop telling me what I believe, Vince. Also, please finish swallowing your food before you start talking.
Serious question…does anybody like Vince?
I like him better than I let on. He needs to be on TV where the action doesn’t need to be described with accuracy
I haven’t listened to a radio broadcast in three or four years. In my memory he was always just meh but I didn’t hate him. I do enjoy telling jokes about him however.
You want him on TV for the same reasons I think he should stay on radio, dont lie…
He seems like a very nice guy. I am tired of hearing him try, and fail, to talk down to me.
And he’s bald so I have to give him some points for that. He does seem friendly.
that is true. It’d be one thing if he were trying to teach baseball to people, but he tries to tell you things designed to let you know what a baseball expert he is (although he isn’t)/
Not just what a baseball expert he is. What a master of the English language he is, and what a sonorous voice he has.
it just booms with authority.
fair to say your annoyance level is better than 5?
The reality is that you try to tolerate it because you like the game of baseball, and in particular, games of baseball played by the Athletics, but you just can’t find the ability to consistently know that you can avoid annoyance and have success following the game when you aren’t near a television.
Wait, when he start telling goat jokes?
exactly
I always suspected Napo was just a poor man’s Vince.
He is bad at describing the game, but that is the least of his problems. He has no talent for radio and almost everything he says is breathtakingly inane. I was thinking today that I’ve lost some respect for KK for thinking it is an acceptable situation to have this drooling clown yammering next to him. I really don’t understand how he got and continues to keep a radio job.
“I agree”
Put a Milo on him.
heh
I’m not sure the last time I saw the A’s score…I think it was when Hendu drove in Rickey.
So things are lining up for two Bay Area Wild Card games
Do we know what times those games are going to be played yet?
While ATandT and the Coliseum sit empty. #shame
Ugh
seriously fuck this team.
Thanks, and go As.
fking kendrick
gahdfuckshit.
wait vince? backdoor breaking abll sails towards center? that sounds bad.
He needs to work on calling ablls and tsrikes.
Winfield hit his head on the wall..and it’s rolling back towards the infield…this is a terrible day for the Padres.
A loss today means a second consecutive losing month.
Well, that was going to happen regardless. No way were they going to sweep Texas.
The pitchers have to be tired of always having to be perfect just to have a chance to win. I know crazy things can happen but it’s hard to imagine this team making much noise in the playoffs.
The last run, until the next one…which is never coming.
ballgame over, yankees elim’d! theeeee yankees elim’d!
Kind of expected when you run a sub-replacement player out every day at short.
batting second, no less
When was the last time that no BOS and no NYY in playoffs?
It had not happened in the wild card era. Technically 1994, but 1993 was the last postseason in which neither appeared (Blue Jays vs. White Sox in the ALCS).
the boot that turns it all around!
Nice hands guppy
grrr. whelp. at least he remembered to go back and touch the plate.
Fucking hell.
safe
????
iannetta missed him completely. Donaldson got his foot on the plate before second tag
i guess my glasses are dirtier than yours are green.
I agree. Didn’t get tagged going down the line.
Bullshit review.
he didn’t touch him in the kidney while JD was in the air?
no.
wait a minute. ARE YOU WATCHING THIS??? WE TALKED ABOUT YOU WATCHING THIS!!
most definitely safe
Iannetta thought he missed the tag, but saw the out call, otherwise he would easily have tagged Donaldson on the second slide.
That’s the only thing I can imagine their reasoning to be. “We screwed up the first call, but had we called it right, he would have been out afterwards”
the umpires in NYC gifted the Blue Jays a run against the A’s in a continuation of the umpires on field ruling earlier in the year
Bullshit. Looked safe to me.
bullshit. he was safe
A’s get screwed by the umps? What an original and new story
KK heard it was home pate collision rule only
fking terrible ex a
And another no-name ripping an extra-base hit vs. an A’s pitcher.
i was waiting for the other boot to drop.
What in the hell is wrong with these guys?
It does almost look like there’s a players’ effort to get Melvin fired.
Melvin doesn’t help himself much by PHing with Callaspo.
Seriously. Is it just bad luck or are they really just playing like shit?
A lot of it has seemed like bad luck, but all of the errors, physical and mental, are not.
welp. the angels got that run back.
2 million.
On the bright side, I’m told that FedEx delivered my post season tickets today. I plan on using every one.
You think we’ll need seven games to win the World Series? Eeyore.
OK, maybe not ALDS home game 3 or ALCS home Game 4. But all the rest.
Let’s FKing go.
oh, let’s!
The Fly is open.
Oh good Callaspo up in a big situation
smdh
Choosing Callaspo to hit there instead of Dunn just because he’s a switch hitter seems like bad business to me. But what do I know.
That’s why we can’t score any runs. Trout has them.
Dick Callahan informs us that the Eck big head costume is on the DL. Rollie beats Rickey in the two man race.
Anyone else want to screw up? Might as well get it over with.
Oooh me! me! Pick me!!!
Way to send the fans out happy.
Thanks, and go As.
This game used to be Fan Appreciation Day. Now it’s Slap the Fans in the Face Day.
On the bright, at least one way or the other we’ll be put out of our misery by early/mid next week. Either we completely shit the bed or they get their shit together. It’ll be over with quick.
I dunno, man. The way the Mariners are playing I could see us getting ready for ALDS Game 1 fresh off of a 1-6 stretch.
Are you think that Detroit/KC won’t boot us if we’re playing like this in the WC game?
Probably, but if we do win I don’t think we’ll necessarily know that shit has been reassembled.
If we do win, I don’t think we’ll really care. I mean we’ll care because we want them to not get swept in 3. But we’d not care because we’re there at that point and all expectations are pretty much in the cellar at that point anyway.
I dont think so. A lot of us look for silver linings. If we win 1 in TX and get in, then win on a 14th inning balk in KC I am still going to say ‘anything can happen”.
If they somehow won the Division Series they would exorcise a lot of demons. But I cannot take this team seriously until that happens.
what’s that thing that just happened? there was a guy wearing a number 8 standing by the plate and then he stood on 1st base, and stayed standing there… it was bizarre.
it’s getting even weirder. is it aliens??
Run scoring drought over!
Stringing multiple hits together! What is this, June?
i don’t know, ward.
Beav?
that cheap tinsel backdrop can only be the stork club.
I’d prefer May if it’s all the same.
Triples machine
Getting interested…
woo! almost there.
Man, it’s a good thing we didn’t give them two free runs or we’d be down one instead of up one.
Or, you know, Donaldson had been called safe at home.
Hey Bob, maybe it’s time to consider putting a competent hitter in the 2 spot.
This half inning is the 7,412th turning-it-around point.
the turning it around point that turns it around!
it’s really the turning around point we’ve been missing.
Turning it around a full 360!
At some point we’re all just going to get dizzy. And by that I mean, we’re all dizzy from all the turning. And Callapso.
Callaspo can’t move quickly enough to become dizzy. It is known.
No, no, no. He just fills us so full of rage our blood pressure boils to the point of making US dizzy.
It is known.
Just think how much fun this will be when we win
I find just getting those 4 runs rather encouraging either way. But please win.
That k 2-3 is the turning point
no! don’t become inept at batting again so soon! you’re this ->| |<- close!!!
Just gotta get Reddick and Punto up again.
gotta survive 8.
woot. and pinch run’d for.
Ha. Looking at GameDay I kept wondering why they were trying to pick off Lowrie.
A look, a chance to screw the A’s again
You only get so many opportunities in a game you know.
be inconclusive, be inconclusive…
thx.
If we do get to a playoff series against these guys, I am going to get so damn sick of seeing Scioscia.
“going to get”
You’re not already there? Hell, I’m not even watching the game and I’m sick of seeing Scioscia.
I’m just saying my disgust with him could reach unprecedented levels. The combination of high stakes driving him to argue every possible call, a possible five games in a row, network close ups on his face…ew. I’m getting angry just thinking about it.
I can sense the out
KK and VC are acting like he’s out but they don’t want to say he’s out.
kinda was IRL. vids didn’t have the angle to prove it.
I hate using gregerson and Doolittle in this game…
I hate Punto leading off the 9th here.
or hitting at all, really.
Thanks, and go As.
oh wow. nearly 4pm. i bet the breaFKast people have gotten hungry again. for pie.
They actually need 2, dumb intern running the A’s twitter account.
Thanks, and go As.
need is about survival. give them that and then they can go for what they want.
Gerry Davis is so bad at his job
Nick Punto (.204/.294/.283) is the “ideal guy you want up there” according to KK.
What has Vince done to you…
Rickey’s the ideal guy.
Barry Bonds is idealer than Rickey in that situation.
Fair. Also, how dare you.
Yes
I feel like I’m repeating myself for the 8 billionth time, but it’s complete fucking bullshit that Punto, Sogard, Callaspo, and Parrino made up a significant part of the team in a “win now” year.
Thanks, and go As.
And Fuld.
Fuld is good. Just mostly because of defense.
And better if he were batting say, ninth or tenth in the order, in front of suck, more suck, and why is there so much suck here?
It’s really more of a “Win Maybe” year.
he meant as opposed to a real guy you want up there.
Nice homestand
Is Moss dead or something? Cause that’s really the only excuse for him not pinch hitting there.
Holy crap, you’re right. WTF.
Moss needs to play
I don’t want to get all halos haven, but Gomes?
LOL Mariners.
OMG Mariners you are ridiculous.
fuldian.
The pickoff that turns the season!
what does this do to the A’s magic number?
2
This one isn’t Shooty:
Well, now would be a pretty good fucking time to do that.
when we start hitting home runs again, yes, they will be world destroyers.
But that’s really it, isn’t it?
Norris and Moss hot streaks. And no more Callaspo. That’s all we need.
So I was at meetings at work. Gave up on the game when I saw 5-0. Checked again when it was 5-4. Then glanced and saw a tweet saying “Lowrie had a two…single”. Left my meeting pumped. Apparently he had a two OUT single. That did not score. Of course.
The optimist
I don’t want to say this is all luck, but I look at this team and I see a team that has the talent to be a contender in the playoffs. They must have lost in every conceivable fashion these last two months, but they have talent.
The pessimist
This might have been Lester’s last start in GnG. The A’s finished 4-10 in their last 14 at home. Callaspo played in this game. At DH, only to be hit for later by Dunn. Moss did not play.
I dont have any data to back it up, and honestly I bet the data do not exist to back it up. But to my never scouted or announced a day in my life and never ran ** eyes the ofense is starting to get better. We are back to where we are one hit away from scoring. Rather than the low point whereit was a wonder that we got one hit period.
It’s the little mistakes that are killing us. Soto and Fuld yesterday. Reddick and Donaldson (and Melvin and Gallego) today.
Well and I got into a FB discussion about this too. And as much as the problem is the offense, the whole reason we did our trades was to have this amazing pitching staff where we only needed 1-2 runs to win. That and the Best BP in Baseball (TM pending and no way will we get it).
Meanwhile during this slump the pitchers are giving up runs, the fielding is totally suspect (if you are going to rely on pitching you need gloves to go with it).
Again just a million little things.
Pitchers are going to give up runs though. Other than the Kazmir meltdown in Anaheim, Gray’s first inning against Texas, and that Doolittle ninth, they have done their job and then some. The defense has just been letting them down over and over and over again, and their margins of error are non-existent due to the crappy hitting. Gray said all the right things after last night about his outing “not being good enough,” but that’s horseshit. He was great. His hitters didn’t do squat, and his catcher gave the other side the only run they needed. It’s got to be very aggravating.
I don’t care what the WAR is, Callaspo cost us 3 games this year.
Here’s another one. Remember how we had to allow a few JJ meltdowns to have him work himself out in the beginning of the year? How would youlike those 3-4 games back right now?
You’re right. Again this is just me picking at nits here. The biggest problem is the offense obviously.
But, we are 8-14 this month. If we could have limited the other team to say 3 runs. All of a sudden we are 11-8 and there are 3 games that who knows since they ended with us scoring 3 but still losing. And yes, some of those the runs aren’t on the pitcher but on our fielding. And yes, saying that we will never give up more than 3 is ridiculous. But if the whole reason for what we did was to build the best staff in baseball, well then pressure or no they need to be the best staff in baseball.
I hear you. It’s hard to criticize Lester, for example, but I would have expected him to carry the team home in Atlanta and against Felix in Oakland, and he just didn’t get it done.
And again, I totally know I am not being realistic and I am doing the worst sort of backcasting (if you take my imaginary # down to 2 runs a game we probably win the division). Time and time again we have just had a total team effort in being good enough to lose. One Sonny first inning, one day of Vogt leaving a village of people on the bases, etc etc.
A’s pitching in the 2nd half is pretty average in terms of FIP and ERA.
The problem, as I’ve mentioned before, is how they seem to concentrate their shittiness to the most inopportune times. All the blown late game leads, the starters giving up tie breaking or lead dissolving homers…that stuff adds up.
It looks like the Mariners are going to ensure that Lester gets one more start even if the A’s fail to score a run in four games in Arlington.
They’re insuring that Felix pitches on Sunday.
Lester will start the wild card game, or game 163.
Callaspo enrages me.
2
Seriously, y’all, we think we’ve had it bad, but this Mariners team…sheesh.
And this has been a good year for them.
And they still have a better record than Oakland does this month.
But did they expect to win?
Shoutout to Carlos Santana for flipping BUSTING it down the line to give the Clevelands the lead back. Live to fight another day, Clevelands.
This might be somethingto go back and look for-has there ever been a race where 3 teams so clearly do not want to win? My god, it feels like we might still get the home WC game without winning another game (I knwo wed ahve to win at least 1 but its what it feels like..)
And then add in Toronto who had a golden chance to charge through and take control of this thing. Instead they shit their way out of the race only to turn it back on too late, but just in time to stamp out the Mariners’ season.
I think the extra WC created the situation.
The last two weeks in the 1973 NL East might come the closest. The Pirates and Expos, in first and second place with two weeks to go, flop; the Cardinals hang in there to finish at .500; and the Mets win 9 of 12 to win the division.
The Royals politely decline to take control of the wild card race.
So the end result is that the A’s ran another day off the schedule and lost no ground to the teams that matter at this point.
This is cold comfort, because these anonymous A’s scouts that Slusser keeps quoting don’t seem very persuasive to me. I get why teams would fear the A’s, because the team has Lester in the WC game and then Samardzija, Gray and Lester in four of the five division series games.
But the A’s are running out of time to persuade me – and just as importantly, themselves – that they’re anything more than a byproduct of their sterling first-half run. In the playoffs, they face good teams that are trying to win. At the moment, they can’t beat bad teams.
Sure they can beat good teams! They won more games against the slegnA than they did the Rangers on this most recent homestand!
After you, no after you
So hey-it comes down to us in a series with the worst team in baseball. (Of course a couple of months ago that would have meant we were playing the Rangers, now every series we are in is a series with the worst team in baseball-HEYO!)
The Rangers really screwed up their draft positioning by sweeping us. Are they sure that Beltre and Holland don’t have a case of the 96-hour flu coming on?
With what looks like a win over the Astros tonight, the Rangers will have won 11 of their last 12. After losing 11 of 12 immediately prior to that.
At some point they have to cool off right? We dont even need them to cool off much. At this point 1 game may be enough.
Interesting and refreshing to listen to Vin Scully mildly criticize the Dodger catcher for not sealing off the plate rather than whine about a close call.
At the beginning of the year I bet a lot if us thought things would come down to this 4 game series against a good Ranger team to determine things. So we weren’t really that far off.
Would someone come to Oklahoma and drive me back to Missouri? I’m not feeling the drive back.
what’s the matter with Timmy?
He’s a Giant.
The Dodgers home unis are the best in the business. Also their park looks amazing on TV.
The A’s home unis are the best in the business. Same concept, better font and better colors.
There’s something about the Dodger version, though. It’s like the white looks whiter or something. It may just be that it looked especially good last night in comparison to the hideous Giant road kits.
I think the present incarnation is more satiny, like shiny.
The Giants’ uniforms are not as objectionable as the use of the word “kit”. Baseball players wear “uniforms”; “unis” is fine as an abbreviation. You soccer people, please keep your terminology on your side of the fence.
Tough but fair.
yeah, please keep you lingo on the pitch
Tigers.
Also a favorite. Best cap in the business, no doubt.
Second best…
The tailgate part of today was awesome.
Yes, great food, super fun. I will definitely try the breakfast tailgate concept again.
You’d better. On a day I can go!
this this THIS!
Sure was.
Yup, nothing like the smell of bacon and asphalt in the morning.
Well it took like 3 months but we finally have our true athletic cause for part of the crash. Moss is playing on 1 leg.
Are you fucking kidding me. WTF. How are you not checking on that until now and why aren’t resting that shit earlier and getting it taken care of. You’ve sucked ass for two months, you think you’re help the team?
Hey, at least we finally have something that fits an A’s storyline.
Now lets get more absurd. Microfracture surgery is not like TJS. Ive heard of it the most from basketball players getting it and then beung shells of their former selves. So we may be looking for a 1B for next year. Probably want to have someine inexpensive. Need a good defensive guy, someone who can take a pitch. Maybe someone the org is used to. Is there anyone who fits that bill?
(Im hoping to god they teach Norris first and get a healthy Vogt behind the plate.)
Jaso
Yep.
I forgot about him
He’s at Chavez/Harden/Crosby status for me now. Honestly dont want him around since he could get hit at any time and be done for the year. It’s not his fault, I feel bad for him, but let someone else set records for the 7 day DL.
Barton
oh you just went and did it
Thanks, and go As.
I’m still hoping. I have his picture hanging in my office.
No it’s cool we will just let Callaspo play 1B in the playoffs.
Thanks, and go As.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Let’s forget for the moment about next season.
What do the A’s do with him now? He’s bone on bone. Hard to believe a shot is going to help all that much. I guess it’s good to get an explanation, but it raises more questions.
How long has Moss known of the problem? How long have the A’s known? And if they didn’t know, why didn’t they ask more questions?
I had pretty much given up hope on Moss for the season, but really, this shows how cursed they are. Moss was a pivotal part of the lineup, a consistent run producer who – along with Donaldson and Cespedes – took the pressure off everyone else. Vogt was in a crazy-hot zone for a while, but he got hurt and came back to earth.
Part of Beane’s gamble has worked. Lester and Samardzija have been good to outstanding. But the injury to Moss has been at least as important as the loss of Cespedes. Early in the season, the trio of Donaldson, Moss and Cespedes was as productive as any set of hitters in the league, even the slegnA group. Since then, the core of the offense was subtracted by Cespedes (traded), Moss (injured and hopelessly ineffective), along with Vogt (injured and increasingly ineffective), Crisp (neck problems that haven’t gone away) and to a lesser extent Lowrie (finger issue, bad season in general). That’s too much to lose.
What does a cortisone shot do, exactly, when there is missing cartilage?
You don’t feel it?
Reduces inflammation at the site. Not sure how it would help bone on bone contact, but if there’s other swelling in the area, it *could* help with that.
I had one in my arthritic shoulder last week, and it’s done wonders in restoring my range of motion and reducing the aches and pains. ‘Tis only temporary, of course.
Is it bad to be thinking “It just needs to last until the end of Oct?
Yeah, screw his life and stuff..what can he do for me now?
Given the uncertainty of his career after surgery, I’m guessing he’s thinking the exact same thing. Get the ring, fuck tomorrow.
I don’t know how microfractures affect baseball players, but it’s pretty much ended promising basketball careers, as you say. Hips are kind of important for power hitters.
I think batting lefty would be good
A healthy Vogt behind the plate would be ideal, but I also think Norris can still be an asset at catcher as long as he doesn’t have to be back there every day. He’s clearly pretty beat up right now.
I think it’s worth hanging on to Jaso as a DH, but he should be catching as often (never) as Donaldson does at this point. Probably already should have been after last year.
isn’t a 120 wRC+ DH not all that great?
Thanks, and go As.
Not great but not bad either. Comparable to (maybe a little better than) Scott Hatteberg who was also a converted bad-defensive catcher.
The question is whether it’s worth using a roster spot on a good-not-great-hitter who doesn’t have a position, or better to have the DH slot available for other players to rotate into. But we’re not exactly swimming in good hitting talent at the corners, especially if Moss can’t come back at full strength.
It’s nothing special, but average to good, and having average to good players is important. I would kill for a 120 wrc+ DH right now…
How much better would he be offensively if he was never behind the plate at all? I don’t think that can be undervalued either. He may not be a TON better, but I suspect we’d see at least a non-marginal improvement from that over the course of a season.
Well and if putting you behind the plate puts you on the DL for 2 months it certainly helps to not do that. Same thing if it simply wears the eff out of you.
Sort of related-how hard of a head must Norris have to have not got serious concussions from all those knocks he was getting around the Baltimore series?
Seems he’s taken the brunt of those hits in the back instead. And we’re seeing the results.
Well, learning first and second base would do him some good.
Thats the key isnt it? I know this is a stupid fan idea, but I would be finding anyone I could think of and seeing if they could pick up 2B to a halfway passable level. Heck, put Billy Burns there. Can anyone hit worse than our guys have done as a collective? Do you think he would field worse than Collapso did?
Yep. Worse case, he’s no good and you find something else. Best case, he’s better than you expect. Have him spend the off season playing around with it and see what happens.
#2011BartonTo3rdThoughts
Would have been a good idea until he hurt his throwing shoulder.
Thanks, and go As.
Exactly on Norris. I dont mind him catching, but unless his D somehow changes this offseason he cant be’the man’ for me. It is too bad that Vogt was the one that 1) couldnt get behind the plate and 2) had the flexibility already to play multiple positions. I would ideally want Vogt 3-4 days, Norris 1 maybe 2 depending on teams, etc. You just can’t have him back there against anyone that can run consistently.
And yeah, If you hang onto Jaso it has to be DH and maybe he can do 1B once a week. But I still worry you plan around him and he gets in a hard slide,e tc and at thispoint he could be out the season. I still don’t understand why they wanted him behind the plate so much this year. It was clear to all of us that this exact issue could pop up.
In a perfect world, no character would be behind the plate more than 2 – 3 days a week max. If you’re relying on them offensively, any more is going to reduce their offensive output and you’re not necessarily going to be gaining anything defensively. I really liked having three catchers with at least one (and hopefully all) capable of playing elsewhere on the field.
Agreed. For all the MOAR CATCHERS jokes it was a very nice thing. If I had my druthers (where did they go?) I have a Vogt that can C,1B,OF all relatively well, another who may hit a bit better but is a bit more of a liability (I guess Norris) and then a Soto who can basically only catch but is the best defender of the 3. So even if a vogt catches 4x a week, hopefully in one of them you can pull him late with a lead or trailing and let Soto work a couple of innings.
While were at it I would alos like a 2B who hits .320 with 40 HRs and 25SB. Can someone work on that for me?
One who has done all of those but only hits 30 HR was traded last offseason for one of the worst contracts in baseball.
For only a little more than a Jim Johnson on a year we could have gotten Jhonny “Johnny” Peralta. Would have been a bigger upgrade than Abreu.
Well that explains a lot. “Bone-on-bone issues.”
“Affected him much of the year”
HT to WAC for this great Olbermann rant about the jeterbating.
I fb-shared that as well. This needs to be everywhere.
reading the comments, it’s not going to help anybody see the light. the country is as split on jeter as it is on obamacare’s common core open carry abortion mandate.
You LOONEY LEFTIST OBUMMER FAN…
It’s obamacare’s common core SHARIA abortion mandate. Open carry is the only protection REAL AMERICANS have left!!!!!
Florida my ass! Jeter was born in Kenya!
If birth happens at conception do we really know for sure where he was born?
(broke my own rule about not making crap comments like this-couldnt resist)
Are you suggesting that he was born out his mother’s ass? (crap comments…)
I’m saying none born of a woman shall be able to harm him.
*you spelled ‘MURICAN wrong. Is you a damned foreigner??
Speaking of Jeter, this, from Jonah Keri’s piece yesterday, blew me away.
Fangraphs has him at -28, which is way more plausible to me…
The b-r number is runs compared to players at the same position (so they are saying Jeter was 243 runs worse than an average SS, but Dunn was 174 runs worse than an average 1B/LF), whereas the fg number is a total defensive value, which includes a positional adjustment.
There still seems to be a discrepancy of about 80-100 runs though:
Rfield+Rpos is -28 for fg, -110 for b-r.
Rfield is -145 for fg, -245 for b-r
Ah, ok, looks like the correct number for the comparison in that case is -74.
never mind, wrong again, that number is starting from 2002.
Interesting choice of simile, non-homer Hank:
did he fall to his knees and cry?
No, he sued the state for wrongful imprisonment.
just watched the clip. he did one of those shooting a pistol moves.
First, that’s a bad look after a not guilty on a capital case, and second, it seemed kinda normal. At less obnoxious than a full salute after you get a double (cough angel pagan cough)
I don’t know, double jeopardy and all. If there were a time to do the pistol move in court, AFTER a non guilty verdict would probably be the best, if there ever is one, time.
Giants fans, players, and media lackeys seem to have a very irrational hatred for Puig. He’s like some avatar of playing the game the wrong way for them. I have one very calm friend who gets enraged when Puig comes on the TV. I don’t really get it. I find his joie de vivre engaging.
They also adore Hunter Pence
Thanks, and go As.
I used to feel that way early on, but he’s toned things down enough that I’m not showered with his shtick which suggests to me that he doesn’t do it as abrasively as before.
Speaking of doubles, a Giant named Susac hit a double last night which led to Vin Scully opining that if Susac hits more doubles his nickname should be “Two Sack Susac.” I love him.
oh shoot. i guess i blew my wad when i did this yesterday after the court clerk told me my bicycle ticket hadn’t wound its way into the system yet, and to check back in 3 to 4 weeks.
nice. Good way to spend a morning too, i bet
not bad actually. 15 minutes in and out.
The Mariners are reduced to starting Tom Wilhelmsen today. Yikes.
When your season hangs in the balance, best to go to a bartender
Presumably a bullpen start, which is a good strategy on the level of winning any particular game relative to using a generic 4th or 5th starter (or maybe even 3rd) in a normal way. They have a good and deep bullpen, can’t worry about tiring it out at this point.
I guess the silver lining of getting blown out like they did on Monday and Tuesday is that their good relievers should be well rested. Or as well rested as they can be in late September in the last game of a 10-day Anaheim-Houston-Toronto road trip with no off days.
The more pitchers you have to use, the more likely you’ll find one or two that are having off days.
Starters have “off innings” in the 4th/5th/6th/7th more often than relievers have off days.
Or to put it another way, again ignoring the bullpen tiredness: if you played 100 games where you sent out 9 different (normally rested) pitchers with an average of a 3 ERA, and 100 games where you sent out 1 pitcher with a 3.50 ERA, the 9 guys would obviously do better overall, off days and all.
Total MLB starts by the listed starting pitchers in that game is one, by Wilhelmsen, who started that game against the Twins just before the All-Star Break so Felix could drop back a day to face the A’s.
Holy…
And you people think the no hitter stuff is bunk.
Should have been the Yankees…
He’ll never buy a drink in Yankee Stadium again…
If I dont listen to podcasts, and Bill Simmons is suspended, do I ever actually notice?
It’s not NBA season, so no. You don’t.
Incidentally, I do listen to his podcast for whatever reason, and when he said the thing that got him suspended I immediately thought “yep, he’s getting suspended and may be trying to get fired.” I’m really looking forward to the day when he leaves ESPN and writes a massive tell-all about all of the crap he heard from management there over the years.
Leitch did a thing about it on SoE todayand he makes a good point. For always talking about the crap he hears and how things have not been done as promised, he never looks around anywhere. I think it is mutually beneficial for them. He gets to keep this idea that he is “not part of the corporate culture” and “an outsider/rebel” while ESPN gets to look like it “punishes it’s best talent when necessary”.
When we find out he is spending the next 3 weeks in Aruba we can say for sure it is all just staged.
BUT HOW AM I GOING TO FIND OUT IF HE AND COUSIN SAL ARE GOING TO GET THE LINE ON A COWBOY-REDSKINS GAME RIGHT???
Not knowing which games they’ll put in their three-team teaser, and what Jon Hamm is up to in their fantasy league…I don’t know how I’ll get through it. (And yet, I listen. I enjoy it. What can I say.)
Clearly this suspension by ESPN is just a cover story to hide the real truth that Simmons is actually spending the next three weeks conspiring to fix basketball games.
Freezing lottery envelopes.
Anyone see a picture of Sonny as a Rockford Peach?
I am normally against dressing rookies in drag. But that sounds different
Is it reminiscent of the picture of you dressed as Nick Swisher? Because I still remember that quite fondly.
Moss is back in the lineup. Holding out hope for a cortisone-fueled rampage, a la 2013 Coco.
see clevelands? it isn’t so hard.
Want that hat!
I think Grand Bakery used to sell those. Maybe still does. The owner, Bob, is a big A’s fan.
Coincidentally, at yesterday’s game, I was sitting next to someone wearing one of those hats, along with a Rick Monday jersey (you could still see the outline of where the letters had been) that had been altered to say Yoda.
not quite the same hat.
Whoa. Since when does street view go inside shops?
it’s from googleyelp.
Its from google646.9
Those were the giveaway hats at Jewish Heritage Night this year
Melvin’s apparently not Jewish enough…
Josh Willingham plans to retire, but not before he hits a crushing home run against the A’s on Tuesday.
Wait. But then how is he going to go on a goodbye tour???!!!
Is Adam Lind trying to look exactly like Ginger from True Detective, or is that an accident?