2) i don’t understand passing up the rare chance to use an en dash in hyphenation. either that, or i don’t understand grilling whole tacos, even if they’re made with fish.
*i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
Is that a fish taco as in fish inside the taco shell as the meat? Or is that a fish-taco as in the fish is the taco shell and you put traditional taco filling inside the fish?
Believe me, it really is coming out. In our monthly meetup there are several participants who cannot tell their families (or co-workers) they are atheists for fear of being ostracized. I’ve had some people tell me it was easier to tell family they are gay than atheist.
And very loosely related… when David Denson came out the other day, Calcaterra remembered how Chad Curtis spoke that an openly gay player would be a distraction in the clubhouse and how he would definitely feel uncomfortable by a pure thought of being checked out in a sports facility, whatwith his strong religious beliefs. Most of you probably know it, but only then did I find out that Curtis is in jail for sexually molesting three teenage girls in a school where he was volunteering.
There was a great story Greg Hanlon wrote after Curtis got convicted, with this incredible snippet in it:
Soon enough, they were down in the trainer’s room, Curtis rubbing her knee, then her thigh, then her upper thigh, then her groin, up to her underwear. He flipped her over on her stomach and went through the same progression, ending with rubbing her rear end, with both hands, in a circular motion. All the while, he lectured Alexis, who was also very religious, about how to prove to an atheist that God exists. During his major league career, his sermons had often been met with exasperation and dismissal. In the Lakewood trainer’s room, he had a captive audience.
Re fish tacos, to keep fish filets from drying out I wrap em in banana leaf, usually with an achiote marinade, before throwing them on the grill. Would work with whole fish concept too.
Fascinating chart in this article suggesting that Umpires are improving dramatically, but only at calling strikes strikes (not calling balls balls). Anyone have any idea why that would be?
Also, Barksdale love!
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
Savior and Nuts join President Emperor Caesar, Buddy the Cat, Buddy the Elf, Jack Sparrow, James “Titus the Great†Law, Princess Oawlawolwaol, and Donald Trump in the 2016 race for the presidency.
“Maybe I was drawn to baseball because of the time element, the way nothing much goes on; but a lot’s happening if you pay attention.” That’s a great quote by one-time Portland Maverick Rob Nelson, here:
It’s a pretty common thing to do, but apparently the result flatulence is out of control.
Mine all get used as chicken feed, though not our two chickens since 40lb of wet grains rot before we can get through them all – another problem that would be solved by my statis refrigerator.
Sorry, but he failed. If he’s going by city, he needs to consistently go by city. Only the Warriors, A’s, and Raiders are in Oakland. That’s a 9.16. And if you decide to remove the Warriors who don’t acknowledge Oakland, it’s a 9.5. How dare he lump the bay area together like that.
And if anything, San Francisco should be relegated to the “two team market” section, though if we wanted to be literal about it that distinction should now go to San Jose/Santa Clara. As it stands right now, only Oakland actually has three pro teams in the Bay Area.
Obviously Chicago gets both the Cubs and White Sox, same with New York and the Yankees and Mets, but nobody has ever looked at the A’s and Giants and thought they were remotely close to being in the same city.
I did get to talk for a couple minutes with Jim Swanson, known as their left-handed catching catcher. Rob Nelson, one of the guys behind Big League Chew, was also there, along with many others. Just chatting with Swanson (who of course loved the Mavericks hat and shirt I bought last week), it was obvious how special tonight was, and how much they enjoyed being here.
He’s definitely a character, and he said there’s a movie in the works about the team, with Kurt Russell supposedly playing the role of his father Bing. I told him I only learned about all of this within the past couple weeks, but I loved everything about what they did.
It really is one of my favorite stories. The version of Ball Four I was bought as a kid had extended info and talked about Bouton going to the Mavs. I always thought it sounded fun, but didnt look into more until last year when I heard about the documentary.
I really hope they do make the movie because I think it could be classic.
Pretty bad, but there were a couple delays from the time he took the mound to the time the first batter stepped in, close to ten minutes worth. There was apparently a broken catcher’s mitt they were working on without someone else keeping him loose, and then someone seemed to leave a gate open down the RF line, so he had to do a lot of standing around. He never got into a rhythm. Ahh, the minors.
And, here are half a dozen samples I took. These are glorious.
I need help in understanding this. You are right-these are so wonderful.
But the worst unis I have ever seen are the all read Cleveland ones from the 70’s. Whats the difference? Is it just that I like the Macs so much that I subconciously give their colors a pass?
To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because now it’s more of a novelty instead of something more teams wore? I’m also thinking of all those baby blue outfits that carried over into the 80s.
Maybe it’s the big stripes down the arms and legs. The tri-color hats, something I don’t think I’ve seen aside from the Expos, adds to it. Could also be what you said at the end about liking the Mavs. I don’t really like the wordmark on those old Indians uniforms, but the Mavericks script works pretty well.
He’s pitching again today and has retired the first 12 hitters he’s faced. Hillsboro’s Twitter told me his last pitch in the 4th was 93, but I don’t know if that’s his max.
I’ll post it here. There’s a link in it to an OC post by Koo; he did a write up projecting next year’s payroll and I don’t feel like re-inventing the wheel. I like giving FK a chance to tear holes first, then I can make any edits necessary and end up posting elsewhere for a larger audience.
Here’s another story, just in case some people haven’t heard much about the Mavericks. You really should check out the documentary, which is also on YouTube now.
you know, the mission has changed. and there are a lot of tech bros. but even now, if a dude on a BMX bike is the one that cuts you off on your BH Quartz carbon bike, don’t yell at him and tell him. and don’t say “no, you come here” when the BMXer says “oh tough guy why dont you come here?”
Because, BmXer will come there.
I suppose its nice you have an expensive road bike.
We’re getting heavy smoke today and depending on how the fires burn and winds blow that could be another big impact, in addition to the usual choking dust.
I have never been to BM and wouldn’t go, have only talked to those who have been, but looking at from the outside it seems about to collapse under its own weight. First, Burning Man LLC or however the organizing group has established itself has become a pretty big bureaucracy in its own right…seems to be straying pretty far from the original ideal. But I bet there are some people within the organization making a pile of money, and the bigger the event gets the more they make. Then there’s the fat, arrogant government bureaucracy at BLM, fat in the sense of feeding at the trough of ever-increasing “permit fees” and arrogant in imposing endless new ribbons of red tape to cut through. Seems like there should be a Free Kraut-style breakaway with some veteran Burners greatly downsizing the thing and moving into onto some rancher’s private land.
I just got back from a six-day road trip through NY and Philadelphia. Along the way, I caught a Blue Jays–Phillies game. We had pretty good seats, just four rows above the right field wall, so I saw a lot of Bautista and Frenchy (yes, he is playing for the LOLphillies). Donaldson went 0-4, so obviously the A’s got the best of that trade. On the other hand, Moneypenny was playing 2B for the Jays and he hit a double to go with a nifty pick up the middle.
Also, I was with my 7 year old nephew, who was attending his first MLB game. Even though he lives in the Philly area, he decided to loudly cheer for the Blue Jays. I heard someone near us in the outfield stands remarking that it was a lucky thing that the person yelling “Go Blue Jays” in the Phillies stadium was a little kid.
The A’s approach lately seems to be to try to preserve for themselves opportunities to make money on high demand games through dynamic pricing. Since the flexibility given to fans with Fielders Choice packages directly limits the that opportunity for the team, I infer that when they say the Fielder’s Choice packages are “sold out” in MVP, Plaza Club, Value Deck, and Bleachers, they mean that they chose not to make very many available.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Some of my FB pals who already have that plan say they were told by Ticket Services that the “sold out” means they won’t offer it for new people, but they will renew those plans for existing season ticket holders. However, the per-ticket price is going up for Fielder’s Choice but not for most full-season or half-season areas.
Awesome. I’m still pissed off at my older sisters who were supposed to get tickets and take me to that concert, but failed to purchase them in time. I had to settle for Herman’s Hermits instead.
You sort of already said it on Twitter. It seems pointless to do this now, and may hurt a fairly decent guy in his career.
But at the same time, it isnt like he was ever a really good infield or 3B coach. And tghis year it has got progressively worse. We didnt have runners thrown out with a Cespy throw and a great tag. We had guys out by 5-6 steps. And numerous just blown plays. I remember the game ended early this year when I had the front row seats-it was just a mess.
I wish Gags well but I wont be pouring one out tonight for him.
Like I added, there’s got to be more going on than just people getting thrown out at the plate. Someone yesterday suggested dysfunction, actually.
As it is, Wash has already helped Semien improve in the field, something Gallego was not doing enough of early on. Maybe that would have happened anyway, maybe not. It only stands to reason that Wash was going to get the 3B job sooner or later.
Having Wash back in uniform, on the field, in the dugout etc. going forward can only be a good thing. There’s only so much influence he could have while consigned to a box during games.
The Lawrie play was the last straw for me, a clear indication that the players had lost professional respect for Gallego. The number of TOOTBLANs was certainly a major factor, but if that’s the only thing that needs fixing the usual solution is to rotate roles among the 1B, 3B and bench coaches. Loss of respect by the employees for someone on the “management” side (“management” in standard workplace terms, not the baseball sense) tends to fester and snowball so there was probably agreement between Beane and Melvin that the best way to finish the season with the chain of command remaining in some semblance of order was to dump Gallego entirely.
I’m surprised they didn’t sugar coat it for Gags sake. Assign to an unspecified other job, wish him the best, etc. “Relieved of his duties” makes me suspect there was some acrimony.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
Second this. I will totally do the Seattle underground tour again next time I am there.
I also have footage of underground Fresno, and exish Mrs Aces is one of a small group of people who have been down into the tunnels. But nowhere near as interesting.
My brother in law tells me that UC Irvine, built in the late 60’s, was designed with underground tunnels as part of a paranoic Nixon-era plan to allow paramilitary forces to move quickly to combat armed college rebels.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
I did the Seattle tour in 1981. I’d like to do it again someday. Also, my wife and I got a tour of the tunnels at the University of Puget Sound a few years ago – that was also very cool.
Looks cool, and I’d love to do that tour sometime. If anyone watched the How We Got to Now series there’s a great bit about Chicago, and how they jacked up buildings and entire blocks using railroad screw jacks to install sewers. There’s a bit about it in this article.
I was kind of inspired by the Portland Mavericks hat, and I almost bought it this way:
Then I was talking with someone I know about how cool it would be if Montreal ever got another team and an All-Star Game, and they did the hats in any way similar to the old Expos hats, which led to the final version since I thought the way the hat looked for the game in Minnesota was a decent starting point. But, I didn’t want to go with the gold bill.
Question for the group: Is there enough interest to have a low-key evening tailgate FKup on one of the three remaining free parking Tuesdays? 9/1 vs LAA, 9/8 vs HOU, or 9/22 vs TEX? I’m thinking a simple 5pm til game time BBQ.
If there is not much group interest I figure I will be there drinking beer anyway.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
On the other end of the spectrum, the A’s have already squandered 13 wins because of their horrific sequencing of events, which would be the largest deviation from BaseRuns of any team in any season since we have the data.
Three teams have outperformed their BaseRuns by 12 wins prior, but that was 12 wins over 162 games. The A’s have underperformed by 13 wins in 126 games; if they sustained this pace over the rest of the year, they’d end up 17 wins off their BaseRuns total by the time the season ended.
I don’t know if the Astros have a kangaroo-court in their clubhouse, but if they do, Jose Altuve did something tonight that is definitely fine-worthy: He made the first and third outs of the first inning, both times hacking at the first pitch.
Weeks after Ars published a feature on the scope of license plate reader use, the Oakland Police Department unilaterally and quietly decided to impose a data retention limit of six months.
…
According to Sgt. Dave Burke, who is in charge of the city’s LPR system, this change was not in response to Ars’ article, but rather was made primarily because the LPR computer—a Windows XP computer with an 80GB hard drive—was full and apparently “kept crashing.”
“We had no money in the budget to buy an additional server,” he told Ars.
The Forest Service goes beyond that. IT isn’t just seen as a cost, its seen as a necessary tool for future growth and training. We are getting more and more Web-based training and there is an increased expectation that cost-tracking, records and documentation and even basic intra-office communications will occur online. I’ve been told NOT to actually call people and to instead use IM or email to create a documentation trail of conversations.
And I’ve got laptops that tend to crash when I use anything that involves Adobe or Flash players.
If I want to replace the hardware I need to wait for a not-yet-scheduled replacement date OR spend out of my own limited budget.
Lets see here… do I want to spend a $1000 on a laptop or on crew gear and fire hose?
I don’t know about Ed, but I developed achilles tendinitis after switching from regular running shoes, which gave me shin splints, to five fingers. I really got used to running in the five fingers, taking it slowly to develop the right running technique (landing more mid-foot rather than heel-striking), but the tendinitis hit me really hard. Took almost a year for it to really go away. I’d like to start up again and really need to figure out what shoes to go with.
searing pain. made it feel as if the tendon was going to rip from my ankle.
I started using arch support inserts and the pain went away eventually. I try not to walk any distance, even at home without arch support. If I don’t I start to feel my achilles. AS soon as I do I hop to my rocket dog flip flops.
I can switch pretty interchangeably between Brooks Adrenaline and Asics GT-2000 and don’t notice the difference (I need the stability shoe because I have duck feet and pronate). But I have achilles problems that develop when I approach 500 miles on a pair of shoes. I think it’s because that is the point where I have just completely broken down the parts that were supposed to keep me from pronating.
i’ve actually been to the store 3 times ready to buy some and have come out empty-footed every time. it’s not only the ugly. i just don’t know what each shoe does, while i seem to have specific issues that i’m not trusting a [removes ageist comment] clerk to help with.
*i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
You might want to go to a place like Footwear Etc (all over on the west side of the Bay) or La Foot on College and Ashby that specialize in shoes for people with foot issues. If they try to sell you a shoe that is uncomfortable but supposedly good for you on the theory that “you’ll get used to it”, though, I’d pass.
i’m gonna go with the inverse proportion theory and guess that, if their site is from the heyday of flash and it still has an “under construction” page, lafoot is going to be a lot more knowledgeable about shoes than the highly navigable sports basementauthority.
*i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
One thing the West Coast teams could do, but won’t, to reduce travel burden would be to agree to more long road trips. This year they have three three-city trips (and in the third city we always hear how tough it is to play that third series on the road). Looking at 1973, when Anaheim was the only road city closer than Kansas City or Arlington, the A’s played five three-city trips and two four-city trips, taking care of 70 of the 81 road games in just seven trips. I bet the total travel miles were quite a bit less that way, even though they now have three series in Seattle plus one in San Francisco each year.
The problem there is that they’d end up going up and down and up and down the coast if they agreed to that. It would be one thing to do Toronto Boston New York or the reverse. But instead they’ll get Toronto Tampa Bay Boston or the reverse. All teams should be set in groups of three or pairs and each follow each other and visit the same teams in succession in a geographically straight way.
Yup. And since geographically speaking you can put teams in groupings like that easily within their own division, it would make for a fairer schedule since they’d be essentially seeing the same teams through the year at the same time. Not perfect by any means and I’m sure there would be points where someone got screwed, but not nearly as bad.
I don’t know what to make of the info coming out about the Copa 100. Seems like a lot of articles based off one pretty cryptic statement. That said, do all of these federations really want to come within the FBI’s physical jurisdiction at the same time? Probably not.
Maybe for the 49ers? Or the Sharks? Because good grief his record over seven years with the Mariners was terrible, and there was talk a couple years ago that he needed to find something else to do.
Hello again… sorry I haven’t written but I just washed my pen. It’s been awhile but today I emerge with a devastating remaster of one of the most beloved bootlegs of all time by any artist. It just so happens that the author of this towering performance turns a milestone 70 years young today, and yes he shows no signs of stopping or slowing because (as he might himself say) It’s Too Late To Stop Now. So blog your Irish up with us now back to Pacific High Recorders in San Francisco and the birthday boy on KSAN-FM at the absolute pinnacle of what he does. Come on and Listen to The Lion in one of his most legendary concerts ever captured: ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Van Morrison.
Never suck on a Blow Pop with the microphone open.
In retaliation, Yordano Ventura throws up and in on a bucket of fried chicken wings, then takes to Twitter, declaring “Yo respetaba a los pollos pero ya pa mi son nadie”
HH: You know that stuff. You know every developer in Manhattan. You know everything about building buildings. You could build the wall. I have no doubt about that.
DT: Right. By the way, and nobody knows how easy that would be. And I mean, it would be, it would be tall, it would be powerful, we would make it very good looking. It would be as good as a wall’s got to be, and people will not be climbing over that wall, believe me. Go ahead.
HH: You know, I’d buy that, because you’re a builder. But on the front of Islamist terrorism, I’m looking for the next commander-in-chief, to know who Hassan Nasrallah is, and Zawahiri, and al-Julani, and al-Baghdadi. Do you know the players without a scorecard, yet, Donald Trump?
DT: No, you know, I’ll tell you honestly, I think by the time we get to office, they’ll all be changed. They’ll be all gone. I knew you were going to ask me things like this, and there’s no reason, because number one, I’ll find, I will hopefully find General Douglas MacArthur in the pack. I will find whoever it is that I’ll find, and we’ll, but they’re all changing, Hugh. You know, those are like history questions. Do you know this one, do you know that one. I will tell you, I thought you used the word Kurd before. I will tell you that I think the Kurds are the most under-utilized and are being totally mistreated by us. And nobody understands why. But as far as the individual players, of course I don’t know them. I’ve never met them. I haven’t been, you know, in a position to meet them. If, if they’re still there, which is unlikely in many cases, but if they’re still there, I will know them better than I know you.
HH: Agreed. So Soleimani runs the Quds Forces. Do you expect his behavior is going to change as a result of this deal with Iran?
DT: I think that Iran right now is in the driver’s seat to do whatever they want to do. I think what’s happening with Iran is, I think it’s one of the, and I covered it very well. I assume you saw the news conference. I think Iran is, it’s one of the great deals ever made for them. I think it’s one of the most incompetent contracts I’ve even seen. I’m not just talking about defense. I’m not talking about a contract with another country. I’ve never seen more of a one-sided deal, I think, in my life, absolutely.
HH: Well, Soleimani is to terrorism sort of what Trump is to real estate.
I could see where some would say it would but I think Reddick is a guy you offer an extension to. Go 4 years/$54 million guaranteed with a team option 5th year at $18 million or a $2 million buy-out.
I think a Reddick trade is a foregone conclusion. He’s known it for some time which is why he’s OK with burning a few bridges. People will say Billy traded him because of his mouth, but I think it’s the opposite, he’s talking because he knows he’s a short-timer.
Interesting twist on the narrative. You could be right.
Do you think the plan is to trade Reddick because that’s what the A’s do or do you feel like he wouldn’t be a good player to invest in with an extension?
Reddick has had a solid year but hasn’t exactly been consistent during his time in Oakland, partly due to injuries. Billy certainly isn’t averse to trying to sell high so I’m more in the “that’s what the A’s do” camp. I leave the GM thinking to you, but if you can use Reddick to make long-term improvements to that dreadful middle infield it would greatly increase my future enjoyment of Oakland Athletics baseball.
I think the A’s are committed to Semien at SS. They will believe that Wash can make him into an average defensive player and that will make the bat an above-average asset. Valencia is having a nice little season and I think it’ll be enough to convince the A’s he can play 3B full time next year, allowing them to convert Lawrie to 2B.
I think all of that is wrong but I don’t believe the solution is to trade Reddick.
The A’s do like selling high, which is why I hope they shop Valencia this winter. I think his performance vs. RHP this year is a fluke and if Beane can find someone who thinks otherwise he has to make that deal.
There’s a reason why its Semien’s first full season at SS… other teams don’t think he can handle the position.
Maybe I’m overly sensitive due to my experience reading about and writing how the A’s thought Cardenas and Green and others would be able to play SS and then they failed miserably. But when it comes to reading scouting reports on who has the skills to play SS I’m going with any other source before I believe the A’s.
I could buy the 2016 line-up that features Semien at SS, Valencia at 3B and Lawrie at 2B vs. a LHSP. There’s enough hitting there to make up for any defensive downgrade. That’s not the case vs. RHSP. I’d want Semien at 2B, Lawrie at 3B and Oakland needs a new, primary SS.
Pinder has had a great year in Midland and he’s young enough to believe that some of what we see is real improvement and can carryover as he advances. But a good chunk of his success was BABIP driven and its fair to temper our expectations for next year. The reports vary but they tend to weigh towards him not being able to stick at SS due to his lack of athleticism. There could be some room to improve in this area now that he’s getting consistent reps at SS and as we’ve seen with Lowrie and Semien and a list of prospects its clear Oakland views the level of tools they deem necessary to play SS as differing from industry consensus.
I don’t know if there are many other teams that would consider Pinder a primary SS prospect but I think he has enough tools to get a very long look at the position irregardless of the organization he’s with. Teams are going to want to see if that bat he showed in AA can play SS.
As bad a team and worse PR disaster as the Niners are, they’d be idiots to throw away a legit entertainment draw like Hayne. Even I want to see that guy play.
"Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
2) i don’t understand passing up the rare chance to use an en dash in hyphenation. either that, or i don’t understand grilling whole tacos, even if they’re made with fish.
Is that a fish taco as in fish inside the taco shell as the meat? Or is that a fish-taco as in the fish is the taco shell and you put traditional taco filling inside the fish?
Not a big fan of the sours – certainly not enough to brew 5G.
Fair enough. Seemed clever as a way to do it in normal time instead of long-term cellaring-time.
the guy that wrote the cliff lee piece came to california.
Coming out as a non-believer in the NFL.
This is pure gold. I mean the fact that someone saying they are non-believers is a story and a “coming-out”…
Speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Can I get an “amen”?
Believe me, it really is coming out. In our monthly meetup there are several participants who cannot tell their families (or co-workers) they are atheists for fear of being ostracized. I’ve had some people tell me it was easier to tell family they are gay than atheist.
But it’s OK if I yearn for a day when neither is difficult.
And very loosely related… when David Denson came out the other day, Calcaterra remembered how Chad Curtis spoke that an openly gay player would be a distraction in the clubhouse and how he would definitely feel uncomfortable by a pure thought of being checked out in a sports facility, whatwith his strong religious beliefs. Most of you probably know it, but only then did I find out that Curtis is in jail for sexually molesting three teenage girls in a school where he was volunteering.
There was a great story Greg Hanlon wrote after Curtis got convicted, with this incredible snippet in it:
Oh my god…This is amazing.
@sslinger: That was a great article, thanks.
@doctorK: I read it while eating a meatloaf plate lunch and a malasada at Tex Drive Inn.
Thanks.
Re fish tacos, to keep fish filets from drying out I wrap em in banana leaf, usually with an achiote marinade, before throwing them on the grill. Would work with whole fish concept too.
eazy error to make.
Clicked through to the New Era cap collection they mention, and an Oakland Raiders cap also seems wrong. Lots of pictures of E wearing the LA version.
good eye. the kings looks wrong too.
FK the 9fifties.
Article includes pic of Julio Cruz in proper Sox cap. Cruz was one of my faves as a member of the Hawaii Islanders circa 1977.
http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/08/18/recipe-homemade-sauerkraut-is-easy-and-fun/
Fascinating chart in this article suggesting that Umpires are improving dramatically, but only at calling strikes strikes (not calling balls balls). Anyone have any idea why that would be?
Also, Barksdale love!
I think what you see here are the combined effects of umpires calling better and umpires calling more strikes.
Kiley has Barreto as #14 in his new list
Wow. That’s a huge jump indeed.
Yup. Sickels had him at #23, Law at #32, but this is the biggest love so far.
Another Titus sighting:
Fellow Form 2 filers for the 2016 election cycle include Sydneys Vuluptuous Buttocks, Kenny Rodeo, Eden, and Ole’ Savior. Savior, a Republican, ran and lost in four other elections since 2006.
Savior and Nuts join President Emperor Caesar, Buddy the Cat, Buddy the Elf, Jack Sparrow, James “Titus the Great†Law, Princess Oawlawolwaol, and Donald Trump in the 2016 race for the presidency.
“Maybe I was drawn to baseball because of the time element, the way nothing much goes on; but a lot’s happening if you pay attention.” That’s a great quote by one-time Portland Maverick Rob Nelson, here:
http://seamheads.com/2011/01/30/part-ii-of-the-rob-nelson-interview-playing-for-the-portland-mavericks-a-game-called-boku-et-cetera/
ptbnl/batgirl bait
It’s a pretty common thing to do, but apparently the result flatulence is out of control.
Mine all get used as chicken feed, though not our two chickens since 40lb of wet grains rot before we can get through them all – another problem that would be solved by my statis refrigerator.
can you take it to tilden park and feed the cows?
HIKERS, BIKERS COMPLAIN OF INCREASING COW FLATULENCE IN TILDEN PARK
Sheriff Asks Public for Help in Identifying Mystery Person Suspected of Feeding Bovines Brewing Mash
Scientists Warn of Irreparable Damage to Ozone Layer if Practice Continues
We’re all big Paul Lukas fans around here, and rightly so, but if he hadn’t lumped Oakland together with SF we would be #1.
Seriously.
And we wouldnt even need phony special bonuses like extra uni points because of the Celtics court floor (WTF?).
That floor is cool.
I’m surprised the Coliseum didn’t get a subtraction to balance out the AT&T Park boost.
Sorry, but he failed. If he’s going by city, he needs to consistently go by city. Only the Warriors, A’s, and Raiders are in Oakland. That’s a 9.16. And if you decide to remove the Warriors who don’t acknowledge Oakland, it’s a 9.5. How dare he lump the bay area together like that.
And if anything, San Francisco should be relegated to the “two team market” section, though if we wanted to be literal about it that distinction should now go to San Jose/Santa Clara. As it stands right now, only Oakland actually has three pro teams in the Bay Area.
two?
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13456913/uni-watch-power-rankings-best-dressed-two-team-cities-based-uniforms
oh, so it goes by name.
I don’t get it.
LA get the angels and the ducks. that should be anaheim. which is a two team city unlike the one that I live in which has 1
I’d agree, but it’s not our criteria.
Obviously Chicago gets both the Cubs and White Sox, same with New York and the Yankees and Mets, but nobody has ever looked at the A’s and Giants and thought they were remotely close to being in the same city.
I’m old.
i look forward to that list every year
I’m tragically unhip.
LOLJeter
Don’t ask me what I think of you,
I might not give the answer that you want me to.
how can Jeter justify that question?
who would you rather reply to your comment?
I’m ready.
I hope they bring someone out with a flaming broom.
I did get to talk for a couple minutes with Jim Swanson, known as their left-handed catching catcher. Rob Nelson, one of the guys behind Big League Chew, was also there, along with many others. Just chatting with Swanson (who of course loved the Mavericks hat and shirt I bought last week), it was obvious how special tonight was, and how much they enjoyed being here.
He’s definitely a character, and he said there’s a movie in the works about the team, with Kurt Russell supposedly playing the role of his father Bing. I told him I only learned about all of this within the past couple weeks, but I loved everything about what they did.
video here
It really is one of my favorite stories. The version of Ball Four I was bought as a kid had extended info and talked about Bouton going to the Mavs. I always thought it sounded fun, but didnt look into more until last year when I heard about the documentary.
I really hope they do make the movie because I think it could be classic.
Stryker Trahan? Wasn’t he one of the X-Men?
wasnt he the pilot who survived the dog fight over macho grande?
I don’t think I’ll ever get over Macho Grande.
How did Cody Reed look?
Pretty bad, but there were a couple delays from the time he took the mound to the time the first batter stepped in, close to ten minutes worth. There was apparently a broken catcher’s mitt they were working on without someone else keeping him loose, and then someone seemed to leave a gate open down the RF line, so he had to do a lot of standing around. He never got into a rhythm. Ahh, the minors.
And, here are half a dozen samples I took. These are glorious.
I need help in understanding this. You are right-these are so wonderful.
But the worst unis I have ever seen are the all read Cleveland ones from the 70’s. Whats the difference? Is it just that I like the Macs so much that I subconciously give their colors a pass?
To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because now it’s more of a novelty instead of something more teams wore? I’m also thinking of all those baby blue outfits that carried over into the 80s.
Maybe it’s the big stripes down the arms and legs. The tri-color hats, something I don’t think I’ve seen aside from the Expos, adds to it. Could also be what you said at the end about liking the Mavs. I don’t really like the wordmark on those old Indians uniforms, but the Mavericks script works pretty well.
Thanks.
Did you happen to notice any radar readings? I’m working on a post and Mr. Reed is a prospect of interest.
I didn’t pay attention to it while he was pitching, sorry.
No worries.
And nice shots.
Thanks. I love the chance to go get photos of unique stuff like this. I’d probably be disappointed to have missed it if I was still in California.
He’s pitching again today and has retired the first 12 hitters he’s faced. Hillsboro’s Twitter told me his last pitch in the 4th was 93, but I don’t know if that’s his max.
Thanks for the follow up.
Cody Reed proved too valuable to the D’back faithful and my project moved in another direction. With any luck I’ll finish my post today.
Link to it when you do? I’m curious, at least. Not sure if you meant it’s for FK or somewhere else.
I’ll post it here. There’s a link in it to an OC post by Koo; he did a write up projecting next year’s payroll and I don’t feel like re-inventing the wheel. I like giving FK a chance to tear holes first, then I can make any edits necessary and end up posting elsewhere for a larger audience.
I am something of a slut for the attention.
More photos via Facebook by the Hillsboro Hops.
Here’s another story, just in case some people haven’t heard much about the Mavericks. You really should check out the documentary, which is also on YouTube now.
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/meet-the-nuttiest-baseball-team-the-northwest-has-ever-seen/
you know, the mission has changed. and there are a lot of tech bros. but even now, if a dude on a BMX bike is the one that cuts you off on your BH Quartz carbon bike, don’t yell at him and tell him. and don’t say “no, you come here” when the BMXer says “oh tough guy why dont you come here?”
Because, BmXer will come there.
I suppose its nice you have an expensive road bike.
Or had an expensive road bike.
bmx guy gave up
Anyone want the front row seats on Sunday (8/23)?
let me know if I can ask outside the group.
Sure – first come, first serve at this point (and it will help if they have an A’s account to transfer then to).
How much you willing to pay me?
From my wife’s blog, an interesting insight into how she made some coffee mugs
I didn’t think it was possible to find the idea of attending Burning Man more revolting than I already did, but here we are.
We’re getting heavy smoke today and depending on how the fires burn and winds blow that could be another big impact, in addition to the usual choking dust.
I have never been to BM and wouldn’t go, have only talked to those who have been, but looking at from the outside it seems about to collapse under its own weight. First, Burning Man LLC or however the organizing group has established itself has become a pretty big bureaucracy in its own right…seems to be straying pretty far from the original ideal. But I bet there are some people within the organization making a pile of money, and the bigger the event gets the more they make. Then there’s the fat, arrogant government bureaucracy at BLM, fat in the sense of feeding at the trough of ever-increasing “permit fees” and arrogant in imposing endless new ribbons of red tape to cut through. Seems like there should be a Free Kraut-style breakaway with some veteran Burners greatly downsizing the thing and moving into onto some rancher’s private land.
There have been various breakaways over the years (Juplaya et al) and my sense is they are happy in their relative invisibility.
As for BM itself, it’s never been the same since the first deaths in ’96.
which is before I became aware of it.
I just got back from a six-day road trip through NY and Philadelphia. Along the way, I caught a Blue Jays–Phillies game. We had pretty good seats, just four rows above the right field wall, so I saw a lot of Bautista and Frenchy (yes, he is playing for the LOLphillies). Donaldson went 0-4, so obviously the A’s got the best of that trade. On the other hand, Moneypenny was playing 2B for the Jays and he hit a double to go with a nifty pick up the middle.
Also, I was with my 7 year old nephew, who was attending his first MLB game. Even though he lives in the Philly area, he decided to loudly cheer for the Blue Jays. I heard someone near us in the outfield stands remarking that it was a lucky thing that the person yelling “Go Blue Jays” in the Phillies stadium was a little kid.
Wow. According to the A’s the season ticket package I used to get is sold out…
Seems unlikely.
The A’s approach lately seems to be to try to preserve for themselves opportunities to make money on high demand games through dynamic pricing. Since the flexibility given to fans with Fielders Choice packages directly limits the that opportunity for the team, I infer that when they say the Fielder’s Choice packages are “sold out” in MVP, Plaza Club, Value Deck, and Bleachers, they mean that they chose not to make very many available.
Fine with me, just means they aren’t getting my money again next year.
Some of my FB pals who already have that plan say they were told by Ticket Services that the “sold out” means they won’t offer it for new people, but they will renew those plans for existing season ticket holders. However, the per-ticket price is going up for Fielder’s Choice but not for most full-season or half-season areas.
Two straight years of shittier team -> more restrictive ST packages. Fantastic!
57 photos from Portland Mavericks Night here.
My colleagues at Bay City News have a great scoop for us on Coliseum City!
I’m good for $100, can I get eight of you FKers to sign on?
Well, shit.
It’s a good thing Doolittle is almost back, we’ll need him to fill Ike Davis’s spot in the bullpen.
beer drinking: you’re doing it fälschlicherweise.
EM bait. Make sure you check out the press conference – pretty classic, especially the police chief at the end.
Awesome. I’m still pissed off at my older sisters who were supposed to get tickets and take me to that concert, but failed to purchase them in time. I had to settle for Herman’s Hermits instead.
wait? elmo manages the rays?
dr. k!
Boom.
Had to be done.
So yeah…
You sort of already said it on Twitter. It seems pointless to do this now, and may hurt a fairly decent guy in his career.
But at the same time, it isnt like he was ever a really good infield or 3B coach. And tghis year it has got progressively worse. We didnt have runners thrown out with a Cespy throw and a great tag. We had guys out by 5-6 steps. And numerous just blown plays. I remember the game ended early this year when I had the front row seats-it was just a mess.
I wish Gags well but I wont be pouring one out tonight for him.
Like I added, there’s got to be more going on than just people getting thrown out at the plate. Someone yesterday suggested dysfunction, actually.
As it is, Wash has already helped Semien improve in the field, something Gallego was not doing enough of early on. Maybe that would have happened anyway, maybe not. It only stands to reason that Wash was going to get the 3B job sooner or later.
Having Wash back in uniform, on the field, in the dugout etc. going forward can only be a good thing. There’s only so much influence he could have while consigned to a box during games.
Even with his past issues, I would take Wash around this team over Gallego without question.
The Lawrie play was the last straw for me, a clear indication that the players had lost professional respect for Gallego. The number of TOOTBLANs was certainly a major factor, but if that’s the only thing that needs fixing the usual solution is to rotate roles among the 1B, 3B and bench coaches. Loss of respect by the employees for someone on the “management” side (“management” in standard workplace terms, not the baseball sense) tends to fester and snowball so there was probably agreement between Beane and Melvin that the best way to finish the season with the chain of command remaining in some semblance of order was to dump Gallego entirely.
TWSS
bravo
I’m surprised they didn’t sugar coat it for Gags sake. Assign to an unspecified other job, wish him the best, etc. “Relieved of his duties” makes me suspect there was some acrimony.
Dang.
Is Gags still with the team or has he been let go completely?
This sounds like a complete firing.
Thanks for the clarification.
The only surprise is that this didn’t happen last offseason after all those failed attempts to score Callaspo from first base.
Boooooooooooooo
Quite remarkable:
http://mashable.com/2015/08/18/building-seattle/
I did the underground tour when I was in Seattle last year. Interesting to do and would definitely recommend.
Also did the underground tour in Sacramento, but Seattle’s was much more interesting.
I’ve done the one in Sacramento, at least.
Second this. I will totally do the Seattle underground tour again next time I am there.
I also have footage of underground Fresno, and exish Mrs Aces is one of a small group of people who have been down into the tunnels. But nowhere near as interesting.
my brother broke into the tunnels beneith UCLA when he was a student there.
I don’t think there are tours
My brother in law tells me that UC Irvine, built in the late 60’s, was designed with underground tunnels as part of a paranoic Nixon-era plan to allow paramilitary forces to move quickly to combat armed college rebels.
The University of Minnesota has lots of tunnels…just to avoid snow and cold though.
That’s what they want you to believe.
(sub)urban legend.
doesn’t necessarily refute it though. UCSC was definitely laid out at about the same time with berkeley protests in mind.
I did the Seattle tour in 1981. I’d like to do it again someday. Also, my wife and I got a tour of the tunnels at the University of Puget Sound a few years ago – that was also very cool.
Looks cool, and I’d love to do that tour sometime. If anyone watched the How We Got to Now series there’s a great bit about Chicago, and how they jacked up buildings and entire blocks using railroad screw jacks to install sewers. There’s a bit about it in this article.
Also worth doing – Paris sewer museum.
why read when you can let roman whisper it in your ear?
Love Cal, love the A’s, not sure I love this hat.
It’s not great.
However, I do like this one (I designed it):
I like this. I wouldn’t wear it, but it’s pretty attractive.
I was kind of inspired by the Portland Mavericks hat, and I almost bought it this way:
Then I was talking with someone I know about how cool it would be if Montreal ever got another team and an All-Star Game, and they did the hats in any way similar to the old Expos hats, which led to the final version since I thought the way the hat looked for the game in Minnesota was a decent starting point. But, I didn’t want to go with the gold bill.
That’s not as bad as this icepick in the eye (Sept. 21, Tampa Bay at Boston):
Then there’s this.
Both these shirts make me want to become a fan of Megan Trainor.
@GM: Marcus and Mark Canhaz it.
Question for the group: Is there enough interest to have a low-key evening tailgate FKup on one of the three remaining free parking Tuesdays? 9/1 vs LAA, 9/8 vs HOU, or 9/22 vs TEX? I’m thinking a simple 5pm til game time BBQ.
If there is not much group interest I figure I will be there drinking beer anyway.
I’ll only be in town for 9/8, but it would be fun to get together to kick the tail of this season.
i still use a paper calander and have no idea where it is, but 9/8 I think is OK for me
9/8 would be great.
I am also hoping to breakfast tailgate before the Sun 9/27 home finale.
Is this on for tonight?
Warm evening, Gray v. Kazmir, sounds like fun.
Anyone else planning on going but not have tickets yet (or alternatively, already have an extra)? I am checking out deals on stubhub.
Yes it’s on.
I really would like to get up there one final time. But I have no firm plans as of now, so list me as maybe for any and all..
I have the front row seats for 9/22 but won’t be at the other two.
LOL
Dave Cameron is in our BaseRuns, killing our d00dz:
Sigh
In the dog days of August of a season like this it is important to set achievable goals.
wait, i thought if they were consistent, they were good?
I don’t know if the Astros have a kangaroo-court in their clubhouse, but if they do, Jose Altuve did something tonight that is definitely fine-worthy: He made the first and third outs of the first inning, both times hacking at the first pitch.
Today in absurd MLB IP overreach
didn’t the IOC sue some general store in washington state that used “olympic” in the name?
…was that store on the peninsula?
yes
just googled. they do it everyday it seems
Yes, the Olympics are quite vigilant about their trademark; famously, that’s why there are no Gay Olympics anymore.
LOL OPD
XP CPU, 80 GB HD, and he’s talking about a new server?
XP is one thing, but get a freaking external HD or something that actually has some size.
I was thinking that. Hell, I could get a flash drive with like 3 GB from Amazon for them if it’ll help…
Yes but government procurement requirements or something.
It’s gotten to the point where if I want to actually use a computer its best to use my personal one.
Soon that won’t be an option.
The station I’m working at now has 2 laptop computers, both 8 years old. Neither is scheduled for replacement at this time.
as an IT guy sorta, it pains me to see places that just look at IT as a cost and not any sort of value.
Thanks, and go As.
The Forest Service goes beyond that. IT isn’t just seen as a cost, its seen as a necessary tool for future growth and training. We are getting more and more Web-based training and there is an increased expectation that cost-tracking, records and documentation and even basic intra-office communications will occur online. I’ve been told NOT to actually call people and to instead use IM or email to create a documentation trail of conversations.
And I’ve got laptops that tend to crash when I use anything that involves Adobe or Flash players.
If I want to replace the hardware I need to wait for a not-yet-scheduled replacement date OR spend out of my own limited budget.
Lets see here… do I want to spend a $1000 on a laptop or on crew gear and fire hose?
speaking of things that seemed to work kinda OK 8 years ago… email.
slack.com
asana.com
bitrix24.com
glip.com
et many al.
pluses: they’re like group email, plus individual IM, plus project documentation all in one. and just as able on a phone or tablet as a computer.
minuses: they’re companies trying to make money after all, and the free versions have a give and take.
Me too. Same with our QC staff.
Why are all running shoes so ugly these days?
I like that their standards of garishness give me a broad license.
embrace it. get the ugliest possible.
Although, when i did I got a pair of electric blue asics that almost destroyed ny right achillies.
i ended up with a pretty boring brooks that work pretty well
what did they do to your achilles?
because i’m developing a pain there during running. is it the shoes? as opposed to my other pains that happen the day after. it’s gotta be the shoes.
I don’t know about Ed, but I developed achilles tendinitis after switching from regular running shoes, which gave me shin splints, to five fingers. I really got used to running in the five fingers, taking it slowly to develop the right running technique (landing more mid-foot rather than heel-striking), but the tendinitis hit me really hard. Took almost a year for it to really go away. I’d like to start up again and really need to figure out what shoes to go with.
I had a knee issue too, that healed when I got the asics, but then the heel.
I am not sure what the difference was, there seemed to be support in the asocs.
this is close to my case.
searing pain. made it feel as if the tendon was going to rip from my ankle.
I started using arch support inserts and the pain went away eventually. I try not to walk any distance, even at home without arch support. If I don’t I start to feel my achilles. AS soon as I do I hop to my rocket dog flip flops.
ouch.
stupid thetis.
OK, I’ve read through all these comments, and I think you’re all overlooking the obvious problem: Running is for masochists.
You would think. but its addicting.
that’s the thing, so is running.
hmmm, this is making me re think the parameters of my ashley madison account
This sounds like a way-more-severe version of my problem.
I can switch pretty interchangeably between Brooks Adrenaline and Asics GT-2000 and don’t notice the difference (I need the stability shoe because I have duck feet and pronate). But I have achilles problems that develop when I approach 500 miles on a pair of shoes. I think it’s because that is the point where I have just completely broken down the parts that were supposed to keep me from pronating.
i need new shoes. i think i am going to get re evaluated by the teen clerk.
i’ve actually been to the store 3 times ready to buy some and have come out empty-footed every time. it’s not only the ugly. i just don’t know what each shoe does, while i seem to have specific issues that i’m not trusting a [removes ageist comment] clerk to help with.
Doc Upgrade prescribes Zappos. Better info, free returns.
You might want to go to a place like Footwear Etc (all over on the west side of the Bay) or La Foot on College and Ashby that specialize in shoes for people with foot issues. If they try to sell you a shoe that is uncomfortable but supposedly good for you on the theory that “you’ll get used to it”, though, I’d pass.
i’m gonna go with the inverse proportion theory and guess that, if their site is from the heyday of flash and it still has an “under construction” page, lafoot is going to be a lot more knowledgeable about shoes than the highly navigable sports basementauthority.
yeah, the clerks are something.
You went to what
medicalhigh school?Once was bad enough, you fools!
Apparently the last commenter agrees with you!
So apparently the travel schedule is FKed next year.
Thanks, and go As.
I’m just glad Bob Fitzgerald doesn’t call A’s games. Otherwise we’d never, ever hear the end of it.
If I had to make 12 trips to Texas in a six month span I would go crazy.
One thing the West Coast teams could do, but won’t, to reduce travel burden would be to agree to more long road trips. This year they have three three-city trips (and in the third city we always hear how tough it is to play that third series on the road). Looking at 1973, when Anaheim was the only road city closer than Kansas City or Arlington, the A’s played five three-city trips and two four-city trips, taking care of 70 of the 81 road games in just seven trips. I bet the total travel miles were quite a bit less that way, even though they now have three series in Seattle plus one in San Francisco each year.
The problem there is that they’d end up going up and down and up and down the coast if they agreed to that. It would be one thing to do Toronto Boston New York or the reverse. But instead they’ll get Toronto Tampa Bay Boston or the reverse. All teams should be set in groups of three or pairs and each follow each other and visit the same teams in succession in a geographically straight way.
Honestly it’s kind of amazing that logistics like that aren’t considered when making schedules.
Thanks, and go As.
Yup. And since geographically speaking you can put teams in groupings like that easily within their own division, it would make for a fairer schedule since they’d be essentially seeing the same teams through the year at the same time. Not perfect by any means and I’m sure there would be points where someone got screwed, but not nearly as bad.
These two were usually pretty good at making sure that stuff didn’t happen.
rtt, e
that is the way the schedule was in the 70s and 80s when it was done by hand by a couple in vermont or north carolina or something
AV Bait:
yeah saw that. only thing kept me from putting it here, i couldn’t think of a post-like pun headline. donald ducks something?
but i did write a strongly worded letter to the proofreader about the difference between “di” and “de.”
—
in other soccer news that probably won’t happen, see USA hosting copa américa centenario.
I don’t know what to make of the info coming out about the Copa 100. Seems like a lot of articles based off one pretty cryptic statement. That said, do all of these federations really want to come within the FBI’s physical jurisdiction at the same time? Probably not.
your second sentence.
Jack Zd out!
shocked. stunned
I can haz?
Maybe for the 49ers? Or the Sharks? Because good grief his record over seven years with the Mariners was terrible, and there was talk a couple years ago that he needed to find something else to do.
You San Rafael Pacifics fans “get” to hear Phil sing The Star-Spangled Banner at Saturday’s game.
Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.
Neat that the Toronto fans threw hats on the field, hat trick style, after Encarnacion’s third home run.
what did we expect, really
I imagine it’s happened before, maybe for Andre Dawson or someone, but I don’t recall hearing about it.
Hello again… sorry I haven’t written but I just washed my pen. It’s been awhile but today I emerge with a devastating remaster of one of the most beloved bootlegs of all time by any artist. It just so happens that the author of this towering performance turns a milestone 70 years young today, and yes he shows no signs of stopping or slowing because (as he might himself say) It’s Too Late To Stop Now. So blog your Irish up with us now back to Pacific High Recorders in San Francisco and the birthday boy on KSAN-FM at the absolute pinnacle of what he does. Come on and Listen to The Lion in one of his most legendary concerts ever captured: ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Van Morrison.
Here’s hoping they have to play him in the outfield during an elimination game.
2015 Braves, 2014 Red Sox and A’s. Jonny Gomes’ magic clubhouse powers may be slipping.
Bassitt scratched from tomorrow’s start, “Cody Martin” to make big league debut on mound for A’s tomorrow.
He’s from the DP I read. Where the men are men and the cows are nervous…
Doubront is teh suck.
#throwsomedamnstricksyouasshole
^^^The master at work.
For your consideration.
Thanks, and go As.
It’s Real … they’ll find a way to make an exception.
Another loss for Barry Zito.
That seems surprising in this market.
I guess the tech nouveau don’t want to be that far away from work.
can you imagine how long you would hve to stand on the curb looking down at your phone waiting for uber?
If you can get past all the Boston love, this long read about the hardcore punks who muscled into the bootleg tee-shirt market and invented “Yankees Suck” is an interesting tale.
I can’t get past all the Boston love.
Colin, are you going to be in Michigan?
yep
Excellent!
I don’t know my Ann Arbor beer bars, but I expect you to have some good suggestions.
Ashley’s currently has 71 beers on tap!
I knew you would come through!
Kelvin Herrera, Alex Rios infected as chickenpox hits Royals’ clubhouse
In retaliation, Yordano Ventura throws up and in on a bucket of fried chicken wings, then takes to Twitter, declaring “Yo respetaba a los pollos pero ya pa mi son nadie”
clap clap clap
Um, how long are these helicopters supposed to be zinging around?
According to Gigs (from FB) a few hours. Atmospheric testing.
Maybe all day
This Hugh Hewitt interview with Trump is the greatest thing ever. Just a taste:
Anyone else think this article on Reddick is a harbinger of him being traded this offseason?
http://m.athletics.mlb.com/news/article/147022902/josh-reddick-succeeds-with-low-ks-high-obp
I could see where some would say it would but I think Reddick is a guy you offer an extension to. Go 4 years/$54 million guaranteed with a team option 5th year at $18 million or a $2 million buy-out.
Yes. I’ve been thinking about this.
I think a Reddick trade is a foregone conclusion. He’s known it for some time which is why he’s OK with burning a few bridges. People will say Billy traded him because of his mouth, but I think it’s the opposite, he’s talking because he knows he’s a short-timer.
Interesting twist on the narrative. You could be right.
Do you think the plan is to trade Reddick because that’s what the A’s do or do you feel like he wouldn’t be a good player to invest in with an extension?
What would Soaker do?
Reddick has had a solid year but hasn’t exactly been consistent during his time in Oakland, partly due to injuries. Billy certainly isn’t averse to trying to sell high so I’m more in the “that’s what the A’s do” camp. I leave the GM thinking to you, but if you can use Reddick to make long-term improvements to that dreadful middle infield it would greatly increase my future enjoyment of Oakland Athletics baseball.
I think the A’s are committed to Semien at SS. They will believe that Wash can make him into an average defensive player and that will make the bat an above-average asset. Valencia is having a nice little season and I think it’ll be enough to convince the A’s he can play 3B full time next year, allowing them to convert Lawrie to 2B.
I think all of that is wrong but I don’t believe the solution is to trade Reddick.
The A’s do like selling high, which is why I hope they shop Valencia this winter. I think his performance vs. RHP this year is a fluke and if Beane can find someone who thinks otherwise he has to make that deal.
Why do you think Semien at SS is wrong?
It’s his first full season there
Thanks, and go As.
There’s a reason why its Semien’s first full season at SS… other teams don’t think he can handle the position.
Maybe I’m overly sensitive due to my experience reading about and writing how the A’s thought Cardenas and Green and others would be able to play SS and then they failed miserably. But when it comes to reading scouting reports on who has the skills to play SS I’m going with any other source before I believe the A’s.
I could buy the 2016 line-up that features Semien at SS, Valencia at 3B and Lawrie at 2B vs. a LHSP. There’s enough hitting there to make up for any defensive downgrade. That’s not the case vs. RHSP. I’d want Semien at 2B, Lawrie at 3B and Oakland needs a new, primary SS.
Thoughts on Chad Pinder as SS/2B of the near future? He had a very good season with the bat (Texas League player of the year), but 26 errors.
Wendle just set a record for doubles in a season in AAA of some sorts.
Thanks, and go As.
Pinder has had a great year in Midland and he’s young enough to believe that some of what we see is real improvement and can carryover as he advances. But a good chunk of his success was BABIP driven and its fair to temper our expectations for next year. The reports vary but they tend to weigh towards him not being able to stick at SS due to his lack of athleticism. There could be some room to improve in this area now that he’s getting consistent reps at SS and as we’ve seen with Lowrie and Semien and a list of prospects its clear Oakland views the level of tools they deem necessary to play SS as differing from industry consensus.
I don’t know if there are many other teams that would consider Pinder a primary SS prospect but I think he has enough tools to get a very long look at the position irregardless of the organization he’s with. Teams are going to want to see if that bat he showed in AA can play SS.
Nice. Thanks. Sounds like one to watch next year.
He absolutely is.
If Jarryd Hayne doesn’t make the Niners I’m gonna be pissed.
Thanks, and go As.
As bad a team and worse PR disaster as the Niners are, they’d be idiots to throw away a legit entertainment draw like Hayne. Even I want to see that guy play.
I mean how do you not love this
Thanks, and go As.
I’d love it more if he got Yards After Contact. But then I’m already preparing to lob in the towel on a 4-12 season.
no way. 8-8 at least.
Thanks, and go As.
I don’t see it. Not unless we finally have a great QB who can hit the now-solid WRs (and a functional OL to help him operate).
Hope I’m wrong.
The simple fact that they’ve thrown screen passes in the preseason tells me that the offense will be better.
The defense, again, looks awesome.
Thanks, and go As.
Man. They pipped me at the end.
I’m glad I’m not a betting man.
Thanks, and go As.
Anyone want up to 3 tickets for Saturday’s fireworks game? Section 119 row 32.