Spring Training Game Thread the first ← FREE KRAUT!

Spring Training Game Thread the first 318

It’s great to have you with us.

318 thoughts on “Spring Training Game Thread the first

  1. Glorious Mundy Feb 25,2017 11:33 am

    And that’s the way our game threads begin.

  2. FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 11:38 am

    On a beautiful day in Mesa…

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  3. FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 11:41 am

    Rajai Davis in center, Marcus Semien at shortstop, Matt Joyce in right, Mark Canha in left, Stephen Vogt at designated hitter, Matt Chapman at third, Yonder Alonso at first, Adam Rosales at second and Bruce Maxwell catching.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  4. andeux Feb 25,2017 12:02 pm

    Also, Cubs broadcast is available on mlb.tv

    TINSTAAFK
  5. FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 12:28 pm

    A scoreless 1st against the world champs, 2017 doesn’t suck!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 12:50 pm || Up

      Hahn can’t make it out of the 2nd, we’re doomed!

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 12:51 pm || Up

        OK, I’m ready for the season.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • 5Aces Feb 25,2017 1:01 pm || Up

        Some things never change. Hahn randomly goes from looking good to falling apart.

        Also love Cubs TV guys talking asking Maddon “Can you imagine your life if you werent a Cub?”

        Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
  6. Glorious Mundy Feb 25,2017 1:04 pm

    Vince already out here talking about hypothetical “Rajai Runs.”

    • 5Aces Feb 25,2017 1:06 pm || Up

      We may lead the league in hypothetical Rajai Runs so dont knock it…

      Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
      • Future Ed Feb 25,2017 1:53 pm || Up

        have a feeling the pitchers will be giving up a lot of rajai runs

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
  7. 5Aces Feb 25,2017 1:24 pm

    Chapman makes everything right in the world again!

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
  8. Glorious Mundy Feb 25,2017 1:25 pm

    Vince is a little too fired up for the first game of the spring and I love him for it.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 1:28 pm || Up

      He really does want to do well. I should try to be more lenient.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • ptbnl Feb 25,2017 2:07 pm || Up

        He should try to be more talented.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  9. FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 1:26 pm

    Matt-tastic.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  10. andeux Feb 25,2017 1:26 pm

    Oppo power for Chapman. Nice.

    TINSTAAFK
  11. andeux Feb 25,2017 1:31 pm

    Rosales getting the GIDPs out of his system. Nice.

    TINSTAAFK
    • 5Aces Feb 25,2017 1:36 pm || Up

      And I bet he ran it out HARD.

      Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
    • 5Aces Feb 25,2017 1:38 pm || Up

      Unrelated to the game- does anyone here know of a good way/site to download a map and make personal notes on it? My lease is almost up and I want to start narrowing down areas that there are no way I would move to. I have a lot of specific needs and I cant just eyeball it unfortunately.

      Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
      • ptbnl Feb 25,2017 2:08 pm || Up

        Personalized Google maps doesn’t do if for you?

        Here’s the map we keep of Lily’s travels.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • 5Aces Feb 25,2017 2:29 pm || Up

          It probably does. So far when I try to use it I cant get it to work, but admittedly I just started today.

          Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
          • ptbnl Feb 25,2017 8:27 pm || Up

            Sorry if I’m stating the obvious, but you have to be logged into a google account, and then “Create new map” will appear in the top left drop-down menu on the maps page.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Future Ed Feb 25,2017 1:59 pm || Up

      i thought he wasn’t putting the ball in play anymore

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
  12. FreeSeatUpgrade Feb 25,2017 1:37 pm

    Ray’s first chocolate-covered ice cream reference and it didn’t involve Dibs.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  13. Future Ed Feb 25,2017 2:17 pm

    joey wendle wears no batting gloves. he is alright by me

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  14. elcroata Feb 26,2017 6:53 am

    Bill Walton is one of the most insufferable TV commentators ever to live

    Because survival is insufficient
    • Glorious Mundy Feb 27,2017 12:32 pm || Up

      I complain a lot about announcers, but he is the only one who makes a game truly unlistenable.

  15. andeux Feb 26,2017 9:37 am

    TINSTAAFK
  16. Future Ed Feb 26,2017 4:44 pm

    [looks at highlight videos on At Bat]

    “‘lavarnway throws out fontana.’ hmmmm, don’t know if its a good highlight or a bad highlight”

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  17. AV Feb 26,2017 4:50 pm

    gahd i want to troll facebook SO HARD with a little paxton/pullman ambiguity right now.

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Feb 27,2017 11:48 am || Up

      …only to find out i’ve been trolling myself for years with a kimmel/fallon one.

      i haven’t felt this stupid since i found out i had mildred bailey confused with pearl bailey. and vice versa.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Feb 27,2017 11:52 am || Up

      …only to find out i’ve been trolling myself for years with a kimmel/fallon one.

      i haven’t felt this stupid since i found out i had mildred bailey confused with pearl bailey. and vice versa!

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • AV Feb 28,2017 2:06 pm || Up

        AND NOW I CAN’T TELL MY COMMENTS APART!!

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  18. Glorious Mundy Feb 27,2017 1:33 pm
    • doctorK Feb 27,2017 6:25 pm || Up

      I used to have nightmares about getting sucked down into that thing.

  19. Glorious Mundy Feb 28,2017 10:26 am

    Is this why Casilla still doesn’t have his visa?

  20. AV Feb 28,2017 11:21 am
    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • Glorious Mundy Feb 28,2017 1:09 pm || Up

      Man, it’s still down. What the hell happened?

      • AV Feb 28,2017 2:05 pm || Up
        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
        • AV Mar 2,2017 11:13 am || Up

          ha! what with toggle case and illegiblyrunonURLs.com and and winc.com touting that they’re the solution to sommelier being hard to spell and vowels being whisked away from brand names so they can be more freely used as texting abbreviations, u know i am delighted right now.

          http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/14792442/amazon-s3-outage-cause-typo-internet-server

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • AV Mar 2,2017 11:19 am || Up

            in other misspellings at the center of overflow mishaps, “crator”.

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • andeux Mar 2,2017 12:30 pm || Up

            I thought the misspllng was so trademarks and domain names could be registered.

            Anyway, look for my new startup “sudo rm -rf /” coming soon.

            TINSTAAFK
            • Future Ed Mar 2,2017 12:35 pm || Up

              What???

              I have $5. No I don\'t.
            • AV Mar 2,2017 3:08 pm || Up

              yeah, it is. but as soon as it becomes a verb the trademark ends? or something less legally binding but just as marketing-adverse?

              my startup is vwl.com where for a fee we extract the vowels out of your brand.

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
              • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 2,2017 4:05 pm || Up

                Motto: Come for the branding, stay for the disemvoweling.

                "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • AV Mar 2,2017 11:19 am || Up

      …i sit downright now.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  21. Englishmajor Feb 28,2017 12:17 pm

    Greetings from chilly Hohokam. This is my fourth and final game of a quick visit. Jharel Cotton just struck out the side.

    • MikeV Feb 28,2017 12:45 pm || Up

      bold move

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

  22. Future Ed Feb 28,2017 12:59 pm

    puk today

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  23. Future Ed Feb 28,2017 1:28 pm

    dom cotronio is doing 3 games this week

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy Feb 28,2017 1:28 pm || Up

      On the Buancast?

      • Future Ed Feb 28,2017 1:52 pm || Up

        that’s what i understood. he is doing a couple rangers games too

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • andeux Feb 28,2017 1:58 pm || Up

      Just turned it on, and the first sentence was something about consistency.
      Must be him.

      TINSTAAFK
  24. Future Ed Feb 28,2017 1:52 pm

    puk pitching

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  25. Future Ed Feb 28,2017 1:53 pm

    k’s side

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  26. andeux Feb 28,2017 2:41 pm

    Rangel Ravelo Rome Run!

    TINSTAAFK
  27. Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 8:48 am

    It will be like the Warriors are trading for an MVP in the playoffs!

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 9:05 am || Up

      And in the meantime Matt Barnes is back. Everybody wins!

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 9:08 am || Up

        Are you serious? I’m afraid to check.

        • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 9:15 am || Up

          Yup. Kinda feels like a hockey team adding a goon to protect its skilled players. I might be ok with this.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
          • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 9:22 am || Up

            He was very useful in that role 10 years ago. But back then he also had some actual basketball skills.

  28. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 9:45 am

    Slusser’s Tuesday Cotton report:

    MESA, Ariz. — Jharel Cotton made his spring debut for the A’s on Tuesday, and — facing the AL champion Indians — the rookie right-hander struck out the first four batters he faced.

    Cotton — likely the A’s fourth starter, even if the team is not yet calling him that — had a tricky second inning. Leadoff batter Abraham Almonte reached on a strikeout-wild pitch, Chris Colabello walked and Daniel Robertson was hit by a pitch. Cotton got Richie Schaffer to hit a chopper to first, where Yonder Alonso made a terrific diving stop to start a 3-6-1 double play, and though one run scored, Cotton got out of the inning with no further trouble.

    “Good first inning,” Cotton said. “After that, I tried to do what I did in the first and got in some trouble, but I got out of it with limited damage, so I was happy with that.”

    “He had great stuff,” catcher Josh Phegley said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever caught him and I was impressed.”

    Fifth-starter candidate Andrew Triggs worked two innings and allowed one hit, a double, along with an unearned run. Ross Detwiler worked one perfect inning.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 9:48 am || Up

      More fun with copyright infringement:

      Notable: Marcus Semien hit his first homer of the spring, a two-run shot to right in the first off Mike Clevenger. … New third baseman Trevor Plouffe added his first in the third, a high drive to left off left-hander Andrew Miller. The ball appeared to glance off a fan sunbathing on the grass; he appeared to be fine afterward, and certainly was more alert. … A.J. Puk, the A’s first pick in last year’s draft, struck out the side in the sixth. … Minor-league reliever Bobby Wahl allowed two runs in the seventh, when Cleveland tied it 4-4. … Minor-leaguer Rangel Ravelo homered in the eighth, the game-winning blow. … Second baseman Joey Wendle made a game-saving, lunging grab to end the game. … Plouffe and Semien each made an error.

      Quotable: “Someone told me some guy was sleeping. I’m glad he was OK. … A grown man should be watching the game. I wouldn’t feel bad for him.”

      — Plouffe, on his homer striking a dozing fan.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 9:54 am || Up

        A homer and an error…what’s the third piece of the Marcus Semien Hat Trick?

        • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 9:59 am || Up

          I think it has to be homer, fielding error, throwing error.

  29. elcroata Mar 1,2017 10:07 am

    Who decides on regional hosts of the NCAA tournament? North Carolina hosted one in 8 of last 10 years. I know that Duke and NC are really good teams, but this is just absurd.

    Because survival is insufficient
    • elcroata Mar 1,2017 10:47 am || Up

      Duke is on its way to a sixth home opening round in last nine years.

      Because survival is insufficient
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 12:42 pm || Up

        It’s not fair, but I understand it. People in that state are willing to pay crazy money to watch college basketball.

        • elcroata Mar 1,2017 12:44 pm || Up

          Aren’t fans in Kentucky, too, though?

          Because survival is insufficient
          • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 12:50 pm || Up

            I don’t know Kentucky well enough to be sure. But my guess is that the state doesn’t have the arena for this (they’re not going to play the NCAAs at Rupp). I don’t even know whether Cincinnati has an arena as good as the ones in Charlotte and Greensboro.

            Also, my experience is that fans in Carolina will buy up the tickets and go even if their team isn’t sure to be there. I don’t know if the same can be said of Kentucky/Louisville fans.

            • colin Mar 1,2017 1:04 pm || Up

              There is an arena in downtown Cincinnati, near the Reds and Bengals stadiums. I don’t know whether it is nice / sufficient for NCAA.

    • Soaker Mar 1,2017 3:55 pm || Up

      I think you are confusing Greenville SC with Greensboro NC. Greensboro NC was originally scheduled to host first/second round games this year, but several months ago North Carolina was banned from hosting major NCAA championship events until they get their LGBT law corrected; that’s why last December’s ACC football championship game was moved from Charlotte to Orlando at a relatively late date. Now certainly the Heels and quite possibly Duke will open in Greenville SC, which is about 4 hours drive from Raleigh-Durham, though UNC and Duke would be in different regionals.

      Even the arenas in the secondary first/second round cities like Greenville and Tulsa are close to NBA-size. The Greenville arena seats about 16K for basketball and Tulsa’s is about 18K.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 4:58 pm || Up

        Also next week’s ACC tournament is in Brooklyn, moved from Charlotte in protest of HB2.

        There really aren’t that many workable arena’s south of DC. Greensboro, Charlotte and Atlanta, then Florida. Nashville if you go east a ways. Greenville is a reach.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
        • Soaker Mar 1,2017 5:30 pm || Up

          Looking it up to answer the question of WTF were they thinking building a 16,000 seat arena in Greenville, I was surprised that Greenville-Spartanburg is the #37 media market in the country, larger than, among others, ahem, #40 Las Vegas.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • elcroata Mar 1,2017 10:15 pm || Up

        True, I was getting Greenville and Greensboro confused, my bad.

        Because survival is insufficient
        • Soaker Mar 1,2017 11:49 pm || Up

          Your general point is still valid. If we can’t put UNC and Duke in North Carolina, well dammit we will find an alternate site that’s as close to North Carolina as possible. Greenville, Norfolk, Roanoke, somewhere in there.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Soaker Mar 10,2017 3:45 pm || Up

      So I didn’t know this part of it but Roy Williams may literally get to choose his game sites prior to the Final Four.

      The NCAA introduced a new wrinkle to its seeding process this season, allowing the top seed to choose where it would like to play its tournament games.

      If North Carolina is awarded the overall No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday and given the opportunity to request its preferred NCAA tournament locations, the Tar Heels would want to be slotted in Greenville, South Carolina, for the first weekend and Memphis, Tennessee, for the South Regional, a source told ESPN.

      The Heels will go to Greenville regardless for their first two games. Villanova would obviously take MSG if they were #1 overall, and among Memphis, Kansas City and San Jose I’d assume a #2 overall Carolina team would get Memphis. Kansas goes to Kansas City, so the Heels would have to fall some to be exiled to San Jose.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 10,2017 9:00 pm || Up

        Huh, so maybe I should be happy they lost today. I still hate the refs with the heat of 1000 suns though.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  30. Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 12:40 pm

  31. Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 4:37 pm
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 5:57 pm || Up

      Interesting that he wore an A’s jersey for a Candlestick show.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • nevermoor Mar 2,2017 10:02 am || Up

        And, from that thread, football pants.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  32. Soaker Mar 1,2017 5:18 pm

    Watching the start of the Dodgers vs. Giants game I think it’s funny that they are using the designated hitter. It’s irrelevant because no pitcher goes more than two innings and most only throw one inning so they would almost always be pinch-hit for anyway, but just on principle it’s NL vs. NL so the pitcher should be in the lineup. The larger point is, it’s decades past the time when all games should be played under the same set of rules.

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  33. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 1,2017 6:09 pm

    In the MLB/Game of Thrones cross promo-mashup this year, clearly the A’s are the Starks.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 1,2017 9:03 pm || Up
      • nevermoor Mar 2,2017 10:04 am || Up

        Wouldn’t we be the Baratheons? Short burst of glory that never amounted to much, followed by others carrying on (theoretically in our name) as we fail to establish deep successful roots?

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 10:14 am || Up

          With bastard players scattered across the league.

        • dmoas Mar 2,2017 10:18 am || Up

          Heroes who rise up only to be bopped on the head and sent back to oblivion. Sounds like a Stark to me.

          • Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 10:21 am || Up

            Maybe we’re Oberyn Martell.

          • nevermoor Mar 2,2017 10:40 am || Up

            The Starks seem more like the 1980/early 90s Yankees to me. Tradition of excellence completely lost, but vassals who remain loyal and hopeful of a return to power.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 10:45 am || Up

              Similar mythic origins with Bran the Builder/the House that Ruth Built

    • doctorK Mar 2,2017 8:31 am || Up
  34. Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 12:32 pm

    • Future Ed Mar 2,2017 12:38 pm || Up

      Pitchers 6-8 will get 40+ starts, so I think the 5th designation is meaningless

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
  35. andeux Mar 2,2017 1:31 pm

    TINSTAAFK
  36. Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 3:01 pm

  37. Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 4:35 pm

    Lock him up?

    Emails released to IndyStar in response to a public records request show Pence communicated via his personal AOL account with top advisers on topics ranging from security gates at the governor’s residence to the state’s response to terror attacks across the globe. In one email, Pence’s top state homeland security adviser relayed an update from the FBI regarding the arrests of several men on federal terror-related charges.

    Cybersecurity experts say the emails raise concerns about whether such sensitive information was adequately protected from hackers, given that personal accounts like Pence’s are typically less secure than government email accounts.In fact, Pence’s personal account was hacked last summer.

  38. Glorious Mundy Mar 2,2017 5:16 pm

    Very presidential statement this.

    • Future Ed Mar 2,2017 7:10 pm || Up

      its beyond maddening that he can’t act with the maturity of a tween. I know that’s why he got votes, and that is even more frustrating.

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • nevermoor Mar 3,2017 10:07 am || Up

        People are just as dumb as I thought they were.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 10:09 am || Up

        By the way, if he is saying that the Democrats are “overplaying their hand,” that’s a tell that they should put him all in immediately.

        • dmoas Mar 3,2017 10:14 am || Up

          That was a given. Everything about this screams of a far bigger scandal.

  39. Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 6:47 am

    Sling TV finally got CSN California (and Bay Area), starting on opening day.

    According to the announcement, it’s going to be part of the $25/month package.

    • nevermoor Mar 3,2017 10:14 am || Up

      Man I’d love to switch, but our TV lives don’t work without DVR (and theirs is still in closed/full beta)

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Soaker Mar 3,2017 12:41 pm || Up

      If you don’t mind Google taking over yet another slice of your life, Youtube TV is also supposed to have the CSN RSNs, and looks like a comprehensive product for live sports (except for Pac-12 Network, of course) with the inclusion of the OTA network stations. Plus the DVR functionality. Youtube TV should also work perfectly with Chromecast, which is where Sling failed for me. I’ll be interested in a close look at that when Google rolls it out, as on the surface it appears to be a complete replacement for DirecTV.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 1:28 pm || Up

        YouTube’s big miss (I think) is the Turner channels, which matters for me as an NBA fan and would hurt in the MLB playoffs.

        • Soaker Mar 3,2017 2:32 pm || Up

          Good point, that’s a deal-killer for a basketball fan. I could get through the baseball playoffs by buying a month of Playstation Vue or Sling, if no free trials were available (hell, a 7-day free trial gets you through the A’s entire postseason participation). DirecTV is costing me $80/month even with a temporary 12-month discount so there’s a pretty big savings if Youtube TV is adequate. I’ll take a hard look at the details when they make it available.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
          • Glorious Mundy Apr 5,2017 3:12 pm || Up

            YouTube TV launched, but only in the Bay Area and a few other cities for now.

            You can supposedly create up to six accounts each with their own unlimited DVR libraries. They’ll throw in a new chromecast if you keep it after the free month ends. Looks like there will also be an Android TV app at some point for those (me) who have that.

            • MikeV Apr 6,2017 9:51 am || Up

              That… doesn’t seem like $35 worth of channels.

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

              • Soaker Apr 6,2017 10:07 am || Up

                It’s sports heavy, and sports rights are much of what has made cable and satellite unaffordable. I don’t need 90 channels, I only need about 15 and Youtube TV has most of them.

                What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  40. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 3,2017 8:01 am

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • ptbnl Mar 3,2017 8:22 am || Up

      Fresh from the south Fremont turf farms.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • AV Mar 3,2017 8:22 am || Up

      Crabgrass won’t be’ave?
      Haw, haw! No problem!
      Zhust call – the Marquis de Sod. . . .
      E’ll wheep your lawn into shepp!

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  41. AV Mar 3,2017 8:30 am

    wait. alt-left??

    look, i try to play fair. scan foxnews once in a while, get out of my echochamber, see the other side to understand its perspective…

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  42. Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 9:46 am

    K. Davis, Sonny, Hendriks, and now Axford out of the WBC.

    • Soaker Mar 3,2017 11:09 am || Up

      I wish the WBC would just go away entirely. The first ST game should be this weekend.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 11:51 am || Up

        I have reluctantly come around to this opinion. I wanted it to succeed, but it hasn’t.

  43. Glorious Mundy Mar 3,2017 9:52 am

    This little girl for Queen.

  44. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 3,2017 10:02 am
    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Soaker Mar 3,2017 11:05 am || Up

      The best part about Wurster being that the School of Architecture is housed in that building. Evans and Moffitt are a couple other examples of awfulness on that campus.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  45. andeux Mar 3,2017 2:52 pm

    TINSTAAFK
    • nevermoor Mar 3,2017 3:00 pm || Up

      Good thing we don’t have Donaldson though.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  46. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 3,2017 5:31 pm

    A’s spring notes dujour:

    Graveman two scoreless innings, only one hit, who he then picked of first.
    Casilla is finally on the Jairoad to Mesa.
    Ken Pries went to live on a farm up in the countryside.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  47. elcroata Mar 4,2017 4:56 am

    Two of my colleagues are going to Santa Rosa for a week. Any recommendations on where to grab a bite in the evening? One is a part-time vegetarian, but willing to venture into a good burger joint. Is In’n’Out still the place to go? Any good burrito places you know of?

    Because survival is insufficient
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 4,2017 7:56 am || Up

      I texted my Raiders season ticket partner Rico, who goes to Santa Rosa a lot, and he’s vegetarian. He recommends a place called Gaia’s Garden for veggie fare, and Los Arcos for burritos. And though he has no personal insight on burgers, he says locals rave about a place called Superburger.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • sslinger Mar 4,2017 10:16 am || Up

        Amy’s, known mostly for it’s frozen food like pizza and veggie burgers, has a drive-through in neighboring Rohnert Park. Organic, vegetarian fast food. Willi’s Wine Bar is good, as is sister restaurant Monti’s, and they have a third in town that I haven’t tried. Also, Healdsburg is not that far and there are a bunch of great restaurants there, including Bravas Tapas, run by the same people as Willi’s, the Shed, Barndiva, Spoon Bar, and more. I much prefer Bear Republic’s brewpub in Healdsburg to Russian River’s in SR.

        • batgirl Mar 5,2017 12:45 pm || Up

          The Amy’s place is great for fast food, but it is vegetarian only.

    • ptbnl Mar 4,2017 5:02 pm || Up

      Russian River Brewing … who cares about the food when there’s unlimited Pliny the Elder?

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • MikeV Mar 5,2017 8:15 am || Up

        Correct answer.

        And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

        Thanks, and go As.

      • nevermoor Mar 6,2017 2:10 pm || Up

        Uh oh. ptbnl / sslinger blog drama.

        [backup of content created]

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • sslinger Mar 6,2017 2:48 pm || Up

          Heh. I mean, Pliny’s good and all that, but the place is such a zoo with beer geeks from all over making their pilgrimage there. I like the beer lineup at Bear Republic and the scene is much more low key, especially on a nice day on the back patio. And way better food.

    • elcroata Mar 7,2017 10:08 am || Up

      Thank you, guys.

      Because survival is insufficient
    • elcroata Mar 8,2017 2:11 am || Up

      One more question – any ideas what to do with a free afternoon starting out from Santa Clara?

      Because survival is insufficient
      • ptbnl Mar 8,2017 2:16 am || Up

        Go ghost-riding in Fremont.

        Failing that and depending on interests, old-growth redwoods in Big Basin State Park, California beach life in Santa Cruz, the aquarium in Monterey, or garlic galore in Gilroy.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • MikeV Mar 8,2017 10:23 am || Up

        have a carnitas burrito with a ton of orange sauce on it from La Vics.

        And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

        Thanks, and go As.

      • doctorK Mar 8,2017 11:22 am || Up

        Yes – get away from Santa Clara as fast as possible.

  48. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 4,2017 1:58 pm

    “And the A’s start the long road back!”

    Korach, with a chuckle, on Pinder homer in bottom of 5th to cut the score to 13-2.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • sslinger Mar 4,2017 2:08 pm || Up

      Yeah, I picked a great day to listen to my first broadcast.

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 3:33 pm || Up

      I flipped on yesterday’s game just in time to hear Fosse running down a list of Yankee retired numbers, for some reason. That’s the second time this spring I have heard him talking about Yankee retired numbers for some reason.

      Also, Korach said that Fosse will be on the radio about 50 times this season. That seems like a lot.

  49. andeux Mar 4,2017 6:06 pm

    FSU (or other Berkeley FKers): Any idea if the city is enforcing its recent short-term rental laws, and if so what department?

    TINSTAAFK
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 4,2017 11:00 pm || Up

      It actually only just passed this week, finally after much whining. Goes into effect 4/1/17. As I understand it the City is hiring a vendor who IDs landlords from hosting platform listings, then gets the platforms to remit the TOT. So an owner won’t pay to the City directly; Airbnb will collect and pass that through.

      As to enforcement against things that shouldn’t be rented at all, like backyard tents or units which have been permanent rentals before, that’s complaint-based only, probably via Code Enforcement (so slowly).

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • andeux Mar 4,2017 11:38 pm || Up

        Thanks. Sounds like we’ll need to wait a bit and see how it gets implemented.

        TINSTAAFK
        • FreeSeatUpgrade Sep 1,2017 5:07 pm || Up

          And it turns out that day is today.

          Tax collection requirements in effect as of now, Hosts must register by 10/31, after which supposedly they’ll come after you. A letter was sent a couple weeks ago to those whom the 3rd party vendor believes (via data scraped from hosting platforms) have been Hosts in the past. So if you got a letter, you’re on the City’s radar screen.

          I’m interested in how the registration process works on the user end if you pursue it.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  50. Future Ed Mar 5,2017 12:22 pm

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  51. AV Mar 5,2017 12:29 pm

    do y’all use websites to find camping locations? can you rec any?

    looking for something that’s as web-today (fast loading, filterable, doesn’t jank upon navigation attempts) as hipcamp, but with the state/national public sites knowledge base of reserveamerica.

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 5,2017 3:59 pm || Up

      Not really, reserveamerica’s monopoly means you have to find useful details elsewhere first. I usually start with anecdotal accounts, then refine with campsitephotos.com and other site-specific photos I can find, then filter by my experience of what makes a good campsite–topography, layout of the loop, distance from neighbors, road, bathroom etc.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • AV Mar 5,2017 7:37 pm || Up

        it’s about what i do. and i have some fave spots to return to, too. i just got asked to find a fishing adjacent tent site that’s not too cold for march and i am out of my depths. or if march is fishable, even.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
        • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 6,2017 9:06 am || Up

          Supposedly lake fishing will be spectacular this spring/summer once the rains slows, which lets the water clear up and the lake levels stabilize. Whiskeytown lake up near Redding has nice drive-to lakeside camping.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
          • AV Mar 6,2017 9:58 am || Up

            thanks!

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
            • FreeSeatUpgrade Apr 20,2017 12:36 pm || Up

              If you’re still looking, Stienstra has an updated ranking. His top 10:

              Best of the best

              Rated for spring bass fishing, camping, boating and water sports:

              1. Clear Lake (100 percent full), Lake County; Clear Lake Outdoors, Lakeport, (707) 262-5852, http://www.clearlakeoutdoors.com; Lake County Chamber of Commerce, (707) 263-5092; http://www.lakecochamber.com.

              2. Lake Berryessa (100 percent full), Napa County; Lake Berryessa Field Office, (707) 966-2111, http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/berryessa.

              3. Shasta Lake (96 percent), Shasta County; Shasta Lake Visitor Center, (530) 275-1589, http://www.fs.usda.gov/stnf or http://www.shastalake.com.

              4. New Melones Lake (81 percent), Tuolumne/Calaveras counties; Glory Hole Sports, (209) 536-9543, http://www.gloryholesports.com.

              5. Lake Oroville (84 percent), Butte County; Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, (530) 538-2200; http://www.parks.ca.gov.

              6. Camanche Lake (69 percent), Amador/Calaveras counties; Lake Camanche Resort, North Shore, (209) 763-5121, http://www.lakecamancheresort.com.

              7. Bullards Bar Reservoir (89 percent), Yuba County; Emerald Cove, (877) 692-3201, http://bullardsbar.com.

              8. Don Pedro Lake (83 percent), Tuolumne County; Don Pedro Recreation Agency, (209) 852-2396, http://www.donpedrolake.com.

              9. Trinity Lake (95 percent), Trinity County; Trinity Lake Resorts, (800) 255-5561, http://www.trinitylakeresort.com.

              10. Pine Flat Lake (50 percent) Fresno County; Lakeview Resort (559) 787-2207, http://www.pineflatlakemarina.com.

              "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
              • AV Apr 20,2017 12:49 pm || Up

                oh cool!

                that trip never happened because the GF had to go to costa rica for work… boo hoo.

                and we’re going to calaveras this weekend. maybe we can get to new melones. if we feel like driving a little…

                side scandal. there’s a contractual reason there’s no “and” between stienstra’s name and anne marie brown’s in books they co-author. and that reason is stienstra’s wife.

                *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
              • AV Apr 20,2017 12:50 pm || Up

                nice. glory hole sports dot com. real nice.

                *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • FreeSeatUpgrade Apr 20,2017 1:56 pm || Up

                  Uh, what?

                  "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
                • AV Apr 20,2017 2:10 pm || Up

                  4. New Melones Lake […] http://www.gloryholesports.com.

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • FreeSeatUpgrade Apr 20,2017 3:14 pm || Up

                  How do you like THOSE Melones?

                  "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
              • AV Apr 24,2017 11:44 am || Up

                acorn camp at new melones was our fallback if we didn’t get a walkup at calaveras big trees, but we got the walkup and MAN was it perfect. site #5, y’all, with the stream right outside the tent and a view of the meadow beyond it.

                also, RIP pioneer cabin tree. poor thing.

                *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  52. Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 12:31 pm

    Big chunks of hail falling right now in SF.

    • Future Ed Mar 5,2017 12:36 pm || Up

      that was interesting. we had it a couple hours ago

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Soaker Mar 5,2017 3:40 pm || Up

      I cleared well over a foot this morning, now a zero visibility blizzard again. What a year, but we’ve been begging for it for quite a while so no complaints from here.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • ptbnl Mar 5,2017 8:17 pm || Up

        Yeah – that was a tough drive home!

        From Homewood up to Tahoe City at 10am was a white-knuckle white-out. Then we tried heading round the lake to 50 before discovering half way that it had been closed. Then back and along Donner Pass Road but that was closed half-way because Sugar Bowl hadn’t ploughed. Then Donner Lake Road up to 80 to wait till it opened but the CalTrans guy there said we should head back to Truckee to wait.

        Back to Truckee where our friends had just got the last motel room in town, doing a favor for the CalTrans guy en route. Just as we arrived he texted to say they were about to open the summit, so we did a quick U-turn and got in the first group over, which meant that we did Auburn to Oakland in record time (Superbowl Sunday excepted).

        All in all a 10 hour drive and very thankful for AWD and snow tires.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • Soaker Mar 10,2017 11:46 am || Up

          The ptbnls’ 10-hour time was pretty good if you believe some of the stories that have come out about the westbound drive that day. This sounds exaggerated, but I never head down that way on a Sunday for this reason:

          Sunday traffic heading west from South Lake Tahoe has been a major problem from the city to Meyers all winter long. Last week, on March 5, there were reports of travel time on the 9.3 mile route along Highway 50 from Stateline to Meyers taking eight hours, and from the Y to Meyers, four hours for the 4.3 mile trip.

          Local travel was halted just as its been each Sunday as large numbers of visitors head back home after a weekend of epic skiing. The normal side streets and back ways that locals use to move around from home to work or shopping were also clogged as travel apps are now available that lead drivers off the highway onto formerly “secret” streets.

          Couple the record number of vehicles with heavy snow, and you have a mess.

          That’s one way to get people to turn around and spend more money in town before they leave, but then they are not so likely to return in a less-snowy year when their money is needed. The apps diverting drivers onto the side residential streets have been the subject of increasing complaints the last few years, and when those cars have to merge back onto 50 to get out it just compounds the problem.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
          • ptbnl Mar 10,2017 12:44 pm || Up

            50 was the only route west open for the first part of that day before it too was closed, so I can imagine it being crazy after everyone headed that way and then got stuck.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  53. Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 3:30 pm

    Sad!

    No, seriously. Sad.

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 3:42 pm || Up

      How can this be the president and this be the USA. How.

      • nevermoor Mar 6,2017 2:17 pm || Up

        We had a rational president. Once.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  54. Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 4:55 pm

    Two new MLS teams this season, and both are called “United.”

    Pretty lame.

    • MikeV Mar 5,2017 5:44 pm || Up

      Well, Minnesota United was already an existing team.

      Atlanta was a copout though. They should have paid for the rights to use the Silverbacks name.

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 5:49 pm || Up

        Minnesota may have the best crest in the league.

        • MikeV Mar 5,2017 6:10 pm || Up

          Yup, it’s fantastic. I LOVE Atlanta’s uniforms, though, and TBH the new Quakes kits are amazing.

          And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

          Thanks, and go As.

          • Glorious Mundy Mar 5,2017 6:18 pm || Up

            They should have gone with AC Atlanta as long as they were stealing Milan’s kit.

        • Englishmajor Mar 7,2017 3:01 pm || Up

          Minnesota hosts the Quakes on Saturday, April 29, and the Twins host the A’s starting the following Tuesday, so my next home leave is set.

          • Glorious Mundy Mar 13,2017 10:36 am || Up

            Love that it snowed for their home opener! Shame about the scoreline.

  55. Glorious Mundy Mar 6,2017 8:40 am

    I guess they are just going to bunker down from now on and occasionally throw feces over the White House fence.

    • nevermoor Mar 6,2017 2:19 pm || Up

      …until they launch a completely new strategy tomorrow.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  56. Glorious Mundy Mar 6,2017 11:01 am

    The Fangraphs playoff odds seem way too polarized to me. Does Cleveland really have an 88.9% chance of winning the AL Central? The Astros a 63.2% chance of winning the AL West?

    • colin Mar 6,2017 11:02 am || Up

      …looks up A’s division odds…

      …seems about right to me

      • Soaker Mar 6,2017 12:30 pm || Up

        11 teams have a lower chance of winning the World Series than the A’s.

        They are definitely expecting the Royals to go into fire sale mode prior to the trade deadline.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • colin Mar 6,2017 11:04 am || Up

      Astros at 63% to win AL west and Nationals at 72% to win NL east both strike me as overconfident. Maybe even more so than your Cleveland example.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 6,2017 11:10 am || Up

        Even the Cubs odds feel high. They’re great, but St. Louis at 6.3% is crazy.

  57. ptbnl Mar 6,2017 1:24 pm

    Off to Paris … hope they let me back in the country.

    Even as a legal, white, employed, man, it is odd to be in a situation where there is no country in the world now that my full immediate family has the right of abode in.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • elcroata Mar 7,2017 10:11 am || Up

      Unfriending you on Facebook, HTH.

      Because survival is insufficient
      • ptbnl Mar 7,2017 12:16 pm || Up

        Appreciate it.

        Given my global entry/trusted traveler status I don’t expect to be asked for my laptop password, but if I were I’d certainly start with “The US government forbids me to give out the password to this computer of theirs.”

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • andeux Mar 7,2017 1:28 pm || Up

          We wouldn’t want secrets about how the universe began to get into the wrong hands.

          TINSTAAFK
          • AV Mar 7,2017 2:01 pm || Up

            allah? was it allah??

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • ptbnl Mar 12,2017 10:34 am || Up

      They let me back in (this time).

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  58. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 6,2017 6:14 pm

    I would feel worse for Andrew Bogut if he hadn’t outed himself as a right-wing loon since he left Oakland. Maybe also because I fear the Cavs some.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 6,2017 6:21 pm || Up

      Once someone starts talking about “SJWs” they’re pretty much dead to me.

      Anyway, Bogut is pretty much Brett Anderson-level injury prone so I never had any thought he’d make it to the Finals.

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 6,2017 6:23 pm || Up

      He’s now broken an elbow, an ankle, a rib, and a leg. That has to be a record.

  59. AV Mar 7,2017 8:48 am
    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  60. Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 10:45 am

    The White House is going to halfassedly try to sell this ACA repeal bill for a few days, it is going to fail spectacularly, and then Bannon is going to knife the crap out of Paul Ryan to anyone who will listen, no?

    • Future Ed Mar 7,2017 11:34 am || Up

      sounds right. but i don’t think there is a method to their administration.

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 11:52 am || Up

        I’m beginning to think there is no method to the Republican party. After seven years of running against the ACA, they come out with a repeal plan that is immediately denounced by the Heritage Foundation, and that also is completely unacceptable to even the most conservative Democrats? That is quite the sweet spot of failure to land in. WTF are they doing over there?

        • andeux Mar 7,2017 12:13 pm || Up

          It’s not clear how it is even theoretically possible to come up with a plan that satisfies
          1) The “Freedom Caucus” (aka tea partiers) who want full repeal
          2) The moderates who are afraid that kicking millions of people off of their insurance is bad politics (go figure).

          It’s also not clear which side of that the white house is on. Bannon’s general philosophy is to burn it all down, but statements from the white house (for whatever those are worth) on health care have tended to be on the moderate side.

          TINSTAAFK
          • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 12:37 pm || Up

            Already on the attack against their own senators. This is a clusterFK.

            • colin Mar 7,2017 12:52 pm || Up

              I think I need to start up daily phone calls to my junior senator

              • Future Ed Mar 7,2017 12:54 pm || Up

                those people have to calculate how much they want to be tied to trump at the next election.

                I have $5. No I don\'t.
                • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 12:59 pm || Up

                  Portman just got reelected, so he’s safe personally. But he strikes me as someone with presidential ambitions (complicated by Pence and Kasich). I’m not sure where he’ll thinks he needs to be on this. Conveniently, however, there is currently room to oppose this bill from both the left and the right.

                • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 1:04 pm || Up

                  Kasich, meanwhile, is already out opposing the bill from the left. He and Portman are usually pretty simpatico, I think, despite the potential for clashing ambitions in the future.

                • colin Mar 7,2017 1:08 pm || Up

                  Portman has already made noises about opposing the house bill because of the Medicaid cuts. He seems to be exactly in line with Kasich on this one. Just need to hope that he has some spine…

            • dmoas Mar 7,2017 3:11 pm || Up

              WTF does that even mean?! If you like it you can keep it but you can’t keep it. Is there some sort of Obama joke that he’s attempting but failing miserably at making?

              • 5Aces Mar 8,2017 1:49 pm || Up

                I assume it is a threat that “the people” will vote anyone out who opposes this in their next election. Which is laughable on more levels than I can count.

                Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
          • Soaker Mar 7,2017 5:54 pm || Up

            In my case it would raise my out of pocket for the premium by about $1500/year or 75%. That’s before considering how much the premium will rise because younger people don’t have the $1500 so they pull out of insurance entirely, leaving nobody but the pre-Medicare geezers like me participating. I would say the House plan is pretty close to full repeal because the system would do a black hole implosion if that were enacted.

            What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 2:39 pm || Up
    • AV Mar 8,2017 12:42 pm || Up
      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:08 pm || Up

      Hahahaha. If this is the spin coming from Fox…

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 13,2017 8:45 pm || Up

      *checks watch*

      Yep, right on schedule.

      • Future Ed Mar 13,2017 10:01 pm || Up

        when does the bravado meet reality? Cons always bail before the scheme collapses. they cant here, right?

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
        • ptbnl Mar 13,2017 10:18 pm || Up

          RyanCare bombs, killing the congressional response, and Trump hands the bill-writing to his in-laws in medical insurance.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • nevermoor Mar 14,2017 10:43 am || Up

          “…and today, as we enter the eighth–and possibly final–year of Trump’s presidency, word from the white house is that if the House leadership don’t propose an acceptable replacement for Obamacare soon, he’ll have to step in and announce what aides describe as the best healthcare bill that has ever been conceived of in the history of this planet.”

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Future Ed Mar 14,2017 11:52 am || Up

            that is the fear

            his voters don’t care. they could lose everything and not care. jobs, insurance, houses, money. I don’t know what message would work. there is no talking sense into the far far right, and the working class white racists don’t give a fuck, they just don’t want to see women or blacks get anywhere.

            I have $5. No I don\'t.
            • nevermoor Mar 14,2017 12:36 pm || Up

              Except the thing won’t pass, so none of ’em will ever have to put their money where their mouth is.

              "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
              • Future Ed Mar 14,2017 3:47 pm || Up

                I was talking more generally. all the neocon bullshit is crazy, nothing will work, nothing trump says is true. no one cares

                I have $5. No I don\'t.
            • Glorious Mundy Mar 14,2017 1:13 pm || Up

              Some of his voters care a lot. They just bought the lie that Trump (1) was looking out for them in a way that Democrats and other Republicans weren’t and (2) had magical powers to bring back the economy of the 1980s.

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 24,2017 12:44 pm || Up

      He actually handled this even worse than I expected. He personally vouched and tried to arm-twist for this steaming pile of shit long after it was dead. What a bunch of morons.

  61. Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 11:56 am

    Please go, Cuonzo. You have my blessing.

  62. Future Ed Mar 7,2017 12:53 pm

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Future Ed Mar 7,2017 1:00 pm || Up

      looks like last year

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 1:04 pm || Up

        Working on things

        • Englishmajor Mar 7,2017 3:07 pm || Up

          Fortunately, the 11-run 6th inning made up for it.

        • Soaker Mar 7,2017 5:46 pm || Up

          I was watching a little of this on the MLB.tv archive and he was mostly working on pitching from behind in the count. His wild pitch is in midseason form, picking up where he left off before he was hurt last year, and Phegley looked like one of those catchers like Varitek who needs an understudy who can handle the knuckleball guy.

          EM’s comment explains why there was almost 4 hours of this on the archived copy; I had no intention of sticking around to find that out for myself. They usually quit about after 3:20 at most because that means there’s a tie which doesn’t need to be broken.

          What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  63. colin Mar 7,2017 1:02 pm

    What do people think about Jaycob Brugman? He snuck into the last spot of Sickels’ top 20 A’s prospects with a C+ grade, but his writeup sounds pretty good and Brugman is probably getting dinged somewhat on account of this draft pedigree (17th round). His 2016 AAA numbers are only decent, but I’m just really desperate for the A’s to find a center fielder.

    • lenscrafters Mar 7,2017 1:28 pm || Up

      I don’t think he can handle CF full time. He’s kinda like a CF the same way Smolinski is. He reminds me of former A’s tweener prospect Shane Peterson, and I’d say his best case scenario is Seth Smith.

      I’d rather watch him than Rajai everyday though.

      • colin Mar 7,2017 2:23 pm || Up

        I’m curious what your evaluation of his CF defense is based on? He started the majority of his 2016 games there, and Sickels says “defense is ahead of hitting, can handle all three outfield positions with little trouble”.

        • lenscrafters Mar 7,2017 3:37 pm || Up

          I generally don’t consider a prospect to be MLB caliber at the premium positions (SS, CF, C) unless they get effusive and near unanimous confirmation/praise of their ability to play there. Most reports I’ve read are in the vein of he can “handle” it and he has the “ability” to play there. They’re not negative to be sure, but to me they place him in the same category as a Smolinski or Eibner: guys who have the ability to handle CF, but are not someone you can pencil in there on a contending team for the next several years.

          Another issue is that reports mention he has no standout tools (though they praise him for being one of those guys who make the most of what he has). It’s not impossible to play MLB caliber defense at a premium position without standout tools (range, arm, etc), but it’s rare and difficult. Lastly, what the reports don’t explicitly say matters too: if the guy is a bonafide CF prospect, he’d be ranked a lot higher than the 15-20 he’s being ranked on in most lists.

          I wouldn’t place too much stock on where the A’s have been playing him recently. The system simply has no viable CF prospect at nearly any level so it’s not difficult to put Brugman there and hope for the best. Billy Burns was the last, and Brugman didn’t start playing CF more until Burns graduated in 2015. Going strictly off of where guys have been playing in the minors, we’d think that Renato Nunez is still a 3B or Matt Olson is a RF, etc.

          • nevermoor Mar 7,2017 4:41 pm || Up

            not someone you can pencil in there on a contending team for the next several years

            But how about the A’s?

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • andeux Mar 8,2017 10:09 am || Up

            TINSTAAFK
            • dmoas Mar 8,2017 11:04 am || Up

              HAHAHAHA! Those CrAzzZZZy A’s.

            • MikeV Mar 8,2017 11:13 am || Up

              What the actual fuck

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

            • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 11:20 am || Up

              The photo the Chron used to illustrate her story on this is spectacular.

  64. Glorious Mundy Mar 7,2017 1:07 pm

    Matt Joyce fact I’m not sure I heard before today’s Slusser piece on him:

    In 2014, while with Tampa Bay, he became the first American League player since Rickey Henderson to walk five times in one game

    • ptbnl Mar 7,2017 11:14 pm || Up

      Apart from the other 9 (Gordon and Teixeira twice each, once each against the A’s).

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • ptbnl Mar 7,2017 11:35 pm || Up

        FKwiz:

        Rickey is one of 9 players with two 5-walk games. Two players have more – who are they?

        Four players have 6-walk games – who are they?

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • elcroata Mar 8,2017 1:00 am || Up

          Bonds?

          Because survival is insufficient
          • ptbnl Mar 8,2017 1:55 am || Up

            Going for the low-hanging fruit :-)

            Bonds has three 5-walk games but no 6-walk.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • elcroata Mar 8,2017 2:15 am || Up

              Aim low, reach goals, avoid disappointment.

              Harper? There was this talk of Cubs breaking him last year by walking him 13 (?) times in a series.

              Because survival is insufficient
              • ptbnl Mar 8,2017 2:24 am || Up

                Indeed – 6 walks, 3 intentional, 2 of which loaded the bases against the Cubs.

                That was the 4th game of a series in which he had 3, 1, 3 & 6.

                If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 11:12 am || Up

      The article even cites Baseball Reference as the source for its stats. Someone over there needs to spring for a play index subscription.

  65. colin Mar 8,2017 9:20 am

    Per fangraphs projections, the A’s have the toughest schedule in baseball, to the tune of -2 wins relative to a neutral schedule. They actually project that the AL east will be the strongest division, but the AL west comes in a close second and the A’s are disadvantaged by the fact that they don’t get to beat up on those AL west cellar dwellers, the Oakland A’s.

  66. harensheir15 Mar 8,2017 9:57 am

    Here’s a beautiful re-imagining of Kipling’s If for the occasion.
    Happy International Women’s Day!

    • ptbnl Mar 8,2017 1:51 pm || Up

      And an eloquent piece in support of the strike by the Seahawk’s Michael Bennett.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • harensheir15 Mar 8,2017 4:18 pm || Up

        Nice! Also, Iceland!

  67. Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 12:30 pm

    Barça: not dead yet

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:11 pm || Up

      Or are they.

      The away goals rule is a harsh mistress.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:44 pm || Up

        !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • AV Mar 8,2017 2:16 pm || Up

          dammit! i gave up.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • ptbnl Mar 8,2017 1:46 pm || Up

        Or not! Bonkers.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  68. Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:03 pm

    Pulisic!

    • AV Mar 8,2017 1:07 pm || Up

      the ESPN deportes announcer is refusing to cut to the ID.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • AV Mar 8,2017 1:12 pm || Up

        cavani.

        also, 910 am san francisco.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • MikeV Mar 8,2017 1:14 pm || Up

      I don’t want to get ahead of myself but this kid is the best player in the history of soccer.

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:26 pm || Up

        I keep having to confirm he is actually 18 years old. He’s so composed out there.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 1:31 pm || Up

        Wooo, he pulled the strings on another goal. It should have been offside but who cares.

  69. Glorious Mundy Mar 8,2017 2:24 pm

    Um…excuse me?

    • colin Mar 9,2017 8:33 am || Up

      It should be scandalous (read: emoluments) that China is finally granting these requests for Trump now that he is president. But the trademark for escort services is almost certainly just a defensive move, i.e. so no one in China can start a “Trump Escorts Agency”.

      • Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 9:10 am || Up

        Not saying that’s necessarily wrong, as I know zilch about Chinese trademark law. But that would be a bogus explanation under US law. Here, you can’t get a trademark unless you are using or intend to use the mark in commerce. This isn’t like registering TrumpSucks.com so you can squat on it.

        I completely agree, however, that more important scandal is the emoluments issue. That’s impeachable.

  70. Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 9:13 am

    Gahhhhh

    • 5Aces Mar 9,2017 9:21 am || Up

      It will be like….oh never mind.

      Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
      • Soaker Mar 9,2017 10:26 am || Up

        Before this morning, Sonny Gray and Brett Anderson had never shared one of my brain cells.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • ptbnl Mar 9,2017 9:26 am || Up

      And so it begins.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 9:27 am || Up

        Assume ace dead

      • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 9,2017 10:04 am || Up

        Already in mid-season form.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Soaker Mar 9,2017 9:45 am || Up

      Even to get to .500 with this crew, the first requirement was that Sonny finish in the top 5 in the Cy Young voting. Second requirement is likely that Manaea becomes a strong #2 in the rotation.

      Wait till Semien goes down, then All The Excitement Of 2017 Oakland Athletics Baseball will feature the thrilling regular infield of Alonso, Lowrie, Rosales and Plouffe.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • Soaker Mar 9,2017 9:57 am || Up

        Wait, maybe it wouldn’t be Rosie after all.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • colin Mar 9,2017 9:57 am || Up

        Uggggghhhhhhh

  71. AV Mar 9,2017 10:12 am
    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  72. Future Ed Mar 9,2017 11:23 am

    i, hope is not the word, but I, think this is the best way to stack the turds and “hope” its a sign of tings to come.

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 11:27 am || Up

      This is about the best lineup I could imagine from this roster.

      It is terrible.

      • Soaker Mar 9,2017 12:00 pm || Up

        There are several problems with the rosterbated plan to carry four outfielders, one of which is that Joyce will get far too many PA against left-handed pitchers, which is something that shouldn’t happen except in the late innings of a blowout.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
        • Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 12:16 pm || Up

          I guess I can live with it for a little while if it is the only way to get another look at Alcantara, but if it is just to keep another bad loogy in the pen it’s stupid.

          • andeux Mar 9,2017 12:19 pm || Up

            I have Alcantara as the 7th reliever, Coulombe or Wahl would be the 8th. That’s assuming that everyone is healthy. If Doolittle or Madson starts the year on the DL, it’s even stupider.
            (Not sure what the plan is with Montas. He could be in the bullpen too, though I would rather have him starting somewhere.)

            TINSTAAFK
        • andeux Mar 9,2017 12:22 pm || Up

          And Rajai getting too many against RHP. The main candidates for 5th OF (De Aza, Brugman, Lambo) all bat left, so help more with the Rajai issue, but having one more pinch-hitter to play with would also help with Joyce as well.

          TINSTAAFK
          • Soaker Mar 9,2017 12:44 pm || Up

            Face it, they expect Rajai to get 550-600 PA if he’s healthy all year (“he plays because of his defense”). He has peaked at around 490 PA in three different seasons…except in one of his seasons with Oakland when Geren got him 561.

            What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • colin Mar 9,2017 12:50 pm || Up

        It’s going to be a pretty terrible team this year. I’m just hoping for progress/performance from Healy, Manaea, Cotton, Triggs, etc. Also that Sonny’s 2017 doesn’t turn out like his 2016, but early signs don’t look great on that front.

    • andeux Mar 9,2017 11:39 am || Up


      Joyce and Alonso(?!) are the only two A’s with above average OBP skills.
      Rajai is one of the worst.
      Someone needs to convince Bob that the “second leadoff” spot (9th) is a good place for Rajai’s speed.

      TINSTAAFK
  73. AV Mar 9,2017 2:21 pm

    any oaklanders here into buffy?

    celebrating the 20th anniversary friday night by welcoming a few people over my threshold for skewers, red wine, and a buncha VHS on the CRT. lemme know if that’s up your dark alley…

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • Future Ed Mar 9,2017 8:30 pm || Up

      we are, but friday is bad.

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • AV Mar 10,2017 6:03 am || Up

        what can i tell you baby, it’s always been bad.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • batgirl Mar 10,2017 11:45 am || Up

      I adore Buffy but I’ve got a nasty cold. What episodes are you going to watch??!! My favorite is “Hush” and of course, “Goodbye Iowa” for purely selfish reasons and despite the existence of Riley!

      • Future Ed Mar 10,2017 12:40 pm || Up

        fucking riley. so dumb.

        anything with the mayor.

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
        • batgirl Mar 11,2017 10:14 am || Up

          Although if I had to choose between Riley and Dawn I’d pick Riley every day of the week and twice on Sunday. And don’t get me started with Tara.

          • Future Ed Mar 11,2017 5:35 pm || Up

            tara was a bad character, but willow needed a girlfriend and she didn’t suck as much energy (pardon the pun) as dawn and riley. yeah, riley was “better” than tara, but tara was not a focal point. (as i remember)

            I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • AV Mar 10,2017 4:46 pm || Up

        it’s limited to my VHS collection. prolly do welcome to the hellmouth, since that’s the actual anniv. then we’ll decide through shouting or something. options include becoming, passion, innocence, surprise, the witch, bad girls…

        …after a while, it’s not going to matter that much.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  74. Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 4:25 pm
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 9,2017 6:01 pm || Up

      While on the Duke golf team, Andrew Giuliani broke golf clubs and threw an apple at a former teammate.

      Just the experience the Trump administration needs.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  75. AV Mar 9,2017 6:38 pm

    how do you like your roids? toasted? because…

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • nevermoor Mar 10,2017 9:44 am || Up

      That is… not something I need.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  76. Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 7:56 pm

    This Italy-Mexico game from Jalisco is pretty entertaining. Pat Venditte is having a long inning at the moment.

    • Glorious Mundy Mar 10,2017 11:41 am || Up

      I turned this game off too early last night. Italy scored five in the ninth to win 10-9!

  77. Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 8:14 pm

    Yoelkis Cespedes sighting!

  78. Glorious Mundy Mar 9,2017 8:36 pm

    Australia’s caps are basically A’s home caps this year.

    • ptbnl Mar 10,2017 9:30 am || Up

      My son in Melbourne has always enjoyed wearing his A’s gear there.

      If the A’s had any marketing nous, they’d be milking it for all they could.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  79. ptbnl Mar 10,2017 12:59 am

    I remember when cricket was the West Indies.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Future Ed Mar 10,2017 7:29 am || Up

      you lot have had your way

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
  80. Future Ed Mar 10,2017 7:31 am

    GM: the new pitch at garfield is seeded with crushed clay instead of used tire. so far i like it. not as much gets in your shoes. I wonder if this will help the temperature problem

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy Mar 10,2017 9:10 am || Up

      I didn’t even realize they replaced the turf. That’s great!

      What was the temperature problem?

      • Future Ed Mar 10,2017 9:46 am || Up

        fields got really hot.

        also kids came home like dickensian street urchins

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
  81. FreeSeatUpgrade Mar 10,2017 7:54 am

    Nice win for the Sharks last night, vs the formidable Capitols. After last year’s finals, when Pittsburgh pretty thoroughly beat SJ, it’s really hopeful to see the Sharks looking as good or better than a fast-skating eastern conference team.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  82. elcroata Mar 12,2017 4:50 am

    Watching WBC, Japan-Netherlands. Man, that is some atmosphere in Tokyo Dome. Also, the only stream I could get is with Latin American commentary, love the basehits being called unstoppables (imparables).

    Because survival is insufficient

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