One Week In: What We Learned

After falling to 2-4 after 6 games, what really can we learn?

It's not a great amount. The A's aren't very good. We knew that. We knew that they weren't going to be the team to beat in the West. Hell, we knew that they weren't going to be a team that mattered in the West. So what have the first six games taught us, if anything?

One of my greatest friends gave me a 1988 Pennant today. I got shivers. I read the names of Dave Stewart, Terry Steinbach, Luis Polonia, Dave Parker, Rick Honeycutt, Gene Nelson, Storm Davis, Tony Phillips, Don Baylor, Greg Cadaret, Carney Lansford, Walt Weiss, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco....

They were a brilliant team. But they weren't anything without the support around them. I appeal to you, Oakland. Be proud of this team. Be proud of what we've had. And be damned if ownership and politics take them away from us.

Because I like weekends: But I'm No Nostradamus

You could say I did get 3 of those predictions right and 2 half right last weekend. So I actually feel pretty good about my performance. The Rays are still 2 games back of the Red Sox. Cam Newton, though passing for an obscene amount of yards, threw three interceptions and did not earn a win. The Steelers didn't have as much trouble as I thought, but did win. Florida State was destroyed. The 'Canes beat OSU, but by a lot more than I thought they would.

So, needless to say, I'm still the smartest man alive. Well, not really, but I did ok.

A's Find New Ways to Upset Me

So I was planning on writing a post Friday. It was going to praise the A's, who had just won back to back road series in what felt like forever. They had climbed back up to 53-64. Which, though not a great record, at least felt competitive. At Tampa Bay and Toronto, the A's had an offense, they had pitching, they had defense. It was like watching a whole different team.

Then, the Rangers came to town. And, the Rangers kind of made the A's look like an old washed up Jedi.

A Funny Thing Happened Once in St. Pete

The A's won a road series. I know, the punch line wasn't so good, and I didn't leave you wondering for long, but that's really the case. It's just a funny thing. The A's took until August 7th to get their 20th road win. They hadn't won a road series since May 6-8 against the Royals. With three games to go on this particular road trip, they find themselves at 20-39 on the road. A mark only better than the Royals and the Orioles in the American League. By the math, this season isn't quite over yet. But, in reality... well, it is.

What I hope we get to see over the next month and a half is the resurgence of a competitive team. The team is now 24-27 under Bob Melvin. Yeah, it's not a great mark, but it's respectable. The team is still hitting the cover off the ball. Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham have finally showed the power stroke we hoped they would show all year. Weeks still looks like the top of the lineup spark plug that every single team loves to have in their lineup.

Athletics Survive Road Trip

When you have an 18-35 record on the road, every single victory is sweet, so when a team returns home with a record of 2-3, you cling to it as a small victory, especially when one of those wins comes in Yankee stadium. They hadn't won in 11 tries there, so to finally get one felt pretty good.

Great play from the Yankees to get Sogard at the plate:


If you missed the MLB.com recap from yesterday:

The good news: "The A's are batting .308 as a team since the All-Star break."

The bad news: "But they went 2-3 on this road trip, with the losses resulting in a combined 22 earned runs in just 11 1/3 innings from their starters."

LINK to the recap

Kickball.... Greatest Sport Ever?

Short answer: Yes. OK, well, if we're in the category of games you mastered as a third grader... then absolutely yes.



I thought I would regale you all with tales of The Schoolyard Bullies, the best pink wearing kickball team Oakland has ever seen.

Last night, down 3-2, the Bullies had their all-star, Sam, at the plate with runners on first and second. Sam kicked a ball down the first base line, and though she was out on the peg, the runner on first, Christo, never stopped running, and dove in head first for the go ahead run.

In the bottom of the fourth frame, the anonymous evil team from the other dugout led off with a triple. He was unable to score on a bunt single, but then crashed on contact on the next bunt attempt. On a brilliant catlike play by Shat, he was thrown out at the plate.

Now, with runners on first and second and only one out, there was a deep drive to right center. Fortunately, Cap'n Rob tracked it down, and had the awareness to double the runner off second, resulting in yet another win for the Bullies.

Now that I've bored you to tears, here are a couple links that I found pretty awesome.

Life in San Francisco

How cool was teal?

Oh yeah, and the A's are doing well...

Oakland Athletics Midseason Report

It's been a rough go through 92 games for YOUR 2011 Oakland Athletics. Yes, I know I predicted them to win it all. I may have been wrong. I admit that now. I'm still attending games the rest of this season. I hope you all do too.

This team is still exciting. They're still in this thing in every game they play. They just can't always gets hits, which hurts, more often than not. However, when a kid like Guillermo Moscoso can pitch a two-hitter, you know you have a team on the verge of greatness. 2012 will be our year! Of course, there are still 70 games of 2011 yet, and it's not time to throw in the towel quite yet. Here's what we've seen so far.

The Green and Gold Revelry

2010 was an unbelievable season for Your San Francisco Giants. The Band of Misfits experienced an unreal turnaround at about midseason, and rode their momentum all the way into November, where they won their first World Series since 1954.

But you already knew that. You knew how good the Giants were last year. You knew about the rally thongs, the beards, the Buster Poseys, the Machines, and all the other characters who made up that magical season. How could you not? It's only been captured and memorialized at every possible happening since last November. From parades to television specials to a creation of a whole fun new band wagon of fans, we remember, respect, and dare I say, idolize the 2010 Giants. Fortunately, if you aren't a big fan of either Orange or Black, it's now 2011.

A's skid reaches 9; Bob Geren era over

The AL East has collectively taken a dump on the chest of the Oakland Athletics, and it has finally lost Bob Geren his job. Billy Beane has finally done it. He's drawn the line in the sand and said enough is enough is enough. I applaud him for it. A change of some sort needed to be made.

I imagine the decision to fire him kind of went like this:


I personally do not like blaming the manager for the shortcomings of a ball club. But, at the end of the day, Bob Geren was the leader of a team that was failing miserably, and you have to blame somebody.