Reaction to the A's Victory Yesterday

At First I was like:



Then I was like:


That is all.

MLB Preview - The Oakland Athletics

We've finally made it to the team picked first overall in the 2012 WITT draft, the Oakland A's. How did a team picked by many to be so bad this year make it to the top spot? They are undeniably my favorite, that's how. They're the greatest team no one cares about or watches. They've got spark. They've got spirit. They've got spunk. They've got a terrible stadium and terrible ownership and terrible cash flow. However, through it all, they still remain the A's, and there's something special about this ball club.

Maybe it's because the A's are like this man:



You can't really get angry at Modern Family's Phil Dunphy. He's an underdog. He's not always the smartest. He's not always the fastest. His ideas can be a bit harebrained. But, through it all, he charms you and warms you down to the cockles of your heart. That's what the A's are going to do this season. Why? Because it's really the only thing they have.

The A's have entered pretty well worn territory this year. Really put together a team that could be considered trite and contrived. However, when you put a ragtag bunch of misfits on the field, it's sure to draw a little attention. You know, away from all the stuff about how the A's are in a land war with the Giants and Uncle Bud isn't actually doing anything about it. And how they can't draw more than 12 people to a game. Yeah. We're doing something about that... in 2014.

Mannyball

He's here. And here's a quick word.

After hearing the words "Frank Thomas is an Oakland Athletic" and "Mike Piazza is an Oakland Athletic," you would think that I could hear everything and not bat an eye. But, this is one I never thought I would ever hear myself say. Manny Ramirez is an Oakland Athletic.

He has to sit out the first 50 games after a positive PED test. He's going to turn 40. He's not the guy who compiled 555 home runs and 1,831 runs batted in while batting .312 for the Indians and Red Sox. He's the guy who's going to have to compete for the DH job. At about $500,000 for the season, he was in the bargain bin.

I've never really liked Manny as a teammate, but look, the A's need all the home run threats they can get, and if Manny Ramirez wants to play baseball for your team and his work out went fine, you let him play baseball for your team. It's not like the A's have a clear cut DH anyway. Currently it's a battle between the likes of Seth Smith, Jonny Gomes, Colin Cowgill, and Chris Carter. So, why not give Manny a chance? Either way, I'm sure, come June, there will one more reason to watch the Oakland A's.

Céspedes: A New Hope

After a full off-season of moves to save payroll and gain prospects, the A's have done the unthinkable and signed Yoenis Céspedes. That's right, the Oakland Athletics spent money and won a sweepstakes on a highly coveted nationally targeted prospect. Quick, everyone check and make sure pigs aren't flying outside. This is not the kind of guy that the A's get. This guy usually goes to one of the big market teams, or one of the teams with a little extra money lying around. Most people thought Yoenis would be a Marlin, but maybe they ran out of money. Instead, the also rans, the Oakland A's have made what probably will be the last big free agent splash this offseason.



As I'm sure you're all well aware, Céspedes, 26, is projected as a five-tool centerfielder. In a perfect world, he has a fantastic spring and earns the starting centerfield job for the A's, bats third, and hits 28 HR and 100 RBI. In the Cuban league last year, he hit 33 HR (a Cuban league record) while hitting .333 and driving in 99 RBI. Those are fantastic numbers for a 90 game season, though it doesn't quite measure up to the majors in talent level. Either way, this signing makes me feel like this.

The Lull

Sports fans, we've come to what I call the season of the lull. It's that time post Superbowl... (Congratulations WITT for calling that correctly. If only more had listened to us our friends would be very rich.) But yes, it's that time between the Superbowl and March Madness where not much is happening in sports. Sure, the hockey season is beginning to heat up, but it's not quite to the playoff push. The NBA is post all-star break where people start paying attention, but it too lacks the fervor of the late season or semi-finals of the playoffs (when people start actually paying attention). Same thing with college basketball. Yeah, it's happening, but it's not yet tourney time.

I know many of your disagree with me. It's your late June, early July that the sports world seems barren. It's just that, here at WITT, we disagree. Sorry you indoor sport fans, sport is truly meant for the outdoors. Soccer played on other continents does not count.



The Lull is a time to reflect. It is a time to play Stratego. It really only lasts until about March first, when things start to get interesting in basketball and hockey. And the great news, is starting February 20th, we will once again present the world with our 30 team major league baseball preview. All the hardhitting action that kicked this blog off last year will be back with a vengeance. We'll once again present you with a what to expect from the MLB, as well as the best and worst case scenario from all the teams. You're gonna like what you read.



Oh yeah.... this article: 3 things I'm excited for in this, year two, of We're In This Thing.

Manny Ramirez to the A's

Well here you go. The A's are going to make a splash with a clubhouse cancer who hasn't played since, what, April of last year? But imagine if we make the playoffs.... I'm starting to write the screenplay today.

Manny Coming to Oakland?

8 Resolutions For Bay Area Sports This New Year

Now that we've all indulged heavily on delicious treats, both edible and inedible, it's time to rejoice in what we've seen over the past two weeks. It is definitely not time to focus on the moves your favorite baseball team may or may not have made, and it's definitely not time to focus on the egg that your favorite college football team may or may not have laid in San Diego. No, no, no.... instead, we'll focus on the positives. Though they may be few in number, there have been great things going on in the sports world over the last two weeks even if you're an East San Francisco Bay Area fan like I am. So, in case you've been stuffing your face with figgy pudding over the last two weeks, here's your friendly sports update.... of positives....



Even I feel bad for this poor guy

1. The NBA started... the Warriors have hope.
2. The Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Outback Bowl made for a memorable day-after-New-Year's-Day.
3. The 49ers are in the playoffs.

So hey, we've got that going for us. But fear not, this year provides new hope for everyone, and here's a list of 8 resolutions our hometown teams and fans should make to help them succeed in the new year.

Your Friendly Sports Update

There's not one thing going on that I'm really excited or disappointed about, so I'm going to take a page out of Frankie's book and discuss a few things in the wide world of sports that have caught some of my easily distracted attention.

James Harrison

If you want to discuss a guy getting a raw deal, you need look no further that one Mr. James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He put a big hit on Colt McCoy in last Thursday night's game. Commissioner Roger Goodell, in his infinite wisdom, as suspended him for one game, Monday's matchup against the 49ers. This is the first time in 25 years that a player has been suspended for a hit delivered during a live play. Watch it again. It was absolutely a brutal knock, but, it was clean. Football is a physical game. During the play, McCoy tucked the ball and began to run. He threw it just before he crossed the line of scrimmage. Harrison never had a chance to stop. Now watch again. Harrison didn't really lead with the head. He didn't really launch himself into the tackle. He made a tough tackle. I wouldn't want anything less from my All-Pro linebacker.

Everbody Was Working for Last Weekend

And it wasn't too good to us, was it?

Actually, if you don't care about the Giants or Golden Bears, it wasn't half bad.

The Niners played an amazing defensive game to win in Cincinnati. The Raiders defense looked better than the Jets as they won at home. AND, most importantly, the A's took two of three from the Angels. One win even included a 4 run ninth inning rally off of Jordan Walden.

I'm sure Frankie will soon write a novel on how the Giants let this season slip away, so I won't touch upon their series down in the Desert. However, here's a snippet of what I believe was said in the dugout on Friday.

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Bochy: OK, so we have to sweep this series to have any hope of postseason play.

Assistant Coach #1: Right, so let's make sure we put our best team out there on the field.

Bochy, as eyelids start to droop: Right, Rags, who's throwing for us?

Rags: Cain, so we got a good shot at winning this one.

Bochy: Good. YAWN. Muellins, let's get our best lineup on the field.

Muellins: Look, Cain will only get 1 run of support no matter who we put out there, so let's go ragtag, it will look more awesome when we write the script for Moneyball 2: Sabey Sabes Strikes Back.

Bochy: (Grumbles as he starts crawling back into his cave for hibernation) We'll make everyone remember how we are still better than the A's.... So who we got?

Muellins: I thought we'd play three rookies, bat the two September callups leadoff and cleanup, and start a guy at third who hasn't played a full season since 2009.

Bochy: Gwarrrf.

...After the game...

Cain and Lincecum: Man, screw this, let's sign with Texas.

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A's Bats Look HOT

Before we begin. He was out. Jerry Meals blew it. Terrible. Horrific. But that's baseball.



I've watched it many many times. It was so close, I totally understand what Meals saw in the 19th inning. However, on that play, where Lugo is dead to rights, almost giving himself up, I think you have to give McKenry the benefit of the doubt. If you are going to have either team win that game, it better be because they earned it, not because you think a player missed a dead to rights tag. In the end, it's an unfortunate ending to a brilliantly played game. Kudos to both teams.

Oh, yes, the A's won too! And they won in style.

Athletics beat Angels as We Celebrate the 80s

Sooooo, there was that All-Star break. Then the A's had some games against the Angels. Believe it or not, they won three of four of them. And, well.... that's just fine. Your Oakland Athletics now sit at 42-54, 13 games behind that first place Rangers, 7 games behind the Angels, and a game and a half behind the freefalling Mariners.

Brandon McCarthy beat Dan Haren Friday night, then they stumbled against Jered Weaver, but were able to eke out a win in game two of the double header. Then, the icing on the cake, 8 runs in the first Sunday afternoon to destroy Joel Pinero. Oh yeah, then Gio Gonzalez pitched a gem to further solidify himself has one of the best pitchers in the AL.

Town Sweeps City -- Giants Embarrassed in Oakland

Well, you asked for a repeat.

And for the first time all weekend, the Giants delivered.

For the second consecutive year the San Francisco Giants were swept in Oakland by their cross-bay rivals. After being swept themselves in San Francisco, the Athletics evened the annual Bay Bridge Series to three games per side.

In a word -- embarrassing. Since the Giants swept the A's in late May, the Giants had lost only 2 of their last 8 series despite losing both Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez to injury. The A's had only won 2 of their last 8 series, going 8-18 between their two meetings with the Giants.

First, let me disguise myself as a gracious loser. The A's outplayed the Giants in all three games, and thus, deserved the series sweep.

Now, to the whining. With the exception of the outcomes, this East Bay installment of the Bay Bridge series nearly mirrored that of last month's meeting. An inch (read: chair) here or there, and the Giants could have easily won two of the three games.

In May, the Giants' three victories were decided by at total of 5 runs. This month, the A's three wins were by a total of 6 runs.

Unfortunately, close losses are still losses and chairs are still in play. The Giants' offense leaves Oakland with as much confidence as Steve Urkel in the Syracuse Lacrosse team's locker room.

Debate: Do 2010 Giants Owe a Bit of Gratitude to 2001 A's?

We said from the beginning we'd like more content like this, and sadly it hasn't quite happened yet. But with the upcoming 3 game set between the Giants and A's in Oakland, and with the release of the Moneyball trailer, something inside us burst. It was time to talk frankly about the real impact of Beane's strategy in the early 2000s. It started as an off-handed comment, and launched into one of our best debates ever. See below for a reformatted and slightly edited transcript of the conversation. What do you think?

CAL IN THE CWS! / A's v. ChiSox Thoughts

I'm sure you all know by now, but California, yes, that California Golden Bear baseball team has advanced through the regionals and earned a berth in the College World Series for the first time since 1992. That's right, the Bears haven't been to Omaha since George H.W. Bush's last year in office. The freshmen on this team were not alive when this program last was here. Think about that. Insane.

Talk about your ultimate Cinderella story. A program that was on the precipice of elimination has made it to the promised land. If Disney doesn't make a movie out of this in the next year or two starring Justin Bieber as Tony Renda, they will have seriously missed an opportunity, and instead I will make it.

The times they are a-changing

So, some quick thoughts and musings to keep you awake and entertained on this Monday afternoon.

-The first and best news is that the sun is out! Yes, we can finally warm up a little, and this pleases me like this dog is pleased.



-USC has been stripped of its BCS National Title that it won in 2004. Once again, Cal fans get to scream that they were cheated, to no avail. Still, I take a little bit of pleasure in it. Just a little bit. A sweet half smile. Ah, cheaters don't prosper.

-I'm really pulling for the Mavs in game 4. This Finals already will go down in history as one of the best, but it could easily reach that vaulted plateau of top 3 or 5 ever. The matchup is insanely storybook. The team with its aging veterans takes on the young superstars. I'm pulling for the Mavs overall because I'd like Dirk, Kidd, and Terry to get rings. However, if the Heat win, it shuts up every single pundit who said they couldn't do it. This will also please me. Thus I am torn, and have decided I just want to see a great series. I haven't been let down so far. Comebacks, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh doing what they do, and Dirk playing dynamite ball.... it's been a ride.

-The A's just can't seem to get it right. I don't want to say much more because I'll get upset.... but here's the fallout from the 6 game skid:

1. Kouzmanoff is now a Rivercat. That's right, AAA. Damn.
2. Adam Rosales is now the starting 3B.
3. Brett Anderson may be done. He's getting his elbow examined today. If he goes out, I'm not sure I like the chances anymore.

It was a very rough 6 game stretch. And the A's failed. Miserably. They play in Baltimore for three next. Gio is on the hill to start. They will win tonight. I stake my life on it. They're hungry. New reserve infielder Scott Sizemore will be our savior.

Song of the post:

Reflections on Philadelphia

First of all, way to go Athletics! Splitting the 4 gamer in Anaheim was a big boost after the debacle that was the previous week. Again, I am on vacation this week and not watching the games, so to learn more, I advise you to check out your favorite periodical or the official website for your A's news. The A's have 3 against Baltimore at home this weekend. It feels like there are no gimme games in this league anymore. Every team and every series presents its own challenges, and the Orioles are no different. Let's root for the A's to continue on the right track and in the AL West race!

In case you were worried about me, I have just finished spending 48 hours in the wonderful city of Philadelphia, PA. I give it glowing reviews. It's charm from neighborhood to neighborhood was remarkable, and old city truly blew me away. Huge shout out and thank you to Becca, who hosted me for two nights. She went above and beyond to make my stay worthwhile.

Trip Review, part 1.... written on Wednesday

Written on Wednesday.....

The A's won a game! Yes, the unbelieveable has occurred. After Cahill, Anderson, Gonzalez, and Outman all could not get the job done, Guellermo Moscoso was able to shut out the Angels for two innings and David DeJesus doubled his home run total to four as the A's finally snapped their 6 game losing streak.

I told you all not to panic. Remember? Apparently we were just hiding Moscoso until the time was right, because he looked like a grade A starter. But also remember, hubris is what brought us down before, and it will again unless we are careful. Hopefully we hit rock bottom, and it's upwards from here, but it can always get worse.

Remember the Hitchhiker's Guide?

I hope you do A's fans, all 2 of you that read these posts anyway. What does it say on the front, pray tell?



I wish I had better advice. I wish I had been able to see the games this weekend. Instead, I partied it up in the Hamptons with the Kardashians. No joke. Well, half joke, it was not with them. But it was with some awesomely orange colored people and bros as far as the eye could see. See below for an effective descriptor of the experience.

A's v. Twins Recap

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The A's were riding a high..... only to have their hopes dashed on the rocks below after the wave crashed onto the beach. Quick hits to follow.

A's v. Angels Recap

It was only a two game series, but it still counts as a SWEEP! Horray!

I don't think this requires a full recap....

Let's look at what the A's accomplished with last night's game.

•It was their first sweep of a series since they swept the Mariners to close the season last October.

•They are now in first place for the first time since June 3rd of 2010.

•It was their first time scoring in double figures all season.

• It was their largest offensive output since they beat the Angels 15-1 on July 10th of last year.

•They entered the game 12th in the AL with 146 runs, scored in 41 games. They added 1/10 of that number in one night.

The A's won on Monday what might become their signature win of the season. Up 3-0, down 4-3 with 2 out and two strikes on Barton in the 9th, he singles home Crisp to tie, and then Ellis wins it with a ground ball in the 10th. All this in the rain after an hour and a half rain delay. It was one of those wins that you needed to have, because if you didn't get it, especially at home, it was going to sting for a long while.