Game #54: A's 7, Royals 0

May 31, 2006 | A's vs. Kansas City

A historic game! Jason Kendall hits his first home run since July 27, 2004. They should’ve stopped the game for a nine-minute ceremony. I can’t wait to get home and watch the highlights (because, as usual, this game was not on TV).

• Joe Blanton’s first complete game. Joe Blanton’s first shutout. Joe Blanton’s first complete game shutout. It is this kind of feat that endears me to a pitcher and makes me swear loyalty.

• Tanner Boyle IM's me, "[D]o you let him go for the complete game at 102 pitches?" which sparked a brief discussion of pitch counts and pitcher abuse points. I figured it would be best for Macha to leave Blanton in. Our bullpen is fried and we might need them tomorrow or Friday (Kirk Saarloos vs. Johan Santana). All in all Blanton had 12 groundballs and 10 fly balls. He couldn’t have lasted as long as he did without those.

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
J Blanton (W, 5-5)	9.0	5	0	0	2	5	0	118-78	5.21

• I was relieved to see Chavy in the line-up. His hand is bruised, but will heal. Ellis, unfortunately, broke his thumb and will be out for six weeks. Scutaro has a job and Antonio Perez had better raise his game to be a good back-up.

• None of the injuries lately have involved Crosby. Has he been bouncing his karma off of himself? “Bobby Crosby, accident-free for 50 days.” Kidding aside, I’m glad he’s starting to get hot. I only wish I could see it with my own eyes.

• Al had an elegantly written comment about Frank Thomas in yesterday’s post. The Big Hurt can still hurt. Two-run homer today.

• And even with the score at 7-0, I felt like we could use another insurance run. Just a twinge. Force of habit.

(Game experience: MLB Gameday and instant message updates from Tanner Boyle.)

A's record: 24-29 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #53: A's 7, Royals 8

May 30, 2006 | A's vs. Kansas City

This game had bad vibes all over it. I had tickets in the plaza reserved level — that's the section right behind Mark Kotsay in center field — and I took my mom to this game, her first for this season. However...

• The section we were in was taken over by a large group of drunken teenagers. Drunk people can't hear one another very well so they shout louder than usual. And, one woman in the row behind me wore flip flops and put her feet up about 18 inches away from my face and, man, did her shoes stink! I really wanted to experience that game from this vantage point, but their rowdiness drove us away.
• While I was there for four innings, however, I got a good view of Kotsay right below me. He was eating sunflower seeds in center field. I could see his discarded shells — white speckles on the green grass — increasing in number around his feet.
• Usually when I go to a game, I like to show up and finish eating dinner before the first pitch. Then I don't want to move from my seat if I can help it. Tonight, though, we fled the plaza reserved area and sat somewhere else. I also stepped away to buy tickets for Friday's game. Of course, that's when the A's brought the score to 7-6, the most exciting part of the game. I'm still pissed that I missed it.
• Crosby's error? That sort of thing puts you on Mom's bad side. I told her my whole theory that they're tired from not having an off day lately, but she'd have none of it. "They can quit if they don't want to play baseball everyday," she said.
  
• Mark Ellis jams a thumb and is possibly injured? Worry.
• Chavy bruises his left hand and is possibly injured? Worry, worry.
• Huston Street... I blame him for this loss. All we needed was one more strike...! I hope this is only a bump in the road for Street.
• On the other hand, Street was facing Matt Stairs. As a former Athletic, Stairs was in a position to show up his former team. And I believe in that sorta thing.
• On the third hand, Mom thinks Street blew it because we started folding up my A's blanket (it was freezing cold tonight) when the count was at 3-2. She says our prematurely thinking the game was in the bag doomed the A's.

I guess tonight's loss is my fault!

(Game experience: My ticket was for Sec. 242 Row 1 Seat 14, but I never sat there.)

A's record: 23-29 | streak: L-3 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #52: A's 4, Royals 6

May 29, 2006 | A's vs. Kansas City

Dan Haren had nine sexy strikeouts in 6.2 IP and threw a career-high 122 pitches. Tonight's loss brings him to a 4-5 record for the season. And yet I get excited when I see him on the mound. He's got the stuff to be another ace for the A's. When I see that he's going to start, I feel like we're going to win.

• Two errors tonight (the Payton bobble and Crosby missed a ground ball). I think our A's are tired. The guys have played 14 games in a row, half of them were on the road, and they went 5-9 in that stretch. Their last off day was May 15. They don't get another off day till Monday next week, but only after they complete a four-game series against the Twins.
• Nick Swisher hit home run #15! It was only enough to narrow the Royals' lead in the 8th, but I'm still happy for Swish. I really want him to have a great season. Moments after each HR he hits in the Coliseum, the TV cameras show him sitting quietly at the end of the bench next to the players' helmets. I think he was "banished" to that corner for being too loud and brash as a rookie.
• Seth Etherton, who used to be with the A's, started and won tonight for the Royals. I think of him as Setherton.
• Ambiorix Burgos, the Royals' closer, owns one of my favorite baseball names this year. Consequently, when the Royals defeated the A's tonight, I felt good for Ambiorix. The Royals are on pace to have their worst season record in franchise history unless — as RHP Scott Elarton said last week — the Royals care enough to do something to prevent this. Tonight they won this game fair and square. Kudos.
  
  Two more games in the series. Two more days till June.
  
  Links:
  • My favorite Haren start in '06 was his first complete game this season. [Game #38]
  • Another favorite was the last time Haren won. [Game #42]
  • "Get beat with some pride" and other Scott Elarton quotes from May 22 [Kansas.com]
  
  (Game experience: Caught a couple of innings on FSN, and the bottom of the 9th on KYCY.)
  
  A's record: 23-28 | streak: L-2 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #51: A's 3, Rangers 4

May 28, 2006 | A's @ Texas

At this point, I'm not surprised by losses anymore. It's still the first half of the season and I know the A's will improve. At some point we'll have reinforcements when all the guys on the DL come back.

• I still don't have an explanation for Kendall's wearing batting gloves. The best speculation was that he's open-minded enough to try something different.
• Adam Melhuse comes in to pinch hit and he takes over from Antonio Perez at third base (Chavy was DH). Melhuse never ceases to surprise.
• Now can someone enlighten me: Why do we have Antonio Perez?

(Game experience: ESPN Sunday Baseball)

A's record: 23-27 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #50: A's 6, Rangers 3

May 27, 2006 | A's @ Texas

Superstitious as I am, I told myself that maybe it's good to stay away from the game today. I had different people to meet and talk to and I wouldn't be able to listen to the radio. Brendan says I'm taking the superstition too far, but it sorta worked, didn't it?

Good Zito pitched into the 7th. Huston Street took over and got the last five outs of the game. Crosby got a couple of hits. Swisher is slowly heating up again. And we finally won.

After a week of losing, WE FINALLY WON!

(Game experience: Got final score from ESPN on my cell phone.)

A's record: 23-26 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #49: A's 3, Rangers 5

May 26, 2006 | A's @ Texas

How long must the agony go on?

Joe Blanton couldn't last very long forcing Macha to turn to the A's very think bullpen. Keisler? Guadin? Flores? These are the guys we're calling on again and again, and they just got here like five minutes ago!

Bobby Crosby... I'm sorry to say, but he doesn't strike me with confidence when he comes up to bat. But we can't take him out of the line-up because he's the "glue" that keeps the A's together.

I suppose it wouldn't be the A's if there weren't some period during the first half of the season when we played poorly. I know the A's are better than this. I know it'll turn around.

* * *

I have a pet theory — a conspiracy theory, if you will. Barry Bonds is trying for #715, right? When he gets it, I think Bud Selig is going to allow a "grace period" for Bonds to bask in the glory and then...

BAM! Bud Selig and MLB will hit Bonds with some bad news. Like the revelation of flunked steroids tests or something equivalent to it, something that results in an official disownment of Bonds. For a model of this, look at Rafael Palmeiro in 2005.

Then, having cast Bonds aside, MLB will throw itself behind Albert Pujols and elevate the hype around the possibility that he could break the single season home run record. They'll try to get baseball fans to feel good about this and sweep Bonds under a rug.

Where am I getting all this? Nowhere. I'm just making it up. But it's my theory.

(Game experience: Two-thirds radio and one-third TV.)

A's record: 22-26 | streak: L-7 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #48: A's 7, Rangers 8

May 25, 2006 | A's @ Texas

WHY?!

Why are we investing our emotions when something like today's game can happen to us?

How could we lose a 7-0 lead?

Why can't Mark Kotsay hit just a little harder?

Why did this have to happen with Huston Street?

Did it have to be the Texas Rangers?

What do I do to make the pain go away?

(Game experience: KYCY 1550 AM here and there, now and then.)

A's record: 22-25 | streak: L-6 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #47: A's 2, White Sox 3

May 24, 2006 | A's @ Chicago

Good game, but it's too bad we lost. Again.

• That Jermaine Dye error? That's a phenomenon I've observed when a player plays against his former team. Part I happened when Dye caught Mark Kotsay's almost-homer. Part II was when Dye didn't catch that fly ball and Eric Chavez scored a run. Thanks, Jermaine! But I still can't believe you went to the World Series last year without us.
• What's happening to Swish? I hope he gets himself back together. He did have a stellar April and he can't be wonderful all the time. I like him so much I did write him in my All-Star ballot.
• Dan Haren...= sob!= He was doing great until that Scott Podsednik double in the 5th, which could be blamed on Swisher (at least in my mind). I'm disappointed this game didn't go his way.
• The A's stranded nine. Ugh.
  

What is going on with the A's?!

(Game experience: Portions on KYCY 1550 AM.)

A's record: 22-24 | streak: L-5 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #46: A's 3, White Sox 9

May 23, 2006 | A's @ Chicago

Kirk Saarloos gives up two home runs in the 1st inning, one of them to Jermaine Dye, the reigning World Series MVP. We remember him as that expensive guy on the Athletics DL circa 2002-2003.

Saarloos pitches 4.1 innings, gives up eight hits, five walks, and six runs. To get the A's through another losing game, Macha has to bring out a parade of relievers including 25-year-old Santiago Casilla. We remember him as Jairo Garcia. (We also remember him as being two years, eight months, and 12 days younger, but that turned out not to be the case.)

I'm not going to be harsh on Saarloos. He is after all our emergency starter from the bullpen. And Randy Keisler and Steve Karsay weren't on the roster two weeks ago.

Let me just repeat the names of some of our injured to myself before I forget they're still A's: Rich Harden, Milton Bradley, Justin Duchscherer, Esteban Loaiza...

Tomorrow Dan Haren pitches. Maybe he'll do what he did in New York last week and stop the sweep.

Links (background on the Jairo Garcia/Santiago Casilla story):
Renamed pitcher rejoins Rivercats [Sacramento Bee (requires registration)]
Player-to-be-named joke [San Francisco Chronicle]

(Game experience: Some radio, some TV.)

A's record: 22-23 | streak: L-4 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #45: A's 4, White Sox 5

May 22, 2006 | A's @ Chicago

I heard that Frank Thomas got a warm welcome from the Chicago White Sox fans when he returned albeit wearing an Oakland Athletics uniform. They even made a video tribute for him!

(I was at the Coliseum when Jason Giambi came back to Oakland as a New York Yankee. When he was introduced in the line-up, Diamond Vision displayed his name as "Jason Jiambi.")

Amidst all this hoopla for the Big Hurt, it sounds like Bad Barry Zito showed up on the mound. He had seven strikeouts, yes, but also six walks. Zito didn't make it past the 6th inning. To make it through the end of the game, Macha had to use Kiko Calero, Steve Karsay, Randy Keisler, Huston Street, and Ron Flores.

I didn't get to watch this game so my news is all second-hand, including this chilling fact: Street allowed the White Sox to tie and forced the game into a 10th inning. Flores succeeded him, gave up a run, and got the loss.

Ahh, let's just give this one to the White Sox. Somewhere in a Chicago suburb is my White Sox counterpart who's happily going to bed with good memories of the Big Hurt going 3-for-5 with two home runs. And the home team still wins.

(Game experience: I checked ESPN MLB on the cell phone a couple of times. At the 10th inning I was with Tanner Boyle at Jillian's in San Francisco asking a waitress if she could get the A's game on a corner of their humongous multiple-image screen. No dice. I heard about the loss on the radio.)

A's record: 22-22 | streak: L-3 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #44: A's 0, Giants 6

May 21, 2006 | A's vs. San Francisco

I'm feeling lucky that the one game of the Bay Bridge Series that I miss is the one where it rained during the game, the A's lost in a shut out, and no historic home runs took place. As much as I love baseball, I'm glad that this afternoon I had better things to do.

More notes about yesterday's game:

• There was a surprising lack of signs at the Coliseum. I wonder if one of the extra security precautions included confiscating signs. There weren't any disparaging Bonds; neither did I see any in support of him. Of course the left field bleacher denizens had their usual display of crude, undersized, homemade signs: "A's Let's Do This;" "Payton's Playaz;" "Street Thugs;" etc.

• There is a new snack vendor roaming the stands and he's quite good-looking. He's young, tall, slender, blonde, and he has good facial hair. I've seen him the last three games either wearing a Ben & Jerry's sky blue shirt and selling ice cream or selling Starbucks coffee. Kinda distracting.

• Trivia question on Saturday on Diamond Vision: Which team will be recieving AARP cards first, A's or Giants?

(Game experience: Somewhere a TV was tuned to FOX Sports, but I wasn't watching it.)

A's record: 22-21 | streak: L-2 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #43: A's 2, Giants 4

May 20, 2006 | A's vs. San Francisco

This morning I read Eric Gilmore's column in the Contra Costa Times and, while I don't agree 100% with everything Gilmore said, his writing put me in the right mood to watch this afternoon's game. Gilmore argued that it's for the best that Barry Bonds meet the historic home run milestone in Oakland.

"...[I]t's also fine that Bonds hears a few cheers from orange-clad Giants fans sprinkled throughout the green and gold at McAfee Coliseum. That he be spared the over-the-top, at times ugly treatment he has received at other parks on the road."

It also helped that two weeks ago I read a John Brattain column in The Hardball Times that argued for MLB's celebrating Bonds' achievement when it should come to pass (Bud Selig said that there would be no ceremony to mark the moment and indeed there was none today).

"...[W]e’re not just celebrating Barry Bonds; we’re also celebrating Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron’s careers. We’re taking time to reflect on the greats that came before Bonds."

Brattain's essay covers a lot of other points and I highly recommend reading it, but my biggest takeaway from it is the idea that we acknowledge a historic moment when it happens.

Though Bonds' accomplishment is drenched in controversy, I've personally set aside my judgement of the man himself. History itself will even everything out. We're too close to the events themselves to understand their context properly.

I didn't want Bonds' #714 to come from an A's pitcher, but reflecting on Gilmore's column put me in a magnanimous mood when I arrived at the Coliseum today. I didn't want to root against history.

When Bonds connected with Brad Halsey's 1-1 pitch and the ball landed in the right field bleachers where someone named Tyler Snyder caught it in his mitt, I stood up and applauded for a long time. So did everyone else in the Coliseum, no matter what colors they were wearing.

After this moment, the rowdy A's fans behind me would resume trading jeers and barbs with the Giants fans the next section over. But this one time everyone did the right thing and acknowledged the milestone we'd just witnessed.

* * *

I was the guest of Dave, whose Dad has season tickets for four. Dave's dad brought Andrew, 11, son of a family friend. The boy showed off a baseball he got from Jay Witasick before the game started. On the baseball were three autographs Andrew collected only today — from Dan Haren, Kirk Saarloos, and Barry Zito.

I asked to hold the ball and get a closer look at the fresh signatures. Andrew said, "I also have Haren's autograph on my hat." And he did, there on the bill of his A's baseball cap. A scribble and the number 24 so hastily written the 4 looks like a 7.

Gosh, I want to be an 11-year-old boy, the demographic that can't be denied an autograph at the park. All cute and blue-eyed, with braces on the upper teeth, playing second base in Little League, permission to surf the web — "but only baseball sites" — and all the time in the world to read about different teams and memorize player stats.

Links:
Recap, box score, play-by-play [ESPN.com]
Wrap [MLB.com]
No better place than Oakland [Contra Costa Times]
Don't Bury Bonds... [The Hardball Times]

(Game experience: Watched all 10 innings of the sold-out SRO game with Dave, his dad, and Andrew at MacAfee Coliseum. I sat in Sec. 128 Row 32 Seat 18.)

A's record: 22-20 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #42: A's 1, Giants 0

May 19, 2006 | A's vs. San Francisco

Didn't I tell you that Dan Haren was awesome? Tonight's game lived up to expectations.

• A pitchers' duel between former Pepperdine pitchers Danny Haren and Noah Lowry. Lowry is a good pitcher, but this is the second time already that Haren has won when they've faced each other. (The other time was June last year.) To be fair, Lowry was injured already this season. However, Haren's got more heat.

• The A's pitch to Barry Bonds. No rubber chickens here in Oaktown. Bonds walked once, but it was a full count. There was only one intentional walk in the game -- and it was to Eric Chavez! His first for the season.

• Double play ballet: Mark Ellis gets Giants 1B Mark Sweeney out at second base and jumps over him to throw the ball to first base. Nick Swisher does a split and catches the ball, beating Giants catcher Mike Matheny.

• And of course, Huston Street strikes out Bonds to end the game. How perfect an ending for an A's fan could there be?

• Giants CF Steve Finley slid on the wet grass on his back to catch Jay Payton's fly ball in the 3rd inning. The play was so amazing, I clapped and so did several non-Giants fans around me. This told me there were a lot of old-school baseball folk in attendance, the type who applaud a good play no matter whose team benefits from it.

• Despite sitting in the vicinity of the visitor dugout, I was surrounded by A's fans clad in green and gold. There was one old-timer in Giants gear and a mitt sitting behind me who sounded like he'd spend most of the game mouthing off, but he wisely kept quiet as the A's fans around me were quite vocal, living or dying with every pitch. I looked around to see who was standing up to root for Bonds at each of his at-bats. I was surprised that there weren't more Giants fans at the sold-out game tonight.

Postscript (5/20/2006):
I forgot to say, during the national anthem, the Diamond Vision camera showed Mark Kotsay at the exact moment when he did the sign of the cross. Amen!

(Game experience: Sec. 110 Row 2 Seat 11. Two rows behind the MVP seats behind first base. Excellent view of the double play! I left the office upon hearing that I'd have to drive through a traffic jam. By the time I got to Hayward, it was raining. The game start was delayed by 31 minutes because of the rain. When I got to the Coliseum and settled into my seat, they were ready to start the national anthem. Perfect!)

A's record: 22-19 | streak: W-5 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #41: A's 6, Mariners 3

May 18, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

SWEEP!

Because I didn't follow this game, here's what I read about it after the fact.

"Pretty much everything is working out these days for the A's, who moved to two games over .500 (21-19) with their season-high fourth consecutive win and maintained their tie with Texas atop the American League West on the eve of the opener of their weekend Interleague series against the visiting Giants."[MLB.com]

I read on ESPN.com that after the Mariners lost today, they held an hour-long team meeting. Losing pitcher Joel Pineiro said it was

"a little team thing we had going on, a little team thing we needed."

International baseball rockstar Ichiro said,

"Yes, we had more of these kinds of meetings in Japan. It's not unusual at all. You have to do it."

I'm always amused when the A's are so devastating that it causes the opposing team to get introspective.


Now that we've dispatched the Mariners, bring on interleague play! I'm excited about the upcoming series with the San Francisco Giants. With reality TV star Barry Bonds only one home run away from tying baseball icon Babe Ruth's 714 career total, this series will be especially intense.

I'm going to the game on Friday (got the ticket in the mail, Steve!) and Saturday (thanks, Dave!). There's a chance that Bonds will tie Ruth and possibly surpass him. There's a chance that this will happen when I'm there.

Bonds hasn't had a homer since May 7. He prefers to pass these historic landmarks when he's at home in Pac Bell SBC Park. Doing it at the Oakland Coliseum would be the next best thing.

But I don't want this to happen on our turf and not with one of our pitchers! And yet, if it must happen, wouldn't it be cool to be there to witness it first-hand?

Adding to my excitement is that tomorrow's match-up is Dan Haren vs. Noah Lowry. We all know that the two of them were friends at Pepperdine University and they both landed with Bay Area teams at the same time. Haren and Lowry lived in the same building in San Francisco in 2005. The two are still good friends. As Haren says in his latest blog entry,

"Even though we went to college and came up to the Majors around the same time, it’s not like we’re competitive with each other. I root for him every time he pitches a game that’s not against the A’s."

This means Haren's definitely not rooting for Lowry or the Giants this weekend. Neither will I. And of all pitchers, I wouldn't want Haren to be the one to give up a home run to Bonds at this time.

(Game experience: None. It's a Thursday day game. I'm busy on Thursdays.)

A's record: 21-19 | streak: W-4 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #40: A's 7, Mariners 2

May 17, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

Jinxes broken for everyone! We begin anew. The A's have a three-game win streak. The bats are coming alive. It is now safe to return to the Coliseum.

• Good Zito shows up on the mound. Cy Young-form Zito. May Zito.

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
B Zito (W, 3-3)	7.0	8	0	0	2	3	0	105-63	3.27

• Even though both teams had two errors, I feel like the A's are defensively superior to the Mariners.

Postscript (5/18/2006):

• I noticed that Jason Kendall was wearing gloves during one of his at-bats. Huh. Kendall's infamous for not wearing gloves when he goes to bat. I wonder what's changed.

• As a Catholic, I was extremely pleased to see Huston Street make the sign of the cross when he got to the mound to close. I hadn't seen him do this in a while and I was worried that life in the big leagues was, you know, corrupting him.

(Game experience: KYCY while driving home, Action 36 when I got home.)

A's record: 20-19 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #39: A's 12, Mariners 6

May 16, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

Blowout victory against the Seattle Mariners made even more enjoyable by being there in person with No. 19. I scored the game which means I hardly remember anything about this game. What I can recall:

• I had the pulled pork sandwich with barbecue sauce and a chocolate malt.
• At the 8th inning a group of teens the next section over were asked to leave the Coliseum by three security guards. Someone had complained about their use of profanity.
• No. 19 was captivated by the scoreboard showing the Rangers-Yankees game which New York eventually won, 14-13.
• Yeah, of course I noted the stuff that matters! Adam Melhuse's grand slam (second of his career). Nick Swisher's home run (his thirteenth of the season). Jay Payton's thrilling triple. Kendall had two singles and three RBI.
• Perhaps our vantage point enhanced the view, but those line drives and home runs looked absolutely beautiful. And didn't it seem like every A's hit rolled through a gap in center field or was just missed by the feet or hands of a Mariner?
• Mariners starter and phenom "King" Felix Hernandez was left in the game longer than No. 19 thought he should be. Turns out this is Felix's second shortest outing as an MLB starter and half of the 10 runs he gave up were unearned. I wondered if he was being punished. Or was he being allowed to learn what it's like when he can't get himself out of a jam?
• The Mariners' right fielder Ichiro was 2 for 3 with an RBI. He caught a Kotsay fly ball in the 5th inning, otherwise he seemed pretty low-key.
• Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, but I find him so... likable. Well, we don't want him to do any damage against the A's, right? So no harm in my liking him.
• For a third of an inning or so, I thought it might be possible for Joe Blanton to throw a complete game like Dan Haren did Sunday. But 83 pitches in seven innings with only seven hits, two earned runs, and no walks is plenty good. When Kiko Calero was brought in for the 8th inning, but had trouble getting that third out, someone in the stands yelled, "Where's Joe?"
• For the top of the 9th inning, the ball was given to RHP Steve Karsay who was acquired by the A's from the Cleveland Indians last Saturday. He's been with the Athletics twice before, so he's an old new old new guy at age 34.

(Game experience: Went to the Coliseum with No. 19 and sat at field level along the third base line. My seat was at Sec. 123 Row 22 Seat 14. Finally No. 19 got to attend an Athletics win this season. The jinx is broken!)

A's record: 19-19 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 3

Special Edition: 2006 Oakland A's Theme Songs

2006 Oakland A's Theme Songs
by tanner boyle
exclusively for the Oakland Athletics Journal

My Red Sox fan co-worker remarked to me that boy wonder Jonathan Papelbon comes out of the 'pen to Drowning Pool's Bodies. I felt it was a little uninspired and I was running around with my iPod which got me thinking about good theme songs for the A's.

My criteria for picking the songs was based on my perception of who the player is or what he does for the team. I'm sure some won't match, but I figure this exercise will benefit from Comments.

BARRY ZITO
Jacqueline by Franz Ferdinand
Hipster band that fits the man.
Alternate: You're Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl) by White Stripes

Dan Haren
Sober by Tool
Understated ass kicker of a song.

Joe Blanton
A Country Boy Can Survive by Hank Williams Jr.
I am not sure, but I think this is a hillbilly anthem.
Alternate: Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rich Harden
Ace of Spades by Motorhead
In the July 25, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated, Rich Harden said, "If I weren't playing baseball, I'd be ... in the Ultimate Fighting Championship." He could use this tune on his way into the octagon.

Esteban Loaiza
Trouble by P!nk =:>
I'm trouble / Yeah trouble now / I'm trouble ya'll / I got trouble in my town. Take this however you will.

JUSTIN DUCHSCHERER
Unsung by Helmet
Despite being included in the 2005 All-Star game, no one outside of A's fans really knows how solid Duchscherer has been.

Huston Street
The Fireman by George Strait
I can cool ’em down while they’re smolderin’ hot. I thought a country song would be a good fit for a Texas boy. Plus I am sure he gets chicks like the guy in the song.
Alternate: Here Comes Your Man by The Pixies

KIRK SAARLOOS
Who Are You by The Who
This one's personal because I never recognize Saarloos when I see him. I can only figure out which pitcher he is by the process of elimination.

Jay Witasick
No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age
A solid rock song with a title that fits your fourth-best reliever.

Nick Swisher
Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd
I would bet $100 that Swisher has heard these words before: "That's my old lady you're talking to."
Alternate: Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes

Eric Chavez
Warriors by Ky-Mani Marley
Say fool you must be crazy / What is it you tryin' to do you cannot faze me. A mellow song about bad asses. Could be given to Milton Bradley, but he would have to earn it.

Frank Thomas
Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta by Geto Boys
Great song about being a veteran bad ass.

MILTON BRADLEY
Move Bitch by Ludacris
Although Milton's a quiet guy in interviews, I am confident this is what is cycling through his head when he is on the field: Oh no! / The fight's out / I'm about to punch yo / lights out.

Bobby Crosby
20th Century Boy by T-Rex
Cool. Classic. I move like a cat, charge like a ram, sting like a bee / Babe I wanna be your man

Marco Scutaro
Rudie Can't Fail by The Clash
The Clash is a great source of theme music for anybody.

Dan Johnson
Shout at the Devil by Mötley Crüe
No way DJ never had a mullet.

JASON KENDALL
96 Quite Bitter Beings by CKY
I had Rusty Cage by Soundgarden as the first choice until I heard Kendall say Major League Baseball has turned into a badminton league. I had to upgrade the anger.

Mark Ellis
In the Middle by Jimmy Eat World
This is the song that starts, Hey, don't write yourself off yet / It's only in your head you feel left out / or looked down on / Just try your best / try everything you can / And don't you worry what they tell themselves / when you're away. The lyrics fit the man (except for the part about the little girl that repeats in the refrain).

BILLY BEANE
Master of Puppets by Metallica
You read Moneyball. The refrain of this song goes, Master of puppets / I’m pulling your strings / Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams. Plus it is good theme music when you are kicking the crap out your cell phone/pager/Blackberry.

Ken Macha
The Weight by The Band
Quiet, old-time classic. The chorus goes, Take a load off Fanny / Take a load for free / Take a load off Fanny / And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.

RON WASHINGTON
(Call Me) Super Bad by James Brown
I got soul and I'm super bad, huh! Double or nothing on Swisher's $100 that this is what Wash sings in the shower.

Honorable Mention
Jason Giambi
Bück Dich by Rammstein
A perfect fit. Bück Dich translates to Bend Down.

I'm drawing a blank on Joe Kennedy, Kiko Calero, Brad Halsey, Mark Kotsay, and others. Again, this would benefit from your Comments.

If you have iTunes and want to hear some of these songs, I have an iMix all ready. Fire up iTunes, click on Music Store, then click on iMix. In the Search box, type in the keywords "Oakland A's 2006" and it brings up my 13-song iMix. Enjoy!

Tanner boyle totally kicked ass in American league fantasy baseball last year.

All images of A's are from Getty Images. If you want to write an original baseball-related article for publication in this Special Edition space, email me. -wella

Game #38: A's 6, Yankees 1

May 14, 2006 | A's @ New York

SHOCK AND AWE

Shock:

• Antonio Perez is the designated hitter. He gets a hit. His batting average has now risen to .040.
• The A's steal three bases. What is the world coming to?
• Hooray for Jay Payton's home run. I didn't know this was his first for the season. Kotsay also had a home run and he got it using one of them pink bats to commerate Mother's Day.

Awe/Awww...:

• Danny Haren breaks the A's losing streak. Times like this I can't express how much I love this guy. Love isn't even the correct verb. I'm not sure what I feel towards him, but it's all good.
• Danny Haren goes deep into the game. This is his first complete game for 2006 and I'm sure he'll do more. He had three complete games last year. Today he threw exactly 100 pitches.
• Danny Haren rocks my world. He had eight ground balls and 13 fly balls. He also had six strikeouts. Unlike most fans, I'm not as into strikeouts. I know strikeouts are sexy, but I prefer the efficiency and economy of groundouts and flyouts. I dig the idea that you could throw a single pitch and get an out. Of course it helps that we've got good defense on the A's.
• And since it's Mother's Day I have to mention Mom. Her take on Dan Haren is that he's tuguin. I asked her what that meant. She said the word is not common to the various dialects in the Philippines; it's a word used only in the small town where she grew up in the island of Luzon. The word translates roughly to "sick chicken."

One more thing:

I have a healthy respect for the Big Unit. But he has a second bad outing in a row and the New York fans boo him?!

They're booing Randy Johnson, the guy who pitched the most recent perfect game in history. The Big Unit, who has killed a dove with a pitch. He has a two-foot-long hotdog sandwich named after him on the menu at Phoenix's Alice Cooper'stown restaurant. Seriously, Randy Johnson is a future Hall of Famer. He doesn't deserve to be booed by anyone, least of all the fans of the team he's on.

I know Yankees fans are harsh and they expect much from the players. But this level of "fandom" -- if you can call it that -- is twisted and misguided. It surprised me the first time I sat next to some Yankee fans at a game at the Coliseum in 2001 and they badmouthed their pitchers for losing to the A's. The practice continues to surprise me. I don't boo my A's, no matter how poorly they may play.

(Game experience: Heard the last inning called by Vince Cotroneo on the radio. That guy did such a bad job, methinks it's time to write him a letter with some constructive criticism. For the rest of the game, I read MLB News on my cell phone.)

A's record: 18-19 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #37: A's 3, Yankees 4

May 13, 2006 | A's @ New York

The losing streak continues. And Duchscherer also lands on the DL.

I didn't want to ask too much of Brad Halsey. He's a fill-in for Rich Harden for pete's sake, and he's being asked to pitch to the team that drafted -- and later traded -- him. That bottom of the first inning... well, let's get philosophical about it. It's only one inning in one game in one series among many in one season. Shrug it off.

I can only imagine that Chavy felt weak today after not eating for a few days. And I wonder how Melhuse is doing, now that Kendall's back behind the plate.

Swisher continues to get on base (for 31 games straight). Ellis' bat is alive. Street can still pitch.

I look forward to tomorrow's match-up. Danny Haren vs. the Big Unit.

(Game experience: Heard the first and last innings only on the radio.)

A's record: 17-19 | streak: L-4 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #36: A's 0, Yankees 2

May 12, 2006 | A's @ New York

A pitchers' duel in the Bronx between Barry Zito and Yankee RHP Chien-Ming Wang.

Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
B Zito (L, 2-3)	6.0	5	1	1	4	4	1	110-59	3.75
R Keisler	2.0	3	1	1	0	2	1	40-25	4.50

Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	PC-ST	ERA
C Wang (W, 3-1)	8.0	3	0	0	2	0	0	85-52	4.04
M Rivera (S, 7)	1.0	1	0	0	1	0	0	18-10	2.81

Zito gave up a HR to A-Rod and Keisler (I'm not one of the three people who knows who he is) did same with Bernie Williams. Comparing the numbers, they played better. The A's also fell into seven double plays!

Yesterday Yankees LF Hideki Matsui broke his left wrist and required surgery, but of seemingly greater significance to most people, he ended his streak of consecutive games played (518 with New York; 1,768 including games in Japan). Now there's all this concern in New York about how long he'll be out.

I sympathize, but only a little bit. It's not fair nor right to compare this, but one broken limb is lesser than the various strained muscles on different A's players.

Much was made of the Athletics' depth at the start of the season, but here we are six weeks later and almost as many people are hurt or on the DL as are on the field. The list is hard to stomach (oh, sorry about that, Chavy).

On the 15-day DL:
Milton Bradley - sprained right knee
Esteban Loaiza - strained left trapezius muscle
Rich Harden - strained back muscle
Jay Witasick - sprained left ankle (I'm secretly unconcerned about him. Oops, did I say that out loud?)

Other injuries:
Frank Thomas - strained right quadriceps
Eric Chavez - bacterial infection
Joe Kennedy - strained left triceps
Justin Duchscherer - elbow tendinitis

Also:
Jason Kendall - four-game suspension
Dan Johnson - sore left knee, but playing anyway
Mark Kotsay - Macha must make sure his back stays healthy
Bobby Crosby - constantly one unfortunate play away from another strange injury
Wella Lasola - irrational worry punctuated by anxiety attacks

The A's haven't lost more than two games in a row since April 19-20 12-13, more than three weeks ago. They're one game under .500 for the first time since April 28.

(Game experience: Constantly interrupted terrible radio reception. Missed last hour of the game.)

A's record: 17-18 | streak: L-3 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #35: A's 3, Blue Jays 8

May 11, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

Thursdays aren't a good day for me to follow baseball. And, as it happened today, when the A's play a day game in preparation for traveling, game times are awkward for those of us left in the Bay Area. Despite a 9:37 AM scheduled game start, I couldn't really follow today's game.

Nick Swisher hits two home runs, but from the looks of it, the Blue Jays capitalized on their offense.

Kirk Saarloos gets the loss against former Athletic and current Toronto LHP Ted Lilly.

Eric Chavez has food poisoning, the reason for his missing the last couple of games. Jason Kendall, of course, still has one more game to miss as part of his suspension.

Tomorrow the A's meet the Yankees again. This time on their turf. Hope Barry Zito redeems himself from his Opening Day start against them.

(Game experience: Heard Nick Swisher's first home run on KYCY 1550; checked scores intermittently on my cell phone.)

A's record: 17-17 | streak: L-2 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #34: A's 7, Blue Jays 9

May 10, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

The A's and the Blue Jays in a game that has a little bit of everything: a grand slam, additional home runs, run-producing passed balls on both sides, amazing catches, and a cool match-up.

Joe Blanton vs. Gustavo Chacin, who were both impressive rookie pitchers last year, face each other and have nightmare starts. Blanton gives up a total of six runs -- four of which come from Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay's grand slam -- in the bottom of the 1st inning. That is a score of 6-0, Blue Jays. Let me repeat, in the bottom of the 1st inning.

Lest we think that Blanton's performance is that bad, Chacin does worse. Through the next two innings, the A's fight back with home runs from Adam Melhuse (under-utilized and always pleasantly surprising), Mark Kotsay (only his second HR this season), and Frank Thomas (he doesn't always seem to hit the ball, but when he does...it's gone). The A's now trail by only one run. Chacin is taken out of the game after three innings; something may be wrong with his shoulder, according to espn.com. Our Joey Blanton lasts twice as long.

In the end, however, the A's lose. Down by two runs. *sigh* The A's strand 11 baserunners compared to the Blue Jays' two. Toronto has nine hits and nine runs. The A's have 14 hits and seven runs. *sigh* again.

Off-tangent: Today's promotion for the first 10,000 fans at Rogers Centre in Toronto was a free vial of Chacin Cologne, the eponymous men's fragrance of the Blue Jays pitcher. I wonder if the manufacturers decide to approach other MLB pitchers and perhaps one day create Bartolo Cologne. (smirk)

(Game experience: Combination of MLB Gameday, KYCY 1550, and ESPN MLB via cell phone and still I missed a lot of good innings.)

A's record: 17-16 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #33: A's 6, Blue Jays 5

May 9, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

• My man Danny Haren gets a win. Hooray! Of course the rest of the A's made him -- and me! -- sweat bullets for it. Haren hasn't updated his blog in a week. They need to get some ghostwriters on the case.

• Kiko Calero is also a big hero. As for Huston Street, I worry. I have a worst-case scenario in my head that I'll keep to myself for now.

• My other man, Bobby Crosby, hits home run number five. I'm a little down on Crosby this year, compared to previous years. Looking like Brad Pitt does have a downside after all. I can't stand the whole Brad/Jen/Angelina story, anything that reminds me of it, and anyone who looks like any of them. And really, can anyone look like either of those women?

• Didn't I call Adam Melhuse our go-to guy back in Game 13? I sorta did. Wouldn't it be cool if he got more playing time? Let's see... Melhuse appeared in 10 games and has one home run. Kendall-- oops! I said I wouldn't rag on Kendall.

• Melhuse started because Jason Kendall is serving his four-game suspension for The Brawl. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Kendall believes his suspension wouldn't be reduced after talking to different people, including Billy Beane. I can only imagine Beane saying something to the effect of, Suck it up, Jason. You don't go charging the mound during a game and expect there to be no consequences. And stop comparing your punishment with Lackey's. Someday, when everyone knows you're a genius, you can throw all the temper tantrums you want. Until then, let's have some decorum when you're out on the field.

• Off-tangent: Dr. Dan sent me the link to a Simpsons clip on You Tube featuring the 1974 Oakland A's. Click here to see it for yourself.

(Game experience: Intermittent MLB Gameday checks, KYCY 1550 AM for last couple of innings. I missed every inning where major scoring took place.)

A's record: 17-15 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #32: A's 2, Rays 3

May 7, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

After the wackiness of yesterday's game, today's felt somewhat anti-climactic, didn't it?

• Jonny Gomes does good in front of a 1,000-strong contingent from his hometown Petaluma. I like this guy. "I was just trying not to embarrass myself," he said. [espn.com]
• Halsey rhymes with ballsy. But you knew that.
• Vince Cotroneo showed off on the air that he knows how to pronounce "Gustavo Chacin" correctly. He practiced at home last night, he said. Good for him.
• Mark Ellis gets hot (4 for 4 with a homerun) and I hope he stays hot. I, however, am not following those odd records they're keeping of him compared to other players born in South Dakota. Sorry, I don't give a hoot.
• I had the radio on when Frank Thomas hit his solo home run which was nice. But the disappointment was almost annoying when he struck out looking to end the game. He was annoyed, too.

(Game experience: Radio while driving, cell phone while doing something else.)

A's record: 16-15 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #31: A's 3, Rays 2

May 6, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

Disclaimer: I may be wholly unqualified to discuss this afternoon's game. But the A's win! As weird and wacky as it was, we'll take it!

Weird play #1
Dan Johnson at-bat in the bottom of the 2nd, two outs. Jay Payton had already reached first on a line drive single that didn't quite get into Rays CF Joey Gathright's glove. DJ was at ball three, but he starts walking to first base. Naturally, JayPay proceeds to second.

But Rays starter Seth McClung signals to the umpire that it's only ball three. McClung turns around and sees Payton trotting past, effectively stealing second base.

It's JayPay's first steal of the season and he admitted the easiest steal he'd ever done. To make it less painful for the Rays, DJ gets a fourth ball and walks to first for real.

Weird play #2
Not even MLB. com's Gameday put a play-by-play for the bottom of the 9th as of this writing. All I can describe is what I gleaned from watching TV, seeing the instant replays, and listening to Ray Fosse and Ken Korach on a combination of TV and radio.

JayPay is on second. DJ is on first. Rays RHP Chad Orvella is pitching to Scutaro, then he's replaced in the middle of the at-bat by RHP Tyler Walker. Scutaro pops up towards Rays SS Julio Lugo.

The umps do not invoke the infield fly rule. Lugo allows the ball to drop. This freezes the runners. JayPay runs for third, but won't make it as Lugo throws to Rays 3B Aubrey Huff. DJ is out. Now JayPay is in a rundown. He slides back to second where Scutaro is already standing. The ump declares "safe." Who's safe? It's Payton.

It's not a classic double play, but a double play nonetheless because there were two outs. For those scoring at home, it's 6-4-5-6-4. I'm not even going to pretend that I understand fully what happened.

Weird play #3
Then to make matters worse for the Rays, Kendall comes up to bat. You know, Kendall, the guy who's aura attracts weird game-ending plays. He makes contact, but it's a routine groundout that goes through Huff's legs. E5! Payton easily crosses homeplate for the third run in the bottom of the 9th. Game over.


My biggest regret today is that I didn't go to this game. This would've been one of those afternoons where going to the Coliseum on a whim wouldn't have been out of the question. But I didn't want to go by myself... What I need is a hotlist of people I can call upon at the last minute to spontaneously go to a game.

If you don't mind receiving a call from me 24 hours or less before a game start to see if you're interested in hustling to the Coliseum, ask to be put on my hotlist. Just because I ask, there's no obligation to actually go especially if you cannot do it! But I need to differentiate between those baseball friends who require advance planning and those who can drop whatever they're doing and head to the ballpark. By the way, my mother is on my hotlist, but she's out of town today.

Also of note:

• Good Zito showed up at the mound.
• Joe Kennedy is amazing. He kept the Rays from scoring in the top of the 9th despite loading the bases.
• Today is Nick Swisher bobblehead day! They made two versions because he's a switch hitter. He's reached base safely in the last 25 games.
  

(Game experience: Intermittent TV watching on FSNBA, then listened to KYCY 1550 and looked at MLB Gameday and ESPN Recap after.)

A's record: 16-14 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #30: A's 1, Rays 3

May 5, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

I apologize to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Before game start, I indulged in smug thoughts of how the A's would handily beat them. They spent Friday flying cross-country from New York where they lost both games of a two-game series against the Yankees. And, as I heard in the pre-game radio show, they're changing their name to simply "the Rays." Perhaps they have a Christian fan base in Tampa Bay that spoke up.

• The A's left 13 men on base. Thirteen. Thirteen is a big number. Also considered an unlucky number.
• Joe Blanton now 3-3 with this loss.
• Huston Street closed. He threw an economical seven pitches. No hits, no strikeouts. I hope he's easing back into things. This guy carries so much of the A's future in his arm.
• There was something about Rays SS Julio Lugo's bunt single in the top of the 7th. I didn't quite get what was being described on the radio. Something about Swisher not acting and Blanton not able to field the ball. Once again I have to say I miss how Bill King would describe everything that took place over again. When I can, I watch the game on TV with the volume down and listen to the radio instead. When there was an instant replay on TV, I notice Bill King would be watching the same and describing the action on the radio. It was tremendously effective for times when I only had his voice on the radio and no visuals from TV.
• Rays DH Jonny Gomes makes one sacrifice fly in the game that results in the third run for his team. I had to look this up because I can't tell you how many times Gomes' name was mentioned on the radio. More about him in the Links below.
  
• Still on the subject of radio coverage, I feel bad for Vince Cotroneo. He sounds awkward and uncomfortable. He sounds like he lacks self-confidence. Earlier this week I thought I heard him say "Justin Kendall" then immediately correct himself. Tonight he and Ken Korach talked about the Toronto Blue Jays and Cotroneo was trying to learn how to pronounce Gustavo Chacin's last name. For pete's sake, don't do this on the air! During the commercial break, go to ESPN.com and look it up on the player card. It's "SHA-seen."
• And while we're talking about Jason (not Justin) Kendall, the A's catcher received a four-game suspension and $2,000 fine from MLB for his role in the brawl with Angels pitcher John Lackey last Tuesday. Kendall is appealing the suspension which means he'll keep playing until the appeal is resolved. I don't recall where I read this now, but Kendall has always planned to appeal the suspension and try to get it reduced so he'd only miss a start or two.

Links:
"Some have questioned naming the team for a marine animal not widely known in these waters. Others disliked the devil reference and predicted God would doom the team because of it. After eight years of losing, one must wonder if they were right." [St. Petersburg Times]

Did you know Jonny Gomes is from Petaluma? And that he had a heart attack at age 22? [St. Petersburg Times]

"Brawl will cost Kendall four games" [Contra Costa Times (requires registration)]

(Game experience: KYCY 1550 AM, but to be honest I was preoccupied with other things. )

A's record: 15-14 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #29: A's 12, Indians 4

May 4, 2006 | A's vs. Cleveland

I don't know about you, but I was in meetings all day and completely missed the game.

(Game experience: ESPN MLB on cell phone to see final score.)

A's record: 15-13 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #28: A's 3, Indians 14

May 3, 2006 | A's vs. Cleveland

I knew the Indians were good offensively, but this is ridiculous.

It was the 7th inning from hell. The Indians scored nine runs in this one inning. The A's went through two relievers -- Kennedy and Calero who had previously been magical -- and Ron Flores had to get them out of that inning and the rest of the game.

What if Macha left starter Dan Haren in? Would it have been any worse? I didn't feel as sorry for Haren's loss this time around. Not since I read in his blog that he's getting married in November. Hmph. But he looks good in his new haircut.*

Before tonight's game, I learned that in the AL:

• Indians catcher Victor Martinez was third behind Tejada (Orioles) and Jeter (Yankees) in BA
• DH Travis Hafner's 10 HRs tied with Swisher, Chavez, and Chris Shelton (Detroit) for second most
• Hafner has the most runs. SS Jhonny (sic) Peralta was third on this list and Martinez was tied in fourth with others including our own Swish.
• Hafner and Swish were among those with the third most RBIs
• Martinez had third most hits; CF Grady Sizemore was right behind him on the list

...You get the idea. Cleveland has tough outs in their lineup.

Tonight's 7th inning is over, the game is over, tomorrow is a new day.

Links:
Dan Haren watches movies and eats CPK [Haren's Heat]
MLB Stats Index [espn.com]

*If you haven't figured it out, any stuff in pink is girlish, not-really-baseball material that you can skip if you choose.

(Game experience: FSNBA and KYCY 1550 AM)

A's record: 14-13 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #27: A's 10, Angels 3

May 2, 2006 | A's @ Los Angeles

This morning, a couple of hours before the game started, I told tanner boyle I would write about Jason Kendall. Then look what Kendall does today! But first let's get some key stuff out of the way:

• Chavy's 200th career HR scores three runs in the first inning. The A's get the lead and they don't let go.
• Kielty's back in the lineup! Where is his hair?! He makes an amazing catch that I'm able to watch on Baseball Tonight. It looked like his arm could've conceivably come off in that play.
• Crosby's own three-run HR in the top of the 9th assures the A's of the win.
• Halsey's first start for the A's and he wins one of the most dramatic games with our SoCal rival. Five weeks ago I didn't even know who this guy was.
• The return of Huston Street! He pitched in the 7th and did fine. Macha's easing him back into things.
  
• Mark Ellis is hit by a pitch twice in the this game, by two different pitchers.
• Three ejections in this game -- Lackey and Kendall in the 6th, Scioscia in the 9th. Yeah, let's talk about the 6th...

The BRAWL between Kendall and Angels starter John Lackey! I had to wait to see it for myself on SportsCenter. I couldn't help but howl with laughter at everything from Kendall storming the mound, to Lackey getting him in a headlock, to the two of them falling on the ground, and all the other players pouring out of the dugout and the bullpens to sorta... watch and kinda try to stop it.

I like Kendall. Not the same way that I like Crosby, Swisher, or Haren. Not even the way I like Richie Sexson or Ichiro.

I've heard it all. Kendall hasn't hit a homerun since July 27, 2004. That just means he could hit one any day now -- out of everyone, he is due. Kendall can't hit. Yeah, but he can catch, right? Wasn't he brought on to nurture our young starting rotation? Kendall can't get base stealers out. He's improving on this and already we're seeing results this season. Kendall's the most expensive player on the team. Well, that's true, but take it up with Billy Beane.

After The Tag and the Sulk-off, I vowed not to give Kendall a hard time. Kinda like Sylvester Stallone. He was in a porno, he milks movie franchises to death, he dated Bridgette Nielsen, he starred in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot"... but Sylvester Stallone wrote and acted in the first "Rocky." I respect that. Stallone gets a free pass for everything else.

I'm waiting for the news that Kendall will be suspended for today's brawl. I can't say he doesn't deserve it. But I will not rag on him.

Brawl video & Kruk argues for Kendall on Baseball Tonight Recap (they took down video after a day or two) [espn.com]
Associated Press photos of the brawl [sfgate.com]

(Game experience: Some MLB Gameday, but mostly caught up with radio recap. )

A's record: 14-12 | streak: W-5 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #26: A's 1, Angels 0

May 1, 2006 | A's @ Los Angeles

I had technical difficulties last night and I lost my post. What I wanted to say was:

• Another one-run game with the Angels. And we win! Is this a great rivalry or what?
• Zito back in vintage form!
• Our bullpen rocks!
• Chavy can make a case for being an All-Star this year since he's come off to a great start.
• Swisher remains stellar.
  
• Loaiza on the DL. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the Beane-Macha meeting!
• And Kielty gets recalled from Sacramento to boot.

(Game experience: Radio and cell phone)

A's record: 13-12 | streak: W-4 | well-A-meter: 2