Three, two, one...

This makes me sick. From today's San Francisco Chronicle:

Zito's agent, Scott Boras, attended the game, no doubt aware Roy Oswalt signed a five-year, $73 million contract with Houston on Tuesday. Zito figures to command even more in free agency this offseason. [SFgate.com]

Darn Scott Boras and his avaricious little black heart!

This also makes me ill. From today's Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Despite a contract that could pay Kevin Millwood $60 million over five years, Rangers owner Tom Hicks said Wednesday he would be willing to make a similar commitment to the right free-agent pitcher.

He probably won't get the chance, because the only free-agent pitcher who is likely to command that level of salary is Oakland's Barry Zito, who seems destined to be playing for a big-market team in New York or Los Angeles in 2007. [Star-Telegram.com]

Who are the other owners out there just salivating to get their hands on Zito? And who says it's a foregone conclusion that Zito's going to NY or L.A.?

Must be if even A's owner Lew Wolff is talking like Zito's gone. This is from the Chron from two weeks ago (August 16):

"Barry needs a big-market team to justify the kind of contract he deserves," Lewis Wolff said. "It's really up to Billy (Beane) and not to me, but he is a terrific young man -- I can make him a real-estate deal."

Wolff laughed and added, "That's counted (as a contract), by the way. If he stays with us or wherever he goes, I wish him so well." [SFgate.com]

Even Wolff knows, it's up to Billy Beane. I'm going to stand by whatever Beane decides. Sure I was crushed when Huddy was traded, but we saw that coming. Yes, I was shocked when Mulder was traded. I nearly drove off the freeway when I got the news. But in Billy we trust.

Nevertheless it's going to be a sad day for me when I hear for sure that Barry Zito, the last piece of the Big Three, is leaving the A's.

Game #133: A's 7, Red Sox 2

August 30, 2006 | A's vs. Boston

SWEEP THE RED SOX!

Yeah, I know it's not quite the same because the Red Sox are freefalling and their big hitters are hurt or hospitalized and whatnot.

But let me just savor the moment, okay?

Curt Schilling in all his faded glory gives up six runs and 11 hits over 5.1 innings.

On our end, Barry Zito picks up his 15th win by striking out eight in 6.1 innings. Brad Halsey shows up for the 8th and gives up two hits and a run. Tsk, tsk. Otherwise, Calero and Gaudin were solid.


(Game experience: None)

A's record: 77-56 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #132: A's 2, Red Sox 1

August 29, 2006 | A's vs. Boston

I missed the pitcher's duel last night. Most of it.

• But I did get this highlight: Frank Thomas running to home from 1st on a Chavy double. Every time the Big Hurt has to do any kind of baserunning, A's fans hold their breath. Interviewed afterwards, Thomas said he's now able to get his knees up higher. There's something lovable about this 6'5" 275 lb. athlete talking about running 90 feet at a time.

• Kirk Saarloos, as usual, held his own. Six hits over 6.1 innings, three Ks, two walks... Yeah, just like the previous night with Loaiza, the A's are dealing with a second-string Red Sox line-up. But Saarloos kept Boston to only one run. Red Sox losing pitcher Josh Beckett didn't fare as well.

• Calero, Kennedy and Duchscherer took over for Saarloos. You know, our bullpen is not bad. I think we might be able to get by even with Huston Street. Duchscherer's back-to-back strikeouts to end the game were mighty impressive. Of course I want to see Huston Street back! Just like I want Bobby Crosby back. But it's better for the team if we have enough depth to continue winning games with pieces missing.


(Game experience: Dropped into the 6th on KYCY 1550 AM, moved to TV at the 8th)

A's record: 76-56 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #131 continued

GeneralChiang, here is the well-A-meter. Still at max. My exuberance continues! It's not even September yet and an emotional rollercoaster may yet be in store, but heck. These days I feel like this could be the year!

More about the Monday game:

- On the radio Monday night, Ken Korach described the Boston Red Sox as being "on the brink" of not making it to the post-season this year.

- On the radio Tuesday morning, regular reports just before traffic and weather to confirm that the Red Sox is the worst MLB team in the month of August. I hope this means Botox fans (no, that's not a typo) go back to being their pre-2004 World Series insecure and whiny selves. I couldn't stand the change in them these last couple of years! It got me rooting for the Yankees!

- Monday night wasn't Perfect, but it was just enough to exorcise some demons inside me. You see, on my top 5 list of most traumatic baseball games I attended was a BoSox-A's game from 2004. Oh, don't make me re-live it! I've talked about it enough here. Only the second time in my short life as a fan that I FLED a game. Believe me, it was purely an act of self-preservation. I thought I'd get physically unstable if I stayed to the end.

- No. 19 tells me the magic number is now posted on one of the A's fan boards. As of Tuesday the magic number was 24.


A's record: 75-56 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #131: A's 9, Red Sox 0

August 28, 2006 | A's vs. Boston

LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY

Finally I went to another A's game with Celeste this season. We sat in the right outfield seats and were fortunate enough to be surrounded by mostly A's fans. A couple of them in the row in front of us were quite impressed when Celeste brought out her book to score the game. Also with us was my mom who wanted to see the Red Sox in person. She was disappointed by the second stringers on tonight's Boston line-up.

• I told Celeste, "I want to love Loaiza." She said, "Just like any man, he has to earn it." He's on his way. Esteban Loaiza has had two really good starts in a row for the A's.


Can you see the gridiron on the field? It's that time of the year when the A's and the Raiders share the Coliseum. It'll only get worse as the A's play into the post-season. You know we will!

• Losing Red Sox pitcher Kason Gabbard (whoever he is) complained to the umpire about the pitcher's mound when he began the bottom of the 1st. Groundskeepers were summoned to smooth it over while A's fans booed Gabbard. He promptly gave up a walk to Jason Kendall.

• In the 4th, Boston first baseman and former Athletic Carlos Pena goes for a foul ball and lands in the stands. He doesn't even catch the ball!

• Some cool catches in this game by all the A's outfielders tonight — Bradley, Payton and Kielty. Kietly in particualr "earned his salary" as Celeste put it. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

• At one point the Red Sox got four outs in one inning! The A's executed a double play even though they were already two away.


Celeste scores each major and minor league game she attends and -- get this! -- attaches the game ticket in her scorebook.


Another view from our seats later in the evening. You can see the crescent moon in the night sky.

• And the best was yet to come. Former A's closer Keith Foulke takes the mound to get the last six outs for Boston. He gives up home runs to Frank Thomas and Nick Swisher in the 7th, and to Adam Melhuse in the 8th. The Melhuse homer was the most delicious one as he was called in to pinch hit for the Big Hurt and he hit it out of the park on the first pitch.

Game #130: A's 0, Rangers 3

The Ballpark, originally uploaded by sidehike.

August 27, 2006 | A's @ Texas

The A's offense wilted to nothing in the humid Texas climate.

Rangers' starter Vicente Padilla, motivated to make up for giving up back-to-back-to-back bombs to the A's last April, shuts out the A's through eight. Otsuka pitches a perfect 9th.

Danny Haren's K count today was a career-high 12. Awesome! When I saw Haren give up that two-run homer in the 2nd to Matt Stairs, I thought Haren still had time to hunker down. But without any run support at all, Haren simply couldn't win.

* However, we're still way ahead of the Rangers.
* Scott Sauerbeck has got to go.
* And we need Crosby back in shape by getting Crosby's back in shape.



(Game experience: FSN Bay Area)

A's record: 74-56 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #129: A's 5, Rangers 3

August 26, 2006 | A's @ Texas

Spoiled!

That's what I am. As Joe Blanton puts up one goose egg after another for the first four innings while the A's build a four-run lead, I assume we have another game in the bag. How spoiled I've become. I expect the A's to win all the time.

Texas shakes me out of my complacency when the likable Michael Young and Carlos Lee double one after the other to get on the board in the 6th. But we get an insurance run and, yes, the A's win.

• I lost track of the number of times the A's loaded the bases in this game. Was it four? No grand slams though.

• It's a source of amusement to see the Big Hurt running from base to base. He can't go very fast, but he sure can hit.

• And Nick Swisher's leadoff home run in the 4th was thrilling!

• Marco Scutaro and Mark Ellis are our underappreciated infielders. Scoot went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs. Ellis had a single and a double and his error today was his first error in something like 58 games.

• I vaguely remember Matt Stairs from his last year with the A's. To be exact, I mostly remember a sign in the right outfield seats that read, "HIT IT UP THE STAIRS MATT."

• Two rundowns against the A's: Ellis between third and home in the 4th (forceout) and Payton between first and second in the 9th (caught stealing). I find this unusual enough to note down.

• Blanton strikes out six in 6.2 innings and picks up his 14th win. Kiko Calero isn't solid, but Joe Kennedy and closer du jour Justin Duchscherer are. By the way, is it my imagination, is my memory failing me, or did Kennedy gain weight?

And here's an admittedly nonsense thought: why don't we reschedule the World Series for August when the A's are consistently hot?


(Game experience: FSN Bay Area)

A's record: 74-55 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #128: A's 9, Rangers 3

August 25, 2006 | A's @ Texas

7:44 PM
Barry Zito's no-hitter is broken up by Mark DeRosa at the top of the 8th. The once quiet Texas crowd in Arlington comes alive with cheers, but here in Oakland we gasp in disappointment.

Zito allowed only one walk through seven innings. The walk came in the 2nd inning and it was worked by that pest, DeRosa.

This is still a brilliant outing by Zito and I think the A's will win this game. I'm just pausing for a moment to say, "Rats!"

How cool it would've been if Zito threw a no-hitter... A's 3, Rangers 0

8:08 PM
Take that, Texas! You took away our no-hitter and we're humiliating you with six runs scored in the top of the 9th! A's 9, Rangers 0

8:22 PM
DARN YOU, TEXAS! A's 9, Rangers 2

8:28 PM
Game over. Barry Zito's 100th win with the A's. The Rangers rallied to avoid a shutout, but we're still 8 games ahead of them. A's 9, Rangers 3

I love Barry Zito.

Check out the well-A-meter.


(Game experience: KYCY 1550 AM from the 6th inning)

A's record: 73-55 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 5

Game #127: A's 6, Blue Jays 0

August 23, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

Unlike the last time the A's were away, I haven't been able to stay on top of the games this week. My apologies.

When I finally got the chance to tune into a radio for a little bit, the score was 6-zip A's. Ha ha! And then I heard some fascinating things from Vince Cotroneo: Esteban Loaiza retired 10 in a row... Esteban Loiaza threw only 30 pitches to get through something like three innings... Esteban Loaiza was averaging two pitches per batter.

In the end, it was a 103-pitch complete game shutout from the same Esteban Loaiza I've been mocking all season! (What if Loaiza were to continue to pitch at the level we've all been expecting from him?)

Could it finally be happening?

Could everything be slowly coming together?

The A's have been playing .761 ball this month. What did I just hear them say on Baseball Tonight? "It's August. It's the A's. They're winning." And they're doing this during a season of injuries. (What if Rich Harden were to come back in time for the playoffs? Be still my beating heart!)

• Frank Thomas continues to produce. He hits a two-run HR that's also #475 for his career.
• Milton Bradley hits a three-run homer. I saw a highlight where he and Swish do their handshake-kick thing. I never get tired of it. So heartwarming!


(Game experience: Very little.)

A's record: 72-55 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #126: A's 3, Blue Jays 4

August 22, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

I completely missed this game unfortunately. (Or fortunately?)

Brad Halsey was mostly pitching in, but left a couple of them up.

I'm going to be magnanimous and let the Blue Jays have a win. They have bigger organizational problems if the manager and players have issues with each other.

Besides, the A's have won 15 out of 20 games this August. We're five games ahead of the Angels. Six games ahead of the Rangers. And Seattle has been on a losing streak going into the double digits.

(Game experience: Absolutely none. *sigh*)

A's record: 71-55 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #125: A's 12, Blue Jays 10

August 21, 2006 | A's @ Toronto

You want offense?

We got offense. All kinds of offense!

• I took a peek at MLB Gameday at the 3rd inning, thank goodness. It would've ruined my afternoon if I thought Dan Haren allowed the Blue Jays to score eight runs and the A's had zip. As it turned out, I think Haren only needed some time to settle down whereas Toronto's Ted Lilly... had a really bad day.

• Isn't it amazing that Haren won this game? Look at this line: 5.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR. I'm glad that Haren got the win (bringing him to 12-9). He's an excellent pitcher who deserves to have the luck come his way. He's won six starts in a row, a better reflection of his capabilities. Remember that stretch from mid-June to late July when he simply couldn't win?

• Scandalous! That's what I think of Toronto Manager John Gibbons reportedly getting into a fight with Lilly, a former A's starter. I saw the highlights after the game concluded and it showed Lilly talking back when Gibbons came to the mound pull Lilly out (above). Not cool.

But then later, Gibbons follows Lilly to the tunnel at the end of the dugout where the fight ensued. Now that's even worse! Your boss can't get physical with you at work! All this makes me feel bad for the Blue Jays, our cousins.

• Mom watched the game on TV. Most of it. Mom tends to get nervous during suspenseful moments of a game. She'll say, "I can't watch anymore" and she'll leave the room to calm down. When Kiko Calero (who Mom loves) surrendered base hits to Frank Catalonotto and Vernon Wells, she stopped watching when Troy Glaus came to bat. And so she missed Payton's homer in the top of the 9th.

• Caught glimpses of Barry Zito onscreen during the end of the game. He's so good-looking it makes me want to cuss. And I don't cuss!

• I'm looking forward to Brad Halsey's return to the A's from the minors for tomorrow's start, as promised. He faces RHP A.J. Burnett.



(Game experience: A peek at MLB Gameday after the 3rd, 8th inning on radio, the bottom of the 9th on TV)

A's record: 71-54 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #124: A's 6, Royals 4

August 20, 2006 | A's @ Kansas City

I missed this game because of the weird game time. But I was able to catch Nick Swisher's 26th home run over the radio. Kirk Saarloos got the win for the A's.

On the downside, Huston Street is on the DL.


(Game experience: Heard Swisher's two-run HR on the radio)

A's record: 70-54 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #123: A's 7, Royals 2

August 19, 2006 | A's @ Kansas City

So our offense hasn't deserted the A's... we still have hope.

Frank Thomas's surprise double, Mark Ellis's long ball in the 9th (just to rub it into the Royals), and even Bobby Crosby is immediately effective in his return from the DL.

Speaking of DL, they kept saying on the radio that Huston Street is "unavailable today" and that his groin injury might land him on the disabled list. In the phenomenally short time it took Huston Street to get from college to the big leagues, we A's fans have gone from thinking we have an automatic closer to we have a very good closer to who the heck in the bullpen is gonna close for us?

So what we need are strong outings from our starters as Barry Zito demonstrated today. This is typical of how he exhibits leadership on the A's. Starts like this remind me that Zito doesn't deserve the ribbing I give him.

If I want to laugh at someone, I suppose I should laugh at the Royals' losing starter and former A's tag-along Mark Redman. But honestly, that guy isn't even on my radar.


(Game experience: KYCY 1550 AM)

A's record: 69-54 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #122: A's 3, Royals 5

August 18, 2006 | A's @ Kansas City

DOUBLEHEADER DISAPPOINTMENT PART II

I blame Ken Macha.

Why didn't he leave Duchscherer in there for a little bit longer?

I saw Duchscherer on TV say "Son of a bitch" when Macha came to get the ball from him.

I can't believe Macha was going to let Huston Street get five outs.

Now look what happened!



(Game experience: Some FSN BA)

A's record: 68-54 | streak: L-2 | well-A-meter: 2

Game #24: A's 1, Royals 7

August 18, 2006 | A's @ Kansas City

DOUBLEHEADER DISAPPOINTMENT PART I

Joe Blanton gave up two runs and eight hits in six innings. AND he hit two batters with pitches.


(Game experience: None)

A's record: 68-53 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #121: A's 4, Mariners 0

August 16, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

15 Consecutive Wins against the Mariners

Favorite part #1:

Dan Haren gets himself into a bases-loaded situation with only one away in the top of the 4th. In a case like this, I'd like to see him get two Ks in a row. AND HE DOES IT! He strikes out Bloomquist and the second strikeout was to Ichiro!

For tonight, Haren K count = 8

Favorite part #2:

The run-scoring balk! I was already taken with Nick Swisher in the bottom of the 4th inning. He walked, he reached second on Scutaro's ground out, he advanced to third on Ellis's sac fly, then... an improbable play. Jason Kendall is at a 2-1 count when Mariners starter Gil Meche balks. What a cheap way to score a run, but what the heck WE'LL TAKE IT!

* * *

Satisfying reading from this morning:

The Hardball Times looks at the dominance of the A's over the Mariners this season.
"Thanks to the Mariners, the Oakland A's have quietly been the hottest team in the American League."

Fantastic headline from The Contra Costa Times. "A's Streak Reaches Ridiculous"


(Game experience: TV)

A's record: 68-52 | streak: W-6 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #120: A's 11, Mariners 2

August 15, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

Bottom of the 4th: Logging on to see how the boys are doing and I'm in time for the 4th inning.

Two outs from that DP and Mariners starter Joel Pineiro is giving up a ton of walks and hits! Five runs scored in a matter of minutes. Amazing. A's 9, Mariners 0.

Top of the 5th: Betancourt homers. Hey, what's going on here, Saarloos? The Mariners aren't supposed to be scoring in this game... A's 9, Mariners 1.

Top of the 6th: Apparently the Mariners aren't going to roll over even though the A's have beat them 13 games in a row. Jose Lopez doubles, moves to third on a wild pitch (Saarloos!!!), then scores with Adrian Beltre's base hit. A's 9, Mariners 2.

Bottom of the 6th: Ah, I needn't worry. The A's can do no wrong. Jake Woods is pitching for Seattle. He intentionally walks Jay Payton to load the bases, but an out later, he unintentionally walks Scutaro and it's now A's 10, Mariners 2. Now I know why they call games like this a "laugher."

Top of the 7th: Jay Witasick takes over for Kirk Saarloos. And somewhere in the East Bay my mother is yelling, NOOOOOOoooooo! Fortunately for Witasick, though he gives up a single and a walk, no damage is done by Seattle. It is an eight-run lead after all. A's 10, Mariners 2.

Top of the 8th: Scott Sauerbeck takes over from Jay Witasick. Have I forgiven Sauerbeck yet? Um, maybe not. I'm blaming him (and Witasick) for my Brad Halsey going down to the minors! A's 10, Mariners 2.

Bottom of the 8th: Tanner Boyle IMs, "[W]e are bringing in our scrubs and they brought in their closer."

I can't believe this! Scutaro singles and JayPay scores. Good golly! After all those one-run games, after all those wins with less than three runs, our cup overfloweth. Let's not spend it all in one place, boys! A's 11, Mariners 2.

Top of the 9th: I'm shutting down my computer soon to take a walk. I think it's pretty safe for me to shut down, don't you think? Kiko Calero is coming on and there's already one out.

I really like these home wins. I really like it when the A's get to finish the game without having to play the bottom of the 9th. I think they all must like going home early, including the fans and especially the Coliseum crew.

Two outs.

It must be what it's like for us cubicle rats when it's a Friday afternoon and the boss says we can go home at 2 PM and start an early weekend.

Game over. A's 11, Mariners 2.


(Game experience: Monitoring MLB.com Gameday from a cafe in North Oakland)

A's record: 67-52 | streak: W-5 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #119: A's 5, Mariners 4

August 14, 2006 | A's vs. Seattle

PICK-OFF OF ICHIRO FOR THE LAST OUT AND THE A'S WIN!

Another unusual game-ending play that makes me proud I was there. And No. 19 was right beside me! This is the second game in row that we've watched together as the A's come from behind.

• Not so memorable: Barry Zito's mediocrity. Here I am waiting to shower him with love and affection in what could possibly be one of his last nine starts in an A's uniform, but Barry Zito gives up seven hits and four runs in five innings. Eh. (Right now Joe Blanton has the most wins among the pitchers; he has 13. Zito has 12. Haren has 10.)


View from left outfield, though not exactly from the seat where I should've been. I went to the wrong row! (photo by wella)

• I wasn't sitting next to No. 19 for almost two full innings! She will fill you in with my faux pas at the Coliseum and other unforgivables, so be sure to check her comments.

• In the 3rd inning, Kielty cheats Jose Lopez of what could've been a stand-up double and keeps Lopez to a base hit. Zito gets himself out of this inning.

• Bottom of the 4th and it's 2-1 Seattle. Mark Ellis is up and No. 19 yells, "ATONE FOR YOUR SINS!" He obeys and sends the ball over the wall. His HR ties the game at 2-all.

• Frank Thomas's HR in the 5th was majestic.

• Joe Kennedy's back! And in his first appearance, he gets tonight's win. As No. 19 pointed out, Zito gave up the runs to Seattle in this game and the bullpen — Gaudin, Kennedy, Duchscherer shut them down.

• So it's the bottom of the 8th and the A's are down by a run, 4-3. Then Nick Swisher blasts a two-run HR and now the A's are ahead!

• No. 19 and I are excited as the top of the 9th begins. I'm hoping the A's win (as they've done the last three days) so we all go home half an inning early. It's like a bonus!

First, Kielty exits the game so Payton can move to left and allow Mark Kotsay to take over at center. Kotsay hasn't played in a week due to back problems. Bloomquist's fly ball heads for center, but not quite as far back as Kotsay is. He scrambles forward. I think, "It's Kotsay! Of course he can catch it." He does, but it looked hard.

We only need one more out. Everyone in the Coliseum gets to their feet. But it's Ichiro at bat and of course he gets a base hit.

So Ichiro is at first and Jose Lopez in the batter's box. Duchscherer has Lopez at two strikes. We're all hoping and waiting for a strikeout. And that's when Duchscherer throws to Swisher at first and Swisher tags Ichiro who's justthismuch too late back to first. Ichiro is picked off!

We're all blown away by such an unexpected out. I LOVE pick-offs and to witness a game-ending one where the A's win makes this one an especially memorable game for me. Check the well-A-meter.


(Game experience: Sec. 226 Row 8 Seat 14 with No. 19)

A's record: 66-52 | streak: W-4 | well-A-meter: 4

Photos from Game #116: A's 5, Rays 3

FINALLY! I downloaded my photos from last Friday's game to my other laptop so I could post them here. Sorry for the suspense. The pics are rather mediocre...


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: View from behind the A's dugout where Tanner Boyle has his season ticket seats.


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: Danny Haren returns to the dugout at the end of an inning.


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: As great as these seats are, the downside is that the players tend to look down as they approach the dugout so you can't always get their faces when snapping photos. But you recognize the Big Hurt, don't you?


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay, 5th inning: This is the "statistic" I hate the most. It's a factoid, it's trivia. Over the last three years, the A's are 17-3 in games where Bobby Kielty homers. I find this so ridiculous so I took a picture. At that exact pitch, Kielty hit a home run. And the A's did win the game, 5-2. But still...


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: Hey, you can see Swisher's face here!


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: Tanner Boyle and I went trigger happy with our digital cameras. I took 129 photos and also shot some video. Most of my pictures are total crap. I should've focused more on watching the game.


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: These three kids were sitting in the row in front of us and they received game balls from the field. At one point, the parent with them offered the baseball to other kids sitting nearby. "They have so many of these balls already," he said. I said, "I want one." And the guy blurted out, "You're too old!" Ah, my feelings were so hurt! In my next life, I want to come back as a six year old...


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: At one point, Jay Payton held an animated conversation with Ron Washington right in front of me. This is the best of the three photos I took at that time.


Game #116 A's vs. Tampa Bay: I took 15 photos of Huston Street. He threw 21 pitches.

all photos by wella

Game #118: A's 3, Rays 1

August 13, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

SWEEP!

I couldn't watch or listen to the game this afternoon. But tonight I got together with four of my high school classmates (which is quite remarkable when you consider our high school is on a different continent) and one of them, Cecile, went to the game with her kids. She was the one who told me the final score was 3-1.

She told me that the Rays got an early 1-0 lead, but in the 7th, Frank Thomas got a base hit. Then Eric Chavez banged it out of the park and it was now 2-1, A's.

But how did the A's get the third run? "Was it Milton Bradley?" I asked. "Was it Nick Swisher?" Cecile couldn't remember. "I think I was getting ice cream," she said.

How it went at the bottom of the 8th: N Swisher safe at first on throwing error by shortstop B Zobrist, M Scutaro scored, J Kendall to second. [ESPN.com]

Why Did I Say That?: Eric Chavez, originally uploaded by wonderbread74.

It was very cool to find out Cecile takes her sons to A's games several times each summer by taking advantage of the Family Fun Pack promotions. If you haven't heard of this before, it's an A's deal where you can buy four tickets (usually in the outfield) for certain games at the low, low price of $10 per ticket AND each person gets a regular hotdog, soda, and bag of chips. The promotion is geared towards casual fans, but they're not the only ones who take advantage of it.

SWEET!

* Chavy's first home run since July 19 in Baltimore.
* Huston Street is now at save #29.
* Esteban Loaiza goes a full eight with five Ks and two walks. He gave up only 3 hits and 1 run.


(Game experience: None)

A's record: 65-52 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #117: A's 6, Rays 3

August 12, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

I felt sorry for Rays starter Casey Fossum in that 2nd inning.

Though it's nice to be on the receiving end of a pitcher's nightmare inning. Poor Fossum faced 11 batters — he started with Chavy then went all through the line-up to see Chavy and JayPay a second time! Fossum walked five in this one inning and two of those walks were with the bases already loaded. The A's scored five runs in this inning.

Huston Street gets save #28.


(Game experience: Some FSN BA)

A's record: 64-52 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #116: A's 5, Rays 2

August 11, 2006 | A's vs. Tampa Bay

Tanner Boyle took me to this game. You recall he has the sweet season ticket seats behind the A's dugout. For some reason, we both brought our cameras — we've never done this before — and went mad snapping pictures.

All I know is, the A's won this game. I don't recall how.

[Updated 8/12/06 at 1:05 PM]
So I lost my wireless access on the laptop that has the photos I downloaded yesterday. Sheesh. It's too complicated living in this digital age. I'll post my pics and commentary when I figure out which computer to use.


(Game experience: Sec. 121 Row 6 Seat 12)

A's record: 63-52 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #115: A's 0, Rangers 14

August 9, 2006 | A's vs. Texas

I take it back! I don't mind one-run games!

It slipped my mind that we had a day game today. When I found out the score, my jaw dropped.

And that's not all:

* Brad Halsey gave up three runs and got sent down. In case anyone has forgotten, Halsey has been my crush these last few weeks. But I read that he'll be back after a couple of starts in the minors.

Brad Halsey, originally uploaded by Chuck Taylor.

* Milton Bradley got ejected. What is up with all these ejections? This is so un-A's-like. And I don't want Bradley haters to jump all over him for this.
* Three errors by the A's!
* Zito gave up 11 hits!
* Jay Witasick returns and hurts his ankle again or something. This is the type of guy who should get the incentive-laden contract like what Frank Thomas has. At this rate, Witasick should be giving each fan $5 back. Just kidding. He has a 16.20 ERA, that's a joke enough.

The worst shut-out loss ever at the Coliseum.


(Game experience: None)

A's record: 62-52 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #114: A's 7, Rangers 6

August 8, 2006 | A's vs. Texas

I'm at the Google Dance (the party, not the index update!), but I just had to sneak away to see what's going on with the A's.

Catching up on Gameday, I see balls have been flying out of the park.

3rd inning: The Rangers have two two-run home runs. That equals four. And then Shane Komine left the game. A's 0, Rangers 4.

4th inning: On-the-mend Nick Swisher is hitting again! He responds with a three-run jack to make this a one-run game. Then sizzling Jay Payton ties it up with his own bomb. A's 4, Rangers 4.

7th inning: Jason Kendall hits a home run — just kidding! Kendall's sac fly scores Mark Ellis and now we're ahead! A's 5, Rangers 4.

8th inning: The A's start piling it on... They add a couple more runs. A's 7, Rangers 4.

9th inning: Huston Street's here! But the Rangers are nothing if not offensive. Ha ha. You know what I mean. They just turned this back into a one-run game...

My gosh! What exactly happened? Teixeira out on strikes, Blalock drives in two runs, deRosa strikes out, and the pinch runner for Blalock is out because of batter's interference. And just like that, ballgame over.

I need some multimedia! I need audio-visuals!

Ahhh... another A's win. Another nailbiting one-run game.



(Game experience: None, until I checked MLB Gameday in the bottom of the 8th.)

A's record: 62-51 | streak: W-6 | well-A-meter: 4

Game #113: A's 7, Rangers 4 (update 8/09)

August 7, 2006 | A's vs. Texas

FIVE IN A ROW!

Went to the game with Steve & Suzanne and Robie. I ate sushi, chocolate, and a hotdog (in that order).

Highlights:

• Mark Ellis's HR and double. He also had a great defensive play.
• Milton Bradley's HR.
• Frank Thomas — he's always a highlight.

As tempted as I was to rag on Loaiza, I was glad he got the win. (His fifth of the season. In a game where he gave up 10 hits in less than seven innings. Oh, am I ragging?)

Steve calls him Esteban Lo-why's he pitching?

I have more stuff, but I'll have to flesh it out in a little bit.

Updated 8/08:
Tanner Boyle was also at this game, but he was in his cushy season ticket seat two rows behind the A's dugout. He had an excellent view of the third base line and reported this on Ellis's two-run double.

wash was waving scutaro home. and he put up the stop sign right as scutaro was about to touch third. scutaro had no hope of stopping. and got picked off. first time i can remember Wash making a mistake. i don't pay close attention to that all the time. but still all in all you don't see a lot of bad baserunning at third that you can blame on wash.

Updated 8/09:
This is the view from where we sat. Yes, we were in right field by the foul pole. Of course in this game NO foul balls or homers went our way... grumble, grumble.

A woman behind me said, "If I ever catch a foul ball, I'm not giving it to a kid. I'm keeping it for myself. I'm almost 50 years old! When would I catch a foul ball again?" Amen.




Steve & Suzanne like to smooch at the end of every game. "Get a room!"

Last year Steve almost got me killed outside of Raley Field. So this year he's been taking me to baseball games to make up for it.

If you guys take me to a playoff game, Steve, we'll call it even.





This family was sitting in front of us. You can't see it very well in the photo, but on the white A's hat is a pin with an LED display that scrolls the message, "GO A'S!"

Where do I get one of those?!







(Game experience: Sec. 103 Row 30 Seat 2)

A's record: 61-51 | streak: W-5 | well-A-meter: 3

What a dork!

Some time ago my co-worker Jay stumbled across a web page where this guy listed every video and computer game he played and rated each of them.

I forget what Jay said, but I think the gist of it was, "What a dork!"

I said, "What's wrong with that?"

Jay couldn't believe the gamer made a list.

"Well, I made a list."

"Of what?" Jay said.

"Every baseball game I attended."

I think Jay was being polite because he didn't say anything, but he may have rolled his eyes when I wasn't looking.

So yeah, I've kept this list for some time now. And earlier this season I put it online, of all places. Now I think I'm ready to unveil it to the public.

I know it seems dorky. Feel free to roll your eyes, if you wish. I can already hear Tanner Boyle laughing. But it makes total sense to me that I should keep a Complete List of Baseball Games I've Attended.

Game #112: A's 7, Mariners 6

August 6, 2006 | A's @ Seattle

Just when I thought we'd have a comfortable cushion, the Mariners put up a fight...

• I didn't catch the first part of the game so it was a bit of a surprise for me to learn that the Mariners started this game ahead, 2-0.

• Frank Thomas hits home run #24 in the 3rd and drives in three runs. He gets an RBI single later in the game. He's so good for the A's...

• Nick Swisher also had a home run (#23) and a single.

Big Sexy, originally uploaded by Peace Lvr.

• When Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson hits a home run, they flash the sign, "Big Sexy" on the screen, or so I'm told. Fortunately, big Richie didn't do much damage to the A's today.

• Joe Blanton goes six and earns his 12th win.

• There was that scary 7th when my crush Brad Halsey couldn't get an out! The Mariners started catching up! Even Duchscherer was scaring me.

It's another one-run win, but a win nonetheless. Whew! I didn't want us to be sweep-less in Seattle...



(Game experience: KYCY 1550 AM for latter innings)

A's record: 60-51 | streak: W-4 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #111: A's 5, Mariners 2

August 5, 2006 | A's @ Seattle

We got a win streak going!

Yeah, I know it's only three games, but that's something. And the score is the same as yesterday (5-2) and, more importantly, it's not another freaking one-run game.

I'm actually able to relax a bit during this series.

And my boy Haren gets his 9th win.


(Game experience: Tried to listen to the radio while working on my Internet access issues, but I got very aggravated — and not with the game. I want to slander AT&T Yahoo DSL. I hope their eponymously-named ballpark burns down. And I swear I'm switching over to Gmail before the month of August is over.)

A's record: 59-51 | streak: W-3 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #110: A's 5, Mariners 2

Safeco Field, originally uploaded by jutecht.

August 4, 2006 | A's @ Seattle

Hooray for Seattle! We finally play a weaker team!

I mean seriously, the A's have spent the last coupla weeks facing the Angels, the Blue Jays, the Red Sox, the Tigers... Can we have some feast time, please?

• And why not the Mariners? I like these guys, I love the city of Seattle, and I especially love that the A's can beat the Mariners consistently and I don't feel sorry for them.

• So like Zito gets enough run support even as he allows seven hits. Damn, Zito looks good in profile when he's on the mound. Even as I savor these precious Zito starts, Scott Boras's eyeballs are flashing dollar $ign$ with each Zito win.

• Saw some really good plays on TV: the two DPs that Zito induced, Jose Lopez caught stealing, Jay Payton's catch, etc. (I wanted to do some live blogging last night, but my Internet access issues are still being resolved.)

• Marco Scutaro got a walk, single, double, and HR. Neat!

• On the downside, Bobby Crosby is on the DL because of a strained back. (Get better, Bobby!) This time, however, I don't feel like the A's are going to fall apart because he isn't in the line-up.

• Richie Sexson's solo HR was satisfying and did no damage. Actually, I missed the actual HR because I changed channels and got mighty distracted with the Giants-Rockies game. I saw Barry Bonds argue the strike and anyone could tell he was going to get ejected about three seconds before he did get ejected. I was a little amused by his fans who threw soda bottles and other trash on the field and interrupted the game as Bonds sulked in the dugout. Nice to see the most unlikable player in baseball has a posse.


(Game experience: Action 36 Cable 6)

A's record: 58-51 | streak: W-2 | well-A-meter: 3

Special Edition: Staying healthy

So many of the A's have had stints on the DL this season, maybe they should set up a clinic in the Coliseum parking lot. MLB.com reports that Nick Swisher has mono.

And, as we all know, baseball players aren't like you and me. When I get a bad cold, I call in sick. Nick Swisher gets mono, but he still has to show up at work. And this is why they speculate he's slumping.

Now all I know about mononucleosis is that it's also called "the kissing disease." I don't want to jump to conclusions and bad punchlines, so I did what anyone would do when they want to get themselves informed about a medical matter.

I did a Google search.

(And by the way, last May Google launched Google Co-op which enables a refined search when you query certain subjects such as health or travel. You can see this for yourself if you do a google.com search for "mononucleosis" and see a bunch of links that show up near the top of the search results to help you narrow down your search and find sites that labeled by folks such as the Mayo Clinic and Health on the Net Foundation.)

I read more at familydoctor.org about this infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus that usually affects those between the ages of 15 and 35. The virus, found in saliva and mucus, is passed through kissing though in rare cases it can be passed by coughing.

And the site also said this:

Avoid sports, activities or exercise of any kind until your doctor tells you it's safe. Moving around too much puts you at risk of rupturing your spleen. You need to avoid physical activities for about 3 to 4 weeks after the infection starts.

Okay then.

Well I hope Swish gets better and gets out of his slump soon!

Special Edition: "On the DL"

Brendan reminded me about this quiet little blog called On the DL
which covers the um, off-field activities of baseball players.

This week they targeted the A's as they encounter Lick Girl.
These photos say the whole story.

She tries to lick Huston Street.

She tries to lick Joe Blanton.

She tries to lick Nick Swisher.


She tries...
...but Joe Kennedy would have none of it.

And suddenly, I respect Joe Kennedy so much I can't wait for him to get
back from the DL!

Link

Game #109: A's 3, Angels 2

August 2, 2006 | A's @ Los Angeles Angels

I can't believe we won!

Not to say I don't have faith in the A's, but when No. 19 IM'ed to tell me the A's won, I was flabbergasted.

Earlier in the afternoon, Tanner had sent me some important score info (tied at 1-1, tied at 2-2, etc.). Strangely enough, the scoring mimicked yesterday's game.

• Poor Loaiza pitches only into the 5th inning. He gets another ND.

• Jay Payton got hit in the hand by Scot Shields and almost went berserk. No, he did not storm the mound to attack Shields.

"The anger was more toward the fact my hand might be broken. I know [Shields] is a good guy." - Jay Payton [MLB.com]

• And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Huston Street got the final six outs of the game. These days I'm skeptical as to whether he has it in him...

• Hooray for Mark Kotsay for getting the go-ahead single in the 8th and for Marco Scutaro for his run in the 5th, apparently a heads-up play where he went straight for home from second while the Angels were preoccupied trying to get an out at first.

And the most delicious part of this: we're 1 1/2 games ahead of the Angels, ha ha ha!


(Game experience: Helpful IMs from Tanner Boyle and No. 19. Read up on MLB.com and ESPN.com)

A's record: 57-51 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: 3

Game #108: A's 2, Angels 3

August 1, 2006 | A's @ Los Angeles Angels

Well that was disgusting.

• I don't want to be harsh on Joe Blanton, but errors are expensive when the opposing team is fighting you for first place. And giving up nine hits in 6.2 innings isn't helping either.
• In the 6th, when Mark Kotsay was thrown out at the plate, it was the right call. He was SO not safe. But I was pissed off anyway.
• Kudos to JayPay for his second home run in as many days. Error forgiven.
• That was pretty scary how K-Rod nearly took Thomas's head off in the 8th. It's easy for us spectators to forget that the batter must quell the fear of getting hit by a ball being thrown very hard within inches of many vulnerable parts of his body. And yet Thomas dodged, then got ready for the next pitch.
• I hate how googley-eyed K-Rod pumps his fist and yells when he wins. Disgusting, I tell you.



Yes, the well-A-meter jumps down a full two points. I'm most concerned about whether the A's can get a winning streak going and build the record needed to dominate the AL West.


(Game experience: First half of game on radio, second half on TV.)

A's record: 56-51 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2