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
posted by blank book at 7:58 PM
2 Comments:
A pitcher having an altercation with his manager is not unprecedented. In 1980, Giants pitcher John "The Count" Montefusco was removed from a game with the lead in the bottom of the 5th inning, denying him the opportunity to earn a win. After the game, The Count went to manager Dave Bristol's office and said he didn't want to pitch for a manager who had no faith in him. Dave Bristol responded with "You're not The Man. I'm The Man!" and challenged The Count to a fight. Montefusco refused, saying he didn't want to hit an old man. Manager Dave Britol went ahead and decked his starting pitcher. On the front page of the Chronicle the next day was The Count with a shiner under his left eye. Needless to say, neither manager nor pitcher returned to the team the following season.
Haren set an A's record for most runs allowed by a winning starting pitcher {9). The stars seem to be aligning with the A's.
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