Matt Holliday to A's: Furcal, Giambi next???

The A's officially acquired Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Greg Smith, Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez on Wednesday afternoon. Billy Beane has been saying all off-season that his #1 priority would be to improve the A's lackluster offense. He certainly did so in acquiring Holliday, however, is Mr. Beane done.

Avsolutely not, I know Billy is not crazy enough to think that holliday by himself is enough to put the A's in the playoffs. There have been many rumors that Beane would be interested in signing Rafael Furcal and even trying to bring back Giambi after his stint with the Yankees. I would love to see someone like Furcal with the A's, he would provide a quality leadoff hitter, something the A's have lacked for quite sometime. However, overpaying for Furcal would be the wrong thing to do and if it takes a 4 year contract worth an excess of 40 million to get him, then I say pass.

Giambi on the other hand would be quite interesting, he's been here before and he has always been a favorite of Beane's. I think a two year deal would be extremely fair at somewhere around 6 to 8 million a year. If Giambi and his agent decide they want three years then I don't think that's smart. It may be only one more year, but Giambi turns 38 in January and he is already way past his prime. Two years is a perfect fit for the A's and hopefully Giambi can realize that. Plus if he does came back to Oakland, he will have an In-N-Out burger right across the street from Mcaffee Coliseum, and it was well documented how much Giambi loves those double-doubles.

Giambi in 09

Jason Giambi will be an Oakland Athletic in 2009, something just tells me that it's going to happen. Giambi has always loved In-N-Out so maybe the A's can work out a deal with In-N-Out to give him free food for life if he signs with the A's next year. Just some food for thought.


P.S. Giambi will be an Oakland Athletic, GUARANTEED!!!

Should the A's pack it in.

As it stands right now the A's have nothing left to play for, except to give the rookies some experience for next year. The popular consensus is for the A's to lose most of their games in order to ensure a better draft pick. Right now the A's are in line for the 11th pick. However, with a couple of losing streaks they could right in line for the 5th pick. As a fan I find myself conflicted with this situation, on the one hand I'd like for the A's to win, but a pick at #5 would sure bring in a very valuable player for the future. This decision in the end comes down to pride, and if I had it my way I would hope for the A's to win most of their games even if it means they pick 11th instead of 5th.

If fans keep waiting for tomorrow instead of focusing on today, they might be disappointed if and when tomorrow never comes. The future is never a sure thing, the present is. The A's have a lot of young players making an impact on the big club right now. Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Sweeney, and Joey Devine all have bright futures, so fans should enjoy the players who are here now not players who are still years away such as a draft pick.

Rivercats and Ports win Championship

The Sacramento Rivercats defeated Oklahoma yesterday to win the PCL championship. Carlos Gonzalez drove in 4 runs, and Brett Anderson pitched 7 quality innings. The Rivercats are now back to back champions of the PCL a pretty amazing. Gonzalez should be recalled to the big club and try and pick up where he left off with Sacramento. I wouldn't be surprised if Brett Anderson made a start in the big leagues, however, this is very unlikely.

The Ports defeated Lancaster yesterday 9-3 to win the California League Championship. Chris Carter hit 2 HomeRuns and Donaldson continued his great pace in the playoffs by hitting a triple. Carter ended the yera with 44 HomeRuns, a great accomplishment for a 21 year old kid. Hopefully he will have a successful transition to AA and maybe even reach AAA next year. He should be up in Oakland by 2010 at the latest.

Stockton Ports win game #2

The Ports pulled off a stunning upset last night as they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, to pull away with a 7-6 win. Tyson Ross a draft pick this year made his High A debut and went 5 innings allowing only 3 uneared runs. The errors committed behind him did not affect him at all, a lot of young pitcers could have let down after the errors. However, Ross dug deep and kept making quality pitches. That was very impressive especially for a pitcher who was just drafted. Josh Donaldson the Catcher who was acquired in the Harden deal continued his tear of the playoffs, hitting his second homerun in as many games.

The Ports will host the next two games of the playoffs, starting tonight at 7:00 pm.

Qoute of the Day

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

-Thomas Jefferson

Quote of the Day (Money)

There is some magic in wealth, which can thus make persons pay their court to it, when it does not even benefit themselves. How strange it is, that a fool or knave, with riches, should be treated with more respect by the world, than a good man, or a wise man in poverty!

-Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1764

Stockton Ports in Playoffs

The Ports the single A team of the A's, have made the playoffs and will be taking on the San Jose Giants. The first game is tonight at 6pm and the second game is tomorrow at 5pm both games at San Jose. Ther Ports are led by Chris Carter who was aqcuired in the Haren deal, he hit 39 homeruns this year and he hit 2 homeruns in the three game series vs the Modesto Nuts to see who'd make it to the playoffs. Carter has excellent power, but he strikesout way too much. He's done a little better job of limiting his strikeout rate in the second half, but not much better. Carter is drawing a lot of comparisions to Adam Dunn, which I don't really agree with. Sure they both have excellent power, and both strikeout a lot, but I feel Carter has the ability to hit for a higher average than Dunn does. He's only 21, so he has a lot of time to improve his contact. I'm thinking he's more like a Frank Thomas. Either way Carter is an intriguing prospect and should have a productive rest of his career. He'll definitely help the Ports in this series vs the Giants.

I'm predicting the Ports take this series in 4 games.

Game 1 of DoubleHeader vs the Orioles is postponed

The first game of the doubleheader has been postponed due to heavy rain. As of right now it looks really unlikely that the second game will be played as well. That is a shame, because Josh Outman was going to make his first major league start. Outman aqcuired from the Phillies in the Blanton deal is 23 years old and is a hard throwing lefty. He seems to lack quality second pitches, but if he can locate his fastball I feel he'll be fine. Hopefully Outman is able to make a start before the end of this season, it would be nice to see how he handles starting in the majors.

Quote of the Day

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.

- Muhammad Ali

A's lose doubleheader opener

The A's lost for the second consecutive time to the lousy Kansas City Royals, by a score of 5-4 in 10 innings. Dana Eveland went 6 innings allowing 10 hits and 4 runs. He didn't walk anybody, which is encouraging considering that was the reason he was sent down. His new delivery that he developed in his brief stint in Sacramento, has been working wonders for his command. I'm very high on him and feel he will be on the staff next year again.

Aaron Cunningham hit his first triple of his short career, and ended up going 1-3 with a walk. Jack Cust drove in 2 runs, Barton hit a solo shot as he continues his recent hot streak, and Crosby drove in a run as well. Devine ended up getting the loss, but he's been solid since he's come back from his injury and I see him starting next year as the closer.

Let's hope the A's can get the back end of this doubleheader.

Qoute of the Day

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

- Abraham Lincoln

Josh Outman impressive in Debut

Josh Outman made his major league debut yesterday and pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out two as well. He was consistently hitting 95 mph on the gun, which is very impressive coming from a lefty. Outman was acquired from the Phillies along with Adrian Cardenas and Mathew Spencer in the Joe Blanton deal. Outman has been used as both a starter and a reliever, he says he prefers to be a starter but that he has liked pitching in relief as well. I would like to see Outman as a starter, not because he can't be an effective reliever, but I think he has too much talent and is far too young to be turned into a reliever right now. He has a plus fastball, a good slider and a decent changeup. If I had to compare him to a major league pitcher, I would say he's like Jeff Francis (Colorado Rockies Starter) they're both hard throwing lefties with good secondary pitches.

Hopefully Outman gets the opportunity to start a game or two this year, so he can gain some experience from starting at the major league level. Outman is not even in the top three pitching prospects for the A's (Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez) are all above him, this demonstrates just how impressive the A's minor league pitchers are. As an A's fan as hard as it is to watch them struggle right now, I have faith that they will be a really good team come 2010 if not next year.

Gio still looking rusty

Gio Gonzalez had another unimpressive performance yesterday against one of the worst teams in the American League (KC Roayals) He gave up a three run homerun on a high fastball to Billy Butler and a solo shot to Ryan Shealy. All in all he went 4 innings, gave up 4 runs, 3 of them earned and struck out 5.

It's clear that Gonzalez has not gotten off to the start he was hoping for, however, I am not giving up on him just yet. He has the stuff to be a quality pitcher at the major league level, his strikeout rate is very good. His velocity is not what all the scouting reports had on him. I read that he threw around 93 mph and was consistently in that 91-93 area. However, since being called up he has constantly been in the 88-90 mph area not what I was expecting. It is late in the year so he may be a bit tired, so I'll wait until next year to see if he can really throw 93 mph consistently. I hvae been really impressed with his curveball, it is definitely one of the best in the game, if he learns to command it he will be very successful.

The biggest issue I have with Gonzalez is his inability to throw strikes consistently. Not only does he not throw strikes, but his pitches are usually nowhere near the strikezone, which keeps the hitters from swinging at them. Gonzalez needs to figure out how to throw strikes in a hurry if he ever wants to be successful.

Quote of the Day (Leadership)

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

-Martin Luther King, Jr

Aaron Cunningham makes impressive debut

Aaron Cunningham was called up on Sunday after Frank Thomas was placed on the 15 day d.l. Cunningham struckout in his first two at bats, however, he hit a ground rule double to rightfield, and hit a single up the middle to drive in two runs. Cunningham can provide the A's with a righthanded bat, something the A's have always seemed to lack. He's only 22 years old so he has a lot of time to grow, but I can see him becoming a very solid player. He doesn't possess the the dynamic tools that top prospects do, however, he is solid in all of them. Think Eric Byrnes and Aaron Rowand like. Not too shabby.

Quote of the Day

"Relax? How can anybody relax and play golf? You have to grip the club, don't you?"

-Ben Hogan

A's win A's win

Dallas Braden did his best Justin Duchscerer impersonation tonight, going 7 innings and allowing only 1 run. I was hoping he'd be allowed to go out for the 8th, but Geren used Devine and Ziegler to close it out. The A's offense as usual was anemic, however, Daric Barton hit his 7th homerun of the season off of Jared Weaver. Barton has been coming on of late, he seems to enjoy the home stretch a lot. He did awfully well last September when he got the called up. Another bright spot was Mr. Ziegler, he recorded his 5th save in as many chances, getting the Angels out 1-2-3. Ziegler has said that he doesn't envision himself as a closer, however, the way he's going I'd like for him to stay there the rest of the year.

Hopefully the A's get another one tomorrow.

Quote of the Day

Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing.

Phil Jackson

A's take on Angels tonight

The A's take on the Anaheim or Los Angeles Angels (Whatever) tinight in Anaheim. Dallas Braden takes his 3-3 record against Jared Weavers 10-9 mark. On paper the tonights matchup heavily favors the Angels, but Braden has been pitching well of late. In fact you can make the case that he's the best starter going for the A's, out of the five they have now (ie., doesn't include Duchscherer). Hopefully he'll be able to continue his recent trend of quality starts and stick it to the Angels. Nothing would be sweeter than to spoil the Angels plan of having the best record.

Go A's!

Quote of the Day

I've decided that I'm going to have a quote of the day from here on out, hope it's enjoyable. I will try and put up a lot of baseball quotes, but I'll mix and match as I continue with this.

"The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money and that's it, not for the love of it, the excitement of it, the thrill of it."

- Ty Cobb

A's still yet to win a series

The A's lost by the score of 8-4 to the Mariners today. Dan Meyer went for the A's and pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs. Meyer is running out of chances if he wants to stick with the A's, he has to impress in his next two starts or he will probably never get a chance to start for the A's again. I say this due to the fact that the A's have a ton of pitching talent in the minor leagues, (B. Anderson, T. Cahill, J. Simmons, V. Mazzarro, J. Outman, H. Rodriguez). Also, Meyer is getting older and doesn't have the stuff that he once did when he was with the Braves. I wish him the best, but I honestly feel that a change of scenery would do him well.

The A's also failed at winning their first series since the all-star break. They are the only team in the majors who hasn't won a series in the second half, pretty embarrassing for a team with a ton of tradition. I can see Connie Mack rolling over in his grave as I type this, I doubt he would be able to stand all this losing .

On the bright side D. Barton is doing much better and had the best series of any A, with Crosby coming in a close second. I hope Barton is able to have a great end to the season, this would do wonders for his psyche coming into next season. I think he was beginning to doubt his abilities a little, but I hope after this series he can stay positive and believe in himself.

A's fail again

The A's had an opportunity to make iT two wins in a row on friday night against the Mariners, however, they lost 7-5. Gio Gonzalez pitched decently, going 5 innings and giving up 4 runs. He was in line for the win, but Blevins gave it up. The A's look to get back on track tonight with Dana Eveland making his return to the rotation.

Eveland has been working on a new delivery, saying that he's starting his windup with his hands his belt. He said this has made him more consistent in throwing strikes, which was a big factor of why he was sent down in the first place. Hopefully Eveland will be able to translate his new delivery and be as effective as he was in the 1st half. I have a good feeling that Eveland will be able to regain the success he had, before the control problems.

Can the A's make it two in a row

The A's haven't won consecutive games since July 10th and 11th. However, today the A's have an opportunity to make it two in a row as Gio Gonzalez looks to rebound after being roughed up in his last outing. Gonzalez has a good chance to do so, as he is facing a Mariners team that is downright awful. Seattle, who many so called experts expected to win the AL West this year, has been by far the worst team in the AL. You have to feel for Ichiro, who deserves so much better from his teammates. The A's, however, must take advantage of a weak team, doing so will allow A's fans to take comfort in the fact that at least the A's aren't as bad as them.

Other A's News:
- The A's placed Justin Duchscherer and Sean Gallagher on the 15 day dl, and have recalled Dana Evelan and Dan Meyer. This gives the A's a rotation of all southpaws.

- Here's what the rotation looks like: 1.Greg Smith, 2. Gio Gonzalez, 3. Dallas Braden, 4. Dana Eveland, 5. Dan Meyer.

- Here's what it could've looked like, without all the trades. 1. Rich Harden, 2.Dan Haren, 3. Joe Blanton, 4. Justin Duchscherer, 5.Dallas Braden. Just Saying.

Today's Predictions

1. Giants vs. Braves: Giants will win 4-2
2. Red Sox vs Orioles: Orioles will win 6-3
3. Angels vs Rays: Angels will win 3-2
4. Tigers vs Rangers: Tigers will win 6-4
5. Astros vs. Brewers: Brewers will win 7-2
6. A's vs Twins: A's will win 4-3
7. Seattle vs Whites Sox: White Sox will win 5-3

We'll see how I did.

Gio Rocked

Gio Gonzalez was rocked this afternoon as the White Sox came out swinging against the young left hander. Gonzalez went only 3 innings and gave up 8 runs, 7 of them earned. It was clear from the get go that he didn't have his best stuff. He came out throwing a lot of fastballs, however, he was unable to find the strike zone. Everyone knows that Gio has tremendous stuff, however, if he doesn't learn to control it he is going to have a hard time being successful in the Majors. Gonzalez is still only 21 so his future is still extremely bright.

Ziegler streak is snapped

The Tampa Bay rays put an end to Brad Ziegler's scoreless streak. I was very disapointed to hear this, however, the A's marketing office has made me smile. Because, Ziegler broke a record that stood for 101 years, tickets for the 8/29 game against the Twins are only $1.01. The tickets that are available for this price are plaza reserved and outfield seats. This day is also jack cust bobblehead night so it should be a very big crowd, at least I hope it is. However, I don't think I'll be going, because I will be going on a mountain bike trip to Lake Tahoe that weekend :(.

Aaron Cunningham and Adrian Cardenas get promoted

Aaron Cunningham, who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade, was called up to AAA and he hit a homerun in his first game. When the A's obtained him as part of the huge trade I thought of him as a throw in, I focused more on Gonzalez and Anderson. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how good Cunningham is. He plays center field and is a relentless player, meaning he always gives 100% no matter what. Right now I would compare him to Aaron Rowand, in terms of the way they both will do anything for their team. Cunningham may not have the same kind of power as Rowand, but he has a little more speed and I see him hitting around the same average as Rowand (280-310). It's clear that Cunningham is no regular throw in, and I can see him with the big club next year in September.

Adrian Cardenas was called up to AA, he was acquired in the Joe Blanton deal from the Phillies. Cardenas is a very good hitter with a little pop, he plays 2B, however, he has recently been playing SS. His defense is average at best right now, and he has an average arm. Cardenas, is still only 20 so he has plenty of time to develop. I see him getting to big club in 2010.

As a die hard A's fan, this year has been really hard to swallow. I'm used to seeing a club who takes the field with the confidence that they're going to win the game. This club takes the field hoping they can score three runs. I have full faith in Billy Beane, he said this would be a rebuilding year and I was ok with that. However, what confuses me is that the A's lineup continues to feature Emil Brown. I have no problem with Brown, who at times has been the best hitter on this weak hitting team. However, he clearly has no feature with the team next year except to maybe entice teams to claiming him on waivers. Why not let Murton or Patterson play everyday, seeing as they do have a feature with the team.

I wish Beane would sign Bonds for the rest of the year, I'd rather see him than Brown and I know that Bonds would produce much better than him. Imagine a lineup with Thomas and Bonds back to back, I'm pretty sure that would put a lot of fans in the seats. This would give Bonds a chance to show his talent to the rest of the teams and maybe get a contract for next year. Although this goes against my hope of building for the future, Bonds is such a great hitter he could only help the young guys get better. He would at the very least give these guys some confidence, which is something they have been lacking all year. Obviously, Beane would never do this, as this would mean that he (Beane) would not be the most recognizable person in the A's organization.

Dan Meyer's Performance

It was a bittersweet moment for me and other A's fans on Monday. Bitter, because we were beaten by the Blue Jays and Sean Gallagher had his worst performance as an A, but sweet becasue it allowed us the opportunity to see Dan Meyer. Meyer was the major trade piece when Beane sent Hudson to Atlanta. Meyer hid a shoulder injury from management and consequently made the injury worst. Meyer had surgery and has been healthy the last year and a half, which is very encouraging for A's fans.

Meyer has been performing relatively well at AAA, and he finally got his call up after Dana Eveland was demoted after being roughed up by the Red Sox. The A's wasted no time in getting Meyer the ball as after Gallagher could only go 3 innings on Monday, Geren called on Meyer to provide some long relief help. Meyer did just that as he pitched 4 innings, giving up 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and striking out 3. Meyer's command was very impressive as he was hitting his spots on a consistent basis. His fastball wasn't overpowering, but he was able to keep the Blue Jay hitters off balance all night long.

I certainly hope that Meyer can begin to live up to the hype that he came with when the A's traded Hudson for him. Meyer may not ever be a #1 or even #2 starter but I feel he can be a decent #3 starter or a really good #4 or 5 starter. Here's hoping the best for a man who truly deserves it.

Chavez out for the year

The A's announced today that Eric Chavez will be having season ending shoulder surgery after the shoulder did not respond to the rehab that he was doing. This is really a tough break for the A's, because although it doesn't affect their chances of making it to the playoffs it doesn't allow the team to get any kind of continuity entering next season. It would have been nice to see the A's at full strength to see what they could do with the month and a half left in the season. Seems like every year the A's have to use the disabled list more than any other team in the league. A's fans, at least I know I've become used to the notion that sooner or later some of our better players will be on the DL at least once a season. Hell, I'd take that, unfortunately they're usually on there more than once a year.

I feel for Chavez, because I genuinely feel that he's done everything in his power to get healthy and unfortunately his body doesn't want to respond. It's sad to see a player who could have been a really great player never live up to the expectations set for him due to all the injuries he's had. I hope he's able to come back next year and play in at least 130 games, that would be really encouraging especially with the fact that he's signed through 2011. Many will criticize Beane for signing the wrong player, but how was he supposed to know that Chavez would not be able to stay healthy. Obviously Tejada would have been the better choice, but hindsight is 20/20 and the one thing that Beane cannot do is see the future.

Gio Gonzalez continues to impress

Gio Gonzalez impressed again last night as he went 8 innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks and 9 strikeouts. This win improved his record to 8-7 and he now has a 4.24 era. His recent success has made many A's fans eager to see him in an A's unifirm ASAP. However, I am not sure he is completely ready for the Majors just yet. The one glaring problem for Gonzalez is his command, although he has become better at limiting them he still tends to give up too many free passes. I would like the A's to keep him in Sacramento the rest of the year and allow him to obtain more experience. Gonzalez is still very young, he is only 22 years old, so there should be no rush in trying to get him to Oakland. When September does come around I hope that Gonzalez does make some starts, by then the Rivercats season will be over so it will not keep him from getting the experience he needs there. One to Two starts is really all he needs this year, this will allow him to see what a Major League atmosphere is like; thus, helping him get accustomed to it before next year. I do strongly believe that Gio gonzalez will be part of the 5 man rotation next year.

The rotation will look something like this:
1. Justin Duchscherer
2. Greg smith
3. Sean Gallagher
4. Dana Eveland
5. Gio Gonzalez

Trade deadline comes and goes

The trade deadline came and went yesterday and although there weren't many trades the trades that did occur were definitely huge. Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the White Sox in the early morning, it wasn't for sure that he would accept the trade but he did. This is a great pick up for the White Sox, as they add a veteran power hitter to help them try to keep the Twins from catching them. This trade makes the White Sox a legitimate threat, at least from the offensive side. However, this creates a problem because the White Sox already have a RF in Jermaine Dye, so where does Griffey Jr play. I don't think I'd want Griffey Jr playing centerfield, so does he or Dye move to LF. Should be interesting how this situation plays out.

The other move took place right at the trade deadline, as Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers in a three team deal. The Dodgers received Ramirez, the Red Sox obtained Jason Bay, and the Pirates received Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from the Red Sox and Andy Laroche and a minor league pitcher fromt the Dodgers. This in my opinion makes the Red Sox a weaker team than they were, Jason Bay is a good player but he is no Manny. Bay has no big game experience, unless you count opening day as a big game. The Dodgers made out like champs in this deal, not only do they receive Ramirez but they get him for free as the Red Sox will pick up the 7 million dollars they owe Manny for the rest of the season. Although the Dodgers lost Laroche who is a good prospect, they were already log jammed at 3B so this doesn't hurt them at all. The Pirates also made out good, because they've added 4 future guys who all can have an immediate impact except for the minor league pitcher, who isn't that far away.

The A's stood pat at the trade deadline, which I am ok with. Many A's fans wanted them to trade Street, Ellis and Duchscherer, however, I am glad that they did not. Street's value was at a all time low and Beane would not have been able to get a fair offer from other teams. Ellis is a key piece of this team, and his trade value was also low due to his low batting average. Duchscherer's value on the other hand was at a all time high, however, I think Beane was asking for too much for him. I hope they retain Duke for a couple more years, I see him as just beginnig to come into his own.

Ziegler is Amazing

Brad Ziegler extended his scoreless innings streak to 30 today. He pitched 3 innings of perfect baseball. It's astounding how a pitcher can continue to put up zeroes especially with how good major league hitters are. Ziegler is plain and simply the best reliever in the A's bullpen right now. In my mind he deserves to start pitching in the 8th inning and maybe even close a few games. 30 scoreless innings is an amazing feat that should be rewarded, and I hope the A's management make him a more vital part of the bullpen.

Angels get better :(

The Anaheim Angels acquired 1B Mark Texeira from the Atlanta Braves for 1B Casey Kotchman and a minor league reliever. Personally I feel this is a great trade for the Angels, because although Kotchman is having a great year, Texeira is simply better than he is. The only negative side of this is that Texeira is a free agent at the end of the year and Kotchman will not be until 2011. Texeira a Scott Boras client has been hinting that he would want 20 million dollars a year for about 8 years. I like Texeira a lot but personally I don't think he's worth $20 million a year.

However, I can't blame the Angels for doing this; first of all they are going to win the Al West and have a chance at having the best record in baseball. If ever there was a year to go for it all, this year would be it. As an A's fan I will hate this trade if Texeira resigns with the Angels, however, if he leaves then I will be happy because it will leave the Angels without a 1B in the future. Hence, giving the A's a better chance at winning the division. Although I hate to say it, I think with this move the Angels are the team to beat and they are my pick to win the World Series this year.

Trade Talks

With the trade deadline less than a week away, many major league teams have to decide whether to be sellers or buyers.The Yankees and Dodgers recently made deals and I wouldn't be surprised if more teams decide to become buyers. There are many names rumored to be available, including Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, Huston Street just to name a few. My beloved A's have obviously made the decision to be sellers, with the trades of Rich Harden and Joe Blanton. They have also been rumored to be shopping Street for the right price. I do like Street but knowing how negatively Beane thinks of closers I wouldn't be surprised if he did trade him.

If Beane were to trade Street I would hope that he could bring back a SS, or 3B prospect due to the A's lack of production from that side. One interesting prospect that I would be in favor of would be Matt Gamel from the Brewers. The Brewers have shown that they're buyers with the addition of CC Sabathia and Ray Durham. Street would be a perfect fit for them, as they do not have a proven closer. This deal makes sense for both teams and I'm hoping it gets done.

Another team that has shown interest in Street are the Dodgers. There closer is hurt and might be out the rest of the year. Street makes perfect sense for them and if there closer does come back that would give them a very good 8th and 9th inning combination. Throw in Broxton in the 7th and there games could be over by the 6th. For a team that's only a game out, they should definitely try and get Street. However, Beane may be asking for too much. I think Beane really wants Matt Kemp, but I'm almost positive that Coletti would never give him up. Another possibility for beane is 3B Andy LaRoche. He has not lived up to the hype that the Dodgers had for him, but he hasn't gotten the opportunity in my mind. Obviously I'm hoping Beane could somehow get Kemp, but I wouldn't be dissapointed if we got LaRoche.

Down on the Farm

Last night the Midland Rockhounds defeated the Frisco Roughriders by the score of 8-1. Trevor Cahill the A's highly touted pitching prospect and recent pick to be on the US Olympic team had a rather impressive start. He only went 5 innings, and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but he didn't allow a run and had 6 strikeouts. The player of the game without a doubt was Jon Zeringue, he went 2-4 with 2 home runs, giving him 16 for the season.

Other notables from last night's game:
A. Recker: 2-4 with a double
T. Everidge: 1/4 with a double and 3 Rbi's

A. Bailey: 2ip, 1h, 1bb, 1k
C. Farley: 2ip, 1h, 1er, 2bb, no K's.

Down in Single A the Stockton Ports were defeated by the Ranch Cucamonga Quakes by a score of 7-2. On the mound for the Ports was henry Rodriguez, fresh off his impressive performance in the furtures game where he threw 100 mph a couple times. He had a rough start tonight as he gave up 9hits, 6 runs, 5 of them earned in 5.2 innings. Hedid have 7k's and only allowed 2bb's which is an improvement for him. If Rodriguez can get his control issues solved,he has the potential to be a dominant pitcher. The A's have talked about turning him into a closer, which I don't really like, becasue I see HRod as a Rich Harden type of pitcher. If HRod develops a changeup, his chances of being a dominant starter is a near certainty.

Also for the Ports, Chris Carter had a good night going 2-4 with a triple, he did have 2 K's which is something he has struggled with all year. However, I can live with the K's as long as he keeps hitting the long ball. He currently has 27 Hr the most for any A's prospect. I'd like to see him in AA, to get him a head start for next year.

AAA Report:
The Sacramento Rivercats had their game suspended after only the 2 inning due to a downpour in Albuquerque. Gio Gonzalez was on the mound and he went 1+ ip, allowing 2h and 1 run. This game will resume today at 4:30 pm.

Ziegler sets Al Rookie scoreless streak

Brad Ziegler set the AL Rookie record for consecutive scoreless innings tonight in the A's 8-1 victory over the TB Rays. He is currently at 23.2 scoreless innings and the Major League record is at 25. Yet he seems to get very little recognition from anyone except A's fans. He's a side-armer who struggles to reach 90 with his fastball. However, he has really good offspeed stuff that continues to baffle Major League hitters. If he were to throw 100 mph's an hour with a devastating breaking ball, he would be seen as the next big thing. But he doesn't and never will, hence, he will never receive the recognition he deserves.

I feel it's a shame that he doesn't receive more attention, just because he doesn't throw 95+ doesn't mean he's not a good pitcher. And the fact that he's doing this as a rookie is absolutely incredible to me. I hope Ziggy as many A's fan like to call him, continues his dominance as an elite reliever. I hope he gets some national attention when he breaks Orel's scoreless streak, ok he'll probably never do that but I can dream can't I. Too bad breaking Orel's streak is what it would take for him to get the attention he deserves.

Agonizing A's Offense

Not surprisingly the A's were shutout yesterday night by Scott Kazmir and the Tampa Bay Rays. Sure Kazmir is a dominant pitcher, but the A's didn't even make it hard for him. Kazmir was in control the whole night and when he did get in trouble which was only once, he was able to pick off Mark Ellis at second base. You can't really blame Ellis, seeing as though the A's never seem to have runners in scoring position all that often, they really don't know what to do once they are in scoring position.

I miss the old days when A's hitters would make the opposing pitcher work for his outs. They didn't always score many runs either, but at least they made him work. I'm tired of our guys going up to the plate without a gameplan. They seem to just go up there and swing at anything. That is not A's baseball, how about trying to work the count at least that makes the pitcher fatigued quicker. I know Kazmir is really good but there is no way we should be striking out that often. It's not always about hitting home runs (Cust) sometimes a soft single can get a team going as well. It sure as hell is a lot better than striking out. I guess I can't blame Cust too much, seeing as though he does have a gameplan of hitting a home run everytime up.

On a brighter note our bullpen was pretty solid last night. Andrew Brown went two innings and did't give up any hits and struck out three, although he did walk three. Santiago Casilla went one inning and gave up two hits and a walk, but he didn't surrender a run so that's always good. Also last night's game saw A's fans get their first glimpse of Brooks Conrad, a 28 year old infielder get his first action as a big leaguer. Although he went 0-3 with two K's, it's always nice seeing someone get thier first shot. I personally feel that Conrad will be quite successful here with the A's and is definitely an improvement over Donnie murphy. Now if only we could get rid of Emil Brown.

Wes Bankston deserves to stay

For those of you not familiar with Wes Bankston here's a quick profile. He's 6'4'' 215 lbs and is from Dallas, Tx. He was called up to the Athletics on July 3 and in his first game he went 1 for 4 fagainst the White Sox. He followed that up by going 3 for 5 and 2 for 3 in the next two games of the series. He is currently hitting .308 with 1hr and 3 rbi's.

However, he was demoted back to Triple A eventhough he was producing on a team desperate for any kind of offensive help. The move really puzzled me and I was very upset. All he did was come up and rake and they send him down. Here's how I think the demotion went. (Bob:) Hey Wes thanks for everything, but your just not cut out for the typical A's hitter. (Wes:) How do I become that. (Bob:) You have to hit below .24o. (Wes:) But.
(Bob:) No but's Wes that's just the way it is. Billy, I mean I think this is the best for the team.

Bankston took the demotion pretty hard saying he felt he was doing everything he could and didn't understand it. Who could blame the poor guy, he did everything they asked of him and it still wasn't enough. Fortunately for Bankston, Daric Barton had a freak accident in which he split his head open when dove in his friends swimming pool. Really, how do you do that?

I'm proposing that Bankston stay in Oakland for the rest of the year, even when Barton comes back. Hopefully Bankston continues his tear and becomes a constant fixture in the A's lineup.