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.