Blog Archives

Hello Again A’s fans, its’ Jordan here and am glad to report again that the A’s have continued their string of good play. They managed to win another series, their third consecutive series win, taking two of three from the Cleveland Indians. This is the second time that the A’s have won two out of three from Cleveland, as they won the set back in Oakland last week. I was very happy to be in the Bay Area with the way the weather was this weekend, rather then in Cleveland, it actually snowed during Sunday’s game in Ohio.

Friday night, the A’s jumped all over Indians’ starter, C.C. Sabathia for the second time this season. The A’s opened the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by Mike Sweeney, that scored Emil Brown with two outs. Sweeney was thrown out at second trying to advance an extra base. The A’s busted it open early, with a five-run second frame. Jack Cust knocked in Bobby Crosby on a double to left to make the score 2-0. A few batters later, Cust scored on an RBI single by Chris Denorfia. Mark Ellis followed suit with an RBI double to left. Daric Barton hit his third double of the season to center, which scored another run, and the final run of the inning crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Mike Sweeney. The score was 6-0 after one and a half innings. The Indians pulled one back on a solo shot by Jhonny Peralta off of A’s starter Joe Blanton. Mark Ellis hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the third, and Sabathia’s struggles against the A’s continued. After two hits in the top of the fourth, Sabathia was pulled, and Donnie Murphy came up big with a two-out, two-run single, as all nine of those runs were charged to Sabathia. His final line in three and a third; nine earned runs on twelve hits.

At 9-1, it looked as if the A’s would roll to an easy victory, however, this was not the case. Joe Blanton was cruising, having tossed seven solid innings, giving up just one run, but then he ran into trouble in the eighth. David Dellucci led off the inning with a double, and scored on a Jason Michaels single. Blanton then recorded two outs, and seemed to run out of gas, as the Indians managed to rally when Travis Hafner hit another RBI single. Blanton came out with two men on, the score 9-3 and two outs. Fernando Hernandez was called on to get the last out, but he was unable to do so. He hit the first batter he faced, and then walked in a run when he faced his next hitter. Santiago Casilla was then called upon, but he gave up a two-run double to Ryan Garko, making it 9-6. The game was then halted for a while with a rain delay. After play resumed, and the Indians had the tying run at the plate, Huston Street came on to try and get a four-out save. He promptly threw a wild pitch, allowing Peralta to score Cleveland’s seventh run. He did get it together, and finished off the Indians in the eighth and ninth to get the save, and the A’s won their fourth straight game, 9-7. Blanton earned his first win, as he went seven and two-thirds innings, conceding five earned runs on eight hits. Bobby Crosby had a nice day, going 3-3 and walking twice, and scoring twice. Mark Ellis, Mike Sweeney, and Donnie Murphy knocked in two runs apiece. It was certainly nice to see the offense produce for Country Joe, as that had been an issue through his first three starts.

Saturday afternoon, the A’s were taking on Fausto Carmona, with Lenny Dinardo filling in for the spot start in Rich Harden’s place. They won their fifth straight game, with a 7-3 win. Oakland opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-out, two-run single by Daric Barton. Cleveland pulled a run back on an RBI ground-out by Casey Blake. Oakland got that run right back in the third, as they took advantage of four walks in the inning by Carmona, who walked eight on the day and was pulled after just three and a third innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Indians pulled back to within one after Lenny Dinardo was pulled after five-plus innings. Joey Devine walked two, including one with the bases loaded, and that run was charged to Lenny D. Dinardo pitched very well, as he had only logged one inning before this game this year, and went five-plus, giving up two earned runs on six hits, and striking out three Cleveland hitters. Oakland put it away in the next half inning by hanging a four-spot on the board. Emil brown hit an RBI single, and then Bobby Crosby came up huge with a three-run blast to left field to put the A’s up 7-2. Andrew Brown went two good innings, and gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth, as the A’s shut the door on yet another series victory with the 7-3 win. Mike Sweeney had two hits, Crosby knocked in those three runs, and Barton had his two RBI.

Sunday morning, at least out here on the west coast, the A’s were swinging for the sweep. Unfortunately, they ran into Cliff Lee. Lee shut the A’s down last Sunday in Oakland, as the Indians staved off that sweep. It was no different Sunday, as Lee pitched eight brilliant innings where he gave up just one run on two hits, and struck out eight Athletics. The Indians went on to win, in the snow, 7-1.

Cleveland got off to an early lead on Chad Gaudin when Travis Hafner hit a two-out, two-run single. Mark Ellis helped cut the lead in half as he knocked in Travis Buck, who tripled to lead off the inning. Any possible rally was halted when Daric Barton grounded into a double play, and those two hits would be all they could muster against Cliff Lee. In the bottom of the fifth, Grady Sizemore had a run scoring single to center, and the A’s fell behind 3-1. Short of the four walks he allowed, Chad Gaudin pitched quite well, allowing just the three runs on four hits, which gave the A’s a chance to win the game. That is really all one can ask, is to give the team an opportunity to come out on top. Unfortunately, any comeback hopes were dashed in the bottom of the eighth, as Cleveland hung four runs on the A’s youngster, Fernando Hernandez. He gave up all four earned runs on four hits in his two innings of work. Grady Sizemore drove in three runs in the game, and Cliff Lee dominated.

In closing, the A’s continued to play well, and are now 5-1 on the road. Can they keep rolling? We will find out, as they move into the Windy City tomorrow for a short two game set with former teammate Nick Swisher and the White Sox. The Sox just finished off the struggling Detroit Tigers in impressive fashion, taking two of three, including Sunday’s 11-0 romp in which they hit two grand slams. As for the probable pitchers for the two game set, Monday evening Greg Smith takes on Mark Buerhle. Although he did not get a decision, Smith pitched well in the win against the Toronto Blue Jays. Buerhle won his last start on April 6^th in a 13-2 win against the Tigers. He went seven strong, and allowed just one earned run on seven hits. Tuesday, Dana Eveland opposes John Danks. Eveland threw six and a third of shutout ball in the A’s win in Toronto, while Danks was shelled in his last start against Minnesota, where he gave up seven runs in just two and a third innings. I see a split as the forecast for this short series, and would be very satisfied with the wait for it…first place A’s coming back home to Oakland with a 9-6 record. As always, I hope for the sweep. Starting pitching has been the key to the A’s early season successes, and as long as the starters pitch well, things are looking great for this young ball club. If you would like to comment, or have any questions that you would like to be read on the air, you can reach us in a variety of ways.

You can call us at 415-691-6185, email us at hosts@athleticscast.com, post on our Myspace page or our Facebook. We love to have your participation, so let your voice be heard! you can also comment here on our website, by clicking the add comment link. Hopefully the A’s keep on winning, and the games aren’t rained out in Chicago.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland!

  Hey what’s up A’s fans this is Charles here with the recap for this week’s series against Toronto. The A’s ventured up to the second best country in the world as they swept the Blue Jays in the three game series. Before we get into the game recaps let’s first address  the Canadian native himself Rich Harden. After being scratched from Tuesday’s start, the A’s placed Harden on the DL with a muscle strain after missing his recent side session. The A’s called up Greg Smith to take his place in the rotation, more on him later. The A’s also activated starter Chad Gaudin to complete the rotation. The final roster move that was made this week was Dan “Dead Weight” Johnson being designated for assignment. This is both great news for the A’s as well Dan Johnson, as this tenuous marriage finally ended in divorce. 

In Game 1 Chad Gaudin made his season debut  against AJ Burnett.  Gaudin had a rough outing pitching 4 innings and surrendering 5 earned runs on 8 hits. However the A’s offense helped Gaudin by scoring 6 earned runs off of AJ Burnett in 4 and 2/3 innings. The A’s scored five of their 6 runs in the 2nd inning and would go on to the 8th inning with an 8-6 lead before Alan Embree gave up two earned runs on a Frank Thomas Home Run. The A’s would go on to score in the 9th inning with a Ryan Sweeney 2 out RBI triple. Huston Street came in and recorded his first save of the year as the A’s won 9-8. Travis Buck finally brought his big boy bat as the he went 2-6 with an RBI. Kurt Suzuki continued his hot start as he went 3-5 with an RBI, but the man of the game had to be Ryan Sweeney. Ryan went 2-5 with 2 RBI including his game winning RBI. 

In game 2 Greg Smith got the first start of his career against Dustin McGowan. Smith pitched 6 strong innings while giving up 2 earned runs and 2 hits. Dustin McGowan pitched 5 innings and gave up 3 earned runs. The A’s erased a 3-2 deficit in the ninth to rally for 4 runs to win 6-3. Mark Ellis hit a game tying RBI triple to bring home Travis Buck while Emil Brown and Bobby Crosby also added hits to give the A’s the advantage. Huston Street sealed the deal by picking up his second consecutive save. Bobby Crosby finished 3-5 with 3 RBI, Mark Ellis went 4-5 with an RBI and Emil Brown tallied 2 hits and an RBI. 

In game 3 the A’s finished up the sweep as Dana Eveland faced off against Shaun Marcum. Eveland tossed 6 and 1/3 innings while not giving up a run, while Marcum pitched seven innings and gave up one earned run. The A’s took a 1-0 lead into the 8th before Alan Embree blew his second consecutive save after Scutaro scored on a sac fly by Shannon Stewart. In the 12th inning Travis Buck hit a two run double as he finished 3-6 with three RBI. Foulke came in and picked up the save after giving up a run and allowing the winning run to reach base. So the A’s came up with the 3-2 win and the series sweep. Next up for the A’s, Oakland heads to the “Mistake by the lake” to take on Cleveland. On friday Joe Blanton will face C.C. Sabathia, while Saturday’s A’s starter has not been announced but will face Fausto Carmona. To conclude the series Chad Gaudin is scheduled to face Cliff Lee. Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.

Hello A’s fans, new information has come to light since the latest blog entry, and I thought it would be good to let everyone know that the original probable starter Rich Harden has been pushed back until Saturday before he makes his third start of the season. Harden has some soreness in his back, and as a precaution will hold off on pitching later today. Chad Gaudin, who has come off the DL will start today, opposing A.J. Burnett. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Greg Smith is going to get the call up from AAA Sacramento to fill in for the injured Justin Duchscherer’s spot on Wednesday. These injuries, although they do not seem serious have to be a concern for many A’s fans this early in the season. We all know Harden’s history with injuries, and this does not look good. I am a bit concerned with health as I always am with this team, and hopefully our rotation can hold up and these are just some minor setbacks. Hopefully the A’s can get the win tonight and get back to .500. Make sure you stay tuned for our next episode, which should be available sometime tomorrow before the second game in Toronto.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland! 

Hello again A’s fans, its Jordan here, and I am happy to report that as I predicted on the last show, the A’s completed their first series win of 2008. Oakland took two of three from the visiting Cleveland Indians. The bid for the sweep unfortunately fell short on Sunday afternoon, but every time you win more than you lose, it is a great thing.

Friday evening the A’s welcomed the Cleveland Indians into the Bay Area with a big 6-3 win. Justin Duchscherer made his 2008 debut for the Green and gold. Or in this case, the black and gold, as the A’s debuted their brand new black alternate uniforms. The Duke was excellent in this one, as he pitched five-plus innings before leaving with an apparent arm injury. Duchscherer pitched five shutout innings in which he struck out six Indians hitters. He was charged with giving up one run when he left and was replaced by Santiago Casilla in the top half of the sixth inning. Duchscherer had an MRI on Sunday and the report is that he has a strained bicep muscle. He has been scratched from his scheduled start according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Offensively, the A’s opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with a slight two out rally. Ok, I will be honest, rally may not be the best word, the A’s took advantage of the erratic inning Indians’ starter Paul Byrd. He hit Kurt Suzuki, gave up a single to Ryan Sweeney, and Suzuki took third. Still hitless Travis Buck was at the plate, when Kelly Shoppach was charged with a passed ball, allowing Suzuki to score. Buck was then hit by another Byrd pitch, but the A’s could not capitalize any more in the inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded and no one out, Bobby Crosby grounded to second base, where Asdrubel Cabrera decided to take a chance and throw home for the force out. Fortunately for Oakland, Daric Barton beat the throw, and everyone was safe. Jack Hannahan hit a sacrifice fly, and then Kurt Suzuki and Ryan Sweeney followed with consecutive RBI singles. The inning ended in a four-run output for the A’s, as they led 5-0. Ryan Sweeney was definitely the key offensive performer in the game where he went 4-4 with an RBI. Daric Barton and Bobby Crosby each had two hits for the A’s in the nice victory. The sixth and final run for Oakland scored on a wild pitch by reliever Jorge Julio.

The A’s bullpen was called in to early action with the injury to Justin Duchscherer. Casilla inherited a messy situation and surrendered just one run, which was charged to Duchscherer. Keith Foulke came in to pitch the seventh, and gave up a leadoff homerun to Indians’ first baseman Ryan Garko. Alan Embree dealt a scoreless eighth inning, and Huston Street gave up one run on a homerun to Travis Hafner in the ninth in a non-save situation. Street has struggled this season, and quite frankly, I wonder about his confidence. He has given up five runs in his three and two-thirds innings of work. It is still early, and I hope that he will be able to bounce back and have a successful season.

On Saturday, Oakland saw a hometown man return to his old backyard. C.C. Sabathia, who grew up in the Oakland area had the starting assignment for the Indians as they looked to rebound from their Friday evening loss. The game was unfortunately not televised, but from what I read and saw in the highlights, it seemed as though Sabathia struggled again in Oakland. He is now 1-4 in his career at the Coliseum with a 7.12 ERA. He gave up four runs on six hits and walked four. After being spotted a 1-0 lead on a Travis Hafner RBI double, Sabathia struggled through the first inning, where he gave up three of those runs. After a one out Daric Barton triple, Emil Brown, who got the start in right field, singled in the tying run. Mike Sweeney was then hit by a pitch, and Jack Cust doubled in two more runs. Mark Ellis homered to left-center field off of Sabathia in the fifth inning to snap his slow start on the year. Ellis also singled in two runs off of Indians’ reliever Rafael Betancourt. Ellis finished his day 2-5 with those three RBI. Daric Barton had three hits, and Emil Brown had two, as the A’s scored six runs for the second straight day. The A’s won the game 6-1.

Dana Eveland, who was part of the off-season trade with the Diamondbacks which sent Danny Haren to Arizona, threw a brilliant game. He pitched seven strong innings, and gave up just the one run in the first inning. He struck out seven Indians hitters, and was masterful in his first regular season appearance with the Oakland Athletics. The bullpen continued its good work, as Keith Foulke and Andrew Brown both pitched hitless, scoreless innings. This was a huge win for Oakland, as they moved to 3-3 on the year. Travis Buck had another day off, as his slump to begin the year continued in the first of the three-game set. I do not agree with sitting him so early in the season, as I find it important for him to get his work in at the plate. He might need to be moved down in the order, but I feel that he should still at this point be playing.

On Sunday afternoon, with my boy Charles in attendance, the A’s tried for the sweep with their ace, “Country” Joe Blanton on the hill opposing Cliff Lee. It started out well for the A’s with them taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Travis Buck. Buck went 0-3 in this one, and is still without a hit on the season in 21 official at-bats. Although he did not have a hit, I thought he had two quality at-bats, namely, the first at-bat of the game. I thought that he battled Cliff Lee well after falling behind 0-2. Buck fought a 12 pitch battle with Lee that ended in a flyout, but I saw a few positives there. He also put the ball in play when it was necessary for the A’s only run on the sacrifice fly. Joe Blanton cruised through six innings and has really looked pretty good in my opinion through his first three starts. Unfortunately for him, he is 0-2 on the year after this one. He gave up two earned runs in he seventh inning, and came out after six and two thirds innings. With the bases loaded and one out, Blanton got just what he needed, a groundball to first base. Unfortunately, Daric Barton bobbled it on his turn to throw to second, so he could only get the out at first base and the tying run scored. On a full count, and the bases loaded again, Blanton walked Ryan Garko and that run turned out to be the difference as the A’s dropped another close one, 2-1. Santiago Casilla, Alan Embree, and Andrew Brown pitched a collective scoreless two and one third innings. Indians’ starter Cliff Lee was very good in this one as he gave up just four hits and one run, while striking out four Athletics hitters over six and two thirds innings.

The A’s have a day off today, and then travel to Toronto for the first real road series of the season. The A’s will play three in Toronto starting tomorrow at the Rogers Centre. Rich Harden is listed as the probable starter Tuesday at 4:07 PM Pacific against A.J. Burnett. Harden is 1-0 with a sub 1.00 earned-run-average. Burnett is also 1-0, and he gave up two earned runs in six innings in a win against the Yankees. The second game of the three game set will pit Justin Duchscherer’s spot in the rotation against Dustin McGowan, who is without a decision on the young season. He gave up two earned runs in six innings against the Yankees, a game which the Blue Jays lost 3-2. Bob Geren said that Chad Gaudin could be activated and pulled from his scheduled minor league assignment, or Lenny Dinardo could fill in for the Duke as well. The third and final game of the set is scheduled to have Dana Eveland match up against Shaun Marcum. Eveland of course is coming off of the great start on Saturday afternoon, Marcum is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. He pitched seven innings and gave up three runs in a 6-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. The Blue Jays just completed the sweep at home against those Red Sox, and welcome Oakland into town with a 4-2 record to start their season. This will also mark the first time that former Athletic Marco Scutaro plays against his former team since his trade in the off-season. My prediction: A’s win one of three in Toronto, but as always, I hope to see the A’s do better. It would be awesome to get a second straight series win and push that record to .500 or better.

Make sure you comment below on your feelings on the series win against the Indians, and if you have any questions or comments, you can contact us through email, by emailing us at hosts@athleticscast.com, by calling us at 415-691-6185, getting us on our Myspace, or getting us on our Facebook. Hope everyone had a great weekend, and stay tuned for our new episode which is scheduled to come out Wednesday.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland!

Hello A’s fans this is Charles here for our first installment of our series recaps for the 2008 MLB season. The A’s opened up their first homestand in the beautiful city of Oakland against the Boston Red Sox. After splitting the two game Opening Series in Japan, the A’s proceeded to be swept in the two game Opening Series in Oakland. Before we recap the two  games, allow me to discuss the significance of Opening Day. Opening Day is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the preceding year, and to be formally introduced to the newest members of the team. For one day only everyone is tied, and everyone has lofty expectations for the season. For one day only, the prior claims of “next year” being our year, become “this year.” From an image and public relations standpoint Opening Day is one of the most significant days on the baseball calendar. However from a practical  standpoint it is one of the most inconsequential games of the season. This year Opening Day was a bit watered down because of the Opening series in Japan, but it was also more intriguing than most because of the level of uncertainty surrounding the team. With all of the festivities out of the way, the A’s laced up the white shoes and played some baseball.

In game 1 Joe Blanton started for our Oakland A’s against Dice-K and the Boston Red Sox. Joe Blanton had a very effective start going 6 inning and surrendering 2 runs. Blanton tamed the Red Sox vaunted offense but the A’s bats came up cold. The A’s could only muster 3 hits the entire game, with the key hit being a Jack Cust solo home run. Travis Buck continued his bad start going 0-4 now making him 0-14 to start of the season. Casilla came in for relief and threw 2 scoreless innings, while Keith Foulke threw one scoreless frame. For the Sox, Dice-K was brilliant going 6 and 2/3 innings while giving up 1 run and striking out 9 batters. Youkilis went 3-4  and scored 2 runs, while my boy Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek each tallied an RBI as Boston won 2-1. So the streak of consecutive Home Opening losses reached four as the A’s have not won a home opener since 2004 versus the Texas Rangers. 

Game 2 brought us a day game that featured Rich Harden versus John Lester. Rich Harden lasted 5 innings while not giving up a run and striking out 6 and walking 4 batters. Harden was fortunate to escape a nightmare first inning where he loaded the bases. Alan Embree and Lenny DiNardo each gave up 2 earned runs, which ultimately doomed the A’s. The A’s were shutout by John Lester, Bryan Corey and Manny Delcarmen as the A’s only recorded 4 hits en route to a 5-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

As the A’s gear up for a series versus Cleveland, the A’s record stands at 1-3. It will be vital for Travis Buck to record a hit this weekend and end this nightmare start to the season. As of right now the A’s offense will need to pick it up or this is going to be a long series against Cleveland and an even longer season. A day off might help the A’s, but I think we are going to learn a lot about Travis Buck this series. If he comes out of this series without a hit, that could shatter his confidence the same way it did to Charles Thomas and Antonio Perez. I expect Buck to pick up a hit in the first game, and hopefully we won’t have to worry about that. Email us with any comments or questions at hosts@athleticscast.com, call us at 415-691-6185, or post a comment on the blog about you impressions of the first home series! Go A’s, and try to make it out to the ballpark this weekend, and always remember to live smooth.

If this isn’t your first time visiting Athleticscast, you’ll notice that our website looks a lot different today than it has for the past several months. We’ve been redesigning the site for some time and are happy to roll out the new version this week — please bear with us as a few kinks are being worked out.

In the meantime, check out a few of the new features:

* Latest Episodes — check out the 3 most recent episodes of our show on the right side of the page.

* Get notified of new Athleticscast episodes via e-mail

* Become a fan of our brand new Facebook page

* Flickr photos — tag a new photo you upload on flickr “oaklandas” or “athleticscast” and you might see it on our site

There are many additional features on the new site. Feel free to make yourself at home and check them out.

Hello again A’s fans, it’s Jordan here, and I would like to wish baseball fans everywhere a Happy New Year. This is the best time of year for fans, and everyone is in first place, including the A’s. This is the time of year when hope springs eternal. Every team has a shot at a World Series title. The story lines to the 2008 Major League Baseball season are very intriguing. Will the youth movement of the Oakland Athletics be able to contend with the likes of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Seattle Mariners in a fairly solid American League West? Will Johan Santana help bring the New York Mets to the promise land, or will they choke as they did last season and miss the playoffs completely? Will the Chicago Cubs win the World Series in their 100th Anniversary since their last title? Will the loaded Detroit Tigers reap the benefits of a fantastic off-season (adding Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis), or will they regret mortgaging a bit of their future, in trading away Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miler in return for the above mentioned players? How will the deep American League East shake out? These questions and so many more will be answered as the 2008 season jumps into action.

Opening Day is just hours away, and this A’s fan is really excited for the festivities to get kicked off. As you all know, the Oakland Athletics are opening up in Tokyo, Japan against the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox on Tuesday March 25, 2008 at 3:05 AM. The game will be televised live in high-definition on ESPN, and I know that I will be watching, will you? The A’s are playing two, what are to be considered home games, at the Tokyo Dome, even though there will be a huge amount of Red Sox fans in attendance. This Red Sox likely dominance of fans in Japan is very understandable, and certainly the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka is starting game one for the Bo-Sox will create hysteria in the dome. Daisuke will be opposed by our starter, “Country Joe” Blanton. Obviously, there is no Eric Chavez in the lineup for the A’s on this trip, so the lineup is definitely going to be of interest to see how he order shakes down. There has been much debate on whether or not Chris Denorfia has earned a spot on this team, and certainly whether or not he should be our Opening Day centerfielder. In my opinion, as the only real true centerfielder on the 30-man roster in Japan, he would have to be the default starter, unfortunately. I do not feel that he earned his spot on this team, when compared to the likes of Todd Linden or Ryan Sweeney, (who has also made the squad), but I would prefer not to beat the Linden situation to death, so I will refrain from any comments here because it does not really matter. He is back in the states with us. Only Billy Beane and Bob Geren know what they will do with this lineup card or game number one, and I cannot wait to see it. On Wednesday, the A’s will send Rich Harden out to face off against Jon Lester.

The A’s played two exhibition games in Tokyo as preparation for the opening two-game set with Boston. Saturday morning at 3:05 AM PST, the A’s took on the Yomiuri Giants, and beat them 4-3. The A’s fell behind early, as projected fifth-starter Dana Eveland surrendered one run each in the second and third innings. Eveland went five innings and gave up those two runs on seven hits, while striking out three and walking two. Bobby Crosby and Jack Hannahan hit back-to-back homeruns in the fourth inning off of Giants’ reliever Takahiko Nomaguchi, which tied things at 2.

It was not until the ninth inning when the tie was broken as Rob Bowen hit a two-out RBI double. Emil Brown singled in Bowen, and the A’s held on to win. Huston Street, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning picked up the win. At 8 PM on Saturday, the A’s played the Hanshin Tigers, and dominated with a 10-2 win. Jack Cust opened the scoring in the first inning, as he hit a two-run homer to the opposite field. After Justin Duchscherer gave up a run in the bottom of the inning, Travis Buck homered for Oakland in the third, as they went up 3-1. Buck crushed a cutter from the Tigers’ starter, Shinobi Fukuhara into the right field bleachers. Daric Barton’s bloop double in the same inning plated two, as the lead grew to 5-1. The Duke went five innings, and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out four, and walking none. Rob Bowen knocked in a run in the eighth inning, and then with the bases loaded and two outs, Donnie Murphy belted a grand slam to the opposite field, as the A’s cruised. Lenny Dinardo and Keith Foulke each pitched scoreless innings, and Dallas Braden threw two shutout innings as well in the win. Bring on Boston!

The one thing that I am most looking forward to this season for the A’s is a team that is having fun, and enjoying baseball by playing hard. This is something that I feel lacked in the disappointing 2007 squad. That is not to say that they did not play hard, but that it just did not always look like it. It seemed as though the team went through the motions a lot on their way to a 76-86 season, in which the A’s finished 18 games behind the division champion Angels. It was a major letdown, as expectations were high following a season where the team made it to the ALCS just one year prior.
Now comes the fresh start. After the trades of ace Dan Haren and fan-favorite, Nick Swisher, the A’s have replenished their organization with talent from the inside out. The minor league teams now have so much more talent, and are set up to feed that talent to the big league team within the next 2-3 years, depending on a variety of circumstances. I look forward to seeing a youthful exuberance out on the field. Travis Buck can emerge as a young leader and seems like a face of this franchise as it builds towards the future. Catcher Kurt Suzuki figures heavily in the team’s plans, and is primed to have a breakout season behind the plate. Originally, I was really down on this team when the trades were made, and already penciled them in as a last place finisher in the American League West. As time has passed however, and I had the opportunity to see the team in action down in Phoenix, I am beginning to feel more and more optimistic about the ‘08 campaign. I saw a young group of guys out there that are hungry to prove they belong in this league. I saw great hustle, and I see great potential (Carlos and Gio Gonzalez anyone?).

The key to this season is health, period. Without it, this team may well hit the cellar. We need Rich Harden to play a full season, because when he is healthy, he is one of the most effective starters in baseball. We need Eric Chavez to overcome his injuries and return to the Chavy that everyone fell in love with earlier in his career. And please Bobby Crosby, do not break down again physically or mentally. With a complete slate of health, this team can compete, should compete. The young players need to grow as baseball players and mature. This season should provide both a maturation process, as well as a great piece of experience for these guys.

In the worst case scenario, this season is a wash. Hopefully, if this happens to be the case, some of the players I mentioned before can build up their trade value and the A’s can continue to rebuild. This is not what most people may want to hear, but, it could be worse. At least I feel confident that the A’s as an organization have a plan. They plan to compete with a young team, as they always do, but if it does not work out, thy have some pieces to build around, and some others to trade in order to build. That, ladies and gentlemen is what I liked best about this off-season’s trades. Billy has a plan, and although his recent track record has been somewhat questionable, I think he did the right thing this time. It sets the team up well for the future as long as some of those prospects we received pan out, and only time will tell. My projection for a healthy ‘08 A’s? 84-78. An unhealthy ‘08? 73-89. And can we please figure out what to do with Dan Johnson?

Eric Chavez has apparently had some setbacks in the health department. We all knew that he would not be accompanying the team to Japan, but a setback has come to pass in Phoenix, and Chavez has been shut down for the time being. He will now most likely open the season on the disabled list. Head trainer Steve Sayles said that Eric’s left side is very sore, and keeping him from being able to bend over. This does not sound good, and while I am not quite worried yet, I still wish that he would just take his time and get healthy before he rushes back. I just stated how important health is, and Chavez is one of those question marks, so hopefully he gets healthy quickly. Sayles said that Chavez will be starting back at square one on rehab, so we can all only hope that he gets it right this time and comes back in good form. It looks as though Jack Hannahan will be filling in at third for the beginning of the season. According to Sayles, and www.oaklandathletics.com, starter Chad Gaudin will also start his season on the disabled list, but is doing well in his rehab, and is apparently set to play for the first time on April 12th in Cleveland.

Again, the A’s open up at 3:05 AM PST, so don’t miss it. This could be the start of a fun year for the green and gold, as they celebrate their 40th anniversary. Again, I would love to wish you a very Happy Baseball New Year! If you would like to share your comments on anything, projections for the season, or have any questions, feel free to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com, call us anytime at 415-691-6185, comment on our Myspace page, or on our Facebook page. Take care everyone, and stay tuned for our next episode.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland!

Hello A’s fans this is Charles here again for another edition of my offseason blog. As spring training continues, we once again ponder the outlook of the season. At this current juncture we have no idea who will appear on the 25 man roster, so i will postpone my predictions of the team. Instead lets turn our attention to the 40 year anniversary of the Oakland A’s.

As we move from the arrival of the A’s in Oakland to the current decades, there are a few moments that have been magical.

In 1968, Charlie Finley moved the Kansas City Athletics to Oakland, California where they would begin a great tradition of winning. In that inaugural season Catfish Hunter pitched a perfect game against the Twins, the first in Oakland A’s history.

The 1970’s spawned the birth of the “Swingin’ A’s” dynasty. From 1972 to 1974 the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series. The A’s defeated the Cincinnati Reds in 1972, the New York Mets in 1973, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. In ‘72 the A’s won in 7 games in large part because of stellar pitching from Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers. Joe Rudi provided the most memorable moment with a spectacular 9th inning leaping catch at the wall to preserve the A’s win in game 2. Gene Tenance was named MVP of the World Series for his great performance at the plate. In 1973 the A’s repeated as champions by defeating the New York Mets. While the A’s were outscored in the series, they prevailed in 7 games with the help of World Series MVP Reggie Jackson. In 1974 the A’s completed the “three-peat” thanks in part to World Series MVP Rollie Fingers and his 3 saves and a win. For A’s fans the Swingin’ A’s brought both exhilarating baseball and an attitude to the East Bay. It is widely considered one of the few dynasties in baseball history. The Swingin’ A’s were a group of unique characters who put aside their dislike of each other to win three consecutive World Series. With the advent of free agency the Swinging A’s dissembled and faced turbulent times under the foolish ownership of Charlie Finley. The Swingin’ A’s were more than just a successful baseball dynasty…they were essentially a movement that embodied all of the great qualities of Oakland. In a city that is often overlooked, the A’s brought the city of Oakland a unique blend of individuality and tenacity.

The 80’s brought about the new look A’s that eventually brought our proud franchise back into the limelight. In 1988 the Oakland A’s faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The A’s were considered favorites due to a lineup that included the likes of the Bash Brothers and Rickey Henderson, and a pitching staff of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley just to name a few. The Dodgers pulled off a huge upset by beating the A’s 4 games to 1. The series provided one of the most memorable plays in baseball history with Kirk Gibson’s walk off home run off of Dennis Eckersley. The home run still stings A’s fans who were fans of the team during the 1980’s. The home run is also considered the turning point in the series, as the Dodgers went on to win the series following the walk off home run in game 1.

Luckily for the A’s they were able to earn a second consecutive World Series birth against the San Francisco Giants. For Bay Area sports fans it was seen as a Dream Series before mother nature intervened. While the A’s went on to sweep the Giants for the team’s fourth World Series, it was the Loma Prieta Earthquake that took the spotlight. The earthquake is considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in American history. The earthquake took place prior to game 3, which was later postponed due to the earthquake. While the A’s dominated the series, it was a somber World Series championship and what is to date the A’s last World Series crown.

The 1990’s will always remind me of great television like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Boy Meets World and Hey Arnold but the 90’s was also a special time for A’s fans. In 1990 the A’s returned to what may be their final World Series appearance in the great city of Oakland. For the third straight year the A’s entered the World Series as favorites, this time against the Cincinnati Reds. In what is considered one of the biggest upsets in postseason history the “Nasty Boys” led the Reds to a 4 game sweep of the A’s. The series was the third and final of three straight World Series appearances. While most will agree that the A’s were far and away the most talented team during those three years, that talent only translated to one World Series championship. The next year in May of 1991 Rickey Henderson provided another fantastic moment for the A’s as he broke the All-Time Stolen Base Record. Henderson cemented himself as the greatest lead off hitter of all time as he broke Lou Brock’s stolen base record.

During the 2000 season the A’s regained the winning spirit that helped catapult them to multiple World Series victories. As the year came to a close the A’s found themselves right in the thick of a playoff race with the Seattle Mariners. On the final day of the season the A’s faced a win or go home game against the Texas Rangers with the American League West crown at stake. With a sold out Coliseum, Tim Hudson led the A’s to 3-0 victory which clinched the division title for the A’s and gave Time Hudson a 20 win season. The A’s won 10 of their last 12 games to make it to the playoffs where they ultimately lost 3 games to 2 to the New York Yankees. What made this moment significant was that it marked the beginning of a run of 4 straight playoff appearances.

In 2002 the A’s took the sports world on an unbelievable run that will most likely never be duplicated again. As the season began winding down, the A’s ripped off an unimaginable 20 consecutive victories. That winning streak in itself is amazing but what added to its’ significance was that the Angels remained close with the A’s during the streak, because of a 14 game winning streak of their own. The 20 game win streak also featured thrilling finishes, like Tejada’s come from behind walk off home run off Eddie Guardado, as well as his game winning single off of Guardado. However the most memorable game of the streak was game 20 where the A’s blew a 10 run to lead to Kansas City before Scott Hatteberg launched a walk off home run. While the A’s faltered in the playoffs, the A’s would have been watching the playoffs on TV had they not ripped off that 20 game win streak.

In the 2006 season there was much hype surrounding the Oakland A’s due in large part to their offseason acquisitions. The A’s welcomed Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley to the fold, and after slow starts by each, they proved to be the two most vital players in the A’s playoff push. The moment that sticks out about the 2006 season was the A’s sweeping the Minnesota Twins in Oakland. I was fortunate enough to be on hand that game, which ended a string of postseason heartache. The
A’s advanced to the ALCS for the first time in 14 years. No one gave the A’s a shot against the Twins but the A’s shocked the sports world by sweeping the Twins. Unfortunately the team has not been the same since Game 3 of the ALDS which adds to its’ significance.

This year the A’s are set to honor their proud 40 year legacy here in Oakland. At the moment, it unfortunately appears that the A’s will be leaving Oakland in the next few years. As we march toward Opening Day, it important to honor the 40 years the A’s have spent in Oakland, and in a perfect world the A’s would spend an additional 40 years here.

Be sure to send us an email at hosts@athleticscast.com, visit us on
MySpace or Facebook or call us anytime at 415-691-6185. Go A’s!

Hello again A’s fans, its Jordan here. Spring Training is finally here! As a baseball fan, there really is no time like this. The baseball New Year is right around the corner, and especially for myself and Charles, this is an exciting time, as we will be heading down to Phoenix in a few weeks.

As the preseason begins, expectations are relatively low for this team, but I think that it is going to be an unusually eventful and fun spring training. With so much youth and so many question marks on this team, we as fans will be able to really watch jobs be won. As for now, the spots that appear to be sewn up are; Joe Blanton as the ace, Rich Harden as a 2, Huston Street as a closer, Eric Chavez at third base, Mark Ellis at second, Daric Barton at first, Kurt Suzuki at catcher, Jack Cust at the DH, and Travis Buck in the outfield. Someone that you may think would be on this list is shortstop Bobby Crosby. Although manager Bob Geren has stated he will be the starter, I think he will have to prove himself this spring, therefore, I do not believe he is a lock. As much as it pains me to say it, there are three men battling for this spot. Jack Hannahan, Donnie Murphy, and Bobby Crosby.

This leaves two outfield spots, order in the back end of the rotation, and the bullpen up for grabs. The fans will undoubtedly get a great look at all of these position battles, and that should be fun. Also, keep an eye out for many of the young guys that we received in the trades this off-season down in Arizona. Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney, Dana Eveland, Aaron Cunningham, Gio Gonzalez and Joey Devine will be in camp. I, for one, cannot wait to watch Carlos Gonzalez play. The other young Gonzalez, Gio, may even be fighting for a spot in the back of the starting rotation, despite early reports that he will start in AAA. The battles for the remaining spots in the starting rotation will be interesting, as Dan Meyer, Dallas Braden, Dana Eveland, Kirk Saarloos, and of course, Gonzalez will fight it out. This is a time where so much can happen. So many questions will be answered when camp breaks, and believe me, there will be many new, young, and unfamiliar faces under those A’s caps this year.

Mike Sweeney is now an Athletic, as he signed a minor league deal last week. He spent all of his 17-year career, 13 of which he spent in the Majors, with the Kansas City Royals organization. Sweeney will be a nice veteran addition to the team in my opinion, and can split some time as a designated hitter in 2008 if all goes well. In other news, catcher Jeremy Brown, who was a 2002 first round draft pick, has retired. He finished his career at AAA Sacramento last season. The A’s then signed Matthew LeCroy, the former Twins’ catcher to a minor league deal, who will also be in Arizona this spring.

What does Spring Training mean to you? Tell us. We here at Athleticscast are always looking for listener input, and we want to make you a huge part of our show. If you are going out to Arizona this year, tell us about it. Who are you most looking forward to seeing out there? Who do you think will make the team? All of these questions, and any other thoughts or ideas you would like to share, can be sent to us at hosts@athleticscast.com, or posted on our Myspace page. The best way to have your direct input on our show is to call! Call us at 415-691-6185 and tell us yourself.

That’s how I see it…Let’s go Oakland!

Hello again A’s fans, its Jordan and Charles here, and we are happy to announce our first Athleticscast contest. Up for grabs is a size XL Athleticscast shirt in gold. The winner of the contest will have their choice between our Athleticscast T-shirt, and our Athleticscast polo shirt.

Now here is the contest; it is simple and easy. The very first person that calls our phone line and leaves a message successfully, asking us a question or making a comment about something that you would like us to discuss on the show will win the shirt of their choice, free of charge. All of the calls are times-stamped to ensure reliability, and once again, the phone number is 415-691-6185. Also make sure that you keep the questions and comments coming through our phone line (even after the contest), and by emailing us at hosts@athleticscast.com, or by leaving us comments and messages on our Myspace page (www.myspace.com/athleticscast).

Thanks again, and good luck to you callers!