For 6 innings, it was all Mora, hoarding hits and RBIs like they were going out of style and then robbing Frank Thomas of an extra-base hit that would have scored 1-2 runs. But when you're going good like the A's are, ultimately the credits outweigh the debits, and in the end it was Mora on the short end of a critical defensive mistake, The Big Hurt making the most of his next opportunity, and Justin Duchscherer retiring, yup, Mora to end the game.
That's 10 in a row at home for the A's, and an 8.5 game lead in a division race that is supposed to come down to the final weekend, but really isn't that close anymore. Remember when we were speculating whether it might take 85 wins or 88 wins to take the AL West? Not any more it won't. And no, the A's haven't wrapped up the division yet, but suddenly the Angels (or Rangers) would have to get back into getting back into the race, before they could actually challenge for anything. In other words, there's a lady over there with a bit of a weight problem and she's feeling melodic. Stay tuned.
Oh. And I really like Frank Thomas. A lot.
0 recs | 92 comments
Win, rinse, repeat.
Your 2006 Oakland A's, sponsored by Panteam.jeepers - September 1, 2006
Magic number
anyone? I think now we're into September, it's not too early to have a countdown on the right side, eh?sslinger - September 1, 2006
20
28 games remaining for A's.Add 1 = 29.
Subtract no. of games ahead of Angels in loss column (9).
29 - 9 = 20.
beachbum98 - September 1, 2006
Magic Number
MLB.com standings has all you need to determine the magic number at any time.All you have to do is look at the second place team's E#. That is the magic number for the A's. As of today the Angels have an E# of 21, so the A's magic number is 21.
Easy, fun, healthy.
talboito - September 1, 2006
You must've checked it too soon,
cuz it now (accurately) says 20.By the way, it's quickly catching up to the Mets' magic number. Not bad!
The Phillies (unlike the Angels) are playing like they're in the playoff hunt.
blueconversechucks - September 2, 2006
If the Angles were in the NL,
they would be leading the Wild Card.Right now, the Wild Card leading Padres are 2 games over 500. More of a Crawl than a Race.
Even the Rangers would be in the WC lead in the NL.
MobiusKlein - September 2, 2006
Frank is our team MVP
and it's not even close.eamb - September 1, 2006
Magic Number...?
...I guessing 21doubleplayer - September 1, 2006
20
after a nice 2 point day...pretty soon the magic # is gonna follow texas
SeanR - September 1, 2006
Yep, it is 20
and I have now changed my sig line to track it from here on out.AsFanInLA - September 1, 2006
The people over at HH crack me up
Did you see the new poll they have up? Those are some cute names they made up. They must be getting pretty bored, with all the sucking.I mean come on, they are what, 8.5 games back?
Yep. :-)
amandarae - September 1, 2006
We must be politically correct. It's not over
until the BBW sings.theblackpearl - September 1, 2006
If you want politically correct anything
stay away from HHAmnesiac727 - September 1, 2006
I heard that chick a couple of years ago...
she can really belt out a tune. I think it was a rendition of Celebration.DMOAS - September 1, 2006
Ahem...
me me me me meeeeRichmond - September 1, 2006
Why is everything ALWAYS about you?
JediLeroy - September 1, 2006
The Melvins is a good band
;-)But this was a great win. I would love to just continue pushing the lead upward, but even if we stay steady for a little while that's just as good.
How long before Angel fans start turning from when they're going to win the division to talking about how the A's are going to choke in the playoffs? I imagine soon. Real soon because otherwise it would mean having to focus on their own team and really, I'm pretty sure they don't want to do that.
Tyler Bleszinski - September 1, 2006
maybe they will think about
the long and glorious history of the angels franchise.2002...and 2002...vlad...tim salmon....
xbhaskarx - September 1, 2006
You forgot about
Art Moreno decreasing beer prices a couple years ago. That's gotta be a top-five Angel's moment.holyfreekinmoses - September 1, 2006
Frank Thomas
is a magical player, who is modelling for a Cooperstown statue with every devastating swing.emperor nobody - September 1, 2006
Yes baby!
No one can touch us!baseballnut020 - September 1, 2006
hey, we're the second first place team,
after the mets, to get your magic number on yahoo's mlb standings:http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/standings
xbhaskarx - September 1, 2006
Or in other words
The first AL team.eamb - September 1, 2006
And/or
The President of Indiana.eamb - September 1, 2006
As of right now
The A's have a better record than the Minnesota Twins.hehelaughy - September 1, 2006
The way the Angels get back in it
is for really freakish things to happen. Like they win five in a row and we lose five and a row. Then, we still have a 3 1/2 game lead with only about 20 to play. Which would still be a good lead.But, of course, what I just described isn't going to happen. The odds of it are about 2 to the 10th power, or 1 in 1,000. Pick a number between one and a thousand. Quick.
Nope I was thinking of 473. Want to try again?
The reality is that five games from now the A's are likely to have the same lead they do now, or a little bigger one. And then they'll only be 20 games left. Which is nothing.
So, yeah she's isn't getting ready to sing. She's finishing up. This thing is all but over, only the celebration is left.
It's time to start following other races, like the one in the Central. It's time to get ready for the playoffs.
RLangford - September 1, 2006
Oh no!!!
I picked 473 and then I changed it to 7.5!!! :-(-Cindi.
Nico - September 1, 2006
Hey RLangford
Your diary has inspired me to change my sig line to track the demise of our Western foes. I agree that this thing is all but over, but I will be even happier when it is not "all but" over but is actually over.It will be nice to just keep winning, clinch this thing early, and have everyone well rested for a change. This could be huge, as the A's have really had such horrible first halves, that they would have to kill themselves in Aug/Sept to make the postseason. This chance to rest can only help make us better in the postseason this year.
AsFanInLA - September 1, 2006
1 out of 1000?
So, of all the times a team has been 8.5 (or more) games ahead with 28 games (or less) left to play, only 1 out of 1000 ever made up that gap? Hmm. I suspect the odds of covering that gap is somewhat more than 1 in 1000. Say, 1 in 200?MobiusKlein - September 1, 2006
Geez I was talking about the odds
of us losing 5 straight and them winning 5 straight right now.RLangford - September 1, 2006
And actually
the odds of that aren't really 1 in a 1,000. They're less because the odds in each game aren't really 50-50. We're more that 50% likely to win our home games. They're more than 50% likely to lose their road games. Especially given the opponents.RLangford - September 1, 2006
I want to buy this...
...I want to spend my evening running around and jumping for joy and celebrating this latest of amazing A's runs, I want to beleive that it is done and done. But the X-factor in all of this it seems to me is the fact that the Angels still get seven head-to-head cracks at us. Which means anything can still happen. Keep the pedal to the metal, boys - a late September celebration when it truly is all over will be so much more enjoyable than the party I am oh so tempted to throw right now. Keep the champagne on ice, AN: we still have work to do...But this is one hell of a ride, isn't it?!willcmatthews - September 1, 2006
Boy where would we be without Thomas
I sure hope Beane and Wolff try and re-sign him if possible. I am sure we can come up with something creative that will satisfy Frank's desire for a 2 year deal, and still not break the bank. Not sure there are any free agent hitters as good as a healthy Thomas that we could afford anyway. So, RE-HIRE THOMAS NOW!!!!AsFanInLA - September 1, 2006
This picture just cracked me up...
I'm almost afraid to ask for a caption. lolalamedagirl - September 1, 2006
Caption
"Sorry, Melvin! That's the last time I go to Chili's."jeepers - September 1, 2006
"If this
doesn't get us in as Solid Gold Dancers, I don't know what will."PDXAthleticsfan - September 1, 2006
Caption
"Christ, what an asshole!"oblique - September 1, 2006
"Brittney dreams
about K-Fed's next career..."Nick - September 2, 2006
1988
That's the year the A's ran away with the division, right? Of course, it is. They won 104 games, beating out the Twins by 13 games.Here's something of real interest. After 134 games that team was 84-50. The second place Twins were, after 135 games, 76-59.
That's right, at this exact point in the season the '88 A's had an 8 1/2 game lead over the second place Twins--nine in the loss column.
Like 1988, the A's have run away with the division.
RLangford - September 1, 2006
and it gets worse for the redsox. papelbon
and schilling are now hurt.larrysgurl - September 1, 2006
Gosh, that's too bad
about Papelbon.Nico - September 1, 2006
QOTM.
jeepers - September 1, 2006
I second that emotion
emperor nobody - September 1, 2006
Seriously though...
Prayers for Jon Lester and his family. What awful news for a 22-year-old kid to have to deal with...willcmatthews - September 1, 2006
what happened?
OaklandSi - September 2, 2006
Diagnosed with a form of lymphona
Link to story on Yahooanomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
*lymphoMa
anomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
OMG
that's devastating news.I'm particularly reacting because the same has just happened to a friend of mine...
OaklandSi - September 2, 2006
Amen to that
Thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery. I can't imagine having to deal with that.anomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
Frank Thomas
The thing now is, it's not just the homers. It's a bunch of singles. It's just missing on some of the outs (think near grand slams in Texas a week ago). It's the line drives to the gap or the corner.What's his average the last two-three weeks? The last two months?
At this point, Thomas isn't our guy who's like, say, Manny or Thome. He is the true equal of these guys.
Someone needs to post his stats since the two homer Chicago game. If that first month and a half didn't exist, I think he'd be front and center with Jeter--now the likely winner--Mauer, Ortiz, and Dye in the MVP conversation. As it is, his name is going to start cropping up in those conversations.
RLangford - September 1, 2006
In exactly half a season since 6/1:
Frank Thomas is hitting .300, with a .416 OBP, 17HR and 51 RBI.Nico - September 1, 2006
Thomas since the Chicago 2 homer game
ABs: 253Hits: 80
2B: 6
HR: 22
BB: 50
AVG: .316
OBP: .429
SLG. .601
OPS: 1.030
Just below Hafner, Manny, Dye, and Ortiz. One point ahead of Thome.
Wow.
Bonus non-Thomas stat:
A's now 55-27 since season low point (day before Kendall homer). That's a half season of .667 baseball.
RLangford - September 1, 2006
The first month
did exist though.rfloh - September 2, 2006
"Oh, but it wasn't a dream! It was a place!
"And you - and you - and you - and you were there! But you couldn't have been there, could you?" (says Dorothy pointing finally to Esteban Loaiza...)GreenNGoldSooner - September 2, 2006
Yes, Thomas IS the Oakland A's 2006
I never even sip my beer when he is at bat. Why bother? From an A's fan view, it's MacGwire..esc!!baseballbill - September 1, 2006
According to Goodbye, Hello
...we won the World Series in August! Plus Este, Saarloos gets some love.Kimberly - September 1, 2006
For Tony
eamb - September 1, 2006
is that the font the cramps use?
xbhaskarx - September 1, 2006
Good eye
eamb - September 1, 2006
Eww, my font is spotting
JediLeroy - September 2, 2006
shock of all shocks
turned on espn news we got a mention(picking myself up after fainting)smasfan - September 1, 2006
When?!
I watched the entire dang hour and didn't see a THING. All I saw was a shot of Loaiza during a montage.anomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
Tomorrow morning in Baseball Prospectus
The A's will likely be about a 95% favorite to win the division. Or maybe more.RLangford - September 1, 2006
Another 1-run win...
How many is that? 43? 45?oaklandpete - September 1, 2006
26-18 in 1R games this year :)
anomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
So no, oaklandpete,
not 43 and not 45. You were way off!Nico - September 2, 2006
"8 1/2" has just become
my favorite Fellini film."La Dolce Vita" -- THE SWEET LIFE -- is a close second. Yes!
Checkswing HR - September 1, 2006
i think the fat lady from "amarcord"
is about to sing.and the a's ship sails on...
xbhaskarx - September 1, 2006
We've gone far
down LA STRADA to the playoffs!Checkswing HR - September 1, 2006
Also Woody Allen's Starducts Memories
Had a homage of the beginning of 8 1/2.pachydermOAFC - September 2, 2006
just got back from the game
You could feel the moomentum shift from the Orioles to the A's when, leading 4-3 and two out in the bottom of the seventh, Melvin Mora throws poorly on a routine grounder to third and the first baseman lets it go past him. Milton saw that and, not skipping a beat, kept running til he got to second.At that moment,and with Thomas coming up to the plate, I think we all felt the game shift.
OaklandSi - September 1, 2006
Just got home from the game too
what a great game, it was a good feeling to know that they never give up. You always have this feeling that Frank will hit a big one and he did tonight. Duke was awesome and I feel bad for Perez, i guess that's what happened when you don't have much playing time. Anyway, a great game and it's so nice to be 8 1/2 games up. Still hate the wave though. Go A's!gilaASfan - September 1, 2006
oh, I got so annoyed
with that wave, blocking the view of the field as the A's came up to bat in the top of the ninth!!<sigh>
OaklandSi - September 1, 2006
It's annoying
because it's stupid -- it has nothing to do with "when" it happens.Vacafan - September 2, 2006
of course
but it's especially annoying when something is actually happening that people might want to see in the game.It annoys me in general, but I can be more forgiving at other times.
OaklandSi - September 2, 2006
Great win!
Now let's take this thang home.oblique - September 1, 2006
i know he hasn't done well this year, but
when i saw DJ in the dugout, i smiled.larrysgurl - September 1, 2006
The Wife and I . . . .
decided at the last minute to go to the game. Scalpers hawking tix for over face value, laughing at me when I turned them down, saying, "You're gonna hafta pay $30 apiece at the gate." A sweet young couple comes up to us and sells us 2 $30 tix in Secn. 106 for $10 because her uncle has 4 season tix and couldn't make the game. Sat back and relaxed w/ the wife after a long week at work--enjoyed the game, the crowd, the team, the season, the weather--all is good in Oaktown right now. Speaking of Big Frank, does anyone remember his contract incentives and how close he is to fulfilling them? Shoot, if I were Beane, I'd give it all to him anyway, considering what he's done for the team. Let's enjoy this, folks. They say the key to happiness is appreciating what you've got while you've got it.camperdog - September 1, 2006
He's fulfilled them in spades
Last I heard, he had already picked up $2M in incentives.anomaly_kat - September 2, 2006
I LOVE THIS TEAM.
and i love the A's fireworks show! it is seriously THE best fireworks show i've ever seen!click here to see some of the post-game fireworks!
i've never seen these smiley face fireworks anywhere else but at the coliseum!
gotgreen - September 2, 2006
The smileys are so cute!
Believe it or not, I've never been to an A's fireworks game, but I'll be going on September 22. I can't wait! Maybe they'll make the last fireworks show of the year extra special.alamedagirl - September 2, 2006
I agree
I didn't go tonight but I've been to two other fireworks games and they really do put on the best show!indigo - September 2, 2006
Was also at the game with the fam...
enjoyable win, great fireworks with classic Motown music. Even thought it wasn't, Big Hurt's HR felt like a walk-off.Finally, as I looked at the out-of-town scoreboard while savoring the win, a slight, ever-so subtle voice made it's way into my consciousness...
It was a voice I had heard before.
It flowed from some ineffable cosmic place; a place we rarely experience save for those most quiet and lucid moments of clarity when Truth itself is made manifest. Its message was soft yet clear:
8 and a half bitch!!!
Ice Cream - September 2, 2006
haha you dirty angels
get down from your perch and fall from grace.azagtooth - September 2, 2006
Where the hell would we be
without Justin "All-Star" Duchscherer?He is NAILS.
Kyli - September 2, 2006
Angel Fan's-Why do they whine like Mike Scioscia?
Went on Halo's Heaven for the first time in a couple of years. I know it's only blogging, but the overuse of "chokeland" kinda of pisses me off. What a bunch of bitches. Except for one year(02)in their history the Angels are the distilled essence of gagging. Since divisional play in 1969, the A's have like 12-13 division titles and 4 championships compared to 4 and 1 respectively. They also bring a payroll that is like 42 million dollars more than the A's and yet they still whine like we weren't the best team this year. Crap happens Angel Fan, you have a good team that entertains but tip your hat to us and we'll go for it again next year. I'll shut up now and I appreciate the forum to vent my spleen and other internal organsvidabluefan - September 2, 2006
HH is a bore
I admit that I enjoy pulling up their site to see the daily "Lose" photograph. It's a feel-good hobby that never fails to amuse.Reading that sewer is probably a mistake. Not only is "Chokeland" a total bore but the rest of their stuff is really lame - they all seem like 12 year old boys chirping, "Oh, that's sooo gay!" except they're probably all adults and that's really sad. Their juvenile homophobia seems to be encouraged by Rev, who attributes 'free beer night in the Castro' to one poster's remarks. They're a sorry bunch and you can expect much more of their ugly vitriol in the weeks to come.
coffee roaster - September 2, 2006
I find HH and the rev pretty damn funny.....
perhaps that comment about Castro was homophobic, but you gotta admit, it was funny. Alot of AN'ers go over and troll at HH which get's pretty old.stthomasfan - September 2, 2006
Actually, no
I didn't find it funny.I do agree that the trolling over there usually doesn't reflect well on A's fans. I'm sure it gets old for them and is probably an extreme irritant now that they see their season slipping away.
coffee roaster - September 2, 2006
sorry......
not trying to stir the pot. Go A's (and Ducks!!)stthomasfan - September 2, 2006
Angel whiners/What if?
Great blog folks. Been lurking for awhile. Had to join the other day after I called the local Angel's radio station. On that day they were asking people to tell them what team could have lost their ace (Colon) and stayed in the race. You know the sad story. I call in and say, "The A's haven't had Harden for the past two years." I would say that losing Harden was the difference last year. Just can't believe that they won't give the A's the props they deserve and it is starting to p*** me off. Even in the rags down here they are trying to say the A's have an easier schedule in Sept. than the Angels. The difference...we play them .519 clip while they play us .582 clip.So to all the Angel fans that are checking us out...ENJOY YOUR CHEAP BEER, YOU AREN'T EVEN THE KINGS OF LA!
Been bleeding green and gold since I saw the A's in '72 and love the site.
yblood2hof - September 2, 2006
Nice win, bitches!!!
Team Todd now 8.5 back....rolling over like dogs down in Socal.Tony - September 2, 2006
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Athletics Nation to post a comment.