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Open Thread: Game 4 - A's vs. Red Sox (cont)

We need a new thread.

Boston leads 2-0, going to the bottom of the 7th, behind the A's killer Youkilis' double and David Ortiz' first homerun of year.

The A's offense is worse than it was last night, if that's even possible. Two hits, zero runs, and nine outs to work with.

 

0 recs  |  341 comments

Comments

DiNardo in means A's out

Geren's throwing in the towel. Makes sense, though, he'll want to hold on to some quality arms for the next series.

This offense is offensive

True

especially when your clean-up hitter is K-ust.

slash

led the team in home runs and rbi-ust.

Agreed but

they have out scored Boston in this "series"

let's go let's go

but yeah

admittedly, i enjoy how manny just doesn't care about what people think about him watching the home runs, because his personality is not like the personality of a mister b. lamar (unless we got haren and swisher back and then signed him)

Strictly bush league, no matter who does it

Not too long ago, you'd get a pitch near your head for that kind of stuff.

I don't think they've hit a ball much over 200 feet today

that is possible

looks about right

Maybe the Oakland Coliseum needs...

to adopt the LA Coliseum configuration for a short left-field porch.

Now we have to hear on Sportcenter how dominate Lester is

Make me want to puke. Note to self, skip Sportscenter tonight.

You said it.

You don't skip Sportscenter every night?

No K

an improvement

WTF was that?

Not a true outcome. My head spins.

i agree

i wish i had that power to the opposite field though

Are Offense is sooooooooo bad, start bringing up the young hitters

because they wouldn't be overmatched?

oh wait

Uh, the young hitters are here

And they ain't hitting.

Emil Brown!

still atoning for game 1!

Eeeeeeeeeee-meal

Crosby!

is it possible to walk in two runs with a runner on first?

tying run coming to the plate!

oh crap...it's crosby...

He Looks Like Mr Potato Head

That's the break we needed

crosby gonna start his mvp run right now

that is...

the funniest post i've read so far.

Gammons hasn't given that prediction up yet

I should Blez, bunch of man loving homers

Yes? No? Maybe?

Honestly

The only ESPN property I watch anymore is ESPNEWS. Although they're trying their hardest to ruin that as well with the switch to the new HD format. Cooler that they have more box scores and stats now, but lame in that they're making it more like a 24-hour Sportscenter now.

it's not a snack

it's emil

On a positive note

anyone notice Harden's ERA is 0.82? I'd take 32 starts averaging 5.5 innings if he's going to be dealing like his potential says it can!

Look Out Pink Lips Is On The Mound!

What are they doing on the mound?

They're supposed to be stuck on Mr. Potato Head right?

so are hitters are overmatched now, so yet the yougn hitters play

so more of the same

but possibly ruining young hitters' psyche and having to pay them more in arb in 6 years?

a nerd to punk a nerd, i fought a barber man

makes me happy

to see bobbo lay off those breaking pitches away

on a positive note...

at least bobby cant GIDP

I have never understood that

I pitcher has retired 10 in a row, then some guy gets a bloop single and you take him out! Why? He only needs one more out to get through the inning. I don't get it.

big taboo

about pitch count in the majors. if it does affect possibility of injury (which is not at all proven), no manager wants to be on the hook for that. (except a select few managers in the league)

baker, torre...

jack mckeon

old school

excellent call

absolutely correct

Sorry to tell you bro, but the most overmatched hitter in the last 3 games has been Buck

yep ... how many 3-swing at-bats up to this point?

Ha - Lester driven from the game by the threat of Crosby

didin't even think of it that way, lol.

out(s)?

Only the A's could ground into a double play with 2 outs in the inning

YOOO KILL US

hahaha

nice one man

3-1 is a hitters count!!!! F8ckin deuchebag!

Now I'm really leaving

i agree, when u only get 35abs in spring training, yea u will behidn pitchign duh

Can you take the time to

make your comments readable? That's why we have the preview button.

or

make them make sense

welcome to a day game thread, Blez

I was in it earlier

Just had to eat lunch and I'm back.

Mmmmmmm, Sweet and Spicy Doritos...Stephen Colbert is awesome.

Stephen Colbert brought you Sweet and Spicy Doritos?

I'm so confused.....

Stephen Colbert

has been pimping Sweet and Spicy Doritos on The Colbert Report.

Oh, I know ...

The Krazee Kaps nda illtrit bllrgent SHOLUTING NDA STUPH iz endemic to day game threads.

35 abs?

I've heard of 6-pack abs, but 35? Dang.....

it's called a keg

and it ain't pretty...

that was worth the entertainment value

no, from japn giants games timing messd up now

I hate Youkillis and the lame chant that follows him

i like youkilis

but i hate the lame chant that happens in our fucking stadium louder than anything the a's do

How can you like any Red Sox?

I purposely didnt draft a single one on my fantasy team.

a fair question

i don't like varitek though, does that help

How can you not like Ortiz...

sox i do like

francona (my dad and uncle played legion ball against him)
ellsbury (watched him at OSU)
manny
youkilis
papelbon

everyone else, who cares, but i hate varitek. he is not that good

I have Harden and Lester on my fanstasy team.....

figure out that line. I like Francona and the Red Sox and any fan of theirs before 2004

I love when Boston Bandwagon Fans come to Oakland.

Makes me want to take a nap

If you love that, you must be psyched when the yankees come to town

Flip, the A's havent given much to chear about today either

not at all

but i was there last night, and the youuuuk chant was louder than the cheering for cust's bomb

yeah

there were too man sox fans there last night... saw a couple get their ass beat in a fight

Yep. Lot of lemmings..

Flip, sad thing is, the owners loving having all these bandwagon fans, fills their pockets

totally

i'm sure lew didn't mind last night that the stadium was 65% sox fans, and 85% sox fans in the first deck

A's is a working class team, right?

We Got A Bunch Of Young Rookies

What Do Expect! They Gotta Mature And Get Good So You Can Trade Tem.

My fan hatred, in order of contempt:

1: Red Sox
2: Yankees
3: Cubs
4: Angels

Really, after that, I'm not sure I really hate any other teams' fans. I haven't lived in the Bay Area since I was 5, so I don't hate Giants fans. Mets maybe, Dodgers maybe? I just can't put them on that list.

mine is

1. yankees
2. angels
3. red sox
4. giants

cubs?

huh. dont think ive heard that one before

I'm in Cincinnati, and when the Cubs are in town

their fans are everywhere! They travel really well, but there are also all the bandwagon fans. Last year, when the Reds were going nowhere and the Cubs were in the playoff race, I went to a ballgame and it was a Cubs ballgame! Even opening day last year against the Cubs was like an away game.

It's a little like what you're experiencing today at the ballyard with the Sox fans, but Cubs fans are slightly less arrogant. They do take the 'pity us, we're the Cubs' thing a little far, though, for my taste.

there you go

i forgot you were from out there. i was at IU last semester, and the whole school is cubs fans, with a few reds and white sox fans mixed in

My sister and Brother in Law are out there

my bro-in-law is in his 2nd year getting an MBA

Here comes the blowout, Dinardo throwing up Zito type fastballs up there

Lets hope

our bullpen management improves soon.

or just our bullpen in general

theres a good decision

I like Casilla here.

You guys remember 2 weeks ago?

When people thought the A's were gonna surprise a bunch of people?

Oh. right.

They are surprising a bunch of people

The one's (like me) who thought they might surprise some folks...

Loaded, none out, we've been here

I really only hate the Angels, anyone else I can tolerate/watch/draft

i'm fine with drafting anyone

Even Emil Brown?

if he was the best player

for the spot, then yes. but obviously not in a ten team keeper league like mine

nice avatar by the way

3 run deficits are depressing...

...especially when you KNOW one is too many

and the bases are loaded

with no outs...

how did the Red Sox manage

to single to shallow left for four consecutive batters (I really don't know since I'm watching Gameday). Is Cust's range out there a big problem? Or were they all really legit singles?

Ground balls through the hole

that is very helpful

On Gamecast (which is what I'm actually watching), everything looks like a bloop fly ball.

I'm still wondering if we're just getting unlucky here? If I'm Lenny DiNardo with two runners on, all I would be trying to do is get a ground ball. So if he got one but it went through, then it's hard to assign much blame.

Crap, missed most of the game again.

Yeah I just got here, too... the score makes me sad.

Angels, Yankees and RedSox

hate all 3 with a passion!!!!!! Almost every team is their AAA team. Anyone guess where Sabathia will end up Texeira?

yes

sabathia: re-sign
teixeira: re-sign

no, really. i'm serious.

Where Sabathia will end up Texiera ?

Is this more of the man love of which you speak so highly ?

hahahahahahahaha

slingblade

whichever team lackey plays on...absolutely hate that guy.

for sure

but i would still take him on ours if the price was right

Atleast

The A's are getting a handful of games against probably the best team in the AL out of the way.
vr, Xei

there we go

some optimism. i like it

Lets Go Oakland

hit the nail on the head ... "bunch of lemmings." The Sox happen to be the trendy team to root for now ... I see so many 20 somethins with B caps on. Not one of 'em could tell you who was on the squad before '04.
Red Sox fans are the rudest, vilest, most arrogant bunch known to man. It was a sad, sad day when they broke the curse. Hate everything about 'em.

I'll admit it -

My son, six years old, is one of those lemmings. But I can't dissuade him, and I feel I should honor his becoming a baseball fan. Starts T-Ball today, so what can I say.

Its true

My son is just starting to show interest in the game. If he told me today that the Yankees were his favorite team, and that Jeter and Eckstein were his favorite players because they were so gritty and had hustle, I would still be happy.

good call

it's all true. i hate the fans much, much more than the actual team

Who cares?

If the 20-something people were all wearing A's hats they couldn't tell you who was on their 1989 team. So what... they're fans. They don't have to know everything about every team. Maybe if more 20-something non-fans as you'd say would show up in oakland the team could spend some more money.

I hate the Red Sox too but you need to think.

i just don't like

fans who try to act like they know more than they do. if they say they don't know the 1989 team, no problem.

the general consensus about these 20-something sox fans is that they don't even know the 2003 team, or who the relievers are other than okajima and papelbon.

Think of what?

You don't have a problem with people who "decide" they're going to be fans of a team only because they won the World Series?! You need to think jerk. Grab a clue.

Why people like the team they like doesn't matter...

Take a poll of every fan at the A's game today and I bet less than 5% could tell you the A's 25 man roster.

When the A's win the series are you going to be pissed at all the new A's fans?

I'm just sayin'

that a "fan" doesn't jump on the wagon when the team wins, then back off again when they don't. A fan pays his dues, through good times and bad. There are a lot of Sox fans who've done this, but many of the ones I described have a devotion that's awful new, how bout that?

Vile

I am going to go with Yankee and Phillie fans on this one. Every team has bandwagon fans, that's just inevitable. Yankee and Phillie fans seem to be obnoxious no matter how good or bad the team is. Red Sox fans that I've met seem to have a good sense of humor. Let's not get jealous.
vr, Xei

Hard to get too jealous

of a team that's won twice in a 100 years.

3 hitter so far.

Way to go, offense.

Wow. This is pathetic.

Papi's last swing was pathetic

Just looked at the box score

what the hell happened with DiNardo???

He decided to throw BP

that was a better answer than mine

use that one

zito-esque

No

that would require that he mix a couple of walks in there and a long ball. You'd figure after the first two righties get hits to left field, you're going to pitch righties on the outside rather than a place where they can pull it.

Papi? What a vomit-inducing nickname

I call him...

Big Floppy.

Come on now

That's what my daughter calls me. Easy now.

Does It Really Matter How Many They Score?

Al They Need Is 1 Run To Beat Us!

whoa whoa whoa

we aren't the giants here.

it takes two, cust will hit a solo bomb.

How come no one ever calls out

Ortiz on Steroids when ever other power hitter does. I mean he went for middle of the road in Minny to Superstar in Boston over night.

he was always that big

and he hit 27 his last year there or something IIRC

20 - then a career best

thanks for the clarification

that's a little different

No, he really wasn't.

Now he's a freaking monster, and it's not JUST fat.

At least he always had a huge head

Does Ortiz wear a hairnet?

He looks like he's a cook at Denny's.

look good

feel good
play good

...i guess

I wonder if he also uses

Aquanet to keep his hair in place?

He looks like he ate the cook at Denny's...

...then took the hairnet as a souvaneer

I like the Dodgers

But upstairs decks of Dodger games are some of the worst places to watch a game. Constant fights, people throwing stuff off the deck. I dont like those fans at all.

It is funny

I live in LA and through my work I get really good seats to Dodgeer games. I always thought it was a nice place to watch a game. Then one time I came in on the top level, HOLY CRAP!! It is seriously scarey up there. The funny part was when I started heading down to the lower levels, that you could actually tell hat it was getting lessand less scarey as you got to the higher priced tickets.

Yeah I like the Dodgers as well as the A's and I'll take A's fans over Dodger fans. It could partially be because I'm here all the time so most of my exposure is to A's fans who know a lot about baseball and are really nice and awesome, but I agree about the craziness of fans at Dodger stadium. It's a little ridiculous sometimes.

Well that could have been a *lot* worse

jason kendall

being a top performer on espn.com mlb site...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

A's Payroll: $ 47,967,126 Boston Payroll: $133,440,037

I had a question about that Asfan777?

Does that include the 50 million they spent to negotiate with Dicek?

nope

s

1. NY Yankees 195,229,045
2. Boston 143,123,714
3. NY Mets 116,115,819
4. Chicago Sox 109,290,167
5. LA Angels 109,251,333
6. LA Dodgers 108,704,524
7. Seattle 106,516,833
8. Chicago Cubs 99,936,999
9. Detroit 95,180,369
10. Baltimore 95,107,808
11. San Francisco 90,469,056
12. St. Louis 90,286,823
13. Atlanta 89,492,685
14. Philadelphia 89,368,213
15. Houston 87,759,500
16. Oakland 79,938,369
17. Toronto 79,925,600
18. Milwaukee 71,986,500
19. Minnesota 71,439,500
20. Cincinnati 69,654,980
21. Texas 68,818,675
22. Kansas City 67,366,500
23. Cleveland 61,289,667
24. San Diego 58,235,567
25. Colorado 54,424,000
26. Arizona 52,067,546
27. Pittsburgh 38,604,500
28. Washington 37,347,500
29. Florida 30,507,000
30. Tampa Bay 24,124,200
Note:Team salaries do not represent full team payroll. Amount listed includes current salary for all players currently on the roster.

where are these numbers from?

I think they're out of date.

1. The A's aren't at 80 million this year (much much lower)
2. I remember reading that the Marlins are down to 21 million.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/salaries?team=oak

Try

The USA Today salary calculator. That's usually more accurate.

Mike Sweeney

Is listed there at $11M. I'm very sure that's wrong.

My link below is from an April 1st article

yeah

that link below seems to have the right numbers.

Baltimore and SF! Hahaha

Tampa Bay spends no money... will get 100 loses this season

Here are 2008 accouring to AP

AP Payroll 2008

Nope!

They dont talk about that though, whats a cool 50 million?

What is the shelf-life of an A's hitting coach?

2-3 years? Uh-oh...poor guy

Casilla good job

that Ortiz at bat was well pitched.

The Good Old Cust Bomb

Always Folowed By The ALL HE EVER WANTED WAS A CHANCE. From The Announcers.

can't deny this

hitters 7,8,9..

a combined 1-6. OUR BEST CHANCE!!!

Anybody notice...

That if you multiply the A's hit total by the Sox' run total you get the Sox' hit total?

I'm studying for a math midterm in case anybody wanted to know.

Well there goes that.

At least we took the Spring Training title

When are the A's raising the banner?

Suzuki with a booming single to left field

please

don't swing through another cock-high fastball hannahan

looks like chest high will do this time

is anyone else besides me

noticing this?

If his, uh, equiptment is at chest level

He's more of a Man than I am, by about 15 inches

How about a Johnson-high fastball?

I Thought The A's Where Up Last Inning. DAMN SOX FANS>

they have no idea whats going on they probably thing Cora is Lugo

you have got to be kidding me

come on jack

They cant hit the fastball in the early part of the season

just buck and hannahan

Wow

that was an 89 MPH fastball right down the heart of the plate. We can't even hit that.

Go DJ

There's my DJ

this too shall pass

DJ Sighting

He apparently still totally sucks.

GOOD OLD DANNY BOY

WHATEVER YOU DO DONT BLINK!

Good thing that the SPF warning was low today

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK

DJ's making an at bat of it at least

Grounder to 2B. Why am I not surprised?

SHit He Blinked

Blink After You Hit The Ball Dude

Can we at least have a run here please?

strikeout totals

buck 7, cust 6, hannahan 5, barton 4 going into today's game

Cust +2, Hannahan +1 today

Correction: Hannahan +2

on two

fastballs down the middle

Sweet

DJ advances the runner.

:(

of course its foul

my exact thought

So how long does one usually wait...

for timely hitting?

Cust only struck out twice today I think, not bad average around 2 a game

Means that he at least faces 3 pitches every at bat

He wears the pitcher down!

Jeez we make Corey look like hes actually good

several sportswriters predict

cust to get strikeout record for a season....i think ryan howard had 199 Ks last year....

he will

but he'll hit 30 homers too

well....

you always have to take the good with the bad...

exactly

i'm down with 200 k's if he goes 30/90

yea he did....gonna depend on how many games Cust plays

DiNardo take note

That's what you do when hitters are teeing off on you inside. You pitch to the outer corner so they can stop looking to pull.

crazy talk

make an adjustment?

I know

Lock me up now.

I hope that these guys can at least hit Paul Byrd Friday

he is a slop tosser if I have ever seen one

yes but he dismantled us last season..... or was that injuries?

More National League Baseball

Dan Johnson isn't helping his trade status (giggle) by grounding out as a PH for our 9-hole hitter.

oh boy ryan sweeney just took over in center...now we're cooking

you just made me laugh out loud

i don't think that's a good thing here

Maybe Kendall...

wasn't such a bad hitter. (gasp)

Signs your team's offense is struggling

We have people craving more Jason Kendall double play ABs.

ouch

that's making my brain hurt

Yeah Go A's WOoOOOOO!

This Team Is So Young And Talented. I Cant Wait Till Next Year.

they're playing

the world champions

keep this in mind

might have to wait a year after that

but at least their fun to watch

Visions Of 2001

sweeney keeping himself (as well as all of us) entertained out in center

nice play sweeney

oh wait

where have you gone Nicky Swisher a nation turns its bad batters eye to you...

man

varitek is so good, maybe he should be their captain or something, i mean he OPS'd .725 in '06 and .788 last year, and .417 so far this season, i wish we had him

sorry guys

my fault

Huston Street is coming to your house

to give you a wedgie.

hopefully

when he sees me wearing his shirt and my autographed 8x10 on my wall, he'll only give me a regular one instead of an atomic wedgie

Thanks

Street's back in the negative on my fantasy team.

No, it's cool, Street is a REALLY REALLY good reliever.

Right, PaulThomas?

Our Pitching Will Win Us 80 Games Alone This Year.

Looking Forward To Eveland

In what sport?

i think the saying is

you will win 50 and lose 50, but the other 62 make your season

Thats not going to help Streets 16.20 ERA

well

If he only allows one run this inning, then it actually would.

Colin, your right. I mean thats sad but your are correct, LOL

he's down to 13.50 already!

woooo

we make jason varitek look like a good hitter...marinate on that

He still looks like a douchebag

with a horrid hair cut.

yes

Not only that

but he walks (and runs) like he's recently had rectum surgery or something.

it's okay

he's the captain he can do what he wants

grrrrrr

Be careful

Don't growl too hard, remember, you've got stitches in your rear end.

If We Score Runs That IS.

Take easy on Street

That's only two HR's this year...we are into the fourth game

Oh I cant wait for the days when this board is not filled with our dark self depricating humor

it's kinda fun

but not really

This Organization DOES have talent

they'll figure it out...give it some time...

Then what will I laugh at??

I'm actually resigned to them

not really doing much this year, so why not have a little fun with it?

To Hell with Street and Brandon Moss. In my head, the A's are 2-2

If only MLB recognized your head as the official standing, I would be a happy man

Houston Sucks He Cost Us This Series.

Go Rockets?

comets

yeah WNBA love!

only cause

i was just listening to lil flip

"me and hump negotiatin' to buy the rockets
we might buy the comets, name it i done it
if you see it and want it, buy it, own it"

we're ahh, we're ahh, we're not, we're not good

Chevy Chase from Caddyshack

Left on base: A's 9, Manny 8

stat o the day....watching manny pose makes me want to punch babies, but not really

Makes me want to drink gasoline and pee on a brush fire

Im ready for a long season

Ah don't worry about it

We've got a young club that will probably get better as the season progresses.

crosses fingers and toes

/realizes we're playing the world champs

we're fine

So, I TIVO'd the game today.

I think I'll watch Harden pitch and then delete it.

Perfect way to watch this game

I'd also fast forward through the A's ABs. Mostly nothing but ugly.

i'm feeling

an inconsequential homer

Chavez is still hurt

Zing!

HAHAHAAHAHAHA

oh god that was perfect

chavy

king of the down 8-0 solo bomb

well, Let's go Warriors! Huge game tonight!

hey there we go

go dubs

buike is the man

no kidding

I think it's the season for them tonight

Warriors got to get that win!

I wish Sweeney was as good as he is in my video game, we'd be set

I guess the main thing is building the value of the guys your looking to trade and One has looked good, Blanton, one not so much, Street

too early

line-up just doesn't have that "uumph" boppers like a healthy chavvy or swisher or frank thomas of '06 could give..not to sold on the denorfia/sweeney platoon...and buck/barton stumbling off the gates....we'll see.

Pedro is hurt for awhile

Maybe BIlly can get Omar to overpay for Blanton?

With Beltran.

and then we all woke up and sighed

after trading for santana...

do the mets still have some decent prospects?

no

3 team trade??

the old tricks of mr. beane.

JJ Putz hurt...

Does Seattle want Street? I hope that we could pick up Willie Bloomquist

ballantien would be the man to get there

Please tell me this is a joke

have a good one all

i'm out...gotta prep for adult league basketball tonight then the warriors game

school? what's school?

The game against Dallas tointe will almost be a playoff game

Baron Monta and Jackson will respond

um, no offense but

no offense

Sacto Opens in Tacoma Tomorrow

maybe we can find some offense down there?!?!?!?

I'm outta here, too. See ya next game. From Austin this time.

If nothing more

at least both Blanton and Harden pitched really well, showcasing themselves for a possible deal to Boston.

Umm dare I say it? F it! Sign Bonds!!!!

eww

Im with you Jim, just take your lumps as you rebuild. Why sign an overpriced ahole that isnt going to get us into the playoffs anyway

Yeah but does Bonds really help us that much?

We will still have 4 holes or so in our Offense

at least he's somebody to watch

I wish our hit count

didn't compete with our double plays hit into count

You gotta admit though it would be pretty cool if

The A's hit into more double plays than got hits. We could have a big double play counter like the Giants did for Bond's homers.

If we had that last year

it would have looked like a slot machine with the all lemon line.

Bullpens suck. Harden 5 IP 0 runs. Bullpen 4 IP 5 runs.

I hate Bullpens!

Look who it is against though, The world Champs

STOP SAYING THAT

Holy fucking shit, they're just a baseball team. It's not like they're automatically going to win every fucking game they play because ZOMG THEY'RE THE WOLRD CHAMPS!1one!1!1shiftplusone!1!!!!

Ugh. It's like ESPN.

At least Bonds can get on base once a game. Bonds DH, Cust in LF, CarGon CF, Brown/Buck RF

Bonds wouldn't do any worse than the clowns who are out there now. At least he'd generate some excitement for this year

the fastest recap

in sports!

Haha...it's easy if you know that the A's don't score runs!

AN Therapy

I stopped listening and just stayed here - It felt a lot better than all the redsoxfans noise.
Of course, I am at work and it's not too cool to be swearing loudly.
I think I'll take the advice to just watch the game tape of Rich for a while and fastforward through our AB's.
Thanks, AN, for getting me through these last few innings.

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