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Open Game Thread: Game 68 - A's @ Giants (cont.)

Harden continues to whittle the Giants' already-feeble bats into maple pulp.

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counting is fun
Better guess this time, monkeyball

Let’s Go A’s – two innings left, add on please

6-3 braves over angels 2-0 a's over giants
ellis looks lost up there tonight
He just lost Cain!
I hope he looks lost every night

He’s now 2-4

luckiest comment ever
timing is everything
Cain gone

lets open this thing up now

now would be the time
Taschner could provide

some cushion….

esp. want to see “Jack v. Jack” with a resulting Jack.

lets go sweeney
If you're reading this monkeyball,

I gave a nice L(n)OL (but still an “L”) to both the new threads, so kudos…

I had a third one set for 9:00 ...

Nico deprived you of actually Ling OL.

With Bonds Gone ...

The Giants are actually a reasonably likable club. I’ve followed them closely this year. They’re very close to being a .500 club … but man their bullpen is just awful. Would be nice to see the A’s tack one on here. Bunt, please …

Poor Napoli

just got pinch hit for by Reggie Willits (he of the .180). I feel… happy.

Brown pinch-hit for Smith

and Smith was batting 1.000!!

Hope Harden finally gets a well-deserved win tonight
yeah he has been lights out
Uh, FP? Brown already pinch-hit you moron.
hahahahahahahahahahahah
Taschner

FAIL!

Castillo Makes That Play Easily ...
hahaha beautiful
Bunting in Sacramento

Is it against the law to teach how to bunt in Sacramento?

it used to be against the law to bunt in oakland

so I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer were YES.

That is not an example of why you bunt!!

I don’t care what the outcome was.

That was the right decision by Taschner, though

because Ellis was running. Catch = DP.

true, and it looked like it went all the way into his glove before coming out
Okay, Jack v. Jack!!
walk em loaded
Time for a Custy splasher
yes, please
that would be awesome
Bunt Again? I say yesss!
What, exactly happened?

Gameday’s description is not helpful

Swooney bunted, Taschner made a diving attempt to catch it, FAILED
thanks. silly giants
Bunt too strong, Taschner dove toward the 3B line, ball squirmed...

...its way out of his glove.

come on cust
rats! call goes against A's

Sweeney was safe!!

looked safe...
close enough that it's hard to complain though. those always go to the defense.
then why do we always lie to the kids?
Not really even that close... clearly safe.
took him to long to call that one
Does this count as a clutch AB late in a close game for Chavvy?

I hope not!

INSTANT REPLAY FOR BASEBALL!
That's one of the worst base calls I've seen in a very, very long time

I know umpires can’t be punished for ineptitude, but that guy should spend about a year in A ball. That was truly terrible.

Not only did he miss the call, he was out of position and...

...put himself in the way of a possible throw by Vizquel.

Why PR? did Cust hurt himself?
good question

since they just picked off Rajai Davis!!

I hate that I ended up being right
uhh..

they’ve done that every single game this year.

In such a low leverage situation?
they'd bring him in for defense anyway

might as well have him run (that is, assuming he doesn’t get picked off)

for defense afterwards

the opposition’s ABs will always be much higher leverage when the A’s are ahead.

We will take it
3-0 now

thanks for the WP

WP or PB??

what’s the official scoring?

Gameday sez: WP
Wow. Can't Give 2 Runs Away to A's When Harden Starts ...
Wooooooooooo!
Wake up, Davis
Raj should know better than that
Rhymes with DFA
And there go Chavez's RBI opportunities
Who gets DFA'd first - Brown or Davis?
Please DFA both
Please please please please

Brown

Brown-

no potential

Uh...no more Rajai Davis please.
giants suck

got no offense, have ok pitching, and yet they still get the fans. its dumb

well, they do have a park
If you build it...
true

but that goes to show giants fans are just going out cause of the park not cause of the team.

What's that gonna show about A's fans

if and when they (only) come out to Fremont?

there may be as many a's fans at this game

as at a typical home game.

u got me there

A’s fans gotta go out and support a winning franchise., like our beloved a’s! It shouldnt matter about parks, it should matter about the team. But in a few years the A’s shoudl still be raw and the fans will go out and enjoy both things, not just one.

I.E. A losing franchise should lose season ticket holders, but the giants are somehow able to maintain that fan base, which could in a way say that they are going out cause of the park, but I know there are many other reasons as to why the still have fans

I just don't get it

so much is said about Davis’s speed, it’s really his big asset, but his baserunning skills are, at best, suspect. Maybe he should work on that.

Man, someone should really tell Davis that he needs to be a good baserunner to be on the team....

And I want him on the team, but… gaffe after gaffe…

That was one of the ugliest half-innings I've ever seen
Last two half innings were pretty ugly
Ha!

Diary rescued at the Daily Kos! Fokikn’ right!

congrats
[polishes fingernails]

I don’t baseball that well, but English I can do. Thanks.

you're one up on me

bad at both.

whats your username on Kos?
Giants Actually Don't Suck

Their bullpen is just awful, but there aren’t too many teams who have 3 arms like Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez. Kind of reminds me a little bit of the A’s when they had Norris, McCatty, Langford, Keough … and not a single arm in the pen.

As for their offense, they have 4 starters (Rowand, Molina, Wynn and Durham) who are above .300 and generally give you a good AB every time. They have some young guys who are playing pretty well, too, including Bowker. I don’t understand why Boche keeps playing Vizquel, who is totally done, but it’s nice to see the Giants do better. With Bonds gone, once they fire their PA announcer and ban cell phones there won’t be much left to hate, except maybe Jon Miller and his constant: “Here’s the pitch … SLIDER …. “

I can think of 5.3 million reasons
Regarding Omar

MCC was thilled when he started the year on the DL because it meant he would miss enough games to keep his 2009 option from vesting.

I agree.

At some point, they need to have some kind of direction. The old guys are tying up roster spots for young guys who could make a difference in ‘09. This team is NOT a contender in ‘08. The Giants are in a void between the Bonds’ years and the future.

I'm not sure

anyone is blocked….heck, Bocock was a single-A guy…they had no one for SS.
And they got their third baseman Castilla right near opening day from Florida!
Injury to Fransden (out for the year)....

true

they could easily fall into the trap of ‘just trying to be .500 this season’ every season

Whoa, acrobatics.
I wonder if teams used 4 pitchers in a shutout game before LaRussa. Thanks,Tony
15 yard penalty on CarGo for the cut block
Patrol Craft, or "Cutter"?
Foulke Looks Good, Throwing Darts

Ellis usually makes that play

Alittle early for an assessment

3-2, man on first.. two out.

Okay K for Durham

Good work Foulke!!

did he say wack out a bunch of hits?
Giants got more hits in the last 2 innings than the first 6 combined
Our bullpen

is trying a bend-not-break prevent defense

Angels walk in a run

7-3 now

nice

and the braves are still winning

Bases Loaded walk to C. Jones

Braves 7, LAAA 3

Is our pal, Bootcheck in?
hahaha

FUCK THE ANGELS

Not only do

I hate the Angels. They have a ton of Carl’s Jr. commercials. Who wants to see a crappy team and then have to watch people stuff their fat faces in between innings?

I hate how the Angels rotate their announcers

I have the A’s game on TV while recording anothe channel, so I have the Angels game on radio and they have Physioc and Hudler on the radio,

Patrol Craft 7 -game hitting streak

only fifty games more, and they’ll show it on BT and ESPN.

I still get a bit surprised when CarGon hits a not-double
are you also surprised

when cust doesn’t HR, SO, or walk?

'cause I still am
Only when he get infield singles and makes diving catches.
Cust is changing his game from power to speed, or perhaps both
he's transforming into a perfect leadoff hitter!
Now 9-3 Braves

All kinds of good news tonight.

Atlanta score all 3 runs with two outs, nice
9-3 Braves!

Sweetness and light.

9-3 Braves, Tex hit 2 RBI single
Texiera singles in 2 more

Easy to predict that Angels pitching was due to go in the tank like it happens to all teams

no

they’ll just get blown out this game and win the next two games by one run

Hey, the Braves won the series

Thats all we can really ask for

you didn't get much for christmas as a kid did you

you need to ask for much more :)

I won't be satisfied until the City of Orange Rodentia lose 20 in a row.
Then, unfortunately, you're in for a sad life
haha yes what a great night
Asshat on the field

And he didn’t even catch it

Giants Pen ... Just Awful...
Woow Suzuki up the middle

CarGon on the H&R, gets up and goes to third

Gobble Gobble

Goes the Zookie Monster

heads up baserunning by cargon
Zookie - three hits tonight
are only little leaguers watching tonight?
love that angel-brave score

no blue bunny tonight. wheat free gluten free choc. chip cookies from mix.

[squints]

Wtf is blue bunny? A drink?

blue bunny ice cream...brand
[squints]

Men buy this?

yah. just a brand name. tough guys in alaska buy it.
mmmmmmmm

I don’t think the ice road truckers buy it, I really don’t see it.

who are these guys anouncing too
Angels:

Finally they lose a game they should win. Santana has lived up to his potential so far, and had a bad outing, and they were facing a scrub rookie pitcher. Good stuff.

That Gonzales is intense

He wasn’t overly happy to get a hit. He’s hungry in a way I haven’t seen for a while.

Carney looks like he wants to put a bag over his head

Although I’m sure it is cold. The fog is really dense up here.

+1

very cold day indeed

Unbelieavable. 3 Free Runs ...
Wow - the Gnats really suck

I almost feel sorry for them. Almost.

hahaha beauty
Time for Huston to Sit Down...
Brown is up

and will probably pitch the 9th

Let's Go Oakland Chants! Love It...
yeah nice to hear
A's fans are the only ones left in the house
I'm just curious on all the Giants hate.

The Giants fans that with whom I have spoken generally root for or are indifferent with respect to the A’s. I realize they dominate the media market, but I also realize that we are comparing San Francisco with Oakland. Just seems pucking weird to me.

I don't hate the Gnats

Just their arrogant, indifferent fans. And KNBR.

Agree on KNBR.

The mid-night replay is perhaps the worst idea since playing hockey in June…

Attitude

San Francisco has a patronizing attitude toward Oakland (and the rest of the Bay Area). Many Oaklanders are irked by it, so they dislike SF.

It doesn’t go the other direction. SF doesn’t resent Oakland, just looks down on it.

Honestly

I hate the indecisive fans even more than the true giants fans. I respect the guys with black/orange hats covered with those croix pins.

+1

on the last bit.

I've got one of those pins

Got it back in the 80’s when I was in college

I was always sad when I didn't get a chance

On the few times I went to night games at the ‘Stick

I suppose we know what side your bread is buttered on!
Oh, and props for the garlic fries
The Giants have KNBR

so it causes ire for A’s fans, as they get all the analysis, etc, that an “oldies” station (KFRC) won’t have.

That alone is the cause for antagonism, IMHO.

I dont have the hate

that alot of these other people have. I grew up attending both teams. My Dad had season tickets for both teams through work. I iked moth teams. I became much more of an A’s fan as I got older but I still like both teams. I wont be wearing a split hat anytime soon though.

A's fans always feel we get the back of the bus

With the Giants around. The Real baseball in the Real city with a Real park and that fucking soup in bread bowls, brie and wine, oy.

In regards to the park,

their ownership ponied up the money and self-financed (to my knowledge) the entire project.

sorta

I think there was more going on than just a straight ownership finance. Loans, etc.

True, first privately financed ballpark since the 1960s

They did, however, get $15 million in tax-increment financing from the city redevelopment agency. Not sure if you’d count that as public. No actual public funds spent.

Even if it counts

That $15M is a bargain considering the amount of development in that area after the Booth went up.

If I understand the TIF agreement properly

the City only pays if the property tax revenues really do increase beyond designated baselines (which of course they did).

In other words, the City promises, “if you build the ballpark, we’ll give you X share of the increase in property tax collected from nearby properties as a result of the new Park driving up property values.

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our two lovely pinch hitters: 0-2 2K

DFA Brown, Hannahan to AAA

What's with the dead streak of grass in the OF

Has football season started, with the Niners playing in the Phone Booth.

sprinklers not quite right

but they’re working on it…heck, right through the game sometimes!

Field was covered for the Kenny Chesney concert

guess too many alcoholic beverages were spilled there

Before or after pee time?
mmmm as messy as things were

I doubt it would have made any difference:)

I wondered about that too

Very unprofessional, the City that Knows How my ass.

lets get this one in the books
A's didn't do well with RISP tonight, but Giants' bullpen helped us out
Geren, you ****

Two nights in a row of Street in non-save situations?

WHY?

I think he had Street warming up

before the 4th run even scored, so he just put him in?

...maybe?

Because

We aren’t using the DL enough

I was wondering the same thing, unbelievable
Maybe this is the good situation

to see if Street really has 90+ mph velocity back.

Ditto to all the above comments

with the added….. Because he is a moron

I'm not thrilled about Street pitching tonight, but

just out of curiosity, Trainman, given that the A’s are now six games over .500 with a team that was expected not to contend and has had the usual truckload of players on the DL, how do you figure that Bob Geren is not doing a good job?

I think he is good a great job

but I do think he is going to wear out some of the players. I mean give Crosby, Ellis and Suzuki a day off now and then. Other then that I have no complaints.

I agree about Suzuki

I’m not saying Geren is or has been perfect, but the plusses way outweigh the minuses in my opinion. He has this team bunting for hits, using the hit-and-run, tagging from first occasionally, etc., without sacrificing the basic A’s game plan. And he obviously keeps the team in a good place psychologically because they battle, don’t get down, bounce back. I think he’s done a great job overall.

I am saying he is a moron for

pitching Street two nights in a row wih his suspect groin.

Geren is doing a good job except he could do a better job with pitching management as evidenced here and with leaving Blanton in too long in most of his starts. Apart from that he is doing well with other aspects of the game.

I don't think that's what you were saying, actually

Or you would be saying, “He brought in Street tonight because he’s a moron for bringing in Street tonight.” What you said was that another explanation/reason for Geren bringing in Street tonight is that he is (in general) a moron. Which he isn’t.

I do think that is what I was saying

I could have worded it more correctly.

If there is the one area I do not like then that would be that he does not have a quick enough HOOK on certain pitchers (Blanton) and of course bringing in Street two nights in a row in non save situations. I maybe could understand last night as Street had not worked for awhile but tonight was plain stupid. If Chavy had not caught that bad hop, we no doubt would have had a much closer game. I would think Street would need to take care of his groin. Maybe he said he was OK because he’s a gamer but I still do not see the need to bring someone in with a 4 run lead at the risk of aggravating his groin further.

With Geren I like they way he uses the speed off the bench although sometimes he takes out what power we have a little early in the game but that is a gamble. I like that they steal a little more than they do and try the occasional hit and run.

Geren is doing a good job and I guess we have to take into account that Billy is pulling the strings to a certain degree behind the scenes so he may be handcuffed in some of the decisions he makes.

FWIW, I was ticked to see Street in tonight

I’m interested to know more about why. Andrew Brown was throwing when it was 3-0 and the A’s were rallying, so I wonder if Brown didn’t feel right – it looked like Geren was going to go to Street if it was 3-0 and Brown if the A’s added on. Then the A’s added on and Street came in anyway. I have a feeling – or would like to think – there’s more to the story than we know.

Yeah, Hopefully Brown is OK

There may be something to that. It would have been logical to think Brown was coming in with more than a 3 run lead.

I did not listen to extra innings though.

Maybe we ill read something about this.

toyota drive of the game = lame
Not alot to choose from though, lol
Lead off walk is not good.
... but GIDP by Molina is
cancelled by Benji

DP… all planned!!

Giants broadcast: Toyota Drive of the game

Winn’s single in the 1st. Ther’re desperate

I figured it might've been the chopper over Ziggy
The return of the HITS discount!

Tomorrow’s game, for next Sunday…..

another 20 hit game perhaps?
Whee!

Nothing’s gonna live up to that 20 hit game though!

how bout a 20 run game?
excellent.

heck, might even listen to Buan tonight….been a while.

I've watched that sprinkler clip about 10 times.

Still funny.

I just hope

Street stays under 20 pitches

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Street's not going to try to pick...

...him off, Kuip.

Very nice play right there

Chavy is the best

these anouncers are really painful
You must be joking about listening to Buan.

Why ruin your good mood?

one more strike
Watch them actually need Street tomorrow
Thanks, Geren
A's Are, Uh ... Right In It!!!
I love it when the A's win
groundout to third, 5-unassisted
Atlanta with a sweep

and the A’s with a sweep and our boys make up alot of ground in less then a week.

I'm nervous about the trip to Arizona, though -

We face Webb, Haren, and Doug Davis (who owns us, plus our lineup vs. LHP is terrible). If we can weather that, I’ll feel a lot better.

Thats going to be a rough road trip

Who do the Angels play? Do you know?

Phillies, Nationals, Dodgers
Harden looked so good
I don't think there's a better pitcher in baseball

J. Santana, Lackey – there are some guys who can lay claim to being as good. But not better.

+1

I agree. When Harden is not even on his game, he is pretty good.
To avoid a cliche, I would say when he is dealing, he is “awe-inspiring”.

other guys in the discussion: webb, lincecum, maybe volquez or hamels

in the AL, probably only felix, halladay and beckett.

Definitely Webb, Lincecum, and Halladay,

maybe Beckett and Hamels close behind. Felix has been inconsistent – he’s been disappointing about the same amount of time that he’s been awesome – and Volquez doesn’t have enough of a track record. But yeah.

Angels now have a negative run differential
GAME RECAP IS UP

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