Athletics Nation

Just posted the lineups -

No Emil! {does happy dance} Just a random thought: When I see Cust in LF and Hannahan DHing, I wonder whether the defense would be better if they were switched – even though Hannahan is “not an OFer”.

Nico - June 6, 2008 reply

At least Hannahan is in the lineup...

And still in the leadoff spot, which is great.

RenoTy - June 6, 2008 reply

good point

I’ve wondered if Hannahan will be able to play some LF/RF for us down the road, too. If we DFA Emil Brown at some point, and Chavvy gets back to full health, it might happen.

notsellingjeans - June 6, 2008 reply

Random question

Have 2 teams ever started lineups with batting orders that matched exactly, position for position (e.g., LF, SS, 1B, 3B, CF, 2B, etc.)? Where could you look to answer this question?

Wouldn't it have been funny if that had happened

the day Billy Martin drew his lineup out of a hat?

Nico - June 6, 2008 reply

"Both teams have Jeff Newman leading off!"

Interesting question

If it were just by chance, it should happen about once every 150 years. But it’s better than chance, so it seems reasonably likely that it happens occasionally.

The databases that are out there have the necessary data, but you’d need to be able to write a specific query to it, and I don’t think anything online will let you do that.

iglew - June 6, 2008 reply

Look in NL games or older games 1st

AT least P almost always hit last.

asfansince1989 - June 6, 2008 reply

Why no Napoli?

He only played in 1 of the Seattle games. Not that I miss his fat a** and 10 HR.

asfansince1989 - June 6, 2008 reply

Not sure about that

but I see that Scot Shields is unavailable tonight (tightness in rib cage) and is (ahem) “day-to-day”.

Soaker - June 6, 2008 reply

A bad night to travel

God I wish I could make it to the game tonight. The weather’s perfect, Suzuki’s bobblehead is being handed out, and that lineup looks solid 1-9. Plus, spending a night ripping Lackey is always enjoyable.

In other words, I picked the wrong night to fly to Seattle. Gah. Enjoy yourselves, AN, I’ll see you in about a week. (Although you very well might see me on the news, talking down my Mariner-loving friends from the top of the Space Needle. Sweet mother are they miserable up there this season.)

Wes7 - June 6, 2008 reply

Why is it only $79 to fly to Tampa

but more than twice that to fly to Oakland? :(

Have you ever been to Florida in the summer?

Soaker - June 6, 2008 reply

Have you seen gas prices in CA lately?

Plus Florida is all old people and has that Bengay smell everywhere you go, with a citrus twist.

Hit4TheCycle - June 6, 2008 reply

Both good points.

Fosse's interviewing CarGon on the pre-game

Carlos is really well-spoken, by any standard, and particularly for a young guy who didn’t grow up speaking English.

I wonder if my wife would let us adopt him?

I don't see why not.

wish i could see this! stuck with the Halo's feed... ughh

schmifty - June 6, 2008 reply

Let's Go A's! Let's Go A's!

Im in a mad mood.. and Hate the Angels

A’s better come threw tonight.

*Bad Mood

Two even teams

Watching the Angel broadcast and they just showed some amazing numbers.
Last 100 games since 2003:
50 wins each
3.9 run/game each

OMG Im even more bad mood now..

A’s home game and I get the Angels MTBtv feed! WTF!

Im soo mad I cant even type!

holy crap its Yotsuba!

M's blanked the Red Sox 8-0

That was unexpected.

but very satisfying

letswinletswinletswinletswin

Let’s win this game tonight. This series too.

fun

GOD DAMNIT

Blanton to the Bullpen, plz!

Cue complaining about Blanton

Is it too early to say Game Over?

Seriously?

on the bright side...

don’t have to worry about the no-hitter, anymore.

oh for krist's sake

ice cream time

maybe it will help.

Frak

That's Not Very Panther

Of Blanton.

Hit4TheCycle - June 6, 2008 reply

Oh yeah

Blanton’s not that great. Good, but not great.

wonderful

Keze - June 6, 2008 reply

Fosse and Kuiper are setting the table for the A's to be no hit...

i hate blanton he needs to go

CrackBaby - June 6, 2008 reply

Whats up all?

Not a good start huh? We will get Lackey’s monkey ass tonight

+1

all for it.

wazzup

Nice play, DB

nice, Dale

Nice play Barton!

Apparently Barton was an OFer.

He had a lot of ofers in May, IIRC.

Nice start for the worst SP on the team

Gascan

Thats not fair

Eveland is trying to be the worst

Three quick outs

takes away some of the pain of that leadoff home run. Let’s hope Blanton stays in his groove now.

No worries!

Left hannded bats are going to light up “The Lackey” tonight, mark my words

Prediction:

7 HRs. By Buck. Tonight. Book it.

Me getting drunk

and a nipple ring tonght, book it

Seeing one or getting one?

Both I hope

LOL

heh

heh

Hudler is such an a-hole

On the Barton play – ‘bounced right into his glove…’

He is man

He is a hater!

Yeah, I have to listen to those 2 homers

all night.

Hudler and Physioc

Well, it did

After he dove and put his glove in front of it

At least most balls that go into gloves off the ground do that

It would have been better if it bounced right into his teeth.

Cro still in the 2-hole... good for him

schmifty - June 6, 2008 reply

yeah

see????

FormerHuntsvilleStar - June 6, 2008 reply

I really didn't want FSN West...

...but if so, I really wanted the alternate announcers, whoever the heck they are…

The Angels' outfield is really old

Pretty big contrast with ours.

Real Angels

In the Outfield?

Hit4TheCycle - June 6, 2008 reply

Nice job Dirtbag

Let's knock in some runs against his mouth breather

He could eat an Apple

through a picket fence.

Cust Kryptonite= curveball

Cust has gone back to Suck Mode

go A's!

oakinboston - June 6, 2008 reply

C'mon Eric!

Good thing they added in the percentage

I wasn’t quite sure what 39 out of 100 1-run games came out to.

What I really wanna see tonight

is one of our guys charging Lackey.

$500 every time he stands on the mound with his mouth hanging open.

That ought to help Ken Korach’s charity efforts.

I absolutely cannot stand the Angels' broadcast team.

Really, it’s killing me. It’s only the first inning and it is absolutely killing me. Worst broadcast in baseball.

I like the older guy they have

Rory, or what ever his name is?

Primarily

it is Rex Hudler who annoys me. I just had to endure his “guts” over “stats” commentary.

Lurch is a damn

good, thats why I hate him so much.

HOLY SHIT TJ STEEL!

drafted by the Astros

that was an awesome play

oh hey

TRADE JOE BLANTON

Chavez didn't even try to get that.

Lazy bastard.

Jenn

you been drinking tonight?

I just opened it.

Whiskey straight out of the bottle or what?

LOL

Pre-mixed margarita. WOO!

And the “lazy bastard” thing was me joking.

I know

just figured you would be pounding some booze this evening

pounding? Puhleaz

Ok

thats me we are talking about later . I always say that , then I dont want the hangover so I go out and drink like 3 beers, lol

He's still not 100%

is he?

Yankees lose 2-1 to the Royals

With the Red Sox being shut out by the M’s tonight, all we need is an A’s win to accomplish the Trifecta of losses by Franchises of Evil.

Kotchman has

really suprised me this year. The guy is a very good player! I didnt know much about him as a prospect,

damn you Krotch Man

Friggen Angels

backups hit .300. Prick fucks

phew

Chavvy's throwing arm looks good

He's not doing that sidearm, dip down thing

that we saw for so long to help ease the strain on his shoulder.

He's bionic.

Well, he is back in Les Majors

Booo!

My favorite show when I was little

That was awful.

C'mon Dale!

Buck has to get on here so he can score on CarGon's double

Boy, do I not like John Lackey

He’s one of my top three loathed opponents. But he sure is good.

Looking at his face is like staring into the depths of a black hole.

I can imagine it sucking some of the focus away from our hitters.

Hee hee

Plus the ump is

giving him anything close. That makes it impossible

Sad thing

is, you know he gets some nice tail too, lol

When you watch on tv

you say ” How can these guys not hit him”? alot of Fastballs but it must be deceptive or something.

Lackey

proves that you can be a mainly fastball pitcher and be very good.

Sweet Throw Bones

my ace in the hole for tonight's entertainment

venue is Ground Hog Day at 8:30. Crosby! aye.

good idea

I have it on disc.

Like we need to give extra outs

Field the fucking ball you morons.

Fielding them wasn't the problem.

Overreact much?

We got the lead run, there’s two outs, and our defense is generally stellar in the infield.

Overreacting Eh?

Cost us another run so far and made the fat pig throw many more pitches which increase more meatballs which leads to more runs.

Shit

Fat pig

Little much.

I'd hate to see how you talk about people on the other teams.

Interesting throws all around...

I guess we need

Kareem at Firstbase. Shit man, we are in a pitchers duel, throw the fucking ball to Barton

nothing like making Cupcakes throw a few extra pitches, boys...

make sure he’s warmed up… good strategy.

I'm just glad Barton didn't hurt his wrist again on that swipe tag (knock on wood)

How can Hudler say with a straight face

that the runner tagged the base before Barton tagged the runner

Because it looked like he did?

Watching the same game Dude?

trade joe blanton

good idea

Trade SwampyD for a record that isn't broken

Excuse me for interrupting

but why are you talking to yourself?

You're excused

Oh okay then..

Carry on…

damn , i heard rex say the magic word. figgy

Crud

2-0 Angels

Insurmountable lead doubles….

We remain resolute

(just wanted to finish the haiku)

2 errors

in an inning will always hurt you. I think the A’s are fighting an uphill battle tonight

at least we have a powerhouse lineup and are facing a weak pitcher

oh wait

no no no

Lackey’s going to break just watch

I think my watch broke.

Way to go Ace!

I laugh when they called him an Ace

That run is on Crosby and Ellis

yeah but

Blanton could miss a bat here and there which he just doesn’t

Doesn't he have 2 K's in 2 IP tonight?

He DOES have 2K's so far, though.

But I know what you’re saying.

Yes, because being an ace by circumstance is his fault

Just because you’re the longest tenured pitcher and management slaps the label on you doesn’t mean you’re going to pitch like Sandy Koufax. Get over it.

Yeah

get over it because he’s going to be traded

Sure, whatever

He can stay here and help the team or he can help someone else and get the team some value in a trade. Either way, quit bitching (those fans out there who are bitching) about how he isn’t The Big Three rolled into one.

Errors, walks and Vlad

oh my!

3 Run HR for Arizona in the 11th (by Gaston)

6-3 for AZ, so Miami is probably screwed.

"Foul balls can be dangerous to the man on deck"

Yeah, just look at Juan Encarnacion.

even worse

You sat silent, scared, stunned. This was Dodger Stadium, in 1976, and Steve Yeager had collapsed on the field, blood spurting from his neck, the victim of a freak and life-threatening accident.
Yeager had been minding his own business in the on-deck circle. Bill Russell, the Dodgers’ batter, took a swing. His bat shattered, and a fragment flew wildly into the air, slamming into Yeager’s neck and piercing his esophagus. Surgeons removed nine pieces of wood from his neck.

They should dome the on-deck circle

Mosquito net.

Bonds-like Body Armor.

Cheer up, people!

This game ain’t over yet. Lackey is not Superman. We still have a good team. We can do it!

Optimism. Good.

Cheer up, people!

You’re one day older, one day closer to death, and thus one day closer to the day when you no longer have to watch the A’s lose…

Yay!

Exactly

Why watch something if it’s only going to make you miserable? I mean, I don’t watch Rock of Love.

meh...

bad fielding only cost Blanton 16 extra pitches and 1 run. Minimal damage for sucking by the infield.

Im looking at the lineups

I hate to admit it-but the Angels have a better hitter at almost every position. Thats not fair lol.

Jack Cust?

He’s better than Garrett Anderson, isn’t he?

What about Crosby v. Izturis?

I said almost

On the bright side

Their overall offensive stats are worse than the A’s.

That true

we can look at the positive side for sure.I wouldnt want many of their players. Just Kendrick, Kotchman, Hunter, Figgins and Rivera

Ditto, minus Hunter.

Overpaid.

Im saying without the cash concerns

3 run triple for Patrol Craft.

BOOOOK IT!!

Swift Boat Veterans for CarGon?

DOOOOO it for daddy FSU!

You're adopted.

Nice typo on that stat, Ch. 36

will this be CarGon's first walk?

I dont think he likes to walk

he likes the Emil hitting instruction video.

Nope, just a pop out...

bOOOOOooo!!!1!!

A's love their popouts

A's love their puppets.

[sigh]

Game is kind of drag so far.

Miami loses

Weeks went 1-3 with a Sac Bunt and a HBP

Didn’t look very good to be honest.

Im trying my best to like the

pic, I just cant get there. Im trying though, give me an A for effort

MaEl!

Great stretch

by Barton

I think he's patented that move

He CAN stretch

He may not be able to father children, but he is great at that.

[take Dale off possible list of donors]

$$ chuckles $$

I suspect

that he takes gymnastics lessons on the side.

He'll be on Dancing With the Stars someday

Forehead smack

That was purdy.

No TV here

but it sounds like I’m not missing much?

streetfan - June 6, 2008 reply

meh

Yep

That’s what I was afraid of.

streetfan - June 6, 2008 reply

C'mon Cupcakes let's get outta here!

Let’s Go A’s!

thatsa my boy!

YAY TO LADY WITH DOUBLE A'S RALLY MONKEY

Ok I'm a little intoxicated right now

Do they make A's condoms?

Yeah, but you'll fail to score.

Hahahahaha

Pessimist

QOTM!

Nice.

lolz

i hope not

i don’t want to know how the A’s offensive performance would translate to the product’s performance.

good pitching though…

bluthbanana20 - June 6, 2008 reply

okay, Lackey's got 48 pitches through 3 innings...

let’s run his pitch count way up in the 4th inning and get into the Halo’s crappy pen. Then, onto VICTORY!

I think it's funny when the broadcast pans to a random hot girl in the crowd.

Glad to see the cameramen have their priorities in order.

Not complaining

they've always done that

It’s a good thing, let us not bitch.

Umpire ass shot!

WOOOO!!! Give it to me, guy behind the plate!

slow game, indeed

I'm a little tired.

[nods]

Working all week will do that. I’d love to be at the game, but I’m wiped out.

Premixed margaritas

WEEEE!!

Is it hot in here?

I don't know about "in here"

but it’s supposed to go up to about 97 where I am tomorrow, and stay up there every day for the next 3 or 4 days. Humid, too. Blech.

someone getting enough...

of the male shovenists?

Is that a fancy term for pushy guys?

macho dickheads

No, they just zoomed in on the ump's ass.

It doesn’t bother me. But I probably misunderstood what you meant.

Girl watcher =/= chauvinist

A male chauvinist is someone who thinks men are better than women at anything. Has nothing to do with liking to check out hotties.

iglew - June 6, 2008 reply

yep

Checking out hotties

makes your a perfectly normal human being.

Unless you dig ugly people, which are hotties relative to you. See? It’s fail-safe.

Schoenweis?

better than a dancing fat dude with a rainbow wig

or kids not paying attention to a game

bluthbanana20 - June 6, 2008 reply

better than

dancing fat irish dudes in all denim at the giants game last week

No, I just think it's hilarious

that they have a guy specifically looking for hot girls in the crowd throught the game…

I need a new job

It's kinda funny

because I do that throughout the game when I’m in attendance

I do that

all the time.

I see normal folks all the time

The KICU folks are real good people, they’re not chick dogs. Sometimes women are hot, they get on camera. End of story.

nice defense

of the KICU folks, I love it. Reality is we know they’re all creeps

They came to the blog, they talked to us

Some of our input made it into the broadcasts. I know good people when I meet them, that’s all.

Peace and bongs to all on the scene, didn’t mean to get heavy…

just joking

about the creep thing but that’s actually cool they did that.

Okay, Rex is crazy.

we need kendall

to come running out of the tunnel and take lackey down real quick

hmmmm

boring

its almost

like dont swing at anything. Just hope Lackey gets tired. These guys have zero and I mean no chance of getting a hit off Lackey. Chavez got smoked my a fastball on 3-1.

What's the deal with Lackey?

If he’s primarily a fastball pitcher, why is it hard to sit on the fastball and hit it?

Must be deceptive I guess

he does this to alot of teams. Maybe not one hit them but he is very good against almost everyone

gettin' Lackey tired looks like a pretty good plan, right now...

too bad Crosby’s first-pitch popout didn’t contribute much to that effort. Cust and Chavvy did their parts, though.

this is a familiar pattern with lackey

[spits]

61 pitches for Lackey thus far

so he’ll be with us for at least 3 more innings at this rate.

The guys is like Herpies

he just wont go away

And in the midst of all the hate...

... Blanton is doing purty damn good.

At least

Blanton is looking pretty good. He’s got a great curve working for him, and he’s actually getting some K’s.

Let's Go A's! Let's Go A's! Let's Go A's!

Fricken one hit!

come on guys! Kick this freaks ass!

It would be nice to score

but this is normal against Lackey and against Santana.

They never score off any of them

Harden need to throw 2 perfect games in one.

Did anyone else just see...

that Jack-in-the-Box fruit smoothie commercial? Wow that was funny.

c

rap

my head just hit the little mouse thingy on my laptop. It has a mind of its own.

did anyone see the pink snack pack?

CrackBaby - June 6, 2008 reply

Yep.

It was good for a “what the hell?” moment.

The fans look like statues behind the plate

video game status

It's a backdrop.

Oh, God -- Lackey bobbleheads

I bet they need to put a shock absorber spring in it to make the head bob up and down.

They said it comes with a real human tooth

just visited

Barry Bonds’ website. Kind of like ….umm.. sad lolz

Well, that just showed how on Lackey is tonight

!

Still a great AB, Dale.

Daric's line drive out

kinda sums up the night so far.

Tizoc - June 6, 2008 reply

Travis will do something.

I can feel it.

Or not.

Two HRs down...

four more to go for my 7 HR prediction.

14 in a row

Shit

My MLBTV is lagging, and I’m getting updates before I’d like them.

Can’t buy a hit tonight…

Wow

I love the A’s but it feels like im wasting my time

But...but...

No worries!
Left hannded bats are going to light up "The Lackey" tonight, mark my words

by asfaninpismobeach on Jun 6, 2008 7:14 PM PDT

Soaker - June 6, 2008 reply

You are raining on my parade.

burn

CrackBaby - June 6, 2008 reply

Soaker

repost that when we get the lead

At this rate...

it’ll be August.

Wonder if Hudler said "went right into his glove" on Barton's liner.

Nah. Knowing him, it was one of the best plays ever.

mlbtv on mute

Let's be Positive

This game was over after the 3rd pitch.

Or was it over when they named the starters?

That's positive?

Trade .......

Well, I would like us to win more than ever

I detest the Angels

But I am also being realistic.

Nothing I have seen in the first 5 innings makes me feel any diferent. Hopefully we string together a bunch of HBP, Walks and errors so we can get some runs

'Realistic'

Game over after the third pitch = “realistic” ??

iglew - June 6, 2008 reply

hey

we’ll have none of that!

Yeah Blanton is pitching

total mis-match.

I was hoping he would pitch lights out and while he has done very well after the first batter, there is a reason he as 7 losses.

Exhibit A: His last start.

Exhibit B: poor run support

Blanton is not the problem tonight, but it sounds like it’s too much for some of you to admit that.

"Nothing I have seen in the first 5 innings makes me feel any different"

You can feel different from this?

You guys are terrible.

I mean, I’m thinking all these things too, but I don’t say it.

You just did

Yes...

got up to get some food, ended up realizing my cabinet was not in order, so I organized it and then came back here. Just realized I didn’t get any food.