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Open Game Thread (cont.)

The A's trail 2-0 after a monstrous home run by Marcus Thames.

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it's so roomy...

I’m confused by what’s happening on my television, can someone explain it to me?

A's fans are collectively hallucinating

That’s the only explanation.

could that be what's in the "marine layer"?
Well, thankfully Bobby has kept his head....

and delivered what we’ve come to expect.

We must be sobering up.

Bobby never lets us down at least when he’s not pretending he can hit

Too bad we score runs when Braden is pitching

If only we could score like 4 runs when Duke is pitching, we might get a win!

Oh wait.

Road grays + Ellie in high socks.

I’m relying on the little things now.

Get Ziggy in there NOW!

He can go 5 innings!

Why didn't Rajai score on Ellis' single or Crosby's flyout?
Whoever the 3B coach is isn't sending anybody. You saw what happened to the last guy.

Waller has been getting tips from Tony D

Another inspiring inning!
that was significantly better.
My plan is working perfectly.

(puts cigar in mouth)

no no no!

“i love it when a plan comes together.”

(kids today. no sense of history…)

Believe it or not, that inning is exactly why the A's suck

If you saw the base hit by Raj Davis, a runner should be send and should score from second without a throw (and Ordonez was just lobbing it into the cutoff man), then Hannahan just needed to bounce one to second, and Crosby also failed to get a 4th run home.

I’m glad for the 3 runs but that was an inning full of bad baseball.

Well at least we know they can play bad baseball well

I thought we sucked because we can't hit or pitch
No, we can pitch,

we just can’t hit.

By "We"....

you’re not including Street….right?

Oh, no,

not him. And apparently my little ice-water guy couldn’t last night, either.

that looks more like coaching to me.
Raj is supposedly fast

Send the fast guys sometimes, right?

They couldn't send him on Ellis' hit or Crosby's pop fly
Then what's the use of having a pinch runner who does nothing else?
There ain't no one fast enough to score on those

And give the guy a break – he got the two-run single!

It sounds like his extra speed is rarely useful
For those of you not listening to the radio...

Huddy had his Tommy John today—apparently it went well.

That’s exactly what I need, a Jack Cust bobblehead….

Geez, it just doesn't get easier, does it?

We get the Rays three best after the Tigers, then the White Sox?

big joe

is sharp so far – 4 IP 1H 5K

and with all the run support he's come to expect
I didn't think we were allowed to hold a lead for a whole half-inning ...
You're forgetting it's 8-8-8
Next A's win: 9/9/09
Good. I'll be sure to go to that game. It better not be an off day.
the next win 10/10/10

I’ll take a win in Oct in 2010

Personally...

I can’t wait until 2012. December baseball, baby!

No fucking way!
Wow.

I’m just… I don’t even know what to feel right now.

Yup, today has got to be the luckiest day of the year.
If that were true, I'd have a frigging contract on my house today.
D not so FAst!!!
Hi everyone!

I hate Kenny Rogers. I’d love to see the A’s make him look worse than he can normally do on his own.

Aw. Good to see some smiles in the dugout.
Emil!!!!

Leads the team in RBI’s

which means?

We're going to need a lot more shovels?
...the A's don't have a lot of RBI

which means that A’s make me wanna die

434 ft. That's longer than Thames's.
....do we use Street if it comes to it?
Are you nuts? Don't even go there!
NO

If you want to lose then YES

I'm not advocating it.

I’m just wondering.

Don't wonder it!
Hope Geren is not wondering the same thing
Who is this street guy?

did we get him off waivers, cause it’s after the trading deadline.

So those drugs must be the good stuff I just hallucinated DFA hitting a homerun

Good. Take some more.
You sure it wasn't a flashback?

I’m not sure but it kind of stings

I've been dipping a popsicle in an adult beverage... very tasty

are we actually scoring?

Beer?
Tequila

Much better choice

That's what I'm planning on tonight.
It's really hot here.

It’s the best of two worlds.

I have not missed those Texas temps at all
Oh, no.

It’s been perfectly temperate here in hell.

I don't know where in FL you are, but here it hasn't been higher than 98

and evenings are awesome

I'm definitely going back next year if I go on vacation.
to Arlington? nice place to visit I guess. Maybe I'll meet ya there
Yep

It was cheap, easy, and a nice place to see the A’s.

I will miss that much. And will be going back on a regular basis...

so it may as well be during baseball season!

Me personally, or the A's?

Yes and yes.

I'm officially jealous
Sigh. Me too.
Once a month with my wife

does count as ‘scoring,’ right?

That's about as frequent as the A's score!
Not me. I've decided to spend my golden years in my mom's basement.
You could at least wait till after the game
Or at least not thread in the middle of.
i know sweeney isn't available...

but is rajai davis that much better a CF than carlos? or is carlos’s arm better suited for right field than rajai’s?

im not watching right now.. anyone warming up? ziggy ??

Casilla, I think.
And Embree

;GFH;kgha;fghad’jkg

skjlkriv)ú§úvalao,v,ivtrorúwopvtiwitwčíá´wčšmwbv,ev

I’m scared, i’m going to hide under a blanket

Braden's done well tonight.
Oops

Beat me to it ;-)

Is he officially done?
GET OUT OF MY HEAD, BLEZ!

I thought we decided no tracking devices!

better then I expected

Braden has pitched pretty well tonight
Unlikely heroes tonight,

Braden and Davis

eventually, it has to be unlikely heroes, right?
after the aces have fallen, all hopes have been lost,
Actually Braden pitched pretty well his last time out too

I thought.

yup.

he’s done well both outings.

You mean the 3 innings when he was sick?
Yes, he was awesome.

I see the real Hanahan is back and in action

ok seriously...

isn’t there someone better than hannahan we can put out there?

nope.
really?

I was thinking maybe a cardboard cutout of Sott Brosius…

HUSTON STREET SIGHTING.
[slits wrists]

NOOOOOOOO!!!

Can I borrow your knife when you’re done?

How would she stop you?
Street's warming up. Let's see if they can get the ball to Ziggy with the lead.
but we don't have a 10 run lead. isn't that the new rule in order for Huston to pitch?
KK said that if we had the lead in the 9th,

we’d get Ziggy.

I thought the new rule was we burned his passport and left him in Canada

instructional videos!

Yay!

I'm here to help.
All together now.....on three!

One…..two…....th

c’moooon huston isn’t THAT bad

quit ragging on huston

i’m calling it now… uneventful stretch of relief by street, followed by restoration of confidence in his fastball, perhaps a swagger to his gait as he leaves the field, a pat on the ass from geren, and from this point, all sunshine and roses for the athletics.

mark my words.

This Opening Ceremony is NUTS.
DALLAS BRADEN FOR CY YOUNG!!!

Too soon?

I'd rather go with a 2-inning save attempt by Ziggy now
I imagine Street

will be used as a situational righty right now. Course the one thing he could always have been counted on was to get righties out, but he’s even been failing at that lately.

At least he wouldn't need the changeup, and Devo would be happy.
look out now...

brown seems to building up some trade value…i guess he didnt get the memo from other A’s players

Can the A's please get 9 runs this inning just so I don't puke when Embree pitches the 8th?
prolly not.
I shut games off when Embree pitches now

Because, honestly, I’d rather just punch myself in the face over and over again than have to sit through him taking the mound in a crucial moment.

Watch - Street to start the 8th, Ziggy ready for any trouble

cargon showing off in front of miguel cabrera

Was Miguel his idol?

let’s see, cargon is a young baseball player from venezuela… i would assume so.

ziggy is ready to go...damn geren
Then again, maybe Ziggy from here on out. Street's got the sweater on again
Or they could let Braden start the inning
Can I state the obvious?

Braden is one ugly dude.

I just saw his face....now I'm a believer
ok, so I had to go clean the garage and haven't watched so far

should I just go away to be safe?

yes.

don’t curse it.

Just go make more of a mess and focus on that

now go clean your neighbor’s garage.

he doesn't trust me near the classic car in the garage

when I get within 10 feet he just starts with a rambling “i’m 82 years old and can say whatever the hell i want to” conversation

wait til he leaves

break into his house and rearrange the furniture.

Can you clean my garbage while you’re at it?

blanton likes nl

or maybe its just the pirates

7in/1h/7k/2bb so far

Ziggy time
hello ww.net brother

any new pics?

braden at 97, does he start the inning?

cmon stardust !!

Ok!

Game’s finally started!

Game Wrap: The A's ended their 10-games losing streak

and started another one for Detroit instead.

Careful...

Jinx boy…

I mean, not that it's unhittable, but Inge was just frozen.
So who's closing?
Rollie
No no, he's not a closer.

He’s a “stopper.”

fireman,

as the Goose said today at Wrigley.

best term ever for a relief pitcher
Wouldn't that apply more to a guy like Ziggy who often comes in with guys on base

Than a closer, who usually comes in with nobody on.

yup.

And that was really what they’d do. Put the fire out, whether it was the 7th inning or the 9th.

I hate Rod Allen so much.

He’s definitely the worst color commentator this side of Rex Hudler.

He’s been a dumbass all night, but the best was right now when he wondered if Ziegler has “always thrown with that arm angle.” Seriously? I wish someone would punch this guy in the throat.

Well...

To be fair, he hasn’t.

Of course he hasn't

The points I was implying was that A) nobody is always a sidearm/submarine pitcher and B) Ziegler has been in the news a lot lately and every single story details his switch to this delivery. It would take about 30 seconds of research on the A’s most interesting player to know that.

well if the world began last Thursday

that would be true

BRAD ZIEGLER IS TEH AWESOME.

you don’t see that too often from polanco

only his 30th K, sez KK....

and probably his first K on a pitch that was half a foot out of the strike zone.

Not even Polanco can get to him
Placido Polanco: A's killer

Brad Ziegler: Polanco killer

Now let's see if Ziggy gets the 9th
He will - Geren already said as much

damnit that fly out screws up ziggy’s gb:fb ratio…

Woo hoo - his fourth complete game shutout!
Only 106 behind Walter Johnson
It's bullshit if they're not all in a row
Walter was clearly overrated
This is a delight

and, for some good mojo, so is this…

SCLZZZZZZZ.jpg”/>

YOU are a delight.

You have to hand it to Geren here -

He is truly going with the “hot hand” to try to win a game.

damn, we are ahead and it looks good.
quiet, you.
But gee Mr. Peabody,

wouldn’t going back and changing the Harden trade destroy the fabric of space?

Sherman, behave.
It's worth the risk.
Shh

No jinxing please. Just enjoy the ride.

Hannahan should drop his shoulder more when he swings.

He’d be the hitting version of Ziggy.

He's mired in quite the slump.
it's not a slump, it's a scoreless streak
It's a "market correction"
Yeah, it's like almost 2 years now
I'm not seeing that new compact swing van Burkleo was talking about
The swing doesn't seem too long

He just doesn’t swing where the ball is. Maybe he borrowed Dan Johnson’s sunblock or something.

Ordonez/Cabrera/Sheffield

If Ziggy gets his first career save tonight, it’ll be earned.

Or, if we make three errors, unearned
thus extending both streaks!

Everyone wins!

An unearned run would technically break the streak

Fernando Valenzuela allowed an unearned run in his first start, I believe I saw Joe Posnanski write recently.

does Ziggy stay in...?

We can only pray

I finally get my way

Ziggy to save!!!!

Go z man

If Ziggy stays in the game and blows the save, will everybody hate him?
Succeed or not, I'm glad Ziggy's getting the chance
I haven't been this nervous since I was a teenager.
I smell double play
sorry that was me

..beans for lunch

Let's get a grounder for two

wow, almost. how slow must cabrera have been running…

miggy being miggy

Wow, what is Cabrera doing?

he wants to join manny in LA

and Andruw, of course. King of Fatties.

I feel like I’m going to throw up

Doesn't it feel like watching a family member out there?
kudos for croz not throwing it away.
DP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!
WWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
First career save! Ties Mike Torrez for the Oakland scoreless record!
WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VICTORYYYYYYYYYYYY!
ZIGGY SAVE!
DP!
WOO

It's been so long

that I went to cue up “celebration” and realized it was on 8 track.

Youtube FTW.

THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So to answer that question about Ziggy giving up a run if it meant winning...

...we don’t have to worry about that.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

WE’RE ALL GONNA….. LIVE???!

Ding Dong

The streak is DEAD.

I heart Ziggy.

yippy skippy
Yay Ziggy!

I can breathe now.

I never thought i’d see a win from this team again!

Ziggy's a stud!

He’s got ice-water pumping through that submarine arm of his!

God bless us everyone!
Love Dale savoring that last out for a moment.
WOOOOOO!!!

I LOVE YOU, KELVIN!!

That was not an easy save

either. Two innings of the Detroit lineup.

Game wrap is now up

here

Zig to the freakin E!
Be sure to say goodbye to Huston

The Ziggy Era begins

Only took 35 freaking scoreless innings before we decided to use him!

angst slowly replaced by warm fuzzy win feeling

Amazing

Street should never see a game in which we have any sort of lead.

Congratulations to Ziggy.

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