Athletics Nation

We own the first inning lately

worldblee - June 7, 2009 reply

actually, even earlier the A's were scoring in the first

but not shutting down the other opponent and/or not scoring any more runs

walkoff baltimore chop - June 7, 2009 reply

I love Mazzaro World

+ a million

baseballgirl - June 7, 2009 reply

We'll see if my lovelife picks up first before proclaiming

Mazzaro world awesome. It’s certainly entertaining at the moment though – a baseball team that wins, it’s novel.

I LOVE THIS

Can’t wait to see more A’s games. Wasn’t sure that feeling would be there this season.

baseballgirl - June 7, 2009 reply

Give me reasons to hope

That’s all I ask for, really.

The A’s starters won’t always be this good. They will struggle, because almost all of them are rookies, and tougher competition awaits. But it sure is nice to see these flashes of brilliance. It gives me hope for the future.

bear88 - June 7, 2009 reply

Hang in there

This staff reminds me so much of the 1980 staff, they were young but pitched well. If the strike of 81 and no bullpen did not happen, they would have pitched into the 1990’s. Norris, Langford, McAtty, Keough, and Kingman. It was fun times.

billyball1981 - June 7, 2009 reply

The BillyBall starters were older than these guys

Keough was the youngest at 25. Norris and Kingman were 26, McCatty was 27, and Langford was 29.

Braden, the oldest of the current group, is 25 — the same age as the junior member of the BillyBall staff, Matt Keough.

how old is Pepe?

I could tell you

but then Pepe would have to kill you.

Would Braden be fingered for the crime?

Death by shaving cream pie

adragon - June 8, 2009 reply

Also, it wasn't the strike or lack of bullpen that got them

It was Billy Martin, no more no less. You don’t have to have a great bullpen to decide not to let guys throw 22 complete games in a row, or not let them throw 14-inning complete games.

I really wish I knew what made Billy turn to Art Fowler

some time before the top of the 8th on September 27, 1981 and say, “Hey, maybe we should take Langford out.”

Might have something to do with the 8 earned runs in 7 IP.

OMFG, I just realized something

I looked at that 9/27/81 game because Langford’s 1981 game logs showed that it was the game that broke his CG streak. I noted that it was the first game of a DH.

When I looked closely at the line score, I noticed that the A’s had taken a 5-0 lead in the 1st.

When I looked at the batter-by-batter, I realized that the A’s had hit 8 consecutive singles to open the game. And then I noticed that the A’s had lost the nightcap, 10-3.

It was that game!!

Me too, as you know, with you.

Eew.

Did we even realize at the time that Langford was having a historic streak broken?

You’d think we would have noticed that. But as I remember it we were totally absorbed by the utter lameness of losing a DH after starting the 1st inning with 8 singles.

Oh, wait a minute, I'm an idiot

That was in 1981.

Langford’s record was in..1980.

Duh.

Here is the game that broke Langford’s streak — September 17, 1980.

Notice the attendance in Arlington...

…for that 1980 streak-breaking game: 7,255

Also note that Langford was pulled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth (though, to be fair to Billy, he had given up a two-run HR, a single, and a walk since getting the second out).

Also notice that the Coliseum in 1981 is (mis)identified as “Network Associates Coliseum”

I think I was just relieved to know early on

that we weren’t going to be shutout in both games. Ultimately, I was just glad that it didn’t go as expected: with both teams getting swept.

Me Three, Naturally

That was an AL record for consecutive hits to start a game, I think. And it really was all downhill from then.

If you ask the starters

As I have, they all told me that it was the strike that really messed them up. None of them threw during the strike, and came back and continued to throw as if nothing happend. If you look at the pitch counts most were throwing 120 pitches per game. Sure, Billy did not like to use the bullpen, but there was not much there. Finley left the Haas family with not much to work with.

billyball1981 - June 7, 2009 reply

I love Bailey in the closing role

BERRYJO - June 7, 2009 reply

me too

Imagin last next year...

Devine/Bailey/Hrod.

Syphon - June 7, 2009 reply

Late* Next Year.

Syphon - June 7, 2009 reply

I'm excited about Demel more than HRod

Carignan could come up too. Plus Ziggy. Plus Wuertz. Marshall could be a situational lefty. Kilby’s going Ron Flores on us. Then there’s Casilla. Jeez, a lot of bullpen depth.

vignette17 - June 7, 2009 reply

Going Flores?

Not sure what the “Kilby’s going Ron Flores on us” means, but the A’s definitely have LOTS of potential in the rotation and in the pen.

Dalee - June 9, 2009 reply

Is Devine going to be able to pitch next year?

I’d think his rehab after TJ surgery would be closer to 18 months.

If we're pessimistic we'll probably be right

So let’s say 18 months at least.

worldblee - June 7, 2009 reply

Mazzaro

another score less outing by mazzaro its looking good for the A’s. with are pitching we only need to get 2 hits.

Tambo45 - June 7, 2009 reply

I wouldn't want the A's to do that too often

you usually need lots more than two hits to win a game

twinkies looking very tasty

greenbean - June 7, 2009 reply

Mauer/Morneau do inspire fear

baltimore has a pretty good lineup too

which adds to the impressive outings that our youngsters posted this weekend.

greenbean - June 7, 2009 reply

their pitching staff is the problem

I think Minnesota’s is better

…and Mauer/Morneau are far more intimidating (no knock on Baltimore’s young sluggers) M&M are among the most feared 1-2 punch in the majors.

much

ak_A - June 7, 2009 reply

VINSANITY

it hurts me to have to get a new nickname, now that this Mazzaro kid is on the set

I don't think that's obscure enough to be an AN nickname.

yeah you right

I prefer My Cousin Vinny myself, but I think we need a few more starts from him to come up with the ultimate nickname for Mr. Mazzaro.

I think "My Cousin Vinny" is a horrible nickname.

Almost anything would be better than that.

Thefirstletterofthealphabet - June 7, 2009 reply

Almost anything would be better?

My Aunt Mazzy.

Yes, better than the cousin.

I’m OK with “Vincent Van O” though.

Too bad he doesn't go by Vince!

Possible nicknames would include:

Vince Offer
Slap Chop
ShamWow
You’re Gonna Love His Nuts®

I'm gonna go slap my troubles away.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0327092sham1.html

Mr. ShamWow has seen better days

kaweahkaweah - June 7, 2009 reply

It could be worse.

He could be this guy.

So you wake up in the hospital, after having 7200 volts shoot through your body as you’re trying to rig up an illegal electrical connection, knocking you off your aluminum ladder.

Your neck, pelvis, and ribs are broken; you’ve suffered unspecified “internal damage” from the shock itself.

Oh, and by the way — in the resultant investigation, the cops found your meth lab.

I have no sympathy for the guy, but still … that’s one lousy day.

el campysino - June 7, 2009 reply

I once knew a guy named Vin

(can’t put the rest on a family site)

Vin Scully

Vin Diesel?

NateHST - June 7, 2009 reply

with all the shutouts

I am leaning towards “Vincent Van O” right now.

Vincent van O!

Well have you heard about the pitcher Vincent Van O
Who loved shutouts and let it show?
At the Coliseum, what have we here
The most dominant rookie since John Van Der Meer!

And he loved, he loved, he loved strikes so bad
His pitches had twice the movement other pitchers’ had
So much, that the world had to know
He loved shutouts and he let it show.

In the South Side stadium we were feeling sad
And looking for a starter not to pitch so bad
Vincent van O got the call
And those Pale Hose kept missing the ball
Because he pitched, he pitched, he pitched like he did
His sinker it sunk and his slider it slid
So much, that the world had to know
He loved shutouts and he let it show

Now did you see today’s shutout by van O
Did he shut down those O’s?
Did their OPSs fall?
Did they swing over the ball?
Because he threw, he threw, he threw it, young Vin
The A’s only needed 2 hits for the win
So well, that the world had to know
He loved shutouts and he let it show
Vincent van O, ohh, Vincent van O.

(Original performance here and lyrics here.)

OK, I'm sold

Best line: “His sinker it sunk and his slider it slid.” That’s worthy of Monkeyball.

Very nice

worldblee - June 7, 2009 reply

stunning Nick, major applause

Vincent Van O

aka
Vinstant Maestro

Thanks for the inspiration, emperor nobody!

And JoJo, of course!

He's playing Norman tomorrow night.

Always puts on a good show.

He's no Jordin Sparks, of course.

Nice, nice work, Nick

I especially like the Van Der Meer namecheck!

Beauteous.

When was the last time the A's won with just two hits?

Hell, when was the last time anyone won with just two hits?

vignette17 - June 7, 2009 reply

8/4/07 vs. the Los Osos Angels of Sierra Madre

The Temecula Wingers of Whittier

oaklandSMASH - June 7, 2009 reply

I almost read it as the Los A******* (not Angeles) Angels of Sierra Madre.

raider5606 - June 7, 2009 reply

~~halos~~ ahols

dtownmbrown - June 7, 2009 reply

Only 5 games under .500!

Wait, is that right? 5? Whoa. Mazzaro World is my new favorite place.

whiteshoes40 - June 7, 2009 reply

An A's win

and BoCro leave early for the birth of his first child! Congrats, Cro!

GO A’S!

oaklandSMASH - June 7, 2009 reply

it better be a boy

and he better be able to play third!

No, I am kidding =) Congratulations Croz!!

don't care if its a boy or girl

if s/he can layoff the outside slider

Future Ed - June 7, 2009 reply

...if he can make Crosby crowd the plate

..not so bad this year…

…still, just strike out looking on those pitches, BC.

Thefirstletterofthealphabet - June 7, 2009 reply

Carlos Gonzales

Recently called up, so far he is 1-9, with two Ks. The stat that sticks out, 21 pitches seen. Since one has to see three pitches to strike out, that means he saw at most 15 pitches in his other seven at bats, seven of which resulted in outs.

This I believe is one reason the A’s gave up on him. He will never work the count, and a walk is very rare.

Apparently he made a stunning catch in the outfield though.

His catch was absolutely amazing. It was hit by Pujols and two runs scored. It was a two-run sac fly off the bat of Pujols. That’s how amazing Pujols is.

Rated-R Superstar - June 7, 2009 reply

Just seen it. Meh, it was ok. Criminal for two guys to score on it.

that's got to be the lowest pitches seen per plate appearance by like 2 / pa

Someone could do a really cool study of pitches per PA

by analyzing hitters PA by PA, and looking at groupings of PAs to see if there are any trends in the numbers. Do hitters tend to go through mini-streaks where they’re seeing way fewer or way more pitches per PA? If so, how long do those streaks last? What happens to their production when they deviate a long ways from their normal pitches per PA performance?

Maybe it’s all just random noise, but it might not be, and I suspect that some of the best sabrmetric discoveries come from just playing around with the stats, without trying to test a particular hypothesis, and seeing how things turn out.

i don’t even know how it looks year to year, aside from barry bonds do certain players (patient + really good so they get walked a lot) put up the best p/pa every year, or is it a bit more random than that?

C. Gonzalez seems to lack the one skill

that is the only skill I would have as a hitter: The ability to stand there and do nothing.

Well it's not that you do nothing, 'cos if that were the case they'd just throw

fastballs down the middle and punch you out every at bat (much like we see with Hannahan). It’s the skill to recognise the break on pitches which he doesn’t seem to have.

Or the skill to relax and see a pitch to assess and time

But let me be clear: If I were hitting, it absolutely would be that you do nothing.

Oh yeah I was clear on the meaning of your post.

I was just identifying what I think is wrong with Gonzalez. Maybe he needs Lasik surgery…..hell it’s in vogue now.

that's why i don't understand why he and certain other hitters are unable to learn that skill

how difficult can it be if you really make an effort? do they just lack any strike zone judgment?

http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2009/051309visualillusion.html

Maybe it is whether you look directly at an oncoming

ball, or whether your eyes fool you, or you have a mechanism to look/don’t look/look all in a few split seconds.

Check out this optical illusion:

That's cool.

I think I recall hearing that, for a while, people believed curve balls were completely illusional. This suggests that, although there is undoubtedly some physical curve due to changes in wind and pressure owing to spin, there is also an illusionary part to it (the old timers, pre-modern physicists were on to something). Seems like this could also suggest better and worse ways to throw curves (e.g., horizontal movement might be as important as vertical movement, since the former would maximize variability from peripheral to central vision).

Also,

the site you linked to seems to suggest that central to peripheral vision makes the break appear more so than moving from peripheral to central vision. If so, this could help explain why hanging curveballs (peripheral to central) are easier to hit that curveballs the start in the strike zone and break out (central to peripheral). The latter would maximize this illusionary aspects of the curve better than the former.

I'm unconvinced.

That’s an interesting illusion, but it doesn’t illustrate that it would apply to a baseball. The baseball doesn’t have a black band moving across like that; it has the red seam. It also doesn’t spin nearly that slowly.

If this were really about baseball they could easily model it more closely to resemble a real baseball. But it’s not. It’s about optical illusions, and the remark that it “may help explain” curveballs is just fluff.

Fair enough. My guess is that this illusion would hold with any spinning

sphere. The point of the black band is that it must be possible to see that the ball is spinning in order for the illusion to have an effect. Rate of spin and color of the band seem to be arbitrary variables, IMO, but it’s an empirical question. My gut tells me there is something to this idea of spinning objects moving from peripheral to central vision (and vice versa). The photoreceptors in the eye are different around the periphery than those in the middle.

I think I'd develop an additional skill if I faced major-league pitching:

the ability to bail out in abject terror at anything remotely near the inside of the plate.

designatedforassignment - June 7, 2009 reply

well played

Didn't Michael Lewis say that the A's liked Hatteberg

because he had excellent career pitches/PA numbers?

Some guys clearly have consistent, year-to-year, high BB totals, and other guys have low ones. The guys who BB a lot should always see more pitches than the guys who don’t. Same thing with Ks. So I think it should be a pretty consistent year-to-year stat.

if both BBs and Ks are what you need, is jack cust at the top over the last few years?

i don’t know where to check, but i thought i read that last year it was bobby abreu, and he only had 73 bb 109 k.

Abreu fouls off a shedload of pitches.

I think BB and K are big indicators

and I thought Cust was at or near the top, too. I suppose Abreu would be much better at fouling balls off and extending ABs that way (it’s much more likely that a 3-2 pitch to Cust resolves a PA — Abreu could well foul it off).

I glanced at each of their splits for 2008, but I didn’t see anything obvious from the stats-by-count/balls-strikes.

If there's a place on the web that lists average pitches per plate appearance I

would love to take a look at that data. My thinking is that hitters who are difficult to strike out are likely to be among the leaders in pitches/PA, but a hitter can be not-very-good and still be difficult to strike out (see Kendall, Jason), so I don’t know if there would necessarily be a correlation between being a good hitter and seeing a lot of pitches. (In fact, I’ve seen it suggested that fouling off a lot of pitches to work a walk is a sign of declining bat speed)

I’m kinda interested in how many pitches three-true-outcomes types tend to see per PA. It strikes me that even though the A’s of 05-6 weren’t much better/worse offensively than the current crew, folks like Kendall, Kotsay, Ellis, and Hatteberg were all difficult to strike out, and tended to see a lot of pitches, so that these A’s teams were able to drive up pitch counts and occassionally take advantage of bullpens late in the game. The A’s of the future look to be a very easy group to strike out (Doolittle, Brown, Carter, Spencer etc.).

I don't know if it's really cool, but

there’s a study here.

It includes some discussion; plots of P/PA against BA, OBP and SLG; and lists of the top 20 and bottom 20 hitters. There is a noticeable positive correlation between OBP and P/PA, but the author concludes that it is less than expected and not significant. The correlation with BA is negative, but also very slight.

Bobby Abreu ranks third on the list, behind Jayson Werth and Kevin Youkilis tied for first. Other A’s, former A’s, and objects of Beane’s desire making the top 20 are Jason Giambi, Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson, Frank Thomas, Mark Bellhorn, Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Jim Thome, and Troy Glaus.

Lowest P/PA of all belongs to Nomar Garciaparra. Others hackers in the bottom 20 include Yuniesky Betancourt, Vladimir Guerrero, Jay Payton, and A.J. Pierzynski.

The analysis is for 2000 through 2007 with a minimum of 1,000 PAs, so Cust didn’t qualify. Cust’s career P/PA is 4.31, which would have ranked him 4th on the list. His figures for last year and the year before are 4.37 and 4.40, which would have edged out Bobby Abreu for 3rd. This year he’s down quite a bit, to 3.99, though that’s still well above the league average P/PA of 3.82.

In his tiny sample size so far this year, Carlos Gonzalez has 2.1 P/PA, which is extremely low, but his career P/PA (which you can find near the bottom of baseball-reference.com’s expanded batting stats page for a player) is 3.41. That’s low, but not quite as low as the bottom 20.

According to Dave Cameron,

on a rate basis, Gonzalez swung and missed at more pitches out of the zone than any other hitter last year.

You have to swing and you have to hit the ball

So then it stands to reason that Gonzalez is already halfway to becoming a great hitter.

http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2009/051309visualillusion.html

He was sweet with all those doubles to start his Major League career

What was it, first 7 hits were doubles? But it was the rest of the at bats.

I predict a Carlos Pena style trajectory. He’ll get real tough in two or three years, and we’ll all whine “why did Billy let him go1”

MobiusKlein - June 7, 2009 reply

i'm calling the Pedro Feliz route

Cheezombie - June 7, 2009 reply

Could it be the visual cues?

Check this optical illusion

Theories?

But then he wouldn't hit well in AAA either

Of course, his first 2 ML games this year have been in St. Louis — not at altitude in Colorado, which could affect how much breaking balls move.

An optical illusion is not affected by the altitude

speculation: he’s just swinging because he can’t make out the type of pitch, and decided a “see ball hit ball” approach. But at the ML level, with all guys having superior movement on everything, CG is not squaring anything up, or no contact at all.

The altitude issue might involve very low humidity

which dries the ball out, making it harder to grip (which means it’s harder to snap off a breaking ball) and making it literally harder (and lighter) when the bat contacts it. The humidors at Coors seem to have calmed down the launching pad tendencies of the park. I wonder whether the Colorado Spgs team uses a humidor.

It is also not affected by individual differences

As the illusion illustrates, this is an illusion, regardless of your talent level. I don’t see why it should have anything in particular to do with CarGo.

Hopefully the A's offense didn't go soft

Good sweep, good streak, keep it going guys, I wanna see .500 and above by the end of this month

fruitattack - June 7, 2009 reply

Let’s take three out of four from the Twins and two out of three from the Giants.

Rated-R Superstar - June 7, 2009 reply

Let's sweep the Giants

2-0, 3-1,1-0

Is lincicum slated to pitch?

MobiusKlein - June 7, 2009 reply

Not sure

If so, that’s the one we win 1-0.

Yes.

Rated-R Superstar - June 7, 2009 reply

We got five runs off Dan Haren, we can do the same Lincecum.

At least he's not left-handed

Helloooo 1st - June 7, 2009 reply

or hairy

DyeLongJustice - June 7, 2009 reply

OT: DBacks/Padres game got into 18 innings

DBacks just took the lead.

Blicks - June 7, 2009 reply

Mazzaro's on a pretty good pace to break Ziggy's record

muffinpryde - June 7, 2009 reply

Pace?

there is no pace, just a list of zeros.

MobiusKlein - June 7, 2009 reply

Not sure how Ziggy would feel about that,

but it would be freaking awesome for an Oakland Athletic to break that record 2 years in a row.

If mazzaro breaks the record

he’d be in the all star game! that’s be like 3 or 4 more shutouts!

closetasfan - June 7, 2009 reply

How many scoreless innings does he have so far?

13.2

ZigFan31 - June 7, 2009 reply

yeah only 25.1 more to catch up

that’s, 4 or 5 more games probably

closetasfan - June 7, 2009 reply

That's a lotta gymnastics.

I have faith.

ZigFan31 - June 7, 2009 reply

<3

red sox cabrera rumors

his would mean crosby could get his SS job back…yee haw!!
A’s maybe cut their losses dump the remaining contract, get a non 40 man roster prospect.

so for 2 + months on cabrera = couple mill spent/no 2nd rd pick

i wonder if stl would do cabrera for freese or craig, who have no spot with a fast tracked wallace ahead of them

Asfan4ever723 - June 7, 2009 reply

Why the heck would we trade Cabrera

to a good team like the Red Sox … who need a shortstop … for a “non 40 man roster prospect”?!

We need to stop trading guys for scrubs. If the Red Sox want Cabrera, then give us a good player. If not, pound sand.

I agree

We should send back Brett Anderson, Josh Outman, Adrian Cardenas, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Sweeny, and Josh Donaldson immediatly! I’d much rather be watching Rich Harden on the DL then scrubs like them playing!

Threepwood XX - June 7, 2009 reply

Actually all the players you mentioned would probably

combine to pull in a pretty good starting 3B for our 2009 and beyond Oakland Athletics.

BleedGreen - June 7, 2009 reply

I get your point,

but it’s time to start filling some holes with established players. Out of the 7 players you mentioned, Outman, Anderson, and Sweeney are doing fine. Cunningham looks ok. The others haven’t done a thing for us — yet. So be careful before you start acting as if they’re the ‘27 Yankees.
There comes a point when you have to stop “building” and start competing for the title. All I’m saying is we need to get a major-league ready guy for Cabrera. You want him? Then pay us.

Also, if I'm not mistaken,

Outman and Sweeney immediately went on the 40-man roster. Cunningham and Anderson weren’t far behind. This isn’t the kind of player Asfan4ever suggested we get for Cabrera.

Yes, and we need more players like that in order to stop the rebuilding process like you want too.

In my opinion, we have just about the same chance of winning the division with Crosby at SS as with Cabrera—they both suck.

If you can get a blue-chipper from the Red Sox that can go on the 40 man and fill a hole next year, the A’s should do it. That’s one spot closer the A’s are to not rebuilding.

The only way a team that isn’t the Red Sox or Yankees can reasonably compete is to get those “scrubs” and develop them into veterans.

Threepwood XX - June 7, 2009 reply

You can't start filling holes in the roster until you have a good foundation built.

If you try to bring inn veterans with too many holes, you end up with what happened this year—a team who’s rookies take so long to figure out how they play, by the time your team is good it’s too late and you’ve lost the division. The only reason the A’s even have hope, is that the division is so mediocre that the best team in it is the Rangers.

The A’s will still need a 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CF, and a couple pen arms next year—and in all likelihood the A’s wont get the discount on personnel they got this year so the spots will be harder to fill.

Until all but three of those get filled, those players that “haven’t done anything for us” are our best hope of fielding a competitive team that has few enough holes that it WILL be feasible to fill them with veterans. If we trade them we just end up with another “Holliday” trade that by next year we’ll be regretting if we don’t have three 10 game winning streaks to pass the Angles and win the division.

You stop rebuilding when you have good, long term players at almost every spot of your lineup, not when half your roster are one year rentals. The A’s are nowhere near that point yet.

Threepwood XX - June 7, 2009 reply

The Red Sox actually have a few good left-side-of-the-infield prospects,

but they’re all under 20 (and therefore probably more attainable) so I suppose that makes them scrubs.

The Sox might not be willing to trade Almanzar if they’re hoping he can eventually take over for Lowell. Sickels has said the 18 yo 3b could be a Miguel Cabrera type if he can improve his strike zone judgment, but so far Almanzar has struggled mightily at AA, so he might not be totally out of the question. Yamaico Navarro could be a good SS to target. He’s 21, and might be considered expendable by the Sox with Oscar Tejeda ahead of him and Casey Kelly behind.

That's a trade I can definitely see happening.

I really don’t think Beane will go into all-out “seller” mode at the trading deadline, and I think there’s a decent chance we’ll keep Holliday for the rest of the year (which I think depends on how good an offer anyone makes).

But trading O-Cab doesn’t leave much of a hole. He was a short-term signing anyway, and the main purpose was replace Crosby at SS. Given that Crosby doesn’t such quite as much as he used to, and O-Cab hasn’t hit all that great either, it wouldn’t be that much of a downgrade to put Crosby back where he was.

This works even better is we also make a move for a short-term solution at 3B.

Not sure what you mean about the draft pick, though. My understanding is we weren’t going to get one out of Cabrera anyway.

I don't want Crosby back there

and also, I don’t want Ellis back at 2nd.

I’m totally done with the Old Guard A’s infield.

BleedGreen - June 7, 2009 reply

I'm not against making a trade,

I’m against making a trade for some guy that plays for Kane County next year.

We could get that other Chris Carter

Collect all six!

I think the PawSox one is the one from Concord/Stanford, but have trouble keeping track of them.

walkoff baltimore chop - June 7, 2009 reply

IIRC, the PawSox Chris Carter is from Fremont.

He went to DLS HS and then Stanford

Helloooo 1st - June 7, 2009 reply

DLS has a high school?

Yet he can’t keep his arm healthy?

Is that De La Salle (sp), the guys with the awesome high school

football team?

Yes

(alumnus)

Jones-Drew is from there, right?

ton of talent from there.

De La Salle’s a football factory.

A team picture from the Football Factory

different factory.

but I am in this shot.

Thus, are you dead?

He's merely pinin' for the fjords.

Buying players has it's advantages

Athletix Man - June 7, 2009 reply

Especially compared to poorer, very neighboring, public schools.

Grumble.

I'm sorry

Promise I won’t do it again!

Not all of us play football, though. It’s weird. I’d say I went to DLS, people actually asked if I played football. Like… uh… really?

And I once took a fundamentals of acting class with MJ-D and Chris Carter. That’s really all I have to add.

My DLS story

1. We beat them at soccer in NCS.

2. DJ Williams absolutely TROUNCED me in the 100 at a track meet once.

He was pretty good

A year before I got there, though. Heard a lot of stories. Where did you go?

Livermore

He trounced me

on the Football field.

Very neighboring...

YV?

Yup.

it's weird that you guys are talking about my neighborhood

Cheezombie - June 8, 2009 reply

it's kinda all our neighborhoods, no?

I lived out there for a bit. I thought CoCoCo sucked ass, but that was before I experienced Florida. I’d move to West Pittsburg at this point, or whatever the hell they’re calling it these days.

Leopold Bloom - June 8, 2009 reply

i meant more specific

people on this site are from everywhere, and it’s just strange to here things so local.

Cheezombie - June 8, 2009 reply

Yeah, but lots of locals too.

pam5981 - June 8, 2009 reply

Wait what?

I haven’t been reading AN much, but you’d rather move to Pittsburg? From Florida?

JLaff - June 8, 2009 reply

I assume he means the one in Contra Costa County, not Allegheny County

Nick - June 8, 2009 reply

He means the 2nd round pick we forfeited this year by signing OCab.

Faust - June 7, 2009 reply

Ah, got it.

It's an interesting notion that Crosby doesn't suck quite as much as usual

Granted, he has had two bases loaded triples, which is pretty darn awesome, but his batting line for the season? .203/.306/.309. Ouch.

I'd say the on base percentage is pretty good, in terms of how many walks he's

working – if he had a respectable average that’d be a good stat. He’s not hitting for any power at all though.

That's true, good point. Pretty bad overall line, though.

Yeah he's just not a good major league hitter.

Thankfully this is our last year of him (unless somebody gets crazy and thinks he’s a super utility guy and offers us a prospect for him).

Croz has 1 more XBH than Landon Powell

who a) has about 1/3 the PAs Crosby does, and b) moves about as fast as a sedated walrus.

What's scary is that you know this.

I checked on baseball-reference.com

and on pinniped-reference.com

Whats even more scary is a sedated walrus

You never know when it is going to wake up and stick a tusk in you.

adragon - June 8, 2009 reply

You never see sedated walruses in baseball.

I think the reason is that any walrus who shows athletic talent in high school is invariably recruited to play goalie on the hockey team.

Landon Powell is a good major league hitter.

I wonder if he wouldn’t be our starting C if his knees hadn’t exploded on him.

I agree

And he’s supposed to be a good catcher with a great arm. He’s just too big, and his knees can’t take the stress of catching all those innings.

He should invest in those knee savers that Saltalamacchia wears.

I assume I spelt that right, I can’t be bothered checking up.

I can't imagine why those aren't standard for all catchers

And all...

You know, how ‘bout I just don’t go there?

http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2009/051309visualillusion.html

This optical illusion explains it all

croz,

stop looking at the blue dot!

problem solved.

AV - June 7, 2009 reply

No, it really doesn't.

Although it is cool.

trading for players who are blocked in others system

Especially blocked because other minor leaguers beat him to the majors, wouldn’t that basically always get us a play who is just not good enough to make it to the show, or as some may call them AAAA players? Isn’t that the problem we had with our system 1-2 years ago? Too many AAAA players and no stars?

asfansince1989 - June 7, 2009 reply

So if Lars Anderson is blocked by Dustin Pedroia,

or Josh Reddick is blocked by Ellsbury (a one time minor leaguer) this is because the former two, respectively, are AAAA material?

what's more likely?

an AAAA player being blocked by a major leaguer? or a farm system having two bona fida major leaguers at the same time atthe same postion? Just playing the % here. I think the 1st scenario is much more likely.

You can always find a case where this is not true. But as long as we are going to nitpick using individual cases, then lets look at Wallace specifically, and you tell me if he’s more of a bona fida major leaguer or a AAAA player?

asfansince1989 - June 8, 2009 reply

blocked players=Hannahan

isn’t that how we got Hannahan from Detroit? They had Cabrera, and Inge, and so…

argh, why didn't bean trade for rich hill??

I no!!!11 Why?????222

Is that the Cubs' Rich Hill?

You mean Michigan's own Rich Hill? ;)

designatedforassignment - June 7, 2009 reply

because he wanted to keep garrett olsen?

Mazzaro was better this time but still needs to improve.

Mazzaro got more swing and misses but needs to develop a better change up to reach his potentional. Mazzaro does have a very good fastball. This starting staff has the potential to be really good. The A’s have problems in the pen. Who has the best stuff between Mazzaro,Cahill and Anderson? I think Anderson is the one most likely to reach his full potential.

Tbone 1 - June 7, 2009 reply

How was his slider today? Did he get anything in the strike zone other than his fastball?

Yes

Mazzaro got a lot of strikes (called and swinging) with the slider. It was very reminiscent of Dan Haren’s slider/curve.

Colorado Fan - June 7, 2009 reply

His slider it slid.

Question on his velocity.

CSN had it conistenty between 94-96. Was that what you observed at the game?

Granted it’s a small sample size, but before Mazzaromania takes over, his ridiculously low BABIP is a cause for concern as well as the large number of fly balls from the supposed ground-ball pitcher.

Radar Gun

Looked to be about 4-5 MPH’s too high

Colorado Fan - June 7, 2009 reply

That is unfortunate, albeit not totally surprising.

His K of Roberts

to start the 8th really impressed me… some sort of offspeed pitch. I was progressively more nervous as he entered the late innings, and yet there was very little drama today.

ORthey - June 7, 2009 reply

Man. I got home from out of town and the DVR

somehow failed. Sure wish I could have seen Mazarro’s start today because it sounded pretty impressive. Damn. 6 wins in a row sounds so much better and it includes one of those broom thingys too!

ohtobe21likehuston - June 7, 2009 reply

Our first broom thingy of the entire season

Yeah!

Though kinda sad coming in June.

Not counting that stubby, two-game one from the Royals.

6 in a row, and we didn't even have to use the Flying V?

Bobby Crosby didn’t GDP? My baseball life has been resuscitated.

DyeLongJustice - June 7, 2009 reply

Huzzah Mazzaro!

SwisherThresher - June 7, 2009 reply

That pic is awesome and wonderfully taken.

Blicks - June 7, 2009 reply

He needs to learn how to tip his cap though

I was there today and he diddn’t do it. Don’t blame him though, being his first home game and all.

Yeah, I think 67M said the same thing yesterday about Cahill.

Like you say, they’re young.

And, welcome!

Leopold Bloom - June 8, 2009 reply

You know, the A's might match up very well with the Twins

Minnesota’s offense is heavily dependent on two lefty hitters, and the A’s will throw 3 lefties out of 4 in the upcoming series, two of whom (Outman, Braden) have exceptional numbers against opposing left-handed hitters.

designatedforassignment - June 7, 2009 reply

Outman has Ked 40% of the lefties hes faced this year.

I believe the number is higher for his career. His domination of lefties is quite remarkable

but

the twins dont walk alot of hitters.
so our offense need to gear up to swing some bats

Wreckonized - June 7, 2009 reply

Um, we won again?

This is the A’s website, right? I haven’t accidentally clicked on some other team’s website?

A's?

Cheezombie - June 7, 2009 reply

A's?

Goose!

{runs around the circle}

Fish out of water!

(I went to a special school)

Mazzaro! I love you! Mazzaro!

I can’t get that Sealab quote outta my head.

Hegenberger Road - June 7, 2009 reply

When you say it like that, I think

Mazzaro, Mazzaro, I love you, Mazzaro.
You’re always a day away.

or

You’re always five days away?

pam5981 - June 8, 2009 reply

ISWYDT

mikev - June 8, 2009 reply

For Chavez it would be

you’re always day-to-day.

Oooh, nice.

pam5981 - June 8, 2009 reply

So, when Duke returns, who gets bumped out of the roto?

Duke.

+1

ohtobe21likehuston - June 7, 2009 reply

Duke?

Future Ed - June 7, 2009 reply

Duke Duke Duke Duke of Earl

gigglingone - June 7, 2009 reply

he was a great setup man

unless someone is doing bad, duke can work his way through the pen

Wreckonized - June 7, 2009 reply

Duke

He’s not long for the team, unfortunately.

If he is able to return, Duke will be able to fill the spot of whoever is less effective. It would be nice to have someone to replace Anderson or Cahill in the rotation because they will have thrown a lot of innings by then, compared to what they’ve done in the past.

bear88 - June 7, 2009 reply

Remembering when he was angling for a multi-year contract

last season? He was talking about his SP role, and how a contract for future years was a decent idea.

I think Beane replied that yes, pitching well will get you a multi-year contract eventually, so finish out the year well…and it puts you in a position to command such a type of contract.

Well, Duke didn’t finish the year, so it was advantage Beane on that episode.