Athletics Nation

Wait, that’s — yeah, I see it.

Which would be ironic this year,

since (by my eyeballs, anyway) he’s not having his best year with the actual… you know… glove.

Robinson Cano will win it.

Mindy Bach's cheekbones are at serious risk of escaping from her face

and taking over the world.

Simmer down on the rouge, Mindy.

1 down, 2 to go!

I like the good post-ASB record

Much more fun than last season.

so far, it's like a million times better.

last year- post ASB was so painful…

09 is kind of a mirror image of 08

Since the epic 14-13 win against the Twins on July 20, the A’s are 12-10 over the three-week span.

Thank you, RRS.

I’m enjoying it.

"What does it mean when she makes that sound?"

Orgasm?

We're in Jeopardy mode here.

Answer first, then question.

What is faking it?

I am not sure.

who's having one?

what is the best thing in the world?

What is dirty and pretty, Alex.

Wow, I love that answer.

I think I was too subtle for the kids.

Maybe a “TWSS” wouldn’t have gone over their heads.

Rated-R...

Did you not see my Dutch comment in the last thread?

I’ll go look for it.

I don’t see it!

It was midway through the thread.

Click my profile and scroll down. It shouldn’t have been too far down. Click on it and it will take you to the spot in the thread.

Yes, ma’am.

I’d like to bend Dutch over a loudspeaker.

Oh….oops. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Bring Jerry back!
by ZigFan31 on Aug 10, 2009 7:28 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions 0 recs

Whoa!

what does that mean>

And you have air conditioners for what?

cooling off

i don’t get the bend dutch thing

This is Dutch.

Holland.

oh i was thinking dutch language

I thought she meant Dutch from "Soap"

or maybe Dutch from “The Shield”.

I was kinda confused.

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.

Sorry guys. I didn't mean to stump you!

That’s not fun if no one gets it!

I thought at least Rated-R knew that was his nickname.

Rated-R: Pic please...

I don’t know which picture!

Oh...I thought you got my joke. I guess not.

I am terrible.

You're very sweet.

Aw, thanks.

LOL!

Oh my!

this was a fun game

Very.

In-deed.

what time tomorrw?

Same.

Same bat place,

same bat channel.

Only one walk for Gio

/me happy

I guess Gio's looking sharp?

Did he work the hitters? I didn’t get to see him pitch, but even when he was struggling I thought he had a chance to be something special if he ever learned to keep hitters off balance.

Oh, he worked it!

his Curve was nasty today

started belt high and just dropped off the table.

Just great

Boy I suffer through all those lousy games in the late spring and early summer and now when my life is getting to busy for me to follow the team they start scoring runs in bunches and are playing great.

What the hell as long as they win I’m happy and if they keep this up I’ll just quit my job and move into a cardboard box that has a good internet connection so I can follow the team.

sirbed - August 10, 2009 reply

I love how everyone loves Gio now.

I loved him first! neener, neener…

you are a smart girl!

May I love him, too?

yes please

May I love you?

not tonight, company coming

Tease!

What's love got to do with it?

you get the gold star

He just needed major league seasoning. All his issues were with feeling comfortable on the mound.

He was working fast and loose the whole game. He looked right at home. Now we’re going to get a guy who lead the minors in K’s two straight years

Yeah, fewer people are calling him pathetic and grandly announcing he'll never be a major league hitter

which is rather nice all round, really

bobnothing - August 10, 2009 reply

I knew he'd come around eventually

every time he was promoted in the minors he needed a few starts to adjust. In his few opportunities before this season, he only got 2 or 3 starts which isn’t enough for him.

I loved him second.

Cough. Shamelessly about to try to make myself look smart. Seriously. I. Did. I. Love Gio. Cough.

travdog6 - August 11, 2009 reply

Ok. You can be #2.

I just think its funny that everyone was railing him for so long. And rightfully so, but I’ve always believed. I just hope he can sustain it. I do worry though. He seems a bit fragile…mentally.

ZigFan31 - August 11, 2009 reply

I want to be in the top 10

Future Ed - August 11, 2009 reply

Can I just say

that I love AN with all my heart. I get to talk about the A’s while discussing ancient European nationalities, speculate on the sound of Shakespearean English, and debate the grooming preferences of men for their lady companion’s lower areas.

Best site ever.

I learned what “erogenous” meant on this site.

I'll bet you did.

It’s true.

what else have you learned?

I learned that girls like baseball.

we do

and baseball players

Yes, and some girls like ’em more than others.

that's right baby!

What night won’t you have guests over?

guest not guests

Oh, your boyfriend is coming over?

yes

he’s in town this week

You two better behave yourselves.

of course not

he travels alot so it’s like being in a long distance relationship which kinda sucks, so when he’s here we get together

Well, have fun, then.

thanks

here’s a word for you to llok up which tells you all about me…insatiable

in⋅sa⋅tia⋅ble
–adjective
not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased: insatiable hunger for knowledge.

Is that like a sex thing?

it means i can never have enough

I've been called that. Many times.

AND...

you’re not alone.

One won lost won - August 10, 2009 reply

Any male between 18 and 22 is supercharged.

if his equipment is all working, etc.

Ah youth. Enjoy it boys, DO NOT pass on it until you complete your medical degree or whatever.

Supercharged until 30 here.

LoneStranger - August 10, 2009 reply

WHY HELLO.

Well hello kind sir...

Mikev, this thread is right up your alley

I think I know what you can never have enough of.

Cookies.

LoneStranger - August 10, 2009 reply

Fascinating...

But when, once more,

He whispers “je t’adore”,
C’est magnifiii-iii-que.

oui

And you learned where they were!

One of them's gotta be the living room, right?

He really did.

And we enjoyed teaching him. That’s how we roll.

that was before i joined, i guess that would've been fun to read

You know how to pronounce it, right?

The emphasized syllable is “rog” as in Rajai, not “gen” as in Jeannie.

Somewhat.

next you have to teach him about female orgasm

I already knew that.

it's a toungue-twister

if we're lucky

Excellent.

LB would approve.

There’s an official word for it?

Yes, but I'm not sure how to spell it.

Something like “ooooohhh-uuunnhh-h-h-aaah”.

Okay, then I was right.

not to get graphic

but I’ve never understood guys’ hangups with rendering such services.

It’s a win/win

nice!!

I love you!

Yep!

I don’t get it.

who wants to tell rated-r?

oh honey

I’m sorry

He has lots of time

I think I was 27 before I really got it.

Its called foreplay.

We like it, and you should do it.

it can be more than that

This is almost like a social experiment

sexual education through online baseball community

laughing

though how would you determine a 'control group' against which to compare our results?

I know what foreplay is.

It's the short skit before the main theater performance.

LoneStranger - August 10, 2009 reply

I object to the very concept of "foreplay".

It implies that it is only a prelude to something else which is the “real thing”.

It sounds like fun.

oh it is

Good point!

Yeah, I think knowledge in the abstract

and practical experience have to go together a bit. You can’t just do one without the other.

Only there is a limit here, I think.

Uhh, yeah

I want to clarify that I am not suggesting that AN begin providing any actual experience along these lines to go along with all the “book learning”.

It’s very easy to over-teach. No matter how much cinnamon sugar you dump on the toast, when you flip the slice upside down, only a certain amount will stick. Piling on more doesn’t do any good.

For example,

it’s one thing to know that you should deliver your pitch high and inside, but it’s still another to actually locate it.

Great analogy.

And that there are different locations,

and pitches.

there are so many sexual references in baseball

starting with so ans so has a hot bat

we are skating such a fine line right now

how we haven’t strayed into CGV territory, I just don’t know

We haven't discussed politics

what's cgv?

Community Guidelines Violation

Basically, breaking the community rules on AN.

oh-oh...

I'm cracking up so hard right now,

and I’m oddly aroused.

you're not the only one

And we have the trifecta!

LOL!

Sometimes it helps to crowd the plate,

but if you do, be prepared to get buzzed with some high heat.

7, 7, 7!!!!!

Yay!

This doesn't mean we should neglect 1-6 though!

Gosh no!

I had to memorize that entire sequence

For my ex-gf.

Helloooo 1st - August 10, 2009 reply

Awesome. Do you still remember it?

Second best scene ever!

Jam? Good. Meat? Goooooooood.

So the bird just swooped down...

No

I forgot it after I recited it and I definitely haven’t kept it in my head for the past year I’ve been single. She can take her Friends liking-ness and shove.

On an unrelated note my favorite scene is when Joey buys his boat and all the funny stuff that follows.

Helloooo 1st - August 10, 2009 reply

But there are many good books!

also the great thing about learning when you're young

the person you’re with doesn’t know any better either, so it doesn’t matter if you’re not great!

Yeah, they can be terrified together!

You can read all the scouting reports,

but even so, you don’t really have a good feel for them until the second time through the order.

And it just gets better.

Awesome!!!

I was 15 =)

I actually enjoy doing it.

They're only "lower" when she's standing up.

yay!

Woo!

AWESOME.

I am a very happy fan right now.

#14fan - August 10, 2009 reply

holy crap

No way!

Rated-R, I got someone you should meet.

Who is it, sir?

above me

not directly. the one who said AWESOME.

Oh, who is that?

Another one right about your age.

That’s awesome.

She's awesome. But not dirty, so be nice.

I will, I will.

Now we just have to fix you up.

That would be swell.

I'm good, but thanks dear.

Oh REALLY!

Do tell.

I don't dare.

Well, I'm happy for you then.

It's nothing, really. But thanks.

#14fan left?

looks like it

:: Cries. ::

sorry

yell at my internet, not me.

what did I miss?
…

I guess I should show up at the game threads more.

#14fan - August 10, 2009 reply

Hi.

hi.

#14fan - August 10, 2009 reply

Sparks are flying!

mikev - August 11, 2009 reply

I feel as if we have a connection here.

ditto.

How are you?

fine

you?

WOW I am boring. are you going to be in the game thread today? I need to find my wittiness again, it seems to have disappeared.

I’ll be in the thread, but I don’t think you’re boring.

I would ask you questions, but I don’t want to sound like a creep; however, you are a female, right? I wasn’t being lied to by the, uh, others?

Oh, and I’m fine.

yes, I'm a girl,

I’m glad someone was able to tell.

can’t wait for the thread, I haven’t been on one in awhile. hope Ellis gets homer.

That’s good for me.

The thread will be better with you there now.

wow

what in the world have people been telling you?

but this thread should be fun. hopefully.

They just said that we were about the same age and you’re a girl and I’m a guy.

hey, what about me?

my ladyfriend of 5 years and I are parting ways because of my move for grad school.

Well, at least I don’t have to pretend I like the Red Sox anymore!

lol

So where are you moving to

(and sorry to hear about the breakup)?

Los Angeles, The Arts District

attending USC for my masters’

Film maker, screen writer?

as I cleverly hid in the midst of my handle

City Planning

Ah, well L.A. could use some of that.

And not everyone goes with their handle.

every mistake ever made in city planning has been made in LA

so it’s a great place to study what not to do

Are you going there to deal with City/Toontown issues?

That's handled with dip

Future Ed - August 10, 2009 reply

my main regret

is that I could only rec this comment once

colin - August 10, 2009 reply

I rec'd it.

Case in point: English major.

Oh, okay

As a native NoCalian I’m not allowed to like SoCal, but objectively you could have a really fun, interesting and exciting time in LA.

Even though LA sucks, of course.

oh, LA totally sucks

that being said, I’m going to have a blast.

The whole “no car” thing might be trying, but it was my decision and I think it’s the right thing to do

university of spoiled children huh?

Or university of second choice

Let’s be open-minded here.

That should be a challenge.

yup

and they’re paying for every cent of my education. I have no qualms about taking their money and waging guerilla class warfare from within their walls.

Well done, comrade!

Stick it to the Man!

(That’s political, not sexual, OAH)

There are some supporters there.

That should be fun.

Wait, so you had a car in Boston

but you’re not going to have a car in L.A.?

Something’s wrong with this picture.

no car in Boston either

but I moved back to the bay area after graduation and have been here for the last 4 years while I figured my life out.

and for the no car thing, I’m one of those ideological douches that is trying to live now what I think will be necessary in the future. At least my saving grace is that I’m totally self-aware of my douchyness and have no interest in lording it over people like the “I have no TV” crowd do

fellow douche

no car in LA has its advantages. Living it now.

No true self respecting

douche would have a computer.

You’re just an ideologue who will soon have very sore feet.

sorry about your break up

i would’ve drawn the line at the red sox

well, when you go to college in Boston, everyone's a Sox fan

unless they’re a transplant Yankees fan. Yankees/slegnA are the line for me

I'm sorry.

yea be nice

I am nice. I am just naughty with you for whatever reason(s).

because i'm naughty

fille très méchante

tu sais ca

"tu"? Tu me tutoies?

J’ai douze ans sur toi, au moins.

Unless you’re my lover, you’d best learn some respect, missy.

WTF does that even mean?

he told me in french i was a bad girl

so i told him he knows it

She used the familiar form of "you"

and iglew told her she was being rude and presumptuous.

Go ask a Quaker.

I was just teasing.

I was actually hoping she’d pick the other door.

pardon, vous savez ca

Merci, bonne fille.

That explains it.

rawr

she's easy

I mean, to be naughty around.

#14,

Of course.

She can walk into comments and he can respond!

Easy tiger....

He's already met you. Needed to clarify for his sake.

I knew what you meant. It was just funny.

QOTM

I'll break out the juice boxes.

I like apple juice.

He's beautiful.

Markellis.

Conqueror of Oriolopolis

Markellisgiganticus.

Sigh.

questor of the palatine hill

3rd magus of Jupiter Capitolinus

He touched me, you know.

One won lost won - August 10, 2009 reply

arrange a "triumph" if you will

for Marcus El-Isis, “the Egyptian”..

I hope I am great at picking baby names like him and his wife.

Y'know, I don't think I've heard the girl's name yet...

Addy.

Really?

Yes, she was born on the second of July.

The Cherry-Picking Charge is Getting Weaker when it comes to this offense

2nd in AL in RS over the past 22 days. 2nd in runs per game. 5.8 runs per game since Holliday left. Something’s changed.

jasonthea - August 10, 2009 reply

The mean. It wants to be reverted to.

If you're implying what I think you are,

I don’t understand. Yes, this team is better since Holliday left. But it’s not better because Holliday left. I don’t see how Holliday was responsible for Rajai not being the monster he is now, Everidge not getting called up, Hairston slumping, and Gio Gonzalez sucking.

Then you fail to understand the ways of the voodoo doll,

in the hands of a bald millionaire who thinks he’s practicing acupuncture.

I guess I have so much to learn.

Also, is he really bald at that age? If so, I feel sorry. I already feel sorry for how his head is shaped. Thing is freaking dangerous, he could cut somebody with that thing.

that's some serious Cone Head action right there

One won lost won - August 10, 2009 reply

too fast with the forceps at birth IMO

At first I thought it was a funny angle but...

Nice stats -- obviously not from 2009

Stupid git.

Its weird- I dont miss him at all.

I was pretty excited opening day to see him, but …

Same and same

well, the stats

and the Colorado Rockies logo at the bottom left

colin - August 10, 2009 reply

He's in that group of baseball players

who should never take their hats off

day-to-day - August 10, 2009 reply

wasn't claiming causality

They hit well in his final days here, after all. But certainly there seems to be some collective inspiration going on, for whatever set of reasons.

jasonthea - August 10, 2009 reply

Fair enough, sorry for the wrong assumption.

I think a big part of it is giving guys who deserve at bats playing time.

It's funny what young guys

can do when they believe they have a legitimate shot without having to suffer being blocked by a “name”.

Again, for those who complain about Billy Beane...

…I offer the Baltimore Orioles.

ptbarnum - August 10, 2009 reply

And the O's are actually on an upswing at the moment

Dirty Sanchez is getting lit up.

Good.

Also, the Rockies are pounding the Cubs, 11-1, led by Troy Tulowitzki’s 5-for-5 game with seven runs driven in.

Tulo had a possible GS called foul earlier on.

He singled, I think, in that AB.

Giants game just got a Mini Sirloin Buger sighting!

Nice Win, Nice Game

But….What the hell is happening to AN? All I know is when the thread starts moving to the right side of the pane it is time to start a-scrollin’. Don’t have much interest in match making on BB’s or veiled goat related sexual innuendo.

fridaynightfan - August 10, 2009 reply

the Z button (or shift-A) is your friend.

Not sure how either of those methods helps to avoid mega-scroll.

Hey listen, you...

Oh Hi Poppy.

I got nothin.

It's not happening. It's happened.

But, yeah.

Yeah, it's kinda out of control

I blame the sultry summer weather.

Once school starts again, things will get back to normal.

As normal as they ever get around here, that is.

I start school in a few weeks.

Probably a good thing, kid.

I like school.

if goat related sexual innuedo is wrong, I don't want to be right

If loving you is wrong,

I don’t want to be right.

Sorry to offend. Just having a little fun.

A little fluffy fun.

I don't know that song

Wait ... we're not still in the game thread?

wait, this is a website about baseball?

Unfortunately, yes...

A hive mind like this could solve all of the world’s problems in about five or six hours, but all this baseball gets in the way…

Gaijin_Suketto - August 10, 2009 reply

Honestly, I'm finding the sexual innuendo a bit too prevalent lately

In this thread alone I thought there was going to be a lot of game-related talk and instead it’s dozens and dozens of comments I have to skip past that are full of innuendo.

Nothing against innuendo but sometimes it gets a little out of hand.

I tend to agree.

And if that makes me a hypocrite, so be it.

Glad someone spoke up

It’s been bugging me for a while but I figured if everyone else thought it was great I’d just keep scrolling.

thus my incredulousness at it going on for so long

I mean, hey, I had a great time, but I totally understand why others might be fed up with it.

That is to say: sorry

And it is great, as long as the popular people are doing it.

Also, sorry. And, I get it.

The people who were doing it weren't popular?

You couldn’t have told me this before I sat with them at lunch? This could tarnish my reputation for days.

So I'd think discussing the Giants game, as the gang is below,

is more egregious on an A’s website than discussing cunnilingus. I’d much rather my friends and family know I practiced cunnilingus than know I watched the Giants and felt the need to discuss it. But then again, I guess that’s why this is a community and not a dictatorship.. .

no one would care

if they weren’t playing the Dodgers, bloomy.

There was an appropriate degree of schadenfreude.

FTR- we were originally discussing the closing gorilla known as Broxton.

I love that word.

I used it today myself, in fact.

The German's excel at naming.

Especially odd dark facets of the human psyche/humor.

so are we talking about

schadenfreude… or gorilla?

Well the ape did get 'tatered' which was kind of fun.

Not just dark facets.

I also love gemütlichkeit.

That's lovely.

How do you pronounce that?

NM

gay -mute -leech- kite. stress on first syllable

Thx...thought I would save myself the grief and find the pronunciation online.

Good luck.

It doesn’t lend itself well to English phonetics.

I’d say “guh-mute-lish-kite” is closer.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gemutlichkeit

I thought you would pooh-pooh my request.

So I was being a big girl and finding it myself.

Eek, thats really poor German pronunciation.

Hah. Good thing I have you and iglew to correct me.

It's not supposed to be German.

M-W is telling you how to say it in English.

True depends where you are

My German was born in Munich and grew up in Berlin. ;)

the ‘lish- leach- leech’ is the sticky part- back of throat.

I tend to do it as a soft palatal fricative.

as opposed to the velar one I do in “ach”. I’m not sure what regional dialect that makes me.

When I’m teaching diction I suggest you try to say the word “huge” but really big like you’re trying to emphasize it. And then the “sh”-like sound that you make between the “h” and the “you” is the consonant you’re looking for.

And then the "sh"-like sound that you make between the "h" and the "you" is the consonant you’re looking for.

Brilliant.

There is a tendency in the north (Prussia/DDR/ Berlin/ Hamburg) to pronounce it ish, ich a bit more forcefully.

I’d say you fit in Hoch-Deustch proper.

That makes sense.

I learned my German diction mainly from singing Bach chorales and lieder.

One result of that is that I flip r’s. If there are native Germans anywhere who do that, I haven’t found them.

Beautiful way to learn.

I started reading German novels I had read in English in German.
Looks like I have to call it a night.
See you next time.

Gefilte fish

Is really hard to look at.

Schiksal is pretty great too.

and grausame- sounds like it should to me.

Another one I love is ängstlich.

Its heritage isn’t that much different from our “anxious”, but the German word occupies a different space in the cloud of meaning than any of the English near-equivalents do. “Anxious” leans too much toward eager, “fearful” leans too much toward frightened, “timid” leans too much toward shy. Ängstlich resides somewhere in the middle, and with all that existential stuff as an added bonus.

Tolkien was right when he said

what truly makes a language is its mythology.

What is it that makes schicksal feel different from fate? I’d say its the ancient body of literature that is built up around it. The language reflects its culture.

I think 'Kennen Lernen'

Expresses it the most succinctly.
Another cognitive universe.

shocking.

Hey LB, I wonder if there's a cool German word

that means “vocabulary whore”.

Goethe.

In English, that's Bill Buckley

If you would stop grabbing my ass, it would be easier to take you seriously.

And frankly, it would be easier to chop the potatoes and carrots for my stew,

so I’m seriously considering it. Can I get back to you around Wednesday?

hypocrite.

nice of you to join us, LB

My spidey senses were tingling.

plus I’m all jacked up on Alka Selzer Cold and Cough.

stiff stuff

who’s your dealer?

CVS

First one’s free.

Yeah, I'm a hypocrite, too.

I love the innuendo, but there’s a place. The recap thread has a very different mood and audience from that of the game threads. AN After Dark belongs in the game threads. It was wrong for us to carry it over here.

(I blame Don for getting the recap up too fast.)

Eh,

It’s just a passing fad.

like staturdays

Future Ed - August 10, 2009 reply

Sadly so.

And it's not a passing fancy or a fancy pass.

but it might be a rapid pass.

I'm on a Cole Porter roll today,

but you’re no help. Where the hell is Lynn? We need more gay men here. It feels weird to me when nobody knows Cole Porter or musical theater.

(Yeah yeah, I know, stereotyping. So sue me.)

I might have caught it if I weren't all jacked up on Alka Seltzer.

Seriously, do you not know the Tom Lehrer Smut song?

You must track that one down. It’s top-tier Lehrer.

As gay men go, Lynn is one of my favorites

Nico - August 11, 2009 reply

good news the yankees lost

Easy to pick and choose a bit but...

…ignore Gio’s game against the Twins and his ERA is 4.40.

what about if you also take out his first 2 starts of the year?

The ones where they brought him up, let him get shelled and sent him right back?

Probably better still

But so far he’s shown it takes him a little time at each level to settle in and pitch better.

This level of performance is "in there" for Gio

The blow-ups are part of it, too, and I doubt very much that he’ll establish his highest level of achievement in his first full year in the bigs next year.

Which means the up-and-downs will continue, but over time there will be more and more ups and fewer downs.

Agreed

And the important thing is he’s proving he’s got the talent to stick in the bigs as long as he can keep it all together.

The learning curve has been quick, though

Each of the last three starts I’ve seen (couldn’t see the Red Sox one) he has looked better than the one before. Tonight he was spotting his fastball and really working hitters. Very impressive.

It does worry me a bit that he's still got only his fastball and his curve.

A third (even) average pitch would be great, just so that hitters wouldn’t be able to sit on one of the two and be right half the time.

Me personally,

I thing Gio

may have been tipping pitches when he’s been blown up. There was something a little to pat in the Twins approach during Gio’s last debacle.

In the Twins game, he gave up three HRs to left-handed batters

(two of whom happened to be the same guy), each time on a high fastball. Gio should be very hard for lefties to hit, with his curve, but he was in a pattern of falling behind and then throwing fastballs on fastball counts.

I agree with speckops that Gio will need to throw his changeup more to be successful, but as with so many pitchers it’s more about “fastball command” than anything and lately Gio has finally located his fastball early in the count.

Or an eephus.

bring back Kaz Tadano

link (you get to see him throw it to ARod)

colin - August 10, 2009 reply

I don't need to see him go backdoor on A-Rod

That’s one film I’ll never rent again twice.

Ooh, I'm telling Flashfire you said that.

The innuendo needs to STOP , mister.

If it starts, is it innubegino?

Nico,

only you could make a Frisian man blush.

Wait, a stiff breeze could make a Frisian man blush.

Nevermind.

I agree,

and I was harping long and loud about him throwing pitches away until he got into a predictable fast ball count. But even so, the Twins hitters were absolutely ferocious when they lit him up. I don’t know that he was tipping, but if results are any indication, it may well have been so.

Also, it's easier to spot pitches or guess right

when the choices are “that pitch” or “the other one.”

Did he throw any changeups tonight?

Also, fangraphs has his average fastball velocity at 91.6 MPH and his average changeup at 84.7 MPH. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but that velocity delta seems a little on the low side.

I recall one

I think it was in the 5th inning. There may have been a couple more; I missed a few pitches tonight, cooking stew while watching the game. Both were delicious.

I’m surprised that fangraphs has his changeup pegged at roughly 10% of his pitches thrown. It certainly doesn’t look like it happens that often.

What I'd like to see is around

60% fastballs
25% curve
15% changeup

I could get behind this.

Maybe we can bring in another old relief pitcher to teach him a new pitch

Honestly, I don't even think that's really cherry-picking.

What right-minded manager pulls his starter after 11 ER have come across? It’s pretty damn hard to get that slow a hook in the days of the 7 man ’pen.

Without today including ALL of 2009

his FIP was 4.40.

Future Ed - August 10, 2009 reply

Well the parts I remember from the Twins game

were certainly fielder independent.

Great win, A's

Been awfully busy lately. I’ll try to get back next week or so.

GO A’S!

ElQuesoCapitan - August 10, 2009 reply

I had your back

I love the future of this team, from the rooks and young studs in Oakland down to Kane County.

It’s a great time to be an A’s fan. And games like tonight make me want to keep coming back.

JJ Martin - August 10, 2009 reply

So...Eric Patterson is 3 for 4 with a HR and 4 RBIs,

continuing to make a push to have the AAAA award named after him. Wallace is 2 for 4, woo hoo, Storey another 4 up, 4 down, what a story… And Jerry Blevins threw 22 pitches, 8 strikes, not so woo hoo.

9-8 Rivercats in the 6th.

Dear Jerry...

Please stop sucking. I want to see you on September 1st.

Love,
Your only remaining fan.

I like him too

I just can’t figure out if he’s the centerfield foul pole or Beaker from the Muppets.

“Mimimimimimimimimimimimimimimimi!!!!!!!”

I know this is shocking but...

Beaker was my favorite!

that is shocking.

Aren't you suppose to be sick?

What better than film and internet when stuck in bed?

Well asides sleep and drugs.

That, plus I watch LAAAA win a see saw game versus Rays.

stupid springer

(see below)

everyone in that game was tupid, including the last AB

which barely stayed in the park…

I always felt the Twins and Rays were like cousins.

I secretly root for them when they aren’t playing the A’s.

I'm with that.

I throw the Royals in there, too, if only because they’re so pathetic. And strangely, the Mariners….

Likewise.

Brewers too but for some reason they are'nt in the American League anymore...

they should be, though.

It’s really quite wrong they’re in the NL. I get the thinking, but if it’s that important to you, move the Braves back.

rays yes

twins no. the rays sucked so bad for so long, can’t help but like the way friedman et al have turned them around.

the twins, though… ugh. chop-and-run is annoying.

But Seligswurth tried to contract them

at the same time as us, so there’s a kinship there, to me.

I AM sick.

I’m all whacked out on cold meds.

And for what it’s worth, I was rather fond of Beaker too, and I still like Blevins.

I knew I could count on you!

yes, ma'am.

{teeth chattering}

but it might just be the giant bucktoothed walrus talking…

Jay Marshall has a Jerry Blevins voodoo doll in his locker.

Only room for 2 LOOGY’s in the bullpen

I can't see a Blevins doll fitting in any locker I've ever seen

It's not the blonde blow up doll it's the new Redhead doll... fits in your locker

Eastbayjim - August 10, 2009 reply

I've beaten this topic to death, so I want ramble about it too much.

But 2 months ago, Rajai Davis looked like an overmatched minor leaguer with one tool: speed. Just saying.

Also, I miss you Jerry Blevins. What the f*ck happened, I will never know, but you were one of my favorite players in 2008. (not saying a lot, I know.)

Russ Springer pitching to the slegnA

I wonder how long it takes Tampa Bay to realize they fucked up.

I would say 2 or 3 batters

Make that 1 batter

Gives up a HR to Vlad.

What a fucking loser

God I hate the slegnA

And he gets lifted

after 1 batter.

They know they made a huge mistake claiming him of waivers.

Oh the humor.

Orodawg - August 10, 2009 reply

Make that 2 hitters he faced

He gave up a single to Rivera

He should be released for throwing the garbage that he throws.

he has a good arm

he should be able to get someone out. i just don’t know who.

Psst

He’s not on our team any more. You can forget about him.

yeah but he just caused the slegnA to take the lead

which is reason to dislike him in its own right

OHDH

Not when he is helping the slegnA

he is more hated than when he was on our team.

I'm surprised you can hate anyone more than when they're on our team.

That's what I'm sayin'

Holliday anyone?

that was freaking hilarious

on the plus side, at least the Gnats are losing

I just had a vision of you being a "Gameday" operator for Yahoo

and laughed out loud.

i always wonder what (else) that guy does

So he/she just sits there and picks from a drop down menu for every pitch?

Take out the "drop down" part

and you pretty much have my average evening.

your secret income source revealed

Someone pays you with a wad of ~~20s~~ 1s on the way out, wrapped in a broccoli rubber band

HAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA

Sorry, that felt really good though.

Next time we lose on "my" night

Will you write my recap? Pretty please?

Barton eligible to come of the DL tomorrow.

Not sure if he’s healthy enough or not, but if he is, goodbye Nomar?

Ooh exciting.

Was it a hammy he pulled?

I imagine Barton goes to AAA

I doubt he’d get any playing time with the A’s right now

closetasfan - August 11, 2009 reply

Speaking of disasters,

the Merkin Valdeez is giving up hits like they’re going out of style.

Merkin - ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I just cant get past the first name...

Hey, you want my Merkin?

What’s that?
A pubic toupe.
No thanks.
Of course, you don’t cuz you’re a classy guy!

Apparently, hitters can get past the first name without much difficulty

Well it is for covering the sores right? Sorry TMI.

Was that last slider as high as gameday put it?

i.e. above Martin’s head?

Well, Martin told the ump "I really don't understand that pitch,"

and the ump explained, “That’s because it was over your head.”

Slide, Furcal, slide

FAIL

I'm really glad we dont face Broxton often.

That guys just a menacing 300 lb force of nature.

Massive.

100 mph mean streak.

Annnnd he just gave up a home run.

Well SF can feel the tease for a change.

No complaints here.

Almost put on my Dodgers tee I got in LA this summer out of defiance.

Krukow was actually talking about WHIP

I’m … stunned.

It's a stat even he can understand.

If we threw in HBP, it’d be over his head.

50 IP, 76 K

nasty.

And just like that, he gives up a bomb to the worst cleanup hitter in baseball

Wow jinx!

Damnit Bengie

did he poop on the rug?

Oh! Wrong Bengie.

all over the field

And Castro saves the day

BTW

I hate Scott Hariston.

Syphon - August 10, 2009 reply

?

Piss in your cornflakes?

His 700ops is enough.

Syphon - August 10, 2009 reply

maybe some buck or cunningham for you?

green tusks - August 10, 2009 reply

Yes pls.

Syphon - August 10, 2009 reply

Yay! More wins!

baseballgirl - August 10, 2009 reply

Woo!

What's impressed me the most

Is that there have been contributions from just about everyone in the lineup these past couple weeks (I’m looking at you Jack Cust). I keep telling myself that the offense is going to start acting like their actual talent level but to hell with logic! This team is going to the playoffs!

Helloooo 1st - August 10, 2009 reply

Time for a 50 game win streak!!!

Guuuuuuuuuuh

Missed another game due to moving. But I finally got to get into the new digs. And I look forward to watching a game and commenting from somewhere that’s not a WiFi-ready parking lot.

I love Gio’s progression lately. I love getting a chance to see the younger players play. I can’t believe I’m this excited to watch the A’s during an atrocious season.

Let’s get another W tomorrow.

Joey C. - August 11, 2009 reply

What’s up, all?

Yeah, I’m going to go ahead and come out and admit that I had been extremely critical of Gio. I really didn’t think that this kid would cut it in the majors this season, perhaps needed another 2 years in the minors. However, the guy’s proved me wrong. He appears to be an entirely different pitcher out there, particularly with his much improved control and composure. This is a huge development for the organization.

If Gio continues to pitch like a solid starter, what do you guys think our starting rotation will look like next year, 1-5?

ATLDuck - August 11, 2009 reply

Braden, Anderson, Mazzaro, Cahill, and Gio.

Same as it is now.

Swap Gio and Mazzaro.

mikev - August 11, 2009 reply

But not Anderson and Braden?

I think Anderson is going to be much, much better than Braden next year.

speckops - August 11, 2009 reply

No specific order there, just throwing out names.

But I do agree that Gio will be higher in the rotation than Mazzaro, and think that Anderson does have the potential to be the #1 guy, I’m not ready to give that to him just yet. I think the rest of this year and how he and Braden finish will help to determine that.