I guess that's why they play the game.
With Brett Tomko the apparent sacrificial lamb sent out to face the big, bad Yankees, this was one of those games that you marked with an "L" on your magnetic schedule long before the first pitch.
But a funny thing happened on the way to a Big Apple beat-down. Tomko tossed five shutout innings, Rajai Davis and Mark Ellis continued their torrid ways, and the A's walked off the diamond with a 3-0 victory.
Oh and it seems there were some signings tonight, too.
Seems Tomko's arm was not a bomb threat after all. Although he retired the side just once, he was never in any real danger, except for the third when he faced Alex Rodriguez with the bags loaded, and only one out. But Tomko got A-Rod to hit one back to the mound where he started an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play.
All the game's runs were scored in the fourth, and good news for you dear reader, they all came on the A's side of the board. Davis doubled with one out, and stole third without a throw before Kurt Suzuki singled him home. Scott Hairston's base hit was followed by a Ryan Sweeney groundout that moved the runners up ninety feet. Suzuki scored on a balk by starter A.J. Burnett, who appeared to stop himself as if time was called. With Hairston on third, Ellis drove him in on a double that eluded Nick Swisher. Make that 20 RBI's in August for the second baseman.
And that was pretty much it, with one more scare in the eighth.
Craig Breslow allowed just a hit, while striking out a pair in two innings of work, and was followed by Brad Ziegler. With two on and two out in the eighth, Ziggy K'd Jorge Posada to douse the fire, and Andrew Bailey pitched a perfect ninth to close out a most improbable win.
0 recs | 131 comments
HI
robbo650 - August 17, 2009
LOW
GreenNGoldSooner - August 17, 2009
I love this record
bobnothing - August 17, 2009
I thought it was a book.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
David Bowie is awesome.
A couple months ago I listened to his entire discography. Not all at once, of course, but over the span of a few weeks at work.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
Had one not heard of david bowie
One might mistake that for a woman.
I did before I read david bowie.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
I think the photo is from the film
The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which he plays an asexual alien.
so you might be closer than you think
bobnothing - August 17, 2009
That movie is great.
A true classic.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
agreed.
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
I heard they were going to remake that with Keanu Reeves.
Please tell me that was just a bad dream and it’s not really true.
iglew - August 18, 2009
well, he does manage to convey a total lack of emotion and human complexity
so maybe?
but Lordy, do I not like that
bobnothing - August 18, 2009
Admittedly, that is his special talent.
iglew - August 18, 2009
they might make a movie of the same name, but they'll never remake that movie
only roeg can make the MWFTE as we know it. it’s a very personal movie, an allegory on his own life: trapped in hollywood, he can’t get back to his home planet (england), and his vision is being changed by the new atmosphere.
AV - August 18, 2009
Crow.
The Dogfather - August 18, 2009
That's nice.
pam5981 - August 18, 2009
well done, DF.
Leopold Bloom - August 18, 2009
All in good fun.
Right, Ni- /ack!
/thud.
The Dogfather - August 18, 2009
I can't see this album without thinking of Nick Lowe's "Bowi" ep
BTW This is great, and so is Station to Station.
Ray of Lite - August 18, 2009
We missed you in the threads, sir.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
a lot of this today, but in a good way for once
xbhaskarx - August 17, 2009
Dragging the soccer net? Moving the goalposts?
Nick - August 17, 2009
Firing the surgeon general?
GreenNGoldSooner - August 17, 2009
Is that what they're calling that these days?
doctorK - August 17, 2009
Cabbage crates up the blue end!
Nick - August 17, 2009
okay, 67M.
You’ve obviously bean replaced by an android of some sort.
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
Can he call balls and strikes?
Nick - August 17, 2009
How about outs on the bases?
doctorK - August 17, 2009
I am A's history bot 67
Did you know that Carney Lansford has a career .290 batting average….error error must kill all humans!
sirbed - August 17, 2009
sirbed, who was The Creator?
Nick - August 17, 2009
beats me outside of Carney Lansford trivia I'm kind of a dumb ass
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Sorry, I was going on a little Star Trek TOS riff there.
Nick - August 17, 2009
I was thinking it was V'ger from the first movie
but I’m more of a Star Wars guy and I didn’t want to look more stupid then normal
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Carney Lansford hit .336 for the A’s in 1989.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
is he a coach for the giants?
OakA'sHoney - August 17, 2009
Yes and it kills me to see him in that awful black uniform
sirbed - August 17, 2009
when i saw him on tv in the giants dugout i was surprised
OakA'sHoney - August 17, 2009
I'm NOT happy
Oh, hell’s bells… first I find out that Oakland had realigned with Vancouver without me knowing it (Seriously… when did THAT happen?), and then I find out this.
Carney was one of my favorite players when he was with the A’s — I’d cite his everyman appearance when contrasting why I was such a baseball fan, and no longer such a football fan.
And now he wears a gnat uniform…. Kill it before it grows (Anyone know how his son is doing?)
As Fan in the Bronx - August 18, 2009
Very satisfying win
OaklandSi - August 17, 2009 via mobile
absolutely
OakA'sHoney - August 17, 2009
I'm stunned
I expected Tomko to get maybe six outs tonight
doctorK - August 17, 2009
He did
And then he got 9 more.
Without allowing any runs.
[head explodes]
Nick - August 17, 2009
Pleasantly surprised.
I tuned in in the 4th on my way home and couldn’t believe it.
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
I had a good feeling about him tonight
Of course, I thought he’d give up two runs, so that tells you what I know…
gigglingone - August 17, 2009
Aw, Cookie Cookie is up tomorrow.
hugz.
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
we signed Cookie Monster to pitch?!
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
He’s ready to go. You should have seen him.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
who is cookie?
OakA'sHoney - August 17, 2009
Hey...."C" is for "Cookie." That's good enough for me!
GreenNGoldSooner - August 17, 2009
here
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
memories
OakA'sHoney - August 17, 2009
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
I love that one.
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
lol
winchester5 - August 18, 2009
wowwwwww
i haven’t been to somethingawful.com in years. is it just a coincidence that the guy in the photo on the front page is wearing an A’s hat? is that site connected to AN somehow? that would make my life really close to complete…
jlanning17 - August 18, 2009
does cliff yablonski post on AN?????
jlanning17 - August 18, 2009
He'll eat those hitters alive
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Are opposing hitters cookie flavored?
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
This game was most unexpected.
And most brilliant.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
Great Game!!
I went over 1000 posts tonight – so busy reading and having fun I missed the balloons and confetti!
BERRYJO - August 17, 2009
Ask RRS for something shiny
that’s what I got when I went over a 1000.
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
Thanks a bunch!
BERRYJO - August 17, 2009
You earned it.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
It was very clever of Nico
to put the reverse curse on Tomko today by saying he would fail in spectacular fashion. I guess that’s why he makes the big bucks here at AN.
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Reverse psychology works in many careers.....
BERRYJO - August 17, 2009
Sign more Bretts
A’s with one Brett in the system = 53-65 = 44.92%
A’s with two Bretts in the system = 12-10 = 54.55%
A’s with three Bretts in the system = 7-5 = 58.34%
Just sayin’
iglew - August 17, 2009
Should the A's get George Brett to manage?
sirbed - August 17, 2009
Brett
Nick - August 17, 2009
What happens if we have an entire 25 man roster of Bretts.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
World Series Champions
gigglingone - August 17, 2009
ROLL IN THE BRETTS.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
Undefeated season.
OldhamA - August 18, 2009
anderson, tomko, ?
jlanning17 - August 18, 2009
Wallace
Nico - August 18, 2009
I though they played the games
so that everyone would have something to look at while they drank lots of beers.
Nick - August 17, 2009
LOL
Cubs gave up 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th – with two outs!
doctorK - August 17, 2009
That must have been a GS, no? Unless they had extended their lead in the top of the 9th
Nick - August 17, 2009
Not quite
RBI double, then a three-run jimmy-jack, all with two outs.
doctorK - August 17, 2009
Lots of sleepless nights on the North Side tonight
Nick - August 17, 2009
That guy has ruined more games than dan guise, says MLBN.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
**Giese
WORDS.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
man, I wasn't able to go on AN today
good win though, I wasn’t expecting a shut out but obviously I’m happy about it. Nico must have made Tomko mad, good motivation.
micdog2001 - August 17, 2009
TOMKO!
I watched Ironman at the same time I was watching the A’s game. Maybe Tomko is Ironman? Unbelievable! Let’s get two tomorrow! Go A’s!
A'sfansince1970 - August 17, 2009
Playoffs Playoffs Playoffs!!!!
Hit4TheCycle - August 17, 2009
Playoffs? You're talking about playoffs?
Playoffs!?
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
This is the kind of unbridled, unrealistic optimism I like to see.
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
Great Game, and really really fast too
The crowd wasn’t as large as I expected, but we parked all the way out and were very quickly on the freeway. Weird thing about the Yankee fans surrounding us: they were very meek and mild, and most of the women spent their time drinking beer and texting. Lots of texting from Yankee fans. Guess the game didn’t interest them.
It was really a fun game. I mean, when you’re cheering every time Tomko gets someone out, because that’s more than you’d ever expect him to do, nearly all his pitches were little victories. Low expectations will do that. And then the bullpen was mostly solid. Fun times at the ball park.
richwol1 - August 17, 2009
"Low expectations will do that."
That’s the story of the A’s season, post All-Star break this year. Low expectations relax the players and they can do amazing things.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
that's how I remember Esteban's games being!
They were scary, yes—but the fact that they were scary kinda made them fun too, like the wheels could come off at any moment—roller coaster at the county fair-scary.
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
there were some loud Yankee fans in my section
but as the game went on they quieted down quite a bit
OaklandSi - August 17, 2009
Ah, that's what I wanted to know above. That's awesome.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
er, not above. In the previous thread.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
Young Yankee fan couple next to us...
…he, to she, in the seventh inning:
“STOP YOUR FUC*ING TEXTING AND WATCH THE GAME”.
Priceless.
Dr Pez - August 18, 2009
Women.
Rated-R Superstar - August 18, 2009
TellText me about it!Nico - August 18, 2009
Somebody isn't getting any.
OldhamA - August 18, 2009
That's what she said.
Dr Pez - August 18, 2009
Wow...guess there was something to that revenge idea after all
Like I said earlier, stranger things have happened. Good for you, Tomko.
Just got done seeing District 9. F’n awesome movie.
Flashfire - August 17, 2009 via mobile
Same here
I liked it while my friends were more meh
Helloooo 1st - August 17, 2009
Maybe that's Tomko's plan to be Comeback Player of the Year
Once he’s been released by every team in the majors, he can spend a year getting revenge on everyone by throwing shutouts!
Nick - August 18, 2009
That's a more elaborate plot than the one seen on Prison Break.
It’s so crazy it just might work!
OldhamA - August 18, 2009
It’s an even more elaborate plot than the one seen on this show.
Rated-R Superstar - August 18, 2009
It would be like a baseball remake of "Kind Hearts and Coronets"!
Nick - August 18, 2009
Crosby apparently left the game with calf tightness.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?blogid=21&entry_id=45690
Nomar’s injuries are infecting others.
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
He heard a rumor the A's had signed Grant Green.
He got so tense and angry his calf started to hurt.
LoneStranger - August 17, 2009
Grant green stings ths sting of a million cliff penningtons.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
LOL. Love it. May I steal for a new sig?
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
Be my guest!
ElQuesoCapitan - August 17, 2009
TY!
sorry skigurl.
pam5981 - August 17, 2009
I like it better without the parenthetic.
It sounds more like a Zen koan that way.
iglew - August 18, 2009
I've in fact already changed it.
Decided it was funnier.
pam5981 - August 18, 2009
GYMNASTICS!
(better late than never?)
mikev - August 17, 2009
hi mikey.
Leopold Bloom - August 17, 2009
Hello, sir.
Rated-R Superstar - August 17, 2009
Good win
From where I was sitting Tomko got it done with smoke & mirrors. Big props to our bullpen, (Breslow in particular) and nice clutch hits by Zook & Ellis. Unicorn power!!!
adragon - August 17, 2009
Hey Nico!
Nice try!!!!!!
Amnesiac - August 18, 2009
Hey Nico, who do you think will win the WS?
I got money riding on this, just need to know who not to bet on.
Amnesiac - August 18, 2009
You've got money riding on who Nico thinks will win the WS?!?
This has been another edition of: You may have a gambling problem if…
GreenNGoldSooner - August 18, 2009
no. Im going to put my money on the team he doesn't think will win
Amnesiac - August 18, 2009
The Nationals. I don't think they'll win.
Nico - August 18, 2009
Rated-R Superstar - August 18, 2009
Sitting next to me were a couple of guys, brothers likely
They weren’t speaking English, and I couldn’t figure out the language. They were really into the game, laughing and cheering – chanting “Let’s go Oak-land!”
In the 9th with two outs, one guy turned to me and asked “With this out, game over?” I said yes as we all stood to clap and cheer as Bailey worked against Cabrera.
I then asked him where they were from. He replied “We’re from Holland! This is our first baseball game!”
Awesome : )
SwisherThresher - August 18, 2009
non-bored first timers? international fans of NOT the yankees? i love it.
AV - August 18, 2009
I know!
Isn’t that veird? Yesh!
SwisherThresher - August 18, 2009
DID THEY HAVE THE WOODEN SHOES????
mikev - August 18, 2009
Can't tell about their shoes from this pic:
So baseball must be hot there.
The Dogfather - August 18, 2009
I like GOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDD!!!
dtownmbrown - August 18, 2009
I'll take "Ridiculous Outcomes" for $1200, Alex.
Joey C. - August 18, 2009
Tomko stays
Looks like he’ll get another start, or more than another start. Guess what, guys who want a six-man rotation and the shut-down of Cahill and Anderson? Brett Tomko looks to be the answer to your prayers.
richwol1 - August 18, 2009
Works for me.
Hell, call up Eveland and toss him into the rotation as well. Egon, too.
Give Anderson, Cahill, Mazzaro the rest of the season off.
mikev - August 18, 2009
I concur
dtownmbrown - August 18, 2009
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