It's baseball season

“Good on you, RL. No matter the outcome, it's been a great season.”

“137 and a wake-up!”

“They were talking about the Giants on the call-in show on their flagship station this afternoon. The host had some pretty good points. In general, he pointed out that no one would have expected them to do as well as they did, given the lineup they started the season with. There were some disappointments, but also some great surprises, like Ray Durham and even Bonds - who would have thought that a kneeless, steroidless (now, anyway), 42-year-old would hit .260, be on base 45% of the time, hit 26 homers, and, heck, even show up for 130 games is pretty good. Rookie pitcher Matt Cain was pretty good, too.

Brian Sabean has to be credited with the most boneheaded move, though, trading away one of our best young arms (Jeremy Accardo) for Shea Hillenbrand who came over and slugged out a whopping .240 - woo hoo.

Anyway, next year is looking bad already. Bonds surely won't contribute much if he stays on, and Schmidt will almost certainly be gone. Not sure what the status of our MVP Omar Vizquel is - maybe one more year under contract? Felipe Alou is gone, which is a good thing - the worst over-managing manager in baseball.

Go A's! Go Tigers!”

“We were due a great season. It's been a long time. Go Tigers!”

“For the Phillies:

Mike Lieberthal's contract is up and he will not be back. He set a team record for career games caught this season. I first saw him with AA Reading, when he came out to field a bunt, fell on his face, and still threw the runner out while falling. A real catcher, but knees, dontcha know!

Pat Burrell needs a change of scene, not to mention a hitting coach for every at-bat. Salary and a no-trade clause are the problems.

Jethro: the players love him, and shucks by golly, he's a good-ol' boy you just cain't hate. But dagnabit all to like heck, Joe Girardi is like up for grabs, and John Russell did like a heckuva job for AAA Scranton. Jethro might coulda like won a lot more games, but he like lost them. He'll be alright!

Bullpen: Needs work, but whose doesn't? Fultz and Geary were solid most of the year. Smith looks promising. Castro will be in AAA next season. They had to keep him here this season because they got him via the Rule 5 draft.

Sorry, but Arthur Rhodes is not the answer to any question I can think of except who has to go. Madsen is always a question mark. If he can regain what he had two seasons ago, he could be a closer. Tom Gordon will likely be back, but he's not a long-term solution.

Bright spots: Howard, Utley, Shane Victorino, Aaron Rowand, Chris Coste, Cole Hamels.

Did I say Ryan Howard??”

“Howard's obviously on steroids....”

“Yeah, right, steroids. It's all gone to his belly.”

“The only untouchable Astros are Oswalt, Biggio, and Berkman, everyone else better be ready to move.

Anybody want some Astros playoff tickets?
last edited: 10/02/06 12:57:21 PM”

“Morgan Ensberg is up for grabs???

Say, how'd y'all like a left fielder with a smooth swing? Sometimes he actually hits the ball, but it's not a habit.”

“How long before Howard can become a Yankee?”

“The way this franchise is run, no telling. But not in the next three years.

The larger question is whether young Ryan will adapt to being pitched around. As he said, "You have to get something to hit to hit a home run."”

“Giants just announced that they won't be re-signing Felipe Alou - WOO HOO!!!!!

Great guy. Poor manager.

Names that have surfaced so far: Bud Black, Lou Piniella (ugh!), Bob Brenly, and Ron Wotus. Also, Dusty Baker is without a job now, too, apparently.”

“Step one of a good playoff scenario is complete: A's 3, Twinkies 2. Two dingers for the big hurt. 8 innings, 1 ER for Zito.”

“Philadelphia beat Washington”

“Ha! I got that!”

“Hey Conk, what are your guys gonna do for pitching ... let the Dodgers hit fungoes?”

“The Mets starting pitching didn't scare anyone all season long. Pedro won a grand total of 9 games this year and they still ended the season with the best record in the NL and tied for the best record in baseball. They did that with hitting and their bullpen.”

“go Cardinals.. get it together!”

“Ahhh, so the Mutts are gonna spot them 10 runs. Cool!”

“Damn Yankees!! Grrrrrr!”

“Of the six managers most likely to be fired, only Jethro survived.

Shucks! He's like Teflon. He'll be alright!”

“Which is the stronger feeling: distaste over the Mutts' win or the sublime feeling of giddyness seeing J.D. Droop tagged out trying to score a run after the runner ahead of him was tagged out? Way to go J.D.! Youda man!”

“The Tigers didn't lose last night!!”

“Washington and Brooklyn lost yesterday.”

“I just found a video clip of the double play at the plate. I love it!! Couldn't happen to a nicer team!”

“See what great things can be accomplished when you run the bases with your head down???”

“... or, as J.D. Droop said when he finally did look up, "o$hit!"”

“So does the right fielder get one assist or two?”

“Good question. I would think only one under the premise you can't assume a double play. But LoDuca gets two putouts.

This is only the third time this has happened in major league history, first time in the playoffs.”

“They showed an interesting factoid during the first Tigers-Yankees game. Only two teams in history have entered the post season on 5-game losing streaks. Both won the world series. '87 (?) Twins and somebody else (2000?).”

“go Cards!”

“Yee-haw!! Tigers 4, Yank-mes 3!!

Split on the road = good.”

“Looks like the Twits, Putters, and Drudges are toast. Twits and Putters gave up two at home. At least the Drudges lost on the road.”

“BowlderGal can't go out for lunch today. She works about a block from the Coliseum, and traffic will be gridlocked around lunchtime.

Go A's!!”

“The year of the ugly green hats???”

“I would like to see either the A's or the Tigers in the World Series.”

“... and what's with the 's.

It was always just plain A - 'nuff said!”

“Ya lost me on the punctuation/grammar issue....


The A's currently have a 9-game losing streak in potential post-season series clinching games. Yikes!”

“The old A's just had an A on the cap.

The new A's have A's on their cap(s). Why did they have to add the 's? It looks stupid - not even the same font.”

“(please)”

“They're trying to go just as quietly as they can.”

“And so it went, to the chant of Marko ... Scutero ... Marko ... Scutero. The ex Philadelphia A's beat the ex Washington Senators.

Meanwhile, ex Phillies Placido Polanco and Todd Jones are one up on ex Phillies Bobby Abreu, Sal Fasano and Larry Bowa.”

“Umm, make that Marco Scutaro.”

“The Yankees Suck big hairy donkey B@lls!!!!!!!!!!!! And other assorted b@lls as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*&%$#@&*!!!!!!


Damm it Damm it Damm it!!!!!!!
last edited: 10/07/06 6:48:43 PM”

“Yee-Haw!! A's vs. Tigers!!!! I can't lose!!”

“Yep and the first time in years the Braves can't Choke on the big one (LOL).....”

“I just hope Ty Cobb doesn't spike Home Run Baker again. He's a mean one.”

“Wooo HOOO!!!!

Tigers Rock!!! Yankees were sent home with their tail between their legs... :-) That lockerroom celebration was quite a sight!”

“Not to mention the part where they came back out onto the field and sprayed all the fans with champagne!!!



The SF Chron had a great article this morning recalling the last time the A's and Tigers played each other in the playoffs, 1972. The had a pic of Campy Camaneris getting hit in the ankle with a pitch, right before he hurled the bat at the pitcher. I remember that like it was yesterday. It was a great series, with lots of excitement. The A's went on to win the first of 3 World Series championships....



Geo, maybe they added the apostrophe and 's' when the Braves moved to Atlanta, since they wear an "A" on their hats?”