I also contemplated the kids game "Red Rover, Red Rover, send the A's offense on over!" The last few years I'd say the offense has bounced harmlessly off of the locked-together arms of the opposing side.
Spring training is the time where hope springs eternal. There's always, "We got a new hitting coach!", or "We added some big bats!", or "Eric Chavez will finally be healthy this year!". I've been amongst the group of A's fans that have been saying each year, "Well, the offense couldn't be worse than last year!". Ever since 2006, A's fans have consistently been disappointed. The ...
In my last article, I looked at the Mariners bullpen candidates.
Continuing my tour of the AL West bullpens, here's a look at the following nine A's bullpen possibilities:
Andrew Bailey
Joey Devine
Brad Ziegler
Brad Kilby
Jerry Blevins
Jon Meloan
Michael Wuertz
Bobby Cassevah
Craig Breslow
Let's have a look!Begin Slideshow
Independent navigation in college recruiting can be a daunting effort. Whether it’s investigating NCAA rules and recruiting time-lines or developing and implementing tactics to “get on the radar” of the college coaches on your “A” list of schools, an organized and informed approach to the college quest will give prospects and families the best chance at success.
Gather Information
Gathering information is critical to the successful organization of any worthy project. Building a college recruiting information base can begin as early as the ninth grade as a family hobby and increasingly grow into a highly organized, disciplined project by the end of ...
I feel sorry for the Portland Beavers, the Fresno Grizzlies, and every other team that has to face the Sacramento Rivercats during the 2010 season.
The Oakland Athletics, hoping to overcome this vicious rash (pun intended Braden fans) of injuries that the team has endured the past couple seasons, have stockpiled impressive roster depth that could arguably make the Sacramento Rivercats (The A's AAA affiliate) a team that is able to take on a quality Major League team.
Over the offseason, Oakland GM Billy Beane sought out defense-first players and picked up a few new bats. As the recent signings of Brett ...
I love players who have confidence. Give me the guy who thinks he is the best over the guy who is just happy to have a job in the major leagues.
Take Ricky Henderson, for example. A lot of people didn’t like him because they felt he was arrogant. I just thought he was extremely confident in his abilities.
I mean, who doesn’t want a guy who refers to himself in the third person on their team?
Whatever you think of Henderson, there is no denying he was the greatest base stealer of all time. He turned base stealing into an art form ...
Oakland is coming off three straight losing seasons and Billy Beane, Bob Geren and Co. think that they have the right combination of good young pitching, potentially great defense, and scrappy, hard-nosed hitters to end the streak in 2010.
If it's going to happen, it's not going to get done with the take-pitch-after-pitch, station-to-station sluggers of "Moneyball" fame. This is an approach—the one that puts a premium on speed and aggressive plate appearances—to A's baseball that is by no means new (the great '70s teams were built that way), it just hasn't been seen in these parts since Billy Beane was ...
My last article looked at the Los Angeles Angels' rotation. I gave their group a B overall.
Next up is the Oakland Athletics' rotation, which has the potential to fall anywhere from worst to best in the division
At the end of this article, I'll compare A's to the Angels and Rangers and see who has the best rotation.Begin Slideshow
The users at Mock Draft Central are using that website for a variety of purposes, including trying out new draft strategies, so the results aren’t something to take to the bank.
However, the calculated Average Draft Position (“ADP”) of each player is our best method of viewing where players could be drafted in similar leagues, and essentially how to gauge whether fantasy players are bullish or bearish on a particular ball player for the 2010 season.
I project the following players will produce much better than what it currently costs at Mock Draft Central to acquire them. Call them sleepers, or call ...
Full Name Darrell Wayne EvansDOB 5/26/47College None (John Muir High School, Pasadena, CA)Drafted 1967, 7th Round, Kansas City AthleticsMLB Seasons 1969-1989Tiger Seasons 1984-1988Career Stats .248 Avg, 414 HR, 1354 RBI, .792 OPS, 119 OPS+, 1605 BBCareer Leaderboard2 time All-Star (1973, 1983)12th all time in walks (1605)42nd all time in HR (414)1973: 1st in walks (124)1974: 1st in walks (126)1985: 1st in HR (40)Best Tiger Season 1985 and 1987 were both monster seasons for Evans, but ’85 was the year I fell in love with him as a player. His 137 OPS+ that year was the third highest of his 21 ...
Kevin Kouzmanoff made the jump from the National League to the American League this year going from the San Diego Padres to the Oakland A’s. While he’s not in the most potent offense, he still has the opportunity to be a low-end fantasy starter at third base (click to see 3B rankings ).
While his average leaves plenty to be desired—career .261 hitter—he has shown some pop despite spending the last three years in PETCO Park. His last three years he has 18 HRs & 74 RBI, 23 HRs & 84 RBI, and 18 HRs & 88 RBI.
The thing that troubles ...