In 1995, the owner of the Oakland Athletics, Walter Hass Jr., died. Successors Stephen Scott and Ken Hofman had watched Hass spend an abundant amount of money on players, and they wanted to go into an entirely different direction.
The duo immediately implored then-general manager Sandy Alderson to become cost-effective—to slash payroll, focus more on the farm system’s development, and abide by sabermetric principles in obtaining relatively undervalued players.
Alderson did what they said, but it didn’t translate into success. The Athletics had losing records from the time the new mindset was put in place until his departure after the 1997 season.
Billy ...
Moneyball is a baseball film starring Brad Pitt and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it's set to open sometime in 2011.
Hoffman will perform as former big league manager Art Howe, and Pitt -- one of the most famous people in the universe -- will be playing Billy Beane, the "mastermind" general manager of the Oakland A's.
Can you imagine that? Beane has been so successful in Oakland that a movie is being made about his innovations and triumphs as the A's leading man. Not only is the film being made, but Beane's character was given to one of the most ...
Over the past 10 games, the Oakland A’s are 7-3 and have scored five or more runs five times. They are averaging four runs per game and have Athletics’ fans wondering where the offense has been all year. The offensive outburst could be related to the fact that the A’s have had games against Toronto and Cleveland, but nevertheless the offense is a welcome sight for Oakland fans. The A’s currently sit 8.5 games back and while this is probably too big of a hole to climb out of, they do have three games against the Rangers over the weekend. ...
After Wednesday night’s victory over the Cleveland Indians, Trevor Cahill improved his record to 14-5.
Cahill was named to the American League All-Star team this season and is having a season in which he is worthy of Cy Young consideration. Cahill currently has a 2.43 ERA, which is second among American league starting pitchers. He also has a WHIP just over one (1.005).
Although he may be worthy of a Cy Young, Cahill will have a hard time getting recognition because he plays in the small market of Oakland and is not on a contending team.
The A’s are currently 63-62 and 8.5 ...
A look at last week’s least-owned, best performing sluggers and hurlers.Coco Crisp is as fast as the Flash. Homer Bailey is stingy, allowing one run in 13 IP. Yuniesky Betancourt takes over against the White Sox. Can they keep it up the rest of the season?Begin Slideshow
The Oakland A's took the first two games of the 1972 World Series from the favored Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati. The A's were in an enviable position since no team had ever lost the first two games at home and won the Series. The teams traveled to Oakland for the next three games, but rain caused the third game to be moved up a day. One of the Series' most memorable plays, which has been almost forgotten with the passage of time (which means it is no longer considered memorable, but ...
In baseball, the art of being able to recognize and take pitches out of the zone is key to success. Although hitting statistics like home runs and batting average are glorified, walks greatly contribute to wins. Here are the five most disciplined hitters, based on their O-Swing % (the amount of pitches out of the zone at which they swing). Here's the five least disciplined hitters...Begin Slideshow
The Minnesota Twins completed their sweep of the Oakland Athletics Sunday afternoon, with a 4-2 victory in which the A’s did not get a hit until the eighth inning. The A’s (57-59) have lost five of their last six games and their need for an additional bat is more prevalent than ever.
The A’s lack of a power hitter has been well documented, but that does not ease the frustration of the fans. They see a team with strong starting pitching and bullpen depth, but they're fed up with their team's poor batting.
Oakland always has strong pitching, but year after year the lack ...
When Billy Beane made no moves at the All-Star break to improve the Oakland A's lineup, it was only a matter of time before the overachieving A's squad started to crumble, and now that time has come.
Over the last 10 games the A's have gone 4-6 and went from second place in the American League West division, to third place, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim now one and a half games ahead of the A's.
In that span, the A's offense has averaged 2.5 runs per game. Looking further at just how miserable the offense has been, the A's ...
The Oakland A's came off a home series against the Texas Rangers where the A's couldn't buy a hit with runners in scoring position. As a team the A's went for 0-30, but somehow were sable to take two games from the Rangers.
With the A's taking two games it seemed like it was going to be a turning point in the season, a step in the right direction so to speak. Winning two games from the Rangers meant there was still a chance at the American League West title and with the A's next series against the Seattle Mariners in ...