An amazing baseball story is taking place in Oakland, the A’s have won sixteen games in a row, one off the all time franchise record of seventeen, set by the ’31 Athletics.

The A’s and Twins played like it was the playoffs Friday night.

Art Howe, the master chef, of the A’s magnificent baseball season, pulled Tim Hudson at just the right moment, and brought in lefthanded specialist Ricardo Rincon, who induced pinch hitter Matt LeCroy to hit into an inning ending double play.

Ron Gardenhire pinch hit for Jacques Jones in that critical seventh inning rally with LeCroy, causing a lot of baseball strategists to shake their heads in disbelief.

Why take Jones out? Even as a lefthanded hitter, Jones has a chance to hurt Rincon, plus it was only the seventh inning.

These two teams may meet in the first round of the AL playoffs, if so, it will be quite a competitive series with the A’s holding a huge edge in experience.

It showed last night.

The Giants beat Arizona, more on that below.

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With the races heating up in the NL West and AL West Shooty Babitt, the major league scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, joins me on Right Off The Bat Saturday evening at 4:50 PM Pacific right here on loveofthegameproductions.com, the As’ web site, and 610 AM KFRC in Northern California. [Read more →]

It was the night before the strike, pain through the night.

Not a newsflash was breaking, what a dreaded sight!

Trying to sleep, I imagined the best, but with still no word, I prayed for the best.

Awaiting for news from Donald of Bud, the issues like Luxury Tax will rise like a flood.

Steroids…! Competitive balance….! Let’s deal with this crap…It’s time to see the Royals back on the map.

The owners and players, both do I blame. Will you take away the joy, I get from this game?

It’s 4:00 AM and I’m still wide awake, I ponder and hope the our hearts will not break.

I think about the Twins and the fate of their fans, will contraction be a part of Commissioner Bud’s plans?

What a damn waste a strike would cause! Oakland’s 15-game winning streak, would come to a pause.

To think of the pennant races that may never be won, No MVP? This list would go on..

What great stories the season has brought! The Angels and the Twins may land a playoff spot.

So, Donald and Bud, you both need to learn, with a strike right now, we won’t return.

After sleeping two hours, I wake up in joy, a deal has been reached, it’s better than a Christmas toy.

Finally, some closure, and the games will be played, St. Louis at Wrigley, and my painful memories will fade.

Now, I can finally get some damn sleep.

The Fan [Read more →]

Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief.

Reason and logic prevailed.

The Dish will return Saturday.

Detroit Tiger pitcher from the 30’s and 40’s Elden Auker will be my guest on Right Off The Bat tonight at 5:50 PM right here on loveofthegameproductions.com, the A’s web site, and KFRC 610 AM in Northern California. Elden Auker pitched in two world series, 1934 and 35 and is a great interview. I’m looking forward to talking with him. [Read more →]

Does everybody have to ‘get along’ on a

team to be successful or does the

“chemistry”of getting along get overblown?

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

Barry Zito did what he does best, win ball games. The A’s won their fifteenth in a row and moved 4 1/2 games ahead of the Mariners and 4 ahead of Anaheim.

The Twins and Mariners play Thursday with lefty Jamie Moyer, the best the Mariners have on the hill, matching up with tricky Rick Reed.

The Mariners don’t hit and the Angels are wilting under the weight of injuries and a tired bull pen. All parts of the game that the A’s are immune to right now.

The Angels play the pesky Devil Rays. Tanyon Sturtze who looked like a good bet for 20 losses two weeks ago all of a sudden is 3-13. Kevin Appier needs to give his team eight innings, the Anaheim bull pen is running on fumes, blowing the lead and the game Wednesday night to Tampa Bay 8-5 in ten painful innings.

The Giants try to sweep the Rockies behind Livan Hernandez. With Mike Hampton on the mound for the Rocks, get out the calculator to add up the runs that will be scored Thursday in Coors Field.

And Bud is in NY. I’ll look at his dilemma.

Click below for the true story. [Read more →]

Barry Zito versus Shawn Sedlacek, is there any doubt as to whether or not the A’s end the road trip 10-0 and with a new Oakland consecutive game win streak at 15?

The A’s are on an amazing roll for the second time this year, they did this to the NL in June, too.

The gap is widening between Oakland and the Angels and Mariners. More importantly the A’s are building a cushion, just in case they slip once the win streak ends.

With 29 games to go, you tell me which pitchers left on the schedule will be favored to beat this team. Maybe seven or eight, simply because they will be road games for Oakland.

Who are they, click below and let’s see. [Read more →]

The man who knows more about the behind the scenes workings of major league baseball than any other reporter in the country is USA Today’s Baseball Weekly editor Paul White. Paul is my guest on Right Off The Bat Wednesday at 3:50 PM Pacific right here on loveofthegameproductions.com, the A’s web site, and KFRC 610 AM in Northern California. [Read more →]

Depending on your perspective, the role and demands of a closer may be a piece of cake or a stressful, ulcer-causing task. Entering September it seems very rare for some of today’s big league closers to stop opposing hitters and save the game in a smooth and peaceful manner.

Read on about Dale’s views about closer’s (Thanks, Dale, from Marty Lurie)
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Last year the Mariners swept through the American league with such regularity that the A’s would look at the scoreboard and ask “when are these guys going to lose a game?”

This year the A’s are sweeping through the weak sisters of the AL and NL enroute to a 39-10 mark against those patsies.

It is hard to imagine KC jumping up either tonight or tomorrow to beat Mark Mulder or Barry Zito, meaning the A’s should end this road trip with 15 straight wins.

The Angels bull pen wilted under the stars in Fenway, blowing a 9-5 lead in the ninth inning when Troy Percival, who couldn’t throw the ball past Rey Sanchez when it counted, gave up a two out single to the second baseman to tie the game.

The Giants picked up a game on the Dodgers, while the Cards, Astros and Mariners were idle.

Today is more of the same, bull pen collapses and late game comebacks, for sure.

Remember it’s the Dog Days. [Read more →]