Attention A’s fans.

If the A’s comeback in the

second part of the season

and win the West by 2

games over the Mariners

please invite the Padres

to your party.

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

Marty: Out of state this past week and therefore no opportunity to see any of the interesting games. Pieced together what happened by reading the box scores. It is now 80 games into the season and time to take a close look at beginning of the season thoughts respecting Giants’ prospects and how they have panned out. [Read more →]

Don’t be fooled by the recent struggles of Chad Bradford and Ricardo Rincon into thinking the A’s primary need is bullpen help. They could use another arm to replace Mike Neu (who can’t really be effective until he adds a pitch to go with his awesome changeup), but otherwise their pitching is fine. Bradford had a bad run of games against Texas, but look at his numbers. He’s been steady for three seasons now. He’ll be fine. Mecir is also doing fine — as long as he can stay healthy.

What the A’s really need is a right-handed bat who can play outfield or second base. I think Rondell White would be a good addition with a salary that’s not too out of hand. Plus, the A’s might be able to get the Padres to pay his salary if they throw in a good prospect (like Justin Duchscherer).

Don’t count the A’s out of the Carlos Beltran Chase either. The Royals need a second baseman who can play in the big leagues now, and Esteban German might be the guy.

As for bullpen help, the A’s ought to give Jeremy Fikac another shot. He’s had great numbers at AAA since they sent him down. [Read more →]

Baseball lost its finest historian and number one baseball writer, Leonard Koppett who passed away Sunday.

Leonard understood the origins of the game and loved to talk about the nuances of baseball in the press room. Leonard never turned down an interview request. I always started my first show of the year on Right Off the Bat with Leonard. He taught me how to approach the baseball season and how to put historical events into proper perspective.

Leonard was the smartest man I ever knew, no, matter what the subject his opinion was always well thought out, correct and treasured by me.

Leonard and I shared two wonderful trips to Cooperstown where he included me in his conversations with the greats of the game. Whether it was Koufax, LaSorda, writer Jack Lang, Warren Spahn or other luminaries of the game, Leonard was thrilled to see them and share stories with them. Leonard let me eavesdrop on those conversations, one of the highlights of my life.

Leonard’s favorite time of year was late July when he made his trip to Cooperstown to see his old friends. He loved sitting on the veranda of the old Otesaga hotel, just gazing out at the lake and taking in the view while talking to the all time greats of the game.

When I made a speech at the Hall of Fame in 2002 in their Bullpen Theater on induction weekend, I looked up and saw Leonard in the audience, he had come into Cooperstown early on Friday to hear me speak. I felt at home.

Another of his favorite sayings involved Koppett’s Law. It went like this. When a playoff series was nearing its conclusion all involved would wonder if that days game would conclude the series. Koppett’s Law would apply when he would say, “whatever was most inconvenient for the writers covering the event would happen, meaning another road trip, another flight, and another game will take place.” And it would happen time and time again just like he said it would.

He had a wonderful sense of humor, always present and charming. In his New York days, he would write the comedy lines for the annual skits put on at the winter dinner by the New York Baseabll Writers, the most prestigious baseball event of the year in New York.

Leonard Koppett was generous with his time and always was available to talk about baseball. I enjoyed our lunches during the winter, meeting at a San Mateo deli, we would eat and sit for two hours or more with other special guests and argue about some aspect of the game. Leonard always won and I loved it.

Our last time together was this past Friday night when he and I and Sam Spear and Bruce Magowan sat in the press lounge of the Coliseum and debated the merits of all time leadoff hitters Eddie Stanky and Eddie Yost. It was another wonderful moment listening to his views on the origininal analysis of on base percentage .

Leonard Koppett was the inspiration of my baseball life. He wanted me to tell the oral history of the game through my shows. He encouraged me and promoted my work, perhaps the greatest honor I ever received was Leonard telling a reporter that I was doing the best job of collecting the stories of baseball of anyone in the country.

Leonard’s legacy is contained in his many books and columns about baseball.

His book on managers, The Man in the Dugout, taught me how the game of baseball was passed on by John McGraw (Casey Stengel a disciple of McGraw was Leonard’s all time favorite and his baseball guru in the 50’s), Connie Mack and Branch Rickey to the managers of today. He was very proud of Koppett’s Concise History of Baseball, his chronological history of the game, he wanted fans to be able to pick it up and find the historical roots of baseball. I keep it by my bed and refer to it whenever I need to refresh my memory about a baseball event. Leonard left a beautiful baseball legacy, his Sporting News columns from the 60’s and 70’s predicted the labor changes that baseball would undergo in the late 70’s and 80’s. No one understood the history of the labor issues of baseball better than Leonard Koppett.

He told me that ever since the owners realized they could put a fence around the field in 1860, and charge admission, the players and owners have been arguing how to divide that money.

How true.

Leonard started the AP daily roundup of baseball in the 50’s, very common in today’s papers, when the Dodgers and Giants moved West.

No one in the history of baseball knew more about comparing the differences in baseball eras. Leonard may have been the unofficial founder of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) because he took the numbers of the game and told the story of a player’s career or of a specific era through his numerical comparisons.

He forever was compiling wonderful baseball lists.

He would start a conversation with me by simply stating with a twinkle in his eye “look at this”, or “I want to show you something”, and then I was privy to an intricate baseball fact that explained some part of today’s game. He was so proud of these discoveries.

Leonard felt that expansion had been overdone and the future of baseball would be brighter if the owners would cut back to 24 teams.

Many people come and go in life, Leonard Koppett was one of the most treasured friends I have ever had in my life.

My heart goes out to Leonard’s family, Sue, his wife, Kathy and David his children, and to everyone who knew Leonard Koppett.

We have lost one of the giants of life, he was not only a pillar of baseball, but the most generous, and gentle man I ever met.

Leonard Koppett will always be with me. I’ll miss him and never forget him.

Good bye old friend.

[Read more →]

Many people have been complaining,

about interleague play.

But the fact is that this

“experiment”by Major League

Baseball has been good for

the increase in attendance.

What other team besides the

Yankees can fill out the Network

Associates Coliseum? Yes, the Giants!

And for those Athletics fans that

complained that the Mariners

are playing the Padres while

the A’S are not…Padres took

2 out of 3 from Mariners this

weekend. So, case closed.

A few years from now, when

the Padres have a very good

team and are in their second or

third year in their beautiful new

ballpark in downtown San Diego

noboby will want to play the

Padres then.

By Amaury Pi-González

[Read more →]

Marty; This may be a time to do somewhat more than just look at last night’s game. At least, mention it in the context of what has been going on since the start of the season. It is true that it ain’t over till it’s over, but the past frequently can foreshadow the the future.

Fans, Ed Stern a dedicated Giants fan gives us his thoughts this morning on the team and a look at its future in his article. Ed knows baseball and especially the Giants, click below for another perspective on the Bay Area’s other team.
Thanks,
Marty [Read more →]

Charlie Danrick, a frequent contributor to Loveofthegameproductions.com, had the largest collection of audio tapes of special baseball games in the world before partnering with MLB to distribute his fabulous game collection. Charlie wrote, in his won unique style, a perspective on Hall of Famer Larry Doby. I appreciate Charlie’s work, he is a true sportsman with a sense of humor that is pure East Coast. Check this story, you won’t be disappointed. Also, Charlie’s taped games can be found on MLB.com’s home page.

Click below for the story on a day in the life of Larry Doby, trust me it is different from the eulogies written over the past few days, it even includes another Hall of Famer, but I won’t ruin the surprise! [Read more →]

Marty: Your prediction, that the Giants will be lucky to walk away with one win in the three game series about to start, may very well be omniscient. However, there is always a lurking danger in selling a team down the river too quickly, particularly one as baffling as the Giants. Since the season began there has been consistency in pointing out the team’s apparent weaknesses. Despite this, they are still in first place and the Dodgers, with the strongest pitching in the league have yet to dislodge them. The A’s, as I read today’s standings, are 6 losing games out of first place.

Ed, This series and your well thought out resonse to my prediction of the A’s winning at least two of three, demonstrates why baseball is such a great game, one series doesn’t make the season, but every day another compelling story is revealed. I’m looking forward to reading your analysis as the weekend progresses.

Fans click below for a view of this weekend’s A’s – Giants series. [Read more →]

Marty, One should always welcome sage advise and, since you are among the wisest, I will wrestle with the questions you ask.

Fans I posed questions in Tuesday’s Daily Dish about what to look for in analyzing the strngth of your team as we get ready for the long summer months ahead.

Ed Stern answers my questions and tells you why or why not the Giants meet the test.
Click below for more! [Read more →]

Marty: The bullpen did “meltdown” yesterday. Worrell never should have walked the batter in front of Sweeney on four straight balls. When he did that it became inevitable that he was going to get lit up by Sweeney, who is one of the better hitters around. Worrell had bad luck with the first batter he faced, giving up a very tough double on a good pitch and a bloop hit which just eluded Snow. Despite that, his performance thereafter left something to be desired. This was one of the very few times he has failed to come thru this year and he is by far the best thing they have going for them in the closer department.

Ed talks about the Giants and especially one of his favorite players, Marvin Benard in his Analysis this morning!

Good story, click below for more. [Read more →]