by Glenn Dickey

IN THEIR drive to reach .500, the A’s young pitchers have been the most significant factor. I talked to A’s pitching coach Curt Young on Sunday about them. Here’s what he had to say:

RICH HARDEN, who has returned from a stint on the disabled list as sharp as he was before, allowing only one hit in Sunday’s whopping 16-0 win over the Giants:

“At the start of the season, Rich’s goal was to be the best right-handed pitcher in the league,” Young said. “He has a great fast ball, of course, but I really think it’s his changeup which sets up the fast ball, not the other way around. Hitters are never able to get comfortable because they can’t look for one pitch.” [Read more →]

By Glenn Dickey

IN THE press box during Thursday’s A’s game, former A’s second baseman Shooty Babbit expressed an opinion that is held by many A’s and Giants fans: The only thing that counts is winning the World Championship.

“Don’t talk to me about how many regular season games you win,’’ said Babbit, now a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who also works with Marty Lurie on “Inside Baseball Saturday Night” on KFRC, broadcast live from Crogan’s in Montclair. “It doesn’t mean anything unless you win the whole thing.” [Read more →]

Glenn Dickey

IN THEIR UNSPOKEN but very real cross-bay rivalry with the A’s, the Giants have important advantages: The history of being here first; a much superior park; much better radio contract, as KNBR not only broadcasts the games but promotes the team relentlessly at all times; and a significantly higher payroll, which may be the most important of all.

Everything is relative. The Giants and A’s payroll combined is only about two-thirds that of the Yankees, who should be embarrassed that they don’t go 162-0. But the Giants payroll, about $85 million this year, gives them a flexibility that the A’s lack with their $60 million payroll. [Read more →]

The deadline is quickly approaching to file one’s post-season prognostications. Across America, barroom banter is fully charged with patrons adjusting their visions of playoff participants and pennant champions. Now is the time to perfect their ballot, before injuries and dead arms take effect. [Read more →]

The country that once produced the first ever
Latino player in the US professional leagues,
Cuba, which was the first ever country to
be introduced to the game of baseball
by the United States in the 1860s and until
1961 had more players in the Major Leagues
than any other Latinamerican country,
has really downsize their baseball
program.

By Amaury Pi-González

[Read more →]

The real test for any young pitcher in the major leagues is facing a good fastball hitting team. The key to success is getting command of your off speed stuff, thus upsetting the timing of the aggressive hitters.

The Orioles, a team comprised of overly aggressive swing from your heels fastball hitters, provided a challenge for the A’s pitching staff.

Once Dan Haren got comfortable he followed the example set by Kirk Saarloos a night earlier, rarely giving the Birds a fastball over the center of the plate. Instead, the two youngsters showed some pitching chops by keeping Baltimore off balance while they were on the mound.

The real test will come when the A’s face Texas, Seattle, and Los Angeles three teams with big time smart hitters who can crush the fastball. [Read more →]

A good major league bench is made up of players who understand their role.

Examples of players who have successfully filled that role recently on winning teams are: John Mabry, Olmedo Saenz, Ruben Sierra and Gabe Kapler.

The 2005 projected A’s bench players don’t fit that mold.

Here’s what I mean.

The projected bench players who will leave Phoenix want to play every day, not sit by waiting for a chance to contribute late in a game. [Read more →]

Picture this.

Beautiful sunshine, green grass, A’s playing the Arizona Diamondbacks on a peaceful day in the desert.
Rich Harden on the mound.

Harden winds up and throws effortlessly. The ball is a white a blur coming towards the batter. I look at the radar gun held by the baseball scout sitting next to me. The gun registers 97 MPH.

The ability to pitch a ball at blinding speed always has been one of the most dramatic skills in baseball. [Read more →]

The A’s are loaded with lefthanded hitters in key spots in the batting order.

Here’s the dilemma manager Ken Macha will confront as soon as the games count for real.

With an inexperienced starting pitching staff you can expect to see most games decided in the seventh inning or later.

With lefty hitters Mark Kotsay, Eric Chavez, Erubiel Durazo, and Scott Hatteberg hitting in the one, three, four, and five spots opposing managers will be saving their best lefthanded relievers for the critical situations late in the game. [Read more →]

Pastime Passings in 2004
By Bruce Markusen

The baseball world did not endure the loss of any Hall of Fame members in 2004, but still suffered the departures of a number of accomplished major league managers (including Charlie Fox, Darrell Johnson, and Johnny Oates); two standout umpires (Ken Burkhart and Ed Sudol); a trio of winners of the Frick and Spink awards (Joseph Durso, Joe Falls, and Bob Murphy); several All-Star caliber players (Bobby Avila, Ray Boone, and Ken Caminiti); and an array of colorful characters (including Rod Kanehl, Tug McGraw, and Leon Wagner).

In their collective honor, we present the roll call for 2004:

Click below for the comprehensive list. Bruce thanks so much for this contribution to baseball history,
Marty [Read more →]