Anybody out there

with this this type

of money can get

themselves a Major sport

franchise in one of the

four main pro leagues:

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

Listen as Marty interviews:

Barry Zito

David Justice

Mark Mulder

Ray Durham

Ray Fosse

Tim Hudson

Go to new interviews now! [Read more →]

Check out newly posted pictures of Marty and friends at the A’s fantasy camp in Arizona.

Thanks to Dave Jemes and Margie Kahn for many of the pictures.

View A’s Fantasy Camp Pictures! [Read more →]

ELDEN AUKER INTERVIEW

June 20, 2002

L: Tell me about the first night you got called into a game at Yankee Stadium, with Art Fletcher and Babe Ruth.

A: When I first came up with Detroit, it was my first trip to New York. Bucky Harris was our manager, and the first time I was ever in New York, and certainly to Yankee Stadium, and Bucky put me down in the bullpen. The third inning, we had a pitcher name of Carl Fisher, he got into trouble and got some men on base, and Bucky called me in to relieve. The first hitter up was Babe Ruth. I threw four pitches and struck him out. Of course, I have to preface it with the fact that I was an underhand pitcher, submariner, I threw directly underhand, which was unusual, but not for me. [Read more →]

So after six months and days, we

are down to four teams

fighting for the World

Championship.

Pick the four that are

still alive below:

Twins: “Contract this”

Athletics: “There is no “A” in choking”

Braves: “Eleven Division Titles only one ring”

Yankees: “Go back east for the winter”

Giants: “What is this called… NLCS?”

Angels: ‘What is a World Series”? [Read more →]

All the comments are appreciated. Here’s some more thoughts on what must be done.

Get a regular centerfielder. Trade Terrence Long. Forget his potential I don’t think he works hard enough at his game. Sign Ray Durham he gives flexibility at second base if Ellis needs help in his second season plus he is your DH for three years. Get rid of Tam and Mecir for anything anyone will give you. Get one more established hitter to hit fifth, I mean a regular not a Dave Justice/John Jaha prayer. Preferably a left fielder. Trade Piatt, Byrnes, and Lidle for the hitter. The team doesn’t have enough confidence in them to make it work in Oakland. Get a legit backup who can catch twice per week without compromising the pitching staff. Sign a fourth starter, send Lilly to AAA to learn how to start, sign a 94 MPH righty to set up for the pen. Not a lot to ask and all within reach of this market and especially with the revenue sharing coming next year. Marty Lurie

[Read more →]

I’d like to see the A’s move toward playing more small ball. Not that I want them to completely abandon their current approach to the game but why not put some focus on aggressive base running? We’ve heard over and over about how the A’s stress patience at the plate and many of the guys seem to have done well in that regard. It’s what happens after they get on base I’d like to change. The Angels and Twins gave me fits with their ability to pressure our defense with smart base running.

The obvious question is who has the speed to help out here? Durham, but he’s a question mark for next year, Ellis? Byrnes? Any ideas? [Read more →]

As game five of the ALDS approached, a careful optimism swept through the A’s clubhouse. The A’s had a chance to advance to the ALCS for the first time in three years, without the mystique of the Yankee machine in their way and the supposedly unseasoned Minnesota Twins as their opponent–right?

[Read more →]

While the Oakland Athletics are approaching their third consecutive post season birth, they are no longer a “great story” or a ” small-market surprise.” As a matter of fact, with their great combination of youth and talent, the A’s are becoming the team expected to win each year by most baseball analysts.

Yes, Art Howe and his team have come a long way since the late 1990’s in which Oakland’s big three consisted of Ariel Prieto, Willie Adams, and Dave Telghader. Yikes?!

[Read more →]

By Amaury Pi-González

Here in the fourth largest city in the

Bay Area, Fremont (over 200,000 residents)

they have been talking about building a

park for the A’S. The area is next to the

NUMMI Automotive plant(old General Motors

Plant)today NUMMI stands for New United

Motors International, a partnership

between General Motors and Toyota.

As far as I am concerned, that would be fine

with me. But, I am afraid that my fellow

citizens of Fremont are not to happy

because it would created much more

traffic congestion and Fremont has grown

faster enough. It is not like this is the

“woods”like it was 35 years ago.

Some call Fremont “Silicon Valley East”

because our development in the high

tech industry.

BART comes here and in the future is going

to San José, people are really not thinking

of bringing a Major League franchise to

this City. The Athletics should stay were

they belong, in Oakland. That is their

home since 1968. Oakland is a great city,

the great people that lives there. But

of course not their inept politicos.

[Read more →]