Now the schedule plays a part in how the AL leader board may take shape this week.

The A’s and Angels play three in Anaheim, Boston has a doubleheader at home against the near bankrupt Devil Rays, and the Mariners take on Texas in Seattle.

Oh, the Yankees play Cleveland, a team trying to divest itself of every asset above the price of one million dollars (sounds strange doesn’t it).

The Dodgers haven’t had a rally in weeks, the Giants are injured, and the Diamondbacks are counting on Junior Spivey to hit third.

I’ll also comment on Amaury Pi-Gonzalez and his article listed below on the home page.

Click read more.The A’s get to see Kevin Appier tonight. Appier is no mystery to this team. At this juncture of the season, I point out that youth will begin to take over. It may not happen this week, but the young guns of the league will start to dominate on the mound as the summer wears on. Zito is at the top of the class. The Angels swing early in the count making them vulnerable to Zito’s curve ball. he can throw it any time he wants, it is fast, it is slow, it is unhittable. The A’s bull pen is better than Anaheim’s. All these factors add up to another wonderful match up tonight. The Angels have been tough on lefties. Zito is no ordinary lefty. If he keeps Anaheim in the park, no lock for sure, he will be fine. The A’s best hope is to make this series a game of bull pens.

Many people suggest that Art Howe should bunt, steal, hit and run or squeeze more often. Those well used baseball tactics are foreign to the A’s front office who determine the overall strategy the A’s employ during the game.

Write the front office if you want to see more in game manuvering by the manager.

Has Kenny Rogers made up his mind yet as to whether or not he will approve a trade to Cincinnnati? Just by taking this much time, it tells you how anxious he is to join the pennant race. Teams question his desire, this delay and “I’ll consult my wife” is a great example of why you don’t want him in the foxhole during crunch time. He looks for a comfort zone and it isn’t in the spotlight, that’s for sure.

Tanyon Sturtze has pitched deep into the game for the past month. His opponent is Tim Wakefield. The knuckleball is unpredictable, maybe this game will be close. The scouts will be watching Paul Wilson in the second game. Unfortunately, so will the Red Sox. Wilson has a decent arm, but he throws so many pitches which suggests to me he still doesn’t have command. Any start Derek Lowe makes during the second half is uncharted waters for the reliever turned starter. Manny Ramirez is getting loose which is good news for Boston.

The Yankees and Indians had some wild games last week. Cleveland scored a bunch of runs last weekend against KC. If Paul Shuey can pitch two innings, maybe Danys Baez can keep the Tribe close. The Yankee pen is badly in need of a rest, Pettitte must go seven. This one is a potential slugfest, even though on paper it looks like NY all the way.

Jason Schmidt and Matt Morris, typical NL game, power pitchers, two teams struggling for consistent offense. The Giants will be lucky not to get shut out tonight.

The Diamondbacks don’t hit enough for me. Colorado is on the road which means no clutch hitting. Personally, I think Larry Walker is the most overrated player in the league. Arizona needs a legit number three hitter. If I was GM, and I had the authority to do so, I’d want Jim Thome instead of another pitcher, that’s how bad this offense is.

Jimmy Haynes is throwing for Cincy today. He joins Peter Munro and Mark Redman as three pitchers who have been pleasant surprises for their teams.

Now, Amaury Pi-Gonzalez wrote an article essentially trashing Oakland and glorifying the past of the Giants. The article got more comments than any other in the site’s history.

Since the advent of free agancy (1975) how many players have the Giants kept at home? Barry Bonds comes to mind, give me a few more.

Amaury talks of rubbing elbows with former Giants at Pac Bell Park. These players saw their greatest days in the 60’s. I will say that if Cepeda, McCovey, and Mays played after the 70’s you wouldn’t see them around because the Giants wouldn’t have had the money to pay them and they would have left town right behind Reggie Jackson and his friends, and made their lives elsewhere.

The Giants I named did leave eventually later in their careers, but the overwhelming success they had was in SF, not elsewhere.

Free agency changed everything. The most productive years of McGwire and Jackson were after they left Oakland.

How many Hall of Famers have the Giants had since 1975? The A’s teams have been so much better than the Giants. The A’s have many more potential Hall of Famers.

The funny thing is, but for Pac Bell park, the A’s would be outdrawing the Giants again. The A’s market their team so much better than the Giants. That is why the Giants are freaked out about a drop off in play, because they know they will be right back to averaging 2 million and fighting the A’s for attendance supremacy if the team doesn’t win. The A’s have built a loyal fan base, while the Giants sit in their park.

The A’s have not tried to embrace their past as much as the Giants have done. Why? Leadership from the top. Peter Magowan is a lifelong Giants fan and loves bringing his heroes back and having them around. Steve Schott doesn’t have that identification with his team.

I have suggested publically that the A’s should bring back former players on a weekly basis. Invite them to be in the park, on the field before the game, in the press box. So far, the suggestion has fallen on deaf ears. These players are more than willing to participate, just ask. Play an oldtimers game once a season. Fans like it, baseball tradition sells, just look back East, the Yankees do it every year to a packed house.

Make tradition a normal part of baseball life in the park. Why not retire a few numbers? People come to see the current club, but it doesn’t hurt to honor the past. In baseball, it’s an important part of the package.

Leadership is not only important on the field, but in the front office as well.

The better baseball team is in Oakland. The media is in SF and they get the Giants on the front page and the airwaves.

So, Amaury’s piece is appreciated, it sparked debate, that is what free speech is all about.

However, I wouldn’t be too smug about SF, really all they have over Oakland is a new park.

Now, more importantly, another day in the season unfolds today.