Baseball really is a simple game. Catch the ball, don’t beat yourself, get a well pitched game, a couple of timely hits, and bingo, victory is yours. They figured the formula for success out in 1903 and it hasn’t changed yet.

Barry Zito provided the well pitched game for Oakland Thursday. Once his curve ball clicked in around the fourth inning the Red Sox were toast.

A couple of weeks ago I pointed out how poorly the Boston second baseman were playing in the field. It seems when you have a below average player on defense, the ball always finds him, especially at the keystone sack (2nd). It happened twice during Wednesday night’s game when Todd Walker, the offensive hero for Boston, couldn’t turn a crucial double play, thereby prolonging Pedro’s inning and forcing his departure after seven excruciating frames. Damian Jackson couldn’t feed the ball to Nomar properly in the fateful twelfth on a routine double play attempt, and the A’s rallied to win the game.

Yesterday, there was Walker again botching a catch and throw to first base, giving the A’s a big rally. Tom Kelly, one of the most honest baseball managers I have ever met (Minnesota) told me four years ago that Walker couldn’t play for him any longer because he allowed many more runs than he drove in. Thursday, I thought of what Tom Kelly said.

Eric Byrnes also hit a ball over Manny Ramirez’s head for the big hit of the game, a ball that perhaps only Joe Rudi, one of the best leftfielders in A’s history may have caught, so don’t be too hard on Manny’s slow effort.

The scene now shifts to Fenway where things will undoubtedly look different for the Boston nine.

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It is a little premature but
there is an old saying in the
Spanish language:
“soñar no cuesta nada”
(it doesn’t cost anything
to dream).

By Amaury Pi-González
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So what was unusual about the A’s-Red Sox game yesterday evening in Oakland?

Not much. The A’s played to their strength bringing on the Boston bullpen at exactly the right time, allowing closer Byung Hyun Kim enough rope to blow the lead, getting a key two out hit by Erubiel Durazo in the ninth, and then shutting down the Boston attack with their own pen, utilizing a great defensive play by Eric Chavez to save the night, and then finally squeezing out two more walks which set up the surprise bunt by Ramon Hernandez which brought an end to the Red Sox’s long frustrating night.

Tim Hudson pitched like the warrior he is, but left too many pitches up in the strike zone. In fact, I have said Hudson hasn’t looked like himself since the September start against Anaheim. However, when the game is on the line and a big pitch is needed, there may be no one better in the league than Hudson who continuously had Manny Ramirez off balance as he faced the .326 hitter with too many runners on base for comfort, for the thin A’s righty.

What’s the skinny after game one?

Keith Foulke proved he can shut the Sox down in any normal save situation. Pedro Martinez is one tough cookie, but he isn’t going nine against the A’s in this series (especially not afte throwing 130 tough, maximum energy pitches Wednesday). The A’s bull pen is superior to Boston’s, and yes, this will be a series of bullpens. The Sox are a gritty, grinding club that is better than the team that was in here in August. Grady Little out thought himself because Mike Timlin proved he can pitch to the A’s (should have stayed in to pitch the ninth). Derek Lowe is a gamer who will be tough if he is ready on Saturday (he won’t be going seven innings either, after pitching hard last night in relief).

Click below for more on this game! [Read more →]

Jason Schmidt set the bar Tuesday for all the starting pitchers in the playoffs with a complete game shut out over the Marlins.

Both Schmidt and Josh Beckett pitched power games, but walks to Barry Bonds led to both San Francisco runs and were the keys to the Giants offense.

The Marlins strategy of walking Bonds with two outs in the eighth led to an insurance run when Bonds got to second base on a botched pickoff between Chad Fox and Derek Lee (he scored on a ball Juan Pierre should have caught in center). Defense wins championships and the Marlins threw a ball away on a bunt attempt with two on, leading to the Giants first run.

However, the story of the game was Schmidt who was throwing 95 in the ninth inning as usual. Now, the Marlins must beat Sidney Ponson or face a 2-0 deficit on Friday in Miami. Ponson will be easier to hit than Schmidt, no picnic, but easier than Schmidt, arguably the best pitcher in the league. Wednesday the Giants bullpen will play a role as will the Miami pen behind Brad Penny.

The Yankees weren’t very good Tuesday either.

Click below and I’ll explain why! [Read more →]

Is the “real season” beginning today as so many writers have been saying? If the “real season” can end for a team with a loss in a five game setup I suppose one can justifiably so contend. Perhaps I am more of a purist than one should be, but as far as I am concerned the real season ended this past Sunday. The best teams were established by their records over the 161/162 games played. What we have now is an intriguing aftermath to the real season. The best team doesn’t necessarily prevail.

Click Below as Ed Stern who has covered the Giants all season long for loveofthegameproductions.com, gives us his analysis of round one and more!
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The playoffs begin Tuesday and for the first time in years any of the eight teams can get to the world series.

Pitching (the whole staff) will determine who advances to the LCS and eventually the series.

As baseball is played today, I don’t care who the starting pitchers are, they don’t go nine innings, but instead turn the ball over to the bullpen for the final six outs or more. Who will close the deal, that is the question?

The Yankees open with Mike Mussina at home against the Twins. Mussina has a 20-2 record against Minnesota since coming into the league. The Twins are 33-12 against righthanded starters in their last 45 games.

The big question for me is whether Minnesota can outhit the Yankees. When Anaheim knocked the Yanks out of the playoffs in 2002, they did it with big time slugging and excellent long relief.

The Twins counter with Johann Santana, who has had a fantastic second half, in fact the whole Twins team has too, going 46-23 since the break.

The Yankees are hitting the ball much better than Minnesota. Alfonso Soriano is hot, Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi get on base, Jorge Posada is hitting so well that the press is pushing him for MVP, Nick Johnson, Bernie Williams, Aaron Boone, and Hideki Matsui are capable hitters also. I don’t think Minnesota can hold the Yankees down over a five game series.

To me, it all adds up to a Yankee series win, even with Jeff Nelson, a struggling set up man, the Yanks should have enough of a cushion to get the ball to Mariano Rivera to close the deal. Gabe White and Jose Contreras should fill the set up void.

Brad Radke has to be perfect, Kyle Lohse doesn’t appear ready to shut the Yankee attack down, and it appears that Ron Gardenhire doesn’t trust Eric Milton to start game four, if there is one, so Kenny Rogers may start that game and if he does, it will be the last game Minnesota plays in 2003.

Click below for the other matchups!

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Bruce Magowan, a valued contributor to loveofthegameproductions.com was the Giants play by play announcer for six games this past season. Bruce hosts “The Insiders”, KNBR 680’s Giants pregame show on Saturday and Sunday as well as the post game radio show on the weekend, too. Bruce also writes for the San Francisco Examiner and is one of the most knowledgeable baseball people around.

Click below for Bruce’s analysis of the 2003 playoffs and check out which two teams Bruce thinks will meet in the World Series.

Thanks Bruce! [Read more →]

Doug Greenwald has been a minor league baseball broadcaster for eight years.
He just finished his first season with the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. He has experience with both the Giants and A’s in the minor leagues. For two seasons, Doug was the voice of the former AA Giants affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana and then spent the 2002 campaign with the Modesto Athletics of the California League.

Despite calling 144 Pacific Coast League games, Doug found plenty of time to
follow the Major League game. Now that 162 games are through, it’s time to cast his votes for the year-end individual awards.

Click Below to read the recipients of the first Annual Greenwald Awards exclusively on loveofthegameproductions.com! Thanks, Doug.

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Cubs win! Cubs win! Two of the most exciting games in Cubs history played out yesterday in Wrigley putting the Cubs into the playoffs as the NL Central champions.

It was the best scenario for the Cubs because now Kerry Wood opens against Russ Ortiz in game one in Atlanta. Carlos Zambrano in game two, then Mark Prior In Wrigley.

The Braves are still the best team I’ve seen all year, but John Smoltz has to be on his game or else the Braves will struggle getting to the NLCS.

Remember very good pitching, stops very good hitting, both the Cubs bullpen and the Braves bullpen minus a healthy John Smoltz won’t stop anybody, so this series will be up for grabs. Both managers will avoid their bullpens until absolutely necessary (no quick hooks) in this short series.

What happened to Houston? Their starting pitching disappeared the final week as they lost two of three to the Giants and then two of three to Milwaukee to finish their season. Funny, I always thought their bullpen would collapse first not Wade Miller, Jeriome Robertson, and Ron Villone. The hitting also went south as the Giants and the Brewers shut down this talented group of hitters. It’s not good to lose the majority of your games the final week when you are tied for the lead.

The season ends today, the long journey covering six months, and 180 days is coming to an end, so let’s look at the league awards, click below for more! [Read more →]

Ernie Banks said it many times during his hall of fame career in Chicago, “It’s a beautiful day, let’s play two”, well, today the Cubs get to live out Ernie’s wish as they meet the Pirates in an old fashioned doubleheader in Wrigley Field because yesterday’s game was washed out.

Mark Prior still gets the opening game nod against Josh Fogg. Prior pitching today means he will not pitch in game one or two of the NLDS against Atlanta if the Cubs get that far.

In fact with Kerry Wood going Sunday in a game that should matter, the Cubs rotation against the Braves could open with Carlos Zambrano and Shawn Estes.

As I pointed out yesterday if a playoff game is needed on Monday with the Astros, a distinct possibility, Shawn Estes is due for that game.

For all those reasons, if Dusty Baker can get this team to the world series, he deserves manager of the century.

Houston got pounded by Milwaukee Friday night. Richie Sexson the best kept secret in the NL, hit two more homers. As I said after Sexson hit two bombs in SF a couple of weekends ago, somebody should make Milwaukee an offer they can’t refuse for him, because the Brewers will not win while Sexson is still a young man. The Brewers will try to duplicate their efforts today against lefty Ron Villone in Houston

The Red Sox are thrilled to be coming to Oakland to play the A’s. The A’s have the best home record in the majors as of today. The Red Sox hit significantly lower on the road than at home. The A’s have a method that at least has been successful in Oakland, getting Pedro Martinez’s pitch count up by the sixth inning. So, you tell me why are the Sox so happy about facing three of five in Oakland against the best pitching staff (ERA) in the league?

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