Here’s how the A’s can get one of the Dodgers stud setup men, Paul Quantrill or Paul Shuey (I prefer Quantrill.)

They need to send a good prospect and a so-so prospect to the Rockies for Preston Wilson, who is having a great year but makes a ton of money (9 mil next year and 12 mil in 04). The A’s get the Rockies to also throw in the remaining $2 mil on Wilson for this year. The Rockies will do this to get the prospects and to be rid of his 04 and 05 salary. The A’s might have to give up two good prospects (Duchscherer and Joe Blanton?)

The A’s then send Wilson and the cash for 03 to the Dodgers for Quantrill. The Dodgers can afford Wilson’s 04 and 05 salaries more than the Rockies or the A’s.

This also takes the Dodgers out of the running for guys the A’s might want, like Rondell White. [Read more →]

Today, July 5th, is the anniversary of the day Larry Doby broke the color line in the American league in 1947. Just 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson integrated the National League, Bill Veeck brought Doby, a tremendous athlete into Cleveland.

Doby’s teammates looked the other way when introduced to him. Doby had not been part of the team in spring training like Robinson had for the prior two springs.

Doby played nine innings at first base for the Indians and then only pinch hit for the rest of the season.

In 1948, with the friendship of second baseman Joe Gordon helping him, Doby played a major roll getting the Indians to the world series against the Braves.

It was not easy for any man of color in those days to do anything significant in America’s white society, but Larry Doby stood tall and paved the way, just as Jackie Robinson did, in waking up America to the inequites of racial prejudice.

He did it on a baseball field in Cleveland July 5th, 1947.

Now, folks question why the Giants are doing so well in the NL West. Two words. Barry Bonds. As Ed Stern pointed out wisely in his commentary the other day, the opponent’s must always be aware of Bonds at every turn of the batting order. He makes everyone a better player, and when he is hot, which he is right now, he is the “Man”.

Jesse Foppert and Damian Moss are the two weak links on the team right now and will cost the Giants if not replaced.

Click below for a look at baseball today. [Read more →]

I always wondered as I grew up why the veteran baseball writers made such a big deal of who was leading the race on July the 4th.

They had all sorts of statistics demonstarting that the leaders on the holiday would be meeting in the world series that fall.

More often than not, they were wrong and some Cinderella team arose from the doldrums and charged to the pennant, erasing an 8 or 9 game deficit along the way.

There is some validity to looking at the teams that are in the hunt on July 4th because we have just passed the literal half way point of the season and you can get a pretty fair idea of why a team is either struggling or playing well.

Of, course all this can change quickly. My good friend Leonard Koppett always told me that as long as a team’s record was .500 on August first, they were in the race. He amended that date to September first because of the wild card, which allowed teams at the break even point heading into the last month to be within striking distance of the newly created way into the playoffs.

With that in mind let’s look at the leaders on the 4th and see who may catch them.

[Read more →]

Marty: There is a story in today’s morning paper by one of the paper’s major sports writers concerning the Giants. It analyzes the club’s personnel and makes all the talent, or lack of talent, assessments that could have been made before the season started. It’s conclusion is that the team could “still make the post season as a wild card but the run won’t go as smoothly as in that giddy first month”. Nothing of great consequence respecting personnel has changed since the first day of the season except the injury to Ainsworth and emergence of Williams. A more interesting story would have revolved around the question, why do the Giants win, particularly if one had a reasonable answer to give.

Let me try to answer, what Glenn Dickey in the SF Chronicle couldn’t, in my analysis of the Giants.

Click below for more! [Read more →]

If you saw Ted Lilly pitch last night you saw a very inconsistent young major league pitcher.

Keep in mind that Ted Lilly’s delivery had been reworked by A’s pitching coach Rick Peterson, just this past winter and spring.

At times, Lilly has the correct release point which propels his pitches to the exact point of the strike zone intended. At other times, Lilly can’t find his release point causing his breaking stuff to hang directly over the hitting zone (5 homers versus Atlanta).

Lilly has been tagged for many critical homers, then he turns around and strikes out five in a row. A frustrating pattern for all involved.

What to do?

The first option is that Lilly should work out of the bullpen until he can throw with the consistency necessary to be a major factor on this pitching staff. It is no disgrace to work out of the pen when one is struggling.

The second option, the A’s send Lilly to AAA to give him a chance to really learn his new delivery without the pressure of a pennant chase.

Rick Peterson is a very technical pitching coach, insisting on sessions in the videoroom, countless discussions about pitching, and studying computer enhanced images of ones delivery. Perhaps Lilly isn’t suited for Peterson’s methods. A trade in his future?

In any case when Lilly gets in trouble his mechanics are out of whack because he isn’t comfortable with his new delivery, baseball is muscle memory, acts repeated countless times, Lilly’s muscle memory only goes back to March, not a very long time in baseball.

He needs to work it out somewhere before his confidence is completely shot.

Click below for more. [Read more →]

The White Sox believe. They believe they can catch the Twins and the Royals and have put their money where their mouth is to bring back an old expression.

With the acquisitions of Roberto Alomar and Carl Everett, the Sox now have two things. One, some speed on the bases and two, lefthanded hitting to go with those big slow righthanded batters, Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Lee.

More importantly they didn’t give up anything from their major league roster and now can chase the division leaders with Bartolo Colon, Esteban Loaiza, Mark Buehrle, Dan Wright, and Jon Garland.

If you follow the Daily Dish, I’ve opined that Chicago has had great potential in this race because of its starting rotation. Now, let’s see if they can get it done with Sox catcher Sandy Alomar’s little brother, Robby and Carl Everett, a handful to deal with, but a very talented player.

I like the moves.

Terrence Long adds to the A’s bench. Funny but one scribe called the following move Ken Macha’s finest of the season, the A’s manager called upon Terrence Long to pinch hit for Adam Piatt when Jeff Nelson came into the game in the eleventh inning. It was a basic move that every manager in the game makes, lifting a platoon right handed hitter for a platoon lefthanded hitter to face a tough righty pitcher. Long came through and tied the score with his single. This is the way the game is played and Long is an excellent player off the bench. Key word is bench.

More on the game below.

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Marty: You mention Yankees bench. They picked up Sierra and have him hitting cleanup with his .300 average and big hits. Wouldn’t the Giants like to have him, even with his personality problems? The word is that he is much better these days in that department. As you point out, tonight is a tough one for the Giants, with Brower going. The bullpen is rested and they will undoubtedly need all of them. The Moss fallout! I am looking forward to the next few starts by Williams. Is it possible that this kid is the Giants pitching saviour? They sure need someone to go along with Schmidt. The present rotation inspires small confidence. Other than Schmidt, and, it is to be hoped, Williams, there is no one on the team who can be counted on to give them six good innings. Where is Ortiz, now that we need him? Did someone say Atlanta? I read this morning that Aurilia is getting healthy and due back in the lineup, possibly tonight. I don’t know if that is good news. I like the looks of the Giants, with Perez playing shortstop and hitting second. far more than any lineup with Aurilia. Ed

[Read more →]

It came as no surprise when Jason Schmidt knocked off the Cardinals Monday night 5-1 with another complete game victory. The guy is good, great right now. I had him as a guest on Right Off The Bat last Friday night and he couldn’t have been more gracious.

Tonight things get dicier for the Giants as Jim Brower, a seldom used reliever gets the start with his predecessor in the rotation Damian Moss slated for long relief.

St. Louis counters with Woody Williams one of the better seven inning pitchers in the league. What this means of course is the game will be in the hands of Felix Rodriguez, Jeff Fassero, Cal Eldred, Tim Worrell, and Jason Isringhausen when Albert Pujols or Barry Bonds decide things late in the game.

Arizona keeps plugging along. Luis Gonzalez is quietly putting together another fabulous season. He too is one of the most generous players with the media, what is this good guy week in baseball?

The scary thing for the Giants and the punchless Dodgers is Curt and Randy aren’t around, but they will be back shortly.

Seattle beat the A’s 3-1 and the game had many subplots which I will touch on below. [Read more →]

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 →]

With interleague play finally out of the way, the Mariners show up to play the A’s in Oakland while the Giants send Jason Schmidt, the National league’s best pitcher against the Cardinals.

The A’s are 28-11 at home and the Mariners are 28-11 on the road. Seattle is 5-5 in its last ten games. The key is six of those ten games were against the Padres and Seattle lost four of them, two on ninth inning meltdowns by their Sasaki-less bullpen.

Seattle is due for a slide. Gil Meche hasn’t pitched more than 65 innings in his last two seasons. I thought he was very hittable in his last start against the Angels Thursday, his pitches didn’t have the snap like they did earlier in the year. Meche has already thrown over 96 innings. How do you think he will feel in September, or in July for that matter?

Eric Chavez will find a way to take Jamie Moyer deep tonight, count on it.

Aaron Harang most likely will be gone by the end of the sixth inning, that is the bad news for the A’s. Moyer will also not finish this game and that may be the good news for the A’s. In fact, with Seattle’s bullpen overworked the key to this series may be how the A’s deal with Arthur Rhodes, Jeff Nelson, and Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Normally, this crowd gives the A’s fits, if they are not in top form due to overwork, the A’s have a distinct advantage.

Bob Melvin didn’t bring Nelson into the game to face Rondell White in the ninth inning Sunday with the bases loaded and let Rhodes face the righty instead. Not only was Nelson upset that he didn’t get the call, but lost his composure when he was brought into the game because White hit a grand slam off Rhodes to tie up the Mariners 6-6. Nelson then blew the game and the stunned Mariners lost 8-6.

I sense a little trouble in Mariner paradise.

Click below for more! [Read more →]