Marty: Your prediction, that the Giants will be lucky to walk away with one win in the three game series about to start, may very well be omniscient. However, there is always a lurking danger in selling a team down the river too quickly, particularly one as baffling as the Giants. Since the season began there has been consistency in pointing out the team’s apparent weaknesses. Despite this, they are still in first place and the Dodgers, with the strongest pitching in the league have yet to dislodge them. The A’s, as I read today’s standings, are 6 losing games out of first place.

Ed, This series and your well thought out resonse to my prediction of the A’s winning at least two of three, demonstrates why baseball is such a great game, one series doesn’t make the season, but every day another compelling story is revealed. I’m looking forward to reading your analysis as the weekend progresses.

Fans click below for a view of this weekend’s A’s – Giants series. [Read more →]

There are many reasons not to like interleague play. For one, it is grossly unfair. League standings are skewed because teams don’t play the same number of games against their opponents, but are judged on the number of games won at the end of the season.

The one saving grace of the concept is the rivalry matchups which do bring more enthusiasm to the game.

I like the Mets and Yankees playing one another, the Giants and A’s also.

These games matter in the standings and have determined division races. For instance last year the Giants barely lost out to Arizona in the West, losing four of six to the A’s didn’t help the Giants in late September.

This year the six games may have more of an impact on the final standings because both teams are locked in tight races for the playoffs.

So, what to look for this weekend?

Click below and let’s see. [Read more →]

The A’s are the type of team best described as “grinders”, that is they work very hard to win a game, not the spectacular way, but by putting themselves in a position to win numerous times during a game, and then finally executing properly, and chalking up the “W”.

Wednesday night against Texas was a good example. With Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez, and Jermaine Dye all in a deep freeze at the plate, the A’s had to turn to some very tough at bats late in the game to pull out the victory.

They constantly worked the count in their favor, the relievers wiggled out of jams, and when the game was on the line, Scott Hatteberg came through with a bloop hit, also in a hitters count.

What preceded the hit was typical A’s baseball. Billy McMillon, terrific off the bench singled, Adam Melhuse looked horrible trying to get a bunt down, so Ken Macha let him hit away and wouldn’t you know it, double play, rally over.

Not so fast. Mark Ellis stroked a single, Eric Byrnes, who pitchers are starting to work hard on the inside part of the plate, walked. Hatteberg gets the hit, and the A’s win.

Oakland tied the game in the ninth in similar fashion with Hernandez singling, McMillon getting a key walk preceding Ellis’ sac bunt, then Hatteberg drove in the tying run with a sac fly.

No homers, no extra base hits, just a lot of heart pumping, tough at bats which resulted in a win.

That is how a “grinder” wins a game.

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I know the numbers don’t bear me out on this one, but I’ve watched Alex Rodriguez play in Oakland over the past eight years and countless times on television, and you know what, I’ll take Miguel Tejada on my team over A Rod as my shortstop.

Rodriguez plays with little passion. A quality I don’t like to see in any player, let alone the straw that stirs the drink on a team.

Ever since Roger Clemens blew Rodriguez away in the playoffs, he has been a timid player. He took the money and moved to Texas, leaving any heart he had behind in Seattle.

The A’s routinely handled Rodriguez last night in key situations. Maybe if Texas ever gets it together, Rodriguez will become interested in his game, but until then he goes through the motions and rarely does anything to beat a good team, one in pennant contention.

I’d rather have a maximum effort guy like Nomar or Tejada in my lineup. At least they play like they care and are clutch baseball players.

Click below for more on baseball.

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Marty, One should always welcome sage advise and, since you are among the wisest, I will wrestle with the questions you ask.

Fans I posed questions in Tuesday’s Daily Dish about what to look for in analyzing the strngth of your team as we get ready for the long summer months ahead.

Ed Stern answers my questions and tells you why or why not the Giants meet the test.
Click below for more! [Read more →]

The Minnesota Twins rallied from an eight run deficit to tie the game against Kansas City, only to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth inning 9-8.

The big news is not the comeback, but that the Twins were down by eight with their best pitcher Kyle Lohse starting the game.

All teams go through slumps, both pitching and hitting. Minnesota can afford this lull because both the Royals and White Sox are very flawed teams and are not likely to outplay the Minnesotans over the course of 162 games.

However, one must wonder how strong this Twins team will be in August if their bullpen is used every night for three to four innings. Tony Fiore used over 50 pitches in two innings last night as an example of what has happened to the relievers.

The Royals lose virtually everytime they see a lefty starter. Tonight, lefty Kenny Rogers will test that theory against Jeremy Affeldt, who has blister issues once again further clouding his season.

The Red Sox brought Ryan Rupe in the game in the sixth after Pedro Martinez ran out of gas in the fifth, leaving with a 2-1 lead over the White Sox.

Rupe got two outs, then the trouble started. He left a fastball up and over the plate to Joe Crede with two on, and the rest is history as they say.

Tonight the pitcher the Red Sox really want on their team, Bartolo Colon, goes against John Burkett.

With Colon being a free agent next season it is likely Chicago will trade him before the year is out. Boston is a very logical destination.

The only complicating factor is Minnesota’s poor play. Is that enough to keep the Sox in the race and force them to hold on to Colon for the season?

All of New England hopes not.

I think he moves on no matter what the Sox are doing on July 31st.

Click below for more baseball. [Read more →]

Marty: The bullpen did “meltdown” yesterday. Worrell never should have walked the batter in front of Sweeney on four straight balls. When he did that it became inevitable that he was going to get lit up by Sweeney, who is one of the better hitters around. Worrell had bad luck with the first batter he faced, giving up a very tough double on a good pitch and a bloop hit which just eluded Snow. Despite that, his performance thereafter left something to be desired. This was one of the very few times he has failed to come thru this year and he is by far the best thing they have going for them in the closer department.

Ed talks about the Giants and especially one of his favorite players, Marvin Benard in his Analysis this morning!

Good story, click below for more. [Read more →]

Roger Clemens should worry about winning more games and seeing his team get into the World Series this year instead of threatening to boycott his expected entry into the Hall of Fame, if the museum places a Red Sox cap on his plaque instead of his desired Yankee emblem.

If Clemens follows through with his retirement plans this year, his entry into Cooperstown will be in the year 2009. Apparently, he could care less about the Boston fans who supported him through the first 192 wins and 2500 strike outs of his career and is planning on boycotting the ceremonies if the Red Sox lid is on his head because Dan Duquette, Red Sox GM in 95, thought he was through as a big time player, forcing Roger to take his game to Toronto.

What a bore Clemens is. I’ll take Greg Maddux any day of the week over this guy.

What was more amazing San Diego lefthander Oliver Perez shutting down the White Sox without a run over 6 2/3 innings or Rod Beck getting the save throwing 80 MPH?

Or how about the Boston bullpen throwing 8 innings of zeros against the exhausted Astros?

More baseball on Monday below, I even take on the Eric Byrnes All Star question. [Read more →]

Independent league baseball has its charm on the baseball landscape. Colorful team nicknames, the Atlantic City Surf for one, a great place for reasonably priced baseball entertainment is another plus, but the biggest positive is the chance it gives former major leaguers seeking another shot at the big leagues a chance to show what they can do against good competition.

With that in mind, it is Lima Time today in Kansas City as the likeable righthander Jose Lima is back in the big leagues with the Royals after pitching for the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic League this season.

Lima joins Brenden Donnelly and Ruben Sierra as recent graduates of the league making it to the show.

Lima pitches against Jerome Williams as KC tries to win the series against the Giants.

Known for his bravado on the mound, let’s hope Lima remembers who the Giants leftfielder or DH is when Barry Bonds comes up or else Lima Time will be short lived.

SF goes to LA next week for three with the Dodgers, then to Oakland for three with the A’s, home for three more with LA, then the A’s come in to finish the twelve game stretch with three more in Pac Bell.

We will know a lot more about the staying potential of all three teams after this set of games.

Bullpens are very important and the Dodgers have the strongest of the three, let’s see how many wins it translates into over the next two weeks.

Click read more for more on Sunday! [Read more →]

There once was a fictitious team created by novelist Philip Roth, the Ruppert Mundys, who played all their games on the road.

The rumors last night in Oakland were that the Expos may duplicate what the Mundys did, and play all their 2004 games away from Montreal. Some say the team will share home fields with San Juan, Charlotte, Portland, or any other locale with a stadium that is available during summer months.

Why are the owners slow in resolving this issue?

Probably because the franchise price tag is too high, the Baltimore ownership wants too much money to let them into the DC area, and that pesky lawsuit filed by the former minority share holders of the team is still unresolved.

Whatever the reason, it isn’t fair to the players involved to treat them in this fashion.

Ten hour plane flights from Puerto Rico to Seattle, three week road trips, and forcing the sale of key players is no way to run a major league franchise.

Through all of this manager Frank Robinson has his team leading the Wild Card chase in the National league. Nothing bothers this team, they swing the bat, rally when down in the game, bring new players up weekly, and have an amazing camaraderie.

They also have some of the best young talent in the league with Vlad Guerrero, Brad Wilkerson ( an A’s kind of player), Javier Vazquez, and Jose Vidro to name a few.

They also have a glazed look in their eyes as this incredible road trip continues today. Starting for the Expos Saturday “Johnny Wholestaff”, since they have run out of healthy starting pitchers, they are running the bullpen out to the mound (hey it worked for Houston the other night)

The A’s better win today because Vazquez goes Sunday and since the A’s couldn’t hit Shane Reynolds Thursday, they are in danger against this righthander.

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