RIGHT OFF THE BAT
with Marty Lurie

Segment one : Marty & Vince Cotroneo
Segment two : Russell Martin Interview
Segment three: Marty
Segment four : Memories of the Game – Gil Eisenberg
Segment five : Rattle the Lumber with Ken Korach
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Batter Up June 18th, 2006

When the Yankees bring in new players they immediately become more effective major leaguers.

How come?

Is it the aura of playing the game where Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig graced the diamond? Or is it the tradition of playing for a franchise that has dominated baseball for the past 90 years?

Whatever the answer most players who come to the Yanks become championship caliber players over night.

Is the same thing happening in Oakland?

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Inside Baseball with Marty Lurie & Bruce Magowan – Week in Review: Are the A’s a Top Ten team?, Interleague play: Dodgers in town, Jeff Kent: Hall of Fame Bound?, Mr. C’s Favorite Players

Segment one : Marty, Bruce & Mr C from Heaven.
Segment two : Marty, Bruce & Mr C from Heaven.
Segment three: Marty & Bruce.
Segment four : Marty & Bruce

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Rick Kaplan
Staff Writer

OAKLAND (June 16) – Going to a big league game used to be a lot like watching a magic show.

We saw wondrous tricks – web gems, big flys, 97 MPH heaters, two-out hits – for nine innings and often felt entertained, and even awed, win or lose.

But we didn’t know what happened behind the scenes.

We didn’t know who used the juice. Or who was going on the DL. Or who was leaving us to become a free agent, or when the team was moving.

Comment below and let Rick know what you think…
Marty [Read more →]

Craig Wilson Interview June 10, 2006

Listen to the Pittsburgh Pirate infielder talk about Power hitting, Coming back to California?, Winning/losing close games, and about the best part of his game.
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Rick Kaplan
Staff Writer

OAKLAND (June 12) – My apologies, Esteban.

I wrote in this column, over and over again, that the A’s made a mistake in acquiring Esteban Loaiza for $22M for three years.

At first, he did indeed look like a lemon. He couldn’t get anyone out with an 82 MPH fastball that wasn’t moving, and went on the DL after four starts.

Loaiza said that he was injured, but that he would be back to pitch effectively for the Oakland Athletics.

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Dan Uggla Interview June 6, 2006

Listen to the Marlins Rookie as he talks about growing up with baseball, the toughest part about his first year, Stealing home, and about being selected by the Florida Marlins from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 major league draft.

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Inside Baseball with Marty Lurie & Bruce Magowan – The Grimsley case: Police the use of human growth hormone, Zito: Staying or moving?, Interleague Play: A’s vs. LA, Yankee woes: Adding Abreu?

Segment one : Marty & Bruce.
Segment two : Marty, Bruce & Jeff Passan
(National Baseball Writer for YAHOO! Sports).
Segment three: Marty, Bruce, Robert Buan & Jeff Passen.
Segment four : Marty, Bruce & Robert Buan.

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With about 100 games left in the 2006 baseball season things are no clearer now than they were when the first pitch was thrown on April 2nd.

The AL West is still a mystery.

The Angels are not playing good baseball. Perhaps the most disturbing sign for Angel fans is the lack of hustle exhibited by super utility player Chone Figgins this week.

The Angels are a team built on hustle. They play the game correctly. Not so this year.

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Rick Kaplan
Staff Writer

OAKLAND – Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter. World Series champions. Yankee gods.

And former A’s.

Few in New York even remember that Maris was an K.C. Athletic first. Or that the “invincible” Yankees of 1927-28 were utterly destroyed by the mighty Philadelphia A’s of 1929.

Our Reggie wears a Yankee cap in Cooperstown. That hurts. At least Catfish stuck with us.

And there was the Berkeley Brawler, Billy Martin. Wanting to be a Yankee for life, he was demoted to the A’s (the Kansas City version). For a New York loyalist, it was the equivalent of a degrading banishment to baseball Siberia.

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