Torii Hunter Interview June 1, 2006

Talks about last year’s setback with his injury, the All-star catch vs. Bonds, hitting walls….literally, and Trade rumors.

Inside Baseball with Marty Lurie – Week in Review: Top Team – Yanks or the Red Sox, These one-run games: Can the A’s Keep up?, A’s offensive struggles: Managing tough games, Is the A.L. Central the toughest division?

Segment one : Marty, Bruce Magowan and A’s Manager: Ken Macha
Segment two : Marty and Bruce Magowan.
Segment three: Marty and Bruce Magowan.
Segment four : Marty and Bruce Magowan.
Segment five : Marty and Bruce Magowan.

[Read more →]

With the baseball season passing the one-third mark this week the strengths and weaknesses of the teams are coming into focus.

Texas still needs pitching. But this time the need is not in the pen. The biggest concern right now is team ace Kevin Millwood. The 65 million dollar man can’t pitch effectively in Arlington. Not good when you are the team’s number one starter and you aren’t getting past the sixth inning in your home ballpark.

Click below for more! [Read more →]

Rick Kaplan
Staff Writer

OAKLAND (June 3) – It was the 1950’s. We worshipped our baseball heroes.

We wanted to be just like them.

But to my grandfather, a tireless curmudgeon who hunted up prospects as a birddog for the Yankees and the Giants in his day, my stars were all unworthy, lazy bums.

I quietly suffered while he complained about Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron.

Click below for more! [Read more →]

I know, I know the Senate recently voted
English as the’National Language”in the
United States of America. When I arrived
in this country back in 1961 I never
thought otherwise. But anyway, Bonds
historic 715th was on the air Live in Spanish on
powerful (50,000 Watts)KLOK 1170 AM
for 62 games this season the Spanish
radio station for the San Francisco Giants.
With Erwin Higueros, Tito Fuentes, engineer
David Liu and yours truly. Tito was not working
that game.

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

What’s Wrong With A’s
by Glenn Dickey
May 31, 2006

WHY ARE the A’s struggling after being picked by almost everybody to win the AL West this season?

Think of the team as a chair with just three legs intact. The fourth leg is the pitching, which should be the foundation of the team but has been racked by serious injuries. Two of the five starters are on the disabled list, Rich Harden and Esteban Loaiza. The loss of Harden is especially critical because, when he’s healthy, he may be the best pitcher in the league. But Loaiza’s loss hurts, too, because he was expected to firm up the rotation as the fourth or fifth starter. He was totally ineffective early, probably because he was injured and didn’t want to admit it.

With two starters out, the A’s have had to bring Kirk Saarloos back out of the bullpen and even use Brad Halsey, who was in Sacramento when the season began.

Click below for more and learn about Glenn’s new assignment. [Read more →]

Rick Kaplan
Staff Writer

OAKLAND (May 30) – Measuring greatness is tricky business.

Bill James, writing in his epic New Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001 called Craig Biggio “the best player in major league baseball today.”

Not Barry Bonds. Not Ken Griffey, Jr. Not Ichiro. Not fellow Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell.

James instructs us that we can dismiss Griffey’s 56 home runs in 1998 – Biggio had 20 – and concentrate on Biggio’s lead in doubles (51-33) and singles (137-88). By the time we are done with Biggio’s margin in steals and hit-by-pitches, Griffey has practically retreated to journeyman status on James’ mysterious index of true baseball value.

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Inside Baseball with Marty Lurie – Week in Review: Top Team – Mets, Frank Robinson crying?, Detroit: Surprise team of the year?, and Randy & the Yanks: Too old now?.

Segment one : Marty, Bruce Magowan and Bruce Jenkins(San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist).
Segment two : Marty, Bruce Magowan and Bruce Jenkins.
Segment three: Marty, Bruce Magowan and Rick Hurd(national baseball writer from the Contra Costa Times).
Segment four : Marty and Bruce Magowan.

[Read more →]

Hall of Fame righthander Jim Palmer, the Orioles top pitcher on their AL championship teams during the 60’s and 70’s understands the intricacies of baseball.

Palmer told me that the last three outs of a ballgame are the toughest outs to get.

I believed him until this year.

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Ray Ratto Interview May 24, 2006

Listen to San Francisco Chronicle Sport Columnist rant & rave with Marty. [Read more →]