Miguel Tejada of the A’S and Barry

Bonds of the Giants should win the

MVP Awards in baseball this season.

How lucky are we to be living in the

Glory Days of baseball here in Bay Are

and to be talking about MVPs, when just a little over a month ago we were talking

about strike and contraction…

By Amaury Pi-González [Read more →]

The playoffs are almost set. The A’s are in, the Cards clinched the Central, and the Yankees and Angels are one win away from joining the party.

I’ve written about the amazing season St. Louis has had this year. Adversity surrounded the team from day one. Pitchers were injured by the week, then the tragic untimely death of Darryl Kile, further tested the mettle of the team.

The Cards overcame it all and won the Central handily over Houston. Now, the team faces long odds against Arizona in the NLDS. With Scott Rolen, Albert Pujols, Tino Martinez, and Jim Edmonds leading the way, watch them give Arizona all they can handle.

Notice I didn’t name any pitchers. Pitching is still the name of the game and the Cards will need Woody Williams, Matt Morris, Chuck Finley and yes, Andy Benes and Jason Isringhausen, to come up big time to beat the Diamondbacks.

It’s not impossible.

The Giants did what they were supposed to do, beat the Brewers and LA struggled once more again against the Padres.

Anyone remember the A’s opening day lineup.

Click “read more” and take a deep breath as you read the names.

[Read more →]

While the Oakland Athletics are approaching their third consecutive post season birth, they are no longer a “great story” or a ” small-market surprise.” As a matter of fact, with their great combination of youth and talent, the A’s are becoming the team expected to win each year by most baseball analysts.

Yes, Art Howe and his team have come a long way since the late 1990’s in which Oakland’s big three consisted of Ariel Prieto, Willie Adams, and Dave Telghader. Yikes?!

[Read more →]

On a bright sunny day in Oakland, Tim Hudson put in a claim to be the A’s number one starter in the playoffs when he beat the Angels 5-3, throwing 7.3 excellent innings.

The A’s used their pitching advantage in taking three of four from the Anaheim. When the starter gives Art Howe 6.6, 7.0 or 7.3 innings pitched, life in the bull pen becomes less hazardous.

Thursday, Mike Venafro and Jim Mecir were only needed for five pitches before turning matters over to the closer, who did his job for the 41st time.

The Angels are a tough hitting team, but there is no doubt that their lack of big time starting pitching will doom them in October. Once Kevin Appier threw 50 pitches in the first two innings, it was just a matter of time until the A’a broke through.

The big blow was struck against relief specialist Brendan Donnelly, who was summoned in the sixth (much earlier than normal for him) as it was obvious to the 25,000 in attendance that Appier was gassed.

The youth and endurance of the A’s starters cannot be overlooked when comparing these two teams.

It is the difference.

Livan Hernandez is a shadow of his former effectiveness, losing 6-3 to LA, keeping the Dodgers one game behind the Giants.

Hernandez’s record of 11-16 speaks for itself and tells you how his inconsistency has hurt his team all year. Now the Giants fly during the night to Milwaukee and the Dodgers take a leisurely bus ride this morning along the Pacifc Coast Highway to San Diego.

The view is better in California for LA, but the weaker team plays in Milwaukee and they are called the Brewers.

Advantage San Francisco.

Here’s how the weekend shapes up. [Read more →]

Two heavyweights squared off last night in Oakalnd with the A’s delivering the knockout blow in a six run fourth inning, erasing a 4-1 deficit.

Barry Zito couldn’t control any of his pitches during his 5.3 innings on the mound, but hung around long enough to get his 22nd win in the 7-4 victory.

Ray Durham again delivered against a lefthander, crushing a game winning three run homer off of Dennis Cook, whose major league career truly looks cooked.

Mike Scoscia could have pitched around Durham to face Scott Hatteberg, who was benched the night before for poor numbers against lefties, but chose to go after Durham who had homered off lefty Scott Schoenweiss on Monday night, getting the A’s even in a game they went on to win.

The Giants are beating up on the LA pitching staff which is so injury ridden that they are pitching people I’ve never heard of in their biggest series of the year.

Odalis Perez is the last line of defense against the Dodgers falling 3 behind with nine to play.

Livan Hernandez tries to send the Giants off to Milwaukee for a much needed weekend rest against a team playing out the string.

Today in Oakland the game has major division implications.

Here’s why. [Read more →]

Growing up in the Boston area in the seventies gave me a chance to watch Carl Yastremski, Carlton Fisk and Fred Lynn do their stuff in Fenway Park. I have fond memories of hot sticky summer nights spent listening to games on the front porch.

[Read more →]

The Angels have the best overall lineup in the American league from leadoff slap hitters, right through the power slots.

The A’s have many holes in their lineup which are frighteningly exposed by competent major league pitchers.

Tuesday night Jarrod Washburn was cool, methodical, and displayed pin point control, the type of control needed to beat the Yankees or some similar team in October. He was very impressive, not falling behind in the count and getting stronger as the night wore on.

Mark Mulder continued on his fabulous 2002 ride, which is equaling his 2001, 21 win season. Mulder struck out 12, didn’t walk a batter, and was in total control of the best hitting team in the league.

Great baseball, the game decided by a pitch below the hands (where he must not be pitched), to Tim Salmon which he deposited 450 feet away in left field off Billy Koch to win the 1-0 game in ten tense innings.

The Giants outlasted the Dodgers and could open a two game lead today with Russ Ortiz and Kevin Beirne matching up in LA.

For the A’s and the Angels, more of the same tonight, with Barry Zito and Mickey Callaway on the hill.

The Angels have won six straight over lefties, Barry Zito is no ordinary lefty, he’s in the class of Mulder and Washburn and that is saying something.

Click below for more. [Read more →]

By Amaury Pi-González

Here in the fourth largest city in the

Bay Area, Fremont (over 200,000 residents)

they have been talking about building a

park for the A’S. The area is next to the

NUMMI Automotive plant(old General Motors

Plant)today NUMMI stands for New United

Motors International, a partnership

between General Motors and Toyota.

As far as I am concerned, that would be fine

with me. But, I am afraid that my fellow

citizens of Fremont are not to happy

because it would created much more

traffic congestion and Fremont has grown

faster enough. It is not like this is the

“woods”like it was 35 years ago.

Some call Fremont “Silicon Valley East”

because our development in the high

tech industry.

BART comes here and in the future is going

to San José, people are really not thinking

of bringing a Major League franchise to

this City. The Athletics should stay were

they belong, in Oakland. That is their

home since 1968. Oakland is a great city,

the great people that lives there. But

of course not their inept politicos.

[Read more →]

The week got off to a rollicking start with the A’s following their second half blue print in a 4-3 win over Anaheim, while the Giants lost to the Dodgers after Jason Schmidt let a 3-0 lead get away.

Cory Lidle faced 26 batters, he started 17 off with strikes, he was in command after the first inning after falling behind 3-0 in the game, the deficit caused by a three run homer off the bat of Troy Glaus.

The A’s broke through against the Angels bull pen, tying the game off Scott Schoenwiess and winning in the ninth against Alan Levine.

More importantly, Brenden Donnelly, Anaheim’s best righty pitched two innings in game one. Donnelly will be needed throughout the series and the A’s were glad to get him into the first one, as he threw 23 pitches.

The Giants lost 7-6 almost tying the game in the ninth, but were denied when Marquis Grissom robbed Rich Aurilia of a home run with an over the fence snag of Aurilia’s blast to center field.

Today, both races are even and more excitement is due, let’s see. [Read more →]

The San Francisco Giants

for the third consecutive

season since they opened

Pac Bell Park have

surpassed 3 million fans

in attendance.

By Amaury Pi-González

[Read more →]