Like the great Jack Buck once said
“I cannot believe what I have just
seen”.
Ichiro Susuki is the best leadoff
hitter I have ever seen. And I
covered Rickey Henderson’s
career since he was a rookie
for the Oakland A’S in 1979
throught most of his glory
years. But if a leadoff hitter
job is to get on base, Ichiro
does it better than anybody
else.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Seattle [Read more →]

Like clockwork every season, the pretenders drop from the pennant races as the calendar turns from August to September.

Some teams gave their fans thrills over the summer, while others never got out of the gate.

If you are playing .500 heading in to September, you still are a contender in my book. Under .500 and in the American league and you are the subject of today’s column. [Read more →]

Marty, This morning’s daily newspaper contains a very lengthy article in which “Sabean makes the most of maligned farm system.” It is questionable whether Sabean has a good case. The team’s basic position is that they have been contenders for the top spot for many years. It is argued by him that this fact, standing alone, is sufficient rebuttal to those who contend that times have changed, that a productive farm system is necessary for continued success and that the Giants have been successful these past three or four years largely due to the presence of Barry Bonds.

Click below for Ed’s analysis of the Giants farm system!

[Read more →]

The addition of the wild card to the divisional races
is a stroke of genius. We all know the 3 divisional winners are going to be in the playoffs but the race for the 4th spot gives fans in all 3 divisions hope that their favorite team has a chance. Right now
3 teams in the AL west are neck and neck in as thrilling a divison race that one could imagine. The A’s win 6 out of 7 and lose a game to the Angels.
The Rangers rally from 2 down to beat the Twins
to stay in the race. Meanwhile in the Al central
Minnesota has a comfortable lead since the White Sox and Indians went on losing streaks. Nonetheless,they still have a remote chance.
Over in the east the Red Sox have about the same record as the A’s. They have to win. They gained some ground on the Yanks but may be too far back to win the division. Over in the NL, The Giants,Padres,Dodgers are in a race that mey go down to the wire. The Dodgers don’t look the same since the big trade and their bullpen may not hold up. Over in the central, the Cards are the class of the division and probably the league as well
but the Cubs are fighting for the 4th spot. Over in
the East it’s going to be Atlanta again. How do they do it? 37 games left and the fans should be piling into the parks. Looks like 7 million people will see
baseball in the LA area and over 5 million fans
will see baseball in the Bay area. How can anyone say baseball is dull and boring?

Jerry Feitelberg [Read more →]

If you look closely you can see baseball’s five game division series right around the corner.

Arguments have been made to expand that round to a best of seven format.

I disagree.

I think the five gamer is the most exciting week of baseball that we see all year. Every inning is played like it is the seventh game of the world series. There is no room for error. [Read more →]

Marty; It has been frequently said that pitching is 90% of the game. If this truism is to be honored, why are the Giants in the middle of a struggle for the wild card slot in the playoffs? Was there ever a team, with a pitching staff in such disarray, with 39 games left to play, realistically competing for an October prize?

Click below for Ed’s story about the Giants.

[Read more →]

Kendry Morales defected
Cuba this past June
along with 18 other Cubans
in a man-made raft
that arrived safely
in US territory.
Today many Major
League teams are
after his services.
Unlike other Cubans that
have arrived in the same
fashion there is little
doubt about Morales age.

By Amaury Pi-González
San Francisco [Read more →]

Batter Up August 14th

Like hurricanes in the Caribbean, great baseball races are spawned during the dog days of August. 2004 is no exception.

As millions of Floridians flee the storms battering the west coast of Florida this weekend, the Cleveland Indians are trying to fit into Cinderella’s glass slipper as this year’s surprise team.

[Read more →]

Marty, It is difficult to write about this team without returning constantly to the same observations which have been made over and over again this year. Nothing is new, a similar discontent, from a fan’s viewpoint, gets repeated until the refrain becomes tiresome.

Going out to the ballpark, watching the games on the tube, is anything but enjoyable. Seeing a team blow three and four run leads in the late innings, with a remarkable consistency, is maddening. Watching hitters, with runners in scoring position, hitting into double plays with greater regularity than any other team, irrespective of how good or bad that other team may be, is disheartening.

Click below for Ed’s Analysis!

[Read more →]

The A’s ended their eleven game road trip with 7 wins against 4 losses. They played 3 first place teams, the Rangers,the Yanks and the Twins. They could have had an even better record and taken 2 out 3 from the Yanks but they didn’t but they showed their grit by taking 3 out of 4 from the Twins and the
series with the Twins was as advertised. Two tough
gritty teams playing each other hard and never giving in, although today’s game was a laugher of sorts for the A’s. Both teams had to be tired after
the 18 inning marathon on Sunday. I said earlier that the A’s would be okay if they got a slpit in
Minnesota. They did better than that. They took 3 out of 4.They come home with a game and half lead over the Angels and 2 and 1/2 over the Rangers who were swept by Baltimore.
The A’s seem to be getting help from everyone
up and down the lineup. They now play Detroit ( lost 2 of 3), Kansas City and, yikes, the suddenly hot Orioles led by our old friend, Miguel Tejada who is now leading the American League with runs batted
in.Ouch ! Detroit is slipping in the standings (big deal) and
Kansas City is out of the race. However, you can never let up against teams like these.They have
a way of rising up and can beat you . The A’s always play hard and I don’t think Macha will let up. Can Macha hit for this team?
This team plays well in Oakland and let’s hope they can open up a bigger lead on the Angels.

Jerry Feitelberg

[Read more →]