Catch the A's at spring training in 2009--great tickets are here!

Get out there and vote next Tuesday, November 4th, Oakland!

What do you think? Are the A's shopping Street? Full article here, but I'm interested in other viewpoints.

Smith vs. Milwood Tonight

I have no doubt that Greg Smith can hold his own against the Rangers' pitcher in this week's series. I'm just a little nervous about the rest of the team.

Star Spangled Banner

Cheesy though it may be, the 4th of July always makes me feel patriotic. The rest of the year, I grumble about fat, lazy, greedy Americans. But when the fireworks displays go off in the background during a live performance of our national anthem, I get all mushy inside and proud of where we live.

This year I'm watching the SF Symphony in Mountain View. A quick search for California event tickets for the Fourth gave me the idea. I'll be sure to bring my Kleenex, in case I, uh, get something in my eye.

Vida Blue

Last week's game was Vida Blue Day for the fans. Fans got to see him throw the first pitch and take home replica jerseys. Here's an article about it. What a cool dude.

A is for All Star

Vote for your A's! The voting ends July 2nd, and our guys are not looking too good so far. I know it's unlikely that most of you will be traveling across the country with MLB All-Star Game tickets in hand, but it'll still be more fun to watch on TV with familiar faces. So c'mon, give our guys a chance. Show your pride and vote! It'll be like practice for November.

Thank You, Duch of Hurl!

Sunday's game was beautiful! A 7-1 win against the Marlins. Nice! Some of his teammates had not-so-great moments in the game, but Justin Duchscherer stayed focus and pulled everyone through. Great job!

Want info? Nope, still not getting it.

I've been wondering this question too, so thought this particular Q&A was interesting. From MLB.com:

"What's the real deal with the changes on the medical staff? I'm glad they did something, but I don't really know what this something means.
-- Lance W., Austin, Texas

I have no idea what the real deal is. It's no secret that some of the players have been unsatisfied with the medical staff over the past few years, and Beane made it clear at the end of the season that changes were likely to be made. But the organization in general has been extremely tight-lipped about all things medical, so you shouldn't hold your breath if you're expecting some serious light to be shed on the situation. It's being kept strictly in-house."

New managers can be a good thing

I don't know exactly what it is, but I like Bob Geren. I didn't hate Art Howe or Ken Macha, but I just got a feeling that they weren't as open. Like they were in it to sell tickets, and didn't care about the love of baseball, maybe.

It feels different now, somehow. I just wish the Oakland A's had brought Geren in a year earlier!