http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/20 Recent articles about the Oakland Athletics en-us Wondering who made the All-Star team from your favorite team? We've got the American and National League rosters broken down team-by-team so you can easily see who was selected. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:44:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286327 The 2008 MLB All-Star rosters were announced today. The All-Star Game will be played on July 15, 2008 at Yankee Stadium, with the league winner securing home field advantage in the World Series. We'll take a look at these rosters, and pick them apart - Who doesn't deserve to go? Who got the snub? Because we know most of our readers likely suffer from ADD, we'll do this in two parts. This article will address the American League roster, and later we'll address the National League roster. So here's how the AL roster looks....... Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:00:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286285 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286285 In the fourth installment of a series investigating statistical trends over the past 3 decades, the Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame reviews RBI. In an interesting side note, 1998 saw three 150 RBI-men, but this was nowhere close to the all time mark. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:13:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285947 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285947 The playoffs in July? It sure felt like it on Wednesday watching Tampa's raucous crowd will their high flying Rays to a spectacular comeback and a surprising sweep of the reigning champ Red Sox. The win pushed Tampa Bay's lead in the East to an impressive 3.5 games. It was time. Time to talk to the top Rays fan site on the net. That's where R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay comes in. Anderson has been with DRaysBay since August 2006 and says he got into baseball "right before the Rays came around." Before that, he was a Braves fan. Anderson hails from the Tampa area and writes for Beyond the Boxscore, and has had his work featured on Deadspin and The Hardball Times. Without further adieu: the interview in it's glorious entirety. Scott Jacobs: Have you pinched yourself to make sure everything happening right now is real? I mean, the Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in baseball. As the Senior Editor of DRaysBay, how does it feel to finally have a winning team to talk about? R.J. Anderson: No way, I don't want this to end whether it be a dream or real. It feels a bit odd, honestly after all the losing seasons you start becoming numb to the results of games, and it's not because you don't care about the team and whether they win, but more of self protection. This is the first time in a long time that I, and really the entire fan base, can live and die with this team every night. SJ: Who would have thought that the Rays could supplant the Yankees as Sportscenter's number one crush of the week? ESPN has been all over you guys, and for good reason. How's it feel to have all this attention (positive attention) placed on a team that has known nothing but failure? RJ: It brings a smile to my face. Of course then someone will take a potshot at our fan base, which is growing, and it causes me to turn the channel. I don't think the Florida Marlins or Oakland Athletics fans get called to go to the park every night, and it's not even the Rays fans who don't go, it's the Yankee and Red Sox fans or even Cubs fans who live here and won't support the home team, at least not until the Rays are winning. SJ: Obviously the Rays are having their breakout year in 2008, but its been 10 years in the making. When did this turnaround really begin? And by turnaround I mean when was it evident, regardless of record, that Tampa Bay was starting to turn the corner? RJ: It's pretty hard to place a date on it because there isn't a definitive point, this is more like the Renaissance, or if I can throw a cheap pun out there, the Raynessiance. Stuart Sternberg and the new regime took over in November 2005, so that's a possible date, but if you want the moment us fans began thinking of this club different it was last July when the team dealt for Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler within a few days of each other, suddenly they weren't dealing major leaguers for minor leaguers anymore. Perhaps November 18th as well when the team announced stadium plans and the trade of Delmon Young to the Twins. SJ: Tampa Bay's notorious, along with the Marlins, for having really bad fans and attendance numbers. Yesterday's game against Boston was the 4th sellout of the season. So my question is this: are the fans finally here to stay, or is this just a tease of what could one day be? RJ: I wouldn't say "really bad fans", I would say "fewer", the fans the Rays have aren't bad fans, they've supported a team that many would've given up on, and most Rays fans have a great grasp on the game itself. As for the attendance, look, the 1991 Braves went from 65 wins to 94 and their attendance jumped from 12,100 per game to 26,422. Right now our attendance is just shy of 21,000 in a 36,000 seat stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium sat nearly 50,000 as a football stadium that hosted baseball. Going purely be capacity measures the Rays are filling up nearly 59% of the place, the Braves had that great run and at the end of the season filled up around 53% of their stadium. Are they here to stay? I'll say yes, but only because I don't expect the bandwagon to empty anytime soon. SJ: Tampa's got great pitching, very good defense, a solid bullpen, and they love to steal bases. Sounds a heck of lot like the 2003 Florida Marlins. That team as you may recall won the World Series. See any similarities between this year's Rays and the 03 Marlins? What team would you compare this Rays squad to? RJ: I think the 2003 Marlins are a fair comparison. Both teams had a young star step up after opening day with Miguel Cabrera and Evan Longoria, both had a pretty legitimate top three of the rotation – I mean look back at that rotation and tell me how they wouldn't be expected to win every year if not for injuries – but they didn't have a very good defense. The 1994 Montreal Expos fit us better in regards that they had a really good defense, no true "star" players, a bunch of somewhat young guys with good seasons, and came out of nowhere. SJ: The trading deadline is fast approaching, and some interesting names have been linked to the Rays: C.C. Sabathia and Ken Griffey Jr. being the biggest When it's all said and done, and the trading deadline has passed, is it realistic to think the Rays will have made a trade for a big name player, or are they going to stick to their young guys 'paving the way' approach? RJ: It's realistic to think they could, but they won't, and it's not because of money – although I don't know if there's a team out there that can re-sign Sabathia straight up before he touches the free agent market. The Rays have built this persona around their motto "We Are One Team" and I don't see them bringing in a guy like Griffey Jr. because A) he's not going to help this team outside of the veteran presence non-sense people toss around and B) he's not good value. The people who run this team are former Wall Street honchos, think Billy Beane to the extreme. They're going to find someone who is undervalued but can help this team and they're going to acquire him for less than they should be able to, and then they're going to look like geniuses when he works out. They understand the market and real player value very well. SJ: Everybody's talking about what Tampa Bay is doing well. And for good reason. But in order to sustain their success throughout the second half, what doe the Rays need to improve on? RJ: The pitching and defense have been stellar, but the offense has only been average. I'm not sure if it's something the team can improve on outside of acquiring someone, but they need for progression to strike Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford. If those two can get going with B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, and Eric Hinske having their seasons, this lineup could jolt up from middle of the pack very quickly. SJ: The Rays have long been one of the saddest franchises in pro sports. They changed their look, and their logo this year, and ditched "Devil", now fining media members 1 dollar every time they say the word. Clearly they're serious about the new image, but how much of an impact do you think their new look has had on the turnaround of this team? RJ: I'm not sure if it had any affect, although the players love the unis, this team – or perhaps the franchise's – mindset changed November 2005. To paraphrase something Chuck LaMar said: the only thing that was separating this organization from being recognized as one of the best was the results on the field. The team name and colors didn't matter until the team got good. SJ: And uh, speaking of the uniforms, why are the Rays too afraid to put "Tampa Bay" on any of their jerseys? What's up with that? RJ: The organization says its to build the new identity more, and I believe MLB rules prohibit changing the home/away jerseys within a year of each other, so what the plan seems to be is introducing a new uniform with RAYS on it, and then in 2010 implementing Tampa Bay on the road unis. SJ: What's the prognosis for Tampa the rest of the way? Can they win the AL East? Is it still hard to believe that you're even getting asked this? RJ: It's easy to say the team will win the division, but frankly I'm not sure I can wrap my mind around that quite yet. Let's say they break the franchise wins record (70) and after that all bets are off. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:00:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285823 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285823 In honor of recently nicknamed Lance Berkman as the "Big Puma," we have put together a list of the greatest baseball nicknames of all-time! 10. "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas -- Nicknamed "The Big Hurt" in 1992 by broadcaster Ken Harrelson, Thomas has been a fearful presence in the batter's box for two decades. With over 500 homeruns and two MVP awards, Thomas is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. 9. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson -- Legend has it that Jackson bought a new pair of spikes for a game in South Carolina in 1908. After a few innings, the spikes were causing blisters on his feet, so he took them off and played the rest of the game barefoot. Although he never played another game without spikes, the name stook forever. 8. "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose -- The only nickname fitting the man who huslted his way to 4,256 hits. Rose was known for running down to first base after a walk. He never took a play off, and will always be known for his hard slide against Ray Fosse in the All-Star Game in 1971 that ended the catcher's career. 7. "Pudge" Carlton Fisk & Ivan Rodriguez -- This nickname was so good, it was used twice. Known for his durability, Fisk was a Hall of Fame catcher whose career lasted 24 seasons. Fisk also hit the famous "waving" home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The 2nd coming of "Pudge" was Rodriguez, who certainly lived up to his potential. A 13-time Gold Glove winner and 14-time All-Star, Rodriguez will be calling Cooperstown home once he retires. 6. "The Wizard of Oz" Ozzie Smith -- The perfect nickname for the shortstop who always magicly seemed to come up with the ball. With a record 16 gold gloves and a fantastic flip to start each game, The Wizard personified the acrobatic style of play by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980's. 5. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra -- Yogi got his "nickname" from Bobby Hofman, a childhood friend. While watching a movie about an Indian snake charmer, Bobby noted that Yogi had a striking resemblance to the hindu man, saying "That yogi walks like Lawdie ( Larry) Berra," and the name stuck. Joe Garagiola tells a funny story about Yogi giving Carmen an anniversary card signed 'Yogi Berra.' She asked him if he thought he had to sign his last name so she wouldn't think it came from some other Yogi." 4. "The Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays -- Known for his gregarious nature, Mays would usually welcome a newcomer with his traditional "Say Hey." Yet, this "Kid" would go on to smash 660 Home Runs and appear in a record 24 All-Star Games. Today, Mays is arguably the greatest living ballplayer. 3. George Herman "Babe" Ruth -- The Babyfaced Ruth elevated the game of baseball to a national pastime. Prolific with the bat, Ruth batted a career .342 and slugged 714 home runs. Ruth's accomplishments were so incredible that the term "Ruthian" was created to describe his feats and those of future ballplayers. 2. "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson -- Nobody embodies the "clutch" player more than Reggie Jackson. With 3 home runs in game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Jackson dominated the L.A. Dodgers and led the Yankees to their first championship since 1962. 1. "The Iron Horse" Lou Gehrig -- A fitting nickname for the man who played in a then-record 2,130 consecutive games. Besides the incredible streak, Gehrig was also a model of class and dignity--a perfect foil to the playful Babe Ruth. Yet, Gehrig was no mediocre player. To this day, he still holds the record for career Grand Slams (24) and most RBI's in the American League in one season (184). Honorable Mention: "El Guapo" Rich Garces, "The Chairman of the Board" Whitey Ford, Lenny "Nails" Dykstra, "Donnie Baseball" Don Mattingly, Mordechai "Three-Finger" Brown, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, "Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams, Stan "The Man" Musial, "Big Papi" David Ortiz, "Oil Can" Boyd, Larry "Chipper" Jones, "El Caballo" Carlos Lee, "The Pig Puma" Lance Berkman, "The Crime Dog" Fred McGriff, "Mr. May" Dave Winfield, "The Mayor" Sean Casey, "Dr. K" Dwight Gooden, Edwin "Duke" Snider, "The Big Unit" Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan "Express", "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, "Stanky the Yankee" Andy Stankiewicz, Sal "The Barber" Maglie, "The Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:34:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285815 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285815 If you're a baseball card guy, or gal, I've got some for sale on eBay. Have a look-see. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjdm2180 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:37:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285792 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285792 Los Angeles fans aren't usually characterized as the die-hard type, but one man is bravely trying to shatter that stereotype. Jeffrey Coles, 26, was arrested on Tuesday after a parking lot altercation with Oakland A's closer Huston Street... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:22:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285565 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285565 As we approach the mid-point of the 2008 season, much has been made of the success of small market teams like the Rays and Marlins. Heck, even the Pirates have scraped their way towards mediocrity. While these teams' successes are usually attributed to the talented, young players they have, I think it also has something to do with the expensive, old players they don't have. Here is the worst team money can buy, and no, it's not the Mets roster... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:49:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285559 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285559 The touted farm system of the Oakland A's just got a new prize prospect, with the team set to announce the signing of Dominican pitcher Michael Inoa. Inoa is only 16 years old, but is already 6'7" and 210 pounds... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:32:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285339 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285339 Should Seattle shop Adrian Beltre? Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:36:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285327 Alex Rodriguez and Jose Canseco are two men who differ in many ways. One is at the height of his playing career, while the other is broke and embroiled in a post-career controversy. One is a Hall of Fame bound superstar, while the other is struggling to stay on reality tv. One plays for the Yankees, while the other last played for the Long Beach Armada. However, with all of these differences it's tough to overlook the apparent similarities between two men at each end of the baseball consciousness... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:47:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285022 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285022 Not quite like Waiver Wire, this piece examines potentially available players that focus on a specific category. If you need some power, we have a suggestion. If you need some speed, we have a suggestion. If you need some K's, we have a suggestion. Unfortunately, these players will not help your fantasy team (most of the time) outside of the category they are listed. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:30:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285012 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285012 Would you pay $4.25 million for a 6?7 205 lbs 16-year old pitcher who can throw 95 mph? I would strongly consider purchasing the kid so that I could show him around to my friends and instantly become the coolest cat on the block. But on a serious note, $4.25 million is a serious amount of money for any team to pay a youngster that can only be considered a project. Out of all teams, the last one that I would have ever predicted to shell out this kind of money is the Oakland Athletics. Predictions mean nothing. The international signing period opens tomorrow, but teams not named the Oakland As ought not to bother trying to woo Michael Inoa and his agent, Adam Katz of WMG. You thought that WMG was just a powerhouse in the world of basketball? Think again. Katz has already verbally agreed to a deal with Billy Beane and the As for his client, which includes a $4.25 million signing bonus. Sorry, Yankees, but the guy known for his Moneyball tactics beat you in one of his rare money-spending moves. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:24:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284704 TBS announced today the addition of two-time All-Star Harold Reynolds and six-time All-Star and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Eckersley to its studio team for the network’s exclusive coverage of the MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevy at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 6. Reynolds and Eckersley will join TBS studio host and two-time Emmy® award-winner Ernie Johnson and TBS MLB studio analyst Cal Ripken, a 19-time All-Star, two-time All-Star Game MVP (1991, 2001) and 2007 Hall of Fame inductee. Immediately following the show TBS will air the Chicago Cubs @ St. Louis Cardinals at 3 p.m. ET, with Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Buck Martinez (analyst) calling the action. “We are excited to add analysts to our studio show with the on-air credentials and on-field experience of the caliber of Harold and Dennis,” said Jeff Behnke, SVP and executive producer for Turner Sports. “We look forward to providing their insights and opinions as fans and players around the country learn who will be representing their teams in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game.” During the telecast, TBS will exclusively reveal the All-Star Game starters elected by fan voting, as well as the player selections and manager picks to round out this year’s AL and NL squads. Throughout the hour-long telecast Reynolds, Eckersley and Ripken will provide in-depth review and analysis. Reynolds, who currently serves as a baseball commentator for MLB.com and an analyst for SportsNet New York (SNY), played 12-seasons in the Major Leagues, spending time with the Seattle Mariners (1983-92), Baltimore Orioles (1993) and California Angels (1994). Along with his two All-Star appearances (1987 1988), Reynolds won three Gold Gloves (1988 – 1990), led the American League in steals with 60 in 1987 and received MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award (1991) for his community service work. Reynolds previously served as a studio analyst on ESPN’s Emmy® award-winning Baseball Tonight. Eckersley currently serves as a studio analyst for select Boston Red Sox games on New England Sports Network (NESN). The AL 1992 Cy Young award and MVP winner, Eckersley enjoyed success as both a starter and reliever and is one of only two pitchers to have both a 20-win season (1978) and a 50-save season (1992) in a career. Affectionately known as “Eck,” the pitcher played 24 years in the big leagues for the Cleveland Indians (1975-77), Boston Red Sox (1978-84, 1998), Chicago Cubs (1984 – 86), Oakland Athletics (1987-95) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-97), winning a World Series championship with the A’s in 1989. TBS is the exclusive home of all four MLB Division Series as well as the 2008 American League Championship Series. This season the network launched Sunday MLB on TBS, featuring 26 consecutive Sunday afternoon match ups with Chip Caray providing play-by play, alongside analysts Ron Darling and Buck Martinez throughout the season.Source: TBS Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29). Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:21:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284631 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284631 This was another week to forget for the Phillies, as their struggles continued against the Athletics and Rangers. The Phils went 2-4 on the week, failing to beat such powerhouses as Joe Blanton (4-11, 4.97 ERA), Eric Hurley (1-1, 3.57 ERA), and Kason Gabbard (2-3, 4.82 ERA). The Phils' offense, which has been struggling mightily over the past few weeks, finally found some life this weekend in Texas, only to have the pitching falter in its place. In the first two games of the series, the Phillies scored a total of 15 runs, but gave up 14 runs. The Fightins just can't seem to catch a break. As a result of his struggles this year, pitcher Brett Myers (3-9, 5.84 ERA) could be headed back to the bullpen. Full coverage of that story here. Who can say if that will help Myers? I, for one, was not all that impressed with his pitching as the team's closer last year, and under no circumstances do I want the Phillies to think that he is a viable option when considering whether to offer current closer Brad Lidge a serious contract extension next year. Myers has never quite lived up to his potential, and has been down right awful this year. With Adam Eaton and Kyle Kendrick filling the back end of the rotation, and aging lefty Jamie Moyer (who continues to amaze as a guy who consistently keeps the Phillies in the game, despite being the oldest player in the major leagues) as the number three man, the Phillies really needed Myers to step up and be the man he's always supposed to have been. That didn't happen. Maybe a return to the pen will do him some good. It certainly can't make him any worse. In other, happier, news, the Flyers' officially signed forward Jeff Carter to a three year deal worth $15 million. For more on Carter's signing, check out Jay's post from Sunday. The Flyers have been busy this week. In addition to signing Carter, they signed Steve Eminger to a one year contract. Eminger was a draft day acquisition from the Washington Capitals. They made two trades yesterday, acquiring Tim Ramholt from the Calgary Flames for Kyle Greentree, and traded recently acquired defenseman Janne Niskala to Tampa Bay for a sixth-round pick in next year's draft. The Flyers traded for Niskala from the Nashville Predators last week for forward Triston Grant and a seventh-round draft pick in next year's draft. Today is the first day of free agency in the NBA and we fully expect the Sixers to be major players in this year's market. Los Angeles Clippers' star Elton Brand opted out of the last year of his contract, making him available to the Sixers to negotiate with. For more on Brand and the Sixers' free agency plans, go here. Continue to check back as we break all the developing Philly sports stories, from the Phils' attempts to right their ship to the Sixers' free agency moves, Hot Stove Philly has you covered. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:44:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284593 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284593