Apologies and thoughts on the A's Hot Start

I know I've been terrible about blogging lately, its a bad excuse but I've been traveling and works been going a little crazy so I haven't had the time. But I am definitely making a concerted effort to get back on the wagon starting now.

Your 2008 Oakland A's: 13-9, tied for first in the AL West with an AL leading 3.24 Team ERA. And that's with the Rich "my last name is ironic considering my overall fragile health" Harden and the Duke combining for a total of three starts. Dana Eveland and Greg Smith have been great, but looking at the stats today I realized that the A's pitching staff has been led by three unsung heroes, all of them middle relievers. Their stats:

Andrew Brown: 12 IP, 8K's, 0ER, 0.75 WHIP
Joey Devine: 71/3 IP, 5K's, oER, 0.95 WHIP
The pitcher formally known as Jairo Garcia (Santiago Casilla): 11IP, 14K's, oER, 0.82.

That's a grand total of 30 1/3 scoreless innings out of a total of 200. Right. On.

Do I think the success is going to last? Probably not, because the young starters are going to start to get shelled as the season goes on and the weather warms up. The offense is still struggling, combining for an anemic .253/.334/.693 line: if the A's want to stay in the AL West race they're going to have to start to hit.

And who knows, maybe this man will be the answer to our problems: according to Yahoo Sports the Big Hurt might be heading back to Oakland after being waived by the Blue Jays last week. Between him and Mike Sweeney the A's should be able to produce a DH who can can get on base at a decent clip and hit 25-30 home runs.

Barry Zito's WHIP: 1.79
Giants team batting average: .244

Interestingly, the spread between these numbers is 65, which is probably a pretty good figure for the o/u on Giants wins this season.

Ugh.

2-13, 17 minutes, all of them in the first half. Baron Davis was the heart and soul of this Warriors team, and his line from last night tells you all you need to know about Golden State's playoff-crunching (my horrifically corny term for the a game that officially knocks you out of the postseason...the opposite of clinching) loss to Phoenix.

To keep the sports metaphors rolling, Baron Davis was the fuel that powered the Warriors, and we all know that a car can't do jack on an empty tank. It was pretty clear three weeks ago that this time was on its last legs and that even if they somehow managed to gut their way into the playoffs, their visit to the postseason stage would be a short one. Indeed, the Warriors gave it all they got, but in the end their best just wasn't good enough to outgut their Western Conference opponents.

I think Ken Tremendous's head just exploded.

Yeah, its a little disappointing, but if you had told me or any other Warriors fan two years ago that Golden State would go 48-34 this year, you would have made them a very happy person. This Dubs are no longer the c0-laughing stocks of the NBA (the current undisputed laughingstock of the NBA: Your Los Angeles Clippers!) Hell, considering the Bay Area weather and the crazy East Bay fan support, the Warriors are arguably even a team free agents will want to sign with.

So before Warriors fans get all depressed about missing the playoffs, lets remember how far they've come. Montae and the gang will be back next year, and whether Baron resigns or not, this team will still be fun to watch come November.

In other news, the A's finally figured out how to win games in April: trade all of your good players away, make sure your best hitter and pitcher are on the DL (Chavy and Harden), throw in your number 3 starter for good measure, then play 10 of your first 15 games against teams who made the playoffs last year. And while you're at it, travel 8,000 miles round trip to Japan a week before every other team besides Boston starts the regular season and play 10 of your first 15 games on the road. And yes, I know the A's were technically the home team in Japan, but I have a gyroball throwing technique to tell you about if you believe Oakland had any sort of home field advantage in Tokyo.

9-6, tied for first in the AL West. Keep it rolling boys.

Barry Zito WHIP vs. Giants Team Batting Average Tracker: 1.69 vs. .245. Things are headed in the right direction Giants fans!!! In all seriousness, Lincecum is filthy and looks like a keeper. If Brian Sabean could just find some hitting and apply the basic economic principle of "sunk cost" to Mr. Zito's contract this team could actually go somewhere...in 2010.

Oh, and the Sharks are down 2-1 to the Flames despite entering the playoffs on a ridiculous hot streak, earning the number two seed in the west, and becoming the hot Stanley Cup Champion Pick of all five remaining NHL analysts. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I Don't Believe

Well the Warriors blew when it counted tonight, falling to the Nuggets 114-105 at home. Theoretically they can still get in if they win their 3-0 and the Nuggets go 1-2, or if the Warriors go 2-1 and the Nuggets go 0-3. The Nuggets going 0-3 is extremely unlikely since they play the last game of the year against a Memphis team that is playing for the lottery. 1-2 is theoretically possible since they play at Utah and host Houston, which means the Warriors have to sweep the Clippers and Seattle at home (possible)...and win at Phoenix on Monday. On paper this actually looks doable, but I don't have much faith in a team that goes up 37-22 in the first quarter at home in the biggest game of the year and can't finish off the Denver Nuggets.

The bright side to the loss? The Warriors were probably getting tossed in the first round anyway. Let's be realistic, they've played terribly lately...they haven't beaten a playoff team on the road since the Lakers in late March and Baron and S-Jack are completely out of gas. At least now the dubs have a 0.5% chance of winning the lottery and landing Michael Beasley in the draft. Methinks (remind me never to use that word again) that Mr. Beasley would help a great deal in solving the Warriors rebounding problems next year.

In other Bay Area Sports News, the Giants suck, the A's are tied for first in the west, and the Sharks can't win in the playoffs (though, knock on wood, they are up 2-0 on the Flames as I write this). Wait, the A's are tied for first in the West?

Its only ten games in, but the team looks a hell of a lot better than I thought they would. Hitting? Who needs it when you have Dana Eveland and Greg Smith.

Sports Weekend in the Bay

Thoughts on the weekend action for the A's, Giants, and Warriors:

A's: Two of three from the Indians isn't half bad. Oakland's starters look awesome, compiling a 2.13 ERA (tops in the American League) through the first week. Unfortunately as good as the starters have been, the offense has been worse, as the A's are hitting an anemic .218 with a .634 OPS through 8 games. Obviously both numbers are going to regress toward normal as the season rolls on, but with the early returns it looks like this year's squad is shaping up a lot like last year: great starting pitching, shaky bullpen, terrible hitting. And, with the Duke possibly hitting the DL after putting a great line of 5IP/6K's/2BB/4H/1ER in his first start, injury problems galore.

Things I love about the A's seven games in:

Dana Eveland 7IP/7K's/1BB/6H/1ER and the w in his first start of the year.

Kurt Suzuki 9/24 with an .881 OPS, 4R, and no errors behind the plate.

Things I hate about the A's seven games in:

Travis Buck 0/21 with no walks and 9K's.

Huston Street 0-1, 12.27 ERA in 3 and 2/3 IP. Oof.

Warriors: After playing a reasonably solid three and a third quarters against the Hornets (the score was 90-90 four minutes into the fourth) , the Warriors ran out of gas in New Orleans, falling 106-98. Not a terrible performance considering Golden State was wrapping up a four game road trip that included games against three playoff teams, but this definitely was not a performance that inspires confidence in the dubs' ability to finish strong over the final week of the season.

Fortunately for Golden State fans, the loss at New Orleans was mitigated by a surprising performance by the Seattle Sonics, who took advantage of Denver's Achilles Heel: the inability to win games when allowing teams to score more than 150 points (in the Nuggets' defense the game did go to Double OT). Which means the Warriors are tied with the Nuggets with both teams having 5 games left, including the all important tilt in Oakland on this Thursday on TNT. The Warriors schedule looks reasonably favorable: home against Sacto, Denver, and the Clippers, away against the Suns, than home against the Sonics in the last game of the year. Denver plays at the Clippers, at Golden State, at Utah, Houston and Memphis.

Which means that I think the Warriors path to the playoffs is simple: beat Denver, then win three of the remaining four games. If Denver loses to the Warriors and the W's go 4-1 overall Denver will have to win at Utah and beat Houston at home to stay even with the W's. Which could very easily happen, but I don't see the Nuggets bouncing back if they lose to Golden State in Oakland on Thursday.

On the flip side, a loss at home to the Nuggets and the Warriors are toast. And this team is probably getting bounced in the first round no matter what happens, Davis and Jackson are simply out of gas.

Giants: I don't know if Ben Sheets complete game shutout (9 IP, 5 hits, 8 K's, 0 BB) is a reflection if his greatness or the Giants' crappiness. I do know that the Giants got swept by the Brewers over the weekend and are losing 5-1 to the Padres as I write this post. Though I will say that this weekend's action gave me an idea for a new weekly feature: which is higher, Barry Zito's WHIP or the Giants' team batting average?

Currently Zito's WHIP is 1.90, the team is batting a cool .221. Tune in next week to see where things go from here.

New coach for the Bears

Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery is reportedly headed to Berkeley to become the new Cal basketball coach. Seems like a sensible move by the Bears, Montgomery's definitely a good coach and the Cardinal did make the tournament 10 straight years under his leadership before he made the ill-fated decision to take the Warriors job. I will say that this highlights how the Cal/Stanford rivalry can't really compare to some of the more storied ones in college sports: could you imagine Coach K quitting Duke and starting to coach at NC after taking a few years off? Or Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim switching places in the Big East? Both Cal and Stanford are probably going to be pretty terrible next year anyway (Cal loses Anderson and Hardin, Stanford probably loses both Lopez Twins), but the hiring will make for an interesting set of games in Maples and Haas come next winter.

Texas Smackdown...

A depressing sports day for the East Bay yesterday. First the A's quietly go down to the Red Sox 5-0 despite yet another outstanding and injury-free outing from Rich Harden (5IP, 6Ks, 0ER). Unfortunately the A's offense couldn't hold up its end of the bargain, going 4-28 with one extra base hit. Any team as young as the A's is going to have stretches of inconsistent offensive production, and it's way too early to make any real conclusions about the 2008 season yet anyway. Why? Jason Kendall will tell you:

3-6, one run, two doubles, 2RBIS, 1.458 OPS.

Though I will say that I'm a lot less optimistic about the A's than I was a week ago when they were on their way back from Japan having split two games with Boston.

Meanwhile the Warriors got slaughtered last night in Dallas. Jackson and Harrington combined for an atrocious 2-20 from the field, the entire team played terrible defense...I guess we can maybe chalk it up to tired legs or something but the team just looked like it was played at half speed last night. Whatever the reason for that crapfest the Warriors are now a game behind the Nuggets and two games behind the Mavericks, with both teams holding tie breakers over the W's should it come down to that.

Here's the breakdown of the three teams' remaining schedules:

Golden State: at Memphis, at New Orleans, Sacramento, Denver, LA Clippers, at Phoenix, Seattle.

Denver: Sacramento, at Seattle, at LA Clippers, at Golden State, at Utah, Houston, Memphis.

Dallas: at Lakers, at Phoenix, Seattle, Utah, at Portland, at Seattle, New Orleans.

Golden State's current record is 45-30, Denver is 46-29, Dallas 47-28.

If the Warriors go 5-2 or better while beating Denver I think they get in. Anything less and they're through. Let's hope the Dubs get off on the right foot Thursday night in Memphis.

Thoughts on Tuesday Night's Baseball Action.

Giants fans, get used to this. Matt Cain's line from last night:

5 2/3 IP, 3 hits, 4 BB, 5K's, 0ER.

The bullpen's line from last night:

3 IP, 6 hits, 3ER, 1BB 3 K's, and the loss.

Which apparently went to Keichi Yabu, best remembered for being the A's misguided attempt to tap into the Japanese baseball market by signing an incredibly crappy reliever on the cheap. In other words, he was Oakland's version of Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

Not that East Bay baseball fans can talk much smack, as the A's wasted a typically solid (1 ER, 7H, 1BB, 3 K's, 6IP) Joe Blanton outing in losing to the Red Sox last night. The A's definitely got jobbed when the ump called Youkilis safe in the 5th: Suzuki clearly tagged Youkilis before (if) he touched home, and who knows what would have happened if the inning ended there. Then again, its tough to win games when you only score one run, and Dice-K was NASTY last night, striking out nine, walking none, and only allowing two hits over six and two thirds. Its also to win games when Emil Brown is hitting fifth (or anywhere) in your lineup, but such is the life of an A's fan.

Hopefully the bats will wake up this afternoon. For what its worth the A's are -135 favorites to win this game, as Harden takes on Lester in a match up that gives a clear advantage to the "home" team, despite the presence of 20,000 New England transplants/wannabes sporting Papi jerseys in the stands at the Coliseum.

The Spurs put a hurting on the Warriors.

San Antonio 116, Golden State 92. At least Nellie was smart enough to throw in the towel when things got out of hand toward the end of the third, as Baron, Jackson, and Monte only played around 30 minutes each. Couple the blowout with Denver's win over Phoenix and you have the set up for perhaps the Warriors most important game of the season tomorrow night at Dallas. Its going to be tough to steal this game, but despite the Mavericks 30-7 home record this is definitely a possible win for the W's as Dallas has only gone 2-5 (with both wins against the Clippers) since Dirk went down with an injury last week. There's a chance the big guy will be back in time for tomorrow's game, but odds are he won't be at 100%: either way this is a game the Warriors need to win.

More analysis of the W's and thoughts on tonight's baseball action (is Dice-K actually that good or is the A's lineup just that bad?) tomorrow morning.

Zzzzzzito and other thoughts on pseudo-opening day.

Ah Barry, Zito. Everyone's favorite kooky lefty whom the Giants honored with what will probably go down as the worst contract ever given to a pitcher not named Mike Hampton. His line on opening day:

5 IP, 8 hits, 4ER, 1 K, 1 BB, L.

Now that's what I call an ace. Though I will say that Zito took a step forward from his spring training line:

12 2/3 IP, 21hits, 10 BB, 0 K, 14.92 ERA.

And you wonder why the A's didn't want to spend the money to resign him. In all honesty part of me is a little sad to see Zito struggle, but any fan with a smidgen of baseball intelligence could have told you what a terrible idea it was to hand 126 million over 7 years to a guy who is better at banging movie stars than he is at banging fastballs by right handers with any bat speed.

Apparently the Giants are also starting a guy named Brian BoCock at shortstop while while Omar Vizquel spends April rehabbing from knee surgery. Brian Bocock being a 23 year old "prospect" who has played a total of one year in the minors and put up the following combined numbers at Low-A Augusta and High-A San Jose last year:

.243 Avg .312 OBP .656 OPS, 4 HR, 57 RBI, 51 BB, 124 K's.

It's going to be a long year Giants fan. At least Lincecum and Cain should be decent.

Other thoughts on baseball's real opening day.

Welcome to the AL East cellar, Baltimore Orioles. Might as well set up the futon, hang some posters, plug in the lava lamp, and fire up the bong: you're not leaving anytime soon.

On the flip side of the same coin, enjoy your 2-0 start, Washington Nationals. It's all downhill from here.

Buying: White Sox offense, Nate McLouth, Johan Santana, Carlos Gomez, Lastings Milledge, Nick Johnson.

Selling: The White Sox bullpen, every Giant hitter, Tom Gordon, NL Central closers, the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors take care of business and thoughts on the era of an era for Cal Basketball

Now that's what I'm talking about. Things were looking brutal as the Warriors sleepwalked their way to a 26-12 deficit nine minutes in, but woke up after a profanity filled tirade from Nellie, outscoring the Blazers 99-69 the rest of the way en route to a 111-95 win. The third quarter knockout punch (outscoring the Blazers 40-20 in that frame) was nice too, as it gave the starters a chance to rest: Baron only played 27 minutes last night, and Nellie felt comfortable enough give W's fans a rare Bellinelli citing, as the bench warming rookie logged 4 minutes at the end of the game.

Now the real fun begins: the Warriors' next four games are going to decide whether or not they make the playoffs. Hyperbole? Maybe, but check out the team's schedule over the next five days: at Denver Saturday night, home against Dallas on Monday, at San Antonio Tuesday, at Dallas Wednesday. A brutal stretch, especially considering the Warriors are only a half game behind the Mavs and a half game ahead of the Nuggets for the 8th and final playoff spot in the west. If the Warriors can somehow go 3-1 or 4-0 (not happening) over these next four games, they're gold. A 2-2 split is fine, especially if the two wins are against Dallas and Denver. 1-3 and they're in deep trouble, though if they can beat the Nuggets or Dallas for the one win they might still be able to salvage things. 0-4 and this team is done, and its time to start thinking about 2008.

In other news, Cal fired coach Ben Braun earlier this week, ending his 12 year run as head of the Bears' basketball program. This definitely was a needed move, Cal had at least two players with first round NBA Draft potential this year (RYan Anderson and Devon Hardin) and should have finished much higher than 9th in the Pac-10. Its been a long time since Cal was a legitimate threat to go deep in the tourney (I believe Tony Gonzalez was on the team the last time they made it to the Sweet 16), and while Braun had his moments, it was time for him to go.

As for where the program goes from here, the standard California basketball names are being thrown around: former Stanford and Warriors coach Mike Montgomery, former W's and Kings coach Eric Musselman, and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin (please god no). My personal favorite would be Nevada coach Mike Fox, whose taking a program that was an afterthought and gone 81-18 in his first three years on the job, including two NCAA berths. As far as I can tell the best program building college coaches usually rise up through the ranks from smaller schools: the guys who come back from the NBA are usually just looking to pad their wallets before heading back for another run at the big time.

Well, that was fast.

The Chris Webber era is officially over. It's so over that TNT literally just announced that "C-Webb" will be joining Ernie, Charlie, and Kenny in the studio to discuss the western conference playoff race just as I was writing that the Chris Webber era was over. An anti-climatic ending to a signing that many people (myself included) were making a huge deal out of only a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile the W's take on the Blazers at home in a match-up with huge playoff implications (which seems to describe every game involving western conference teams these days). This is a game Golden State needs to win, especially after watching the Nuggets put a hurting on Dallas earlier tonight. The Warriors' schedule down the stretch is absolutely brutal, and a game at home against a Portland team missing Brandon Roy is about as easy as its going to get from here on out. No more excuses: the Warriors need to take care of business tonight.

Hope springs eternal

Its late March, leaves are starting to bloom, the sun is actually starting to get warm, cliches about the weather are becoming as prevalent as sex jokes involving New York area politicians...and Rich Harden has once again made thousands of A's fans believe this might be the year where he finally stays healthy and becomes the ace he has always had the potential to be. The line from last night's game against the Red Sox says it all:

6IP, 3H, 3BB, 1ER, 9K's, and, most importantly, no strained muscles, elbow twinges, or shoulder tendinitis. Against one of the top offenses (if not the top offense) in baseball. Amazing.



Other (very) premature reasons to be hopeful for a better than expected 2008 in the Coliseum.

Bobby Crosby: 3-9, 2 runs, no swinging K's on sliders three feet of the plate.

Kurt Suzuki: 3-8, 2 doubles, 1 run, 1 SB. I think he's already doubled Jason Kendall's April extra base hit total from last year.

Keith Foulke: 2 IP, 2 K's, 0BB, 0H, 0ER. Kiko who?

Jack Hannahan: 3-8, 1HR, 1R, 2 RBIs...do we even need Chavy to come back healthy?

Talk to me again in two weeks when half the team is on the DL and I come to the realization that our team is starting two rejects from the Kansas City Royals (Emil Brown and Mike Sweeney), but for now its a not a bad time to be an A's fan.