The Church of Baseball

Half a game behind

2008-05-15T17:30:36Z

The Athletics are only half a game behind the Angels. This is such an exciting time and miracle upon miracle the Athletics are scrounging around for wins. It does concern me though that the Athletics can have 21 hits one night and then 2 the next. They need more consistent hitting but when have they ever not been in need of that? The pitching has been their saving grace thus far in the season. Usually they have a shaky first half of the season and are lucky when they reach the .500 mark at the All Star break. Then they kick it in to hyper drive and do things no one thought possible. This year things are different. They have a great opening to the season and I predict that after the All Star break things will slow down. That is my theory. A year in reverse.

You know you are an Athletics Fan When...

2008-05-13T02:16:25Z

Sitting alone in your apartment while listening to a baseball game upon the announcement of the umpires you shout out "OH NO!" at the top of your lungs. I just had such a moment and realized I am a crazy fan. A truly crazy Athletics fan. I blame my father.

Diamond's (I mean Mothers) Are a Girl's Best Friend

2008-05-11T22:35:37Z

Since it is Mother's Day this is a post about the women that have helped shape my life personally and in a baseball sense. My grandmother was an amazing woman. She was one of 12 children whose father was an Arkansas Minister. She embodied beauty, strength, courage, passion, and love. I believe there isn't anything my Grandmother Bobbye could not do. She was a wonderful cook, an amazing seamstress, loved birds, had a fantastic garden always had a full cookie jar and loved baseball. When I was younger I remember her making hot dogs, pickles, potato salad and the whole family sitting around the TV to watch the Mariners play. She lived in Seattle and got to witness some of the best Mariners teams. They had A-Rod, Griffey, The Big Unit, Edgar Martinez, John Olerude, Brett Boone and my Grandmother's personal favorite Joey Cora. It said so much about her character that on a team laden with superstars she loved Cora, a player not many people probably remember today. One season we got matching Cora jerseys and there are pictures of us smiling so happy supporting Cora. I still have mine to this day and I think of her whenever I wear it. She was the first woman I knew that truly loved baseball and in the latter years of her life she moved to Oakland and we got to watch many Athletics games together. While I never got to go to a game with her we had many great times in front of the TV or radio and for the World Series we bought baseball designed paper plates and threw a World Series dinner. The year Bill King, the famed Athletics radio announcer passed away was also the year my Grandmother passed away. I remember that season's opening night when they paid tribute to Bill King I wept not just for the loss of King but also for the loss of my Grandmother. There was a moment of silence as Kings broadcast chair and microphone sat on the pitchers mound and I openly wept tears of sorrow and joy. For me the game will always be tied to my Grandmother.

My Mother is of course the most important woman in my life. While it was my father that initially started taking me to games my mother has endured and helped my obsessions for as long as I can remember. My mother much like her mother is a fabulous cook, seamstress and nature enthusiast. She is a nurse and has always been the most caring and giving person I know. The year I turned 16 my mother and I took a road trip to Seattle even though my grandparents no longer lived there. Why might you ask did we go there? To see the Athletics play the Mariners for 4 games of course! My amazing mother drove all the way from Oakland to Seattle with me in the passengers seat for a girls baseball road trip. I was knee deep in my Barry Zito obsession at this time and it was on this trip that my life changed forever when I got to meet Zito not once but twice. My mother and I arrived at the ballpark so early that we were the first ones in the stadium and we got to know all the local baseball card collectors, fanatics and crazies. I taught my mother to keep score on this trip and we bonded in ways I will never forget. While eating at Pike Place Market we saw Cory Lidell (RIP) and his family enjoying the nice day. We waited outside the Athletics Hotel for a glimpse of a player and trailed Zito for several blocks before he went into a restaurant. It was a crazy trip and the most fun I have ever had on vacation. Since my mother is very handy with a sewing machine she made me a sundress out of Athletics fabric and when I out grew it turned it into a bag to hold my scorebook and pencils. She simply is the greatest mother a girl could ever ask for and has been outstanding in accepting my love for the game.

My Aunt is the third woman that has really had an impact upon my life. While I never saw her as frequently as I did my grandma and mother I was always so excited when she would come to visit. She lives in Arizona, works in the photography field and is a huge Diamondbacks fan. When my favorite player Eric Byrnse was traded to the diamond backs she gave me a Byrnse shirt, which I love to wear. We always talk on the phone about our two teams and each week she sends me clippings from the Arizona papers about Byrnse and his stats. Now the Diamondbacks have Dan Haren as well so I get lots of updates on my favorite former Athletics from my aunt.

It has been really wonderful to grow up with so many amazing women surrounding me and especially ones that love baseball the way I do. I am the woman I am today because of them. While my father instilled in me a love for the game the three strong women in my life constantly remind me that baseball is a sport for women and not just men. Diamonds are a girl's best friend after all. So Happy Mother's Day to not only the three women I love but to mothers everywhere.

Baseball at breaking point over maple bats - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

2008-05-10T15:41:35Z

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-maplebats050808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I had no idea how deadly Maple baseball bats were until I read this article. Thank you Barry Bonds for another great addition to the game. Bonds is the one that started using them in 2001 and of course everyone wanted to hit like him so now they are more prevalent around baseball. I had no idea the bats could chatter and the pieces could fly the way they do. This is scary especially the story about the coach that had a piece fly and gouge him in the face. Now he cannot move the left side of his face. I recommend reading this article if you have the time.

A's fast start may be no fluke - Marin Independent Journal

2008-05-06T02:19:24Z

http://www.marinij.com/sports/ci_9149855

Interesting article I found online.

A Player to be Named Later

2008-05-06T01:28:36Z

This weekend while home I watched the documentary A Player To Be Name Later. I would highly recommend this to any baseball fan and especially any Athletics fan because Marco Scuttaro and his wife are in it. It is an in depth look at the minor league system and focuses and follows the Milwaukee Brewers triple team for an entire season. Only 6% of minor league players make it to the majors which I found the most shocking fact in the film. It really is a hard profession to make it in. Every one talks about starving artists well now people should talk about starving minor league players.

The documentary shows players who have spent their whole careers in the minors, players besieged by injury, players getting called up, sent down and finally getting let go. One player upon being let go decides to play in the Mexico league and moves his whole family with him. It gave me a new perspective on the game and on how hard it really is to make it. I thought I knew but I really had no idea. I highly recommend this documentary.

First Game of the Season

2008-05-06T00:14:42Z

Saturday my father and I went to the Athletics game versus the Rangers. I was extremely excited because it was my first game of the season so far and it was a give away! We got to the stadium super early as we always do and after getting our free hats decided to eat in the Westside Club. I was so happy to be back in what I once heard called "the concrete ashtray" also known as the Coliseum. It will not win any marks for the best looking ballpark but so many of my childhood memories are rooted in the slabs of concrete that I would not change the Coliseum for anything.

We went to the game with my neighbor who is apart of my extended baseball family. Every hardcore baseball fan has a baseball family and by watching films such s Bleacher Bums and Fever Pitch one can see baseball families in action. As we walked over the BART over pass to the stadium and looked out at the garbage infested estuary (what would you call it?) my neighbor Rita said, " I always expect to look over and see a body floating in it." That sums up the aesthetics of the coliseum right there. So the three of us went to the Westside Club for dinner and I have not seen such a non vegetarian friendly menu in a long time. Actually being a vegetarian for 8 years had made going to games hard because most food is not vegetarian friendly but thank goodness for the potato stand at the coliseum! Cheese, potato, and broccoli never looked so good. My father ordered the one vegetarian item on the menu and actually it was really good mini mushroom sandwiches. I give the stadium props on that one item for being good. It was so nice to sit and enjoy good baseball conversation and to seem my father after 6 weeks.

I must say that was the most exciting part of the night because the Athletics must have missed the memo that I wanted to see a good game. They did not hit well. They can have amazing games like the ones they played against the Angels and then get swept by the Rangers. There are days when they get 20 hits and days where they have 1 hit. It is so frustrating and I would love some consistency in the lineup. It was nice to see Frank Thomas back on the Athletics and the rest of the guys since I usually just listen to the radio. Gaudin did not have a good game which was surprising because he has been pitching so well as of late. My father and I stayed the whole game even thought the Athletics lost.

Newhouse: Oakland A's, stitch by stitch - Inside Bay Area

2008-05-01T15:41:15Z

http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_9114322?source=most_emailed

This is a really interesting article about a woman that works for the Athletics and makes Athletics quilts on the side. I believe one of her quilts was on display at Fan Fest and I would love to do what she does. My mother and grandmother both taught me how to quilt and I think I should try to start making baseball themed quilts. It sounds like a lot of fun. Happy May! We have the second best team in the American League West. The Athletics did not win yesterday but that is ok. I am super excited because this weekend I am going home for my first game of the 2008 season. I haven't been home in 6 weeks and I have been wanting to go to game sooooooo bad and to see my family.

Gut Check Time: Can you name these baseball bellies? - Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

2008-04-30T17:24:04Z

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Gut-Check-Time-Can-you-name-these-baseball-bell?urn=mlb,79693

This is really funny. See if you can guess the baseball gut.

The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Zito to work things out in bullpen

2008-04-29T09:57:35Z

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080428&content_id=2605660&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I feel bad for Zito. He was my favorite player for years. All those years with the Athletics he was so good and now look at him. I really wonder what happened to him. It is not for lack of trying because he wrks hard and is always tweaking and working on his mechanics and delivery. Lets hope going to the bullpen helps. This is just funny and sad all at once.

Holy Toledo Athletics Fans

2008-04-29T08:58:16Z

Holy Toledo we have the best team in the American League West!!!! Well for a day anyways. I want to savor the fact that my team played so well tonight and that they are 1 game better than the Angels. The Athletics have won every three game series they have played so far this season meaning they have taken at least two out of the three games. Tonight the Athletics beat the Angels whom they were tied with for first place. They gave the Angels a good beating of 14 - 2 and now have the best record in the entire American league! It was an amazing game and again bizarre things kept happening, as they seem to do with the Athletics. Thomas got a triple and almost hit for the cycle, which was in my mind the most amazing thing to happen tonight. It was his first triple since 2002 and he added a single and a double to come just a homerun short of the cycle. Daric Barton hit a three run homerun while Hannahan and Brown each hit solo shots. Brown has the second highest number of RBIs in the American league with 25! Gaudin won his third straight game and while that is great for him it makes me feel bad for Blanton. He never has any luck. The Angels pitching coach got evicted for arguing with the home plate umpire about the strike zone he was calling which I just loved. I listened to the first part of the game on the radio and on one of the announcers eloquently spoke to what the Athletics have been able to do. "It may not always be pretty but they play to win." That sums up the 2008 Athletics right there. All in all it was an amazing game and I am still reveling in the after glow of the win. I hope we can keep this up tomorrow.

What?

2008-04-29T02:23:00Z

Frank Thomas just got a triple. It was his first in 6 years. This is going to be a crazy series with the Angels.

Not Hitting

2008-04-27T05:09:01Z

The Athletics are not hiting. The hitters look anemic right now. Last night they did not have a hit from the 4^th to the 9^th innings. Today they looked really bad up until the 9^th inning and that was just the Mariners closer screwing up. Cust is not living up to last years numbers, and the DH spot is up in the air or day to day. The third spot in the lineup usually reserved for a teams best hitter constantly changes. All of this worries me. The main reason we are able to win is standout pitching and good defense. If it weren't for these two factors we would be dead ducks. Thank goodness the rest of the American League West isn't very good. At this point I don't care how we win just that we do. I'll take smoke and mirrors any day over a loss.

Day of Silence and Bizarre Occurrences

2008-04-26T07:08:39Z

Today was the Day Of Silence and while I was silent the Athletics were not. The Day of Silence is a day to bring light to the LGBTQI youth around the globe that must keep their sexual orientation silent. Today it was in honor of 14 year old Lawrence King who in February was shot in his classroom for being gay. He died 9 days latter. This makes me sick to my stomach and today I was silent. I was silent for Lawerence I was silent for my best friend and the thousands of LGBTQI youth that have no voice. As I type this I can barely see through my tears because this issue is close to my heart. I wish the world was a more accepting place and I wish LGBTQI people were treated as equal. It would be great if a famous current baseball player would come out because it would shatter a lot of the stereotypes that exist and hopefully make people more accepting. In my perfect world sexual orientation would not matter one iota but the world is not perfect. While I know many of you were not silent today I ask that you take a moment and think about what it would be like to spend every day living a lie and not being who you are. It would be very hard to live each day that way. I also ask that you love and accept those different from you no matter what their difference may be. Spend this weekend being as loving, caring, thoughtful and open-minded as you can. Hey I might even befriend an Angels fan or possible a Yankees fan. It could happen.

The game today was one of those bizarre how did we win that one games. I love them because weird stuff always happens that you may not see all too often. The opposing pitcher walked 4 batters, the Athletics only had 3 hits total, a run scored on a wild pitch, a walk was issued with the bases loaded, and the opposing pitcher Batista left in the second with a mild groin strain. All in all it was a crazy game. The Athletics are tied with the Angels for first in the division. I never thought I would see that. Again all around a bizarre day.

Big Hurt, Big Pain - are they really on Oakland's radar?

2008-04-25T08:23:54Z

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/04/21/SP2L108UTF.DTL

This article is funny because it talks about the possible signing of either Bonds or Thomas to the Athletics and just a few days later the Athletics signed Thomas. I still can't believe he is back with the Athletics after a year with the Blue Jays. What is even more amazing is that the Athletics have become the little engine that could. They are much to everyone's amazement winning games. Beane's plan of a young rebuilding team might just go and become a contender in the playoffs. This article is interesting because it says Beane may have to shift his focus to the playoffs and try to get help to be a true contender. I say it is too early to say. There is still lots of baseball yet to be played and the Athletics have not used the DL nearly enough yet. We'll have to wait and see. I would love them to go all the way though.