old a's dynasty, see the new one above - making the grade

[rolliefingers08]

A's Take 2 From Twins

Lots of runs scored in this series, the first two games were tight until the final out, but the third was a sleeper.

Game 1: 7-6 (11 innings)

WP: Huston Street (4-7) LP: Juan Rincon (7-

Joe Blanton hit a rough 2nd inning, but still went 5.2 otherwise well pitched innings until blister problems ended his day in the 6th. The A's had a 5-4 lead in the 8th, when Antonio Alfonseca gave up a 2-run shot to give the Twins a 6-5 lead. They tied it up again in the bottom of the inning though, and the 6-6 score lasted until the 11th when Dan Johnson singled with 2 outs. Pete Orr was brought in to run, and on the second pitch he say, Nick Swisher hit a bloop single over the shortstop and in front of Shannon Stewart to score Pete Orr all the way from 1st to win it in the bottom of 11. Orr would have been held at first, but as he rounded 3rd the throw was way off line from Stewart making it an easy sprint to the plate and a 7-6 win. Huston Street got the win for the A's, and Juan Rincon was on the hook to take the loss for the Twins.

Left: Chad Bradford struck out 6 of 8 batters he faced over 2 innings of relief for the Twins. Right: Nick Swisher connects with the winning bloop single.

Game 2: 6-4 L

WP: Juan Rincon (8- LP: JC Romero (5-4) S: Joe Nathan (36)

Justin Duchscherer allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 7 innings before turning it over to Antonio Alfonseca in the 8th. With a 4-3 lead and a runner on first, Matt LeCroy destroyed a 1-0 pitch and gave his Twins a 5-4 lead. Brandon League was brought in to mop it up and gave up another run to make it a 6-4 defecit. Joe Nathan had an easy 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save and shut down the A's in game 2.

Left: Unsung hero Marco Scutaro: could he be a Gold Glove cadidate? Right: Nathan makes the final inning look like its a piece of cake.

Game 3: 6-1 W

WP: Barry Zito (17-4) LP: Kyle Lohse (13-10)

Barry Zito was outstanding once again, going 7 innings and allowing just 1 run on 6 hits to get his league leading 17th win, and solidify his Cy Young possibilities. Eric Chavez had another big jack, and the rest of the lineup all contributed to an easy 6-1 victory. Danny Haren and Huston Street both pitched perfect "get your work in" innings to finish it off.

Left: Joe Mauer blocks a wild curve ball early on. Right: The dugout is pleased with the bats on this day.

Much needed day off to get everybody rested, and then the homestand continues with 3 versus the Texas Rangers which can either make this a real division race over teh last 10 days, or put the Rangers away for good. The next 4 are against the last place Anaheim Angels. Despite being last however, they've given the A's some serious troubles this season and it could be a tough stretch.

The season closes on the road with a set versus the Seattle Mariners.

[rolliefingers08]

Running high on bandwidth, so I hope nobody is hotlinking these images on their website or anything. I'll deal with it later, end of the month soon anyways so it's not a problem.

I won't be back until Monday, but it'd be nice to see some comments when I get back :wtg:

[rolliefingers08]

AL West Clinched With 2 of 3 vs. Texas

The Oakland A's can rest easy now that they have officially clinched the AL West, and hold a 7.5 game lead on the Texas Rangers, and 8.5 game lead over the Seattle Mariners.

Game 1: 7-2 L

WP: Pedro Astacio (9-10) LP: Rich Harden (13-9)

Rich Harden plain and simply had a bad outing. He gave up way too many balls in play and couldn't keep the ball down in the zone. With a lineup that includes Mike Young, Hank Blalock, Alfonso Soriano, Mark Teixera and Kevin Mench, you WILL pay for those mistakes, and Harden did exactly that, giving up 6 earned runs over 6 innings to lose his 9th game of the season. Danny Haren got 3 innings of work in and allowed an unearned run to make it a 7-2 final.

Left: Chicks dig the long ball, and Hank Blalock provided with a 3-run HR. Right: Nick Swisher drove in both A's runs with a 2-run shot.

Above: The very first picked off runner in over 200 games of MVP Baseball 2005.

Game 2: 6-3 W

WP: David Wells (9-11) LP: Ryan Drese (11-16)

The bats were all over the place with Bobby Crosby, Keith Ginter, and Joe Mauer getting in on the action with home runs. Eric Chavez also drove in a run and backed David Wells for 7 innings of 2 run ball, cruising to a 6-3 victory.

Left: Blalock did it again, but it wasn't nearly enough against the high-powered A's. Right: Ginter has struggled since his injury, but is still cranking them out of the yard.

Game 3: 2-1 W

WP: Joe Blanton (14-7) LP: Kenny Rogers (10-12) S: Huston Street (32)

Every run in this game was manufactured by the old fashioned small ball, and the A's had the bounces go their way to squeak out a 2-1 win. Soriano hit a double to lead off the 4th, was advanced on a bunt, and a sac fly by Mench scored him. In the 6th, Mark Kotsay got on with a bunt single. He then stole second, was bunted over by Marco Scutaro, and doubled home by Chavez. Eric Byrnes bunted Chavez to 3rd, and Bobby Crosby hit a single to bring him home. Joe Blanton did his job for 7 innings, and the combo of JC Romero and Huston Street bridged the way to victory and a clinching of the AL West.

Left: Blanton helps himself out by snagging a line drive. Right: Kotsay gets it going in the 6th.

The A's can take a breather for the remainder of the season, give guys some rest and avoid injury, as well as prepare the rotation for the playoffs.

4 coming up against the Angels, stay tuned.

[rolliefingers08]

The starting rotation will now be prepared for the playoffs. Here is the schedule for the remainder of the season:

Mon, Sep 26 - Justin Duchscherer vs. LAA

Tue, Sep 27 - Barry Zito vs. LAA

Wed, Sep 28 - Rich Harden vs. LAA

Thu, Sep 29 - David Wells vs. LAA

Fri, Sep 30 - Joe Blanton vs. SEA

Sat, Oct 1 - Justin Duchscherer vs. SEA

Sun, Oct 2 - Danny Haren vs. SEA

Only real change is inserting Haren for the final game of the season, otherwise that would be Zito's start and would make him unavailable for the first 2 games of the ALDS.

As for the playoff rotation, obviously Zito, Harden, Wells are locks. However, I have not decided between Blanton and Duchscherer. Blanton has had an up and down season, but Duchscherer, aside from a few relief outings in blowouts, has been completely solid. Either way they will be on the pitching staff, I'm not sure who will get the starting nod.

Stay tuned....

[rolliefingers08]

Duchscherer Out For The Season

On the second pitch of the game, Justin Duchscherer tore his left shoulder muscle and left the field in a lot of pain. He was replaced by Danny Haren, and underwent observation during and after the game.

It was concluded by team doctors that the muscle was indeed torn and Duchscherer would be forced to miss the remainder of the regular season and playoffs due to the injury.

He was placed on the 60-day DL after the game, and his place in the rotation will be re-assumed by Danny Haren.

Juan Cruz will start the October 2nd game in Seattle, which Haren was previously scheduled to start, but will instead start the October 1st game.

Tue, Sep 27 - Barry Zito vs. LAA

Wed, Sep 28 - Rich Harden vs. LAA

Thu, Sep 29 - David Wells vs. LAA

Fri, Sep 30 - Joe Blanton vs. SEA

Sat, Oct 1 - Danny Haren vs. SEA

Sun, Oct 2 - Juan Cruz vs. SEA

As for the playoffs, it looks like the 4th spot will be handed to Joe Blanton, pending any other issues for the rest of the season.

Update on the Angels series will be here tonight or tommorow, stay tuned.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Split With Angels

This team lost a key player in this series, but hopefully the rest of the guys can pick up the slack. Each of these games was winnable through the first 7 innings, but mistakes made the difference.

Game 1: 4-2 W

WP: JC Romero (6-4) LP: Bartolo Colon (11- S: Street (33)

Justin Duchscherer was lost for the year on his 2nd pitch of this outing, tearing his left shoulder muscle. Danny Haren took his place and pitched 6 strong innings to put the A's in a chance to win. Small ball came into play late when pinch runner Pete Orr was sacrificed to third, and a single brought him in for a 3-2 lead. Then a solo HR from Joe Mauer gave the A's insurance and Huston Street shut the door for a 4-2 victory.

Left: Danny Haren was solid for 6, but ran into trouble when he hit Adam Kennedy with a pitch. Right: Nick Swisher shows off one of the best young RF arms in the game, throwing out Vladdy.

Game 2: 7-2 W

WP: Barry Zito (18-4) LP: John Lackey (4-14)

This game was tied at 2 through 6 innings until the A's offense exploded on John Lackey and the Angels. Eric Chavez led off with a solo HR, then the next 3 guys got on base for Scott Hatteberg. In 2005, Hatteberg has quietly been one of the most consistent players on the roster, offering a solid bat in a platoon 1B/DH role with Dan Johnson. On this day he came out from under a rock and mashed a grand slam to straight away centerfield, making the score 7-2 and enjoying what could possibly be his last home run trot in the major leagues.

Left: Javier Hererra connected for his first major league hit, along with driving in a run and stealing 2nd on Mark Kotsay's day off. Right: Chavez and Hatteberg celebrate at the plate after their big fly's.

Game 3: 9-5 L

WP: Esteban Yan (7-6) LP: Rich Harden (13-10)

The score was 4-4 through 7 innings, with Rich Harden working himself out of a number of jams and pitching a pretty decent game despite allowing 4 runs on 7 hits. The wheels fell off though after he allowed a 2-run HR giving the Angels a 6-4 lead. A single, a questionable triple, a pitching change, and another home run later put the A's down 9-4. Chavez hit a solo shot, but that was all the A's had left and lost 9-5.

Left: Chavy connects in the 8th for a home run. Right: The A's were ripped off when Orlando Cabrera was called safe at 3rd, despite being GUNNED by Swisher from RF.

Game 4: 3-2 L

WP: Jarrod Washburn (12-11) LP: David Wells (9-12) S: Francisco Rodriguez (41)

David Wells was pitching a career defining game through 6 innings, striking out 9. He ran into trouble in the 7th however, and the A's found themselves in a tie ballgame. Wells came out for the 8th, and gave up 3 singles to tie the game before being replaced by Jairo Garcia. The 3-2 Angels lead stood as Brendan Donnelly and K-Rod shut the door in the 8th and 9th for a series split.

Left: Another bad call set off Ken Macha, and he was given the boot. Right: The Angels held it together for a win late in their dissapointing season.

Three more to go before the real season starts...

[rolliefingers08]

Athletics Take 2 In Seattle To Finish Regular season

A relatively uneventful series for both teams. One blow to the A's was the loss of Juan Cruz for a couple weeks, but he was not in the plans for the playoff roster anyways, so not a huge issue for the A's.

Game 1: 2-1 W

WP: JC Romero (7-4) LP: Joel Pineiro (7-15) S: Huston Street (34)

Joe Blanton pitched 6 scoreless innings in this outing before running into trouble in the 7th. With a 1-0 lead and a runner on 2nd, Ichiro Suzuki tripled to the centerfield wall to score Willy Bloomquist. An out later, Adrian Beltre almost gave the Mariners the lead on a bloop single into short left field, but Bobby Crosby made an over the shoulder catch to end the inning. In the 8th, the A's went ahead on a double by Matt Watson that scored Nick Swisher. A single into left by Mark Kotsay almost gave the A's a two run lead, but Miguel Olivo was able to hold the ball in a plate collision and Watson was out. The one run lead was all the A's needed and the rookie shut the door to win 2-1.

Left: Crosby's catch may have saved the game. Right: Olivo raises the ball in the air to the dismay of Watson, who was out on the play.

Game 2: 5-4 L

WP: Shigetoshi Hasegawa (9-7) LP: Ricardo Rincon (1-4) S: Eddie Guardado (35)

Skip to the 5th inning, where with 2 on and 2 out, Eric Chavez crushes the ball into the 2nd deck of the right field seats for his 50th HR of the season, giving the A's a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of 6, starter Danny Haren gave it back to the M's on a 2-run double and a solo HR by Richie Sexson, all with none out. Crosby hit a solo shot in the 7th to give the A's another lead, but it was once again erased. In the bottom of the inning, reliever Brandon League walked Raul Ibanez with two out, and Ricardo Rincon was brought in to face Beltre. First pitch slider below the zone and the game was tied on a bomb over the centerfield wall, giving the Mariners the lead. The 8th and 9th were 1-2-3 for the A's offense, as Eddie Guardado racked up the save and helped send the Safeco faithful home happy with a 5-4 victory.

Left: Chavez blasts his 50th and final HR of the 2005 season. Right: Pinch runner Pokey Reese makes an acrobatic slide at home to score in the 6th.

Game 3: 6-5 W (10 innings)

WP: JC Romero (8-4) LP: Eddie Guardado (2-4) S: Huston Street (35)

Juan Cruz spotted the Mariners an early 4-0 lead, and was forced to leave in the 5th with a pulled hamstring when the score was 5-1. The A's rallied however in the 6th, started off by Dan Johnson's 2nd home run of the game, this one a 2-run jack to pull within 2. In the 8th, the rookie first baseman took another ball deep for his 19th of the season and first career multi-homer game. Mark Kotsay stole 2nd in the 9th inning off Eddie Guardado, and on the next pitch Marco Scutaro connected with a double to score him and tie the game. With the game tied in the 10th, Keith Ginter got on and Pete Orr came into run. He stole 2nd on a botched hit & run play, but then Johnson once again came through with a single to left center that scored Orr and became the winning run. The 6-5 lead in his hands, Huston Street was as cool and calm as ever, striking out the side and capping off an outstanding rookie season.

Left: Orr touches home to score the go-ahead run. Right: Street nails down #35 in the win.

It's playoff time now, and a whole bunch of images to slow down the thread are coming right away, so stay tuned.

[rolliefingers08]

Oakland A's Final 2005 Statistics

First of all, here's the links to the SavReader pages. It's easier to view the stats if you can sort them yourself. The pitching stats table is messed up, at least in Firefox, I wish I knew how to fix it.

Click on the links below...

Oakland A's home page - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/OAK.html

Final batting, pitching, and fielding stats - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/OAK_stats.html

The schedule and game results - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/OAK_sch.html

MLB home page - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/MLB.html

MLB team stats - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/MLB_stats.html

MLB league leaders - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/MLB_lead.html

MLB final standings - http://www.murderhorn.com/mvp/rosters/MLB_stand.html

I'll say this once again. "Caught stealing" numbers are way up there because early in the season I was playing stupid, and I used to use manual leadoff return, so I got picked off a TON.

Other than that, for the images below, I sorted by AVG, ERA, and fielding PCT. Minimum 25 at bats or 10 innings pitched.

The stats will be followed by the announcement of the roster for the ALDS and the lineups. Stay tuned...

[rolliefingers08]

Oakland A's Final 2005 Statistics

[rolliefingers08]

MLB Final 2005 Statistics

MLB Awards up next...

[rolliefingers08]

MLB Awards 2005

AL MVP - Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) .354 AVG, 21 HR, 87 RBI, 64 SB, .441 OBP

Runner ups: Manny Ramirez (BOS), Eric Chavez (OAK), Derek Jeter (NYY), Gary Sheffield (NYY)

NL MVP - Bobby Abreu (PHI) .312 AVG, 37 HR, 118 RBI, 47 SB, .416 OBP

Runner ups: Carlos Beltran (NYM), Barry Bonds (SF), Todd Helton (COL), Jimmy Rollins (PHI)

AL Cy Young - Barry Zito (OAK) 201 IP, 18-4, 2.60 ERA, 117 K

Runner ups: Carl Pavano (NYY), Brad Radke (MIN), Carlos Silva (MIN), CC Sabathia (CLE)

NL Cy Young - Odalis Perez (LAD) 227 IP, 17-10, 2.70 ERA, 170 K

Runner ups: Pedro Martinez (NYM), Woody Williams (SD), Jake Peavy (SD), John Smoltz (ATL)

AL Rookie of the Year - Andy Rifkin (NYY) .237 AVG, 20 HR, 67 RBI

NL Rookie of the Year - Rich Thompson (PIT) .273 AVG, 10 HR, 51 RBI

AL Rolaids Relief Man - Shingo Takatsu (CHW) 45 IP, 47 S, 0.99 ERA

NL Rolaids Relief Man - Jose Mesa (PIT) 50 IP, 45 S, 2.88 ERA

AL Silver Sluggers

DH David Ortiz (BOS) - .304 AVG/25 HR/85 RBI

C Jorge Posada (NYY) - .325/26/84

1B Mark Teixera (TEX) - .286/36/110

2B Tony Womack (NYY) - .277/21/89

3B Eric Chavez (OAK) - .302/50/133

SS Derek Jeter (NYY) - .325/24/102

OF Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)- .354/21/87

OF Manny Ramirez (BOS) - .308/46/159

OF Gary Sheffield (NYY) - .322/32/111

NL Silver Sluggers

P Oliver Perez (PIT) - .245 AVG/2 HR/15 RBI

C Mike Piazza (NYM) - .274/16/78

1B Todd Helton (COL) - .341/52/118

2B Mark Loretta (SD) - .305/28/90

3B Scott Rolen (STL) - .333/42/98

SS Jimmy Rollins (PHI) - .297/29/95

OF Bobby Abreu (PHI) - .312/37/118

OF Carlos Beltran (NYM) - .319/30/119

OF Barry Bonds (SF) - .340/38/119

AL & NL Gold Gloves

P Kelvim Escobar (ANA) / Mike Hampton (ATL)

C Ivan Rodriguez (DET) / Brad Ausmus (HOU)

1B Darin Erstad (ANA) / JT Snow (SF)

2B Bret Boone (SEA) / Luis Castillo (FLA)

3B Eric Chavez (OAK) / Edgardo Alfonzo (SF)

SS Derek Jeter (NYY) / Jack Wilson (PIT)

OF Jacque Jones (MIN) / Mike Cameron (NYM)

OF Torii Hunter (MIN) / Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN)

OF Vernon Wells (TOR) / Andruw Jones (ATL)

Next up... evaluations of the A's roster and a few prospects, and then FINALLY on to the ALDS roster, lineups, and rotation.

[rolliefingers08]

Oakland A's 2005 Regular Season Review - Position Players

C Joe Mauer - Season grade: A+

Acquired in the big trade at the beginning of the season, along with JC Romero, for Jason Kendall, Ricardo Rincon, Chad Bradford, and Erubiel Durazo. I really wanted Kendall on the team, but his contract was just way out of my budget for the season. Mauer performed exceptionally, and I feel like he was ripped off on the gold glove awards. He didn't make an error all season, and still was not rewarded. Mauer had an OBP of .400 which was extremely helpful when he was hitting 3rd in the order, but with the surge of other players, was bumped to 5th and his 20 HR's carried him there too. Very young, bright future with the team.

C Crash Davis - Season grade: C-

Was the player to be named later, acquired at the deadline. Was actually a created player based on Crash Davis in the movie "Bull Durham". Davis' performance was average in the backup catcher's role, only hitting vs. LHP. His .241 average was disappointing, but made some key plays on the few days he was needed. Most likely retiring at the end of the season.

1B Scott Hatteberg - Season grade: B+

Hatteberg's career is on the downward turn, but he still performed excellently in the 1st half and a 2nd half platoon role, hitting .281 with 12 HR, including a huge grand slam in the second last series of the season, possibly his last home run in the majors. It is unlikely he will return with the A's in 2006, unless it is a backup role, but Hatteberg may retire at the age of 36.

1B Dan Johnson - Season grade: B+

Johnson had a slow start from his May callup, but put it together in the 2nd half and finished the year hitting .316 with 19 homers. He was also solid defensively, which was projected originally to be a major downfall. Should have won rookie of the year, hands down. Most likely the A's starting 1st baseman in 2006.

2B/SS Marco Scutaro - Season grade: B

Started slowly and was forced to play SS for a month, really came on in the 2nd half and may well have challenged for some awards if he had played more often. Scoot hit .358 with a whopping 22 HR coming from the short and thin infielder. Was originally penciled in as a #8 or #9 hitter, finished the season batting 2nd behind Mark Kotsay and in front of Bobby Crosby. Will most likely be the A's starting 2nd baseman in 2006 if he re-signs.

2B/3B Keith Ginter - Season grade: B-

Ginter was on his way to a monster season for a 2nd baseman, but had an injury in June that kept him out for a few weeks and he was never the same after that. Finished the year with 30 HR and 84 RBI, but was on track for at least a 40/100 season early on. Even with some of his power gone and contact reduced, he had a solid season at 2nd and DHing in the second half. Also filled in well at 3B when Eric Chavez was given days off. Was awarded a 1-year extension in July, and will compete for the 2nd base job, and will find time at the DH spot as well.

SS Bobby Crosby - Season grade: A-

If it weren't for injuries early on, Crosby was another guy that could have finished with a huge season. He still ended the season hitting .333 with 26 HR from mostly the 2nd spot in the order, and later on the 3rd spot. His defense struggled however in the 2nd half, but his hitting more than made up for it. One of those franchise players at SS, and will be in Oakland for a long time.

3B Eric Chavez - Season grade: A+

50 HR's gets him an A+ alone. Not to mention a gold glove award to go along with his 133 RBI total. This guy finally had his "star to superstar" season, and it makes me happy to have him locked up for the next 5 years. Franchise player. Period.

3B/2B/OF Mike Cuddyer - Season grade: C-

Started well in a backup role and occasional starts vs. LHP, but for some reason couldn't put it together offensively and his glove was nothing to behold. Still hit a decent .256 with 9 homers and 23 RBI, but never found a starting spot or permanent position. Will most likely not be returning.

2B/SS/3B Pete Orr - Season grade: B-

Didn't get many at bats and was primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, but Orr still had some solid at bats hitting .333 in limited action. He stole 7 bases, and only made 1 error in the field. Will most likely fill the role of utility infielder/pinch runner/defensive replacement in 2006.

LF Eric Byrnes - Season grade: B

Byrnes was huge vs. LHP at the start of the season, but weak vs. RHP. by the end of the year he was still huge agiainst lefties, but greatly improved his stroke against righties and found himself in the everyday lineup. His 26 HR's were mostly vs. lefties and found himself batting 7th to 9th versus righthanders. He will most likely have the starting LF job in 2006 unless there is a signing or somone else challenging him for the job.

CF Mark Kotsay - Season grade: A

For the first time in his career, he was let loose on the basebaths to see what he could do. And everyone was pleased with the results, as Kotsay stole 72 bases and was one of the best leadoff men in the league. He hit .336 and had an OBP over .400 until a late season slump dropped him to .380. Signed an extension early in the season and will patrol CF at least until 2007.

RF Nick Swisher - Season grade: B-

Finished with a .258 average which will need to be improved, but made great strides with his arm in RF, and still managed a respectful OBP of .316 to finish the season. Also hit 21 HR and 71 RBI from primarily the 7th and 8th spots in the order. Did not get much playing time vs. LHP, but in 2006 will get more of a chance and will start in RF versus righties every day.

LF/RF Brian Jordan - Season grade: C-

Jordan never really found his stroke with the A's until the last few weeks, but was a good veteran presence in the clubhouse and still managed a .286 average after really pouring it on in September. Most likely retiring at the end of the season, and will not be back with the A's.

OF Ryan Church - Season grade: C-

Had few at bats with the A's, but hit extremely well with AAA Sacramento. Church made the playoff roster over Charles Thomas with some great at bats in the last 2 weeks, but will not see much playing time. Will compete for the 4th OF spot in 2006.

C/1B Daric Barton - Season grade: A+

Only played a few games with the A's, but his season in the minors was tremendous. Started the season at AA Midland and worked his way to AAA Sacramento and possibly the top minor league prospect. Currently being converted to 1B, and his future leads him to a 1B/DH role. May not make the A's in 2006 for developmental reasons, but is a future franchise player at the age of 20.

The pitchers are coming next... stay tuned.

[rolliefingers08]

Oakland A's 2005 Regular Season Review - Pitchers

SP Barry Zito - Season grade: A+

Cy young, is there anything else to say? Barry had an outstanding season despite missing a couple starts. 18 wins and league leading 2.60 ERA, nothing more you can ask of him. Along with Rich Harden, A's franchise pitcher.

SP Rich Harden - Season grade: C

Had a bad season along with some injuries and some plain bad luck. Finished at 13-10 and an ERA almost at 5. I expect he'll bounce back in 2006 similar to the way Zito bounced back from his 11-11 2004 season. Franchise pitcher at any rate for now.

SP David Wells - Season grade: B+

Gave the A's some great outings after being acquired from Boston at the deadline, however did not have luck on his side and finished with a 3-8 record as an A's starter, but had a good ERA at 3.71. Will not be returning in 2006, and at 42 years old, probably retirement.

SP Joe Blanton - Season grade: B-

Opposite of Wells in that he had good outings, but also some bad ones, however he had a ton of luck all over the place and finished with a 14-7 record, but a high ERA of 4.32. Will most likely slide in as 3rd starter in 2006, fighting with Danny Haren for the position.

SP Danny Haren - Season grade: C-

Decent start to the year, but ended up in the bullpen for the final weeks of the year. Finished 12-12 with a 5.59 ERA. He still has the ability to put it together, but needs to bounce back in 2006.

SP/RP Justin Duchscherer - Season grade: B

Started the season as the A's long reliever, and finished as the 5th starter until tearing his left shoulder muscle and being sidelined for the rest of the year. Pitched much better as a starter than a reliever, and finished with a 5.17 ERA and a 7-2 record. Was going to be the 4th playoff starter when necessary, until he went down with the injury. In 2006 he will compete for the 5th starter position, unless a signing is made, but will always have his spot in the bullpen, probably falling into a middle relief role.

SP/RP Juan Cruz - Season grade: C

This guy had all the chances in the world, but never really put it together consistently and fell out of favour in the pitching staff. Started 13 games and finished with a 2-7 record and 5.29 ERA. Undecided on whether he will return, as he is asking a fair chunk of change on the market.

RP Huston Street - Season grade: A

When Octavio Dotel was traded prior to the season, management was unsure of whether the 21 year old could handle the job after going from college and through the system to AAA in 2004. They were proved wrong however as the rookie saved 35 games and finished with a 3.17 ERA. He only blew 3 saves all season, which was impressive. Will be closing in Oakland for as long as possible.

RP JC Romero - Season grade: A

Outstanding setup man acquired along with Joe Mauer. He led the majors in ERA for awhile before a few bad outings, but finished with a 2.29 ERA over 86 innings. He saved 6 ballgames as well when Street was down with a toe injury. Romero is locked up in 2006 and will be in the setup role once again. After that - who knows, but the future is looking good.

RP Antonio Alfonseca - Season grade: C

Was not given a lot of innings after being acquired at the deadline, only pitching 10 innings and losing 1 for a 5.59 ERA. He will be key in the playoffs as a veteran, but will most likely not return in 2006.

RP Ricardo Rincon - Season grade: B-

Rincon was primarily a 1-2 batter guy after being reacquired in July. He had a decent season with the A's, pitching 27 innings with a 4.00 ERA. May not return in 2006 depending on contract situation.

RP Brandon League - Season grade: C+

Made his way into the bullpen in the 2nd half and pitched well for a rookie. He had some control problems leading to a 4.53 ERA, but will most likely find himself in the middle relief role again in 2006.

RP Jairo Garcia - Season grade: C-

Spent the year at AAA Sacramento until a September callup. Got 3.1 innings of work, allowing 2 runs. His control was a major problem all year. He managed to save 20+ games at AAA, but his ERA was above 4. Garcia may find himself in Sacramento once again unless his control improves.

I'm going to put together a small player awards post, and then the few people actually reading will be rewarded with the playoff lineups.

[rolliefingers08]

Oakland A's 2005 Team Awards

MVP - 3B Eric Chavez .302 AVG, 50 HR, 133 RBI

Runner ups: Barry Zito, Bobby Crosby

No doubt about this one, without Eric Chavez, the A's may not even win the very weak AL West.

Gold Gloves - 3B Eric Chavez & C Joe Mauer .980 fielding pct for Chavvy, 0 errors for Mauer

Runner ups: Dan Johnson, Scott Hatteberg

Chavez was a gold glover in the MLB awards, and Mauer should have been. The guy didn't make a single error all season - that is extremely hard. As for the runners up - both 1st baseman which is surprising, but these guys had solid percentages for the year and led the team at .991 after Mauer.

Clutch Hitter - Marco Scutaro .358 AVG, 22 HR, 72 RBI

Runner ups: Bobby Crosby, Scott Hatteberg

Scoot had so many hits in the 9th inning it was getting ridiculous. He started many rallies, and was often able to steal a base as well to help the team rally.

Bullpen MVP - RP JC Romero 86 IP, 2.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Runner ups: Huston Street

This guy pitched some huge innings and before his late season struggles, had an ERA below 2. Best setup man in the majors, and managed to save 6 when Street was injured.

MVP - 3B Eric Chavez .302 AVG, 50 HR, 133 RBI

Runner ups: Barry Zito, Bobby Crosby

No doubt about this one, without Eric Chavez, the A's may not even win the very weak AL West.

ROTY - 1B Dan Johnson .316 AVG, 19 HR, 59 RBI

Runner ups: Huston Street, Nick Swisher

Johnson looked like a seasoned veteran for most of the season, and showed great patience for a .382 OBP. Had a huge 3 run game on the final day of the season, and will be one of the top 1st baseman in the majors for years to come.

ALDS roster and lineups are FINALLY coming your way...

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Roster & Lineups Announced

Manager Ken Macha and GM Billy Beane emerged from a closed door meeting late in the afternoon, and announced to the public and the media the A's roster for the 2005 AL Division Series vs. the Cleveland Indians.

The biggest surprise is OF Ryan Church, who hit well in the last few games of September to earn his way onto the team, with the extra spot available due to the pitching staff being reduced.

Juan Cruz went down on the final day of the year, and with Danny Haren in the bullpen and Joe Blanton only starting if needed for the playoffs, there was room to add another bat off the bench instead of a bullpen arm.

The lineups for Game 1 however were not much of a surprise, however.

Like it was written above, the A's are going with a 3-man rotation, at least for the ALDS, and the other two starters will be used in long relief roles, or possibly middle relief depending on the rest of the bullpen situation.

Brandon League will most likely not be used in a close game unless it's necessary.

The batting order was only tweaked slightly from the regular season, and will most likely stay the same for the entire series unless changes need to be made.

First pitch of Game 1 is coming up right away. Each game will be reported, instead of the series like I'd been doing for most of the season. So the game 1 report will come your way soon.

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Game 1: Oakland Athletics @ Cleveland Indians

Cleveland leads the best of 5 series 1-0.

Tribe Takes Series Opener

Left: Ken Macha confers with his ace on the mound. Right: Jose Hernandez tosses his bat away after hitting a 3-run jack.

Left: Macha is tossed after arguing a horrible strike 3 call. Right: The Indians celebrate the game 1 victory.

WP: Jake Westbrook (1-0) LP: Barry Zito (0-1) S: Bob Wickman (1)

This game started out great for the A's, with a leadoff double by Mark Kotsay. Bobby Crosby traded places with him on an RBI double to open the scoring. After Eric Chavez grounded out, Joe Mauer drove Crosby home with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Barry Zito cruised through 5 innings striking out 5 before running into trouble in the 6th. Victor Martinez and Ronnie Belliard hit singles to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Ken Macha came out to talk to Zito, and returned to the dugout confident in his ace. Zito got Ben Broussard to pop up on the infield for the first out, but his second pitch to Jose Hernandez was a no doubter into the left field seats, putting the A's behind by 1.

Zito gave up 1 more hit before he was pulled for Antonio Alfonseca, who got Jason Kendall to ground into a double play.

The A's only managed 2 more hits after that as Paul Shuey and Bob Wickman closed the door on the A's comeback, and finished off the 3-2 win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Ken Macha: "I talked to Barry and I believed he could get out of the jam, as he'd done so many times all year. This time he got tagged, but next time he's likely to get those outs."

Barry Zito: "I had to get out of that jam and I didn't, simple as that. The curveball hung right in his wheelhouse and I knew it was gone on contact."

Eric Chavez: "You can't blame Barry for the loss. He pitched well until that point, and we were only down by one, but our offense was asleep out there."

A's Hitting:

Kotsay - 2/4, 2B, R, CS

Mauer - 2/4, RBI

Crosby - 1/3, 2B, RBI, R, BB

A's Pitching:

Zito - 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Alfonseca - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Romero - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Blanton - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Indians Hitting:

Hernandez - 1/4, HR, R, 3 RBI

Belliard - 2/4, R

Crisp - 2/4, 2B

Indians Pitching:

Westbrook - 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Shuey - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Wickman - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Game 2 coming up... Rich Harden versus CC Sabathia.

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Game 2: Oakland Athletics @ Cleveland Indians

Best of five series is tied 1-1.

Crosby Brings The A's Home Tied

Left: Rich Harden strikes out his former batterymate. Right: Bobby Crosby follows through on his game winning homer.

Left: Eric Chavez gets himself into scoring position in the 9th. Right: The black worked to break the bad luck.

WP: JC Romero (1-0) LP: CC Sabathia (0-1) S: Huston Street (1)

The A's decided before the game that they'd go with the seldom worn black uniforms for game 2, to break the bad vibes carried over from game 1. It must have worked too.

Mark Kotsay led off the game with a bunt single that froze the defense. He took his lead from first and CC Sabathia attempted a pickoff, making Kotsay dive back. In the process, Kotsay broke a finger and had to be removed from the game. It was revealed later on that he will miss the remainder of the playoffs, with no chance of coming back even if the A's were in the world series.

In the bottom of the 1st, Coco Crisp led off with a triple to the gap, and was scored a few batters later on a sac fly to center by Casey Blake. The A's got on the board in the 4th when Marco Scutaro hit a solo shot, just over the left field wall to tie the game. In the 7th, Eric Byrnes hit a home run of his own, over 400 ft and over the home run porch in left field to make it 2-1 A's.

Rich Harden meanwhile was pitching a great game, giving up 5 hits and 1 unearned run with 5 strikeouts over 7 innings of work. JC Romero came in for the 8th to bridge the way to Huston Street, but the plan hit a snag when Juan Gonzalez homered to straight away centerfield and tied the game up at 2-2.

Exit CC Sabathia after a solid 8 innings and 6 strikeouts, and in came the closer Bob Wickman. Eric Chavez hit a single with 1 out, and stole second on the 3rd pitch to a pinch-hitting Keith Ginter. Ginter was then walked, bringing up Bobby Crosby with 2 on and 1 out. Wickman tried to blow a fastball by Crosby up in the zone, but the pitch never met the glove as Crosby took the ball deep into the left field seats, hitting the lower part of the scoreboard.

Huston Street came in for the 9th, and didn't have much of a problem. Coco Crisp doubled with 1 out, and a fly out to right field got him to third, but Travis Hafner was struck out swinging to end the game.

Clubhouse Talk:

Ken Macha: "We had a meeting this morning with Rich about stepping it up, and he gave us exactly what we wanted for 7 innings."

Rich Harden: "I knew I had to go out there and challenge the hitters. The changes I made worked out and we picked up an important win."

Bobby Crosby: "Wickman was trying to pound the zone up high, so I decided to go after one when he let it sink too far, and I could feel it was gone. The feeling rounding the bases at that point was unbelievable."

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 1/4, HR, 3 RBI

Mauer - 2/4, HR, RBI

Chavez - 3/4, 2B, R, SB

A's Pitching:

Harden - 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Romero - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Street - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Indians Hitting:

Gonzalez - 1/4, HR, RBI

Crisp - 2/5, 3B, R, SB

Belliard - 2/4, 2B

Indians Pitching:

Sabathia - 8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Wickman - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Shuey - 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

The A's head home for Game 3 with David Wells on the mound facing Cliff Lee. Game 4 will once again see Barry Zito up against either Kevin Milwood or Jake Westbrook.

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Game 3: Cleveland Indians @ Oakland Athletics

Cleveland leads the best of 5 series 2-1.

Hearts Break In The Bay

"... there aren't words for how I feel right now."

- A's rookie closer Huston Street, on blowing the 1-0 lead.

Left: David Wells throws his final pitch of the night, striking out Travis Hafner. Right: Ben Broussard watches his 3-run HR fly over the Coliseum wall.

Above: The Indians are stoked about taking a 2-1 series lead.

WP: Paul Shuey (1-0) LP: Huston Street (0-1) S: Bob Wickman (2)

David Wells was on the mound in Game 3, and he came out firing in the top of the first by striking out the side.

In the bottom of the second inning, Eric Byrnes singled to left field for the first hit of the game. He stole second on a 2-2 count, and advanced to third when Brian Jordan grounded out to the right side, and Scott Hatteberg drove him in with a single to open the scoring.

Wells in the meantime, was pitching one of his best playoff games of his career. Through 7 innings he'd struck out 6 Indians hitters, and given up 5 hits. In the bottom of the 7th, Byrnes led off with a double to the right field gap. Jordan singled to right on the 10th pitch of his at bat, and Byrnes was waved home with Jason Kendall's weak arm in right field. It was a close play and a great slide, but the throw was right on the money and Byrnes was out at the plate, while Jordan was stranded at 1st for the rest of the inning.

In the 8th, Wells gave up 2 hits with none out and both runners in scoring position. With the bullpen just beginning to warm up, the veteran was left in to work through the jam, and he did just that. Wells struck out Coco Crisp on 3 straight pitches, got Jason Kendall looking in a 2-2 count, and battled with Travis Hafner for 13 pitches before getting the swinging K on a curveball down and away. Wells left with a standing ovation after the 8 shutout innings, throwing 114 pitches and striking out 9.

The 9th was once again turned over to Huston Street, but this inning was possibly his worst of the season. Juan Gonzalez led off with a single, and Victor Martinez doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with none out. In an effort to keep the damage at 1 run maximum, Street tried to keep the ball down, but instead left a slider up in the zone and the ball was crushed into the right field seats, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead, their first sign of offense in the game.

Eric Chavez led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run that barely cleared the right field wall, putting the A's to within one. Eric Byrnes grounded out to 3rd, and hitting for Brian Jordan, Ryan Church popped up to the infield. Keith Ginter pinch hit for Mike Cuddyer and was hit by the 2nd pitch he saw, forcing him to leave with an inflamed left shoulder. He would have been pinch run for, regardless, with Pete Orr. Dan Johnson came to the plate, and worked the count to 3-2, but struck out swinging on a fastball away to end the game.

Clubhouse Talk:

Ken Macha: "David pitched a hell of a game, and the bullpen couldn't come through for him. Huston will be the first to tell you that."

Huston Street: "I got off to a bad start in the inning and it just kept getting worse. I got down to Broussard and when I saw the slider was hanging at the top of the zone, I knew it was out of the park if he swung, and he did. I blew David's outstanding start and there aren't words for how I feel right now."

David Wells: "I felt great on the mound, but really ran out of gas in the 8th inning, and was lucky enough to get out of it. What matters now is that we can go out there tommorow and leave it all on the field, and I like to think I did that tonight."

A's Hitting:

Hatteberg - 2/3, RBI

Chavez - 1/4, HR, RBI

Byrnes - 2/4, SB, R, 2B

A's Pitching:

Wells - 8.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Street - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Indians Hitting:

Broussard - 3/4, HR, 3 RBI

Martinez - 2/4, 2B, R

Blake - 1/4, 2B

Indians Pitching:

Lee - 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Shuey - 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Wickman - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 4 is next, with the A's up against the wall. Barry Zito takes the hill on 3 days rest against Kevin Millwood.

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Game 4: Cleveland Indians @ Oakland Athletics

Best of five series tied at 2-2.

Crosby Ties It Up Again

"... today everything I threw turned into an out."

- Barry Zito on his 8 innings of 5-hit ball.

Left: Broussard homers, and threatens to kill the A's ALCS hopes once again. Right: Crosby hooks one around the left field pole to grab the lead.

Left: Crosby did it with the glove too, saving this one in the 8th. Right: It's a sweet feeling for the A's.

WP: Barry Zito (1-1) LP: Arthur Rhodes (0-1) S: Huston Street (2)

The ace took the hill in Game 4, and delivered another great playoff start to help lead the A's to the win. Zito only struck out 3 guys over 8 innings, but only gave up 5 hits in forcing the Indians to ground out over and over again.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 7th when Eric Chavez singled to right field with one out. He stole second on a pitch that ended up in the dirt without a throw, and Scott Hatteberg singled to centerfield to bring Chavez home without a play. Zito returned to the mound for the 8th, but was stung by Ben Broussard for a home run to deep centerfield. It was the second night in a row that Broussard had a big home run late in the game.

This time however, the A's percevered and put a couple more runs on the board to put the game away. Eric Byrnes led off with a single, and after Marco Scutaro grounded out, Bobby Crosby took a 2-1 fastball just over the left field wall, hooking around the foul pole for a home run, giving the A's a 3-1 lead.

Huston Street was called on again in the 9th, and made up for the previous night's problems with an easy inning to close out the 3-1 victory.

Clubhouse Talk:

Ken Macha: "Barry Zito was Barry Zito out on the hill tonight. The strike zone was tight, so he worked his way through it and got guys out by putting the ball in play. He's a crafty guy who will find ways to get outs one way or another, and it was an outstanding performance."

Barry Zito: "Everything felt a lot more comfortable out there. I managed to keep a low pitch count and go deeper into the game which isn't common for me, but today everything I threw turned into an out."

Bobby Crosby: "He gave me the pitch I was looking for in the 2-1 count, and I knew that it was the only decent one I was going to get, so I had to make the most of it. In this case it meant a home run. It makes it that much better to be a game winner, but if you're thinking about that, it's not going to happen for you."

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI, K

Hatteberg - 1/3, RBI, K

Chavez - 1/3, BB, 2 SB, R, K

A's Pitching:

Zito - 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Street - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Indians Hitting:

Broussard - 1/3, HR, RBI

Gonzalez - 1/3, K

Hafner - 0/3, BB, K

Indians Pitching:

Millwood - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Rhodes - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Shuey - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

The decider, Game 5 from Cleveland is coming up. Rich Harden vs. Jake Westbrook.

[rolliefingers08]

ALDS Game 5: Oakland Athletics @ Cleveland Indians

Cleveland wins the best of five series 3-2.

Westbrook Buries A's For The Winter

"We didn't get it done and it's tough to swallow."

- Scott Hatteberg, who may have played his last game tonight.

Left: Martinez rounds 2nd on his game winning HR. Right: Chavez strikes out in the 9th.

Above: Dissappointment is an understatement in the A's dugout.

WP: Jake Westbrook (2-0) LP: Rich Harden (0-1)

The Oakland A's hit the field for the deciding game of the ALDS knowing that 9 innings of solid baseball was all they needed to find their way to New York and the ALCS.

Sadly, the solid 9 innings became the solid 6, and the A's became Rich Harden only. King Richard allowed just 1 run over his first 6 innings, before fatiguing and losing control in the 7th.

In the bottom of the 4th with 1 out and Casey Blake on 2nd base, Juan Gonzalez delivered an RBI double to the RF corner, giving the Indians a 1-0 lead. Harden held it together until the 7th when he left a splitter up in the zone and Victor Martinez took it for a ride to the seats in the opposite field to make it 2-0. The next batter, Ben Broussard, singled, and that was the end of Harden's night.

Antonio Alfonseca came in to clean up the mess despite being half warm, and Ronnie Belliard doubled on the first pitch to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Jose Hernandez hit a double to the wall that fooled Eric Byrnes in centerfield, and scored both runs easily. Alfonseca only got two outs before a tired JC Romero was brought in and finished that inning and the next without any problems.

It was up to the bats, and that meant trouble with the A's missing Mark Kotsay and Keith Ginter. The 8th and 9th led to nothing for the A's offense as Westbrook tossed an easy complete game shutout, leading the Indians to the ALCS with a 4-0 win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Ken Macha: "We'd only managed 2 hits over the first 6 innings, and even the way Rich was throwing, there was no way we could win if we kept that up. It was a tough end to a season in which our bats were heavily depended on to win ballgames, and tonight they couldn't do anything."

Eric Chavez: "Guys like me in the middle of the order were depended on to get something going, and we just couldn't do it. I got off my game, focusing solely on hitting safely, and not just making contact and letting it happen. We're gonna be back here next year and it's going to be our turn to move on and compete deeper into the playoffs."

Scott Hatteberg: "It's a tough ending... I felt like we were destined to win that game tonight, and every pitch I felt I was poised to hit in a gap ended up a line drive to whoever. We didn't get it done and it's tough to swallow."

A's Hitting:

Chavez - 2/4, K

Mauer - 1/3, BB

Swisher - 0/3, 2 K

A's Pitching:

Harden - 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Alfonseca - 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Romero - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Indians Hitting:

Martinez - 1/4, HR, RBI

Blake - 1/4, 2B, R, K

Hernandez - 1/3, 2B, 2 RBI, K

Indians Pitching:

Westbrook - 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Season's over for the A's, playoff news coming up and then the offseason. :(

[jdoe899]

That's a real bummer.....

[rolliefingers08]

Evil Empire Wins World Series

The New York Yankees have won the 2005 World Series 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees knocked off the Chicago White Sox in 5 games, and the Cleveland Indians in 5 games to advance to the Series. The Dodgers swept the Florida Marlins and then beat the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 to advance.

The series was close to being a sweep when the Yankees took a 3-0 lead, but the Dodgers battled back to 3-2 and it looked like the Yanks might be in for a remake of the 2004 ALCS, but they were able to take game 6 at Dodger Stadium to win it all.

Catcher Jorge Posada was named World Series MVP.

Playoff tree...

ALDS

Cleveland - 3

Oakland - 2

New York - 3

Chicago - 2

NLDS

Los Angeles - 3

Florida - 0

Philadelphia - 3

Pittsburgh - 2

ALCS

New York - 4

Cleveland - 1

NLCS

Los Angeles - 4

Philadelphia - 2

Word Series

New York - 4

Los Angeles - 2

[rolliefingers08]

That's a real bummer.....

It was. The clubhouse interviews are mostly how I felt about the game, trying to use a couple different angles.

Even though I finished with one of the weaker records to get into the playoffs, I figured I'd had Cleveland's number all year and they only had one bat in the lineup that I had to avoid, Travis Hafner, and I did. He hit below .150 in the series.

Their pitching isn't spectacular, but I just had nothing in the way of hitting and that had been my strength, wheras pitching had been my weakness. (more as an mvp player, than the skill level of my players)

I'm going to mess with some datafiles during spring training to see if I can find one that I find realistic for my gameplay. I tried at one point in the season, but all of them were way too hard to pitch on, and the one I liked messed around with the cameras and I couldn't fix it.

I plan on making a trade or two in the offseason, and I'm sure I'll sign someone to be useful off the bench.

As for trades, my plan is to go with a different leadoff hitter. I want to have the batting order similar to what the A's have now, so it would go something like this:

Leadoff

Kotsay

Crosby

Chavez

Mauer

...

Kotsay has some pop and he doesn't work counts as well as a leadoff man should.

Will be an interesting offseason, I've got some news about contracts in a second.

[rolliefingers08]

3 A's Sign Extensions

The Oakland A's are pleased to announce that they've agreed to contract extensions with Danny Haren, Joe Blanton, and Marco Scutaro.

Haren agreed to terms on a 3 year, $3.6 million deal, while Blanton inked a 2 year, $1.8 extension. Scutaro, coming off a career season, agreed to a 2 year, $1 million deal.

The A's also signed extensions with a number of minor leaguers including pitching prospect Jason Windsor.

Remaining free agents included David Wells, Antonio Alfonseca, Crash Davis, Mike Cuddyer, Ricardo Rincon, Scott Hatteberg, Brian Jordan, Juan Cruz, and Charles Thomas.

[rolliefingers08]

David Wells Announces Retirement

Fatty has hung up the spikes

Oakland A's starting pitcher David Wells announced his retirement from baseball today at the age of 42.

"I was given one last shot here in Oakland, and I'd like to thank everyone in the organization for that opportunity. We weren't able to get past the division series, but I had a great time here with the A's." said Wells in his retirement speech. "I'd also like to thank the Boston Red Sox for granting me this opportunity when things weren't working out over there."

Wells' retirement was predictable when he renegotiated his contract with the A's to remove the 2006 season.

He finished his career with 221 wins and 147 losses.