ANtics That Never Saw the Light of Day
02/26/2006 00:30
Unfortunately for me, the ANtics don't just up and write themselves... which means every once in a while, one of my half-baked ideas turns out to be just that... half-baked. Usually I catch myself before getting all the way through a strip, but sometimes, they're all written up before I realize its a creative disaster.This evening, I posted two of the comics that never made to Athletics Nation in a diary on AN - the first being "Zito's Zen Routine", which debuted here earlier this week, and the second, a comic that examined the A's activities during a losing streak. Neither of the two comics were good enough or timely enough to hit the front page of AN, so they've been gathering figurative dust on my hard drive since their creation.
The Athletics Nation diary can be found here. The full archive of ANtics can be found here.
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ANtics Extra: Zito's Zen Routine
02/22/2006 22:00
Not all of the drafted ANtics comics have been posted to Athletics Nation - some with good reason. They just weren't funny. Here's one from the cutting floor drafted during the 2005 regular season, starring Oakland A's left handed ace, Barry Zito. Click the image for a larger picture.For more, visit the 2005 ANtics Archive.
Sneak Peek: ANtics 2.2 Coming Soon
02/20/2006 00:41
As previously mentioned, the A's pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in Arizona earlier this week, and it's not too long from now before spring training games will begin, and we'll be well on our way to the regular season. It's time to start thinking baseball, and time to start thinking about the ANtics - just a small part of the great community that is Athletics Nation. More to come soon.2005-2006 ANtics Archive
A's Pitching Staff: Armed and Ready
02/19/2006 15:56
When the A's fans saw Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder traded away after the 2004 season, in the space of a week, the feeling was very dire. Two thirds of the "Big Three" had been decimated, forcing Oakland to see its best-known players leave for greener pastures elsewhere, following year after year of more of the same - with losses of Jason Giambi, Keith Foulke, Jason Isringhausen, Johnny Damon and others having already inflicted significant damage on the A's psyche. But in 2005, after a rocky start, the A's challenged their way to a second place finish in the AL West division, scoring 88 wins, largely on the back of what had been left behind - a pretty darn good pitching staff, consisting of the now veteran Barry Zito, Rich Harden, youngsters Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, and fifth starter Kirk Saarloos.Even the competitive cities are giving the A's pitching staff its due. From the Seattle Times:
"The Oakland Athletics have a pitching staff the Mariners can only dream about, as deep in both starting and relieving as anyone except perhaps the Chicago White Sox, the defending World Series champions."
In the 2005 off season, the A's didn't see any significant losses. Octavio Dotel, Erubiel Durazo and Scott Hatteberg were replaced with Frank Thomas, Milton Bradley, and yet another pitcher - Esteban Loaiza. This gives the A's six credible starters, with Joe Kennedy in the bullpen in case disaster strikes, and Dan Meyer waiting in the wings in Triple-A Sacramento after a dismal 2005 campaign.
Now some are projecting Joe Blanton and Zito to each win 20 games, with any kind of run support, with Haren following closely behind. Though Rich Harden's health is somewhat in question, he and Loaiza will give the A's five starters capable of winning 15 to 20 games this year, backed by a bullpen including All Star Justin Duchscherer and Rookie of the Year Huston Street. With the A's offense set to pick up more of the load this year, the pitching staff doesn't show any signs of slowing down. They will throw some serious heat and keep the A's pushing toward the playoffs in 2006.
Cal Hoops Falls to Last-Place ASU
02/19/2006 00:59
Being a Cal Bears fan is a lot like being a Chicago Cubs fan - it always seems like something is going to go wrong, even when things are starting to go right. During my four years at Cal, I expected our quarterback to fumble on the one-yard line in key games, I expected our star basketball player to get injured in the last minutes of a game in which he scored more than forty points, and somehow, they always came up short. And this issue extends to any games Cal plays on a national scale - or when facing USC the last two years.Yet, somehow, I keep holding onto my faith. Today, with Cal basketball tied for first place in the Pac Ten with UCLA, and an NCAA tourney bid looking possible, they took on last-place Arizona State, at home, in what should have been an easy win. Yet we found them in trouble in first overtime.
With a chance to win by making two free throws, Cal missed the front-end and was lucky to make the second to force a second, fateful, overtime period. In that last five minutes, Cal foolishly shot an impossible three pointer when up by four, and gave ASU the chance to come roaring back. With the gap closed to two, ASU had the chance to tie or take the lead, and swished a three from behind the arc, putting the team up by one with seconds left. Cal had managed to shake defeat from the jaws of victory, missing their final attempts and seeing the Sun Devils walk away from Haas Pavilion with a well-deserved win. It was almost what I had expected to happen, but what I had hoped wouldn't. Very frustrating.
Pitchers and Catchers Report
02/18/2006 11:53
Four of the most beautiful words in the English language! Spring Training is off and running today, with the A's pitching and catching staffs reporting to Phoenix, Arizona, in an attempt to regain the playoffs after two promising but ultimately frustrating seasons. This year, after the acquisitions of Frank Thomas, Milton Bradley and Esteban Loaiza during the winter months, many are picking the A's to do very well this season, challenging the LA Angels for first place.The A's have drawn national attention and praise for their thrifty road to success, and the utilization of statistics over physical appearance to determine a player's value. The "Moneyball" phenomenon is much bandied about and often not understood, as those who read only the headlines could assume players with OBP and HRs are the only targets, when instead, the A's, using similar strategies to those in the investment community, have learned to buy low and sell high, and look for players whose worth is undervalued. As a result, when one group of teams zigs, the A's zag. In fact, while the A's were long considered a defensive joke, their fielding statistics and ability are among the leaders in the league, on top of their well-known pitching prowess and consistent hitting, especially with the off-season acquisitions.
This will surely be a fun season. The A's are expected to play very well, and I intend to be there as often as I can. We've got partial season tickets, spring training tickets, and a full-time season pass to Athletics Nation, so if you're not on the bandwagon, now is the time to jump on, for the A's are going places.
Related Links:
OaklandAthletics.com: A's Plan to be Leaders in Arms Race
Athletics Nation: Spring Hopes Eternal, As Pitchers and Catchers Report
Not Really Into the Olympics
02/14/2006 21:00
Growing up, the Summer Olympics were huge, filled with huge stars who you would practically beg to grace your Wheaties box - Mary Lou Retton, Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner, Matt Biondi... while the Winter Olympics was like the cute younger sister of the pair - interesting, but not quite what you're looking for. The Winter Olympics have had their moments, but it's not captivating, and with yet another Olympics being held so far outside of US prime-time, and Internet news sources being more up to date than ever, by the time NBC drags out the days highlights through 11 p.m., you've already known what's going to happen for upwards of 15 to 18 hours. Who cares?I'm not saying that the US deserves the Olympics every time. That would be silly. But there should be enough of a storyline to keep me watching, even if I somehow found out the results already. I'm not going to stay riveted to the TV to see whether or not the 5' 2" 16 year old lady snowboarder is going to land her back 540, or to see the pairs skaters try not to land another concussion. If I wanted chills and spills, I should have a lobotomy and watch NASCAR. If I want to be bored with sappy behind the scenes documentaries on the athletes, I'll turn to Lifetime or Biography, thank you. I don't care if the Olympics are in Helsinki or Halifax. It doesn't matter if the story isn't there.
Pretty soon, it'll be over. The US will be in the top 4 medal countries, and I won't care. Want good sports to watch? Give me the A's during spring training. Now there's a team of players you can get behind.
Go Bears!
02/09/2006 22:22
Cal wins over Stanford, 65 to 62. Leon Powe scored 32 points, while everybody else scored 33.A win is a win, but it's always so much better against Stanfurd.
2006 American League Predictions
02/07/2006 20:51
As AthleticsNation blogfather Blez points out in his story today titled "The Season Has Started", it's now becoming time to look at the Major League Baseball calendar and prognosticate just how each team will end up at the end of the season. With the Super Bowl behind us, and the Bay Area enjoying moderate temperatures - especially for February, the thoughts of Spring are in the air.First and foremost, I'm an A's fan. There's no doubt of that. As a result, I wish they could go 162-0, and live and die alongside them for every bad call, bad play, bad pitch and bad game. As a result, any guess I take has to be given a grain of salt, as I am likely overestimating how well they will do in 2006. But with the team picking up Esteban Loaiza, Milton Bradley, and Frank Thomas and not losing any marquee players, things are looking up. In fact, in an ESPN chat today, Rob Neyer said "Right now, on paper, the A's are the third-best team on the planet (after the U.S.A. and the D.R.)"
So, throwing out any statistical analysis and not having special insight, while also ignoring the National League, because the situation over there is too dire, I suggest the following to be how the American League will look at the conclusion of the 2006 season:
American League West
Oakland 94-68
Los Angeles 86-76
Texas 77-85
Seattle 76-86
American League Central
Cleveland 87-75
Chicago 83-79
Minnesota 82-80
Detroit 77-85
Kansas City 67-95
American League East
New York 91-71
Boston 87-75
Toronto 85-77
Baltimore 73-89
Tampa Bay 71-91
Divisional Playoffs
Oakland over Boston, 3 games to 1
Cleveland over New York, 3 games to 2
League Championship Series
Oakland over Cleveland, 4 games to 1
Three And Out Takes Fantasy Football Title
02/07/2006 19:52
Sunday's Super Bowl didn't go as I had expected, but it went well enough to avoid any calamities in our little fantasy football league. Somehow, despite finishing with the 4th seed going into a 4-team playoff, I managed to win the title, on the back of Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward, and picked up my second trophy in the last five years, becoming the third person in KODL league history to have multiple first-place finishes.KODL Playoff Results | KODL History
I got into the league at the request of a former boss (who finished last in the 12-team league this year), but have enjoyed the competition. It's even more fun when you win, of course.
Now comes the darkness before Spring Training, where we don't have football to fall back on, and the never-ending NBA season continues to eke forward without any intrigue. It's time to send the pitchers and catchers any day now, right?
Oakland A's Fanfest 2006
01/28/2006 20:15
Fresh off returning to the Bay Area from our East Coast travels, we turned right around from being business focused to being Oakland A's focused - a very pleasing endeavor. This morning, my wife and I caught up with a friend from high school and made our way to the Coliseum to start off the 2006 A's baseball pre-season the right way, with the opportunity to see A's players and coaches, get a tour of the player's clubhouse, and eat ballpark food, more than 60 days before the start of the regular season.It wasn't overly crowded, like any playoff game, but very busy - focused on autograph seekers and a serious push for ticket sales. We got into see a Q&A with the A's four top rookies from last year (Huston Street, Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson and Joe Blanton), but late. The ushers would wave 1 or 2 or 3 in at a time to fill empty seats, so we got in and had an angle that saw all but Huston. Still fun and good spirits by all. The best comments were when Ray Fosse ripped on Swisher for saying Joe Blanton is the best bunter of the four - saying that to have Blanton pinch hit for Swisher in a bunting situation would be very embarrassing. Fosse also slammed the guys trying to learn how to play guitar, and swore he was going to use his noise-reduction earphones to block them out on the next trip.
We took the clubhouse tour, and I was surprised by how small it seemed, as well as the dugout. Fairly close quarters to say the least.
A hidden surprise was a Q&A with manager Ken Macha and coach Renee Lachemann. Macha is a good conversationalist in person and did well with the crowd - even when one person challenged his use of Joe Kennedy in a must-win game. The guy kept going back to it, and berated Macha so much that the crowd booed him. But Macha came back to Kennedy's defense in a big way, and we all applauded. Macha also had some good insight into dealing with Billy Beane and how to deal with a deep lineup, but he wouldn't spell out his opening day line-up.
Big Time Signings
01/25/2006 22:40
It always seems like the big news hits when I'm out of town - so someone has to fill me in hours after it happens, just to catch me up. After months of anticipation in both cases, two big signings went down today that rocked the Northern California sports world, such as it is. First, the Oakland A's signed a one year, incentive-laden contract with the "Big Hurt", Frank Thomas, fresh off of a 16-year tenure with the Chicago White Sox, which had culminated in two injury-plagued seasons. Second, the Sacramento Kings traded away fan favorite three point sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic for the world-renowned bad boy Ron Artest, from the Indiana Pacers, just 24 hours after he swore he would never play for the Kings.To start off, the A's have a fantastic young team, led by a pitching staff that surprised many people in 2005, with stability up and down the rotation, from Rich Harden and Barry Zito at the top, down to Joe Blanton, Dan Haren, and the off season signee Estaban Loaiza. But while they came close to taking the division away from the Anaheim Angels, their on-again, off-again offense needed an upgrade, especially in the form of a right handed bat with power. Thomas represented that power for many years with the White Sox, and very well could fill that role again, provided modern medicine and physical therapy do their trick. While many are very excited about this pickup, I'm more cautious. Thomas has been a shadow of himself the last few years, and has injury-prone written all over him now. But I wouldn't mind see him providing power at the top of the lineup, helping Chavez, Crosby and crew drive runs home.
The second deal is a little mind-boggling. Just last season, we saw a maniacal Ron Artest dive into the stands in Detroit on his way to a suspension for the rest of the regular season by the league. We all know he took time off earlier to make and promote a rap album, and is generally known as a hot head. Meanwhile, Stojakovic has the purest shot of anybody in the NBA this side of Lebron James or Kobe Bryant, and has been a mainstay for the Kings for the better part of 7-plus years. That makes the deal bewildering for us who only know the surface story. Others say that Peja's statistics are on the decline, and maybe with a better environment, Artest can thrive. Who knows? After all, just a few years ago, Chris Webber called Sacramento a cow-town, and wanted nothing to do with the place. Next thing we know, he's a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate... we'll see, but the feeling is hollow now.
Steelers and Seahawks Move On
01/22/2006 19:42
Super Bowl XL in Detroit will feature one team that's never made it to the championship game, in the Seattle Seahawks, and another who hasn't claimed the title since polyester pants and disco were all the rage, in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl in 1995, they walked away on the losing side, and have yet to get back. In today's games, there really wasn't much doubt who was going to win. Pittsburgh entertained a 24-3 lead over the hometown Broncos at halftime on the way to a 34-17 pummeling, while the Seahawks stymied the Carolina offense, allowing only a punt return TD by Steve Smith, and a garbage-time TD reception on their way to a 34-14 pasting of the upstart Panthers.
While the network TV folks might not be happy about Seattle/Pittsburgh, I've had just enough of Tom Brady and the boring Patriots year in and year out. I wouldn't have minded seeing Peyton Manning and the Colts get their shot, but they too had the limelight all through the regular season, while Seattle and Pittsburgh quietly prepared for the playoffs. It should be a good game, one that the odds-makers in Vegas will likely say tilts toward the Steelers, though I'm unconvinced.
As mentioned previously here, my Three And Out squad (we're talking Fantasy Football again) needed Pittsburgh to win to get a near-lock on the team's second trophy in five years. Now, it looks like we're there. At the conclusion of today's games, Three And Out is leading 229 to 207 over the nearest challenger, and has more players available than any other for the Big Game. (Matt Hasselback, Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Special Teams and both Defenses) Though I wasn't excited to see Steve Smith scuttled, he did pull off a masterful punt return for a TD, which in itself was worth 11 of his 13 points scored today. You've got to believe I was excited to see that - and doubly so as my Seattle Defense wasn't on the hook for giving it up. A great football day.
Tomorrow: Football Season Comes to a Head
01/21/2006 14:48
As chronicled earlier here, things have gone fairly well so far in our fantasy football playoffs, which is somewhat of a surprising development given I had the last pick in our draft, and experts are befuddled by how well the wild card teams have done in the last two weeks - with both Pittsburgh and Carolina one win away from the Super Bowl, while favorites Indianapolis and New England are planning their winter breaks a few weeks early.It's highly likely that my doing well is due in part to these surprises - as those drafting higher loaded up on favorites like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Corey Dillon and Edgerrin James from the Colts and Patriots. As a result, I zigged when they zagged, picking up Steve Smith of the Panthers, Hines Ward, and Pittsburgh's Defense and Special Teams. While Matt Hasselback plays for me as well on the favored Seahawks, it was my Carolina/Pittsburgh connection that's worked so well thus far.
If Carolina and Pittsburgh were to match up in the Super Bowl, two of my opponents would be completely out of players, and done. I just need Pittsburgh to paste Denver to nearly clinch it. If the Broncos pull it off at home, we could be in big trouble. Should be interesting.
Related Links: KODL Playoffs (Three And Out is my team name), Live Scoring Summary
The Good Guys Won
01/15/2006 19:36
Following up on last night's post (Fantasy Football: Playoffs: Week 2), I said that in order to place well in the fantasy football league playoffs, I needed Carolina to beat Chicago, and for Steve Smith to have a good game. I also said that I was half-heartedly rooting for Indianapolis, as having Pittsburgh win also got me an advantage over the competition.As you know by now, Pittsburgh stunned the Colts, and Carolina did away with Chicago - on the back of Steve Smith's 200+ receiving yards to go with a pair of touchdowns. His big day's pushed me into a tie for first, and (knock on wood), things look pretty good the rest of the way. A back of a napkin look says that I need Pittsburgh to win next week too, and if Carolina were to somehow beat Seattle, that'd knock out two of my three opponents. As with Pittsburgh/Indianapolis today, I'm pretty split on the outcome of that game.
Kiss Of Death League 2005 Playoff Info
* Current Standings
* Week 2 Results (Called Week 19)
Go Steelers!
Fantasy Football: Playoffs: Week 2
01/14/2006 21:37
Since 2001, I've been part of a fantasy football league called the Kiss Of Death League (KODL). I was enlisted kicking and screaming by a former boss, but it's turned out to be pretty fun. I've made the playoffs in 3 of the 5 years, finishing 1st overall in 2001 and 2nd in 2004. Now, as the 2005 season is nearing an end and we are two weeks into the playoffs, each game means something - even if I don't care about the actual teams playing. The league is set up that 4 of the 12 owners make the playoffs, and refill their rosters from scratch with players in the post-season. Drafting from the 4th position, I made do with those available, and am doing okay - not outstanding.Today, I saw Matt Hasselback lead the Seahawks against the Redskins, winning 20 to 10. That was good. I've got Hasselback, and Seattle Defense to boot. The fact my opponents each had Redskins players means they won't get points from next week through the Super Bowl. That was followed by the evening match of the Broncos against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots. Once again, I didn't pick anybody from New England, but everybody else did. I wanted the Broncos to win, and they did. Good stuff.
Yet another great way to waste time and not be forced to leave the house. Tomorrow Indianapolis plays Pittsburgh, and Carolina faces Chicago. I want Carolina over Chicago (I've got Steve Smith), and the other game's a toss-up, at least as far as fantasy football is concerned. I have players on both teams. In theory, as I'm more weighted toward Pittsburgh than my opponents, that wouldn't be a bad thing if they were to pull it off, but I'll be half-heartedly rooting for Indy here.
2 Weeks to FanFest
01/13/2006 21:20
It's only two weeks (and a day) until Oakland A's FanFest, where in the darkest months of Winter, the most dedicated fans have a chance to mix and mingle with their favorite players wearing the green and gold. I've never gone, but I've held a spot for the A's in my personal psyche for the better part of two decades now, and we're fully committed.At the end of last season, as the A's came tantalizingly close to reaching the playoffs again, I put down cash to get playoff tickets all the way through the World Series. They didn't make it. So I took that money and placed it toward season tickets, and now my wife and I have a pair of field level tickets to every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday game. Should be a blast as the A's are going to be a lot of fun to watch in 2006.
As a perk to being a brand-new season ticket holder, today we received four tickets to FanFest, and free parking to boot. I can't wait. It's time to Play Ball!
2006: The ANtics Take On the Off-Season
01/09/2006 23:07
It was only a few months ago that the A's promising 2005 season came to a close in remarkably familiar fashion - but AN is very excited about the 2006 season, and the last few months have seen a great number of changes - with the additions of Esteban Loaiza and Milton Bradley, and the hard, but understandable, losses of Hatteberg and others.We checked in with a few of the A's to see if they believe the change has been for change's sake or for the better - and when is it enough? Read on in the ANtics - 2006 style!
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ANtics Archive: 2005 Season ANtics