A's and Tigers

[lainey12]

Detroit has no excuse. They should be hitting better than they've been showing. I wouldn't be surprised they get eliminated tomorrow.

Reminds me of the Series last year, they couldn't hit for shitza

 

[lainey12]

So I guess all of the collection of scrubs they have who were all mediocre to terrible for years with other teams somehow all became magically good in Oakland? I still don't buy it for a second. The sheer number of players they have who couldn't play at all elsewhere tells me otherwise. Colon's career was dead before coming to Oakland. Now all of a sudden he's a Cy Young candidate at an age when most pitchers retire. Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Chris Young... trash, trash, trash, trash, and trash who were all so bad that their former teams just gave them away. Brandon Moss had a previous season-best of 9 HR while playing for 3 other teams pre-Oakland. Now he suddenly has 30-HR power. Look at Coco Crisp's previous best HR season in over 10 years before joining the A's. Suddenly he's a 25-25 guy? I'll give you Lowrie and Donaldson as legit players. But Sogard? Vogt? Norris? Freiman? Please.

Somehow all of these no-power journeymen and fringe players are blasting out HR like they've never done before in a pitcher's park and their 300-pound "ace" magically found the fountain of youth and dialed the clock back 10 years. I'd like to know how that many previously mediocre players all suddenly became really good. Are we supposed to believe that team chemistry just made them all legit Major Leaguers again?

 

[lainey12]

Dang, Longoria is killing everyone

 

[darrylgann]

I wouldn't be surprised either, the A's will hit, Detroit won't.

Red Sox last hope, assuming they beat Tampa.
I'm not sure anyone will beat the Dodgers...
who knows

It'd be a good WS, Boston vs. LAD. It's been my choice for a while. A's won't get past the Red Sox. Kershaw still a FA in a month?

 

[BeaverShaver]

So I guess all of the collection of scrubs they have who were all mediocre to terrible for years with other teams somehow all became magically good in Oakland? I still don't buy it for a second. The sheer number of players they have who couldn't play at all elsewhere tells me otherwise. Colon's career was dead before coming to Oakland. Now all of a sudden he's a Cy Young candidate at an age when most pitchers retire. Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Chris Young... trash, trash, trash, trash, and trash who were all so bad that their former teams just gave them away. Brandon Moss had a previous season-best of 9 HR while playing for 3 other teams pre-Oakland. Now he suddenly has 30-HR power. Look at Coco Crisp's previous best HR season in over 10 years before joining the A's. Suddenly he's a 25-25 guy? I'll give you Lowrie and Donaldson as legit players. But Sogard? Vogt? Norris? Freiman? Please.

Somehow all of these no-power journeymen and fringe players are blasting out HR like they've never done before in a pitcher's park and their 300-pound "ace" magically found the fountain of youth and dialed the clock back 10 years. I'd like to know how that many previously mediocre players all suddenly became really good. Are we supposed to believe that team chemistry just made them all legit Major Leaguers again?

Seriously? Are you pulling the steroid card? What are you implying here? So I guess Hamilton STOPPED using after leaving Texas and that explains his demise in LA this year? Texas has a great team that has fallen short to Oakland when it counts in the past two years. Big deal. You will be back again dude, look at your roster and minor league system......Don't hate so much man. Texas is legit.....I bet they make the playoffs next year and probably 3 out of the next 4 years at worst.

You would really rather see Detroit or Boston come out of the AL?

 

[darrylgann]

Seriously? Are you pulling the steroid card? What are you implying here? So I guess Hamilton STOPPED using after leaving Texas and that explains his demise in LA this year? Texas has a great team that has fallen short to Oakland when it counts in the past two years. Big deal. You will be back again dude, look at your roster and minor league system......Don't hate so much man. Texas is legit.....I bet they make the playoffs next year and probably 3 out of the next 4 years at worst.

You would really rather see Detroit or Boston come out of the AL?

Detroit would be swept again.

 

[RevSader]

Seriously? Are you pulling the steroid card? What are you implying here? So I guess Hamilton STOPPED using after leaving Texas and that explains his demise in LA this year? Texas has a great team that has fallen short to Oakland when it counts in the past two years. Big deal. You will be back again dude, look at your roster and minor league system......Don't hate so much man. Texas is legit.....I bet they make the playoffs next year and probably 3 out of the next 4 years at worst.

You would really rather see Detroit or Boston come out of the AL?

Okay maybe you are misguided...Hamilton is drug tested every three days because of the agreement he had with the MLB to be reinstated. So to even come up with that kind of comment is ludicrous. Even if you are responding to something you think is ridiculous.

All that aside, no one implied steroid use. That was all you bringing it up. Guilty conscience?

 

[jta4437]

So I guess all of the collection of scrubs they have who were all mediocre to terrible for years with other teams somehow all became magically good in Oakland? I still don't buy it for a second. The sheer number of players they have who couldn't play at all elsewhere tells me otherwise. Colon's career was dead before coming to Oakland. Now all of a sudden he's a Cy Young candidate at an age when most pitchers retire. Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, Coco Crisp, Seth Smith, Chris Young... trash, trash, trash, trash, and trash who were all so bad that their former teams just gave them away. Brandon Moss had a previous season-best of 9 HR while playing for 3 other teams pre-Oakland. Now he suddenly has 30-HR power. Look at Coco Crisp's previous best HR season in over 10 years before joining the A's. Suddenly he's a 25-25 guy? I'll give you Lowrie and Donaldson as legit players. But Sogard? Vogt? Norris? Freiman? Please.

Somehow all of these no-power journeymen and fringe players are blasting out HR like they've never done before in a pitcher's park and their 300-pound "ace" magically found the fountain of youth and dialed the clock back 10 years. I'd like to know how that many previously mediocre players all suddenly became really good. Are we supposed to believe that team chemistry just made them all legit Major Leaguers again?

Crisp's problem has almost always been injuries, He had a couple equally solid years back in cleveland, he didn't come out of nowhere

Seth Smith's best seasons were in Colorado

Chris Young's best seasons have been in Arizona

 

[WilltheThrill]

Seriously? Are you pulling the steroid card? What are you implying here? So I guess Hamilton STOPPED using after leaving Texas and that explains his demise in LA this year? Texas has a great team that has fallen short to Oakland when it counts in the past two years. Big deal. You will be back again dude, look at your roster and minor league system......Don't hate so much man. Texas is legit.....I bet they make the playoffs next year and probably 3 out of the next 4 years at worst.

You would really rather see Detroit or Boston come out of the AL?

Look at your team's roster. Now compare it to literally every other playoff team. That's my point. All other teams are loaded with offensive talent, multiple .290-.300 hitters, perennial all-stars, longtime sluggers, etc.. The A's aren't. Not even close. Yes your team's pitching is very solid, especially with youngsters like Gray and Parker. I'm not discounting that at all. What I am questioning is how a bunch of minor leaguers who struggle to hit .230 can repeatedly jack out HR after HR. Can you explain why complete spares like Vogt, Smith, and Norris repeatedly come up with big-time HR's? Can you explain why Cespedes, Moss, and Reddick can't hit their body weight in average yet all put up big power numbers over the last 2 years? How is it that Bartolo Colon was practically out of baseball he was so fat, bad, and old, and then he puts on an A's cap and he's a Cy Young finalist? What is it? Magic? Team chemistry that propels players way beyond their talent levels? The fear of being robbed and murdered by the fan base if they don't perform? Only the blindest of homers could look at that Oakland lineup and say it is as talented as any of the others still alive.

They are legitimate questions that tons of people all wonder about, but no one ever seems able to answer them. If you truly believe in long-term statistical trends and if you believe in the overwhelming majority of pro scouts, then the A's ability to crank out HR after HR and put up as many runs as they do is truly inexplicable.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Crisp's problem has almost always been injuries, He had a couple equally solid years back in cleveland, he didn't come out of nowhere

Seth Smith's best seasons were in Colorado

Chris Young's best seasons have been in Arizona

Didn't say Crisp came out of nowhere, but he was never close to being the player he suddenly is now. From 2003-2008 he averaged a little over 500 plate appearances per season and averaged 9 HR per season... not exactly tearing it up there. He was always an ok player who did struggle with injuries. But now he's suddenly a 30-30 candidate in his 12th year in the league? How many other hitters do you know of who battle mediocrity and injuries for 11 years and then suddenly peak in year 12?

Also, Chris Young averaged around .240 while in Arizona and now his average while in Oakland has dipped to .200 but he's still averaging just slightly fewer HR/AB in a pitcher's park as he was in the friendlier Arizona park. So he's getting fewer hits in Oakland by quite a bit but still putting up close to the same number of HR per game he plays. Chris Young might not be my best example either, as he is the one A's player who does actually have a history of hitting HR.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I can't believe this team might be in the ALCS..... What a disgrace. Bartolo shouldn't even be pitching anymore. He's been juicing nonstop the last few years.

 

[Bmurph]

I can't believe this team might be in the ALCS..... What a disgrace. Bartolo shouldn't even be pitching anymore. He's been juicing nonstop the last few years.

Problem is why hasnt someone caught this team who clearly has multiple guys juicing

 

[BeaverShaver]

Go Oakland.

Texas fans, you have a great team. Sorry your ass is red will, I'm not disrespecting you or your team. Better luck next year. And good luck on your witch hunt. Maybe Nelson Cruz can get you some answers.

Seriously, texas will be back in the playoffs soon.

 

[jta4437]

Didn't say Crisp came out of nowhere, but he was never close to being the player he suddenly is now. From 2003-2008 he averaged a little over 500 plate appearances per season and averaged 9 HR per season... not exactly tearing it up there. He was always an ok player who did struggle with injuries. But now he's suddenly a 30-30 candidate in his 12th year in the league? How many other hitters do you know of who battle mediocrity and injuries for 11 years and then suddenly peak in year 12?

Also, Chris Young averaged around .240 while in Arizona and now his average while in Oakland has dipped to .200 but he's still averaging just slightly fewer HR/AB in a pitcher's park as he was in the friendlier Arizona park. So he's getting fewer hits in Oakland by quite a bit but still putting up close to the same number of HR per game he plays. Chris Young might not be my best example either, as he is the one A's player who does actually have a history of hitting HR.

Those 2 guys aren't putting up seasons much better than they did 7-10 years ago, Crisp hit 16 and 15 HRs in 2004 and 2005, so his 22 this year isn't much better in a similar number of ABs, he's just not a good example and neither is Young, he's never been an average guy and his average slipped from .240 to .200? thats pretty thin

I don't doubt that something is going on down there, but those guys are far from solid example of the point you're trying to make

 

[WilltheThrill]

Those 2 guys aren't putting up seasons much better than they did 7-10 years ago, Crisp hit 16 and 15 HRs in 2004 and 2005, so his 22 this year isn't much better in a similar number of ABs, he's just not a good example and neither is Young, he's never been an average guy and his average slipped from .240 to .200? thats pretty thin

I don't doubt that something is going on down there, but those guys are far from solid example of the point you're trying to make

I still say Crisp is a great example because 16 was his best ever and he only went into double digits one other season despite averaging 500 AB's over that 6 year stretch when he should have been in his prime. I just question him achieving his career best numbers at his age.

But admittedly Young wasn't the poster boy for my point. He's always been a mediocre average solid power guy. He's just now doing it while playing 81 games in that pitcher's park.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Go Oakland.

Texas fans, you have a great team. Sorry your ass is red will, I'm not disrespecting you or your team. Better luck next year. And good luck on your witch hunt. Maybe Nelson Cruz can get you some answers.

Seriously, texas will be back in the playoffs soon.

No "red ass" or sour grapes here. I accepted long ago the flaws of my Rangers team. Had the A's not beat them for the division title, someone else would have knocked them out before the WS. It wasn't their year, period. They finished where they deserved.

If Oakland won a bunch of games 2-1 and 1-0 because of their great pitching, I'd be much more inclined to tip my cap to them. Why? Because unlike Oakland's hitters, their pitchers have natural talent. They have proven track records at every level. They are supposed to be good. Their hitters are trash and have always been trash at every level. Now suddenly they're magically HR machines. Sorry if that raises more than a few eyebrows.

 

[PDay8810]

Go Oakland.

Texas fans, you have a great team. Sorry your ass is red will, I'm not disrespecting you or your team. Better luck next year. And good luck on your witch hunt. Maybe Nelson Cruz can get you some answers.

Seriously, texas will be back in the playoffs soon.

I respect the hell outta what Oakland has become the last two season. Huge tip of the hat to clutch and timely hitting. I'm pulling for you guys throughout the playoffs

 

[BeaverShaver]

I respect the hell outta what Oakland has become the last two season. Huge tip of the hat to clutch and timely hitting. I'm pulling for you guys throughout the playoffs

Same to you when you are in. Its a rivalry for 162 games, then I root for anyone except the Yankees, Red Sox or Angels if the A's don't make it.

Plus I love Ron Washington.

 

[RevSader]

Two pitches into this one and Fister already looks in trouble.

 

[lainey12]

Two pitches into this one and Fister already looks in trouble.

Better get your Red Sox on...
I have about the same amount of faith in Detroit's playoff offense as I do the Rangers 2013 offense

and if Oakland goes to the Series? I need someone to be irrationally mad at, and don't say just Wash.
JD will get some heat too. It's one thing not to make the playoffs, quite another to watch this POS team go deep.

that BS 2013 offense, I never want to see again.
We have the pitching and we have some trade pieces, pull the freaking trigger...a real CO and a REAL DH.
alright, irrational rant over
Go Tigers