In seems like a millennium since the Oakland Athletics were last seen in postseason play—let alone a contender at all—and while this hasn’t been a team that has had a lot of opportunities to land big name players, the A’s are a team that has quietly been building in a solid unit since 2008.
Now as the 2011 season approaches, the A’s are looking more and more as if they are a contender in the American League.
From a fantasy perspective, the A’s give fantasy baseball managers plenty to consider, as they draw up ...
Every football fan in America these days knows of the big mistakes Al Davis has made in recent years. Both draft busts and free-agent busts have led football fans to believe that Davis has completely lost his way with the Raiders. Davis did come back with his best offseason in years last year and it was somehow attributed to Tom Cable, who was recently fired as head coach. With that now in the rear view mirror, Davis now has a chance to get it right if/when the collective bargaining agreement is made. One thing I believe I can safely assume ...
In the last two weeks, there's been a lot of discussion about coaching strategy, player rankings, defensive schemes and offensive schemes.There isn't a lot of discussion about the relative strength of the owners, and the decisions they make.Some owners are very involved in their teams. Owners like Jerry Jones, and Al Davis (pictured here).The owners don't play the game, but it is their ball.And being a good owner is about more than just writing a check.Here is a list of five owners who are not going to win another Super Bowl. Two of these owners have won multiple Super Bowls, ...
The Raiders finally turned in a .500 season, and what does Al Davis do?He fires his head coach Tom Cable and hires Hue Jackson, former offensive coordinator, to run the team. Jackson hasn't had a chance to prove himself yet, but it is already a bad start to the 2011 season.The Raiders had their first 8-8 season since their run to the Super Bowl in 2002, and it doesn't appear that they will improve next year. Begin Slideshow
The first step to a Super Bowl is winning your division. The Raiders dominated their division in 2010.
The second step to Super Bowl? A defense that can dominate.
Unfortunately the Raiders can't stop the run. Green Bay, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New York (AFC), nor New England—the contenders—give up 140 rushing per game. Until the Raider's defense dominates, 'Super Bowl thinking' is wishful thinking at best.
In addition, when your fullback, Marcel Reese is the No. 2 best receiver on the team, your receivers are nothing special.
The Colts, Pats, Steelers, and probably Baltimore have No. 3 receivers who, arguably, are better than the Raiders ...
Unlike previous years, the Oakland Athletics head into Spring Training with relatively few questions. The starting lineup is all but set, the first four in the rotation is all but certain and their potentially beastly bullpen could do little to improve.For a full A's spring training preview check out Brandon McClintock's excellent one here.If the roster shapes up as expected, the A's will carry 12 pitchers and 13 hitters. With four outfielders already roster locks, only the backup catcher, utility infielder and fifth outfielder are up for grabs. Six bullpen spots are taken, as are four starters spots, leaving the ...
Foreword
One way an Oakland Raider can educate himself and learn the game better is to look at film. It's a part of preparation and doing the homework that is necessary to know the game and to improve.
Recently, mathematicians and others celebrated "sports and mathematics." I am providing a link to a book on the subject.
A number of professors and teachers sometimes use information from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and from the Bleacher Report to inspire and educate people about the power, beauty, spirit and rich content of football and other sports.
The potential of Bleacher Report for education, entertainment ...
For many fans of the legendary Oakland Raiders, you still have to wonder: Is Jason Campbell the QB to lead the Oakland Raiders to the Superbowl in 2011? Does Jason Campbell have the skills, leadership qualities, and fire to keep the team running like a finely tuned machine? If you look back at the great ones like Ken Stabler, Tom Flores, Rich Gannon, Jeff Hostetler, Daryl Lamonica and lastly the infamous Todd Marinovich...kidding. Can you picture Campbell playing at the Gannon level? Maybe.
The Oakland Raiders are rebuilding the coaching staff by adding veteran players, for excample Steve Wiszneiwski and Greg ...
In early February I wrote about the A's stadium frustration and that the time for MLB to make its recommendation is now. Unfortunately, I do not have an update on any progress Lew Wolfe and company may or may not have made in persuading Bud Selig to release the findings of the blue-ribbon committee that he commissioned to make a recommendation on the Oakland Athletics stadium issue. I do, however, have some updates on the impact that Governor Jerry Brown's proposal to end redevelopment funding will have on both stadium proposals in ...
In articles such as this, many websites give readers a list of the best overall prospects at a given position, but the intention here is to focus on those prospects who are most likely to provide a significant fantasy impact during the 2011 season; thus, a guy like Red Sox SS prospect Jose Iglesias—who is blocked at the big league level by Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie—is not on my list.
Here is my list of the five shortstop prospects who will likely have the most impact at the major league level in 2011:
1. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, MIN 2010 performance: .346, 11 ...