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Archive for March, 2012
The past five seasons have been unkind to the Oakland Athletics. The team has been stuck in no man’s land as getting just 80 wins has proven to be a difficult task. Oakland has missed the playoffs for five straight years. Their best season in that stretch came in 2010 when the team finished at .500 with 81 wins.It has been even tougher during this stretch for the team to get fans into the seats of the O.co Coliseum.  The A’s have an old, unappealing stadium. Management seems to shuffle a mix of young, no-name players with old, washed up ...
Under the legendary Al Davis, the Oakland Raiders were consistently one of the more fascinating NFL franchises. Following his death during the 2011 season, it was assumed that the decision making in Oakland would be a little bit more conventional. That has not been the case.When Jason Campbell went down with an injury midseason, they cashed in all their chips to get Carson Palmer. At the time of the trade, the thinking was that the Raiders were legit contenders who could not afford to let the loss of one player hinder their chances. The logic was sound, but they will have to ...
The Oakland Raiders may not do much shuffling on the offensive side of the ball, but the 29th-ranked defense will be altered. Stanford Routt has already been released, and new GM Reggie McKenzie promises even more change. Of the 11 positions on defense, only two have unquestioned starters.Had the Raiders been healthy, the starters at the end of the season would have been nearly identical to the starters in Week 1. The lone exception would be Aaron Curry starting over Quentin Groves. Since the Raiders will use both three-man and four-man fronts, we'll have to predict the starters for both schemes.  RDE Matt ...
You smell that? Aaaah, the fresh scent of pine tar and eye black. It’s that time of year again: Pitchers, catchers and position players have arrived to their respective camps. Yes, spring training is always an exciting time of the year. It’s a period that symbolizes the blossoming of new growth, where anything and anybody can get a fresh start to their baseball careers. No team exudes the essence of springtime more than the Oakland Athletics, a franchise that has almost completely re-harvested its roster over the past few months. Out with last year’s crop: Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and ...
Yoenis Cespedes arrived in Arizona for the Oakland Athletics' spring training today, according to the Huffington Post. The 26-year-old Cuban defector signed a four-year, $36 million contract with Oakland earlier this winter and will be looking to make an immediate impact at the major league level. However, beyond all the hype, what do we really know about Yoenis Cespedes? His reputation was essentially built during the 2009 World Baseball Classic while he was playing for Cuba. According to Baseball Reference, in just six games he hit .458 with a double, three triples, two home runs, five runs and five RBI. ...
In the thick of rebuilding mode, the Oakland Athletics have plenty of players ready to prove they can be everyday starters. Typically, baseball's spring training helps veterans get back into the swing of things and provides clarity on a few position battles. In the case of the A's, there's more than a few that require answering. It seems the only real positions that are locked up are catcher, second base, shortstop and the front end of the rotation. Every other spot features multiple players vying for a chance. Spring training has officially begun. Here's a look at the players who must take advantage of ...
This year’s Academy Awards featured the movie Moneyball being nominated for numerous Oscars, including Best Film. The Brad Pitt portrayed Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane exemplified both an audacious general manager and a rebel fighting the system. But while Moneyball might have been a winner in the box office, it remains a question whether or not Beane’s bargain basement statistically approved squad will be winners on the field in 2012. With the front office dealing highly touted staff aces Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, as well as closer Andrew Bailey, East Bay Area sports fans pondered if the team ...
Professional sports is full of what ifs and what could haves.  There's no sport more exciting than professional football, which is always full of controversy.  The NFL has a rich history of blown calls, questionable acts, and many more.  As suspected, the Oakland Raiders have always been the center of excitement.This past season, the Oakland Raiders have had one of the most up-and-down seasons ever.  Poised to make their first playoff appearance since their Super Bowl blowout, the team dealt with the death of their beloved owner, a treacherous defense that lost half of the games and the loss of their ...
It can be futile and useless to play the “what-if” game in sports, but hey, it’s the offseason: What else are we going to do, talk about the Raiders’ lack of draft picks for two months? So let’s play a little make believe for a minute and contemplate a question that has bothered me ever since Tom Brady's wife got mad at Wes Welker: Could the 2011 Oakland Raiders have been Super Bowl champs? The New York Giants became the first 9-7 team to win the Super Bowl, completing an inexplicable run where they beat the No. 1 and No. ...
Matt Miller has posted a complete seven-round mock draft and is one the of the few draft experts to have projected both of the Raiders' picks in the 2012 NFL Draft.So, are we buying the two picks Miller projected to the Raiders or selling them like a cheap used car? Pick 141: Coryell Judie, Cornerback, Texas A&MMeasureablesHeight: 5'11.75"Weight: 194 poundsArm: 30.25"Hand: 8.75"40-yard Dash: 4.48 secondsVertical Jump: 37"Broad Jump: 10'6"3-Cone Drill: 7.33 seconds20-Yard Shuffle: 4.25 secondsScouting ReportsNational Football Post - West BuntingProFootballWeeklyNFLDraftScout - Chad ReuterNFL.comConsensus StrengthsZone CoverageBall SkillsRun SupportConsensus WeaknessesJammingStiff HipsLengthDurabilityReviewThe Raiders need a cornerback to compete for a starting job and Coryell Judie ...