The Raiders have had some great draft picks over the years despite all the busts we've had recently. I decided to take a look back at some of the greatest draft picks ever made by the Raiders. Many of these players made it to Pro Bowls, and some even went on to the Hall of Fame. This wasn't an easy list, but we all have our own opinions.Begin Slideshow
When Yoenis Cespedes signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the A's this offseason, he brought more than just his game to Oakland, he brought huge expectations. From day one the A's made it clear that Cespedes was going to be a major part of their team this season, immediately thrusting Cespedes into the middle of their lineup. Further confirming his importance to the team's future, the A's asked Coco Crisp to shift over to left field so Cespedes can take over in center. As of now, Cespedes is living up to the A's expectations. He isn't dominating, but the ...
Yoenis Cespedes hit a game-tying, two-run home run, and it was Kila Ka'aihue's game-winning single that gave the A's a comeback 5-4 victory over Chicago at the Coliseum.Alexei Ramirez hit a two run-double in the top of the 14th inning to give Chicago a 4-2 lead. Jim Miller got the win for Oakland in his A's debut, retiring one batter in the top of the 14th.The score was tied 2-2, when Paul Konerko crushed the first pitch from A's closer Grant Balfour onto the left field steps leading off the ninth inning. From there, the A's never really threatened to ...
Player Name: Miles Burris School: San Diego State Position: OLB College football's stars of yesterday are ready to take the leap into the world of professional football. While expectations run the gamut, fans are hopeful that each player their favorite team selects will resemble a current or former NFL star. Will Andrew Luck be the next Aaron Rodgers? Is Trent Richardson the next Adrian Peterson?In Bleacher Report's Prospect Comparison Series, we compare the 2012 NFL draft's top 300 prospects to current and recently retired NFL players. Enjoy! If you like this video, click here to check out more from Bleacher Report Productions!Read more ...
While the new era in Oakland has begun, the first real event under the leadership of general manager Reggie McKenzie is the 2012 NFL draft. This is actually the seventh installment attempting to predict the Raiders' 2012 draft, and a lot has changed since the first such post back in February. Reggie McKenzie's first draft will be handicapped, with the first pick not until the end of the third round and of the compensatory variety that can't be traded.McKenzie has a crisis of depth, and while the roster's top end could have the Raiders competing for the playoffs, a key injury could send ...
The Grant Balfour sweepstakes? It’s a contest that could heat up as the MLB season inches closer to the trade deadline. The Oakland Athletics aren’t expected to contend in the AL West this season and don’t show solid promise of being a surprise team, having been shut out four times but also recording four shutout wins.Balfour, who was made the Oakland closer after Andrew Bailey was traded to Boston over the winter, boasts a 0.82 ERA and has recorded five saves almost a month into regular season. ESPN baseball analyst Buster Olney said via Twitter on Monday that Balfour would be ...
Tom Milone gave the Oakland A's another fantastic start. This time, the offense provided just enough support to give him a win as the A's evened the three-game series against Chicago with a 2-0 victory at the Coliseum.Milone went eight fantastic innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five. He was matched nearly pitch for pitch by Chicago's Gavin Floyd, who allowed only two hits in 7 1/3 innings. His only charged run came off the arm of White Sox reliever Matt Thornton, who allowed a left field double by pinch hitter Kurt Suzuki to break the deadlock. Eric ...
Version one of the draft preview left out many variables when considering the path the Raiders will take this draft. One of the complaints was that I didn't factor in the compensatory picks while previewing the draft in August. Since August, many events have changed the status of this year's draft.1. Al Davis is no longer with us, physically.2. The Al Davis that so many wished would be replaced has been—and so many now wish he was back. At least Al had a superb 35 year legacy before he was considered confusing.3. The Raiders went 8-8 and missed the playoffs ...
One of the ongoing plots of the 2012 NFL offseason has been the Oakland Raiders' quest to navigate themselves under the salary cap after years of handing out inflated contracts that left the team in a fiscal bind.New GM Reggie McKenzie has worked diligently to restructure the contracts of veterans such as Carson Palmer, Richard Seymour and Michael Huff in order to afford his team flexibility and the opportunity to add other new players.He's also had to part ways with respected presences such as Kevin Boss, Chris Johnson and Stanford Routt, whose salaries dictated that they would no longer be ...
The Oakland A's have not been in the playoffs since the 2006 season. This could have been the year to make it back had they not traded away Gio Gonzalez.Gonzalez was the ace for the A's before the offseason trade to the Washington Nationals. Now he is the Nationals' second ace, behind Stephen Strasburg, and will pitch his fourth game for Washington on Tuesday night. Gonzalez has started the season with a 2.04 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and he has struck out 21 and only walked five. Gonzalez has been a major contributor to the NL East-leading Nationals, and he could have had the same effect on ...