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Archive for May, 2012
Every year it seems the subject of Terrell Owens comes up in relation to the Oakland Raiders. Why? Why would any team want him, especially a team trying to rebuild its complete organizational structure? According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, Jerry Rice said on NFL Live he thought Terrell Owens would make a great fit in Oakland: Asked if he thought Owens would fit in with an NFL team, Rice said he thought the Raiders would be a fit because they could use a veteran to go along with their several young receivers. Adding fuel to the possibility, of course, ...
The new era of Oakland Raiders football will feature many prominent changes to the offensive and defensive schemes.The return of the zone-blocking scheme has been a primary topic of discussion this offseason with the Raiders using the 95th overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft to select right guard Tony Bergstrom.More of a mystery has been how the Raiders would incorporate the 3-4 defense. Dennis Allen thinks Tommy Kelly can play nose tackle and signs point to the Raiders using the 3-4 and 4-3 defenses in 2012.Aside from the more-talked about scheme changes, there are several more the Raiders should ...
Maybe fans of The Ohio State University will never forgive Terrelle Pryor. Maybe his name will never be cleared for a scandal that rocked one of the very best football programs in college football to its very core. Or maybe we were all wrong about former Buckeyes and current Oakland Raiders quarterback. Maybe, just maybe, the canvas that painted Pryor as the main villain in this entire process needs to be scrapped and redone. At the very least, Pryor is attempting to clean his image just a year removed from leaving the Buckeyes' football program for a spot in the NFL supplemental draft, ...
The A's have far exceeded expectations in 2012. They are 16-15, just 4.5 games behind the Texas Rangers and occupying second place in the AL West in what many analysts tabbed as a rebuilding year for the franchise.Oakland appears to be just as much in the hunt for a playoff seed as anybody at this point in the season, and with a farm system loaded with young talent, A's fans must be excited about what the future holds.But even though the current A's roster has seen some mild success on the field, there are still some gaping holes that need ...
Before A's fans start celebrating, they should take a look at some sobering numbers and consider the consequences.In 11 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Brandon Inge batted .234. Last year was his worst season when he put up a slash line of .197/.265/.283. At 34 years old, history tells us he won't become a better hitter, or suddenly "figure it out."He provides occasional pop, having two seasons with 27 home runs ('06, '09), but his strikeout counts in those two years are remarkably different. Inge struck out only 72 times in '06; three years later, he struck out 170 times.Before ...
It was a torrid start to the 2012 MLB season for Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. In the first six weeks of the season, Cespedes put up some impressive numbers considering he had only a little over a month of spring training to acclimate himself to American baseball.Despite his newness to opposing pitchers and defenses, elongated traveling schedules and road trips (as well as American culture), Cespedes was making an early case for Rookie of the Year candidacy, posting a .250 batting average with five home runs, 19 runs batted in and four stolen bases through April. However, Cespedes fever ...
After an emotional comeback win, the A's could not muster much against Toronto starter Brandon Morrow and lost 5-2 in the second of a two-game series.Tyson Ross looked better but still took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings. A's pitchers allowed three total home runs, and the hitters were stymied by Morrow, striking out 10 times in just six innings.Both A's runs were scored on RBI singles. First, Jonny Gomes singled in Cliff Pennington to make the score 2-1 in the fifth. Then Josh Reddick singled in Anthony Recker ...
It's not easy to make a list of 25 overrated Oakland Raiders. Here is how I selected the players:1) No players on the current roster. Not enough longevity. 2) Player had to have been valued to be overvalued. Good players will be on this list. In fact, most of the players on this list were good players for the Raiders.3) This is overrated Raiders, their NFL careers need not apply. Only the time in the silver and black uniform will count.4) Not all my opinion. I will present alternative viewpoints even when they do not reflect my own.I haven't done a ...
The A's latest rookie sensation; Jarrod Parker got the start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday and produced how you would think any rookie pitcher would perform in his first appearance back at home after a great outing in Boston: mediocre. He lasted seven innings and threw 105 pitches (56 of which were strikes) and handed out five walks, struck out three and gave up four hits, including a two-run homer to Kelly Johnson in the top of the third. Is this what we can expect from Parker? Shaky starts and the random great ...
Welcome to the Bay Area, Brandon Inge. The A's rallied for five runs off of Toronto reliever Francisco Cordero—the last four coming on Inge's ninth-inning grand slam—and the A's defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3. Grant Balfour gets the win, although he struggled in the ninth again, giving up the lead in the top of the inning. Jarrod Parker, pitching for injured Brandon McCarthy, went seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits, but he did walk five batters. The A's fell behind in the third when Toronto's Kelly Johnson hit an opposite field, two-run home run off of Parker. That ...