After a solid 2011 campaign, Brandon McCarthy came into the 2012 season as the A's ace.He was their guy, the pitcher who would constantly go deep into ballgames while at the same time acting as an role model the younger pitchers could learn from.So far, so good. McCarthy has followed up his career year with pretty good numbers thus far.Possessing an ERA under 3.00 and a couple of wins, McCarthy appears as though he's headed towards another great season as a member of the A's.There are several concerns, however, that might make one wonder just how successful McCarthy can ultimately ...
The Oakland Raiders have received a ton of criticism for trading away a first and second round draft pick to acquire Carson Palmer last season. Thrown to the fire in a new and unfamiliar situation, he naturally had an inconsistent first year. But as difficult as it is to do right now fresh off the draft, Raiders fans should forget about the trade and focus on the future. And that future starts with the present. Palmer is the Raiders’ starting quarterback, and the organization has done a great job of working to build around him. It brought in a new ...
The Oakland A's have been offensively abysmal up to this point in the season, yet still have managed an above .500 record and a second place standing.As the year is moving into May and baseball is moving into the thick of the season, the A's currently have just a .213 team batting average and have scored more than 5 runs just three times in their first 19 games. While their pitching staff has carried them with the third best ERA in the American League, they will not be able to keep pace in a tough AL West division without improving their ...
If the Oakland Athletics decide to once again sell assets at the trade deadline, they should ship closer Grant Balfour to the New York Yankees. Moreover, they must strike now for the best deal possible. There are several reasons a trade partnership between these two teams is perfect. In fact, here's 10 of them.Begin Slideshow
In 2011, the Oakland Raiders selected Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft for a 2012 third-round pick. However, this pick was also accompanied by a five-game suspension in the NFL following a NCAA investigation into players receiving improper benefits.While the NFL had no direct part in the original investigation and suspension, they chose to negate a bad situation by implementing the suspension to further prevent more college students from using the NFL and the draft to avoid punishment in the NCAA ranks. This move was used to show more solidarity from the NFL to support college sanctions and to prove ...
One B/R participant wrote in the comment strand: "This team is a joke"There was no period at the end of the sentence, so we can assume that an "r" or a period could be added.Now, a definition is appropriate for the word "joker." Here is one:"an extra playing card in a pack, which in many card games can substitute for or rank above any other card."We are looking for surprise endings to many of the games in 2012. We are looking for the Oakland Raiders to show up and perform some plays that are like "an extra playing card in ...
The Oakland Raiders finished an emotional season with a record of 8-8. The season got away from the Raiders down the stretch and the team missed its opportunity to make the playoffs.Improvement in 2012 could very easily mean the Raiders' first playoff berth in over a decade. They haven't won more than nine games since 2002, but will likely need a winning record to make the playoffs. The fans should have reason for optimism, as there are a number of reasons the team will improve from last season.Begin Slideshow
There's no question that Brandon Inge is finally an answer to the third base dilemma plaguing the Oakland Athletics.First and foremost, Inge can perform at the major league level—unlike Oakland's other options.Since last year's starter Scott Sizemore suffered a season-ending left knee injury, the A's have been trying to fill that role.So far the choices are flat out terrible.Josh Donaldson still needs times in the minors. Eric Sogard can't seem to adjust to the big leagues. In addition, each moved from other positions.Luke Hughes was a last-ditch effort to patch up the platoon.The three combined to hit 11-for-93 this year, ...
Down 4-0 after the first inning, the A's rallied to score eight consecutive runs, including five in the key third inning, and defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-5 to move back over .500 for the year. Tom Milone overcame a very shaky first inning to get his fourth win. He went five innings allowing five runs on five hits and four walks on 94 total pitches.Early on, it appeared as though the rubber game would be another listless loss as Milone gave up four runs, largely aided by walking the bases loaded to open the game. In the third, the ...
Previous opportunities squandered, Jonny Gomes took it upon himself to ensure it would not happen again. His lead-off home run off Tampa Bay reliever Joel Peralta in the 12th inning lifted the A's to a 4-3 victory over the Rays on Saturday to even their three-game series at a game apiece.Grant Balfour pitched the 12th inning to record his seventh save and the A's once again reached .500 on the season. Bartolo Colon struggled, giving up three runs and eight hits in five innings. But the A's bullpen was excellent, providing seven scoreless innings.Josh Reddick was the offensive star, going ...