It's been a year of ups and downs for Oakland pitching prospects this year. Some players have had extremely disappointing years so far, while others have used that to their advantage and have risen in Oakland's system.One positive to the current, overall lackluster performances that seem to be plaguing the A's system is that there's still plenty of time for players to turn things around. Adjustments can be made, and players may be promoted or demoted—all in an effort to help teach these young players how to reach their full potential. Regardless of how unremarkable the numbers may be, the ...
The Oakland Raiders drafted six players in the 2012 NFL Draft and four of them are on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, they had no pick in the first two rounds and thus Raider fans don't have a household name to be juiced about.A reminder, the first-round selection was lost in the Carson Palmer trade and the second-round selection was lost in a draft-pick swap with the New England Patriots in 2011.So when wondering why no Raider rookie jumps off the page for the excitement factor, understand this is the price being paid for acquiring a descent quarterback.Begin ...
Great pitching and timely hitting has always been a formula for the Oakland A's success. It was clearly on display Wednesday night as Tom Milone pitched a complete game, three-hit gem to help the A's defeat the Dodgers, 4-1.Seth Smith's RBI double tied the game in the fourth inning, and after Josh Reddick's double play scored Eric Sogard with the go-ahead run, Yoenis Cespedes singled to make it 3-1 in the fifth. Brandon Moss smashed an off-speed pitch to right-center field for his seventh home run, and the A's took the second straight game from the team with the best record ...
The Raiders left their comfort zone when drafting Juron Criner—an Arizona receiver who had a notably slow 40-yard dash.While in charge of the Raiders, Al Davis was known for taking some great talent, even if the players were raw. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.One name that makes every Raiders fan cringe: JaMarcus Russell.Russell—the hopeful franchise QB for Oakland—was such an incredibly physical specimen, but his mental ability didn't come close to his physical ability.Sadly, we all know how the Russell experiment turned out.The Raiders now have other physically gifted players like speedsters Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford and Darrius ...
Rumors are beginning to surface from ESPN that the Oakland Raiders are again showing interest in acquiring running back Cedric Benson.The Raiders currently have four traditional running backs on their roster: Darren McFadden, Mike Goodson, Taiwan Jones and Lonyae Miller.With Jones being more of a change-of-pace scat back, the initial thought was that Goodson was brought in as an insurance policy for McFadden. Goodson had been solid when relieving DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in Carolina.If Oakland is seriously looking into Benson, this does not reflect well on Mike Goodson and the coaching staff's confidence in him so far this offseason. Perhaps ...
Josh Reddick has been the Oakland Athletics' best hitter this season. He went into Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers hitting .265 with an .855 OPS, and he's already set new career-highs with 15 home runs and 33 RBI.Reddick, however, did not have a good day at the plate on Tuesday. In fact, he did something he had only done once before in his career: don the Golden Sombrero.Yup. It was a four-strikeout night for Reddick, his first of the 2012 season. The last time he did it was back in August of 2009 when he was still ...
There are a lot of expectations surrounding Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer in 2012. After the Raiders traded their 2012 first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick for the now 32-year-old quarterback last season, he has to validate the move by getting this team to the playoffs. In order for that to happen, he has to play like the Carson Palmer of old and not as an old Carson Palmer. Palmer struggled last season in Oakland, throwing more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (13) but that was without the benefit of being with the team at the start of the season and being ...
The group of wide receivers in Oakland is both exciting and frustrating.Speedy receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore have not been able to stay on the field long enough for the Raiders to discover an identity in the air, but provide hope for a special passing game in 2012.Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is installing an entirely new offense, and the receivers will have to adjust to changing roles. Darrius Heyward-Bey is now a veteran receiver and will be expected to fill that role for the younger players.Hype tends to grip fans at this time of year, and these stat projections ...
Oakland Raiders fans have a bad rep. Saying the words “Oakland Raiders fan” conjures up images of a shady character. A gangbanger. Someone parents wouldn’t want their kids around. Legendary writer Hunter S. Thompson once said, "The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled." The fact of the matter is, though, that Raiders fans are misunderstood. The first reason for this is their ties to gang culture. The Raiders logo is forever associated with NWA and the origins of gangsta rap. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E ...
Is it that time of year already? Bay Area baseball fans have grown to treat the trade deadline as a sort of annual science fair, waiting to see what Beane's latest 'win-on-the-cheap' experiment is conjuring.Although Beane and the A's haven't earned a playoff berth since 2006, recent successful deals for Josh Reddick and Jarrod Parker have regained some fan support for the front office and they are optimistic about what is to come at this year's July 31 deadline.Beane has a handful of players with value to barter with this season, but who is most likely on their way out ...