If any reader was told at the beginning of the season that the Oakland Athletics would be two games above .500 and within two games of a playoff spot, they would probably think "Maybe in April, but not after that."Yet here we are, after the All Star Break, and the A's are a winning team within striking distance of one of the Wild Card slots. Teams like the Red Sox, Phillies, Brewers and Marlins can not claim to be winners now.The Athletics won again last night against the lowly Twins. Tommy Milone won his ninth game, making the haul for ...
It's only mid-July and the only football going on is offseason workouts. So is it a bit too early to start talking about the 2013 NFL Draft? Normally, it would be. But there's one specific college player about whom I could no longer resist discussing. He's a player I thought could have came out for this year's draft, but I'm glad he chose not to. Had he declared early, it's highly unlikely that the Raiders, whose first draft pick was 95th overall, would have landed him.His name is Xavier Rhodes.The Florida State Seminole is the perfect pick for the Oakland ...
Don't look now, but there are two teams in the playoff hunt in the Bay Area. Tom Milone worked around 10 hits over six innings and was backed by four early runs as the A's cruised to a 9-3 victory Saturday evening against the Minnesota Twins. The win ensures another series win, and Oakland will attempt to sweep Sunday afternoon. It was a power surge for the A's offense as Chris Carter, Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss and Seth Smith all went deep to pace the offense. Josh Reddick added three hits and scored two runs as the A's had 12 hits ...
NFL.com is reporting that the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a new four-year deal with premier safety Tyvon Branch. The contract is said to be worth $26.6 million, with $17.1 million in guaranteed money.Retaining Branch for the long term is a smart move by the Raiders' new regime, as rookie head coach Dennis Allen will need the versatile safety to make his multiple defensive schemes work. Branch has been outstanding during the last three seasons, emerging as a true playmaker at his position.The 6'0", 210-pounder is a force around the line of scrimmage. He is stout in run support and ...
In a game where the A's struck out 15 times and allowed two home runs to former slugger Josh Willingham, Jonny Gomes was a one-man cavalry charge, driving in five runs in a 6-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.With the victory, the A's are now back over .500 for the first time since May 21. Despite the worst statistical start of his brief career, Oakland starter A.J. Griffin got his first win. All-Star Ryan Cook notched his ninth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.Griffin was actually pretty solid except for his dealings with Willingham.In the first, his pickoff of Denard ...
No one outside of Oakland Athletics management can be sure what the team will do at this year's trade deadline, but history, being nine games back and having two powerhouse in-division rivals point to the A's being sellers once again. If Oakland does sell, there are a few routes that could be taken. The A's can attempt the "addition by subtraction" method which sends overrated pieces out to create space for lesser guys who ultimately shine. This causes a late season push and possibly a jump into the playoffs. Or they can sell a few of their top trade chips while ...
The 2012 season is only weeks away, and the Oakland Raiders depth charts are being determined.As we have seen in the past, the Raiders have often been bitten by the injury bug and have relied heavily on their depth to finish out the season. Let’s take a look at the four most important backup players on the Raiders roster, and how they can help the Raiders achieve a successful season.Begin Slideshow
The San Francisco 49ers' performance last season was nothing short of sensational. With Alex Smith, who was known as an average quarterback, and a brand-new coach in Jim Harbaugh, nobody expected the 49ers would conclude their season within tasting distance of a Super Bowl appearance.Unfortunately for them, a tragic fumble by Kyle Williams gave the New York Giants a free pass to the Super Bowl. Early in the season NFL analysts and columnists voiced votes of confidence for both Bay Area teams, not just San Francisco.Injury after injury limited the ability for the Raiders to compete, and they slowly faded from playoff contention ...
With the loss of the NBA’s Kings all but certain, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has decided to turn his sights elsewhere, according to the Associated Press (via Sports Illustrated). Specifically, Johnson has intentions of luring an MLB team to the city, and he only has to look about 80 miles down I-80 to find a team in need of a new home. By now, it should be readily apparent that the Athletics will never get the new Oakland stadium that the franchise so desperately needs. The A’s are the only team that shares its home stadium with a team from another ...
The Oakland Raiders ranked 27th in the league in pass defense in 2011 and gave up 251.4 yards per game through the air. The Raiders had one of the worst secondaries in all of football and repeatedly collapsed late in games. Losses against Buffalo, Detroit and San Diego can be directly attributed to the weakness of the secondary.Particularly weak was the cornerback position, as the team recorded only five interceptions from this position. General manager Reggie McKenzie immediately came in and made changes by releasing Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson and not re-signing Lito Sheppard and Joe Porter.With so little ...