After Oakland GM Billy Beane scooped Brandon Inge up when the Detroit Tigers released him at the end of April, I wrote a piece titled, "Brandon Inge's Heroics a Flash in the Pan: Oakland Athletics Need a 3rd Baseman."At the time, Inge had 10 hits, 17 RBI, and four home runs in 39 at-bats, including remarkable stretch of four straight games with four RBI. Inge, incredibly, became only the second player in 80 years to have four RBI in four games over a five-game stretch.The other player to do this? Lou Gehrig.There he was, in Oakland, seemingly rejuvenated by a ...
The Oakland Athletics have just reached the .500 mark, but A's manager Bob Melvin is batting 1.000.During this past offseason, the team lost its best hitter and three more everyday starters, four-fifths of its starting rotation and its All-Star closer. They were replaced with a group of rookies and unable-to-stick veterans, and the 2012 A's looked like a very good triple-A team.However, after Friday night's win, the Athletics sit at 42-42. Despite having the MLB's youngest team and smallest payroll, the Oakland Athletics have won as many games as they have lost.While this young, scrappy group of players deserves ample ...
The man famous for his exotic end-zone celebrations and off-the-field antics is still on the free-agent market. The Oakland Raiders would be wise to sign him for a multitude of reasons, regardless of the fact that he can be a headache. Just look at the team across the Bay—the San Francisco 49ers signed an aging Randy Moss for the right reasons and the Raiders would be wise to get Owens for very similar reasons. For one, the Raiders have the cap space. With a $120 million limit, the Raiders have spent only $107.8 million for the 2012-13 NFL season. Terrell ...
Has that ball landed yet?That's got to be the first thought as Chris Carter hit an absolute missile to left-center field in the second deck as the A's beat the Mariners 4-1 in 11 innings Friday night to get back to .500 on the year. The three-run home run was Carter's third of the year in just four games. Jordan Norberto pitched a scoreless 11th inning to get the win, but Tom Milone's start was the story.Over seven masterful innings, Milone struck out a career-high nine Mariner hitters and allowed only six hits and a walk. The only run came in ...
The Oakland Raiders have voiced their high expectations for rookie defensive end Jack Crawford.That came as quite the pleasant surprise to the former Penn State player, who told SF Gate's Vittorio Tafur that prior to draft night, he was mentally preparing himself "that [he] wasn’t going to get upset if [he] didn’t get drafted." Crawford didn't play football until his junior year in high school.Obviously the Raiders believed in the 275 pounder. Crawford's athleticism stems from the years he spent playing basketball while growing up in London, England.Head coach Dennis Allen has faith in Crawford's ability because "he’s big, athletic, ...
Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie already has done more work with the team's salary cap than he would have liked to in 2012.McKenzie has had to cut ties to players like Stanford Routt, Kamerion Wimbley and Kevin Boss not only to just make the numbers work, but just to make the numbers close. He has also been busy with restructuring the contracts of Carson Palmer, Richard Seymour, Michael Huff and Aaron Curry.The work he has done thus far should put him into consideration for NFL Executive of the Year.According to spotrac.com, the Raiders have about $13 million in cap ...
Each rookie drafted or signed by the Oakland Raiders has a floor and a ceiling, a best-case and worst-case scenario.This is particularly true with the new regime in Oakland.What GM Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen are trying to build might take more than a single offseason, but the rookies they brought in this year are the beginning of that construction.Some are more surefire, like Juron Criner and Jack Crawford. Others are long shots, like Eddy Carmona and Kyle Efaw.Who will make the squad? Let's find out.Begin Slideshow
So far, Yoenis Cespedes' time in Oakland hasn't exactly turned out as many had expected. He isn't necessarily having a poor season; it's just that his numbers aren't blowing anyone away as people had hoped for before the year began.Currently hitting .270 with only nine home runs and 35 RBI's, it's mainly injuries to thank for the pedestrian stat line. At the beginning of the year Cespedes was on a pace for over 40 home runs, but that was before pitchers made the appropriate adjustments and Cespedes had to adapt himself.With about three months left, Cespedes can still salvage the ...
With a relatively young ball club, you need a veteran presence to stabilize the team and keep things together.To an extent, this would be the responsibility of the manager. Oakland A's skipper Bob Melvin has done a nice job of keeping a young team debilitated with injuries stay right in the thick of things in the American League.What the A's need is a leadership presence on the field. Veteran outfielder Coco Crisp was supposed to be that guy. Question Mark?Although there was some question about Crisp's return to Oakland in 2012 during the offseason, ultimately A's general manager Billy Beane decided ...
Oakland always seems to be a revolving door for young prospects, with the club constantly clearing room for up and coming studs making their first trip to the bigs. A's fans have had the privilege of seeing numerous rookie sensations this year make their major league debuts, highlighted by Yoenis Cespedes, Jarrod Parker and Derek Norris. With the Athletics playing solid baseball and flirting with a .500 record at the All-Star break, these recent additions appear to have paid off for the franchise. However, the fountain youth doesn't stop flowing there for the A's, with a minor league system loaded with ...