The Oakland Athletics entered the 2012 season with little hope of playing in October, yet one month away from playoffs, they find themselves as legitimate contenders for postseason baseball. If you think the A's are a fluke, you're oh so wrong. There may indeed be disbelievers out there still. These folks deny the talent in Oakland and have already shrugged the A's off as pretenders—a team who is destined for an epic collapse or a quick oust in the first round. OK, so they aren't a powerhouse. Still, the A's have a shot at not only making the playoffs, but advancing. ...
On Monday night, the Oakland Raiders will host the San Diego Chargers, the team that diminished their playoff hopes last season.Since that Week 17 loss that extended the Raiders' postseason drought to nine years, there has been a serious cultural shift in Oakland.For the first time since 1963, the Raiders have a general manager that's not named Al Davis. They also have a new coach, new coordinators and a new-look defense that will try everything in its power to erase the memories of last season's defense.Standing in their way is their long-time AFC West rivals, the San Diego Chargers. After ...
A new era of Oakland Raiders football starts on Monday night against the San Diego Chargers and a win against a division foe in front of a national television audience could leave a lasting impression.The first game under the leadership of Reggie McKenzie and Dennis Allen may change the perception of the franchise, both to the national audience and to the Raider Nation. A win would get the Raiders off to the right start, but they will have to attack San Diego’s weaknesses on offense without exposing their own. The Chargers are a team with flaws and key injuries that ...
Despite breaking his clavicle in San Diego's first preseason game, Ryan Mathews remained optimistic he would play against the Oakland Raiders to open the regular season.Now, the Chargers will be without their injury-plagued running back for the season opener.With Mathews out of the lineup, the Raiders can focus their attention solely on Philip Rivers and the San Diego passing attack. Oakland did a solid job of containing him when the two teams met for the first time in Week 10, but couldn't stop him in Week 17 when he threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.Rivers threw for nearly ...
Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has made his intentions clear. He wants out of Oakland. After many losing seasons in the Oakland Coliseum, you can't really blame him. But this year is seemingly different, isn't it?For the first time since 2006, the Athletics are producing the firepower and excitement that past years have lacked—and I don't mean the fireworks nights. Bob Melvin's 2012 lineup consists of eight different Athletics to have homered in double-digit figures this season. The 2006 playoff-contending Athletics only had six.Needless to say, the 2012 Athletics are belting souvenirs into the bleachers early and often with few hands to ...
Well, the Oakland Athletics are against the ropes in their postseason hunt.The horrific injury that Brandon McCarthy endured from the comebacker line drive overshadowed the three-game sweep from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. "Situations like this definitely put everything in perspective," Brett Anderson tweeted. Oakland's upcoming stretch of 20 games only reaches the O.co Coliseum three times against the scorching Baltimore Orioles mid-month. The A's traveled to Seattle without McCarthy, yet had his well-being in mind. "Thoughts and prayers out to BMac and Amanda. We go on this road trip ready to kick some ass for ya buddy!" Josh Reddick tweeted. The three-game series at Safeco ...
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy underwent surgery on Wednesday night after being struck in the head by a line drive against the Los Angeles Angeles.Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweeted on Thursday:
McCarthy's surgery, according to A's, involved "evacuation of an epidural hemorrhage and stabilization of the skull fracture."— DKnobler (@DKnobler) September 6, 2012
Knobler also tweeted:
A's say McCarthy remains in "critical care," but is alert, awake and showing signs of improvement.— DKnobler (@DKnobler) September 6, 2012
UPDATE: Monday, September 10 at 2:20 p.m. ET by Adam WellsProgress is being made slowly but surely for McCarthy. According to Amanda McCarthy, aka ...
In the back of his mind, the Oakland Raiders' new head coach Dennis Allen probably envies the heck out of college coaches.I mean, imagine getting a new job in an unfamiliar place with relatively high expectations and then getting to ease into it with games against a junior college, division six school and a known commodity that was decades from being relevant.Instead, Allen's first game as head coach really couldn't get any bigger.For starters, it's against arguably the team's biggest rival, San Diego, and it's on the biggest stage possible, Monday Night Football.While some might posit that four preseason games ...
With three of the five receivers in Oakland nursing injuries, general manager Reggie McKenzie needed another body. After bringing in Jabar Gaffney and Tiquan Underwood for a workout, he decided to sign another free-agent wide receiver: Derek Hagan.Hagan was first to announce that he had returned the the Raiders on his Twitter account. The Raiders have confirmed the move, waiving defensive back Coye Francies to make room on the 53-man roster.Hagan was with the Raiders for six games in 2011 before being released when the Raiders signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He started two games, one in place of the injured Darrius ...
Thank the Lord, football season is finally upon us. Wednesday night saw the Dallas Cowboys beat defending Super Bowl champ New York Giants 24-17 in the season opener at Metlife Stadium, and contented sighs of relief were let loose all over America as the first game of the season is now in the books.Carson Palmer and the Oakland Raiders take on Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers under the lights on Monday Night Football, and it looks to be a great matchup.Richard Seymour and the Raiders defense will have their hands full trying to contain the Chargers pass-happy offense, so ...