The final countdown is on—just a few dozen hours left for holiday shopping. For those of you who celebrate Christmas, there are only a couple more days to go to find those last-second items on your loved ones’ wish lists. In the waning moments of the shopping hustle, most people will concede that it’s not easy to pinpoint among the myriad of malls and holiday sales anything in particular to get your friends and families. Do you provide a gift you know someone will love based upon his or her expressed interest? Or do you offer a more unfrequented present ...
In the lastest procedure of the Oakland Athletics' offseason makeover, free-agent right fielder Josh Willingham was not re-signed, instead being plucked by the Minnesota Twins this past week. Coming off a 2010 campaign in which he mashed a career-high 29 home runs and 98 runs batted in, Willingham left the A's at a considerably low price—$21 million for three years. In return, Oakland will receive a supplemental pick after the first round of next year's draft.Following the lead of David DeJesus, who signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier this month, Willingham's departure leaves a considerable void in the Athletics' outfield. ...
Amid all the hoopla regarding the Oakland Athletics’ shopping around pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey, one might wonder if starting pitcher Trevor Cahill had lost his cachet as a valuable commodity.After all, Cahill was himself an All-Star, who finished in the top 10 in the Cy Young Award voting a mere two seasons ago. Certainly he had just as much value as his two teammates who were being dangled to nearly every other team on the market for a quality starter. But the reason Cahill may not have received as much fanfare might be in small part to his ...
Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane has a hot commodity in his hands, and he knows it. Left-handed hurler Gio Gonzalez has teams from the New York Yankees to the Kansas City Royals drooling, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.With the market that swamped with potential buyers, Beane (always a shrewd seller) figures to extract something more akin to a ransom than a fair price from whomever lands Gonzalez.Luckily for those teams who eventually lose out (or bow out) on Gonzalez, there are other, better values to be had. Some of them are risky, but in general, they're ...
The Winter Meetings are over. Like the Christmas season, the build-up to the Winter Meetings leaves some excited about the gifts under the tree and others envious of the gifts their friends got.The Oakland Athletics are in the second category as they look at their divisional rivals.The character Billy Beane lamented the economic structure of baseball in Moneyball. The real Beane must be reeling this afternoon after the activities of the morning.The Angels staked their claim on the division for the next several seasons when they signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson to long-term contracts. It's tough to know what the Rangers will ...
The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings came to a close today. Often, this is the time of year when baseball execs and team front offices hash out the game plan for the upcoming year and discuss general topics regarding the state of the sport. With the overall congregation of the leagues, it’s also a time to evaluate the game plan for each of the individual franchises. Which direction a particular team is going? What are the needs of each team? Which players are they willing to part with or looking to acquire? For most teams, the winter meetings are the ...
Just like he does in the movies, Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane is wheeling and dealing at Major League Baseball's winter meetings.Beane's top priority, it seems, is finding a taker for young lefty Gio Gonzalez, who is coming off a season in which he won 16 games and posted an impressive 3.12 ERA.There's just one problem: Takers are proving hard to come by. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, clubs are hesitant to strike a deal for Gonzalez because of Beane's asking price:This "Haren deal haul" that Sherman spoke of refers to the package of prospects ...
The Oakland Athletics are currently waiting for a decision to be made by MLB commissioner Bud Selig about their stadium situation.The A's play at O.co Coliseum, an outdated multi-sport stadium that rarely sells out baseball games. The A's share it with the Oakland Raiders. The team has had so much trouble trying to draw fans that huge tarps with A's logos and retired numbers are put over the upper decks of the stadium, lowering the attendance numbers to 35,067.Athletics owner Lew Wolff would like to move the team to a more profitable venue and wants to make San Jose the ...
One of the great pieces of Americana is taking in a baseball game. At 16, my first real job was at a new baseball stadium, Banner Island Ballpark, to work for the Stockton Ports, Single A Minor League affiliate for the Oakland Athletics. On a day where the temperature topped 100 degrees, I was working the stands as an usher. One of my absolute favorite memories came on the Fourth of July. This is traditionally a sold-out game for any minor league team, with a grand fireworks display following the game. With the Ports losing the game, catcher Kurt Suzuki blasts ...
Though Thanksgiving has come and passed, the period of giving thanks and self-reflection for what we are fortunate to have in our lives continues. Athletes, sports franchises and owners are no different. Once in a while, they need to set aside some time for introspection. And in the end, they get to cherish all that they have going for them in the tumultuously wild world of sports ownership. Surprisingly, the Oakland Athletics organization, one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, has a lot to be grateful for. Despite the worst five-year stretch since their move to Oakland, the ...