FREE KRAUT!

We’ll just feed two birds with one crumb, as the hippies in Santa Cruz say, since we’ve got AM baseball from the Bronx starting in about 45 minutes.
My dad’s default answer to “whatever happened to” baseball player questions has always been “he’s driving a beer truck somewhere.” This apparently was either actually true, or [...]

So here’s the plan:
Let’s call the official start time 3:30, with earlier arrivals awesome, and later arrivals grudgingly accepted. Food rolling off the grill sometime soon after 4:00. I’ll get there before 3:00 myself, to nail down the spot and start setting up (and I’d welcome the help and company of anyone who [...]

You know, that Meester Monkeyball, he always working hard on the Game Threads. So I figure I help him out.

By which I mean, I’m watching Deadwood and drafting a tailgate party planning post. Pour Mr. Wolcott a bourbon, Bloom, and tell him it’s from Kentucky.
First, tickets: I’ll go to the box office sometime during the Toronto homestand, maybe Monday 8/16. I will buy a $12 Value Deck beauty for everyone who [...]

ESPN’s Outside the Lines series doesn’t like the Coliseum food vendors, finding 34% with health violations, including a lack of hand-washing facilities (here’s the list sorted by state). Note to self: choose the pre-wrapped ice cream cookie sandwich rather than the churro next time. Could be a lot worse…they found a 100% [...]

Go Greens, smash State.
Better Green than Dead.
Power emanates from the barrel of a….wait, scratch that. We have no bats from which power emanates.

A’s face Kelly Leake tonight. He’s not the skinny kid with the bad teenage facial hair any more. No, wait…he is so!

A’s pitchers are done hitting this year…well, at least [...]

Manager’s Decision: Braden will start.
Detroit’s Decision: Willis will start no more.
mikeA’s Decision: 95°, partly cloudy. If it’s any consolation, though, it’s 74° and sunny here, so you’d be miserable anyway. I’m going to the pool.
Ed note: due to laziness, this post counts for two games.

And who better to start than Oakland-born, Detroit-paid Dontrelle Willis, the very embodiment of decline.

I’m expecting great things today.

I am enough of an egotist to believe that the headline from today’s Slusser A’s Beat notes is not a random coincidence: Bullpen gets Seat Upgrade.
Casey Chavez, watch out…I am a far better choice to inherit the dominion of the sainted Brandon Buckley than you will ever be.

Frank [...]

Comrades! On this glorious International Workers’ Day we must rise up and overthrow the shackles of our Canadian oppressors. Up against the wall, Eveland! Power emanates from the barrel of Daric Barton’s bat! Hey, hey, you Blue Jays, how many A’s will you walk today?
Hasta la victoria chucrut!
Pennington SS
Davis CF
Barton 1B
Kouzmanoff 3B
Rosales [...]