7/2 at A’s

[mvp 78]

ERod vs Montas

[d-money]

A west coat trip in California. Good test for this team.

[Thunder]

Let's not have a repeat of our last trip to Oakland

[moonslav59]

Kudos to MVP.

 

The mojo is risin’ & risin’.

Edited July 2, 2021 by moonslav59

[mvp 78]

A west coat trip in California. Good test for this team.

 

[Maxbialystock]

Kudos to MVP.

 

The mojo is risin’ & risin’.

 

Amen. He has stayed with bare bones OP's, leaving the extravagant commentary to others.

[TylerD]

Tough series. Let’s keep it going boys. This has been fun.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Interesting, the 3 OP's who've achieved the most success so far this season have monikers that all start with the letter 'M.'

MAX, MOON, and MVP78. It's also interesting that 'Mojo' starts with the letter 'M.'

Coincidence? I don't think so.

[moonslav59]

Amen. He has stayed with bare bones OP's, leaving the extravagant commentary to others.

 

Whatever works!

 

Keep that mojo risin'!

[Maxbialystock]

 

Worth remembering are some parallels with our Sox. Both teams, the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics, helped found the AL in 1901 and both had early success. The A's won 6 pennants and 3 WS by 1914 under the leadership of Connie Mack--and later WS in 1929 and 1930 despite the NYY.

 

Ultimately, however, a 30 year decline leading almost to bankruptcy drove the A's move to KC in 1955 and on to Oakland in 1968, where they quickly won three straight WS (1972-74) under owner Finley and another, their most recent, in 1989 under Hass, whose A's had the highest payroll in MLB and went to three straight WS (1988-90).

 

New owners in 1995 slashed payroll, however, because of low attendance and also began looking at sabermetrics to get more value from players. Beane began as an A's scout in 1990 and by 1997 had become the new GM and continued to pursue low cost, but useful players using sabermetrics. In 2002 he turned down new Sox owner John Henry's 2002 offer of a $12.5M salary to move to Boston, which by then had endured an 84 year WS drought.

 

As we all know, John Henry has used a two-pronged approach--both sabermetrics and high salaries--to enable the Sox to break the drought in 2004 and win 3 more WS in 2007, 2013, and 2018, making the Sox the most successful MLB team since 2003.

 

Two years ago John Henry hired the newest version of Billy Beane away from the also-competitive-while-paying-low-salaries Tampa Bay Rays--Chaim Bloom. He did this because that last WS win in 2018, while exhilarating, was also costly because DD's forte is buying talent, especially pitchers.

 

So this year both teams are winning because of astute acquisitions and skilled on field management.

 

To a degree. The Sox are still paying a lot more for players, the residue of Dombrowski's free rein on spending, which was somewhat ameliorated in 2019-2020 by the departures of 2018 players Mookie Betts, David Price, Rick Porcello, JBJ, Beni, Hanley Ramirez, Sandoval, Pedroia, Kimbrel, Pomeranz, Moreland, Nunez, Kelly, and Holt. The Sox are still paying some or all of Price, Beni, and of course Pedey--a total of $31M, over half of all the A's salaries ($58M) this year. The A's highest paid player is Andrus at $8.3M. The Sox are paying Sale (yet to pitch) $20M, Bogey $20M, JDM $19M, Eovaldi $17M, Richards $8.5M(!!), ERod $8.3M (!!), and Ottavino $8.1M. In that context Devers is a humoungous bargain at $4.8M

[Thunder]

Glad we're not in Boston this weekend. On and off rain all weekend, with temps struggling to get past 60 today and tomorrow. I just played 18 holes of golf in a steady moderate rain

[mvp 78]

Glad we're not in Boston this weekend. On and off rain all weekend, with temps struggling to get past 60 today and tomorrow. I just played 18 holes of golf in a steady moderate rain

 

Glad I'll be in Boston this weekend then...

 

That's a SoFL winter. Yuck!

[Thunder]

Glad I'll be in Boston this weekend then...

 

That's a SoFL winter. Yuck!

 

You missed the heat earlier this week. On Wednesday it was 98 in downtown with a heat index of about 110. Monday and Tuesday weren't much cooler.

[mvp 78]

You missed the heat earlier this week. On Wednesday it was 98 in downtown with a heat index of about 110. Monday and Tuesday weren't much cooler.

 

I never miss the heat down here.

[Maxbialystock]

Glad we're not in Boston this weekend. On and off rain all weekend, with temps struggling to get past 60 today and tomorrow. I just played 18 holes of golf in a steady moderate rain

 

Been there, done that. Once. First day of golf season at a small place next to the Hudson River.

[Maxbialystock]

I never miss the heat down here.

 

I have been to different places in Florida repeatedly and even lived there, 1943-45, but just can't stand the flatness. More recently, the heat as well.

[Maxbialystock]

Pleasant weather expected in Oakland--high of 71, no rain. All 3 days in LA: high of 81/83, sunny.

 

Next Thursday off, and Friday back at Fenway for 3 with the Phillies before the ASG break.

[Maxbialystock]

Hernandez CF

Verdugo LF

Bogaerts SS

Devers DH

Renfroe RF

Gonzalez 3B

Vazquez C

Santana 1B

Chavis 2B

 

Interesting.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Hernandez CF

Verdugo LF

Bogaerts SS

Devers DH

Renfroe RF

Gonzalez 3B

Vazquez C

Santana 1B

Chavis 2B

 

Interesting.

 

Interesting by the fact that JD is being replaced in the line-up by Marwin. Never understood giving a hot hitter a day off, especially when he's the DH. It's also possible JD has a slight injury that hasn't been reported to the media or JD's lifetime stats against Montas are terrible.

Edited July 2, 2021 by SPLENDIDSPLINTER

[d-money]

Rays are really struggling right now.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Interesting by the fact that JD is being replaced in the line-up by Marwin. Never understood giving a hot hitter a day off, especially when he's the DH. It's also possible JD has a slight injury that hasn't been reported to the media or JD's lifetime stats against Montas are terrible.

 

Here's hoping Santana and Marwin continue to put wood on the ball.

[harmony]

You missed the heat earlier this week. On Wednesday it was 98 in downtown with a heat index of about 110. Monday and Tuesday weren't much cooler.

My air conditioning went out Monday when the real high temperature in Portland reached 116 degrees.

[moonslav59]

My air conditioning went out Monday when the real high temperature in Portland reached 116 degrees.

 

I'm sorry.

 

Stay cool, harmony. Stay cool.

[d-money]

Toronto up 8-0 on the rays.

[Maxbialystock]

My air conditioning went out Monday when the real high temperature in Portland reached 116 degrees.

 

Hang in there.

[Maxbialystock]

3 up, 3 down top of the 1st. Come on, ERod, keep us in it.

[d-money]

Gonna need some quality pitching on the road.

[Maxbialystock]

The new ERod. First the fastball, then two changeups, a fastball, and back to the changeup for the ground out.

[Maxbialystock]

I can remember, not that long ago, Erod trying to get through the first inning with nothing but fastballs.

[d-money]

Come on ERod.