2007 Oakland A's - No way Jose

[BichetteMan]

I have a been a fan of baseball mogul since it was first developed and loved the ability to be able to control my own franchise. I have always been a baseball fan and an avid Red Sox fan my whole life, born and raised in Boston. With that said the small budget baseball world has always fascinated me as well. It is very easy to go out and buy players and win championships. I want to take a team and struggle with the financial side. Who knows maybe I can win over the people of Oakland and they will support my team financially to the point where I might be able to grow into a big budget team. There will also be no move to San Jose because Oakland is the home of the Athletics. I am still running on Mogul '08. I will only trade through the trading block or from trade offers from other GMs. I will simulate about a week per post. I hope I can build a strong and competitive team in the tough AL West.

Dan Coleman
General Manager
Oakland Athletics

[BichetteMan]

Here are some of the basics about my team:

Starting Lineup

1. Shannon Stewart LF
2. Milton Bradley CF
3. Mike Piazza C
4. Nick Swisher DH
5. Eric Chavez 3B
6. Erubial Durazo 1B
7. Bobby Crosby SS
8. Mark Kotsay RF
9. Mark Ellis 2B

Bench

• Marco Scutaro IF
• Bobby Kielty OF
• Jason Kendall C
• Lou Merloni IF
• Charles Thomas OF

Pitching Rotation

1. Danny Haren R
2. Rich Harden R
3. Joe Kennedy L
4. Joe Blanton R
5. Esteban Loaiza R

Bullpen

• CP Houston Street R
• SU Kiko Calero R
• SR Justin Duchsherer R
• SR Chad Gaudin R
• MR Alan Embree L
• LR Jason Windsor R

Top 3 Positional Prospects

1. CF Matt Sultenic - A
2. RF Danny Putnam - A
3. 2B Kevin Melillo - AA

Top 3 Pitching Prospects

1. SP Marcus Mcbeth R - A
2. SP David Shafer R - A
3. RP Brad Halsey L - AA

[BichetteMan]

Unfortunately within the first week of the season I am going to have to make a few tough decisions. The team is looking to cut costs and I desperately need to get under budget. Thus one of my higher priced players will be shopped on the trading block. The candidates in my view are:

Eric Chavez $10.8M
Jason Kendall $9.5M
Esteban Loaiza $7.25M

I regret having to start this way but it will hopefully be better for the franchise in the long run. I am going to shop around for some prospects and may need to settle for some marginal players.

I shopped around a few offers and finally settled on my first trade as GM.

The Oakland Athletics send:

Eric Chavez 3B
Jay Witasick RP

The Boston Red Sox send:

RP Manny Delcarmen

I was a little hard pressed to find a team willing to take on the big salary. I also think the Red Sox will be satisfied with a decent reliever and Eric Chavez in his prime.

I will be happy if Delcarmen can provide my team with some quality innings in relief down the road. He will still need some time in the minors but his plus fastball was the main selling point from my end. With that move I will be calling up Deangelo Jimenez to replace Chavez.

My expectation for the season are pretty low. If we could finish 3rd I would be very happy. This is going to be a trade heavy and intense rebuilding effort. I hope everyone enjoys. So here goes.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Go Red Sox lol. Great start.

[BichetteMan]

April 1st - April 10th

April 4th 2007
Chicago White Sox(0-0) @ Oakland Athletics(0-0)
White Sox 5 - A's 1
WP:Mark Buehrle(1-0)
LP: Danny Haren(0-1)

Mark Buerlhe tossed a gem. 8.0IP, 6H, 1B, 1ER on a solo HR. My ace Danny Haren was beat up in his debut. He gave up 3HR in 7.1 IP. Otherwise he had good control only allowing 6H and 1BB. My only offense came from Piazza who blasted a solo shot in the 4th inning. The Home runs for the White Sox came from Crede, Mackowiak and Thome.

In a bit of league news, Boston stuns everyone and signs Roger Clemens to a 1-year $9.5M contract. They are really throwing that money around.

April 5th 2007
Chicago White Sox(1-0) @ Oakland Athletics(0-1)
White Sox 3 - A's 7
WP:Rich Harden(1-0)
LP:Jon Garland(0-1)
S:Huston Street(1)

The A's won for the first time this year. Rich Harden pitched well in 6IP for the win. Control was a concern though as he gave up 4BB. The Bullpen came in and shut down the White Sox allowing 2H in 3IP. Huston Street picked up his first SV. Powering the A's offense with HR's were Milton Bradley, Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby. Shannon Stewart also went 3-4 in the win.

April 6th 2007
Chicago White Sox(1-1) @ Oakland Athletics(1-1)
White Sox 3 - A's 5
WP:Joe Kennedy(1-0)
LP:Javier Vasquez(0-1)
S:Huston Street

The A's win their second straight with a solid start from Joe Kennedy and a dominant bullpen. Home runs from Nick Swisher and Milton Bradley powered the A's offense. Erubial Durazo also contributed with a 4-4 performance.

April 8th 2007
Seattle Mariners(2-1) @ Oakland Athletics(2-1)
Mariners 2 - A's 6
WP:Joe Blanton(1-0)
LP:Jeff Weaver(0-1)

Joe Blanton tosses a complete game allowing only 1ER. He gave up 6H and 1BB. It was a solid overall efoort from the team with 4 batters gathering 2 hits a piece and 4 different batters driving in a run. Unfotunately for the A's Blanton strained his knee during the game and will be placed on the 15 day DL. Connor Robertson is being called up to take his roster spot.

In league news, there was both bad and good. On the good side, Todd Helton batted in his 1000th RBI of his career. The Phillies however lost slugger Ryan Howard for three months to a broken hip.

April 9th 2007
Seattle Mariners(2-2) @ Oakland Athletics(3-1)
Mariners 6 - A's 1
WP:Horacio Ramirez(1-0)
LP: Danny Haren(0-2)

Horacio Ramirez was great in his first start of the season. He allowed 1ER in in 8IP. He fooled the A's hitters all night and gave up only 6H. Mark Ellis put up a good effort for the A's going 3-4 on the night.

April 10th 2007
Seattle Mariners(3-2) @ Oakland Athletics(3-2)
Mariners 5 - A's 8
WP:Rich Harden(2-0)
LP:Cha Seung Baek(0-1)
S:Huston Street(3)

Rich Harden threw a good game. He allowed 3ER in 6.2IP while striking out 9. He was supported by Milton Bradley, Bobby Crosby and Nick Swisher who all hit homers. Huston Street pitched a perfect ninth for his 3rd save of the season.

All in all I think this was a good first two series of the season. Coming out 4-2 was nice because we played at home. Hopefully we can carry some of the momentum onto the road for the next few series.

[BichetteMan]

April 11th - April 19th

We have our first road trip of the season visiting AL central teams Detroit and Minnesota and taking a two game swing down to see division foe Texas.

April 11th 2007
Oakland Athletics(4-2) @ Detroit Tigers(2-4)
A's 4 - Tigers 3
WP:Alan Embree(1-0)
LP:Wilfredo Ledezma(0-1)
S:Kiko Calero(1)

We won our first extra innings affair. I'd say it was a very solid effort by our team that was highlighted by our dominant bullpen. Street, Duchsherer, Embree and Calero combined for 6.1IP while giving up only 2H. I'm really liking how our bullpen has been stepping it up early. Bobby Crosby was the hero on offense driving in the go ahead run in the top of the 13th inning.

April 12th 2007
Off Day

The team had a light workout in the morning and most of the guys went out to lunch together. I told them all to be careful as we don't need any of those freak BM off day injuries.

April 13th 2007
Oakland AThletics(5-2) @ Detroit Tigers(2-5)
A's 8 - Tigers 1
WP:Connor Robertson(1-0)
LP:Justin Verlander(0-2)

This was a surprise because we had to scratch Joe Blanton from his start. He felt some tighness in his left hamstring while warming up. He should only miss one start but we hope it won't be a nagging injury. However, the rookie stepped in and threw a gem. He pitched 7 shutout innings allowing 7 hits and striking out 4. On offense, Erubial Durazo and Mak Ellis both went deep. Corsby continues to hit in the clutch driving in two runs in the game.

In trade news:

San Francisco Giants Send:

Eliezer Alfonzo C

Kansas City Royals send:

David Dejesus CF

The trade seems to favor the Giants who got Dejesus who has been on a tear in the early season batting .378. KC does get a fairly good defensive backup catcher and they shed nearly $2.5M off their payroll.

April 14th 2007
Oakland Athletics(6-2) @ Detroit Tigers(2-6)
A's 7 - Tigers 8
WP:Todd Jones(1-0)
LP:Kiko Calero(0-1)

This was a tough battle the whole game through. We were down by one going into the 9th and the boys delivered. Bobby Kielty drove in the game tying run only to see it erased in the bottom half when Kiko Calero gave up a 2-out homer to Gary Sheffield. Calero had struck out the first two batters of the inning and also had Sheffield in an 0-2 hole. Tough luck but taking two out of three on the road is always nice. I must say I am not at all impressed with my "Ace" Danny Haren. In his three starts on the season he has given up 14ER in 18IP and is sporting a hefty 7.00 ERA. Hopefully he can turn things around.

April 15th 2007
Oakland Athletics(6-3) @ Minnesota Twins(7-2)
A's 2 - Twins 9
WP:Ramon Ortiz(2-0)
LP:Rich Harden(2-1)
S:Carlos Silva(2)

A disappointing loss to say the least. Harden didn't seem to have the control he showed in his first two starts. We really need to him to be in control every game to have a shot. He gave up 5ER in only 4IP. He walked 5 and struck out 0 in the game. Our only offense came from the 9 spot with Marco Scutaro going 3-4 and driving in 2.

By the way, I know it is early and it will probably change but:

Eric Chavez 5-20 .250 average 6 RBI
Marco Scutaro 11-26 .423 average 4RBI

I like the production from a guy who is making 10M less. Hopefully Scutaro can keep it up while I find a more long term solution at 3B.

April 16th 2007
Oakland Athletics(6-4) @ Minnesota Twins(8-2)
A's 2 - Twins 3
WP: Boof Bonser (2-0)
LP: Jason Windsor (0-1)
SV: Joe Nathan (2)

Double the bad news today. Not only did the team lose but I have lost my SS Bobby Crosby for around three months. Crosby was going out on a ball in the top of the 6th inning when he collided with LF Shannon Stewart. He ruptured a disc in his back. Hopefully there will be no long term effects but the doctors cannot be certain yet. In the game Windsor pitched well going the distance. He gave up 3ER and struck out 9 but was the tough luck loser because of our offense. Milton Bradley coninues to show some pop as he hit his 4th HR of the season. Justin Morneau of the Twins went 2-3 with a HR and all three RBI.

As a result of the injury to Crosby I will be calling up Antonio Perez, a utility infielder. Bench man Deangelo Jimenez is ecpected to receive the bulk of playing time at SS.

April 17th 2007
Oakland Athletics(6-5) @ Minnesota Twins(9-2)
A's 9 - Twins 7
WP: Joe Blanton (2-0)
LP: Kevin Slowey (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (4)

It feels good to salvage at least on win from this series. Blanton pitched OK for the win. He gave up 4ER in 6IP. Milton Bradley continues to tear the cover off the ball hitting his 5th HR of the early season. The team put in a very solid offensive effort with 7 guys getting at least 2H. Nick Swisher also put out his 3rd HR of the season for the A's. Huston Street has looked great this season with 4SV in 4 chances.

April 18th 2007
Oakland Athletics(7-5) @ Texas Rangers(7-5)
A's 5 - Rangers 6
WP: Rick Bauer (1-0)
LP: Huston Street (0-1)

Another extra innings game. Loaiza was pitching well through 7 innings when he gave up 3 in the 8th to let the lead slip. Then with the game tied in the 9th Huston Street gave up the winning run in his second inning of work. Leading the offense and going deep for us were Nick Swisher and pinch hitter Loooooou Merloni. I am thinking about my rotation when Kennedy come back off the DL in a few days. I hope Loaiza can put out another solid effort and I can explore some trades.

April 19th 2007
Oakland Athletics(7-6) @ Texas Rangers(8-5)
A's 5 - Rangers 2
WP: Danny Haren (1-2)
LP: Omar Poveda (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (5)

Danny Haren returns to form with his first quality start of the season. He went 7 inning giving up 2ER. Huston Street also bounced back getting his 5th Save of the season. Milton Bradley has been all over the ball this year and nothing changed here as he went 2-5 with a HR, #6 of the year.

Injury note:

Zach Duke of the Pirates broke his left forearm when he tripped and fell on the dugout steps. It was unfortunate because he was 2-0 with a 2.74 ERA in three starts. He is expected to be sidelined for about 2 months.

All in all I think it was a solid first road trip. To go .500 on any road is good. Hopefully we can improve in those 1 run games and win a few more. We went 1-3 in games decided by a run or less. If we could have pulled out just one of those games the road trip would have been a real success. Regardless the team returns to Oakland for a short homestand.

[BichetteMan]

April 20th - April 25th 2007

The week consists of a 5 game homestand with two games against the Angels and 3 against the Indians. Hopefully we can come out of this week with 3-4 wins.

April 20th 2007

To start the week I shopped around Esteban Loaiza. The offers were weak but I need to move on from Loaiza. He is eating up salary and I have few prospects that are ready to step in or arlready perfroming at the Major League level. Joe Kennedy is also coming back from the DL. I decided upon a package deal that went like this:

Oakland Athletics send:

Esteban Loaiza SP
Shane Komine SP

Philadelphia Phillies send:

Fabio Castro RP

I would have liked a straight up deal for Loaiza but it would have cost me some money because of his salary. Komine is a marginal 26 year old prospect who may have a shot at the majors if he improves. Fabio Castro is a 22 year old prospect who looks to have a many good years ahead of him if he develops properly.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(5-9) @ Oakland Athletics(8-6)
Angels 7 - A's 9
WP: Rich Harden (3-1)
LP: John Lackey (1-2)
SV: Huston Street (6)

Rich Harden pitched well giving up only 3ER in 6.1IP. The bullpen has struggled a bit lately and Chad Gaudin is no exception. He gave up three runs in the 9th to allow the Angels to get within 2 runs. Huston Street came in and shut down any chance of a comeback and earned his 6th save. Nick Swisher and Erubial Durazo both went deep. Another solid overall effort from the offense as 7 players had at least two hits.

April 21st 2007
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(5-9) @ Oakland Athletics(8-6)
Angels 5 - A's 6
WP: Chad Gaudin (1-0)
LP: Dustin Moseley (0-2)
SV: Huston Street (7)

Jason Windsor had a tough outing giving up 5ER in only 4IP. Chad Gaudin came in for 3 shutout innings giving up only one hit. Huston Street came in and got his 7th save in perfect 9th. Nick Swisher continues his hot streak and blasts a 7th inning home run to put the A's ahead for good.

April 22nd 2007
Cleveland Indians(5-9) @ Oakland Athletics(8-6)
Indians 12 - A's 5
WP: Jeremy Sowers (1-0)
LP: Joe Blanton (2-1)

The A's were slapped around pretty bad in this game. Joe Blanton gave up 8ER in only 1.2IP. Not exactly what we are looking for from our starters. The only bright spot on the day was Milton Bradley hitting his 7th and 8th home runs while driving in 3 runs.

April 23rd 2007
Cleveland Indians(5-9) @ Oakland Athletics(8-6)
Indians 4 - A's 3
WP: Scott Lewis (1-0)
LP: Danny Haren (1-3)
SV: Joe Borowski (3)

Danny Haren continues to struggle early in the season. He gave up 4ER over 6.2 innings. He has been improving over his last few starts but the Oakland offense didn't cooperate. Erubial Durazo hit a HR and that was about it for the A's.

Joe Kennedy came off the DL today and I sent Mark Watson down to AAA. Watson was in the lon relief role. Kennedy will return to the rotation and Joe Blanton will be placed into the long relief role. Blantons performance has been subpar to this point so I thought I might let him try and regain his spot working from the pen.

Some trade news. A little bit of a weird one:

Kansas City Royals send:
Jorge de la Rosa SP
Scott Elarton SP
Reggie Sanders LF
Todd Wellenmeyer RP
Ryan Braun RP
Joe Nelson RP
Todd Phillips C
Jason Taylor 3B

Florida Marlins send:

Dan Uggla 2B

In an overall sense when you get that many players and prospects you would seem to win the trade. Dan Uggla however is a teriffic second baseman. This trade favors KC because they were able to dump some older players and their contracts while receiving a potential all star.

April 24th 2007
Cleveland Indians(5-9) @ Oakland Athletics(8-6)
Indians 5 - A's 7
WP: Kiko Calero (1-1)
LP: Aaron Fultz (0-2)
SV: Huston Street (8)

Rich Harden pitched fairly well though 5 innings giving up 3ER and striking out 8. He threw too many pitched though. He had to be pulled because of the sheer amount of pitches. The bullpen did a good job and Calero picked up the win. Huston Street picked up his 8th save in as many chances. An overall good performance from the offense with everyone chipping in. Marco Scutaro hit his 1st Home run of the season.

Injury news:

Ryan Garko of the Indians tore a ligament in his ankle and will be sidelined for about a year. Garko was rounding the bag at second and awkwardly landed on the corner. He went down in a heap and had to removed on a cart. The doctors are unsure of whether this will affect his ability to play baseball.

April 25th 2007

Off day before the team heads out to Seattle to start a road trip for 6 games. Light practice and some R&R for some of the guys with some bumps and bruises.

Overall a decent week. The team went 3-2. Not too good for a homestand but I can live with it because the team is still in 1st by 1 game.

[BichetteMan]

Editors note:
So I am a little bored today. Have the day off from work and I had to watch my Red Sox lose to the Rays. Beckett throws a good game and K's 13...grrrr! Here goes.

April 26th - May 1 2007

On tap for my A's is a road trip with 3 against the Mariners and then on to LA to square off against the Angels. Coming out of this one at .500 would be satisfactory for me but an above .500 mark would be great.

April 26th 2007
Oakland Athletics(11-8) @ Seattle Mariners(7-12)
A's 7 - Mariners 2
WP: Jason Windsor (1-1)
LP: Jarrod Washburn (2-2)

A very solid showing in the first game of the roadtrip. Jason Windsor went 8 strong innings. He may have given up 10 hits but he allowed no walks. Control is one of my most coveted attributes a pitcher can posess. The offense was led by Shannon Stewart who hit his first homer and drove in 3.

I know I shouldn't be letting this out in the public view but I can't wait for Mike Piazzas contract to expire at the end of the year. He is old and I don't know what Billy Beane was thinking when he signed him. Maybe he will get hurt and I can toss him on the DL. Seriously $8.5M? Oh well only 5 months 'til he is gone.

I did get a bit of bad news. Milton Bradley was experiencing some mild pain in his arm. He had it checked out and the doctors found a blood clot. They removed the clot on our day off on the 25th. The doctors say he shouldn't miss much time maybe a day or two. It was scary since he is leading my team with 8HR, .379 AVG, 19R, 20RBI. Definintely someone I can't afford to lose for an extended period of time.

April 27th 2007
Oakland Athletics(12-8) @ Seattle Mariners(7-13)
A's 5 - Mariners 8
WP: Felix Hernandez (2-3)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-1)
SV: J.J. Putz (4)

The Mariners came back and took a shot at my depleted lineup and Joe Kennedy who just returned from the DL. Kennedy gave up 5R-4ER in only 4IP. Hopefully it is just the rust from his DL trip. I had to sit Shannon Stewart today and maybe for a few more days due to the flu. Even without him or Bradley the team still grinded out 4ER on "King" Felix.

Interesting note: Deangelo Jimenez has walked in an amazing 7 straight at bats. That is a very good eye for the strike zone. Way to go DJ.

April 28th 2007
Oakland Athletics(12-9) @ Seattle Mariners(8-13)
A's 3 - Mariners 9
WP: Miguel Batista (2-2)
LP: Danny Haren (1-4)

Not exactly how this GM wanted to spend his Birthday. I had to sit there and watch my team get drubbed for the second straight game. My "Ace" Danny Haren struggled again. He gave up 4ER over 6 innings of work. The offense was still down a couple of key players and couldn't find a way to get it working. Good news for my team. The doctors have cleared Milton Bradley to play. I'll be placing him right back in the heart of my lineup.

April 29th 2007
Oakland Athletics(12-10) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(8-14)
A's 3 - Angels 14
WP: Scot Shields (1-0)
LP: Rich Harden (3-2)

The pitching just has not got the job done as of late. Harden gave up 6ER, Embree 1ER, Duchsherer 4ER and Blanton 3ER. Not impressive at all. However Bobby Kielty has impressed me by being ready at all times to play. Filling in for Stewart ,'til he feels better, he went 3-4 and is 5-9 in those two games. Bradley came back and went 1-4 on the night.

Injury News:

Aaron Harang of the Cincinatti Reds suffered a ruptured cervical disc. He was on the mound for the Red against the Cubs when he felt the pain. He pitched through the pain but had trouble standing up in the dugout between innings. He will be out for several months at least. A hard blow for the woeful Reds who sit at 6-16, the worst record in the league.

April 30th 2007
Oakland Athletics(12-11) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(9-14)
A's 4 - Angels 2
WP: Jason Windsor (2-1)
LP: Ervin Santana (1-2)
SV: Huston Street (9)

Jason Windsor continues to impress in his rookie campaign. I must admit I had my doubts about giving him a rotation spot but he is really proving my decision to be a good one. His control was impecable walking 1 in 7.2 IP. Over the season so far he has only 8 walks in 35.2 IP. Bobby Kielty has another solid game going 3-5 and scoring 3 times. Jason Kendall, who bats right behind Kielty, drove him in each time after he got on base. Huston Street picks up Save #9 in 9 chances. He is a very solid closer and his hard work is much appreciated.

April Team Leaders

Batting

Home Runs

1. Milton Bradley - 8
2. Nick Swisher - 6

RBI

1. Milton Bradley - 20
2. Nick Swisher - 19

Runs

1. Milton Bradley - 19
2. Nick Swisher, Erubial Durazo - 13
3. Mark Ellis, Marco Scutaro - 12

Batting Average

1. Milton Bradley - .368
2. Jason Kendall - .324
3. Marco Scutaro - .297

Pitching

Wins

1. Rich Harden - 3
2. Jason Windsor - 2
3. Joe Blanton - 2

ERA

1. Huston Street - 0.93
2. Jason Windsor - 3.79

Strikeouts

1. Danny Haren - 32
2. Jason Windsor - 31
3. Rich Harden - 25

Some league leaders for April:



May 1st 2007
Oakland Athletics(13-11) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(8-15)
A's 1 - Angels 6
WP: John Lackey (2-2)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-2)

Kennedy tosses another lackluster performance. That trip to the DL must have really set him back. He gave up 5ER in oly 4IP. The offense sputtered out today as well. Nick Swisher provided the only run on a solo shot in the 2nd.

I decided to make a roster move today as well. I am calling up Erasmo Ramirez to take Kiko Caleros spot in the bullpen. Erasmo has been dominant at AAA witha 1.45 ERA in 32 IP. Calero has been struggling as of late and I want to give him some time to work it out in the minors.

2-4 isn't exactly the road trip I was looking for but with all the injuries and struggles I guess we are lucky to get those two wins. Maybe some home cooking and a series against the Rangers, who are tied with us atop the AL West, will get this ball rolling again.

[BichetteMan]

May 2nd - May 8th 2007

This week is going to be somewhat important for my team. They face the Rangers, who we are tied with in the Divison, at home and a streaking Orioles squad. Hopefully we can take advantage of this week and separate ourselves a bit in the division.

May 2nd 2007
Texas Rangers(13-11) @ Oakland Athletics(13-12)
Rangers 5 - A's 4
WP: Vicente Padilla (2-2)
LP: Connor Robertson (1-1)
SV: Eric Gagne (5)

This was one of those games I had hoped we could win. Our young pitcher Robertson had looked impressiver in first start and appearances of the season. Unfortunately we lost this tight game. Robertson looked impressive through 4 innings only surrenduring 1 ER. He imploded in the 5th giving up 4ER in that inning alone. The offense came back and scored 2 in the bottom to cut the lead to one but both bullpens locked down neither gave up a hit the rest of the way. Bobby Kielty continues to sparkle as he goes 3-5 on the day to raise his batting average to .500.

Some league news to discuss:

After 18 years in the big leagues CP Jose Mesa retires. He was a great closer in the mid 90's playing for a total of 7 teams. He amassed 320 career saves and was selected to 2 all-star games. His best season came in 1995 when he took the mound 62 times, saved 46 games and had a 1.13 ERA.

A trade also took place today as...

Kansas City sends:
Blake Wood P
Adam Greenberg 2B
Joakim Soria P
Ken Ray P
Wayne Franklin P

Seattle sends:
Horacio Ramirez P
Geroge Sherrill P

This trade seems to be pretty even except in the number of players dealt. It is strictly a need and salary based trade. Nothing too exciting.


May 3rd 2007
Texas Rangers(14-11) @ Oakland Athletics(13-13)
Rangers 1 - A's 2
WP: Danny Haren (2-4)
LP: Eric Gagne (1-1)

This was a very interesting game from my perspective. I have been very low on Danny Haren most of the season because of his poor perfromances. He has now won my respect for what he did in this game. In a day where ptichers don't even make it to the 8th inning let alone go for complete games, Danny Haren did something great. With the game tied at one going into the 10th innning my Ace trotted back onto the field. Taking his spot on the mound to comolete what he had started. He tossed a perfect tenth and in the bottom half Jason Kendall singled in Shannon Stewart to win the game. A very exciting game indeed and I can only hope that Haren can build on his 10 inning, 5H and 9K performance.

The Major leagues had lost one of its great stories today as Julio Franco decided to hang up his cleats for the final time. It appears as though age has finally caught up with the 48 year old. Julio had a great career playing in 22 major league seasons and reaching the 2500 hit plateua. Congrats Julio and enjoy your retirement.

May 4th 2007
Texas Rangers(14-12) @ Oakland Athletics(14-13)
Rangers 5 - A's 6
WP: Huston Street (1-1)
LP: Rick Bauer (1-1)

Rich Harden continues to struggle as he only completes 5 inning while allowing 10H and 5ER. I really need to Rich to get back on track and be the Ace I see him being. The offense helped out the struggling starter by tying the game in the 8th with a Nick Swisher solo shot, his eight of the year. The team then won the game in the bottom of the tenth with a Bobby Kielty single that scored Marco Scutaro from second base. Kielty has been unbelievable since taking the leadoff spot from Shannon Stewart. He is batting .528 after going a cool 4-6 in this game.

May 5th 2007

The team had an off/travel day to get all the way across the country to Baltimore. I didn't travel with the team because I was scouting some prospects for the upcoming draft. We have a mid round selection this year and I am going to try and pick wisely. I need these picks to be the foundation for the future of my franchise. The team did well against the Rangers going 2-1 and taking a 1 game lead in the division. Hopefully they can cool off a hot Orioles squad who have won 7 of their last 8 games.

May 6th 2007
Oakland Athletics(15-13) @ Baltimore Orioles(14-15)
A's 8 - Orioles 7
WP: Alan Embree (2-0)
LP: Chris Ray (1-1)
SV: Justin Duchscherer (1)

A game that could have been lost by my club but luckily we came out with a win. Baltimore scored 3 runs in the 8th off Erasmo Ramirez to tie the game. The in the ninth, the teams swapped runs again to send the game into extra frames. My bullpen was just a tad bit better as Dangelo Jimenez pushed a run across in the top of the 13th off the O's pen. Duchsherer came in in the bottom half for a perfect inning, also his first save of the year. I must also add that Kielty continues to swing an excellent bat going 3-6 in the game. A very solid win on the road.

In an unfortunate story, Ryan Klesko of the Giants tore ligaments in his knee today. He was running hard to first and made awkward contact with the bag. He hobbled a few steps past the bag and then immediately went down grasping his knee. The doctors think this injury may have serious consequences with regards to Kleskos future in baseball.

May 7th 2007
Oakland Athletics(16-13) @ Baltimore Orioles(14-15)
A's 5 - Orioles 12
WP: Daniel Cabrera (2-1)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-3)
SV: Rob Bell (1)

This is a bit more of what I expected when I saw what the orioles were doing prior to our trip to Camden Yards. They outplayed us in all aspects of the game. Joe Kennedy seems to have lost any poise he may have had and is stuggling mightily. He gave yp 8ER in in 3IP. Joe Blanton didn't fare much better as he gave up 3ER in 2IP. I really need to address my pitching woes but a solution is going to be hard to find. The offense was led by a 3R homer by Shannon Stewart.

May 7th 2007
Oakland Athletics(16-14) @ Baltimore Orioles(15-15)
A's 3 - Orioles 4
WP: Jamie Walker (1-1)
LP: Erasmo Ramirez (0-1)
SV: Chris Ray (5)

Danny Haren pitches well for a second straight game. No 10 inning performance here but solid. He went 7 innings giving up 3ER. The game was tied after the 7th but the pen couldn't keep it knotted up and Orioles took the lead for good in the 8th off Erasmo Ramirez. Erubial Durazo provided the power for the A's today belting a 2R homer.

Another weird trade involving the KC Royals. I'm not really sure what they are trying to accomlish, take a look:

Tampa Bay sends:
Al Reyes P
Tim Corcoran P

Kansas City sends:
Joel Peralta P
Dan Uggla 2B

Kansas City seemed to have stolen Uggla from the sell happy Marlins and then they spin him off for an over the hill reliever and a minor leaguer. Weird. I wish they had offered a deal up to me first but alas my phone never rang.

A decent week where the team went 3-3. They keep losing those close 1 run games and that could be the difference between a division crown and golf at the end of the year. Hopefully they can bounce back from back to back losses at the hands of the Orioles. We have a few games up in Boston and then back home for a few series.

[RedsoxRockies]

Kansases GM inspires...stupidity lol

[Red Sox Fan 734]

Wow that 2nd uggla trade was sad.

[BichetteMan]

RedsoxRockies - Yeah just like in real life...**cough** Gil Meche **cough**

Red Sox Fan 734 - Yeah No Idea what the Royals were thinking. Low salary plus talent and and upside. Seemed like a keeper to me.

******************************************************************************** *************

[BichetteMan]

May 9 - May 15th 2007

This week the team will be staying on the East Coast to visit one of my favorite places, Fenway Park. I will be heading over because I was in Ohio scouting a few prospects. Can't miss my teams first series in my hometown. After the series the team has a day to get back to Oakland for a series with the Orioles. We are seeing a lot of the AL East right now and it's going to be tough to keep our heads above water. Winning those three at home is going to be key.

May 9th 2007
Oakland Athletics(16-15) @ Boston Red Sox(20-12)
A's 0 - Red Sox 11
WP: Daisuke Matsuzaka (4-1)
LP: Rich Harden (3-3)

I really hope the next two games in Boston don't go the same way. Rich Harden didn't look goodin his 3 innings of work. He gave up 5ER but on the bright side he didn't walk antone. The Bullpen obviously didn't fare much better as Blanton(4ER,2IP) and Ramirez(2ER,1IP) got hit hard. The offense came to a grinding halt as Matsuzaka continues to dazzle for a strong Boston club.

May 10th 2007
Oakland Athletics(16-16) @ Boston Red Sox(21-12)
A's 8 - Red Sox 10
WP: Matt Clement (1-1)
LP: Justin Duchscherer (0-1)
SV: Jonathan Papelbon (10)

The offense came to play today but the pitching just wasn't there again. Jason Windsor, who has looked impressive so far, started the game and only went 3 inning while giving up 6ER. I'll say it again it is tough to win when your starters only go 3 inning and especially in consecutive games. This bullpen is going to need some reinforcements soon. Mark Ellis had a great game with the stick going 3-5, missing the cycle by a single. He also drove in 4 of our runs.

Bostons Coco Crisp came up lame while rounding third base today, he still managed to score though, and will miss a couple weeks. The initial report was a strained achilles. He was on fire so far batting at .326.

May 11th 2007
Oakland Athletics(16-17) @ Boston Red Sox(22-12)
A's 1 - Red Sox 3
WP: Daniel Bard (1-0)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-4)
SV: Jonathan Papelbon (11)

Not surprising that we got swept out of Boston. What was surprising was the performance by Joe Kennedy. He hopefully shook off that funk that has been following him lately. He went 6 inning and gave up just 2ER on 7H and 0BB. He was outdueled by a young Daniel Bard who made his first career major league start. Bard went a very strong 8IP giving up just 4H and 1 ER. Eric Chavez also came back to bite me in the backside hitting a solo shot in the 5th to put the sox ahead for good. **** Eric Chavez.

Derek Lee of the Cubs will be out until his finger is better. The finger was fractured when he was hit by a pitch. The cubbies lineup is going to struggle because of this setback. They are sitting at 20-14 good for 2nd inthe NL central.

May 12th 2007
A very somber flight back out to Oakland. There really was no reason to laugh or have fun because the team had just had their asses handed to them. I would prefer it that way. Gave me a little time to study up on some of the prospects in the draft. I also got word that Dan Johnson, who started the season on the DL, will be finishing rehab and should be playing in games as soon as the 15th. We have decided to send him to AAA Sacramento for a week or so and up to Oakland depending on performance in those games. He has been out for while so better be safe than sorry. We need the pop in our lineup.

May 13th 2007
Baltimore Orioles(17-18) @ Oakland Athletics(16-18)
Orioles 5 - A's 1
WP: Daniel Cabrera (3-1)
LP: Danny Haren (2-5)

Not exactly the homecoming I wanted. Danny Haren once again falters and only goes 4.2 innings. This is becoming too much of a habit for him and my bullpen is suffering because of it. The bullpen stays strong and goes the other 4.1 innings allowing no runs. The only offense of the day came on a 3-4 performance for Nick Swisher. He had a solo shot in the 4th, his team leading 9th.

A couple quick injusry notes. Daisuke Matsuzaka took a liner off his pitching hand and will miss a couple starts with a bone bruise. Carlos Delgado lands on the shelf as he sprains his left knee. No one is certain when it happened but he was complaining about his knee after the game. He will be out 3-4 weeks.

May 13th 2007
Baltimore Orioles(18-18) @ Oakland Athletics(16-19)
Orioles 5 - A's 3
WP: John Parrish (1-2)
LP: Joe Blanton (2-2)
SV: Chris Ray (7)

Losing is becoming too much of a habit on this team. Rich Harden pitched well in 7 innings allowing just 2ER. He left with the lead but Erasmo Ramirez allowed a RBI double to Kevin Millar to tie the game in the 8th. The game went to extras and the Orioles pushed across 2 in the tenth. My team couldn't respond. Kielty and Swisher stay hot as both collected 3 hits on the day, Kielty blasting a 3R homer as well. Losing 7 in a row isn't what I was looking for but it may be what this season has in store for us.

No luck for Mr. Met as he has to watch another star player go down. Carlos Beltran fractured his wrist today diving for a ball in the outfield. He may miss up to two months or just a couple of weeks. The test are being done to see how severe the fracture.

May 13th 2007
Baltimore Orioles(19-18) @ Oakland Athletics(16-20)
Orioles 2 - A's 3
WP: Jason Windsor (3-1)
LP: Steve Trachsel (4-3)
SV: Huston Street (10)

The losing streak is snapped at 7. It's a good thing because I was getting worried. Jason Windsor plays the role of stopper and puts out a quality start. He went 7 innings, gave up 2ER and allowed only 5 baserunners. Bobby Kielty stays hot and homers for the second straight game. Huston Street finally sees some action, after an 11 day layoff, and picks up his 10th save. Thanks goodness we won at least one.

Atlanta has a little problem at the top of their rotation. Tim Hudson is going to be out for most of the season. He broke his leg yesterday. Details of the accident are not available. I can only imagine.

On a happier note, Johnny Damon of the Yankees collected his 2000th career hit yesterday. Congrats Johnny!

This week was a disaster. We may have played a real good team on the road and go the expected results but I ecpected a little more against the O's. A 1-5 record is not good against anyone. It doesn't get any easier for us any time soon as the Red Sox are coming to town next. Wish us luck!

[BichetteMan]

May 16th - May 22nd 2007

We continue and conclude our 9 game homestand with 3 against the Red Sox and some interleague against the Giants. Hopefully we can give the Red Sox back some of what we got at Fenway last week. The Giants are doing well at 21-17 and Barry Bonds will be coming back within the week. Hope none of my pitchers serve any moonshots to him.

May 16th 2007
Boston Red Sox(24-14) @ Oakland Athletics(17-20)
Red Sox 5 - A's 3
WP: J.C. Romero (2-0)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-5)
SV: Jonathan Papelbon (13)

We took the lead early in the game on solo shots in the 3rd and 5th by Scutaro and Durazo, respectively. We held the lead until the 8th when Joe Kennedy gave up 5ER. After 7 innings Kennedy hadn't allowed a run and only 3H. In the 8th, he let up 2H and 3BB to let up the lead. I am furious. I understand Bob Geren is the manager and I am the general manager but even I knew that Kennedy should have been out of that game. After the game I went down to the clubhouse and had a meeting with Bob. I explained that he needs to rethink his on field strategies a bit. Leaving Kennedy in that long with our bullpen, who are performing exceptionally, and Kennedys recent performance was a questionable decision. Geren explained that he believed Kennedy had control of the situation and admitted that in hindsight the bullpen was a better choice. We agreed that only certain guys have the ability to pitch that deep in the games. I feel the meeting did clear up some issues I have had with his managerial styles. Bob and I have had a very good relationship since I took over the team and I really hope it stays that way. I think he has a good handle of the guys in the clubhouse. I just hope he will be able to do the same if we continue to lose.

Kansas City is at it again!

Kansas City sends:
John Bale P
Mark Grudzielanek 2B
Al Reyes P

Colorado sends:
Jamey Carroll 2B
Seth Smith RF
Omar Quintilliana SS

The major pieces in this trade are Quintilliana and Reyes. Quintilliana figures to be the future shortstop for the Royals as he is young and still has some development ahead of him. Reyes is old, at 36 years, but he has been outstanding this year with a 0.97 era in relief between the Rays and KC. The Rockies are hoping to compete in their division and have really needed the help in the pen. Smith will also be a good bench player for the Royals in the future.

May 17th 2007
Boston Red Sox(25-14) @ Oakland Athletics(17-21)
Red Sox 7 - A's 0
WP: Daniel Bard (2-0)
LP: Connor Robertson (1-2)

Daniel Bard is now 2-0 in two starts in the majors for the Red Sox. Unfortunately both of those starts were against us. He went a very strong 7 innings allowing no earned runs and striking out eight. This kid has looked impressive and on the flip side my offense and starter have not. I'm kind of wondering if I should just have my bullpen pitch the whole game because they are great. Robertson only went 3.1 innings and let up 5ER. This is not fun to watch but hopefully this experience will lead some where good.

May 18th 2007
Boston Red Sox(26-14) @ Oakland Athletics(17-22)
Red Sox 2 - A's 6
WP: Justin Duchscherer (1-1)
LP: Josh Beckett (4-2)
SV: Joe Blanton (1)

Danny Haren had to be scratched from his start today. He had a bit of tightness in the forearm on his pitching arm. Geren decided that because it was such short notice that Justin Duchsherer would get the start. Duchsherer had last pitched two days ago but only 12 pitches. His last appearance before that was the 16th. I was just talking about the bullpen pitching a whole game and voila look how they did. Duchsherer went 5 shutout inning allowing 5 hits and striking out 5. The bullpen let up a couple runs but the offense had already sealed the deal by then. Nick Swisher(10) and Mark Ellis(4) both went deep. It feels good that the team pulled out one against the Red Sox.

May 19th 2007

An off day at home for the boys. We had some light fielding and some BP but we let them get home and spend some time with their families because of the travel and schedule ahead of us. Hopefully they all got some R&R because we need to get back on track.

A tough loss for the Detroit tigers as two players hit the DL. The first was Marcus Thames who broke a finger while making a play at the wall in the outfield. He will miss about a month. The second is a bit more serious. Young Jeremy Bonderman will be out for at least the year and probably more. He tore his rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder. He was pitching well on the season and Detroit will really miss him. No one really knows how this will affect his career when he is healty enough to begin throwing.

Erasmo Ramirez has been the only one struggling out of the bullpen. I have decided to send him to AAA and call up Scott Dunn. He has been impressive with a 2.54ERA in 39 relief innings.

May 20th 2007
San Francisco Giants(22-19) @ Oakland Athletics(18-22)
Giants 2 - A's 3
WP: Scott Dunn (1-0)
LP: Billy Sadler (1-3)

Barry Bonds came back after a fews days sidelined with some knee pain. He started quick and took Harden deep for a two run home run in the first, his 739th of his career. After that Harden shut down the Giants and allowed only 3 hits in the next 5 innings. The A's started their comeback with a run in the third and on in the 8th to tie the game. Scott Dunn, the recent call-up, struck out 2 in the top of the ninth to keep it tied. Milton Bradley came up to lead off the 9th and homered for a walk of win. An exciting game and a good win for the team.

May 21st 2007
San Francisco Giants(22-20) @ Oakland Athletics(19-22)
Giants 2 - A's 6
WP: Jason Windsor (4-1)
LP: Matt Morris (1-4)

Jason Windsor continues to impress in his rookies season. He goes 7 shutout innings then gives up a run in the 8th to chase him from the game. He also stuck out 9 in the game. Scott Dunn came into the game and allowed a solo home run but the game was already in hand for us. The offense was paced by Mark Ellis who went 3-5 and drove in two.

May 22nd 2007
San Francisco Giants(22-21) @ Oakland Athletics(20-22)
Giants 7 - A's 4
WP: Matt Cain (2-2)
LP: Joe Kennedy (1-6)

Joe Kennedy continues to struggle as he allows 4ER in only 3 innings. The bullpen was good but an again Alan Embree struggled a bit giving up 2ER. The offense was led by Shannon Stewart who went 3-4. I was hoping for a fourth straight win but I can't get too greedy.

The Met's take another blow to their lineup. Rookie Lasting Milledge was struggling at the plate to start the season and it appears as though it was because of injury. He has sever tendonitis in his right elbow and will miss up to three months. He has been placed on the 60 day DL.

This homestand wasn't that bad considering the competition. 3-3 is good for a team that has been struggling and 4-2 was fully within our reach but I am satisfied. I will be heading off to Mexico City for a little scouting as the team takes off for New York to meet the Yankees.

[BichetteMan]

May 23rd - May 29th 2007

The team has a travel day to start to get over to New York for a three game tilt with the Bombers. Then we head up North of the border to visit the Blue Jays. Both teams have started off very well and are in 2nd and 3rd in the AL East, respectively. Hopefully the team can pull out a couple wins on this trip.

May 23rd 2007
I called Bob and told him to remember what we had talked about earlier in the week. I don't want to see any of our pitchers overused. If they pitch well for 6 or 7 innings that should be all we need. The team spent the night in New York enjoying themselves while I dined on some fine authentic food in Mexico City. This young kid down here looks pretty good. He's a starter and he throws in the mid 90's. Looks like he is slotted to fall to us in the draft but there are others I am keeping my eyes on.

May 24th 2007
Oakland Athletics(20-23) @ New York Yankees(26-18)
A's 1 - Yankees 8
WP: Carl Pavano (3-2)
LP: Danny Haren (2-6)

Although Danny Haren pitched much better than usual he still fared the same. 5 innings and 3ER later he gets another loss. It looks like he is destined for a 20 loss season. I hope I'm wrong. Scott Dunn struggled against the potent Yankee lineup going a third of an inning giving up 5ER. I'm not going to jerk him around and send him down. I'll let him pitch a few more times to see if it becomes a trend. If he continues to struggle I have Calero waiting in the minors. He has improved since I sent him down a few weeks ago. As you can see by the score our offense was non-existant. Nick Swisher drove in the lone run on a sac fly.

Congrats to Andruw Jones of the Braves on scoring his 1000th run.

May 25th 2007
Oakland Athletics(20-24) @ New York Yankees(27-18)
A's 10 - Yankees 9
WP: Joe Kennedy (2-6)
LP: Scott Proctor (3-2)

This was an exciting one. A 12 inning affair that had 13 pitchers appear. Rich Harden started for us and only lasted an inning giving up 6ER. I think Geren was disgusted with Harden and didn't want to see anymore. He went to our pen and they were outstanding as usual. 11 innings pitched while giving up only 3 runs, all of which were charged to Joe Blanton. Nick Swisher hit his team leading 11th homer of the season. Kilety had two hits and three RBI on the day. A solid performance for the offense and the pen. We just need to get these starters on track.

A tough break for the Cubs as Alphonso Soriano will be missing the rest of the season. Soriano was experiencing some back pain this week and the doctors revealed he had fractured a vertebrae in his back. He will require surgery and the recovery and rehab time will take him past september.

May 26th 2007
Oakland Athletics(21-24) @ New York Yankees(27-19)
A's 2 - Yankees 8
WP: Chris Britton (1-0)
LP: Jason Windsor (4-2)

The score doesn't indicate how Jason Windsor pitched for the A's. He went 6.1 innings and let up 4ER but he has been putting out the most solid starts of any of my rotation. It must be tough when you aren't sure if the offense will be able to support you. Speaking of the offense, D'angelo Jimenez hit a 2R shot and that was all folks. Scott Dunn struggled again and with Calero in AAA holding down a 1.69 ERA it is only a matter of time before they get swapped. I'll probably wait 'til we get home in 4 days so the logistics of the swap are better.

May 27th 2007
Oakland Athletics(21-25) @ Toronto Blue Jays(28-20)
A's 4 - Blue Jays 7
WP: Jason Frasor (2-0)
LP: Joe Kennedy (2-7)
SV: B.J. Ryan (20)

Another Day - Another loss. That appears to be the story of my team this year. The starting pitching is horrible and will be item #1 on my to do list this year. Joe Kennedy gives up another 5ER in just 5 innings. The offense was led by Nick Swisher and his team leading 12th homer. The offense racked up 10 hits but left a whopping 8 men on base. We have to push a few more of those guys across.

May 28th 2007
Oakland Athletics(21-26) @ Toronto Blue Jays(29-20)
A's 4 - Blue Jays 3
WP: Erasmo Ramirez (1-1)
LP: Brandon League (2-1)
SV: Huston Street (11)

A Quality start from Danny Haren that included 6 innings and 3ER. He has been hot and cold all year, although mostly cold. The pen did their job and held the score where it was and allowed the offense to come through and pick up the win. A D'angelo Jimenez double in the ninth that scored Mark Ellis put us ahead for good. Huston Street was his reliable self and pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth for his 11th save.

In a freakish accident Gerald Laird of the Rangers took a foul ball off his forearm and fractured the bone. He will be out for a couple months while the bone heals and he rehabs.

May 29th 2007
Oakland Athletics(22-26) @ Toronto Blue Jays(29-21)
A's 6 - Blue Jays 7
WP: Matt Roney (1-1)
LP: Scott Dunn (1-1)

I must admit this was a game we could have won. Although Rich Harden didn't pitch extraordinary(4ER,5IP) we had the lead late in the game. Scott Dunn, the soon to be minor leaguer, gave up three late runs and sealed his fate for the time being. Bobby Kielty hit his 4th homer and the rest of the offense had at least on hit for us.

I must admit that I am disappointed that we went 2-4 and not 3-3 on this trip. That last game was a definite let down. As I mentioned before I told Bob to let Scott Dunn know he is headed back to Sacramento and I called Calero up. Hopefully some time in AAA can help Dunn like it did for Calero.