A'S OK WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING THIS EARLY.Byline: MATT McHALE Baseball There hasn't been much Swingin' with the Oakland Athletics “Philadelphia Athletics” redirects here. For other uses, see Philadelphia Athletics (disambiguation). The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. the past few years, no Reggie Jackson A more lasting image is one of those 12-inning Wednesday night games on ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network that drag into Thursday and threaten to preempt pre·empt or pre-empt v. pre·empt·ed, pre·empt·ing, pre·empts v.tr. 1. To appropriate, seize, or take for oneself before others. See Synonyms at appropriate. 2. a. the morning aerobic shows. Last place, small payrolls and tiny crowds were a losing trifecta tri·fec·ta n. A system of betting in which the bettor must pick the first three winners in the correct sequence. Also called triple. [tri- + (per)fecta.] ticket in the Bay Area. At least the Giants are there at the end every season. Could anyone even name an A's starter after Kenny Rogers? Well, bless my Blue Moon Odom In the tight (read mediocre) American League West The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. , that could translate into a breakthrough season. Just percentage points out of first, the A's won't win the division. But in a place where long losing streaks leave teams just five games back, Oakland is stepping up. ``Getting over .500 is huge for us,'' right-hander Gil Heredia said after he defeated the Tigers 2-1 on Wednesday in Detroit. ``I feel fortunate to be on a team that is this fired up. It's fun. And it's nice to know the young players we have can experience this kind of feeling.'' The record might not sound that great unless you consider the A's haven't been above .500 this late in the season in almost three years (Oakland was 55-54 on Aug. 1, 1996). The A's have a 4.35 ERA that is third in the AL. Heredia is a big part of that, especially on the road. In three starts there, he has an 0.89 ERA. ``We're in a stretch where we're scoring enough to win when the pitchers do well, and when the pitchers are scuffling, we're hitting,'' first baseman Jason Giambi said. ``It's good to be in the zone we're in now.'' The A's won Wednesday without any help from injured 3B Olmedo Saenz and DH John Jaha and after learning that Rogers probably will miss at least one start after leaving Tuesday's game with back spasms. ``I ain't taking these pants off,'' Rogers said. ``I can't tie my shoes. It's almost impossible to sit in any position without it hurting.'' Rogers hadn't completely lost his sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour , which is not bad for a guy who barely has one. Talking about the long plane ride home to Oakland, Rogers said he would be ``nice and quiet.'' The last time the A's had an extended plane flight, May 4 from Oakland to Toronto, Rogers and center fielder Jason McDonald got into a fight over a card game. Some of the more well-known A's have struggled this year, most notably Ben Grieve, last year's American League Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year may refer to:
A's pitchers have not walked more than three batters in any of the last 10 games. Right-hander Brad Rigby entered the weekend with 10-1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Doug Jones is doing for Oakland what he has done for Cleveland, Milwaukee, Houston and others in the last dozen years. Jones has a win and two saves and two holds in his last five appearances. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO THREE FOR 3000: THE WEEK IN REVIEW (1) Cal Ripken Jr. - 2,883 3 hits, .216 avg. (2) Wade Boggs - 2,943 Disabled List (3) Tony Gwynn - 2,969 2 hits, .361 avg. |
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