Just an ugly night in the Oakland A's organization

River Cats post mortum from the Bee.

TEAM	R	H	E		TEAM	R	H	E	NOTES
TACOMA	21	25	0		SACRAMENTO	4	9	2	Only 3 Walks
WICHITA	5	9	0		MIDLAND	3	10	0	Jairo Garcia Debut (BS)
KANE COUNTY	1	6	1		PEORIA	9	12	1	Jake Trout .1 IP 7 ER
VANCOUVER	4	5	3		TRI-CITY	7	11	0	Santanna 4 IP 4 ER
AZL-A's	3	5	1		AZL-GIANTS	4	10	2	Torres 1.1 IP 2 Runs

Being an Oakland A's fan over the past week has had its high and lows. While the A's picked up Octavio Dotel they also lost two of three from hated San Francisco and averaged just 4.3 runs a game stinking up the Coliseum. A's draft picks slugged it out in the College World Series and the injury bug has infested a corner of the A's clubhouse. Again.

A brief note on the offense; the A's have score 140 runs in 26 games in June. That's just 5.4 runs a game. That includes five games in which the A's score in double digits. PATHETIC.

In the neutral corner, how odd was it to watch Landon Powell and Kevin Melillo of South Carolina take on Kurt Suzuki and Jason Windsor of Cal State Fullerton on Friday? Then, for the Championship Series, Fullerton faced Huston Street. Kind of hard not to root for Fullerton and the stories that went along with their season.

Some links.

A link to the final game.

A cool story about a team shrink for CSF.

Nice story about an imposing mother.

Recaps and box scores of the CWS.

There's a cool line in here about Landon Powell and chalk.

A chat session from Baseball America with Huston Street.

Anyway.

Pitchy Rich Harden apparently will not miss a start. Whether that has to do with Tim Hudson being out or the lack of severity in regards to his injury; dunno.

Kirk Saarloos sent Ramon Castro packing on the 25 Man Roster. Saarloos came over in the Chad Harville trade earlier in the season. Saarloos is a big Greg Maddux fan, so, he wears number 31. Look for Saarloos and Justin Duchscherer to tandem start in Hudson's absence.

Arthur Rhodes is complaining about back soreness. More than likely from having his head up his ass and sticking his feet into his mouth at the same time. Rhodes would look good in a Houston Astros uniform, wouldn't he?

Bobby Kielty was in the line-up until a few minutes before the first pitch, yesterday. Kielty aggravated his rib cage during batting practice. You have to wonder how much damage Bobby Crosby really did to Kielty in their collison earlier this year.

Keep an eye out for JUSTIN TIME articles and banners in the next few weeks as Duchscherer and Lehr start settling into their roles. In June, Duchscherer has been scored upon in 5 out of 10 outings. Joe Morgan would point to his lack of a 90's fastball, we'll point to regressing toward the mean.

TOTAL PICKS: 44 (College 35, JC 4, High School 5)
Position Players: 22 Pitchers: 22
Players in BOLD have signed

2004 DRAFT - OAKLAND ATHLETICS

Rnd	Pk	Overall	Player	Position	School	State
1	24	24	Landon Powell	c	U. of South Carolina	SC
1	26	26	Richie Robnett	of	Fresno State U.	CA
1S	6	36	Danny Putnam	of	Stanford U.	CA
1S	10	40	Huston Street	rhp	U. of Texas	TX
2	8	49	Michael Rogers	rhp	North Carolina State U.	NC
2	26	67	Kurt Suzuki	c	Cal State Fullerton	CA
3	26	97	Jason Windsor	rhp	Cal State Fullerton	CA
4	26	127	Ryan Webb	rhp	Clearwater Central Catholic HS, Palm Harbor, Fla.	FL
5	26	157	Kevin Melillo	2b	U. of South Carolina	SC
6	26	187	Derek Tharpe	lhp	U. of Tennessee	TN
7	26	217	Jarod McAuliff	rhp	U. of Oklahoma	OK
8	26	247	Myron Leslie	3b	U. of South Florida	FL
9	26	277	Chad Boyd	of	El Camino Real HS, West Hills, Calif.	CA
10	26	307	Tom Everidge	1b	Sonoma State (Calif.) U.	CA
11	26	337	Steve Sharpe	rhp	Central Missouri State U.	MO
12	26	367	Nick Blasi	of	Wichita State U.	KS
13	26	397	Scott Drucker	rhp	U. of Tennessee	TN
14	26	427	Jorge Charry	rhp	Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Fajardo, P.R.	PR
15	26	457	Ryan Ford	lhp	Eastern Michigan U.	MI
16	26	487	Tyler Best	c	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College	ID
17	26	517	Clay Tichota	rhp	Regis (Colo.) U.	CO
18	26	547	Jeremy Slayden	of	Georgia Tech	GA
19	26	577	Ryan Ruiz	ss	U. of Nevada-Las Vegas	NV
20	26	607	Robert Semerano	rhp	Fordham U.	NY
21	26	637	Chalon Tietje	of	Cal Poly	CA
22	26	667	Ryan Jones	of	East Carolina U.	NC
23	26	697	Shawn Martinez	rhp	Colorado State U.-Pueblo	CO
24	26	727	Dallas Braden	lhp	Texas Tech	TX
25	26	757	Jim Conroy	rhp	U. of Illinois	IL
26	26	787	Steven Carter	rhp	Coastal Carolina U.	SC
27	26	817	Clayton Turner	rhp	Northwestern State U.	LA
28	26	847	Andre Piper-Jordan	of	Everett (Wash.) CC	WA
29	26	877	Wesley Long	ss	U. of Alabama-Huntsville	AL
30	26	907	Haas Pratt	1b	U. of Arkansas	AR
31	26	937	Connor Robertson	rhp	Birmingham-Southern College	AL
32	26	967	Jeff Gray	rhp	Southwest Missouri State U.	MO
33	26	997	Scott Fairbanks	rhp	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College	ID
34	26	1027	Yusuf Carter	of	El Paso (Texas) CC	TX
35	26	1057	Broc Coffman	lhp	Lower Columbia (Wash.) JC	WA
36	26	1087	Matt Cassel	rhp	U. of Southern California	CA
37	26	1117	Beau Seabury	c	Skajit Valley (Wash.) CC	WA
38	26	1147	Drew Saberhagen	1b	Calabasas (Calif.) HS	CA
39	26	1177	Joseph Florio	2b	Blair Academy, Blairstown, N.J.	NJ
40	26	1207	Danny Figueroa	of	U. of Miami	FL

Well, someone went and hit the A's with the injury stick. Or just a big stick. Or both.

A little birdy told us (if by bird we mean Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll...and we do) that Billy McMillon had some epidural work done and he should have a brief three game rehab stint in Sacramento prior to coming back to Oakland. McMillon's injury is, let's just say 'progressively troubling'. The source of the injury is lower back inflammation. The pain that comes along with, is a lack of feeling or numbness in the lads' legs. So, it's not as easy as it sounds. So far, Billy Mac is limited to just hitting off a tee. Wonder if acupressure would work? Or acupuncture?

Chris Hammond was examined by Dr Yocum and pronounced to be a male mammal with swelling below the earlobe, or more specifically, throwing shoulder. Yocum bitch-slapped Hammond with the decree that he can't go out and play catch until the swelling has subsided and the pain is gone. If this sounds familiar to the Micah Bowie situation then you should be concerned. Where is Micah Bowie?

Pitchy Rich Harden is out. Or not. Apparently they have not located a device to relocate dislocated shoulders. Which is what Harden has, a dislocated shoulder. It doesn't sound serious, but it may be a situation where the A's do the Safety Dance and call up a pitcher to make at least two starts in Harden's stead.

QUESTION:Hey, does that mean Billy Beane might be making a deal?

ANSWER:What, are you new around here?

There seems to be a lot of steam to the rumor that Houston wants Arthur Rhodes. Which is as surprising as going to the bathroom a few hours after a large meal settling in with a good read and someone on the door, "Hey, don't flush that! I'll trade you a minor league pitcher or player to be named later for that!"

Any deal for Arthur Rhodes that does not include the A's giving up another player, other than Eric Karros, is a reason to believe in the power of certain GM's to suddenly have a Supreme Being-complex after making a big trade. If Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker thinks he can just wrestle Rhodes away (as Billy Beane ponders what other road kill he can shine up and present for teams), why dissuade the poor guy?

The A's are on the hook for about $7 million and change and two and a half seasons on Rhodes' contract. If Houston offers a $5 pre-paid phone card for Rhodes, the A's should hold out for a $1 Off pizza coupon from Doughy's before jumping at the offer.

Homer: Wow! A Valu-Qual coupon book! Let's see ... ten percent off carpet cleaning. Ten! [gasps] Two pizzas for the price of one at Doughy's!

Lisa: Doughy's has terrible pizza!

Homer: Yeah, but there are two!

Sunday, Cruddy Sunday Episode AABF08

TIM HUDSON TO 15 DAY DL WITH OBLIQUE STRAIN

Tim Hudson has been placed on the 15 Day Disabled List by the A's, newly acquired Octavio Dotel will take Hudson's spot on the 25 Man roster.

The oblique strain appears to be similar to those situations that hindered Hudson in the 2002 ALDS and sidelined him in the 2003 ALDS. A situation that can now be considered chronic.

As far as the semantics are concerned and further rhetoric Mark Redman is scratched in to start Sunday against the Giants. More than likely Justin Duchscherer will be ready for long relief. Redman will more than likely be on a strict pitch count and will NOT face a batter more than twice.

The A's are throwing caution to the wind in this scenario as they have been racking up Pitcher Abuse Points for no other reason than being consistent.

2004 OAKLAND ATHLETICS - PAP

TEAM	GS	NP	MAX NP	AVG NP	PAP	AVG PAP	STRESS	I	II	III	IV	V
OAK	72	7588	133	105.4	171079	2376	22	23	27	16	5	1
Tim Hudson	15	1593	125	106.2	35638	2375	22	5	6	3	1	0
Barry Zito	15	1604	124	106.9	25730	1715	16	2	7	5	1	0
Mark Mulder	15	1590	123	106.0	36941	2462	23	6	3	4	2	0
Mark Redman	14	1458	133	104.1	56161	4011	38	7	3	3	0	1
Rich Harden	13	1343	124	103.3	16609	1277	12	3	8	1	1	0

BASEBALL PROSPECTUS PITCHER ABUSE POINTS SYSTEM - GLOSSARY

We needed an excuse to ask Will Carroll some questions and follow up on the Billy McMillon and Chris Hammond situations, so we'll be back with more in a moment.

The Bay Bridge Series is upon us. Expect a war. Barry Bonds is frothing at the mouth and the A's received a huge boost from the trade yesterday.

The A's are advising fans to use BART as all three gamea are expected to be sellouts.

Warning to A's fans; We've been writing this for two years - the chant is,
Let's - Go - A's
"Let's go OAK-LAND" is the same 8 clap "Let's Go Yan-kees", "Let's Go Red Sox" cheer.

Several video games even incorporated the "Let's GO A's" chant into the background of in-game action. Why a few people who have been to too many high school basketball games have to start the "Let's Go OAK-Land" chant and then rile up all the sheep to do the wave is beyond comprehension.

Further, said chant should only be done when the A's are at bat. When the A's are pitching, where can they go? They are in the field? That's when fans shold just be making noise in general - you know, rooting on the home team?

Listen to Bill King, he explained it during the recent Anaheim series.

As for tonight, stay out of fights with Giants fans and watch the A's to plug away for a 5-4 win.

Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman are on ESPN News right now.

TRADE

HOUSTON	KANSAS CITY	OAKLAND
OCTAVIO DOTEL	CARLOS BELTRAN	MARK TEAHEN
JOHN BUCK	CA$H	MIKE WOOD

HOUSTON
CARLOS BELTRAN

KANSAS CITY
MARK TEAHEN
MIKE WOOD

OAKLAND
OCTAVIO DOTEL
CA$H

ANALYSIS

Here's the A's PRESS RELEASE if you want to peruse it.

The move is a stationary one for the A's, the Astros and a moderate step for the Royals. The A's lose no one from their 25-man roster, the Astros have egos to smooth over with Beltran going to center, Craig Biggio to somehwere, and Jeff Kent moving (another trade?) to somewhere else. The Royals pick up a prospect in Mark Teahen that may ultimately burn the A's. Teahen looks to be a special hitter just developing at the right time...for Billy Beane to trade him. The A's do not have a position for Teahen, since they signed some kid from San Diego to play 3rd base for them, Eric Chavez - or something, for the next six years, and 1st base can be manned by a few dozen other players over the next few years. So, Teahen was expendible. But, you get an itching feeling that it may ultimatley hurt.

2004 MARK TEAHEN

SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS
BATTER	AVG	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	DP	SLG	OBP	OPS
Mark Teahen	.275	20	69	9	19	27	8	0	0	10	11	22	0	1	1	.391	.383	.774
MIDLAND ROCKHOUNDS
BATTER	AVG	G	AB	R	H	TB	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	DP	SLG	OBP	OPS
Mark Teahen	.335	53	197	31	66	107	15	4	6	36	32	44	0	0	12	.543	.419	.962

Mike Wood is a different story. Interestingly, the Royals got Wood and not Justin Duchscherer; whether the A's wish to keep Duke around or have another deal in mind, only Morris Day and his friends can tell. Wood and Duchscherer are similar pitchers, not big on strike outs but big on ground balls. Both are very control oriented. Wood averages 6 innings per start and walks a batter once every 3+ innings. Less than two a game.

People looking at Mike Wood's ERA, while decent for the PCL, are in for a bit of a shock when they see his runs. His Runs Average is 4.20; 42 runs in 90 innings...easy to do the math, there. At one point this year Wood gave up a grandslam for zero earned runs. Go figure.

Wood was insurance upon insurance and at best would have been a long reliever with Oakland. In Kansas City he goes right into the fray, possibly making a start in early July. So, don't cry for Wood, he gets his chance now, and he's a good pitcher from a college program having progressed fairly quickly through the A's system. The Royals get him at age 24, rather than age 19 and hurry him into the big leagues before he is ready.

2004 MIKE WOOD

SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS
PITCHER	W-L	PCT	ERA	G	GS	CG	IP	H	AB	TBF	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Mike Wood	11-3	.786	2.80	15	15	1	90.0	83	344	379	42	28	8	6	25	66

As far as the next pitcher to fall in line in Sacramento, Mario Ramos more than likely gets bumped into the starting rotation. It will be interesting to see if Beane goes for more relief help or looks at bringing up Chris Mabeus. One note in the trade, it was rumored that the Royals wanted Jairo Garcia. Look at the numbers. Think Beane was giving this up?

2004 JAIRO GARCIA

KANE COUNTY COUGARS
PITCHER	W-L	PCT	ERA	G	GF	SV	IP	H	AB	TBF	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Jairo Garcia	1-0	1.000	0.30	25	24	16	30.0	16	107	117	2	1	0	4	8	49

Now, there was a Jairo Garcia that had his age adjusted following the post 9/11 visa paperwork issues. It is not clear that this is the same Jairo Gracia. As with the ages, some of the names got moved around. The A's signed their Jairo out of the Dominican Republic at age 17 in 2000. That would make Garcia 21 years old. The other Jairo Garcia was Jairo Gonzalez with a birthdate of January 20, 1983 and then a corrected birthdate of October 3rd, 1980. The Athletics' Jairo Garcia's listed birthdate is March 7, 1983.

Got that?

A very nice reader sent us a link to the obituary of Nancy Stephens. Included within was a mention of where to send donations in lieu of flowers:

Smuin Ballet
c/o Don Brown
300 Brannan St, Ste. 407
SF, CA 94107-1883

If you are a fan of A's basbeall and Bill King please make an offering.

Arthur Rhodes may have just punched his own ticket out of Oakland. In an article by Scott Miller on CBS Sportsline, Arthur Rhodes is directly quoted - so there is no mistaking what the comments were or if they were out of context.

If Billy Beane can somehow ship Rhodes off it would be a miracle. At this point, handing him his outright release is out of the question. But, maybe they could find a reason to place him on the DL. If only MLB had a Physically Unable to Perform list ala the NFL. The A's could say Rhodes is mentally unbalanced - and not in a good way...
...from said article

"We had two starters on this team say that the bullpen needs to step it up. You shouldn't say that. You shouldn't say that. If we lose as a team, we all lose. If we win as a team, we all win. You can't have two starters saying that. If you're not man enough to come to somebody on the field and tell them to do a better job, don't say in the paper that we're doing a bad job. It's one of those things where if they can do better, they can go nine innings. Let 'em go nine innings."

"Everybody in the bullpen got mad about it. Among the both of them, they've probably got seven years in the big leagues, total. I've got 13. They don't have any business saying that. It (ticks) you off, players talking behind your back. We're sitting out there and whenever the phone rings, whoever's getting into the game, it's just do your best. That's all I can say. Do your best and try to keep your head up. You start throwing zeroes for two or three months, and what are they going to say then? They'll come and kiss our butts and say we're so much better. Well, no, you can never forget what was said by your teammates. But if it comes up again, it's not going to be a pretty sight. If it comes up again, I won't be nice."

- Arthur Rhodes
Isn't always a HUGE surprise in sports when a player begins to bitch and moan about comments made in the paper, magazine or TV about him that he challenges these persons 'to be a man' and 'say it to his face'? Yet, how do these idiots get the message across? By going to the media.

Rhodes is a man on an island at this point and if anyone else in the bullpen wants to join him, they can.

The point has been made that since Rhodes has flat out stunk at times this season that the bullpen really is in flux. Pitchers currently do not know their role and when to expect to come into a game. Maybe, but, good money could be put on when the phone rings in the bullpen and Bob Geren tells you to warm up. Yah, that's probably a good sign you might be coming into the game.

Rhodes comments aside, this is all a Ken Macha doing. He is horrible at the people side of things. The Thad Bosley incident last year made that apparent. A comment made by others that Joe Torre is not a master tactician, but his people skills are paramount to his duties. Which is why Don Zimmer is so important to Torre's tenure in New York.

But, can anyone recall an issue similar to this, that unerved so much clubhouse turmoil - even when Art Howe was around? Maybe, when Ben Greive popped off, but then he was traded. Maybe, when Kenny Rogers popped off, but then he was traded. Maybe, when Art Howe popped off, but he was traded. Maybe, when Terrence Long popped off, but then he was traded, and Ken Macha was manager at the time.

And don't laugh, but Art might become available, again, very soon.

Billy Beane is in his element at this time. Let's just sit back and watch the rumors and fur fly and pan out the results in a month.

In that vain, (you may need to subscribe - it's easy to sign up) Chris Haft of the SJ Mercury News is reporting the A's are interested in trading for a reliever, with Ugueth Urbina, Rocky Biddle, Jose Mesa and Octavio Dotel the names being dropped. Billy Beane can't comment on rumors of a 3 way trade that would send Carlos Beltran to the Dodgers, Guillermo Mota to the A's, with the A's giving up prospects. There are tampering rules, and the A's abide by them...we think. Of course, MLB.com is commenting on the matter.

Frank Booth: You wanna go for a ride?

Jeffrey Beaumont: No thanks.

Frank Booth: No thanks. What does that mean?

Jeffrey Beaumont: I don't want to go.

Frank Booth: Go where?

Jeffrey Beaumont: On a ride.

Frank Booth: A ride? Hell, that's a good idea. Okay, let's go. Hey, let's go.

One of the intriguing things about being an A's fan, apart from the challenge of mixing the team colors with your everyday wardrobe, is trying to anticipate what is going on in GM Billy Beane's head. And to do that, we used to have to try and get into Paul DePodesta's head first. And since Paul didn't talk a lot we had to rely on fringe information which was no better than the collection of spew from area reporters and Peter Gammons.

With Paul in Los Angeles GM'ing some team that pennied and hay-pennied the 1988 A's in the World Series, things have gotten a little more complicated. Though, we have gotten a year older and have spotted some of the warning signs when player movement is immanent and when the wind is simply blowing.

The A's have long since past a time when they would bounce possible player acquisition off of the general public for feedback. Nor do the A's consider silent polling to find out if trading g a current Oakland A or farmhand would dramatically undercut the number of flag waivers and face-painters in left field.

Billy Beane and no longer new assistant GM, and he was there before, so really just David Forst...anyway, the front office has a stranglehold on doubt and it's a closed shop. So no benefits therein. Billy Beane has oft been quoted as stating that the "inside sources" were he and Paul. You really don't have to strike Paul out of the conversation, because Billy is still talking with him, but just move David Forst that much closer.

There are several rumors out there for players going and coming and going again involving the A's. Kansas City GM Allard Baird was in Sacramento last weekend (and other places) viewing A's prospects. Some of the names popping up include Mark Teahan in AAA and John Baker (the Homerun maker ) in AA Midland. One deal that Peter Gammons was floating involved The A's sending prospects to Kansas City for Carlos Beltran and the A's sending Beltran to Los Angeles for Guillermo Mota. The deal doesn't make sense for several reasons, but mainly, the Dodger's bullpen is their one strength and pulling Mota without an apparent replacement makes zero sense - from within the Dodger's organization and you know how horrible the A's relief corps have performed. Not to mention that Mota is not an established closer. Which makes the Arthur Rhodes (not a closer before 2004) situation even more tenuous.

You can read about the Boston deal that really doesn't make sense involving Kevin Youkilis and Scott Williamson. As much as Boston and the A's could accomplish in a trade, why arm your enemy so soon to battle?

Kirk Saarloos is an option the A's may well consider, rather than trading for a true closer. Though Danny Graves will be available the second week of July. It will depend on how much the Reds will take in salary or dumped salary via players.

Beltran? As much as the A's would benefit from keeping Beltran, what the A's could gain in cash considerations alone make certain things twitch. The problem comes if Billy Beane deals for Beltran too soon or too late and can not flip him in time before the deadline to shore up weaknesses.

The Byrnes and Kielty situation is a crime. We have some further stat work to do on Byrnes, but rest assured Dave Hudgens will be a culprit in the situation. Where Kielty has been is a mystery. But his presence on the bench does nothing. He should be shuttling in and out at the very least three times a week. Eric Byrnes is in trouble again and we have to forecast to prove it, stay tuned...

Mark Kotsay has dug himself out of a huge hole, only to begin burying himself, again. His .289 batting average is not the stat to look at. His .345 On Base Percentage and .396 slugging make for a .741 OPS and Ken Macha has him in the 3rd spot in the batting order! Kotsay is strictly a singles hitter with two extra base hits a week. He should be in the 7th or 8th spot. His defense has been outstanding, save a misplay against Pittsburgh last week trying to preserve a perfect game for Mark Mulder.

The A's have signed a few more draft picks, we're waiting on confirmation of one before we list the others.

The A's hurting in the bullpen have placed Chris Hammond on the 15 Day DL - retroactive to June 12th.

In his stead the A's have called up;


...Kirk Saarloos?


...Mario Ramos?


...Mike Wood?


...Adam Morrissey?


...Mike Rose?


...Mike Edwards?


...Wait for it...

Infielder Ramon Castro.

What in the name of all that is Oakland Athletic?

About the only reasoning that could be followed is that Castro will be up for six days, so as to give Bobby Crosby at least one day off, possibly two. Other than that, there really isn't a whole lot to this call up.

Hey, the A's bullpen sucks.

Yes, tell us something we do not know.

Hey, Ken Macha is a jackass who deserves to be handed his head (and pink slip) by Billy Beane when the A's get back to California.

Your words strike at the truth.

Okay, let's ignore all that crap for awhile and talk about the real issue.

THE A's ARE NOT WINNING ENOUGH GAMES

This might seem rather simplistic. But if you recall, we expect the A's to win every game. And beyond that we expect them to find a way to win 163 games in the 162 game schedule. We're fans. Fans with baseless reasoning.

Our view is that if the A's score 5 runs in each game, they should win. We stated this theory last year prior to the post season. During the ALCS, Boston scored just five runs in a game once, and that was due to a Keith Foulke blown save in Game 4.

Fast forward to 2004. How does that theory work over an extended period of time? The A's have allowed 288 runs in 603 2/3 innings so far in 2004. Or a Run Average of 4.29 per 9 innings - who cares if the runs are earned or unearned - if a guy crosses the plate, it counts.

Anyway.

The A's score 5.11 runs per game (337 runs in 66 games) and give up 4.36 runs per game.

That's less than a run differnce. That's too slim of a margin to screw around with, leaving it up to Ricardo Rincon, Chris Hammond and Arthur Rhodes to bring home a win (hey, all those guys are lefties).

Below are the results of the A's first 66 games - both the 'real' A's and the theoretical A's. For the theoretical A's; if the opposing team scored 5 runs or more, the theoretical A's were handed a loss. If the theoretical A's had scored five runs, and held the opposition to fewer than five runs, they win.

A'S RECORD VERSUS EIO's EXPECTED RECORD

DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT	SCORE	RECORD	THEORETICAL A's
4/5	TEXAS	Win	5-4	1-0	1-0
4/6	TEXAS	Win	3-1	2-0	2-0
4/7	TEXAS	Loss	2-1	2-1	3-0
4/9	SEATTLE	Win	8-6	3-1	3-1
4/10	SEATTLE	Win	2-1	4-1	4-1
4/11	SEATTLE	Loss	9-4	4-2	4-2
4/13	at TEXAS	Win	10-9	5-2	4-3
4/14	at TEXAS	Win	9-4	6-2	5-3
4/15	at TEXAS	Loss	7-2	6-3	5-4
4/16	at ANAHEIM	Win	3-0	7-3	6-4
4/17	at ANAHEIM	Loss	6-3	7-4	6-5
4/18	at ANAHEIM	Win	7-1	8-4	7-5
4/19	at SEATTLE	Loss	2-1	8-5	8-5
4/20	at SEATTLE	Loss	2-1	8-6	9-5
4/21	at SEATTLE	Win	7-4	9-6	10-5
4/22	at SEATTLE	Win	8-2	10-6	11-5
4/23	ANAHEIM	Loss	12-2	10-7	11-6
4/24	ANAHEIM	Loss	6-3	10-8	11-7
4/25	ANAHEIM	Loss	4-3	10-9	12-7
4/27	at NEW YORK	Loss	10-8	10-10	12-8
4/28	at NEW YORK	Loss	5-1	10-11	12-9
4/29	at NEW YORK	Loss	7-5	10-12	12-10
4/30	at TAMPA BAY	Win	4-2	11-12	13-10
5/1	at TAMPA BAY	Win	6-5	12-12	13-11
5/2	at TAMPA BAY	Loss	8-2	12-12	13-12
5/4	NEW YORK	Loss	10-8	12-14	13-13
5/5	NEW YORK	Loss	4-3	12-15	14-13
5/6	NEW YORK	Win	7-4	13-15	15-13
5/7	MINNESOTA	Win	11-9	14-15	15-14
5/8	MINNESOTA	Loss	3-2	14-16	16-14
5/9	MINNESOTA	Win	8-4	15-16	17-14
5/11	at DETROIT	Win	5-4	16-16	18-14
5/12	at DETROIT	Win	2-1	17-16	19-14
5/13	at DETROIT	Loss	3-1	17-17	20-14
5/14	at KANSAS CITY	Win	6-2	18-17	21-14
5/15	at KANSAS CITY	Win	3-1	19-17	22-14
5/16	at KANSAS CITY	Win	6-2	20-17	23-14
5/18	DETROIT	Loss	5-1	20-18	23-15
5/19	DETROIT	Win	6-2	21-18	24-15
5/20	DETROIT	Win	3-2	22-18	25-15
5/21	KANSAS CITY	Win	7-0	23-18	26-15
5/22	KANSAS CITY	Win	5-4	24-18	27-15
5/23	KANSAS CITY	Win	3-2	25-18	28-15
5/25	at BOSTON	Loss	12-2	25-19	28-16
5/26	at BOSTON	Loss	9-6	25-20	28-17
5/27	at BOSTON	Win	15-2	26-20	29-17
5/28	at CLEVELAND	Loss	1-0	26-21	30-17
5/29	at CLEVELAND	Loss	8-6	26-22	30-18
5/30	at CLEVELAND	Loss	4-3	26-23	31-18
6/1	CHICAGO	Win	6-4	27-23	32-18
6/2	CHICAGO	Win	3-2	28-23	33-18
6/3	TOROTNO	Win	2-1	29-23	34-18
6/4	TOROTNO	Loss	6-1	29-24	34-19
6/5	TOROTNO	Win	4-0	30-24	35-19
6/6	TOROTNO	Win	8-3	31-24	36-19
6/7	CINCINNATI	Win	13-2	32-24	37-19
6/8	CINCINNATI	Win	10-6	33-24	37-20
6/9	CINCINNATI	Win	17-8	34-24	37-21
6/11	PITTSBURGH	Win	6-1	35-24	38-21
6/12	PITTSBURGH	Win	12-11	36-24	38-22
6/13	PITTSBURGH	Win	13-3	37-24	39-22
6/14	at ST. LOUIS	Loss	8-4	37-25	39-23
6/15	at ST. LOUIS	Loss	6-2