Oakland A's 2024 And Beyond Dynasty

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
10 October 2024
A's break losing run to edge White Sox in wildcard thriller
By Frank Goodnessforthat, nail biting games correspondent

Triple crown winner Jose Fernandez led his team into the American League divisional series last night after a masterful performance in the American League wildcard random draw, sorry, game. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 6th, but Fernandez allowed two solo bombs in the 7th, his only runs allowed in 8 innings pitched in total, to fall behind. But Oakland stalwart Matt Olson smoked White Sox starter Masahiko Takahashi for a clutch 2-out, 3-run home run in the top of the 8th to silence the Cellular Field crowd.

The drama wasn't over however. Catcher Gary Sanchez larroped A's closer Bernardo Lopez into the stands for another solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to make it 4-3 Oakland, and the crowd volume became deafening. But Lopez isn't closer for nothing, and held his nerve to send Oakland through. The reigning world champions stay alive and advance to face Toronto in the divisional series. An exuberant GM Paulie Beane said afterwards, "Forget what I said before, I love the wildcard game!"

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
16 October 2024
A's advance to championship series after upsetting fancied Toronto
By Toto Liunexpected, sporting shocks correspondent

General manager Paulie Beane had just the one whisky last night. It was a celebratory tipple only, as his season isn't yet over. His Oakland A's team beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 at the Coliseum to complete a shock 3-1 series win in the American League divisional series.

Superb displays from starters Denny Miller, Rodney Stewart and Jose Fernandez laid the foundations. Beane explained, "Pitching coach Ace Onballs took his charges on a team building exercise the day after the wild card game. Working in pairs, they had to report back to the group on an interesting fact about the other person and what they wanted to get out of the day. They found out who could build the tallest tower using only modelling clay and plastic straws, and stuck post-it notes on flip chart paper around the room. It made them realise that this is the kind of nonsense they'd have to put up with if they weren't baseball players and had to get a real job, so perhaps they should buck their ideas up and pitch properly again".

The Minnesota Twins now await Oakland in the championship series. The 2021 World Series champions recently secured their fifth straight AL Central division title, and smashed Texas 3-0 in their divisional series.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
27 October 2024
Twins peaked, as A's retain American League crown
By A. Mazing, things we didn't see coming correspondent

They say the playoffs are a crapshoot. But rarely is this illustrated quite so well as this year. The out of form A's overcame bookmakers' odds-on favourite Minnesota Twins to regain their American League Championship title. They now advance to the World Series where, even more astoundingly, they'll face the 79-83 Cincinnati Reds, who beat Arizona in the National League divisional series and Atlanta in the championship match-up.

For the second time in as many weeks, GM Paulie Beane was left speechless at the post game press conference. After winning the opening two games at Target Field, Oakland were pegged back to 2-2 after the Twins' powerful lineup smashed the ball to all parts. The A's nudged ahead again in the final game at the Coliseum, where fans were handed out free Peter Brand bobbleheads on arrival. They completed the unexpected 4-2 series win with a 5-2 victory which was effectively decided on one swing of the bat, designated hitter Matt Duffy's grand slam in the 6th.

Still drenched from a Navigatorade soaking by team-mates after the final out, Duffy said, "I've been awful all postseason so far, to be honest. 'Duffy the Duffer', the lads had christened me. What comedy geniuses. Bill Williams came up with it, but I guess if your name is William Williams then you need to retain a sense of humour. But one hit later and I'm a hero".

Beane could only muster the comment, "Baseball, eh? Bloody hell!"

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
6 November 2024
OAKLAND REPEATS! City rejoices as A's win incredible series in the 11th inning of the 7th game
By Victor Rius, World Series correspondent

GM Paulie Beane is starting to lose popularity among the MLB press pack. We journalists expect general managers to provide us with snappy, and preferably controversial, sound bites that we can print and generate sales from. Beane has recently developed a worrying inability to speak at post-match press conferences. It took several shots of both espresso coffee and whisky (not in the same cup) before he was able to communicate following the conclusion of one of the most dramatic World Series in recent memory.

After a comfortable Jose Fernandez-inspired win in the opener, Cincinnati then won the next two games by narrow margins. Oakland levelled the series at 2-2 with a shut-out win in the fourth game, but it came at a cost, Fernandez departing after only one inning's work. Physio Walter Proofplasters diagnosed him as day-day with a sore elbow and advised against him playing any further part in the series.

In game three, Cincinnati battered the A's 15-4 which included a depressing 9 runs in the top of the ninth. Without their ace to call upon and 3-2 down in the series, Oakland faced a mountain to climb. But then championship series hero Matt "No longer a duffer" Duffy went 4-5 with a home run, triple and two doubles, and starter Denny Miller hurled 6.2 scoreless innings, as Oakland won the next to take it to the rubber game.

Oakland took an early 5-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but the Reds started to make hay against starter Rodney Stewart, and eventually, two runs in the bottom of the eighth levelled it at 5-5. It was effectively sudden death. Two scoreless innings apiece followed. Then, Beane's mid-season trade acquisition Eddie Holland singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th. Field Manager Phil D'Manager decided to send out lefty reliever Yi-ping Cao to the mound and the stage was set. Showing nerves of kryptonite-reinforced diamond, Cao struck out the side in the bottom of the inning. It is rumoured he suffered mild concussion and a fractured wrist as he was buried underneath a pile of celebrating A's players and staff.

[Paulie123]

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[Paulie123]

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[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
7 November 2024
The morning after the World Series before
By Mya Headhurts, hangovers correspondent

They partied hard and they partied long. They visited "nightclubs" they really shouldn't have. They did things their wives would be a bit peeved about if they found out. They paid off the paparazzi photographers who saw them doing the things their wives would be a bit peeved about if they found out. Nothing could quench the delirium of the celebrating Oakland players. Written off before the start of the season, including, it is believed, privately by their own general manager, they had completed an unlikely and sensational repeat. They were still world champions. Even more impressively, they drank Oakland dry.

One member of staff didn't join the party. He doesn't like to fraternise with the players, anyway. But he had urgent work to do. Paulie Beane has to rebuild yet again.

Sources inside the club say that their projected player payroll for next season is $158m, against an expected $150m budget allowed by owner Ban-ki Rupt. Key players Mookie Betts and closer Bernardo Lopez will be free agents with high demands of $13m-$14m each, which the A's can't afford. Denny Miller will be awarded arbitration and will probably command $10m or more. Matt Duffy has been on minimum salary this year but will want more next. Jose Fernandez is signed for $22.5m for the next three seasons and is clearly going nowhere. But Eduardo Rodriguez will enter the final year of his $16m per year deal, and analysts believe Beane may look to trade him.

The 2024 season is over. The 2025 season is on its way.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
14 November 2024
Three-peats for both Beane and Fernandez
By Emma Veepee, end of season awards correspondent

A's GM Paulie Beane and ace pitcher Jose Fernandez have both collected an enviable awards triple. Beane was named MLB Manager of the Year for the third consecutive season, while Fernandez collected his third straight Cy Young Award. It represents the 32-year-old Fernandez's fourth pitcher of the year award in total, after he also won the National League honour in 2018 at previous club Miami.

Oakland's Co-Executive Vice-Presidential Director General of Baseball Operations, Gray Suit, said: "We congratulate Paulie on his award. We are delighted to have him as our general manager. Of course, as the only real human being in this whole imaginary world it's entirely his choice not ours."

Beane said, "Jose is, without doubt, the premier pitcher in baseball today. I know he is really only a bunch of 1s and 0s inside my iPad, but man am I in love with him".

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
21 November 2024
Beane faces 2025 budget crisis after arbitration hearing outcomes
By O. Verdrawn, accountancy correspondent

Paulie Beane finally did speak at a press conference today. Unfortunately it was full of invective and expletives and entirely unprintable. "Those b******s on the arbitration panel", was the most family-friendly sentence which he uttered.

Beane's potty-mouthed outburst was caused by the arbitration panel decisions announced yesterday, which gave two-time all-star pitcher Denny Miller $13.8m for next season, third baseman Patrick Snel $7.1m, and reliever Adam Ravenelle $5.7m. The A's GM usually tries to lock up players for their arbitration years prior to the hearings, but tight-wad owner Ban-ki Rupt had refused to allow him to offer extensions. It is fair to say that Beane felt these awards were slightly too high, although we are unable to print the exact phrase he used.

Insiders say that, based on these awards and existing salaries for other players, Oakland's payroll projects to be $175m for 2025. That doesn't so much blow a hole in Rupt's confirmed $150m budget as nuke it to smithereens and scatter the remaining ashes out at sea. The expiring contracts of Mookie Betts, Bernardo Lopez, Matt Duffy and Jimmie Sherfy will reduce next year's payroll commitment to $155m, but that is without any replacements for the departed players being recruited.

Pundits predict that Beane will look to trade Ravenelle to reach his budget limit, and probably look to promote replacement players from his minor league roster who'll be on minimum salary. More sage observers think Beane may additionally look to create budget headroom by seeking a trade for 31-year-old starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who will enter the final year of a $16m per annum deal.

Off-licenses in the Coliseum area reported a surge in whisky sales yesterday evening.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
5 February 2025
A's budget crisis averted as Beane reshapes his roster during busy offseason
By Si Ovrelief, close calls correspondent

Oakland GM Paulie Beane emerged from his self-imposed media blackout over the offseason to announce he had remoulded his roster and solved his budget crisis. He said, "The trades and signings over the offseason have made the core squad younger and cheaper, while also adding depth. With the exception of Bernardo Lopez who was too greedy for us to afford and showed us no loyalty after all we did for him during his early career, bloody so-and-so, we wish all those who've left us the best of luck in future".

Beane's first move was to slash the projected budget for the coming year. In a bumper 4-for-3 trade, ageing starter Eduardo Rodriguez, overpaid reliever Adam Ravenelle, and minor league starting pitchers 29-year-old Chris Kohler and 25-year-old Gabriel Lopez moved to Houston. Starting pitcher Ambrose Bailey (26/R/4*) moved the other way to take Rodriguez's rotation spot, with minor leaguers starting pitcher Ramon Mendoza (20/L/0.5*) and shortstop Byung-ho So (21/S/1*) also part of the deal. With Bailey not reaching arbitration until 2026, that deal reportedly reduced Oakland's 2025 payroll by $22m. Bailey was then signed to a 3-year, $9.5m deal from 2026 onwards, buying out his arbitration years.

Beane doesn't half like his multi-player trades. He then negotiated a very nice-looking deal with Tampa Bay, sending them useless offensive catcher Devon Fisher, persistently disappointing reliever Jose Ceguera and minor league nobody shortstop Gene Stephens. Coming to Oakland are catcher Jakson Reetz (29/R/4.5*), promising outfielder William Morris (21/L/1*) and decent reserve catcher Shaun Swain (26/R/1*). Rumours from inside the organisation - officially denied - are that after this salary-neutral trade Beane described the Rays management as "gullible muppets" who had "let us rip their arm off and whack them on their own arse with it". Reetz is even better behind the plate than Fisher, and there is no way he can get bat on ball less often. Morris projects to be a 4* starting outfielder in future.

With budget room freed up, Beane was able to make a free agent signing to replace the departed Mookie Betts. Right fielder Isael Soto (28/L/3.5*) signed a 3-year, $8m per annum deal. 2024 American League Gold Glove winner Soto brings stellar defense and good power at the plate. He was the best non-Type A free agent outfielder available. Beane explained that he avoids signing Type A free agents like the plague. He says that with the limited budget owner Ban-ki Rupt gives him, the game for him is a constant cycle of seeking younger, and therefore cheaper, players to replace expensive older pros. So with the shallow draft pools an MLB Manager faces, he feels the first round draft pick is far too valuable to lose. The A's will in fact gain draft picks this year after Bernardo Lopez, a Type A free agent, took the money and signed a faintly bonkers $20m per year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

There were two further free agent arrivals at the Coliseum over the winter. Pensioner reliever Craig Kimbrel (36/R/2.5*) adds experience, although maybe not pitching ability these days, to the bullpen and Oakland's 2015 World Series winning veteran shortstop Marcus Semien (34/R/2*) returns to the club and will take Matt Duffy's infield backup role. Both signed on 1-year deals for a combined $5m.

Relievers Eric Wright and Yi-ping Cao were signed to 3-year deals to buy out their arbitration years. At $3m and $1.8m per annum respectively, both signed on the dotted line at considerably less than their current arbitration estimates.

Paulie Beane's ability to predict how well his team will do over a forthcoming season is absolutely abysmal. So A's fans were left exceptionally worried last night when Beane described himself as "cautiously optimistic" about his team's chance of challenging for a famous three-peat.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
5 April 2025
Clever trading by Beane keeps hopes of an historic three-peat alive
By Luke A. Head, hopelessly optimistic forecasts correspondent

Rotation: This looks, as ever, very strong. Four-time Cy Young Award winner Jose Fernandez (32/R/5*, 18-7 WL, 2.73 ERA in 2024) is so good he makes it socially acceptable for a grown man to be in love with a bunch of words and numbers on his iPad screen. Rodney Stewart (27/L/3.5*, 16-10, 3.43) was duped into signing a club-friendly 3-year, $6.5m p.a. contract while in a bit of a slump early last year and while not a stellar performer represents great value for money. Two-time all-star Denny Miller (25/R/3.5*, 13-11, 3.34) and newcomer Ambrose Bailey (26/R/4*, 14-15, 3.92) look good #3 and #4 starters, while high-ceiling prospect Karl Dickson (23/R/4.5*, 7-9, 4.01) could be close to Fernandez's level if he can get his control problems under, er, control. Young southpaw Nathan Hamilton could be promoted from the minors if injuries strike.

Bullpen: Oakland look weaker here than the last couple of years. Franyel Casadilla (27/R/4*, 4-2, 3.12) steps up into the closer role after the departure of ungrateful greedy-guts Bernardo Lopez. Wonderfully-monikered Bill Williams (26/R/3.5*, 3-5, 3.98) and the perpetually frustrating Eric Wright (24/L/5*, 3-3, 4.70) are the setup men. Yi-ping Cao (30/L/4.5*, 1-0, 2.49), World Series man of steel nerves, is joined in middle relief by promotee from the minors Melvi Salazar (30/R/2.5*, 0-0, 16.88 in 2.2 IP) and Luke Jackson (33/R/1.5*, 5-4, 3.33). Also there is free agent veteran Craig Kimbrel (36/R/2.5*, 1-1, 6.00), who is sarcastically known as "Mr Control" by team-mates but remains lethal whenever he doesn't pitch it straight into the crowd behind the plate. Youngsters Roy Ellis and Johnny Jackson will be called up if any of them struggle.

Catcher: Jakson Reetz (29/R/4.5*, .311 OBP, 13 HR, 48 RBI in 2024) will surely be less allergic to hitting baseballs than predecessor Devon Fisher and is even better behind the plate. Luis Torrens (28/R/1.5*, .291, 1, 26) is overpaid for a backup and could be called into Beane's office if he doesn't take his chance when batting designated hitter against lefties.

Infield: Matt Olson (31/L/2.5*, .372, 24, 98) starts his ninth season as first baseman. Josh Morgan (29/R/4.5*, .361, 8, 64) and his awesome defense is a lock at second base, as is Dutchman Patrick Snel (24/L/3*, .332, 2, 48) at third. Beane can't afford sentiment, so long-serving shortstop Franklin Barreto (29/R/2.5*, .259, 9, 61) must rebound quickly from his down year in 2024 or else he'll come under pressure from former BNN #4 prospect Alejandro Gusman (22/L/3.5*, .324, 0, 19), who for now will be designated hitter against righties. No, wait, Beane can afford some sentiment after all, as long as it's cheap: he's brought back former A's star Marcus Semien (34/R/2*, .538, 0, 2) as infield backup. Rodrigo Mendez is a versatile infielder but looks like not fulfilling his one-time 4* potential and drops to the minor league roster.

Outfield: Centre-fielder Eddie Holland (26/L/4.5*, .334, 20, 71) bats lead-off and catches anything that moves in the outfield. Raimel Tapia (31/L/2*, .347, 11, 73) outperformed scouts' expectations last year and returns in left field. Newbie Isael Soto (28/L/2.5*, .310, 23, 76) brings some much-needed power and will platoon in right field with the latest promising youngster who'll probably never quite make it, Martin Wilson (23/R/1*, .182, 0, 3). Jim Thompson (26/R/2*, .266, 4, 27) is just a bit rubbish and is the fifth outfielder. William Morris and Robert Perry in the minors have high potential but don't yet have the Big Blue Arrow to show they're quite ready.

Paulie Beane has done a good job, if he does say so himself, of slashing the wage bill while not noticeably weakening the team. But the bullpen could be an Achilles heel, while Oakland will probably have their traditional struggle to score runs. Will they become world champions yet again? In a word: No. But they have a chance at least. So please keep buying this paper to find out how they get on, or I'll be out of a job and sleeping in the spare room when I can't afford to buy my wife that absolutely essential Burberry handbag she's had her eye on and so desperately needs.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
6 April 2025
Six-y time for Oakland youngsters
By A. A. A. Ball, minor league correspondent

Oakland GM Paulie Beane and his minor league manager Ron Washington-Deecy will have patted each other on the back - in a manly way of course - when the Baseball News Network published its Top 100 prospects rankings earlier today. Despite repeatedly picking last in the draft in recent years, the A's have placed not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six, yes six, yes really six, youngsters on the list. Right fielder Robert Perry (#24), starting pitchers Nathan Hamilton (#32) and Ramon Mendoza (#38), left fielder William Morris (#41), catcher Dylan Johnston (#61) and third baseman Leon Aponte (#94) were the featured names. It may have been even more had relievers Roy Ellis and Johnny Jackson not featured in the majors last year. Perry and Aponte were drafted by the A's, while the others joined via trade.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
14 April 2025
Fast start for A's overshadowed by Snel "drug" rumours
By Coco Aine, narcotics correspondent

The world champion Oakland A's got off to an excellent start in the first week of the season, racing to a 5-1 record as they out scored their opponents Houston and Minnesota 39-16. The much-maligned bullpen was flawless, collectively pitching 12 scoreless innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk in the process. Hitting coach Noah Hitter came in for particular praise, with the A's overall batting average for the week at a surprising .333.

But Oakland's superb form was overshadowed by the rumours emanating from certain disreputable tabloid newspapers concerning their 24-year-old third baseman Patrick Snel. Even a supposedly serious organ like the Telegraph loves to print a bit of juicy gossip as it generally increases our circulation, but this is of course entirely unrelated to our sincere belief it is purely in the public interest that we should print those rumours again here.

The rumours allege that a couple of weeks ago, returning to LAX after a brief trip home to his native Amsterdam, Snel was stopped by customs officials and was found to be attempting to smuggle a white powdery substance into the country stuffed inside a brown teddy bear, and was questioned for several hours before being released. Snel hit only 5-19 this week and fans are concerned that the story - already labelled "teddygate" - is affecting his form.

An Oakland spokesman said, "No comment. This will blow over". He denied that his dodgy drug-related pun implied the club were not taking the matter seriously.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
28 April 2025
Bailey out for the season with shoulder injury
By Ian Juryshocker, long-term injuries correspondent

A's general manager Paulie Beane has confirmed that new starting pitcher Ambrose Bailey is out for the season. Team physio Walter Proofplasters diagnosed he had suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder and will be out for the next six months. Even if he recovers in time for the postseason and the A's qualify, Beane is unlikely to throw him in. Bailey was hurt after pitching just 1 inning in yesterday's 7-0 cruise over Seattle, which moved Oakland to 12-7 on the season. In 4 starts this year he has gone 3-0 with a 3.22 ERA.

It seems Bailey's family won't let him mope about his misfortune. He said to waiting reporters as news of his prognosis spread, "My wife said she spent 9 months on the DL when she was pregnant with our daughter Ambrosia and it was far more painful so what did I have to moan about and anyway I'll now have the time to do that redecorating I keep promising her but have been too lazy to bother with".

Righty Bill Williams is promoted from the bullpen to take Bailey's spot in the rotation. Excluding the closer, Beane likes exactly two lefties in his pen, one setup man and one in middle relief. So righty Johnny Jackson is promoted into the pen to replace Williams. Beane immediately signed 35-year-old former A's rotation leader Sonny Gray on a minimum salary contract to add right-handed reliever depth to the minor league roster.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
16 May 2025
Beane unfazed by Fernandez struggles
By Una Concerned, player slumps correspondent

Oakland GM Paulie Beane has said he is "100% unworried" by ace pitcher Jose Fernandez's rocky start to the year. By the standards of mere mortal pitchers he is still having a good season, but the 32-year-old four-time Cy Young Award winner has not so far performed at the same level as last year. Is Father Time starting to catch up with Oakland's face of the franchise?

In his previous three and a half seasons on the west coast, the legendary Fernandez has posted a phenomenal 87-31 record with a sub-2.80 ERA. After making his eighth start of this season in yesterday's 5-4 loss at Boston, he sports a 2-3 record and 4.25 ERA. Most concerningly for fans, his much more meaningful FIP mark has jumped, from 2.88 last year to 3.71 so far this.

Beane said, "Yes, he has not achieved the incredibly high standards he's set for himself. But he is absolutely top class and I love him. He will definitely turn it around". Fernandez said, "I'm just pixels on an iPad screen rather than a real person so it is hard for me to offer a quote. That said, I'll just take each game one at a time, just focus on making my pitches, work as hard as I can, cliche cliche cliche, blah di-blah di-blah".

After yesterday's defeat, the world champion A's are now 20-15, in second place in the AL West, 1.5 games in arrears of the surprise package Seattle Mariners. Beane also announced that underperforming reliever Craig Kimbrel, who has a woeful 6.75 ERA and 2.36 WHIP from 9.1 innings pitched, has been moved to the minor league roster and replaced by Sonny Gray.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
27 May 2025
Olson injury prompts Beane into roster reshuffle
By Gina N'Tonic, handling bad news correspondent

GM Paulie Beane confessed that he reached for the whisky bottle for the first time this season when field manager Phil D'Manager gave him the prognosis. Oakland's season is threatening to flatline, and the news that first baseman Matt Olson would be out for 5 weeks made matters worse. Olson came out during the 3rd inning of yesterday's 11-7 defeat to San Diego and won't play again until July. The A's are now 24-21.

Olson's place on the roster will be taken by 27-year-old journeyman power-hitting swing-and-miss specialist Bobby Foley. The lefty views making contact with the ball a somewhat unfashionable pastime, but it tends to disappear out of sight when he does hit it. He will platoon at first base with reserve catcher Luis Torrens.

Separately, Beane responded to fans' criticism of why he endured a struggling bullpen while 5* rated young lefty reliever Roy Ellis sits in the minors. He explained that he didn't care if his closer was a righty or lefty, but he wanted exactly one lefty setup man and one lefty middle reliever in his pen, or else he felt he'd too often not be able to have the platoon advantage in later innings. Franyel Casadilla has done excellently at closer, with a 2.13 ERA and 3.44 FIP, but the form of young lefty Eric Wright - who has a 1.93 ERA and 2.27 FIP - has persuaded Beane to promote him to closer and move Casadilla back to setup. Yi-ping Cao moved into the vacated lefty setup role which allowed Ellis to come up onto the active roster and take the lefty middle relief position. Casadilla was reportedly unhappy about the change, but didn't complain to Paulie Beane because, knowing that Beane was fortified with a couple of whiskies by that point, he knew he'd probably be told in no uncertain terms where to stick it.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
29 May 2025
Jackson seeks rotation role, Beane less keen
By I. Donthinkso, request rejection correspondent

Veteran reliever Luke Jackson, who is 0-1 with a 1.72 ERA for the season so far, yesterday sought out A's general manager Paulie Beane to express his displeasure at having a bullpen spot, and asked to be promoted into the rotation. Beane replied "Thank you for asking, Luke, but at the moment I would like you in the bullpen". This is in fact not a direct transcript of Beane's remarks, which we are unable to print.

[Paulie123]

The Oakland Telegraph
1 June 2025
A's overcome White Sox in 17 inning dull-athon
By Eve Erlasting, extra innings games correspondent

The few hardy souls who remained barely had the energy to cheer when left fielder Jim Thompson singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 17th in last night's game at the Coliseum. 35,000 were in attendance when the game started. It was down to a few dozen when the pergatory finally ended at 12:40am.

The game had started in exciting fashion. With starter Bill Williams under par, Chicago took an early lead in the 2nd. Barreto's 3-run homer got the A's back in it, and right fielder Martin Wilson's first career homer levelled the scores at 5-5 in the 6th. Then the boredom began. A couple of fans briefly woke up to see a run apiece scored in the 14th as the game droned on. Rumours circulated that the two batting lineups had gone on strike. But Thompson's 17th inning effort saw the A's home 7-6 and they now stand at 27-22.

Williams's performance in the game led a half asleep Beane to announce that Jackson would get his wish after all and take over Williams's #5 starter spot for a while.

[Mikey Mike on da mic]

Lovin' this thread!

[Paulie123]

Originally Posted by Mikey Mike on da mic

Lovin' this thread!

Thanks Mikey Mike, glad you're enjoying it! I'm hugely enjoying playing and writing the dynasty so great to know that others are liking reading about it!