This is Oakland A's baseball

[Hendu Style]

Originally Posted by marxiedog

Great write ups....

I would be greatly interested in the settings you are utilizing to prevent increased offense as if PEDs did not infect the game. I am eager to replay the 1990's Indians era minus the bloated offense and Hart's exciting all offense no pitching team philosophy. Looking forward to more posts!

Thanks MD! I'll be glad to share that info.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, January 30th, 1994

Even with a lockout pending, we're keeping busy this offseason. There are lots of players ripe for the taking, and it seems teams and players have little faith that we're going to play this year. So be it. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Today we traded RHP Michael Jackson (5-2, 4.35 ERA), RHP Jim Corsi (2.96 ERA, 42 games), and 3B Jerry Browne (.273 avg, 7 HR, 68 R) to the New York Mets for Matt Stairs, a minor league outfield prospect.

I am very high on Stairs. We are heavy on righthanded hitters in our lineup, and we could use a solid lefty in our order. I still don't think he's major league-ready, but he'll be there soon. I see him as our fourth outfielder someday, and occasional DH.

Jackson is in the last year of his contract, and it was tough letting him go. If Sandy hadn't re-signed Eck to a 3-year deal (as good as it was), we would've probably kept Jackson around and signed him to an extension. But we just have too many arms in our pen, and we'll never be able to carry 14 pitchers on our roster during the regular season. Same went for Corsi, who was great for us down the stretch last year when we got him from the Giants.

We also made a very subtle move today... one that gives us a lot of flexibility in the lineup. We've signed Bip Roberts (.256 avg, 65 runs, 39 SB) to a 3-year contract for $750,000. This is chump change for a guy who can play 2B, 3B, and in the outfield, plus steal some bases and hit for average. He's played for three different teams over the last three years, so I'm sure he's glad to finally havea place to call home.

We've also made some other small deals in the offseason, sending minor leaguer Jerald Clark and 3B Craig Paquette (.262, 12 HR in 53 games) to Boston for relief pitcher Paul Quantrill (8-5, 1 SV, 4.08 ERA in 48 games). Nothing sexy, but we frankly didn't have room for Paquette with Jeff Kent and Scott Brosius already holding down third base.

Spring Training is about a month away (assuming there is a season), and I'd like to make a couple more moves to solidify our roster between now and then. Our starting rotation still needs some work, but the market doesn't look like it's going to yield us any quick fixes.

[Hendu Style]

Friday, February 11th, 1993

We still are in limbo for the upcoming season. Will we play? Will our guys look for jobs in Japan? Who knows at this point. Once again, I have a new appreciation for Sandy Alderson and the work he has to do. Imagine having to work with that scumbag Fehr [MLBPA Executive Donald Fehr] and try to avoid a labor lockout in your first year on the job.

I'm biding my time by swinging trades and signing players... and I'd like to think I'm doing an okay job, but it's too early to tell. One significant signing (though you wouldn't know it judging by the headlines) was landing former Seattle Mariner outfielder Jay Buhner. He really struggled last season -- .218 avg, 9 HR, 90 K in 117 games -- and lost his job in right field to Kevin Mitchell. He'll get a fresh start here and get a chance to start in right while Jose Canseco becomes a fulltime DH. As part of the deal, I assured Jay he would be our starting RF so he signed on for more years.

In turn, we immediately traded the only threat to his job -- Mark Whiten -- and got a much-needed southpaw for our bullpen in Norm Charlton (35 saves, 1.21 ERA). My understanding is that Norm is pretty pissed that he won't be a closer on our team, so hopefully that won't become a distraction with Eck locking that position down.

The acquisition of Charlton had a trickle-down effect to the rest of our bullpen, allowing us to trade Eric Plunk (a righty) along with three minor league relievers -- Billy Taylor, Mark Acre, and Mike Mohler -- to Minnesota for two very promising relief pitchers... Eddie Guardado and Graeme Lloyd. I would imagine we'll stash Guardado and Lloyd in the minors for now, and bring them up slowly.

I think my work here is done. Now it's up to ol' Sandy to hammer out a deal with the owners and players and make sure we can play ball in 1994. Hope the next time I write this we're in Phoenix for Spring Training!

[Hendu Style]

Saturday, February 25th, 1994

Locked Out: MLB Owners Swing First

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Pitchers and catchers hoping to report to Spring Training were instead greeted by locked gates on Saturday. The Lockout has begun.

"Total surprise," said Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza, who is coming off a breakout 1993 season in which he batted .304 and belted 38 homeruns. "I thought we were making decent progress on negotiations. I guess not."

MLB's players union has steadfastly refused to allow any sort of steroid policy, while owners are standing firm on a salary cap. MLB commissioner Sandy Alderson has tried to get both sides to come to a deal, but so far has been unsuccessful.

"I just can't believe there's not a compromise to be made here," said veteran pitcher Orel Hershiser, due $3.4 million in the final year of a 3-year contract with the Dodgers. "This is our livelihood we're talking about. We just want to play ball. That's all."

The Dodgers have the second-highest payroll in Major League Baseball at $36.4 million, but that number dwarfs the lowest payroll in the game, held by the Detroit Tigers at $12.1 million.

"I think it's pretty clear all of us [big market teams] have to chip in and bring up the small market clubs," said Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley. "Unless the players would like to see a half-dozen teams fold, we're going to have to do something to make the other teams in the league economically viable."

Spring Training in Florida and Arizona is scheduled to begin on March 5th. Opening Day for the regular season is April 4th.

[Hendu Style]

Saturday, March 5th, 1994

Play Ball! MLB Ends Labor Lockout

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -- Major League owners and players have come to a tentative agreement and have agreed to open Spring Training in Arizona and Florida. The agreement ends a two week-long lockout that threatened to halt the 1994 MLB season.

"I hesitate to call this a win-win, but all parties involved seem pretty satisfied with the resolution," said first-year MLB commissioner Sandy Alderson at a press conference from the 1993 World Series Champion Seattle Mariners spring training headquarters in Peoria, Arizona.

"We fought to make sure there would be no salary cap, and we won that battle," said MLBPA executive Donald Fehr. "We made some concessions, but at the end of the day, it was in everyone's best interest to get this deal done."

The 11th hour resolution, on the eve of the start of Spring Training, allows all 28 Major League teams to open camp and begin preseason play without any work stoppage.

Under the resolution, which still needs to be ratified by owners and players, the following changes will take place in the 1994 season and beyond:

• Revenue sharing: Any team(s) that goes 20% above the league's average payroll (approximately $29 million) will be taxed. Money will be distributed to the league's lowest payrolled teams.

• Steroid testing: MLB players will be subjected to random steroid testing, to begin at the start of the 1994 regular season. Players are subject to suspensions or lifetime bans, at the discretion of the MLB Commissioner's Office.

• Divisional realignment: The National and American Leagues will potentially be realigned from two divisions within each league to three, creating three division champs and two wildcard teams for an expanded playoff system. This item will be revisited at the conclusion of the '94 season.

The resolution is considered a big win for Alderson, who did not ultimately get the salary cap that owners coveted, but did get revenue sharing which could temper spending throughout the league, while also implementing league-wide steroid testing.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, March 29th, 1994

A's Close Out Spring by Re-Signing LaRussa, Staff

PHOENIX, Ariz. (AP) -- The A's wrapped up Cactus League play with a thrilling 10-inning 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, but the biggest news came after the ballgame, when A's owner Walter A. Haas Jr. announced that Tony LaRussa and his coaching staff have had their contracts extended through the 1998 season.

"I firmly believe that this is the best coaching staff in baseball," said Haas. "This staff went to three World Series' not so long ago, and I know they'll take this team back there in the very near future."

The A's have left no stone unturned this spring. They signed several key free agents and have now re-signed their entire coaching staff. Now the only thing left to do is hire a general manager to replace Sandy Alderson, now the MLB commissioner. Alderson's righthand man, Billy Beane, has taken over that role on an interim basis, but still has not been handed the official title. Whoever is Oakland's GM for 1994 will have arguably one of the most talented rosters in baseball.

Without reading too much into the numbers, the A's finished Spring Training with a 15-9 mark. Barry Bonds had a torrid spring, batting .316 with 5 homeruns and 14 RBI. Newly acquired second baseman Roberto Alomar was equally impressive, hitting .397. Even Jay Buhner, who struggled throughout his first spring with the A's, managed to belt two homeruns in Oakland's Cactus League finale. He finished with a meager .180 batting average, 3 homeruns, and 11 RBI.

[Hendu Style]

Saturday, April 2nd, 1994

Sporting News Predicts Brave New World in '94

The Sporting News Magazine is predicting a repeat matchup of the 1993 World Series. Seattle is the consensus pick to win the American League, despite some major offseason moves by AL West rival Oakland. The Mariners lost rightfielder Jay Buhner to free agency during the winter, but made two significant moves to upgrade their rotation, signing free agent Dwight Gooden (18-10, 3.03 ERA with Montreal) and trading for Randy Tomlin (13-13, 3.38 ERA with Pittsburgh).

Despite those moves, Sporting News predicts the Braves will topple the Mariners in the World Series, armed with a fearsome threesome in its starting rotation, and bolstered by the additions of 1B Fred McGriff (.297 avg, 30 HR, 85 RBI with San Diego) and 2B Craig Biggio (.262, 14 HR, 82 RBI, 40 SB with Houston).

Sporting News Predictions:
ALCS: Mariners over Blue Jays in 5 games
NLCS: Braves over Dodgers in 6 games
World Series: Braves over Mariners in 7 games

AL MVP: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle
NL MVP: Fred McGriff, Atlanta
AL Cy Young: Randy Johnson, Seattle
NL Cy Young: Ramon Hernandez, Los Angeles


Atlanta Braves: In-Depth

Team Name: Atlanta Braves
Owner: Ted Turner (Tolerant, Controlling)
Budget: $42,000,000 (t-3rd)
Player Payroll: $31,404,000 (5th)
Stadium: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Manager: Bobby Cox
GM: John Schuerholz
Record Last Season: 104-58 (1st, Lost to Seattle in W.S.)

Minor League Affiliates:
AAA Gwinnett Braves
AA Mississippi Braves
A Lynchburg Hillcats
SSA Rome Braves
Rookie League Danville Braves

Key Additions: 1B Fred McGriff (Free Agent, San Diego), 2B Craig Biggio (Free Agent, Houston), MR Danny Cox (Free Agent, NY Mets), MR Pat Clements (Free Agent, Colorado), 2B Steve Sax (Free Agent, Florida)

Key Losses: SS Jeff Blauser (Free Agent, Houston), 2B Jeff Treadway (Free Agent), SP Charlie Leibrandt (Free Agent, Minnesota), SP Marvin Freeman (torn rotator cuff)

Analysis: The defending NL champions have done everything conceivable to improve their team even more for the upcoming season. They added even more oomph to their lineup by signing prized free agent Fred McGriff, who has hit 30+ homeruns in each of the last six years. Then they add a dynamic second baseman in Craig Biggio who has tons of pop for a middle infielder and can swipe a few bags as well. On top of that, they hand the keys over to NL Rookie of the Year Chipper Jones full-time at third base, and have a star in the making in shortstop Vinny Castilla. Oh, and let's not forget NL MVP David Justice and his Nintendo-like numbers in '93. The team's only true loss came in the rotation with the departure of Charlie Leibrandt. The Braves will somehow have to make due with easily the best starting three in MLB with John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and Steve Avery. This is a can't miss team in 1994, and they won't.

Projected Lineup:
1. Deion Sanders, LF (.301, 15 HR, 81 R, 46 SB last season)
2. Craig Biggio, 2B (.262, 14 HR, 108 R, 40 SB with Houston)
3. Fred McGriff, 1B (.297, 30 HR, 85 RBI in 129 games with San Diego)
4. David Justice, RF (.319, 52 HR, 120 RBI)
5. Chipper Jones, 3B (.326, 27 HR, 85 RBI)
6. Ryan Klesko, LF (.313, 20 HR, 60 RBI in 105 games as rookie)
7. Vinny Castilla, SS (.261, 8 HR in 97 games)
8. Javy Lopez, C (.309, 10 HR)

Projected Rotation & Closer:
1. Tom Glavine (17-10, 3.02 ERA, 256.1 IP, 159 K)
2. Steve Avery (17-8, 2.79 ERA, 213 IP, 139 K)
3. John Smoltz (18-6, 3.95 ERA, 239.1 IP, 198 K)
4. Kent Mercker (4-1, 3.25 ERA, 52.2 IP, 40 K)
5. David Neid (2-0, 5.58, 40.1 IP ERA as rookie)
CL. Greg McMichael (6-6, 32 SV, 3.65 ERA)

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, April 3rd, 1994

Aerial view of "The Ballpark at Arlington"

Opening day is almost here! One thing I can't get over is the ballpark we'll be playing in tomorrow afternoon. In case you haven't heard, we'll be helping break in the Teaxas Rangers' new home field... the aptly named "Ballpark at Arlington." I'm really envious of this park. Don't get me wrong... I love the Oakland Coliseum, but these new retro classic stadiums are all the rage now. The Orioles started it a few years ago with Camden Yards. Now new stadiums are popping up all over the place in Chicago (US Cellular Field), Texas, and even Cleveland (Jacobs Field).

Jacobs Field, the new home of the Cleveland Indians

I don't know how likely it is we'll have a new stadium built in Oakland. Just look at the Giants. They tried forever to get a new park, and they finally had enough and left for Tampa Bay. Now with the Raiders apparently coming back to town, it's only a matter of time before Al Davis's football team tears up our nice little stadium.

On to more important things... Tony has named Kevin Brown our Opening Day starter. I like that call. David Cone was phenomenal last year as our #2 guy, and I like having Cone in our back pocket right after our ace. Our lineup is 100% healthy going into the season. To the surprise of no one, Robbie Alomar will be our leadoff man. At #2 in the order, Tony still can't seem to make up his mind between Bip Roberts and Jeff Kent. Hopefully one or the other will make a case for that gig fulltime. 3-4-5 is settled with Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? After that, we're pretty solid with Jay Buhner, Ellis Burks, and Terry Steinbach. Our biggest weakness is at shortstop. We're going to let Kurt Abbott and Brent Gates fight for that job. Both are capable hitters, but are very mediocre in the field.

It will be interesting to see how the offensive numbers look this season. I can hear the whispers about steroid testing throughout the league. Though I can't unequivocally say our guys, or any others, are juicing... you'd have to be blind to ignore it completely. When I played for the A's a few years ago, it was just common knowledge that Jose was on 'roids. Hopefully Sandy Alderson's ban on steroids will be the wakeup call some guys need to stop juicing up.

Okay, I digress... looking forward to overtaking the Mariners for the AL West Crown. Whether I keep this job as GM or it goes to someone else, it should be a fun year!

[Hendu Style]

Monday, April 4th, 1994

Saberhagen Shuts Down A's in Texas Ballpark's Christening

ARLINGTON, Tex. (AP) -- The Texas Rangers broke in their new ballpark with a 3-1 victory over the Oakland A's on Monday, behind Bret Saberhagen's gem of a performance.

Saberhagen held the A's vaunted lineup to just one run on five hits in eight innings, while striking out nine. Oakland's lone run came on a solo homerun by Barry Bonds. The A's had a chance to tie the game or take the lead when they loaded the bases with one out in the 9th inning against Robb Nen, but Jay Buhner and Ellis Burks struck out in back-to-back at-bats to end the ballgame.

"That's a classic case of two guys trying to win the game with one swing of the bat," said A's manager Tony LaRussa. "Even if we get a sac fly or a groundout, you're looking at one run and putting some heat on them. Very disappointed with the finish, but I'm sure we'll bounce back tomorrow."

The A's will send David Cone to the hill against Kevin Gross in game two of the four-game series. The A's start the season with a ten-game road trip in Arlington, Seattle, and Chicago before their home opener April 15th against Milwaukee.

[Hendu Style]

Friday, April 15th, 1994

Ouch! Alomar Hurt in A's Home Opener

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Roberto Alomar suffered a strained hamstring in his debut in Oakland, and to add insult to injury, the A's lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 in their home opener on Friday.

Alomar, who signed a 4-year $21.6 million contract with the A's in the offseason, strained his hamstring while trying to leg out a grounder in the bottom of the first inning. He was tended to by A's trainer Barry Weinburg and did not return. He is expected to be out two weeks.

"It's tough to lose any guy, let along a guy like Alomar," said A's rightfielder Jay Buhner, who hit his second homerun of the year in a losing effort. "Next man up, that's all there is to it."

In the interim, Jeff Kent could slide over to second base, while Scott Brosius and Bip Roberts split time at third base. Oakland is currently fifth in the AL West standings with a 5-6 record.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, April 17th, 1994

A's Top Brewers 7-4 Despite Molitor's 2500th

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, May 14th, 1994

Bonds Powers A's to Division Lead

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Barry Bonds hit his Major League-leading 13th homerun as the Oakland A's extended their win streak to a season-high six games in an 11-4 win over the Kansas City Royals Sunday at Kaufmann Stadium.

Bonds hit a 3-run homerun off of Royals starting pitcher Pat Combs in the third inning. It is Bonds' third homerun in his last four games.

"I guess you could say I'm dialed in," said Bonds, whose 2-for-2 effort lifted his season batting average to .352.

The A's are now 22-16 this season, half a game ahead of Texas, Seattle, and Chicago, which are all in a 3-way tie for second. With the loss, Kansas City drops to a MLB-worst 9-29.

David Cone picked up his team-leading 5th victory of the season, allowing 3 earned runs in 7 innings to improve to 5-2. The A's continue their six-game road trip against the Twins in Minneapolis on Monday.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, June 12th, 1994

Today's 3-2 win over the Mariners is just another reason why we went out on a limb and signed Roberto Alomar. Robbie hit a 4th inning homer off of Erik Hanson and helped us take the rubber match of a 3-game series to retake the division lead over Seattle. That, by itself, is just part of the reason bringing Alomar over was a good signing. It's two-fold, when you think about it, because Seattle was also in the running for Alomar's services. I shutter to think of a lineup that includes Alomar (.367, 5 HR), Ken Griffey Jr. (.292, 16 HR, 44 RBI), Edgar Martinez (.322, 6 HR, 32 RBI), Kevin Mitchell (.359, 17 HR, 46 RBI), and rookie phenom Alex Rodriguez (.297, 13 HR, 37 RBI).

Quite simply, Alomar is the reason we're in first place. If not for him, we could very well be trailing Seattle by half a dozen games in the West already. Instead, the M's used their free agent dollars on Dwight Gooden (5-4, 5.52 ERA) and Chili Davis (.225, 15 HR, 42 RBI), while Brett Boone (respectable .270, 5 HR, 29 RBI) is starting at second base. That, my friends, is a game changer.

While we are in great shape at second base, we still have a giant hole to fill at shortstop. Kurt Abbott would be a great fit on almost any other team, but here, I just see him as a liability. Sure, he hits for power (24 homeruns in 619 lifetime at-bats), but I'm more focused on his 177 strikeouts. Those homeruns and strikeouts do you very little good when you're hitting at the bottom of the order with nobody on base.

My goal right now is to find an undervalued defensive shortstop who can give us a batting average north of the Mendoza Line. I know... dare to dream. But, really, that's all I want right now. Oh, and another ace pitcher to throw into the rotation. There's a pretty solid free agent class coming up, but more and more of them are being locked up to extensions as the days go on. In recent weeks, Jay Bell (SS, Pittsburgh) and Randy Johnson (SP, Seattle) have agreed to extensions.

But that's looking way down the road. For right now, we're in good shape at 36-26 with a half-game lead on the M's. As long as we can avoid injuries or any other signicant setback, we should be golden. And, who knows, maybe Mr. Haas will be motivated to hire me as the GM?

[Hendu Style]

Friday, June 24th, 1994

Just when everything was going so good... Our starting catcher, Terry Steinbach (.286, 6 HR, 31 RBI) will miss the next 2-3 months with a partially torn labrum. If there's one position we can ill afford an injury, it's at catcher. Erik Helfand is our backup, and he's not exactly blowing it up this year with a .220 average and one extra basehit in 50 at-bats. This is the kind of injury that can derail a season. I might just have to shop around and see if I can trade for a decent backstop.

To make matters worse, some guys seem to be a little freaked out about the first round of steroid testing. They're not necessarily concerned about getting caught (I hope)... the bigger concern is how accurate the test is and what are the chances of getting a false positive. Regardless, we all knew this was coming. The Commissioner's Office even gave everyone a grace period to get the juice out of their system if they happened to be on steroids.

Big series coming up this weekend in Cleveland. We are hanging on by a thread in the AL West, 1/2 game ahead of the Mariners, sitting at 42-30 on the season. We pay our first visit to the newly-constructed Jacobs Field, home of the Indians. Despite the Tribe's woeful record (33-40), attendance has doubled there from a year ago. Makes me wish more and more we had a new ballpark of our own, now that the freaking Raiders are moving back to the Coliseum.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, June 26th, 1994

Go big, or go home, right? We're going all-in this season, and today's trade reflects that. We have sent reliever Paul Quantrill and two minor leaguers to the cash-strapped Tigers for veteran catcher Mickey Tettleton.

This truly is a win-win for both teams. Tettleton is Detroit's highest-paid player, due $3.5 million this year, and $3.7 next year. The Tigers were begging to get rid of his contract, and we were happy to oblige. In return, they get a solid relief pitcher in Quantrill plus a couple of decent minor leaguers in Henry Mercedes and Pat Mahomes. From our point of view, we desperately needed a catcher to replace the injured Terry Steinback, and Mickey will be that man.

As far as Tettleton goes, we know what we're getting ourselves into. He's a homerun hitter (averaging 30 HR over the last three seasons) with a good eye (98+ walks in each of the last four seasons). His contract is a big hinderance, especially for a guy that won't necessarily start everyday with Steiny coming off the DL in a couple of months. Tettleton's contract will severely affect our ability to make any moves for high-salary additions like we did last year with David Cone, and we have little to no wriggle room now for the offseason. Still, we needed a catcher who can fill in capably for the next couple of months, and Tettleton certainly fits that bill.

[Hendu Style]

Friday, July 1st, 1994

Canseco Suspended 40 Games for Steroids

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Jose Canseco is Major League Baseball's first offender in the league's new fight against steroids. The A's slugger and former AL MVP has been handed a record 40-game suspension by MLB Commissioner Sandy Alderson for violating the league's steroid policy.

"On June 21st, Major League Baseball tested Jose Canseco, among other players, for steroids," Alderson said in a statement. "Canseco failed that test and will now face the punishment."

Canseco is hitting .266 with 10 homeruns and 36 RBI in 78 games this season. He has long been rumored to be a steroid user, but this is the first real link between Canseco and performance enhancing drugs. Canseco could not be reached for comment, and will begin serving his suspension immediately.

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, July 10th, 1994

"Don't take it personally." Sandy Alderson's words are ringing in my head. That ominous, suspicious sentence uttered to me as he was packing up his belongings from his office inside the Oakland Coliseum, heading off to be the new hotshot commissioner of Major League Baseball.

I always wondered what he meant. Now I know. That son of a bitch is using his old team -- MY team -- as the poster child for steroids. He was probably hoping to nail Mark McGwire after Big Mac broke the homerun record, but he had to settle for Jose Canseco instead.

How am I not supposed to take this personally? We're just now getting traction this season... even after Terry Steinbach goes down with an injury... but how are we supposed to deal with this? He goes after our team and suspends my 4-time All-Star outfielder for 40 games. That's one quarter of a season!

Now we're left scrambling. We've called up minor leaguer Matt Stairs for some depth in the outfield, but we're going to be hurting for the next couple of months. I can't go out and make another trade... I already maxed out our budget in the Tettleton trade. The timing couldn't be worse.

This suspension has really taken the buzz out of what should be a joyous occasion. We led all American League teams with 6 All-Star selections today.

Sandy better hope I don't bump into him at the All-Star game. That's all I'm going to say.

[Hendu Style]

Tuesday, July 12th, 1994

Unbelievable All-Star Game tonight in St. Louis. For two teams that supposedly don't give a rip about this game, they both laid it out on the line. The American League outslugged the National League 11-inning, 4 1/2 hour marathon, winning 18-13. Three of our players -- Barry Bonds, Mickey Tettleton, and Jay Buhner -- all went deep for the AL.

It's probably best that I didn't bump into Sandy. Why ruin a perfectly good weekend? I just can't help but shake this feeling that he has it out for us. Is he still bitter that I went over his head when he was taking care of league business instead of manning his post as GM of the A's? Is he using some inside information to root out any supposed steroid users on our team? I just don't get it.

Despite all of that, we're in pretty good shape at the All-Star Break. The Mariners have won five straight but still trail us by 1 1/2 games, thanks to our 1st half record of 53-35. We have a nice little race going between the M's and A's too, on the triple crown front. Barry Bonds (.330, 26 HR, 78 RBI) and Kevin Mitchell (.347, 27 HR, 72 RBI) are pretty much neck-and-neck in all major offensive categories.

As far as our team goes, we're ranked in the top-5 in runs scored (1st), batting average (3rd), on-base percentage (1st), homeruns (2nd), and stolen bases (4th). Same goes for pitching with runs against (5th), and starters & bullpen ERA (both 4th). Our only weakness right now is our defensive efficiency, which currently ranks 14th. You can thank our shortstops for that, with Kurt Abbott and Brent Gates combining for 18 errors so far this season. I've said it before, and I'll say it again... that's our biggest weakness right now, and I'd like to address it before the July 31st trading deadline.

Other than that, I think I'll stand pat. Our top 3 pitchers in our rotation have been real solid, though our 4 and 5 starters have been marginal at best. Our batting order is a force to be reckoned with. If I had one small tweak, it would be moving Roberto Alomar to second in the order to take advantage of his batting average. But, then again, that would leave a gaping hole in our leadoff spot. The platoon of Bip Roberts and Jeff Kent at #2 will have to do for now.

Here's a breakdown of our team at the All-Star Break:

[Hendu Style]

Sunday, July 17th, 1994

I hate to make a trade within the division, especially when that team happens to be nipping out your heels for first place, but circumstances dictated this trade.

Today, we acquired Omar Vizquel from the Mariners for Kurt Abbott and John Briscoe. Vizquel and Abbott are both shortstops, and the trade just plain made sense. Vizquel is little more than a defensive replacement late in games for Alex Rodriguez who, in case you haven't heard, is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Abbott is a poor fielding shortstop/third baseman with some pop (18 homeruns last year for us as a rookie). I had to throw in Briscoe to sweeten the deal and make the Mariners feel like they came out on top in the deal.

In the end, we gained a starting shortstop. Yes, Vizquel is hitting .188 this season and probably will never be an above average hitter, but he is without peer defensively. He is exactly what this team needs to give us some "D" up the middle... something we have sorely lacked since Sandy dealt Walt Weiss and Mike Bordick a couple of years ago.

I'm not entirely sure we're done making moves before the deadline. I'm not actively shopping around, but I'm not closing the door, either.

[Hendu Style]

Friday, July 22nd, 1994

Jackson, Carlton Inducted into MLB Hall of Fame