Baseball Toaster: Catfish Stew : Tigers-Athletics, ALCS Game 4 Chat

Tigers-Athletics, ALCS Game 4 Chat

2006-10-14 12:46

by Ken Arneson

Lineups:
Oakland
J. Kendall c
M. Kotsay cf
M. Bradley rf
F. Thomas dh
E. Chavez 3b
J. Payton lf
N. Swisher 1b
M. Scutaro ss
D. Jimenez 2b

Detroit
C. Granderson cf
C. Monroe lf
P. Polanco 2b
M. Ordonez rf
C. Guillen 1b
I. Rodriguez c
A. Gomez dh
B. Inge 3b
R. Santiago ss

Comments (101)

Show/Hide Comments 1-50

2006-10-14 12:59:33

1. Philip Michaels

Joe Sheehan raised an interesting point in his column at Baseball Prospectus -- why not start Kiger in lieu of Jimenez at second today? The offensive contributions are likely to be a push and Jimenez hasn't exactly distinguished himself with his glove.

2006-10-14 13:10:05

2. Ken Arneson

I'm not sure I'd buy that Kiger would be equal or better offensively than Jimenez.

I might buy that the total package is better, though.

2006-10-14 13:11:03

3. Philip Michaels

We won't be hearing Steve Lyons in today's broadcast by the way:

http://tinyurl.com/yzqf8s

This is what I get for listening to the radio yesterday.

2006-10-14 13:29:03

4. das411

Yeah who is that random guy doing color commentary?

Gotta love that cute little kid they showed in the tiger (I almost caps'd that but then I realised that might read like it was a Tiger Woods) costume!

2006-10-14 13:38:03

5. Philip Michaels

Good start so far. Bonderman struggling to find the zone... Bradley doing his thing.

2006-10-14 13:41:21

6. Philip Michaels

Uh oh.

2006-10-14 13:43:08

7. das411

Haha, "Milton Bradley Game Over", good one!

No way he lets himself get pulled in an elimination game though.

2006-10-14 13:45:19

8. Philip Michaels

Thank you, idiot fan, for grabbing that ball and letting Milton trot home.

2006-10-14 13:45:19

9. Vishal

what was the uh-oh for?

2006-10-14 13:46:02

10. Ken Arneson

9 I presume it's because Bradley tweaked a muscle in his leg.

2006-10-14 13:46:43

11. Philip Michaels

9 That was because of Milton Bradley grabbing his leg while trying to steal third on a foul out.

And also because the sight of Larry Davis makes my blood run cold. They oughta just fit that guy for a hooded robe and a scythe to complete the image.

2006-10-14 13:48:36

12. Philip Michaels

Nice play by Inge and Guillen there.

2006-10-14 13:48:40

13. das411

Wow I did not know that Bonderman was only a junior in high school when he was drafted, no wonder Beane was so POed about that pick...NICE catch by Guillen at 1B!

2006-10-14 13:53:50

14. Ken Arneson

AAAArrrrgggggh!!!!!!!!!!!! Leadoff walks! Every time the A's get a lead, the pitcher gives it right back.

2006-10-14 13:56:02

15. Ken Arneson

C'mon throw one up and in, just for once.

2006-10-14 13:57:25

16. Ken Arneson

Well, at least he got one out.

2006-10-14 13:57:34

17. Vishal

was granderson in motion on the pitch?

2006-10-14 13:58:23

18. Ken Arneson

Nice sequence to Ordonez, Haren.

2006-10-14 13:58:57

19. das411

Wow Magglio may be the worst cleanup hitter on a World Series team since..uh, who was it for those 2000 Yankees?

2006-10-14 13:59:32

20. Ken Arneson

17 I don't think so. If Jimenez fields it cleanly, I think he could have turned two. But he bobbled it, so he could only get one.

2006-10-14 14:00:11

21. Philip Michaels

My strategy for today's game is to only watch the A's bat. When Detroit is at the plate, I've switched over to the Chelsea-Reading match I have on TiVo.

So far the strategy has paid dividends.

2006-10-14 14:02:43

22. Philip Michaels

19 True Yankee Bernie Williams.

2006-10-14 14:03:57

23. Philip Michaels

20 Free Mark Kiger!

2006-10-14 14:04:23

24. xaphor

19. Have you seen the Cardinals line up? Encarnacion was batting clean up in game one.

2006-10-14 14:11:28

25. Ken Arneson

Wow, Gomez just golfed that hit off the dirt. Not much you can do about that.

2006-10-14 14:12:24

26. Ken Arneson

Well, I suppose you could throw it further into the dirt. That's not what I meant, Haren.

2006-10-14 14:12:51

27. Ken Arneson

There ya go, just above the dirt.

2006-10-14 14:13:12

28. Vishal

i LOVE how haren is getting ahead of everyone.

2006-10-14 14:16:46

29. Vishal

kendall has become a strikeout machine in the playoffs.

2006-10-14 14:27:06

30. Philip Michaels

29 So is Danny Haren, fortunately.

2006-10-14 14:30:18

31. Ken Arneson

Yay! Jay! Pay!

2006-10-14 14:30:55

32. Philip Michaels

Awesome, Jay.

I just used the word "awesome" non-ironically.

2006-10-14 14:31:35

33. Ken Arneson

You were literally awed by Payton's ability to hit a hanging slider?

2006-10-14 14:32:27

34. Ken Arneson

That dude in the Reds cap got two baseballs today. Including that one that was a fair ball.

2006-10-14 14:34:05

35. Ken Arneson

Welcome to the hit column, Swisher.

2006-10-14 14:39:54

36. Ken Arneson

Tigers half of the fourth, inning of doom so far this series.

2006-10-14 14:41:37

37. Ken Arneson

Please go inside on Polanco for me. He can't just keep reaching across the plate like that and not pay for it.

2006-10-14 14:44:37

38. Ken Arneson

Here we go again.

2006-10-14 14:45:18

39. Vishal

arrrgh. i think i'm on board with drilling polanco now.

2006-10-14 14:49:15

40. Ken Arneson

Whew. Got past that bugaboo.

2006-10-14 14:59:04

41. Ken Arneson

Who is that guy at third base, and what have they done with Eric Chavez?

2006-10-14 15:00:18

42. Ken Arneson

OK, now drill Polanco, and get Ordonez to hit into a double play.

2006-10-14 15:00:47

43. Ken Arneson

Oops forgot, Polanco's on deck.

2006-10-14 15:01:21

44. Ken Arneson

Or, in the hole. What am I thinking?

2006-10-14 15:04:04

45. Ken Arneson

Dag nammit! Another nasty pitch, and the Tigers hit it anyway.

2006-10-14 15:05:00

46. das411

Wow, Granderson comes up with a huge double in the taguchi.

...ehh idunno if replacing the word "clutch" with "Taguchi" will work...let's see what Monroe does!

2006-10-14 15:06:30

47. Ken Arneson

$#&@$(&@#$(@&$(@&$($&@(&$*#!!!!!

We've got Murphy and his law against us.

OK, now drill Polanco.

2006-10-14 15:13:36

48. Ken Arneson

Lucky double play there. I guess it's not All Murphy All The Time.

2006-10-14 15:20:12

49. Ken Arneson

Ooof. Bad time for Haren's obligatory home run allowed.

2006-10-14 15:20:30

50. das411

MAGGLIOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Show/Hide Comments 51-100

2006-10-14 15:21:21

51. Ken Arneson

Sigh. The end is near.

2006-10-14 15:30:19

52. ScoobyGoo

hope Ken, hope!

2006-10-14 15:31:08

53. Ken Arneson

Dan Haren was my last hope, Obi Wan.

2006-10-14 15:33:42

54. Ken Arneson

Is Duchscherer still not available? I can't imagine he wouldn't be in here right now if he were healthy.

2006-10-14 15:36:12

55. das411

Has there been any talk Ken of whether Zito or Loaiza could be available from the pen today?

2006-10-14 15:43:12

56. Ken Arneson

55 Not that I'd heard. I think this game would have to go 18 innings or something before you'd see either one of them, though.

2006-10-14 15:45:48

57. Ken Arneson

I can't believe Kendall's hit didn't bounce off the pitcher directly to the second baseman.

2006-10-14 15:59:38

58. Ken Arneson

I'm going to go out there and plunk Polanco myself. Throw it inside, off the plate, bozos.

2006-10-14 16:02:47

59. Ken Arneson

Still no Duchscherer.

This isn't the real A's team without Ellis and Duchscherer. Those two guys are the foundation of the A's success.

2006-10-14 16:09:37

60. ScoobyGoo

fuck yeah, street in the 7th, thats how you use your best reliever

2006-10-14 16:09:42

61. das411

That Street guy looked pretty good there Ken, is he important?

2006-10-14 16:10:53

62. Linkmeister

Ok, everybody, exhale.

2006-10-14 16:11:35

63. Ken Arneson

Well, yeah, you gotta use Street there if Duchscherer isn't available. But if Duke was healthy he'd have started that inning, and probably set 'em down 1-2-3. He's the A's best pitcher.

2006-10-14 16:12:19

64. Ken Arneson

I wanna see Frank Thomas do something this inning, for once.

2006-10-14 16:14:14

65. ScoobyGoo

does a walk count?

2006-10-14 16:15:10

66. Ken Arneson

Oh, for heaven's sake, Thomas.

2006-10-14 16:15:39

67. das411

Fox just clocked Grilli at 98 miles per hour on three pitches in that at-bat. The radar gun is definitely juiced!

2006-10-14 16:18:55

68. ScoobyGoo

oh god, the small ball discussion again..

2006-10-14 16:20:05

69. Ken Arneson

Well, I'll be very surprised if Swisher does anything good in this AB. Maybe I'll root for a base on balls.

2006-10-14 16:21:08

70. Ken Arneson

68 I'm glad I'm not listening. What did they say, Thomas should have bunted?

2006-10-14 16:21:48

71. Ken Arneson

All right, Scooter, we need your heroics again.

2006-10-14 16:23:22

72. Bluebleeder87

Scutaro is a weird last name

2006-10-14 16:24:01

73. Linkmeister

72 not as appropriate as Heaverlo was, I agree.

2006-10-14 16:24:55

74. das411

http://tinyurl.com/ympr3z

Gotta love the roar of the crowd after one strike is thrown!

2006-10-14 16:25:08

75. ScoobyGoo

just how the a's inability to produce runs will be their downfall in the playoffs once again or something like that..

2006-10-14 16:26:48

76. Bluebleeder87

it's different there for it's cool in my book.

2006-10-14 16:27:21

77. Bluebleeder87

small ball!!

2006-10-14 16:27:44

78. Ken Arneson

Oh, bother.

2006-10-14 16:27:52

79. Linkmeister

The sign of the true fan is when you know your team is gonna lose after you see an opportunity like that missed.

Fortunately, sometimes your knowledge can be mistaken. At least three more chances in the 9th.

2006-10-14 16:33:14

80. Ken Arneson

79 The worst part is now I know the Tigers are going to win the pennant on a walk-off play of some kind. That's gonna hurt.

2006-10-14 16:35:02

81. Linkmeister

I know the feeling all too well.

But hey, maybe that walk-off play will be tomorrow or in a Game Six!

2006-10-14 16:35:24

82. Ken Arneson

Is it too late to trade for Dave Roberts?

2006-10-14 16:36:08

83. das411

Well that is also kinda the only way it can happen now Ken...just like all those Red Sox fans knew their team would win 4 in a row even when no team had done it before.

Is it too early to start making guesses at who will be named the ALCS MVP?

2006-10-14 16:36:35

84. Ken Arneson

Oh, goody, we'll get to see Kiger play some more.

2006-10-14 16:37:12

85. Ken Arneson

I'd vote for Brandon Inge. The guy has been making play after play at 3B, and Chavez hasn't.

2006-10-14 16:37:37

86. Ken Arneson

But that's only because I refuse to vote for Polanco.

2006-10-14 16:38:10

87. Ken Arneson

C'mon Kendall, go Podsednik on us and hit a home run right here.

2006-10-14 16:38:29

88. Ken Arneson

OK, single, whatever.

2006-10-14 16:43:52

89. Ken Arneson

In Oakland, that's another homer for Milton. Sigh.

2006-10-14 16:47:02

90. das411

Ahh and there is Yankee-killer Marcus Thames!

One out.

2006-10-14 16:49:33

91. Bluebleeder87

nice little at bat by the Tigers hitter so far.

2006-10-14 16:50:49

92. Ken Arneson

Nice catch, Milton.

This would have been a classic game if the A's had won one of the first three. Instead, it has a kind of waiting for the inevitable feeling.

2006-10-14 16:52:00

93. Ken Arneson

I shall not repeat myself.

2006-10-14 16:52:06

94. das411

Does anyone else think Polanco looks like Beavis/Cornholio with that hoodie thing on?

Time for MAGGLIOOOOOOOOO....

2006-10-14 16:52:34

95. RIYank

Hi. das411 mentioned that there was some kind of wake going on here.

2006-10-14 16:53:43

96. Bluebleeder87

wow!

2006-10-14 16:53:54

97. ScoobyGoo

goodnight everybody
you've all been wonderful

2006-10-14 16:53:57

98. RIYank

Wow. What a freaking shot.
Well, congrats to the A's for advancing to the ALCS, anyway.

2006-10-14 16:57:19

99. Linkmeister

Well, rats.

2006-10-14 16:57:54

100. das411

Well, now Ken's readers and the Banterers have something in common. For a 4 game series it was definitely fun to watch, congratulations to the A's, they'll be back next year.

And how 'bout those TIGERS!!!

Show/Hide Comments 101-150

2006-10-14 17:08:44

101. vockins

Jeez. Sorry, gents. and ladies.

Somebody should still make tshirts with Stomper posing on the ball. I was a little shocked none were available.