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Athletics-Tigers, ALCS Game 2 Chat
2006-10-11 13:30
by Ken Arneson

I was just about to head out to the Coliseum for tonight's game, when I heard the horrible news about the Cory Lidle plane crash.

This is terribly, terribly sad news.

The game doesn't seem to matter much right now, does it?

Phil, here... subbing in for Ken, who's at the park. Here are the starting lineups for tonight's game.

Condolences to the Lidle family.

Detroit Tigers

Curtis Granderson -- CF
Neifi Perez (!) -- SS
Placido Polanco -- 2B
Magglio Ordonez -- RF
Carlos Guillen -- 1B
Ivan Rodriguez -- C
Craig Monroe -- LF
Alexis Gomez -- DH
Brandon Inge

Oakland Athletics

Jason Kendall -- C
Mark Kotsay -- CF
Milton Bradley -- RF
Frank Thomas -- DH
Eric Chavez -- 3B
Jay Payton -- LF
Nick Swisher -- 1B
Marco Scutaro -- SS
D'Angelo Jimenez -- 2B

And your pitching match-up: Justin Verlander versus Esteban Loaiza -- a replay of a game I attended back in April. It was the best of Loaiza's pre-DL starts, though he didn't factor into the decision. Nick Swisher won the game with two home runs, both hit off of Verlander.

I would tell you that I anticipated that game would be a dry-run for Game 2 of the ALCS, but my mother raised me not to lie.

Comments (55)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2006-10-11 17:24:23
1.   Philip Michaels
And the NLCS is rained out, so the A's and Tigers have the stage to themselves this evening.
2006-10-11 17:26:36
2.   mehmattski
Did I hear A's fans booing Curtis Granderson? Is this the first time he's ever been booed in his life? I need a ruling on this.

Also, after the terrible news from NY today, I really need baseball to provide some free therapy. Pitching duel, please!

2006-10-11 17:27:49
3.   For The Turnstiles
So how does Loaiza look?
2006-10-11 17:32:49
4.   Philip Michaels
3 Good. Even the hit by Polanco wasn't a bad one. Struck out Neifi and Mags.
2006-10-11 17:50:07
5.   Philip Michaels
And I go to pan fry some trout, and we're tied back up. Aiee!
2006-10-11 17:50:44
6.   Philip Michaels
Great piece on Cory Lidle over at Bronx Banter, on the off chance you haven't seen it:

https://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/541847.html

2006-10-11 18:01:34
7.   scarface
Verlander looks unbelievably nasty. Oakland's only chance against him would be if he loses some control and starts walking people, otherwise I don't see how they can touch that 100fastball/curveball combo.

But I do think they can take Rogers and Robertson. Unfortunately we'll only see them once more (each), assuming Bonderman is as unhittable as Verlander.

I'd love for Oakland to make me look silly.

2006-10-11 18:06:47
8.   scarface
I don't believe this! The way Milton swung, I'd swear Pudge pulled a Crash Davis on his pitcher.
2006-10-11 18:07:25
9.   Philip Michaels
Sometimes the faster you throw, the faster it leaves the ballpark.
2006-10-11 18:09:41
10.   Ken Arneson
Sitting in for Ken, Mrs. Ken here.

Kotsay looks locked in tonight. Maybe those two DPs he hit into yesterday embarassed him.

By the way, on a happy note, Ken's car was found in Oakland, and towed directly to the Coliseum, so that he would have a ride home.

2006-10-11 18:10:21
11.   Philip Michaels
The Fox announcers are jibbering about Bradley's home run trot. Thom, Psycho, Lou -- he did that speed-up-around-third thing all year. Does Fox's pregame research consist entirely of having some intern download batting averages from MLB.com?
2006-10-11 18:11:00
12.   Philip Michaels
10 Hi, Mrs. Ken.

Great news about the car.

2006-10-11 18:20:07
13.   scarface
Re.10:
Wow, the car was in one piece?

Now's time for the typical A's escape from a jam DP...wish they'd gone after Pudge with that intent instead of waiting for Monroe.

2006-10-11 18:22:59
14.   scarface
Ken was right. The A's have morphed into the Twins. So close to comment 13 happenning :(
2006-10-11 18:23:27
15.   trainwreck
Just when things were looking good.
2006-10-11 18:23:47
16.   Philip Michaels
"Now's time for the typical A's escape from a jam DP"

Oakland just made you look silly, my man.

2006-10-11 18:24:59
17.   Philip Michaels
I guess my plan to wear my Mexico Baseball t-shirt from the World Baseball Classic to show my solidarity with Esteban Loaiza is not paying dividends.
2006-10-11 18:26:15
18.   xaphor
I foresee Ken washing out plastic nacho containers in the bathroom sink.
2006-10-11 18:31:26
19.   das411
YES, it's Black Jack that Verlander looks like!! Thank you Lyons, I have been trying to figure that out since Game 2 vs the Yankees...
2006-10-11 18:39:43
20.   das411
And Justin V had not struck me as being quite as mean as McDowell was back in his day...until he laid out Scutaro with that 98 mph fastball up and in, geez!
2006-10-11 18:41:48
21.   Philip Michaels
Get a T-Mobile phone and you, too, can disrupt sporting events while your friends and loved ones watch with shame.
2006-10-11 18:42:24
22.   Philip Michaels
I have grown tired of Placido Polanco.
2006-10-11 18:54:37
23.   Philip Michaels
C'mon, Milt.
2006-10-11 18:54:38
24.   Vishal
i came back to the dorm to check the score between classes, but now i have to go again. ugh. c'mon, A's.
2006-10-11 18:56:08
25.   scarface
Re.16:
Yeah, I'd gotten so used to our previously air-tight infield turning that kind of ball into a DP. Not any more I guess, two borderline plays flubbed by Chavvy.
2006-10-11 19:06:33
26.   Philip Michaels
Bah.
2006-10-11 19:08:01
27.   Bob Timmermann
At least the A's are going to miss the snow in Detroit....
2006-10-11 19:10:37
28.   scarface
Even though we are pushing the pitch count on Detroit's pitchers, it won't matter, I guess. They can still send out their best bullpen pitchers again today. And because of the 1-day gap, they are available again to bail out Kenny Rogers.
2006-10-11 19:11:44
29.   Philip Michaels
Well, Chavvy's at least trying to keep it interesting.
2006-10-11 19:14:12
30.   Bob Timmermann
I think Sheriff Blake and Art Nehf are warming up.
2006-10-11 19:15:46
31.   Philip Michaels
30 I like my chances against Art Nehf.

Of course, he would be 114 years old, which should affect his velocity somewhat.

2006-10-11 19:17:56
32.   Bob Timmermann
So you think the A's couldn't handle the fastballs of the 107-year old Sheriff Blake?
2006-10-11 19:22:59
33.   Philip Michaels
32 You don't get a nickname like Sheriff without developing some sort of craftiness.

Besides, if Scutaro's approach at the plate in that last bat is any indication, I think maybe I could retire an Athletic or two tonight.

2006-10-11 19:27:12
34.   Bob Timmermann
These posts come to you courtesy of the Apple Store in Sapporo which had a power adapter to replace the one that I broke before I left the States and could no longer jury rig to get to work.
2006-10-11 19:42:01
35.   Philip Michaels
All Milton Bradley, all the time.
2006-10-11 19:42:46
36.   Bob Timmermann
Is that the first postseason instance of someone homering from both sides of the plate?
2006-10-11 19:43:59
37.   JJoeScott
The Game. Stepping up in the postseason.
2006-10-11 19:45:59
38.   Uncle Miltie
Milt killed that one, jeez
2006-10-11 19:47:58
39.   Philip Michaels
36 according to Wikipedia, Bernie Williams was the first person to do it.
2006-10-11 19:52:30
40.   Philip Michaels
Boy, I wish the Fox broadcast team would give Jim Leyland more credit for Detroit's success. I'm sure there's some sickly urchin in Detroit he healed with his calming words whom we haven't been told about.
2006-10-11 20:05:09
41.   Philip Michaels
Swisher looks so lost at the plate right now, I'll be surprised if he doesn't take a wrong turn on his way to Detroit.
2006-10-11 20:08:23
42.   Jason Snell
My Swisher Ticket Magic isn't working this time, Phil.
2006-10-11 20:10:27
43.   Philip Michaels
42 It's working about as well as Huston Street has for the past few weeks.
2006-10-11 20:12:07
44.   Jason Snell
Way to close it down, Street.

Ugh.

2006-10-11 20:13:42
45.   Philip Michaels
I'm surprised that Street's toss to Swisher at first wasn't slammed for a home run. Or that Swisher didn't flail at it while it floated by, for that matter.

Yes, we've entered the Negative Nelly portion of tonight's broadcast.

2006-10-11 20:19:53
46.   Jason Snell
Dear Dr. Catfish,

So I won the World Series ticket lottery and they go on sale tomorrow morning. Should I bother?

2006-10-11 20:24:51
47.   Uncle Miltie
The Milt Man will bat
2006-10-11 20:26:03
48.   Uncle Miltie
Jeff Kent would have to approve of that hustle
2006-10-11 20:26:13
49.   das411
Noooo you TAG THE RUNNER!!!!
2006-10-11 20:28:05
50.   Jason Snell
To get the winning run to bat, what more can you ask for. Oh well.
Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2006-10-11 20:28:39
51.   Philip Michaels
Well, they didn't roll over in the ninth. That's something.
2006-10-11 20:30:36
52.   Philip Michaels
I don't like the idea of writing off the A's. But down 2 games to nil, heading back to Detroit to face Kenny Rogers, arch-nemesis to cameramen and Athletics, with only Rich Harden standing between us and certain doom...

... I do not favor our position.

2006-10-11 20:32:50
53.   nick
Kenny used up his post-season mojo against the Yanks--look for big Francesco to get it started...
2006-10-11 22:09:58
54.   Vishal
ah, crap.
2006-10-12 00:50:31
55.   Linkmeister
Rogers can't possibly duplicate what he did against the Yankees the other day, so I'm boldly predicting an As win in Game 3.

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