Baseball calls Sonoma County home again...

     The year was 1995; a dormant Rohnert Park Stadium was aching to host professional baseball once again. You see it was once the home for the Redwood Pioneers of the California League, a minor league affiliate of the then California Angels. The Pioneers played for five seasons in Sonoma County and were the California League Champions in 1983, however the team ended up folding at the end of the 1985 season. It would take ten years before Rohnert Park Stadium would see another baseball game played within its confines, and that was thanks to an upstart league out of Oregon.

     The Western Baseball League would open up operation with eight teams, and one of those teams would call Rohnert Park Stadium its home. The Sonoma County Crushers were born and became an automatic hit with the northern California baseball fans that desperately missed the Pioneers. The Crushers produced the 1995 player of the year for the WBL in the form of Kyle Washington. It also had other fan favorites like; David Mowry, Armando Diaz, Lee Langley, Dan Lewis, Jeff Richardson and Tony Coscia. The Crushers would go on and win the League Championship in 1998, all the while being in the top five in attendance for all seven years of the leagues existence. The team would draw 80,000 plus fans a year and lead the league in attendance in 1996 drawing 92,020 fans that year. Towards the later years of the Crushers, a familiar bay area sports star would come and join the team. Kevin Mitchell would start as a player, and in the final season of 2002 Mitchell would coach the team. Unfortunately the WBL wouldn’t continue after the 2002 season and the Crushers ceased operation. The one comforting feeling was that the team was the lone surviving member of the original WBL that was started in 1995. Rohnert Park Stadium would be around for a few more years after the Crushers occupied it, but ultimately it would be torn down in 2005 and replaced with a Costco.

     With a void of northern California baseball, a glimmer of hope was sparked when it was announced that 2012 would be the inaugural season of the San Rafael Pacifics of the North American Baseball League. They will call Albert Park in San Rafael, California home and will start its season June 4^th. The franchise hoped to add a team in the 2013 season, but due to the folding of the Yuma Panthers the process was accelerated. It was announced that the Sonoma County Grapes would take the place of the Panthers and be a strict road franchise until a home is found. This announcement means that after a decade of missing baseball in Sonoma County, it’s time to gather and cheer on your local team.

     My hopes are that the management of the Pacifics will realize the wonderful opportunity that has been presented to them and go through and research the possibility of resurrecting the Crushers franchise. It has been stated that the fan fare is definitely there for the former Sonoma County franchise, and with that it could be very prosperous for all involved. So to the old fans of the Crushers, write the Pacifics and any media outlet. Become outspoken and help the Sonoma County Crusher be reborn. Together we can all revive what was once so special and make it grand again…

NL pick em to win em

The reigning National League Champions Cardinals have lost the best player in all of baseball, and we are now approaching the beginning of their title defense. Who will step up and try to dethrone the champions? Who will elevate their play and claim the MVP from Ryan Braun.? So it must be time to break down the predictions for the 2012 NL season. Just as I did with the American League.

Sports Zone Presents… The National League prediction show.

National League West: Colorado Rockies

Many people have stated that the National League West is a two team race. In my eyes there is a dark horse that has enough power to come steal the NL crown. The Rockies provide a well rounded starting line up that will provide power and great run support to a very weak rotation. You have your main stay power from Todd Helton combined with the breakout abilities of Carlos Gonzalez. Who can give you high average one hundred plus runs batted in. Pepper in Ramon Hernandez, Marco Scutaro and the gem of the off season additions Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer has been flirting with a .300 batting average and is a fifteen plus home run hitter who will play in a hitter friendly park. Thus the Rockies with this line up can have the west locked down. The weakest link for the Rockies is their rotation, who is lead by Jeremy Guthrie and anchored by forty-nine year old Jamie Moyer. These two men along with Jhoulys Chacin can provide the Rockies with twelve to fifteen wins each, and it’s enough to pull away and claim the West.

As for the Diamondbacks and Giants, it will be an up hill battle to provide the same pop as the Rockies. The Giants are a pitching rich team which is lead by the million dollar one two punch that is Cain and Lincecum. The Diamondbacks have what looks like a one hit wonder pitcher by the name of Ian Kennedy. The question is can the D-backs provide a powerful offensive punch that is lead by Chris Young and Justin Upton? I feel that the line up has holes once you learn how to work around the power of Young who will post thirty-five home runs and steal twenty plus bases. As for the Giants, it has been stated that the team was in the bottom three of all major offensive categories in the National League. With the addition of Melkey Cabrera sure they will be a little better but not well enough to climb out of the basement of offense.

The Dodgers have the reigning Cy Young award winner in Clayton Kershaw. Who posted the pitchers triple crown last season, and should be the National League MVP Matt Kemp. The team’s struggles with ownership and bankruptcy has left it in a true state of limbo. The two mentioned stars will post numbers worthy of awards but they can’t win a title alone.

National League Central: Cincinnati Reds

Before people start clicking away from the page hear me out! The Reds have been knocking on the door of the central title for multiple seasons now. With the departure of “King” Albert the Cardinals have fallen pray to the Reds who have major pop from Votto, Bruce and Phillips. Each Player can provide a high average, fifteen plus home runs and a hundred RBI’s, with some small accent players the Reds will run away with the division. If Cueto can return to his 2010 form where he went 12-7 with a 2.31 earned run average, he should lead the way for Matt Latos and Bronson Arroyo to form a 1-3 that will notch thirty victories combined.

The defending Champion Cardinals have added Carlos Beltran to the mix to complement Berkman, Holliday, and World Series MVP, David Freese. However, you subtract Albert Pujols and it become a zeroing out of talent, sure they can make a run and come away with one of the wild cards. You might have trouble if Chris Carpenter is out much longer as you rotation is counting on a man who missed all of last season in Adam Wainright. The beacon of hope is that Wainwright gave you twenty wins in 2010 and that your third starter Jaime Garcia is coming off of a back to back thirteen win season. Can Garcia have a breakout season and give you fifteen this year?

The Brewers have an outside chance at taking the division if a lot of player come back to previous form and post career high numbers, to make up for the loss of Prince Fielder. Question marks are peppered all over the field of Miller Park. Can Ryan Braun stay focused and put the steroid allegations behind him? Is Yovanni Gallardo a true Ace? Finally, will Zach Greinke ever be his Cy Young self again? As for the Cubs and Pirates, it seems to be time to take a step back wards and rebuild. So they can become players again in the now uncertain National League Central. Lastly the Astros prepare to say goodbye to the National League and hello to the American League West.

National League East: Miami Marlins

Formally known as the Florida Marlins, this franchise under went a massive face lift with a new stadium, new jerseys and a new manager in Ozzie Guillen. To this new format comes new players that will impact the balance of power in the NL East. Jose Reyes escaped the conflict that Mets are facing. Mark Buehrle followed his long time manager to South Beach and will take his eleven seasons of double digit wins with him. Along side Ace Josh Johnson and Carlos Zambrano, the Marlins will give the Phillies big three a run for the best ERA in the NL. Hanley Ramirez provides the what if factor that will ultimately lead the Marlins back to the playoffs and their first NL East title.

The Braves will make a run at the East Title and Wild Card, behind the power of Dan Uggla, Brian McCann, Heyward and Chipper. Heyward will return to his 2010 form and provide an effective bat that the Braves desperately need. As well Dan Uggla will have the most tremendous season of his career and make a very big case to be called the NL MVP. As for the reigning East Champion Phillies, I see the team being in a vulnerable position as their All-Star first and second basemen are both injured. Howard and Utley are the heart beat of the team and even with the best one through three starters and overall pitching staff in the National League, it will not be enough to over come the additions to other teams

As for the Mets, just like the Dodgers no amount of money can keep them out of the basement. It would be surprising if this franchise can rebuild and become a true threat to the division with in the next decade. Paper bags all around for the fans of the metropolitans.

National League Wild Cards: Arizona Diamondbacks & St. Louis Cardinals

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Diamondbacks a few big questions stand out. Can Ian Kennedy win twenty games again? Also, can Trevor Cahill return to his All-Star self? Who will step up and aid Young and Upton in becoming the best offense in the NL? With Manager of the Year, Kirk Gibson, this team can string together enough wins to run away with one of the Wild Cards,. Maybe even capturing the Western Division Championship.

Then you have the defending World Champion Cardinals, who will navigate the weak Central Division and capture the last and final spot in the 2012 playoffs. New manager Mike Matheny will be quick to prove that he can continue the success of former manager Tony La Russa, by helping World Series MVP David Freese transfer his post season ability to the regular season. The addition of Beltran can ease the pain of loosing Albert Pujols, but the chemistry between Holliday and Carlos will ultimately be the factor that leads to the winning season.

National League MVP: Atlanta Braves Second Baseman Dan Uggla

I have been high on Dan Uggla since he broke into the league. With one of his most successful seasons being his first season with the Braves. I feel that this upcoming season will be his coming out party. He will post a .250 average and a career high forty home runs. He will add a hundred and seventy-five hits as well as a hundred and ten runs batted in. These numbers will provide the foundation for his first NL MVP award.

National League Cy Young: Washington Nationals Pitcher Gio Gonzalez

Gio has been poised to run rough shot over the American League. However, A’s General Manager Billy Beane had other thoughts and traded the All-Star to the National League. With this change Gio is ready to take on players who have not seen his fantastic pitching ability. Gonzalez will hand you two hundred quality innings, and about two hundred strikeouts. As a result of those number Gio can easily win twenty games this season and have a low 3.00 ERA, provided he gets run support from the likes of Werth, Zimmerman, and Danny Espinosa.

National League Manager of the Year: Colorado Rockies Jim Tracy

Jim Tracy is no stranger to the running of Manager of the Year, as he took home the hardware back in 2009. This season will be no different as he will lead the Rockies from the middle of the Western Division pack to claim the NL West title. He has his best line up as a manger, using stars like Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki and new comers like Marco Scutaro and Michael Cuddyer. The Rockies look like an All-Star team, and under the guidance of Tracy they should have no problem running away with the wild wild west.

National League Rookie of the Year: Washington Nationals Outfielder Bryce Harper

It will only be a matter of time when Mr. Harper will be called up. The moment that he does, the 2010 Golden Spikes Award winner will make a major impact the likes of which Steven Strasburg did. This spring Harper was not driving in runs, however he did post a high average. Given time he will find his swing and provide you with fifteen home runs and seventy-five runs batted in and will lead him to be the unanimous Rookie of the Year.

Japan the opening series that was...

     Opening week of Major League Baseball has come and gone. At least in the eyes of west coast baseball fans, specifically for the Mariners’ and A’s fans. You see there weren’t many people able to watch the two game series from Japan, because of TV black out rules. Thus fans listened to the radio, downloaded video streams online, or waited for the MLB Network to broadcast the game at six am, though the game started at three am Wednesday and two am Thursday.

     Apart from when or where you could watch the game, it was great to have baseball games that matter in front of our eyes. It was a split series as the Mariners won game one behind Dustin Ackley two for five night. Which, featured a massive home run off of A’s starter Brandon McCarthy. The A’s then evened the series in game two with a flex of home run power and amazing pitching from Bartolo Colon. The A’s posted three big home runs from Josh Reddick, Jonny Gomes and a two-run bomb from Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes. Add that to eight innings of three hit ball from Colon and the A’s are looking very strong heading into the home opener in Oakland on Friday April sixth.

     As a whole, many showed their fandom with out cries of support for the Athletics. Allowing fellow fans to watch them live in the second game. They stay up until the wee hours of the morning and cheered as load as they could .You see being a fan means withstanding the long nights, the losing streaks, and the seasons without championships or playoff berths. It’s about enjoying the moment that you gather with friends and family cheering on the team you love, even if that means waking up at two am to watch a game. Even though it wasn’t televised by our own channel Comcast Sports Net California.

     Even with all the uncertainty of this season of A’s baseball, this series has me very hopeful about the things that the green & gold can do. As I predicted in an earlier in a blog, I see the A’s playing hard and earning a wild card. So I say to my fellow Athletics Fan’s: “Get ready to get loud and rock the house as the boys take on the Mariners at the O.Co!”

Pick em to Win em...

      The land of the rising sun will host the beginning of America’s pastime, as the Oakland A’s will host the Seattle Mariners at the Tokyo Dome. With the season fast approaching it’s time to act like Nostradamus and see if the Big Man can predict how the playoffs will shape up, and which players will take home the end of the year hardware. The shift of power from the National League will affect the shape of two AL divisions in the form of former Cardinal superstar “King” Albert, and Brewers slugger Prince Fielder. So let the show begin as Sports Zone presents… The American League prediction show.

American League West Champions: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim      It pains me to say this being an Athletics fan, but hands down the favorite to win the AL West and maybe even the American League Championship are the rally monkey lead Angels. When you have the best pitching staff coming into the 2012 season with a 3.57 team earned run average and you add a good, though not great, pitcher in C.J Wilson, it gives you the upper hand on the pitching tip. Combine the league’s best pitching with baseball’s best player in Albert Pujols, and the average hitting team becomes a major threat to dethrone the two time defending AL West Champion Rangers.

      However it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Rangers have a talented team that pack a major punch seeing that they rank in the top five in all key hitting stats, while the Angels were a middle of the road offensive team before the addition of Pujols. The Rangers did lose C.J Wilson to the rival Angels, but they did acquire the highly sought after Yu Darvish. Unfortunately Darvish is off to a mediocre spring training surrendering 7 walks and allowing a run a game and not notching a win. I see the Rangers as a team that can still win, but I think their run of back to back American League Championship will end with a disappointing season and a 3^rd place finish in the division.

      Now I know some might be scratching their heads right now, if the Rangers are in 3^rd who is the runner up to the Angels? It is very simple; the Oakland Athletics under the guidance of Manager Bob Melvin will resurrect their glory and make a mad dash to win the division. Hear me out people, the A’s did trade away two of their best starters in Gonzalez and Cahill but they did add two pitchers to a mix that have a very bright future. Tommy Milone was acquired from the Nationals in exchange for Gonzalez and has proved that it wasn’t as lopsided of a trade as many might believe. Milone is posting a nine to one strikeout to walk ratio in twelve innings this spring. And the most impressive pitcher is Berkeley alum Tyson Ross with an eye popping .90 earned run average. Add this with some additions like Yoenis Cespedes, Manny Ramirez, and journey man Jonny Gomes the A’s should be able to contend in the wild wild west.

American League Central Champions: Detroit Tigers      The reigning Division champion Tigers have the AL Cy Young award winner and American League MVP Justin Verlander. Combine that with the addition of a big first basemen in Prince Fielder, and you have to have an easy path to the title in a weak division. Not to mention they do have a very talented Miguel Cabrera and the closer of closers “Papa Grande” Jose Valverder, you have a well rounded team that packs probably the best three, four punch in baseball.

      With the Tigers being the diamond in this ruff central you have the Twins adding former A’s slugger Josh Willingham, the Cleveland Indians have Ubaldo Jimenez who can be a contender for the American League Cy Young award if only he can make the right corrections. The sleeper pick for the Central are the Kansas City Royals who will host the Mid Summer Classic, and have a bevy of young talented players that with the right coaching can make a very strong run and might end the season in second place a few games behind the Tigers.

      The saddest story of the division has to be the epic collapse of the former World Champion Chicago White Sox’s. They have lost their franchise pitcher Mark Buehrle to the Miami Marlins as well as skipper Ozzie Guillen, it seems that they are in limbo as to where the future of this franchise is going thus it’s going to be a hard season for White Sox’s fans.

American League East Champions: New York Yankees     When you think of division races that entertain and excite, you have the East Division that will never let you down. It has produced the wild card winner in eight out of the last ten season, and was the focus of last year’s season as it came down to the last few days with the Rays finishing a fantastic run past the Red Sox’s who had the biggest collapse in MLB history. But this season I see only one playoff berth coming from the mighty division and it will come in the form of defending champions the New York Yankees.

      The Yankees have the most players returning that were part of the championship run, and will continue to chase World Title number twenty-eight. Jeter and Mariano return to lead the Bronx Bombers to another AL East title, but they might have to deal with the Rays as they stayed ahead of the Red Sox’s. Even though Bobby Valentine is an amazing manager, the Sox’s have an aging team that has too much ground to make up for the disaster of blowing a nine game lead. What I wish would happen with the AL East is for the Orioles and the Blue Jays to return to their past glory where they won multiple world titles and had the likes of Eddie Murry, Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Carter and Paul Moliter roaming the field.

American League Wild Card: Oakland Athletics & Tampa Bay Rays          The Oakland A’s will surprise most every sports media outlet and will win, as the team has proven with their ability to string together some wins in the Cactus League. A pitching staff that took a hit with the trades of Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill can rise back to the top of the American League under the guidance of World Champion pitcher Curt Young. As I mentioned earlier Ross and Milone seem to be ready to step into the middle of the rotation and give maybe ten wins a piece, and then you have Jemile Weeks who should have gotten more consideration in the voting for Rookie of the Year seeing that he did hit in the .300 during his 82 game season. As well you have the power of Brandon Allen waiting to be unleashed and with three of them coming so far in spring training he can provide some much needed pop the likes of which Josh Willingham gave us in 2011. After his fifty game suspension is up you can count on Manny to provide a little excitement and knowledge, so he can teach Yoenis Cespedes how to be an elite player at the major league level.

      The Tampa Bay Rays, will be knocking at the door of the AL East title. In the end they will lock down the other wild card, they have some pop in the form of Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena, however the pitching staff can be a down fall for them. James Shields is a above average pitcher, that can be in the Cy Young mix but can Price be his wing man so that this pitching staff can aid in the efforts to claim the wild card. I have a feeling that it should be no problem as they push fifteen wins a piece.

American League MVP: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim First Basemen Albert Pujols
      Pujols coming to the American league will be the best move of his career, seeing that the American league has less super stars that can out shine the best player in baseball. I see this being Albert’s best year with a career high in Home Runs and Runs batted in, maybe he can finally achieve his triple crown that has hidden from him.

American League Cy Young: Seattle Mariners Pitcher Felix Hernandez
     The Mariners may be the worst offensive team in the American league, but it will have the best pitcher in the form of “King” Felix. Hernandez can be the beacon of hope for the Mariners faithful, and it can land him back in his 2010 form when he won the Cy Young award by leading the AL in earned run average. The next best pitcher will be Justin Verlander who will be trying to repeat, but I’m concerned that he might have used a lot of his energy last season and will fail to rack up twenty wins again.

American League Manager of the Year: Oakland Athletics Bob Melvin     Bob Melvin has resurrected the Diamondbacks and aims to do the same with the A’s, matched with a well rounded coaching staff Melvin provide the green & gold with a no nonsense attitude. Melvin wants to win now and no matter what Oakland’s managing partner says, he plans on pushing this team to its limits. In doing so, he will lead the A’s to the Wild Card and the team’s first playoff appearance since 2006.

American League Rookie of the Year: Oakland Athletics Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes     Cespedes will take his talents to a new level and have a fantastic season. He will give Pujols and Jose Bautista a run for the American league home run crown. He can give you thirty-eight Home Runs and push one hundred runs batted in. His strike outs can be his down fall but many pitchers don’t know how to handle him so he’ll be able to rack up big numbers. Cespedes only threat for the award is Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. To me, he has control issues that will lead to more runners on base and that can burn his earned run average. Darvish’s spring hasn’t been as expected but a person can adjust, and with many of the pro players yet to face Yu he stand a chance to win 15 games and it might edge out Cespedes for the Title of Rookie of the Year.

Warriors trade to trade

     The moment of impact was hard felt by the Warriors’ faithful when they found out that Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown were traded. Everyone knew that Monta was likely on his way out, but to where was the question. That question was answered on Tuesday night before the Warriors 115-89 win over the Kings. Mr. Ellis and his texting ways were heading to the land of beer and cheese: Milwaukee Wisconsin where he will represent the Bucks along with Udoh and Kwame. In return the Dubs will receive big man Andrew Bogut and former member of the We Believe team Stephen Jackson.

      If you look at the trade on paper you might say this is a horrible trade. Giving up your team’s top scorer Ekpe Udoh, an above average big man that can grow into a respectable talent in, and a proven accent player in Mr. Brown for two injured players at first seems like a bad bargain. Andrew Bogut is considered to be a top 5 center in the League but is often injured so his talent may not be an accurate assessment. Then you throw in Jackson who is nursing a sore right hamstring and has a reputation of a player who quits. That seems like a lopsided steal of a trade for the Bucks. Die hard Warrior’s fans are probably not surprised. They tend to do this often. Trading away the greatest scorer ever in Wilt Chamberlin, makes this trade seem like the Warriors hit the jackpot.

      I like to break down stats and it would seem that, IF the warriors are healthy, they might have a well rounded team now that Monta is gone. Sure you miss out on his 22.2 points per game (which is 9^th in the league), but it averages out when you get 11.3 ppg from Bogut and 10.5ppg from Captain Jack. It also gives you strength where you lacked it. The Warriors have not had a real big man for over two decades and with his health at 100% Andrew Bogut will fill that void. Jackson may have had issues with the former ownership group; however the guy can ball when he wants to. Mix him with Steph and D Lee you’re looking down the barrel of some 20 point scorers. Multiply that by all five of your players you’re averaging 100 points per night.

      All these points are examples of what can be, because you have players who are on the mend and a group of players that may not want them. It always seems to be a major point in any trade, “What will the chemistry be?”. I personally would have went a different route with the Monta trade, it would allow you to have a dynamic scorer and a big man that seems to be on the verge of breaking into the top five of center in the league. Detroit would have been my selected destination for Mr. Ellis and Brandon Rush, in return the Pistons would have sent us Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe. It would have brought a very effective big man this season in Monroe who averages 16.8ppg and 10.1 rebounds per game, something that the Warriors could have used to begin the season. To complement the addition of Monroe you would add Rodney Stuckey and his 17.9ppg, 3.4rpg and a whopping 5 and a half assists per game. With this addition to what Mr. Double-Double David Lee can do scoring almost 20ppg and racking 10rpg it would be a big 3 to mimic what Boston is doing.

  Alas the trade that went down must be played out and then we can truly debate and discuss what effect it has on the long and short term. For the Warriors to be successful they needed a big man. Check to that, but the “what if” will wait on the effectiveness of the deal. They also must find out if the Franchise player will be Stephan Curry and his weak ankle, his grit and determination dealing with this issue will shape the rest of his career. I still have hope for the team from the Golden State, little moves that can help shape and influence the way the franchise performs over the next decade are always a welcome thing. Maybe we can land a bonafide star and make a run for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Hey, anything can happen it’s sports baby!

Warriors trade Jackson to Spurs for Jefferson…

      The Warriors trade Stephen Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for T.J Ford, a first round pick and the gem in the deal Richard Jefferson. It seems like the Warriors took the route of the Bucks on this lopsided trade, and only offered Jackson to the spurs. As the Warriors you get a draft pick that can become a strong building block towards the future or a draft pick that can lure a team to deal an established star to Oracle Arena, you also get a consistent player in Jefferson who gives you 16ppg, 2.6apg and 5rpg. On top of those steady numbers he gives your young team a veteran brain to pick with playoff experience. Add this to the Bogut trade, and I say the Warriors made out with a respectable trade.

Lace them up...

    
Spring is in the air. The smell of fresh cut grass fills the sun drenched sky. The Nation’s pastime is taking center stage. It’s time to play ball!

An exciting new franchise is emerging from Northern California, San Rafael to be exact. The Pacifics are bringing west coast baseball to the North American League. They are looking for some of the finest athletes that California has to offer. Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime chance to be a part of the inaugural season of Pacifics baseball.

They have major shoes to fill keeping up with the storied history of Northern California baseball dating back to the days of the Redwood Pioneers and the Sonoma County Crushers. The Pacifics promise to excite and entertain.

Now is your time to be a part of the action. Open tryout are scheduled for Saturday March 17^th, 2012 from 9am-5pm at Albert Park in San Rafael, California. Registration is open and it costs $100 before Wednesday March 15^th and $150 the day of the tryouts. Information can be found here. http://www.pacificsbaseball.com/pressbox/index.html?article_id=40

Come out and reach for the brass ring, and maybe don the Pacifics colors when the dust settles. Be ready to leave it all on the diamond and be apart of the action as the Pacifics take the baseball world by storm. Best of luck to all that tryout. We will see you on Opening Day out at Albert Park.

DO TO WEATHER THE OPEN TRYOUT ON MARCH 17TH,2012 HAS BEEN POSTPONED. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE SEE THE PACIFICS WEBSITE http://www.pacificsbaseball.com/pressbox/index.html?article_id=48

There IS an "A" in mirAcle...

  
     Let me tell you a story of a true underdog team overcoming tremendous odds that pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The location was Lake Placid, New York and the time was 1980. The Winter Olympics was the back drop for a massive nation verses nation battle among the favored Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and a surprise pack of rascals, the United States of America, in the medal round of hockey play.



     The game seemed out of reach for the Americans, who were lead by head coach Herb Brooks. That was until late in the third period when the United States tied the game 3-3 with a Mark Johnson goal. With the end fast approaching they pressed and showed their grit and determination by scoring the game winning goal off the stick of Mark Pavelich, completing America’s “Miracle on Ice”.

      I bring this up because the 2012 season for the Oakland Athletics’ seems to be all but a loss. So many fans are feeling down in the dumps, especially after the trades of three All-Star Pitchers: Gonzalez, Cahill and Bailey. With a five year absence from the playoffs, and the lack of a winning season since the 2006’s division championship team, it’s been hard for fans old and new.

     But, fear not fellow brothers and sisters. This coming season should excite you. We are celebrating two teams that provide us with many warm memories: the 1972 World Champion, the Swingin A’s; and the 2002 twenty game winning Streak team. Mix that history with the talent of the coming season: Jemile Weeks, Yoenis Cespedes, and the new addition of Manny Ramirez; and we could be looking at the “Miracle A’s” of 2012.This year’s team will help the Franchise rise like a phoenix to reclaim our great legacy.

     The Swingin A’s was the start of the proud Oakland Dynasty. They won three World Titles in a row from 1972 to 1974. The Moustache Gang racked up 93 wins behind stellar pitching by Blue Moon Odom, Vida Blue, Ken Holtzman and Catfish Hunter. While the power and speed were provided by “Captain” Sal Bando, Bert “Campy” Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Reggie Jackson and World Series MVP Gene Tenace. Anchoring the team was Hall of Fame closer Rollie Fingers. Rollie will be honored this year with a bobble head on April twenty-first at the O.Co with his fellow teammates.

     Following this team the Athletics hit a major dry spell and were absence from many peoples minds until 1988- 1990 when the Athletics went to three World Series and won one against the Giants in 1989. Another dry spell awaited the Athletics from 1993-1999. In that time they did not make the playoffs at all.

     Enter The “Money ball” Era: the Athletics won four Division Titles and a wild card from 2000-2006. The biggest team that came to national relevance was the 2002 club that won twenty straight games. This set an American League record. That year the Streak team won 103 games and produced the American League Cy Young, Barry Zito, as well as the American League MVP, Miguel Tejada.

     The twenty consecutive wins started on August 13th and ran until September 4^th. There Scott Hatteberg hit a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Jason Grimsley. My fondest memory of the Streak team was the mini streak of the late Cory Lidle. He did not allow a single run for 32.2 innings and posted five wins himself. Lidle was a great player that the game lost too soon. Even with out him, it will be an amazing weekend in August when Justice, Dye, Tejada, and Scott Hatteberg reconvene at the O.Co, with events such as the Scott Hatteberg Bobble head game.

     Since this last great run in 2002, the Athletics have fallen on some harsh times. With public battles of moving to Fremont or San Jose, the dismantling of talented players, and the fears of truly losing our OAKLAND Athletics we may fall in the land of contraction. Even though the thought of the Green and Gold no longer existing stays in the back of our minds, we must focus on the bright future that lays ahead of us.

     Think about what could be a magical season in Oakland, my friends. Though our pitching is the biggest question mark of the season, we do have a perfect game winner in Dallas Braden. He is coming back and battling to prove his place as a top pitcher in the American League. Also we have emerging talented hitters in the form of Jemile Weeks and Yoenis Cespedes.

     Weeks was a major spark last season and in my eyes should have been the Rookie of the Year for the American League. He posted a .303 average with 123 hits, 22 stolen bases, and 36 RBI’s in 97 games. Cespedes has been titled a five tool player and posted a staggering .333 average, a record 33 home runs in the Cuban League and 99 RBI’s. Could this be the second coming of a bash brother in Oakland?

     To round out the thought of a miracle season the Athletics brought in Slugger Manny Ramirez. Manny will be serving a 50 game suspension for using PED’s. However, this could be like the addition of Frank Thomas back in 2006. Wrap this around the brilliant managing of Bob Melvin and the Athletics’ could write the “Miracle on the Diamond” story. A story of overcoming the super powers: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the two time defending American League Champions the Texas Rangers.

     So my fellow A’s fans, to you I say enjoy the ride as we try to resurrect our dynasty. To the players that are battling it out during spring training like: Daric Barton, Brandon Allen, Chris Cater and Michael Taylor; remember this is your time to shine. Reach for it and run with it.

     I’ll leave you guys with a quote from Herb Brooks. He said this to the 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team during the second intermission. “ You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This IS your moment.” Go get them Athletics this is your moment!