Tune in live tonight at 7 pm EST to
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baseball you can handle as we recap all the Hot Stove
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Tune in to the MLB Power Half-Hour tonight at 7 pm est
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The show airs live, online, every Monday at 7 pm est
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Former Yankee/Met/Brave/Tiger/Astro/Ranger and
ESPN/WFAN postseason correspondent C.J. Nitkowski
joins us LIVE as we discuss all the winter's Hot Stove
action on the MLB POWER HALF-HOUR Monday at 7 pm right
here:
http://www.am1240wgbb.com/live.html.html
 
Send us an aim instant message during the show (to
mlb1240am) to ask C.J. a question or to weigh in on
anything baseball.

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new sponsor's internet radio TiVo service that allows
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Hi all!

First, hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season.

Now to the A's...I wasn't too crazy about the trades...but what
bothers me the most is that the A's seem to be avoiding signing any
free agents...I'm sure they are sniffing around a few...and I know
all about the budget restraints, I've been hearing that for years,
but you would think they could afford to keep at least ONE of the
their top players...just think how many we've lost due to free agency
and/or trades.  Seems to me that A's management has everyone
convinced that they can't afford anyone so there's no pressure on
them to sign anyone...just my opinion.  Anyone care to comment?

Rick

I have read reports on various SoCal baseball weblogs that not all is well with
former Athletic assistant GM Paul DePodesta.  According to these reports, he is
the one who botched the big three-way trade with the Yankees and D-Backs, such
that the Yankee GM has vowed never to do another trade with the Dodgers  These
same sources say that he tried to back out of the big trade last year that
brought Steve Finley to LA, which earned him a major dressing down from his
Marlin counterpart.  It's also known that his attempt to trade Shawn Green (and
failing to do so) has thoroughly alienated Green, who had expressed the wish to
spent the rest of his career in Dodger blue.

The new Dodger owner, Frank McCourt, who doesn't have the available cash flow to
spend in the style of George Steinbrenner or Arte Moreno, hired DePodesta to run
the Dodgers as a low-medium budget operation, in the style of Billy Beane.  Thus
far, it would seem, the jury is still out as to whether DePodesta can do it.

One report is at:  http://www.thebookofmike.blogspot.com

So, A's fans, your team is not the only one in turmoil.

Al

P.S.  It's now reported that the city of Anaheim plans to SUE the Angels over
this name-changing BS (!).  I wonder how much that will detract from, say,
winning ball games?  I wouldn't hand the Division title to the Halos just yet -
- -





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Baseball fans, don't forget to tune in LIVE online,
tonight at 7 pm for the MLB Power Half-Hour as Ben and
Artie recap all the Hot Stove activity, right here at
http://www.am1240wgbb.com/live.html.html

Send an aim instant message to mlb1240am during the
show and we'll read your thoughts on the air--sound
off on Mulder, Hudson, Pedro, Sexson, Sosa,
Randy....we'll be covering it all tonight at 7 pm,
est.

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season, check out our new sponsor's terrific product,
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I ranted like most of you when I heard about the trades, but upon reflection,
Beane may have pulled a fast one.  I emphasize "MAY" because I'm still a little
ambivalent.

They were called the Big Three, but just how big were they?  Comparable to
Koufax, Drysdale and Podres?  Hardly.

Hudson won 20 games in 2000, then 18 in 2001, and dropped off after that. 
Mulder won 20 games in 2001 and 19 in 2002.  Last year he did begin to remind me
of Koufax during the first half, but then as we know he just lost it.  Zito won
23 games in 2002 then dropped off.

The mark of great pitchers is their ability to win big games.  I remember well
that day in 1965 when Sandy Koufax won game seven of the World Series against
the Twins.  He realized in the first inning he had no curveball that day.  After
the second inning he gave up on the curve, and threw fastballs the rest of the
afternoon.  He found a way to win.

Neither Hudson nor Mulder nor Zito ever won the big games against the Yankees,
Red Sox, or even the Twins.  Not one.  In my humble opinion, Dave Stewart would
have won every one of those fifth games of the divisional series.  (Hell, he
would have demanded the ball!)  Maybe Beane figured out he wasn't ever going to
win with those guys.

And, maybe it's no coincidence that he traded both to National League teams. 
Except for the handful of teams the Athletics play in interleague play, the NL
general managers know the Big Three by reputation only, and were ready to offer
more than their AL counterparts.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe my initial outrage was the correct reaction, but I'm
willing to give Beane the benefit of the doubt.  For now.

Al



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Hi there,

How's it going? :-)

I just thought some of you might be interested to know, that there is
this great sports site that recently got started a few months ago, who
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Here's the link to the site where you can reach it:

FORUMS PAGE: http://www.ptpsportsnetwork.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

Anyway, I truely appreciate your time, and courtesy. I hope you take
the time to join
Thanks! :-)

There's been a bevy of Hot Stove activity and the
Power Hour is set to re-cap tomorrow night at 7 pm,
est.

Tune in live at
http://www.am1240wgbb.com/live.html.html as we run
through all the moves: Mulder and Hudson are moving
on, Pedro's in NY and the Unit may be on his way!!

Send us an AIM instant message at mlb1240am to hear
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This may explain it all.  Lower the team's expenses and create a larger market
value.  From today's San Francisco Chronicle.  This column is NOT in the sports
section.

Chief of A's stadium plans may buy in

by Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross
San Francisco Chronicle

There's hot talk that the Oakland A's are close to being sold to a group headed
by Lewis Wolff, the megabucks Los Angeles developer whose possible emergence as
a new owner was signaled last year when the team hired him to explore plans for
a new stadium.

Wolff -- formerly a part owner of both the Golden State Warriors and St. Louis
Blues hockey franchise -- isn't discounting the idea of taking over the A's, but
says it's a bit early to tell how discussions will turn out.
"Hopefully, within 90 days we will be able to figure out what my role will be,''
he told us by phone Friday.
"All I can tell you is, I have an option, which has been in the papers for some
time, to purchase all or part of the team," Wolff said. "And I'm exploring it in
detail because I'm very interested in the A's and think it's one of the best-run
teams in baseball.''
Of course, the option he's talking about -- at least as it was announced last
year -- hinged on the A's coming up with a new stadium plan, something that's
still a long, long way from happening.
But then, Wolff said that wasn't an issue anymore.
Since 1995, the A's have been owned 50-50 by home developers Steve Schott and
Ken Hofmann. They bought the franchise at a discounted price far below the
reported $85 million from Walter Haas -- the now-deceased patriarch of the San
Francisco family that owns Levi Strauss -- with a pledge to keep the team in
Oakland.
But the Schott-Hofmann pairing -- in which Schott served as the managing partner
-- hasn't always gone smoothly, with the two often at odds over the team's
direction.
The team is said to be worth $150 million to $170 million. It regularly turns a
profit, largely because of the $12 million to $14 million it receives annually
from baseball's revenue-sharing program, plus its next-to-nothing rent at the
Coliseum.
Wolff confirmed he was negotiating to buy Hofmann's stake, but was less specific
on where he stood in acquiring Schott's share.
However, one source following the moves predicted that Schott would be bowing
out soon, or at least taking a back seat.
"Lew Wolff is going to be calling most of the shots now,'' said our source.
At the same time, Wolff confirmed that he is looking to bring on a number of
partners, including John Fisher -- as in the son of Gap founder Donald Fisher.
The younger Fisher is already a business partner with Wolff in a number of hotel
and other real estate deals, including ownership of the San Francisco Fairmont.
The Fishers were among the local investors who stepped forward in 1992 to buy
the San Francisco Giants when the team was on the verge of being sold to a Tampa
Bay group and moved to Florida.
But the Fishers -- who remain prominent philanthropists in the Bay Area -- have
since sold all but about 1 percent of their interest, according to baseball
insiders.
As for what a possible change in ownership would mean for Oakland's chances of
landing that long-shot stadium?
"I don't think it's going to make that much difference,'' Oakland City Council
President Ignacio De La Fuente said when we asked about the rumored sale.
"We are working very closely with Lew Wolff and Steve Schott," De La Fuente
said, "and we continue to be ready to try to look at the viability of building a
new home for the A's.''
Wolff and the city have narrowed their search to the parking lot north of the
Coliseum, a stadium the A's share with the Oakland Raiders. The A's have said
they would contribute $100 million toward construction of a baseball-only
stadium, which could cost $400 million or more.
But there is speculation that the team might still have its eye on part of a
65-acre site near the Oakland estuary, between Oak Street and 10th Avenue. The
land, which the Port of Oakland sold last year, is slated to be developed as
housing.
And, just last week, the City Council of baseball-hungry San Jose agreed to try
to buy the former Del Monte cannery west of downtown -- 11 acres said to be
worth about $26 million -- with the idea that it could be a ballpark site.
It was Wolff, after all, who back in 1998 suggested the A's build a stadium in
San Jose, quipping: "I wouldn't spend five minutes on any other city besides San
Jose.''
But then, as one government insider who has been watching all of the stadium
moves, predicted, "We will be talking about this for years.''




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Don't forget to tune in tonight, live online at
http://www.am1240wgbb.com/live.html.html and send us
an aim instant message at mlb1240am to participate in
the show.

Pedro to the Mets? Hudson to the Dodgers? Burnett on
the move? Sexson to the M's? Finley to the Angels?
Kolb to the Braves? Wells to the BoSox, Pavano, Wright
to the Yanks? Renteria? Cabrera? Beltran?

We'll get into it all tonight at 7 pm est

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an aim instant message at mlb1240am to participate in
the show.

Pedro to the Mets? Hudson to the Dodgers? Burnett on
the move? Sexson to the M's? Finley to the Angels?
Kolb to the Braves? Wells to the BoSox, Pavano, Wright
to the Yanks? Renteria? Cabrera? Beltran?

We'll get into it all tonight at 7 pm est

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We'll run through the week's major signings, trades,
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Hudson, agent set deadline for deal
Sans extension, ace prepared to explore free agency
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com

Oakland ace Tim Hudson, whose contract with the A's expires after next season,
said Wednesday that if he and the A's can't agree to an extension by March 1,
he'll end negotiations, play out the 2005 season and then leave the team as a
free agent. Hudson, 29, said he did not want to go through the media circus that
grips a team when one of its stars has an uncertain future.

Here's the full story:

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/oak/news/oak_news.jsp?ymd=20041201&c\
ontent_id=917483&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp




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Here's the link:

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/oak/schedule/tentative_2005_season_s\
chedule.jsp




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I noticed a subtle change found on the Angels' tentative 2005 schedule, posted
on the team's website?  The Los Angeles Dodgers are listed as "LAD" and not
"LA".  Inching, perhaps, toward the day when the Angels will be listed as "LAA"
and not "ANA"???

For now, a poem to help tide us through the off season:


The Tigers



by William Flake



Tigers! Tigers, fighting bright

In the ballparks of the night.

Your pitching’s fair, your field adroit,

So why no pennants for Detroit?



You blaze around the A. L. parks

With bats that fairly give off sparks.

But when they total up the score

You’ve lost again to Baltimore.



You start out brave with each new year;

With stalwart hearts you know no fear.

Then, from on high, while sitting pretty,

You blow four games at Kansas City.



The Cleveland Indians go to work;

They beat you good, so does New York.

When Oakland adds a crushing blow

All’s you can cry is “Look out below!”



Before the season’s finally done

You’ve been outplayed by old Boston.

Amid the heated pennant race

You fight to stay out of last place.



Tigers! Tigers, fighting bright

In the ballparks of the night.

Some day the fans will get their fill

And move the team to Louisville!




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What a season it has been in MLB during 2004! We have witnessed some
fantastic plays and some very talented players in action. At the same
time, managers have really had an impact on how this season has
played out. Whether it is Texas Rangers' skipper, Buck Showalter,
taking a last place team to the brink of the playoffs, or Ron
Gardenhire of the Twins leading his squad to their fourth straight
division crown, managers have played a huge part in the success of
their teams this season.

Pitching has become more and more of a factor in the Big Leagues, as
of late, and it has made the managers' job that much more important
in terms of the decision making that goes along with it.

There have also been some great seasons by managers of two teams, not
even close to the playoffs, which have improved tremendously this
season. Both Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers, and Eric Wedge of
the Cleveland Indians, have taken teams with dismal last season
records and improved them in leaps and bounds. Both managers will be
looking forward to 2005, but should not be counted out of the running
for this year's award based on their teams' overall improvement.

"I think what Buck Showalter has done this season with the Rangers
has been astounding." said Dave Johnson, CEO of WagerWeb.com. "A lot
of money has come in on him, but we have also received some action on
Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. I would guess that money is coming
out of Boston, and onto Yankees' skipper, Joe Torre, who seems to be
in the running every year."

This award will likely come down to which teams went into the
postseason the strongest, if it is given to a team that ends up in
the postseason. The big exception could come from the Texas Rangers
where, after losing all-world player Alex Rodriguez, Showalter and
his staff have taken the Rangers to the doorstep of the playoffs.
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we need to sweep the angels inorder to get the playoffs there is no
way for the A's to get to the wildcard

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Hi there,
How's it going? :-)
I just thought some of you might be interested to know, that there
is this great sports site that recently got started a few months ago
(about 8 months old to be exact), who are looking for some
knowledgeable posters, to help fill the void. It's a really friendly
community, and the people who are behind site, are extremely
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general forums, and off-topic areas. But, I just thought I would let
you know this, in case you're interested.
Here's the link to the site where you can reach it:
FORUMS PAGE: http://www.ptpsportsnetwork.com/forums/index.php?act=idx
Anyway, I truely appreciate your time, and courtesy. I hope you take
the time to join
Thanks! :-)
take care,

Another stellar performance by The Arson Squad.





"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped."  --
Elbert Hubbard







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http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1859386


OAKLAND, Calif. -- Dennis Eckersley got another standing ovation from Oakland
Athletics fans Saturday -- only this time it came before a game.





Eckersley, who saved a franchise-record 320 games for the A's and closed out
their 1989 World Series win over San Francisco, was honored before Saturday's
game against Kansas City for last month's induction into the Hall of Fame.



"The time I spent in Oakland were the greatest years of my life," he said. "I'll
always be appreciative of how the fans supported me in good times and God knows
bad times."



Former teammates Dave Henderson and Terry Steinbach gave him a crystal to
commemorate the day. Rickey Henderson, Mike Moore, Ron Darling and Rick
Honeycutt were also on hand.



Eckersley had 390 career saves but his most memorable came in his first
postseason trip, when he struck out Wade Boggs with runners on first and second
to preserve a one-run lead and win Game 1 of the 1988 ALCS against his former
team, the Boston Red Sox.



"That's one game I don't forget," he said. "But there are a lot of saves I
should have gotten but didn't that I don't forget."



Eckersley seldom blew a save, but two of those rare occasions came on the big
stage of the postseason.



In Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, he allowed a pinch-hit, game-winning homer
to a hobbling Kirk Gibson that propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a World
Series upset.



Four years later, Eckersley served up a game-tying shot to Toronto's Roberto
Alomar in Game 4 of the ALCS.



"When I gave up a homer, I didn't even want to stop at the gas station on the
way home because they would know I gave up a bomb," Eckersley said. "At the time
there was so much pressure it was hard to enjoy it."



But usually when Eckersley came in for the A's, he worked quickly, threw strikes
and closed out another victory.



"He was Mr. Automatic," Henderson said. "He got it done really quick."



With his shaggy black hair and distinct mustache, the fiery Eckersley relied on
pinpoint control and was the most effective reliever in baseball from 1988-92,
helping the A's win four division titles, three AL pennants and one World
Series. He won the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards in 1992, going 7-1 with 51 saves
and a 1.91 ERA.



"It was magic," Eckersley said. "We expected to win and I expected to save
games. That's how it was."



Eckersley is third on baseball's career saves list behind Lee Smith (478) and
John Franco (424).



The A's also honored former announcer Lon Simmons, who received the Ford C.
Frick Award and was the 29th broadcaster inducted into the broadcast wing of the
Hall of Fame.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I am selling 4 great seats together (section 110, row 4) that I can't
use for the 8/23 game vs. the Orioles.  Willing to sell at cost ($32
each + $20 convenience charge) = $148.
You pay $20 for overnight shipping.

For more info, see eBay listing at
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You can bid there, or else contact me directly by replying to this
email.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Garcia is 21, and was signed out of the
Dominican Republic at age 16.

Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA
read "Al's Baseball Tidbits" at:

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/primer/tidbits/gm.cgi

Today the A's and Twinkies played 18 innings, just like a doubleheader,
except you don't get to rest in between and only one win and one loss
are given out. In the top of the 18th, the A's got a run and had two on,
two out. Durazo lined one off the "baggie" in right, then Miller lined a
single to center. TWO TWO-OUT, RBI singles!!!

In the bottom half, Dotel took the mound with a 3-run lead, what is
considered an "easy save." He walked the leadoff batter. The 2nd batter,
their new regular 1B, Morneau, hit a towering shot to CF. Now 6-5. Dotel
pitched an easy save into a more difficult one. He struck Torie Hunter
out, but LeCroy singled. Koskie hit a fly to fairly deep CF and I
cringed, but Kotsay hauled it in. Cuddyer popped to German. Dotel gets a
"cheap save."

I don't know what it is with him. It it weren't for those two-out RBI
singles, we would have lost that game.
Texas lost, so Oakland has a 1 1/2-game lead.

Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA

I just noticed that Eric Chavez has the 8th-highest OPS (on-base average
plus slugging average) in the AL, 3 spots above Tejada (.942 to .911).
Of course, Chavez has missed considerable time, so his counting stats
aren't that great, but since he came off the DL his BA has risen
substantially. He is only one homer behind Tejada, despite 150 fewer AB,
and he has 30 more walks. Yes, I know Miguel leads MLB in RBI, and he's
doing a great job with runners on and in scoring position, but it's also
a matter of lots of opportunities. Here is some interesting data:
               %PA none one   % PA runners on   % PA w/RISP  %PAw/RISP, 2 out
AL                      55.3%                   44.7%
26.3%                     11.7%
Miguel                48.6%                    51.4%
30.8%                       9.5%

So, he's getting a lot more good opportunities to drive in runs than the
average American Leaguer. To his credit, he's making the most of them.

BTW, Bobby Crosby continues to improve, and has raised his OPS over .800
now (.807). Miguel did not crack .800 until his 3rd full season.

Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA
read "Al's Baseball Tidbits" at:

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/primer/tidbits/gm.cgi