So apparently, the cool thing to do on the interblognets around the turn of the calendar year is to look back on the year that was. Thus, we’re proud to present the first annual Say Heys, est. 1959.
The “One Shining Moment” Award for the Best Montage: the new pre-game introduction video at the Warriors games
The 2 Girls, 1 Cup Award for the Most Cringe-Inducing Moment: 756!
The Max Power Award for Best Nickname: Stephen Jackson, aka Captain Jack
The Baron Davis Award for the Best Beard: Baron Davis
The Rod Beck Award for Most Lovable Giants Pitcher: Matt Cain
The Atlee Hammaker/Salomon Torres Award for the Most _____ Giants Pitcher: Barry Zito (Runner-up, somehow: Trent Dilfer)
The Teri Schiavo Award for the Most Overexposed Vegetable: Barry Bonds
Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. After this past summer of painful baseball at Pac Bell and the Coliseum, we really didn’t think it could get worse.
We were wrong.
During the month of October, not one sports team in the 415 or 510 area code won a single game. (And November ain’t off to such a hot start either.)
A’s: n/a
Giants: n/a
Warriors: 0-3.
49ers: 0-4.
Raiders: 0-4.
For the heck of it, we’ll even toss in Cal football: 0-3.
Conclusion: it’s time for the San Francisco Rumble and the ABA. That, or hockey.
During the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Rangers, Nick Swisher showcased one of the better mound assaults we’ve ever seen.
The background: Swisher hit a home run in each of the first three games of the four-game series. When Vicente Padilla hit him in his first at-bat on Sunday, it was the third time in the last three games that Swisher had been hit, so Nick being a real man, he charged the mound like no other.
The dropping of the shoulder really makes it special.
As the Giants and A’s wrap up their respective wastes of a season, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on one of the most painful baseball summers in recent history.
But let’s take a moment to consider just how lucky the Bay Area has been in terms of putting out competitive baseball teams over the last two decades.
The last time both Bay Area teams lost 85 games was that magical 1985 season. The Giants are pretty much a shoe-in for 85 losses this year, but Oakland’s late-season “surge” has made it necessary for them to lose 10 of their last 14 games to reach the 85-loss mark.
Why do we mention this? Take a look at the other two-team markets in the Major League and the last time(s) both teams lost at least 85 games.
New York: Mets and Yankees lost 85+ games in 1992, 1991.
Los Angeles: Dodgers and Angels lost 85+ games in 1999, 1992, 1987
Chicago: Cubs and White Sox lost 85+ games in 1999, 1988, 1987, 1986
Not only does the Bay Area have the longest streak going (by far), but since that 1985 disaster–which simultaneously spawned two dynasties (one led by a certain Will Clark, the other by the Bash Brothers)–the three other markets have a combined nine170+ loss seasons.
Yeah, we’re sticking with the 1988 World Series nostalgia clips. Here we have the First Lady delivering a very important message to the youth of America and then tossing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Seeing that “pitch” makes us realize that Nancy Reagan was almost a real-life, female version of Mr. Burns (albeit not evil … probably).
[Kidding aside, we think she did a very nice thing in bringing the whole "Say no to drugs" campaign to the country and we wouldn't wish to imply otherwise.]
When we get depressed with life, we take some delight in remembering that there’s always a Jose Canseco or two (get it? his twin Ozzie? eh?) out there, roaming the empty streets of a Miami suburb, trying desperately to remember where he got “those awesome hamburger tacos” last Tuesday.
And then we remember that he’s a best-selling author with another book on the way.
The A’s beat the Jays in 11 innings last night, but the big news of the day was the deal that saw Esteban Loaiza go to the Dodgers. Oakland will save about $7.6 million. There was talk of former Giants starter Brett Tomko coming back to the Bay in exchange for Loaiza, but the A’s decided–rightly–that they would rather give Loaiza away and save some dough than take Tomko. Meanwhile, the Dodgers designated Tomko for assignment. [SFGate]
This season, the A’s have made an astonishing number of moves, basically overturning their entire roster. Their payroll has dropped from $80 to $60 million. [SFGate]
AN thinks that Beane should continue to gut the team until all the high-priced talent is gone. We’re looking at you, Mike Piazza, Mark Kotsay, Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez. [Athletics Nation]
Who should be expected to be on the expanded 40-man roster? [Catfish Stew]
Mark Ellis helps kids with diabetes and kids who wanna learn to read and do other good stuff too. [Official Site]
Here’s an amazing story: Oakland’s AAA team, the Sacramento River Cats are in first place (with a five-game lead), despite being involved in 174 transactions this year. 174! [SFGate]
We’re happy to announce that Say Hey got a nice shout-out on the 20th episode of the Washington Post Live’s Blog Show. Since it’s the last episode before Labor Day, Jamie Mottram and Dan Steinberg–two blogfathers of the sports interwebs–looked back on the best of the summer that was. Among the myriad estival highlights was our little Stomper breakdancing clip (2:35 mark). Who said that Oakland never contributed anything to civilization?
Other highlights include Mr. Met getting his bhangra on, Brady Quinn’s photo gallery of beauty and the lost YouTube of Chris Farley’s Christian Laettner recreation reimagining.
In so many ways, “Hendu” was the exact opposite of Rickey: a workmanlike, unassuming and underrated outfielder. And like the earlier-discussed Mike Aldrete, Dave Henderson had stints with both the Giants and A’s.
Born just south of the Bay in Merced, Hendu came up with the Seattle Mariners in 1981. Baseball fans around the nation probably best remember him for his ALCS-clinching home run in the ninth inning as a member of the 1986 Boston Red Sox.
During the tail end of the 1987 season, he was traded to San Francisco but after a mere 15 games in orange and black, he signed with the A’s during the offseason. In Oakland, he resurrected his career, setting career highs in average (.304), doubles (3 and hits (154). He was an All-Star in 1991 (when he hit behind Rickey Henderson).
He finished his 14-year career in 1994 after a season with the Kansas City Royals, which is enough to make anyone want to retire.
Hendu is currently a broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners. He also sponsors a host of “baseball adventures.” We will always remember Hendu for his slight resemblance to David Allen Grier.
Everyone who played youth baseball knows about the “Mike Aldrete” kid: the nice left-handed hitter who has a super sweet swing but no speed, power or defensive prowess.
Mike Aldrete was a Northern California kid. A Carmel native, he lettered in the three big sports at Monterey High, then went on to play ball at Stanford. He cracked into the bigs with the Giants in 1986 and had his best year in 1987, hitting an impressive .325 as the team went to the NLCS (stupid Jose Oquendo).
After his stint with the Giants, he did some traveling, making stops in Montreal, Cleveland, San Diego, Oakland, Anaheim (or, as it was known back then, California), New York and Syracuse. He filled in admirably for the injured Mark McGwire in 1993 with the A’s and later won a World Series ring with the 1996 Yankees.
In 2003, he scored the first base coach job with the Seattle Mariners, who were then managed by his good buddy and former Giant Bob Melvin. In 2005, when Melvin took over the Arizona Diamondbacks, he brought Aldrete along, and Aldrete is currently the DBacks’ hitting coach. He lives in Monterey with his family in the offseason.
Coming off the bench to pinch hit in those 1987 games, Mike was always a personal childhood favorite of ours.
With Rawlings’ announcement of their All-Time Gold Glove Team and Henry Schulman’s ringing endorsement of Pedro Feliz as the hands-down best defensive third baseman in the National League this year, there’s been a lot of Gold Glove talk lately, so we thought we’d try to put together a list of the Bay Area’s All-Time Gold Glove Team.
Admittedly, we’re not too familiar with the teams of the ’60s and ’70s, so please feel free to disagree and/or toss any other names into the hat. You’ll be wrong, but whatever.
Catcher: Did you know that Kirt Manwaring won a Gold Glove in 1993? Benito Santiago had a lot of flair behind the dish, but was terrible at blocking balls. Mike Matheny wasn’t even around for an entire year. Terry Steinbach was great but our pick is a personal favorite: the vastly underrated Ramon Hernandez, who anchored four consecutive 90-win seasons with the A’s (2000-2003). Food for thought: how well has the Big Three done in his absence?
First Base: Big Mac won a Golden Arch in 1990, but who knows how. Willie McCovey and his 6-4 frame must have been a nice target for his infielders. The Baby Bull has a lifetime fielding percentage of .990. The Thrill grabbed a Gold Glove in 1991, but the hands-down winner has got to be JT Snow. During the Snow Days, it was like the Giants had a left-handed shortstop playing first base. Has a first baseman in big league history ever contributed so much to the highlight reel?
The Cast: A’s mascot Stomper, a strapping young fellow named Jose, others.
The Plot: A normal, breakdancing fellow is impressing his rambunctious friends with his twirling ability when along comes an anthropomorphic elephant. The giant, mute pachyderm challenges him to a dance-off. Actually, this is exactly what happened in our dream last night.
In this dismal summer, at least the A’s have Jack Cust. The phenom hit two home runs dingers in a 4-3 victory over Chicago, and suddenly Oakland has won nine of its last 14 in their quest for .500. Say Hey favorite Donnie Murphy also added a roundtripper, his fourth in the last 11 games. [SFGate]
Speaking of which, who needs Bobby Crosby, Mike Piazza and Rich Harden when you have Oakland’s “misfits”? [Athletics Nation]
Jack Cust and Babe Ruth? Those Chronicle sports blogs need some help. [The Drumbeat]
Here’s an interesting Moneyball-esque explanation of why Cust is so much better than Dan Johnson, despite all their apparent similarities. Teaser: the difference lies in how they make their outs. [Catfish Stew]
Mike Piazza shan’t be in a Mets uniform this year. Sandy Alomar Jr, maybe. [The FanHouse]
During the A’s-Tigers game on Monday, Detroit’s Placido Polanco broke the MLB record for most games without any error at second base: 144. His unusually large head remained as bulbous as ever. [ESPN]
Dan Meyer–the last remaining “piece” from the Tim Hudson trade–has been doing pretty well in the minors. [SFGate]
Meanwhile, the A’s added another Jack: Hannahan. JJ Furmaniak was sent sent down to Sacto to make room. [SFGate]
Also, Esteban Loaiza is ready to return. “Loaiza” would be a good Scrabble word. [Official Site]
The switch-hitting Rob Bowen, on his third team this year, got the start at catcher and responded by hitting a home run from each side of the plate as the A’s topped the Rangers last night. [Inside Bay Area]
Stat shock of the week: Mark Ellis is tied for the most homers off lefties in the league. Stat shock of the week, part two: last year, Ellis had the best fielding percentage for a second baseman in history. Anyway, Ellis’ burgeoning offensive output may somehow help him win that elusive first Gold Glove. [SFGate]
Speaking of fun middle-infielders, the 24-year-old Donnie Murphy has done an excellent job filling in for Bobby Crosby at short. [Official Site]
Several teams, including the Cubs, allegedly put in claims for Shannon Stewart off waivers. The Cubs won the claim and the two teams have 48 hours to work out a trade. [MLB Trade Rumors]
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Posted by Say Hey
As the Giants and A’s wrap up their respective wastes of a season, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on one of the most painful baseball summers in recent history.
Ah, the other Henderson in the Oakland outfield.
and hits (154). He was an All-Star in 1991 (when he hit behind Rickey Henderson).
Everyone who played youth baseball knows about the “Mike Aldrete” kid: the nice left-handed hitter who has a super sweet swing but no speed, power or defensive prowess.
