Detroit's win is also win for Oakland
A's get more rest, home-field advantage

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic.../AS.TMP&type=as

- Susan Slusser, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, October 8, 2006

They won't have to face Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield or Alex Rodriguez, and the A's
also don't have to pack up for a few extra days.

With the Tigers' victory over the Yankees on Saturday, Oakland will hold home-field
advantage in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, which starts on
Tuesday at the Coliseum.

"You don't wish nor fear to play anyone this time of year, but what is nice is to
stay home for a couple days and open up in Oakland,'' A's general manager Billy Beane
said Saturday evening. "Everyone welcomes that.''

Detroit, like recently dispatched Minnesota, holds the edge in the season series with
Oakland, taking five of nine games. The Tigers also have some of the league's top
pitchers, including rookie Justin Verlander, onetime Oakland prospect Jeremy
Bonderman, hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya and A's-killer Kenny Rogers.

"At times they've been one of the best teams in the league, and they appear to be
playing very well right now,'' Beane said. "They're a pretty impressive club. It was
kind of pick your poison between facing them or face the Yankees with that lineup.''

Like the Twins, the Tigers can expect the all-for-one team treatment from Oakland.
Third baseman Eric Chavez called this year's A's "one of the least-talented teams
I've been on'' and he didn't mean it as an insult. If there was one resounding theme
after the A's swept the Twins in the Division Series, it was the concept of unity.

"Just team baseball, really,'' Chavez said. "We've had a lot of guys pick each other
up this year. In other years, it's been the Big Three or it's been Jason Giambi and
Miguel Tejada, but this year, you could say this is Oakland A's baseball that
participated. That's really set us aside from other years.''

That's the only way Oakland survived numerous injuries, and it's the only way the
club took the AL West despite some sub-par offensive stats. The year's A's model did
not have the firepower that the 2000-03 playoff teams had, and while the pitching was
very good this year, some of those Big Three teams were superior.

"The biggest part of it is the Oakland A's played great baseball,'' Minnesota manager
Ron Gardenhire said. "They didn't make any mistakes, they got the big hits, they made
all the plays. I tip my hat to the Oakland A's. They won this series by going out and
getting it done and playing their tails off.''

Frank Thomas is the marquee name in the lineup, but good as Thomas was in the first
round it was low-profile Marco Scutaro, playing because of Bobby Crosby's back
injury, who emerged as the star of the Division Series. Justin Duchscherer, also
under the radar despite an All-Star Game appearance, might be emblematic of the
entire pitching staff: unimposing, but effective.

"We thrive on chemistry,'' A's closer Huston Street shouted during the team's wild
postgame celebration after ending a nine-game drought in possible clinchers. "Every
man is pulling for the next guy.''

Now, the A's want to take their united-front approach a step further.

"This is a great team accomplishment,'' Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay said after
Friday's victory. "But we still have a lot left to do.''



----



- Scott Smith: scott@sludgereport.org
Book Blog: http://scottsbooks.blogspot.com
Blue States Rising: http://www.bluestaterising.blogspot.com

"Scott Smith" <scott@sludgereport.org> wrote in message
news:k8bli2h13tj4nvsle20ce174l22lh73nr4@4ax.com...



hey, but ya know what?!?! Unlike the Twinkies. The Tigers are playing this
week!!





--
I never read email at the Yahoo address!

On Mon, 9 Oct 2006 16:45:32 -0400, "Bill Kawalec" <billkawalec@yahoo.com> wrote:



And if the Tigers lose this series, they still have nothing to show for all
their hard work this season.




- Scott Smith: scott@sludgereport.org
Book Blog: http://scottsbooks.blogspot.com
Blue States Rising: http://www.bluestaterising.blogspot.com

On Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:24:06 -0500, Scott Smith
<scott@sludgereport.org> wrote:



The Tigers won a playoff series, the Twins couldn't even win a playoff
GAME.

But....you can have your Central Division banner. It means NOTHING.

BTW? Watching the Twins/A's game in Minnesota? I noticed the Twins
have a Wild Card banner up. So I guess the Tigers will at least have
that. Unless it's considered too bush league for a big city. A city
like Minnesota has to celebrate any little achievement? Do they also
have 4 banners up for losing 4 Super Bowls?

A minor league town with a major complex. Go shovel some snow or
something.


Brian

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 21:20:13 GMT, Brian Matthews <noonecares@ddd.com>
wrote:


Sure, keep telling yourselves that, Tigers fans. LOL.


And we can usually celebrate without burning the city down, or
throwing punches at players, in the process. ;-)


Don't know, don't give a damn about the NFL.


It doesn't snow in Michigan? That's news to me. ;-)



- Scott Smith: scott@sludgereport.org
Books Blog: http://scottsbooks.blogspot.com
Blue States Rising: http://www.bluestaterising.blogspot.com