mad dog in the fog

Inexcusable.

Barry Zito has reportedly signed a 7-year $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. I think this deal makes a lot of sense for the Giants and I love the fact that Zito is not going to either of the New York teams.

Bonds will be in a Giants uniform again next year. I’m not a big fan of his attitude and yes, he will have an asterisk next to his name but I have to admit, I’m happy that he’s coming back next year. The next questions is: Will they add another Barry to the roster?

The Giants hired Bruce Bochy as their new manager today. Many people, myself included, are facinated by Bochy’s huge head (seriously - it’s gotta be a size 9). This made me think of a great scene from ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer’. You’ll want to forward to the 3:02 mark to get to the scene that I’m talking about.

Well, it’s over now. The A’s were outplayed by the Tigers and their season is over. Milton Bradley was one of the few bright spots for the A’s in this series. He batted .500 in the four-game series, had 35 % of his team’s total bases (17 of 48), and he played hurt during the final game (strained quad). Tip of the cap to the Tigers who played great fundamental baseball, had outstanding pitching, and got the timely hits. And they did all of that with a low payroll.

The A’s were smacked around again by the Tigers today and they are on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs. This quote from A’s third baseman Eric Chavez really bothered me:

“We’re running into a better team, and they’re knocking down everybody in their path,” A’s third baseman Eric Chavez said. “It’s not frustrating, they’re better than we are.”

That is absolutely the wrong attitude, even if you are down 3-0. Save the concession speech for when the series is over.  Eric, you should be frustrated with the way that your team has played.  Very frustrated.  There’s some heated discussion about this ridiculous quote on Athletics Nation.

I went to ALCS Game 1 on Tuesday. More photos on Flickr.

It was an unforgettable day at the Coliseum today.  More photos on Flickr.

The Giants ended their disappointing 2006 season with another loss. Was this Barry Bonds’ last game in a Giants uniform?

(photo is from a July game against the Padres)

Congratulations to the 2006 Oakland A’s! After a two year hiatus they are back in the playoffs.  >>video