Frontpage Features

BY BILL "SCREAMIN" LEEMAN

The hiring of Bob Melvin to replace Bob Geren comes as a welcome change to A's fans, who were tired of seeing the team managed by Billy Beanes Best Man.  I mean, come on!   What started as a joke turned into a four and a half year study in mediocrity.  Someone said hiring Bob Geren to manage was about the same as hiring the Hot Dog Vendor.  What an insult to the hot dog vendor!

***

The A's won twenty games in a row a few years ago.  Now they're on a run in the other direction, with only ten more losses to match that streak.  With the firing of manager Bob Geren, they probably put the kabosh on that.   Best thing about hiring Bob Melvin to take Geren's place is that he can just hand over his name tag.  The one that says "Hi!  My name is Bob!"

***

The Red Sox have beaten the Yankees 8 out of 9 times this year.   David 'Papi' Ortiz hit a homer in the most recent game in Yankee Stadium and discarded his bat in the 'manner-not-approved-by-baseball-code', and in particular, the code-as-defined-by-Joe Girardi.    I saw it.   He flipped his bat in the direction of the Yankee dugout (actually, he merely flipped it to the other side of the plate) and Joe Girardi takes great umbrage to this major offense.    Hey, Joe:  Take umbrage with this: Your boys are stinking up the place; a shadow of their former selves.  The once mighty Yankees have more in common with a retirement farm for aging ballplayers than a contender.

***

When I saw Brandon Crawford, our new Giant shortstop dive behind second to take a sure hit away from one of the Nationals, it reminded me of the difference between how a twenty-four-year-old fields a ball when compared with someone who's nearing forty.    Please, Panda, come back soon, so my main man Miguel Tejada can be delegated to the bench where he belongs.  I'd much rather see Brandon Crawford fielding balls and hitting 215.   There's something terribly wrong with an old guy fielding balls and hitting 215.

***

One of the Giant sponsors, Bay Alarm, has a promotion going that whenever someone is caught stealing, they'll donate $200.00 to the community fund.   With Eli Whiteside behind the plate, I think their money is safe as can be.

***

You say there's no magic in AT&T Park?  Well, what about the fact that Brandon Crawford's mother, watching her son play in the bigs for the first time, catches a foul ball?   Are you kidding me?

***

More magic: Jeremy Affeldt, possibly the WORST hitting pitcher in all of baseball, drew a walk the other night.   Even he was trying to stifle a grin as he reached first.