louisgray.com: live

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

On Athletics Nation, we have an acronym called "NRAF", which refers to a "Non-Resident A's Fan". I'd hope that by living in the Bay Area, I would be close enough to the Kings that I could follow their every game well and not feel removed from the action (an NRKF if you will), yet I continue to be amazed by how two hours' drive off I-80 and Highway 101 makes it seem like Sacramento is in another state altogether.

Rather than rant in a circular argument about local Kings TV and Radio coverage (slim to none), a scene from Thursday could channel my annoyances...

I'm not one for planning for holidays well in advance. I don't have a Halloween costume. So Thursday afternoon, I zipped over to a local mall and tried to find anything that could meet the minimum criteria - hats, shirts, an all-in-one package... didn't care. After finding none of the stores had anything useful, I stopped at a "Pro Shop" which sold jerseys, caps, and all manner of sports gear. Aha! I could go as a Kings player or fan and keep the jersey for when I made a trip over to Arco!

But it wasn't to be. See... they had plenty of Kings jerseys in purple and black - on the wall, in the racks... but they were all, without exception, for Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic. Hmm... now would I look like a "with it" Kings fan if I were to show up as Chris Webber or Peja? Didn't think so. The store didn't even have any Cal Bears gear, which made zero sense, so I took off.

Now you might be thinking, of course there's no Kings stuff, you Bay Area living, wheat grass sipping, quasi-hippie! You're in Golden State Warriors country! But that's silly talk. If Sacramento is a big league town and can host an NBA squad, there's no good reason I can't hear 1140 AM on most nights, or have some channel that shows me the Kings, given my proximity.

Yet when they do play, I'm more likely refreshing Yahoo! sports and trying to picture just how Artest made that shot or Shareef pulled down a board. While the Internet is a great source of facts, photos, stats and quotes, it's no replacement for solid local coverage - and no replacement for the locals knowing who is actually on the Kings these days... C-Webb and Peja need not apply.

Listening to ''Revealed (Radio Version)'', by Blank & Jones (Play Count: 6)

Even though the A's were swept out of the playoffs by Detroit in the ALCS, I still expected to look forward to the World Series, the Fall Classic, the whole reason that 30 teams start off their seasons every year. Whether the A's are there or not, each fall tends to have memorable stories of excitement and flashes of heroism, with stories you can tell future generations. Yet this year, aside from Kenny Roger's memorable cheating with a foreign substance during his pitching start, this has been a truly forgettable World Series, and as I write, the St. Louis Cardinals are outs away from finishing it up and showing Detroit the door.

Not featuring the largest market teams, or any from California, the series has not seen drama, has not seen big scores, and is more known for its issues with weather and the perceived difference between pine tar and dirt. When dirt is the biggest topic out there, you know that the series itself couldn't have been more exciting than... well... dirt.

Now, you could say this is sour grapes from an unimpressed, jaded, frustrated A's fan, and at some level that's bound to be true. As sad as we are to see baseball no longer matter for the next few dark months, we had hoped for bigger, better things. We had hoped to be sucked in and drawn in to the World Series to celebrate those final outs and to see the players jump into each others arms, full of excitement and tears of joy. Instead, when the celebration is over, we'll just turn off the TV, shrug, and get ready for the NBA season to start. (Go Kings!)

Listening to ''The Nightfly (Short)'', by Blank & Jones (Play Count: 11)

With the A's reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade, some were surprised as to the speed which the team dispatched their manager of four years, Ken Macha. Initially, his dismissal came just with the saying that their was a "disconnect" between Macha and the front office, namely the team's general manager, Billy Beane. But in the week or so following, the press has been full of players claiming he snubbed them or left them in the dark as to why decisions were made. Now Macha is answering back, tired of seeing his name "dragged in mud."

As fans of the game, we don't expect to know all the nuances of how a team is put on the field, how lineups are decided, and how relations are between the dozens of individuals that comprise a 25-man roster and a team's front office. While on the surface, a team like the A's might be full of smiles and excellent camaraderie, we have seen this crack in the armor grow, revealing ugliness between players and manager, and manager and the front office, that in combination, left no option but to make a change.

A report in the San Francisco Chronicle today said that Macha's firing came from "too much interference". He felt that he couldn't make critical decisions independently, and had to relay orders coming from above while acting as those were his calls. Regulars and backups alike, from Adam Melhuse to Mark Kotsay, Jay Payton and Bobby Kielty are all cited as having confronted Macha about playing time, while it was clear the team was far from unanimity on which starting pitchers should take the mound against the Tigers in the ALCS. That the team was swept 4-0 surely didn't help anybody's cause.

In the wake of Macha's firing, GM Beane was asked if Macha would have been fired had he won the World Series. Beane's answer was quite telling: "We'll never know." This was damning in two ways - one reminding that the A's didn't win the World Series, and the second being that the issues around Macha were more than anything we saw on the field. For a team that should be basking in the memory of a hard-fought season where they took the division title, and swept the Minnesota Twins out of the ALDS, instead the A's are very publicly fighting amongst themselves over who said what when, and it's very petty. It shouldn't be like this, and regardless of who's right, it's time to be done with it. Macha is gone, and the A's have a lot of work to do to make sure 2007 is an even greater success.

More Information:

San Francisco Chronicle: 'Hurt' by players' comments, Macha tells his side of story
Inside Bay Area: Macha Voices Dismay

Listening to ''Gamemaster'', by Lost Tribe (Play Count: 6)

We have seen a lot of amazing sports this year - from Milton Bradley's walk-off 3-run home run earlier this summer, to Marco Scutaro's bases-clearing double in the ALDS clincher, but today's overtime thriller between the #11-ranked Cal Bears and Pac 10 foe Washington Huskies has to rank right up there among the very best. Though we have grown accustomed to seeing the Golden Bears dominate their opponents in a hail of touchdowns and pounding defense, today's game started off slowly, with Berkeley down 10-3 at halftime, as the offense could not get off the ground.

As the crowd of 58,000-plus milled around uncomfortably, Cal came out with a new attitude in the second half, outscoring the Huskies 21-7, and taking a 24-17 lead, led by a series of athletic interceptions by the defense and consistent rushing by Marshawn Lynch and his backup, Justin Forsett. But the Huskies were given one more chance with just over a minute left to try and avert the loss. As Memorial Stadium roared, the Huskies quarterback took shot after shot of the end zone, avoiding a turnover on downs, and milking the clock as it ticked down to mere seconds.

Then, amazingly, as time expired, he took one last heave from midfield to a crowd of Cal Bears, one of whom slapped the ball down, where, if it hit turf, the game would be over and the Bears would win. Instead, the ball ended up in the hands of a Husky receiver, who took it in for the game-tying two yard score as regulation ended. Our thunderous cheers died, and those of us who have seen Cal pull defeat from the jaws of victory in our time at the school, shook our heads knowingly and smirked at what had befallen us. Overtime lay in our future, and any team could win. While a win would keep the Bears' momentum, a loss, the team's second on the year, would send them tumbling down the national rankings and out of BCS contention.

In overtime, Cal had the ball first, and Lynch quickly scored his second touchdown of the afternoon, putting Cal up 31-24, as the cannon sounded and the crowd cheered. That set up Washington with yet another chance to deliver heroics and further extend the game, but it was not to be. On the team's second play from scrimmage, the ball fell into the hands of the Cal defense for the fifth interception of the day - effectively ending the contest. Though the lineman gamely rambled 80-plus yards in a quest to pad the final score, he was tackled at the 12 yard line, as fans jumped and shouted, waving their hands in the air, and high-fiving all within reach. Where all had once seemed in jeopardy, all was whole again. The Bears had won. The Bears have moved to 7-1 on the year, the fans have gone home happy, and no doubt sunburned, and yet another great memory has been added to our record books.

Just another "boring" Saturday in the Gray household.

Listening to ''ZeroTonine'', by Junkie XL (Play Count: 6)

Well, that certainly didn't take very long. Only two days following the A's elimination from the playoffs at the hands of a four-game sweep by the Detroit Tigers, manager Ken Macha was fired from his post, for the second consecutive season, and this time, it looks like the canning will stick. You might remember that he was similarly let go in 2005, only to resurface a few days later as the A's "new" manager, but this time around it seems that General Manager Billy Beane is ready to move on and give an opportunity for a new face to guide the team, who reached the ALCS for the first time in 14 years.

Ken Macha has never been a flashy, energetic manager.  In his time as the A's leader, he had a complacent, laid back attitude, and this often led fans to think he didn't care or wasn't as involved in the games as he should have been - especially in stark contrast to managers who were as commonly seen on TV as their own players, like the Angels' Mike Scioscia, the Tigers' Jim Leyland or the Yankees' Joe Torre. He also tended to make decisions a lot less quickly than fans wanted - whether it was leaving pitchers in way too long, until a game was out of hand, or sticking with ridiculous lineups that didn't take advantage of the players' skills. Even when those lineups would fail, you could bet your bottom dollar they would be trotted out the following day.

Yet, somehow his teams tended to win, at a 57% clip (4 of every 7 for years), which isn't a bad mark. Every season, his A's were above the break-even .500 mark. Following a disastrous May, Macha helped lead the team to the division title, and there has been talk of his being a candidate for Manager of the Year (behind the favorite, Leyland). I believe that a team's success is more indicative of the players' talent than the manager's slight of hand, but it didn't look as if Macha was all that strategic, and reports have said that Macha rapidly fell out of favor with a number of his players, both backups and regulars, some of whom said they did not want to return to the A's if he were still in charge. When a manager has lost the respect of his players, it is very hard to regain it. Sports history is littered with managers who ran afoul of the players and didn't last long.

Macha's failures have been a longtime running joke at Athletics Nation, where seemingly every poll included an option to "Fire Macha Now", as if that rash decision would fix everything. Now that he has been fired, a new era will start for the team, who in large part will come back to 2007 intact. As the cold winter months move on, and Spring Training looms in the horizon, a new man will be running things in Oakland, and you won't have Macha to kick around any more.

Related Links:

The ANtics, Issue 8: Ken Macha - Kung Fu Master!
The ANtics, Episode 2.27: The Mind of Ken Macha
Athletics Nation: The Internal Candidates
Athletics Nation: FIRED MACHA NOW!!!

Listening to ''The Misterons Mix'', by Underworld (Play Count: 5)

Just as quickly as the A's had dispatched the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, sweeping them in three games, they were easily handled by the World Series-bound Detroit Tigers, who wrapped up their four game sweep of the A's tonight with a bottom of the ninth, two outs, three run home run by Magglio OrdoÒez, making the final tally 6-3 in their favor. Comerica Stadium erupted in celebration and shouting, just as McAfee Coliseum had done just a week and a half ago, when the A's had clinched an ALCS birth for the first time in 14 years. But this time, the A's left the field, some hanging their heads, knowing that tonight's game was the last they will play in 2006, having come so close, but left so far from reaching the goal - a World Series title.

In the months to come, as individual players and plays are dissected and examined, there may be much made of Mark Ellis' injury, Eric Chavez's comments that the Tigers were the better team, Frank Thomas' lack of hitting in the series, and as always, the same platitudes regarding Moneyball and how the A's "stuff" just doesn't work in the playoffs. But even in this loss, we are pleased with how the team forged its way into one of the last four to be playing, as 26 teams had long gone home. Despite a payroll that came in at one-fourth the size of the bloated New York Yankees, and tens of millions less than the division rival Angels, the A's were the ones playing deep into October.

2006 was the first time I've ever owned season tickets for the A's, and though driving up and down Highway 880 twice a week for an entire summer got tedious, I can't think of any time I was disappointed I went. The more than 40 contests (and likely 50, including Spring Training and playoffs) we took in this year were a fantastic way to follow the team up close and root them on to the best of our ability. We know they aren't perfect, and today's loss (as with the previous three) is disheartening, but as fans, we just need to take a deep breath, and move on. We will find other obsessions to focus on through the cold, lifeless, winter months, be they other sports, politics, and as always, there's plenty of work to do at the office. And there's always Athletics Nation. That crowd of A's fans is always ready to talk green and gold, regardless of the date, all year round.

Tonight, we'll feel empty, and all next week, we will have to take sympathy and make excuses for the loss to colleagues who see us representing the team, but we'll pull through. I wanted to say thanks to the A's players, management and ownership for putting together such a great season with such likeable players, and we hope to push even further - in 2007.

Listening to ''Love You More (Extended Vocal Mix)'', by Armin van Buuren (Play Count: 4)

In the category of "I shouldn't really care, but for some reason I do", the Sacramento Kings held their first preseason game this evening, taking on the Dallas Mavericks. In a game that wasn't supposed to mean anything, and apparently didn't feature the full Mavericks staff, the Kings prevailed 111-90, in a game where they weren't truly challenged.

Being in the Bay Area means that I don't have access to the Kings on TV on a regular basis, so any "watching" took place via Yahoo! Sports, and real-time chat on Sactown Royalty, where you can see my quasi-commentary and always uninsightful comments. Hopefully, as the NBA season nears, we'll find some sort of solution to satiate my seeming need to follow every game.

In the game, the Kings led throughout, and outscored the Mavericks every quarter. Five players notched double figures, including one of my favorites, Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim and I both entered Cal Berkeley in the 1995-1996 year, where he gained freshman of the year honors for the Pac-10 conference, and then, vanished, off to the pros, while I was left to toil for UC Berkeley another three years, as he made his millions and I only got a degree.

Shareef's role on the Kings has been questioned of late. While his talent is among the highest on the club, he has been coming off of the bench, and playing more of a backup role. In my fully biased, uneducated opinion, I feel the team would be better off with him in the starting five, and tonight's play showed that. On the flip side, tonight's game didn't count, and they don't count for awhile. Maybe I should keep my focus on baseball until it's "all over" for the A's...

Listening to ''What Was Her Name?'', by Dave Clarke (Play Count: 6)

Thanks to scheduling beyond our control, the last few days have been completely out of the ordinary - consisting of our going into the office at a normal hour, and then bailing in the mid-afternoon, to race north to the Oakland Coliseum, take in the game, and then meander our way back home again.

While we've enjoyed the twice-weekly trip all summer long, this was typically a Friday/Saturday jaunt, and games could regularly be seen at 7 p.m. Friday, with a day game Saturday. Now, in the ALCS, we are slaves to the masters of the MLB universe, Fox and ESPN, who have dictated the games start at 5 (so East Coast viewers can chime in) and on Tuesday and Wednesday, messing up our routine.

I'd be beyond jubilant, and happy to tell you the process were all worth it, had our team, the A's, done their jobs. But after two games at home in the league championship series, we've seen the green and gold on the short end of the stick, losing Tuesday by a score of 5-1, and tonight, by a tally of 8-5. The team has been fighting from behind the entire series, and whatever leads we did have tonight were fleeting at best, as the Tigers put runs on the board and we simply couldn't catch up.

Down by 3 tonight, the A's teased us by loading the bases, and bringing to the plate Frank Thomas, who is always a threat to homer. Had he put the ball in the seats, we would have seen history made - a grand slam to win the game in the most dramatic way. But he didn't make it, and we can't rely on one man's heroics to overcome 8 innings of mediocrity.

There's a million ways we could point fingers, but simply said, if you were to say that Nick Swisher and Thomas (and Scutaro) would be a combined .000 through the first two games, there really wouldn't need to be any more discussion. They look lost out there.

Milton Bradley (with two home runs) and Kotsay (two doubles) were a lot of fun to watch, and I love seeing the rare Chavez homer. He's come through twice in the last three playoff games, even if he is swinging and missing way too much. In fact, the whole team just K'd and K'd and K'd today. Yuck.

Now the series goes back to Detroit, and the A's find themselves in a deep hole they might not ever get out of. Tonight just could have been the last time we see them all year, and though I will always hold out hope until the last batter is out in the last inning of the last game, we are unhappy season ticket holders tonight. From Friday's jubilation to today's frustrations, we've run the entire gamut. That's the rough life of being a serious sports fan who expects the world.

Listening to ''neo & farina'', by Blutonium Boy Vs DJ Session One (Play Count: 5)

Every baseball season starts out with 30 major league teams, which after a full 162-game campaign, are quickly whittled down from eight, to four and finally two, who meet in the World Series to determine the year's champions. Tomorrow, as one of the last four teams alive in the chase, the A's are set to take on the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), in large part due to the heroics of a small-stature one-time backup infielder Marco Scutaro. After connecting for run-scoring doubles in all three games against the Minnesota Twins, Marco came up huge with a bases-clearing double that gave the A's an 8-2 margin in the final contest, amid deafening chants of "Marco! Scutaro!" from the feverishly-adoring crowd.

Though loved by many hard-core A's fans well before the series, Marco's MVP-like show has the baseball world buzzing, and the Internet awash in those searching for all they can about this unknown Venezuelan. How do I know? It just so happens that louisgray.com has seen quite a bit of activity looking for Marco. In March of this year, in a pre-season edition of the ANtics, I profiled Marco in "Scutaro Skills!". This comic has risen in the ranks of Google images, sticking out like a sore thumb from the rest of the standard game photography. Of these visitors to the site, a great number are from Marco's homeland in Venezuela.

So, if you've come to louisgray.com looking for more about the little man who has come up big, you can find your Marco fix here:

ANtics Episode 2.5: "Scutaro Skills"
http://www.louisgray.com/graphics/antics_18.jpg

Marco In a Less-Dignified Pose
http://louisgray.com/graphics/scutaro_crotch.jpg

Athletics Nation: "Venezuelan Man Candy"

Listening to ''Love Is Blind'', by 4 Strings (Play Count: 11)

It would be hard to top the two sports-filled days we enjoyed Friday and Saturday. After seeing the A's sweep the Twins and clinch an ALCS berth Friday, we turned right around and headed up the 880 freeway to see the #16 ranked California Golden Bears take on the #11 ranked Oregon Ducks in a game that had both conference and national rankings implications. When the contest had concluded, and the sellout crowd of nearly 73,000 had made their way out of Memorial Stadium, the Bears emerged victorious by a lopsided score of 45-24, keeping the team unbeaten in conference play, and serving notice that their week one failures at Tennessee were a fluke.

Cal scored early and often against the Ducks, seemingly from the very first snap. The first series Oregon ran on offense turned into an interception for the Bears, who scored a touchdown shortly afterwards. Similarly, the first possession in the second quarter saw an errant pass from the Ducks land in the Bears' hands. On another chance, the Bears returned a punt from well beyond mid-field for a score, as the team rallied ahead their higher-ranked opponents by the tune of 28-3.

Oregon's offense simply could not get on track. Their only touchdown before halftime, making it 28-10, came on a faked field goal try that landed them near the end zone. In the second half, it was more of the same, as Cal added on, scoring 10 in the third quarter, and breaking up the Ducks' rhythm throughout. The only concerns on the game were the occasional sloppy penalty picked up by an overexcited Cal Bear, and the injury suffered by Heisman hopeful Marshawn Lynch, who exited the game for good in the second quarter following an injury. Yet, even in his absence, Cal kept the pressure on, as backup rusher Justin Forsett tallied on more than 100 yards in relief.

With the victory, the Bears are certain to advance in the national polls. How high depends on how many other Top 25 schools went down to defeat, and how the myriad of writers and coaches around the country interpreted the win. After coming into the season with very lofty expectations, only to have them dashed at the hands of the Volunteers, the Bears have an uphill climb to change the hearts and minds of the people. Luckily for them, my wife and I are already converted. 

Listening to ''Marrakech (A and T Remix)'', by ATB (Play Count: 17)

For the first time since 1992, the A's are on their way to the American League Championship Series (ALCS), following the club's 8-3 victory and series sweep of the favored Minnesota Twins. In front of a sellout crowd nearing 36,000, including my wife and me, the A's pushed out to an early 4-0 lead, and padded on when the Twins tried to answer back. When Huston Street got the Twins to pop out meekly to left field to end the game, the team's players rushed the mound for a frenzied celebration that continued into the clubhouse, their second such celebration in a few weeks, with hopes that two more may be coming soon - through the World Series.

3rd basman Eric Chavez' homer really set the tone of the day. He didn't just hit it hard, he CRUSHED it, putting the A's on the board first. Following an RBI by pesky shortstop Marco Scutaro to make it 2-0, right fielder Milton Bradley CRUSHED a two-run homer to center making it 4-0. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Dan Haren battled through, keeping the lead and stranding guys right and left, leaving after six innings.

And Marco Scutaro wasn't nearly done. Even after seeing him make clutch hit after hit during the season's stretch, his heroics never get tired. With the bases loaded, and the score 5-2, he clubbed a double as the sellout crowd chanted his name. You KNEW he was going to do it, and then he did it. From our seats, we made sure section 114 chanted Marco (boom boom) Scutaro (Boom Boom Boom) until we were all hoarse. Every single A's player running back on the field during the inning change had to pay homage to his hitting prowess, including his new double play partner, D'Angelo Jimenez.

I loved the energy. I loved seeing the celebration in Oakland, the first time I've ever seen a clinching game. I loved our being given towels to wave during the game and seeing a handful of friends from Athletics Nation. I love the fact that Thomas didn't have to hit a home run for us to win. I love the fact we're in the ALCS and can rest up while the Tigers smack around the Yankees. They can go the full five and go extra innings in every game until they should both quit.

THIS TEAM IS GOING PLACES. We are IN IT TO WIN IT and WIN IT we are doing. Go A's!

Game Recaps: Athletics Nation and Yahoo! Sports

Today, my wife and I are not going to work. We stayed home. The reason? Our Oakland Athletics are taking on the Minnesota Twins in game 3 of the American League Division Series at McAfee Coliseum, at 1:05, with the opportunity, if they win, to move on to the American League Championship Series, where the club has not been since 1992, having lost a record 9 straight potential clinchers.

As we've already seen, this year's A's squad is different than those who struggled to finish off Minnesota, Boston and New York in previous years. Frank Thomas, Barry Zito and Mark Kotsay came up big at the Metrodome and have powered the A's to a 2-0 series lead. Today, with Dan Haren taking the mound against veteran Brad Radke, we will be in our usual seats, cheering for the green and gold, camera poised for potential celebratory bedlam.

Going to the game? Find us at section 114, row 28, seats 5 and 6. Go A's!

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

Continuing the site's run of profiling the greatest Sacramento Kings in franchise history, Spud Webb holds down the #11 spot, coming up big, despite the fact that at 5' 7", he ranks among the shortest NBA players of all time.

On a personal note, my most fond memory was of Spud Webb leading the Kings to an improbable victory against the much-hated Phoenix Suns and Charles Barkley on April 8, 1994 - which just so happened to be my 17th birthday. Sitting in the top row in the nosebleed section of Arco, at my first Kings game ever, the fans noisily made thunder rain down on the Suns, as Webb scored 18, dished out 13 assists, and the Kings won 104-101. (Boxscore Here) It was an experience I'll never forget, and one where Spud Webb, made a big impression on us all.

More at Sactown Royalty: The Sactown Greatest, #11: Spud Webb

Listening to ''Breathe'', by Telepopmusik (Play Count: 2)

The Oakland A's have been "on the verge" of clinching the AL Western Division title for the last several days now - starting with this last Saturday, when they didn't come through. Following a second loss to the Angels on Sunday, the ballclub headed north to Seattle to take on the Mariners, who had lost 15 straight to their green and gold opponents, expecting a cakewalk against a rookie pitcher making his first major league start.

But it was not meant to be.

Though the A's vaulted to a 9-3 lead early in the game, and expected to pace themselves to victory, the Mariners continued to battle back, reducing the margin to 9-6 by the pivotal 9th inning. A's closer Huston Street, usually infallible, was torched, giving up the three runs needed to tie up the ballgame, and send the contest to extra innings, with the score knotted up at 9-9.

With the Angels having won their ballgame, the A's simply faded away, as the last-place Mariners scored the winning tally in the bottom of the tenth to seal the victory, and keeping the A's on the outside looking in, instead of celebrating in champagne and rock music. For the third consecutive night, we had started the day off expecting to relax and look to the playoffs, and instead, saw our hopes dashed.

Tonight, as this is written, the A's are trying to turn the tide. In Anaheim, the Angels are down 5-0, and the A's, looking to reverse the curse, are up 5-0 in their game. If the scores hold, it's celebration time tonight. If not, more doom and gloom. It's what being a fan is all about - living, and dying, with the team.

Listening to ''Deep Love", by Mandalay (Play Count: 5)

Cross-posted at Sactown Royalty...

Continuing the site's run of profiling the greatest Sacramento Kings in franchise history, Doug Christie rings in at #12, primarily for his dominant defense, and consistent offense on some very good Kings clubs. During his stay with the Kings, Christie ushered in an era where the team was more aggressive on both sides of the court, and made the playoffs every year during his tenure.

Christie also gained notoriety for what is an increasing rarity among sports stars - being faithful. He and his wife have been praised, mocked, criticized and more for their very public adoration of one another. In fact, the pair will soon be chronicled on a BET reality show called "Committed: The Christies".

More at Sactown Royalty: The Sactown Greatest, #12: Doug Christie

To: The Entire Cal Football Organization
CC: Athletic Director Sandy Barbour, Head Coach Jeff Tedford
From: Louis Gray (and wife thereof)

As 2006 Cal football season ticket holders, we recognize we have an obligation to attend every home football game, regardless of other activities, and recognize that by purchasing full season tickets, we have indicated our strict attendance. We further recognize that you and the organization have funded and prepared for each Saturday to deliver the best possible fan experience, and that for us to not attend the event, without having canceled in advance, is both misleading on our part and lacking in respect that you and the university deserve.

With today marking the first Pac-10 conference game, against the nationally-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, we expected Cal to be challenged, and were uncertain as to the game's eventual outcome, given the team's occasional shakiness, especially versus top-tier competition. Yet, even as we so rudely did not show our face in Memorial Stadium, it is ever so clear now that you were prepared. After all, winning the game in blowout fashion, 49-21, after a half-time score of 42-14, is more than any fan could have asked for. Upon learning that quarterback Nate Longshore threw for four touchdown passes, the defense scored twice and the special teams once, we know that we missed a tremendous contest worthy of such a prestigious school and tradition.

So, as we see what has transpired, we apologize. We had instead made a decision to attend today's A's game against the Angels, in hope they would clinch the division, and they did not come through, losing 6-2. We had expected more of them, and they let us down. The team we should have counted on was a few BART stops north, in Berkeley. We hope that as the playoffs loom in the near future for the A's, that we do not find ourselves forced to make such a woeful decision as we did today - to choose between one team and another, and engage in such risky uncertainty. We have already proven that we cannot be relied upon.

Congratulations on your fabulous win today, on your 3-1 record (1-0 in conference play) and we wish you continued success. We hope to be back at Memorial Stadium, in our rightful places, at the soonest opportunity. Thank you.

Listening to ''Mama Konda'', by Orinoko (Play Count: 4)

Last night was huge. With the A's having an opportunity to eliminate their division rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by simply winning two games in the three-game series, it was crucial they get started on the right foot. With Barry Zito on the mound against rookie phenom Jered Weaver, it was assured to showcase outstanding pitching, with each team's offense challenged to get on the board. The ensuing battle, which went into the twelfth inning, saw the A's come out victorious, thanks to a clutch hit by light-hitting backup infielder Marco Scutaro, who has made this effort one of his trademarks.

The game, which lasted three and a half hours, and was followed by a fireworks spectacular, drew a sellout crowd of more than 35,000 to Oakland, us among them. Zito and Weaver traded zeroes early, until the A's got on the board thanks to Kendall hustling home from first on a double by Mark Kotsay, and later, an Nick Swisher home run to make it 2-0. After the Angels battled back to tie it, Chavez and Bradley each hit home runs to give the A's a 4-3 lead.

It wouldn't last, as due to a ball falling just in front of A's outfielder Jay Payton, the Angels struck to tie the game in the top of the ninth, hushing the crowd, who had been egged on by the antics of Krazy George and "The Banjo Guy", among others. Extra innings saw fireworks from Bradley, who unhappy with a strikeout call from the homeplate umpire, was livid, and looked as if he might want to decapitate the man in blue and ship the results to his next of kin. But the biggest outburst was to await us in the 12th.

Bobby Kielty reached base with a pinch-hit double, and went to third on a ground-out. With Mike Scioscia taking one outfielder into a seldom-used five-man infield, Swisher was intentionally walked, bringing up Scutaro, who ran the count to 0-2 before striking - first foul, and then fair, as his deep fly went untouched, and Kielty trotted home to mass jubilation. Scutaro, after touching first, tried to evade his teammates congratulations, as the "petite" Venezuelan displayed a grin from ear to ear, and the Coliseum erupted with cheers. The A's reduced their magic number to 2 and the Angels, with heads hung, walked off the field.

This afternoon, the A's could wrap it up. We will be there.

Listening to ''Mmm Skyscraper I Love You'', by Underworld (Play Count: 6)

Although I understand the need for weekday daytime baseball, so that visiting teams can get an early start on their travel plans out of town, for those of us at the office who actually work for a living, there are really only two choices - give up one's fandom for a day and look back wistfully on the game you missed, or surreptitiously sneak glances at the contest throughout, admittedly impacting your productivity. That was the struggle yesterday, as the A's took on the Cleveland Indians in the 4th game of the series, featuring the return of would-be ace pitcher Rich Harden, who has spent the vast majority of the season on the disabled list, unable to play.

With the A's "magic number" at five, Harden took the mound and exhibited an authority unlikely from any veteran who had missed as much times as he had, made even more remarkable by the fact that Harden remains a very young player, who has yet to see his 25th birthday. On a strict pitch count of 60, Harden made his way through three innings, striking out seven, and giving up only a solo home run.

While we continued our work efforts, a quick peek at Athletics Nation showed those with more flexible time were going completely bananas over Harden's return. On an otherwise hum-drum Thursday, the news of his start and its in-game success spawned more than 1,100 comments and four game threads, where other game would most likely see 500 and two respectively.  The excitement was palpable, as baseballgirl started the day off with a "WHEEEEE!" and added on shortly after, "HARDEN IS BACK!!!! A million pitches through 2, but he's striking everybody out."

After Harden exited, the A's rallied to take the game from the Indians 7-4, and the series, three games out of four. With the victory, the A's further reduced their magic number to four, with their rival Los Angeles Angels coming to Oakland to start a penultimate series this evening. If the A's take two of the three games on the weekend, they are the champions. We will be there tonight, and though we also have tickets for Cal vs. Arizona State tomorrow, we are hoping to be at the Coliseum Saturday as well, to see the A's players and fans alike erupt in pure joy.

Listening to ''Blue (Da Ba Dee) [Radio Edit]'', by Eiffel 65 (Play Count: 7)

It's looking more and more like the A's will have an opportunity to clinch the American League West division title against their rival Los Angeles Angels this upcoming weekend when they come to Oakland to take on the surging green and gold crew. Tonight, like yesterday, the A's fell behind early 2-0, closed to within a run on a home run (tonight it was Milton Bradley, yesterday Eric Chavez), and opened up the game in the later innings. As with yesterday's ballgame, a starter who has given us scares earlier in the season came up big - as Esteban Loaiza went into the eighth inning and gave the A's the chance for the victory, as Kirk Saarloos did yesterday when he battled through five innings and garnered 11 strikeouts.

With the victory, the A's reduce the "magic number" to claim the division title to five, as any combination of A's wins and Angels losses totaling five will mathematically clinch their first-place position and make our playoff tickets worth something more than the paper they are printed on.

Aside from the strong pitching, team MVP Frank Thomas continues to hit at a torrid pace. With the game tied, the Big Hurt came up with two runners on and clubbed a double to deep center field, giving the A's a 4-2 lead, all they would need in the eventual 4-3 victory. In a year when we thought it would be amazing for him to reach triple digits in games, Frank has realistically thrown his name into the ring as a legitimate league MVP candidate by powering the A's with 38 home runs and well over 100 RBI. Every time he steps to the plate, time stops and waits for him to inflict serious damage. It is a joy to watch him hit.

We're getting oh so close to October. I can almost taste it. Go A's!

Listening to ''Block Rockin' Beats'', by The Chemical Brothers (Play Count: 4)

It's often said that with every new baseball game, you see something you haven't seen before. Although we experienced tonight's A's game at home on TV instead of at the Coliseum, we rode the lows of an early 2-0 deficit, and the near-euphoria of seeing the red-maned Bobby Kielty turn a 2-1 game where the A's were behind to a 5-2 contest with one swing of the bat, when he cleared the bases with a grand slam on the first pitch he saw. It was his first career grand slam, but not the first time we have seen the A's snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in this incredible season that almost assuredly has them in the playoffs - and potentially going deep.

Yesterday, we received a very special FedEx package, which included a pair of post-season strips for all potential A's games, from the American League Divisional Series through the World Series. The seats, in section 114, row 28, seats 5 and 6, are the same we've held in our partial season-ticket package all year, at field level near the first-base side. With tonight's victory, the A's reduced their magic number to six, meaning that any combination of A's wins and Angels losses adding up to six locks up the American League Western Division, and puts the A's in the post-season for the first time since 2003. That year was significant not just because it was the year my wife and I were married, but also the year where the A's managed to take a 2-0 lead in the divisional series against the Boston Red Sox and throw it away, continuing their unprecedented streak of post-season futility.

With the crack of his bat tonight, following an impressive five-inning, 11-strikeout performance by pitcher Kirk Saarloos, Kielty turned the game around and put the team back on track after a one-game slump Monday night. On Friday and Saturday, with the Angels back in Oakland to do battle, we will be back in our seats, with the potential to see the A's celebrate on our field. To help us get there, the A's have to continue winning, and each day may bring a new hero. Tonight, Kielty's jog around the bases is the whole story - a night he may never forget.

Listening to ''I Feel Love'', by Kluster (Play Count: 7)

Today was the first time our owning season tickets for both the California Golden Bears and the Oakland A's were in conflict. The A's, battling for a playoff berth, took on the Chicago White Sox at 1:05, and a scant two hours later, the Bears were set to kick off play against the Portland State Vikings, in what was sure to be a laugher of a contest. To give both contests their due, we opted to stay through the first six or so innings of the A's game, through 3 p.m., and then leave to take BART and head north to Berkeley, hopefully before the game got too far out of hand.

I can say we had a great deal of fun, but not having seen 100% of both contests definitely had its drawbacks.

The A's game started off auspiciously, as supposed-ace Barry Zito couldn't find the strike zone, walking a career-high seven, and being hit by a two-run home run off the bat of potential league MVP and former A Jermaine Dye. The White Sox extended their lead to a 4-1 margin, and by the sixth inning, as we made plans to take off, it seemed the A's were not going to be victorious. But in our final frame, Frank Thomas put a "Big Hurt" on his former team, with a 2-run homer himself, which closed the gap to 4-3. After that, we really, truly, had to go, but were feeling better about the team's chances, as we changed allegiances in mid-stride.

We dashed out of the Coliseum, and to the parking lot, where I exchanged my A's hat for a Cal alumni cap, and traded an A's sweatshirt for a Cal sweatshirt. We also tossed our A's ticket stubs and picked up our Cal tickets. The transformation was complete. Then we grabbed our BART tickets and set off North toward Berkeley.

On the BART train, I tried to follow along with the A's game we had just left, and saw them challenging back. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, Mark Ellis tied the contest 4-4 with a single. Then the wheels fell off for the White Sox, as walks started to pile up, giving the A's two free passes with the bases loaded, including one to the aforementioned Thomas, making the game 6-4. Then, as an exultant colleague called from her seat in the Coliseum, Jay Payton made the crowd roar with another single, making the game 7-4, its final margin. As she put it, we "missed all the fun". But we knew the team was in good shape, even if they played better without us. (AN Recap by Baseballgirl)

After arriving at Berkeley and making the traditional uphill walk to Memorial Stadium, we found the Bears up 21-3 against their overmatched foes. As we approached our seats, leading rusher Marshawn Lynch, a supposed Heisman Trophy candidate, busted out a 71-yard scamper, making the game 28-3. By halftime, the Bears had tacked on two more touchdowns, and the Vikings tried to stay close with two scores of their own, making it 42-16.