Sad Departure

Yesterday was a very sad day. I learned that the Oakland A's traded my favorite player, Danny Haren. I cried and cried. I said to Daddy that I love Danny Haren and wish he weren't traded. The only good news is that he was traded to the Diamond Backs, who play the Giants pretty often, so I'll still get to see him pitch from time to time. I'm getting a Diamond Backs hat to root for him.

I"m also extremely angry at the A's for making this move. I'm going to punish them by rooting against them for two whole games. The winter is a very sad time. Last year, I remember the day that Frank Thomas left the A's. This year, I'll remember the day Danny Haren was traded. These will both be very sad days for me.

Comeback

A very exciting A's game tonight. Danny Haren was pitching against the Tigers. Things were not looking good for Oakland--the A's got down 3-1 to the Tigers in the 6th. Then, we saw a terrific comeback. The A's managed to load the bases and, with timely hitting, scored 4 runs in the last of the 6th to go ahead 5-3. They went on to win 7-3 with Haren picking up the win. Huston Street pitched well in the 7th to hold the lead. I was also happy to see the Marco Scutaro made some key hits to redeem a costly error that let in 2 runs early in the game.

Let's go Oakland!

Baseball Card Game Show

Baseball cards are great. There are a zillion games you can play with them. Here's a new one: You have to pick three baseball cards where one of them is different from the others. For example, you set out Danny Haren, Joe Blanton, and Jason Kendall and then ask the question which one is the catcher. (Answer = Jason Kendall for those unfamiliar with the A's.) The fun is both thinking up interesting questions and answers.

But the fun is also in the sound effects to go with the show. Daddy has located a bunch of "sounders"--effects from old game shows. During the setup time, there's the intro music from the show "To tell the truth". Then, when the contestant is thinking, we play the "thinking music" from Match Game. (Listen to it here.) The best sound effect comes when a contestant guesses incorrectly--the losing horns from The Price is Right. (Listen to them here.) Almost as good are the victory sounds, also from The Price is Right, which you can listen to here.

The sound effects really make the game.

Here's today's question: Which pitcher is left-handed:

A. Barry Zito
B. Danny Haren
C. Huston Street

Tune in tomorrow for the answer.

Hat Day and Danny Haren

Yesterday, Daddy and I went to the A's game. We didn't have tickets, so we talked about where might be a good spot to get. I decided that I wanted to be in the 3rd or 4th row. Fortunately, we were able to get tickets in the third row right behind the A's bullpen. These were really fun seats. We were out early enough that the Orioles (the other team) were still taking batting practice while the A's pitchers were stretching and tossing the ball near us. I noticed one guy running and doing stretches and said that he looked just like Danny Haren. Daddy replied,

That's because he IS Danny Haren.

I couldn't believe how close we were to Danny. It was amazing. We also saw Joe Blanton, who was throwing a pretend ball for a while as well as Huston Street. But things got even better after the stretches were over. It turned out that Danny Haren was signing autographs by the dugout. I was able to make my way right to the fence and, since it was hat day, I gave Danny a nice white hat to sign. I also smiled and waved at him and said hello. A couple of other people around knew how much I liked Danny (since I basically announced this fact when we first got to our seats) and shouted to him that I was his biggest fan. I still can't believe that I got to meet Danny Haren.

Unfortunately, the rest of the game was not quite as good. Wile I did have cotton candy and other goodies, the A's did not play well. They were shut out 2-0 and hardly managed any hits at all. I was very disappointed that they didn't manage even one run. As we were leaving the stadium and said, "Goodbye Danny Haren. Goodbye baseball field. Goodbye BAD baseball game." I definitely think they need Frank Thomas back.

Baseball Cards

Last week, I got a package from my cousin Emma. In it was a very nice picture she made as well as a bunch of baseball cards. This weekend, Daddy and I took the baseball cards out for a spin by playing a baseball card game we made up together. In this game, there are nine little people located on a poker table roughly in the positions of normal baseball players. We then lean a baseball card against each little person so that we have real players on the field. The hitter takes a poker chip (a white one so it looks like a ball) and rolls it across the poker table. If the chip hits any of the cards, then it's an out and the person on the card is presumed to have fielded the ball successfully. If not, then, depending on how far the ball goes, it's either a single, double, or home run. After three outs, we switch sides and the game continues like this for nine innings.

Saturday's game consisted of the Oakland A's (my team) against the All-Stars (Daddy's team). The all-stars are players that came from Emma. While the All-Stars managed to win with a late inning comeback, the A's managed several home runs and did a lot of scoring. I also discovered a new A's pitcher who I like--Jay Marshall. He has a great baseball card and, best of all, he's a submariner. I especially like submarine pitchers. This may be the most fun baseball game ever. I love it.

Danny Haren - My Hero

Some quick news to report, my favorite Oakland A's pitcher, Danny Haren, is the starting pitcher for the American League this All-Star Game. I will be wearing my A's gear, including my road A's cap (since the AL is the away team this year). I'll also have out my Danny Haren bobblehead to help root for the real Danny Haren. Danny is my favorite pitcher to pretend to be during my many play baseball games.

Now Pitching for the Oakland A's --- Joe Blanton

We went to the A's game tonight. It was really fun. The A's were playing the Blue Jays, so I got to see Frank Thomas and his steel bar. Frank didn't really make any great hits (though he did hit one ball deep to center field), but it was nice to see him anyway. The star of the game was Joe Blanton, who pitched the entire game and only gave up one run. He was outstanding.

In my balloon baseball games, Blanton is the go-to guy if Danny Haren (the usual starter) is not pitching well. Often, I'll substitute pitchers if things are not going as they should and Daddy, playing his beloved Boston Red Sox, is winning.

After the game, we saw the fireworks. They open up the outfield and the baselines for people who want to watch the fireworks from th field. Initially, I thought this would be a good idea until I saw all the people coming out onto the field. There were a zillion of them. The fireworks were spectacular. I held my fingers in my ears because I don't like the noise, but the fireworks themselves were very pretty in the night sky. They turn off all the lights in the stadium when they do the fireworks, which is also kind of neat.

It was a great night.

Let's Go Oakland

Here are some photos from my trip to the A's game with Daddy's students as well as a cool video. Here's a link should you wish to order any of these pictures.

Jason Kendall

Today, I'm going to work with Daddy. And then to the Oakland A's game. I thought I would share with you a neat picture of Jason Kendall so everyone can see.

Balloon Baseball

I have lots of ideas about what I'd like to do when I grow up, but my latest is that I want to be a baseball player. I'm going to be as good as Frank Thomas and play for the Oakland A's. To practice, Daddy and I play balloon baseball sometimes. Today's matchup was game 7 of the World Series between the A's and the Phillies. The A's were the home team. As usual, ace pitcher Danny Haren was on the mound for the A's while Brett Myers took the hill for the Phils. Haren ran into trouble in the first inning and was relieved by Marco Scutaro (huh?). He did better. It was a seesaw contest marked by a 3 run HR by Milton Bradley. Eventually, Frank Thomas came in to pitch. In my games, he's also a good pitcher as well as a good hitter. Eventually, Eric Chavez won it with a 2 RBI double in the ninth. The other players mobbed Chavez in celebration.

Let's go Oakland!