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From sewage to suing, the A’s have not had a good week

Bud Selig has not been good to the A’s with his inability to take any action in regards to the new stadium.

The A’s have lost three of their last four games. The stadium is reeking of a smell that can’t be escaped. And now, the city of San Jose is suing Major League Baseball because they feel they have lost revenue opportunity with the stalling of a decision on the team.

It’s clear the A’s need a new stadium. As much as I enjoy the personality of the Coliseum, it’s outdated and a professional baseball team deserves to play their games in a nicer venue.

Now the whole situation in San Jose is brought up again. Will the A’s move? The Giants have not relinquished the rights to the Santa Clara area but really, it’s on commissioner Bud Selig to actually lift a finger and make a decision. Instead he’s put the issue on the back burner and ignored it for so long.

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What should I do with this rare, factory error Oakland A’s cap

Yesterday I was a the Coliseum and I saw this cap at one of the kiosks at the stadium. I asked the vendor about it and she said that New Era had a factory error in which they accidentally used the gold lettering instead of the white lettering for the A’s logo. This one was the only one they had a mistake on, making it a one of a kind cap.

It’s 7 7/8  (not my size) and I have no need for it. But because it was rare and it was an on-field cap, I bought it anyway. Something so rare could be worth something in the open market.

Now I am to wonder what I should do with it. Keep it for my own personal amusement or sell it? I would assume there is a market for this kind of stuff, but it would be hard due to the size. Maybe I’ll put it on eBay. I’ll have to think about it.

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Bartolo Colon aiming to put himself in select company

Reblogged from HardballTalk:

Before a public health disaster at O.co Coliseum sent players scrambling, Athletics starter Bartolo Colon pitched well against the Mariners, holding the opposition to two runs over seven innings on eight hits and zero walks. Colon lowered his ERA to 2.89 on the season and improved to 9-2.

If, somehow, Colon manages to keep his ERA below 3.00 by the end of the season (Sabermetric statistics indicate he won't), he would join a select group of pitchers to toss enough innings to qualify for the ERA title and post a sub-3.00 ERA at the age of 40 or older.

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I know it's not going to happen. I have watched him all year, even today at the Coliseum, but it's just too crazy to think he'll handle this consistency for the whole year. But hey, I'll ride out as much as he can give for the A's this season.
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Eric Hinske, Brandon McCarthy speak out on MLB suspension rulings

Reblogged from HardballTalk:

As you learned earlier this afternoon, Major League Baseball doled out suspensions as expected for the Dodgers' and Diamondbacks' participation in Tuesday night's fracas. There weren't too many surprises, though as Craig noted, Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke were not suspended at all, receiving only fines. On the D-Back side of things, Eric Hinske received a five-game suspension, which was shocking both to Hinske himself and to teammate Brandon McCarthy, who tweeted about it:

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And somehow, Yasiel Puig gets no suspension from this.
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New Era’s approach to Flag Day is a pretty smart one

New Era has a great slogan with “Fly Your Own Flag” and I’ve seen the above cap before in store. It’s gorgeous. They have one for Mexico too. If they have a China one, I’m all on board with it.

New Era has established itself real well in the sports world and especially in on-field apparel. Their line with MLB and NFL has really boost their appeal and their innovations are second to none. They’re not a perfect company but I believe their marketing is superb.

Their slogan today with Flag Day is a great use to tap into our patriotism. We should be grateful for our flag and what it represents. We shouldn’t take anything for granted.

But it isn’t all peaches and cream and happy feelings for everyone who demands expectations to the highest level.

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I didn’t know today was Flag Day until I saw it on Twitter by New Era. Am I less American because of it? No. But should Google have done something today? Maybe. The fact that we expect Google to cater to our every need and ego is really horrible.

But then again, Google brought themselves up to this high and mighty status that they have to be perfect.

I mean, that’s what America is all about right? Condemning others for not doing what we expect them to do yet not say a word of thanks when we rely on them for so much.

Seriously, accusing Google of being un-patriotic because they aren’t like someone else? I thought America was bound on people being different. But what do I know. I forgot today was Flag Day so I must know what it means to be American, even though I was born and raised here all my life.

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Did last night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 1 boost the NHL’s popularity?

Six seconds away from the game-winner. (Credit: Deadspin)

The NHL has to be riding on a major high right now. Despite the shortened season, the playoffs gave us great games beyond belief. Starting from the Leafs collapsing in Game 7 to a well-played Sharks-Kings series, the NHL has given us fans something to celebrate.

And maybe those games caught the attention of non-hockey fans. And if that wasn’t enough, last night’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final had to have done something.

Ratings are one indicator of interest and it looked real good from last night. And it looks like the NHL is on the right track in getting a bigger audience. After all, since commercials are not allowed during overtime, the audience could not walk away for a second and risk missing the game-winner. That’s compelling. And maybe that’s what the audience in America needed to get into hockey.

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Please let the Islanders bring back this atrocious uniform

During next season’s Stadium Series, all teams participating will be wearing a special uniform for the game.

This is a fantastic idea and we’ve seen how well these special jerseys have translated into sales during the Winter Classic. But now with this bit of information, I have to wonder what the Islanders will have. With their eventual move to Brooklyn, their identity will change a little. But for a specialized jersey, normally it’s the kind of opportunity to go throwback.

And with me being a nut for `90s throwbacks, I beg that the Islanders bring back the Fisherman for one last time. PLEASE!!

Quite possibly the worst hockey jersey I’ve ever seen. But it’s hideousness is beautiful.