Apparently we are the arch enemy in Japan. The Athletics are disliked for several reasons. One being we regulary beat the Mariners and knock Ichiro out of the playoffs. We are blamed for Giambi keeping Godzilla out of the lineup, and now this wee we are facing Matsuzaka (sp?).
The really bad thing about this is the A's are the "home team" for today's game. Thanks Bud.
On a seperate note KNBR was saying we have been pummeling the Japanese teams we have been playing.
yeah if anyone got a chance to watch any of he games, they would figure out who the locals were going for. This series was bullspit cause it was like two free home games for the Red Sox. The A's gave up two home games for this series. They should have at least split the two games for both teams. I know the A's have trouble selling out (which sucks), and if I lived back home I would absolutely have season tickets.
we went 1 - 1 so i dont think it was that big of a deal. I really doubht that the A's are hated by japan. More likely boston is well liked and Oakland just happened to be the team they were playing.
Also i would look at this in a positive light. We get to have Blanton and Harden start our first 4 games and whats not to like there. it also helped us by not needing a 5th pitcher untill april 12th witch works perfectily with chads time table to return.
so all and all i think it was a positive for us to have those 2 games in japan.
I hope this is a sign of things to come, young players working hard and good vets. Boston was lucky to win 1 of those games. Championship is out of the question, but I think we will be very competitive and have a good idea of what our future holds.
i really feel the same way after watching the games, and with how the game is going so far tonight.
the team is not getting that many hits but they are making the best of what they have gotten so far. i like the fact that there are some stolen base attempts as well.
I think GoRaiders5624 is exactly right. It was unfair not just to the Athletics that MLB took away two home games from them and gave them to the Red Sox (Red Sox definitely had not just the home field advantage, but the cushy homefield dugout as well), but that they also took those two games away from the Oakland market, taking money from the city. While I am an A's fan, I don't live in Oakland and have no great love for the city (Go Oakland Athletics of Fremont!), it's not fair to the city that Boston will have 81 "true" home games (83 counting the Tokyo Series) and Oakland will only have 79 in their market.
It's bad enough that the media slant is completely biased towards the East coast, but for MLB to blatantly do it as well (giving Boston the homefield dugout was not cool) is just wrong.
It think it is over players and interest. The Red Soxs, a "power house" in the mlb, with national hero Dic K and Okijima (spelling?) pitching for them. While, the lowly A's, money ball team, with only Kurt Suzuki. Who would rather go the see, Dice K or Suzuki?? Exactly. But it's fine, I am happy with the split. I am personally just more interested in Harden staying healthy and pitching like he pitched in Japan
There were several reprots who wrote on how the A's are considered the villians in Japan for exactly the reasons I posted. The reporter who wrote the story was witheh team in Japan and on KNBR telling the story. I thought I had misheard it, buit they repeated waht the reproter had said my whole drive in so take it for what you will.
