Freeman Walks Off to end Epic Pitchers' Duel (video)

Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher, Johnny Cueto and Atlanta Braves’pitcher Julio Teheran fought in an epic pitchers duel Sunday at Turner Field. Both pitched a full eight innings, both gave up only three hits and both pitchers ended the game with a no decision.

Getty Images

After the two stellar starters departed, the ninth inning came and went with little excitement ... to find out how the Braves completed their sweep of the Reds AND see the VIDEO of Freeman's walk-off hit ... CLICK HERE!!

Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC.

You can find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB.

Bartolo Dazzles as Mets defeat Braves! #TeamBartolo!!

At almost 41-years old Bartolo Colon pitched like he was in his 20′s again. Over seven innings he did not allow a runner past second base ruining the Braves’ home opener at Turner Field. Colon allowed only six hits, struck out five and an issued not a single walk. He threw 101 pitches in the game and 70 of them were for strikes. Colon explained,

“They know I throw a lot of strikes, so they swing a lot and that helps me.”

That’s an extremely true statement. Last season in Oakland Colon used his fastball 90% of the time. He went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA. He was second in the American League in both wins and ERA and finished sixth in the Cy Young Award voting.

To Read more about the Mets & Braves game and one of my fave players!! CLICK HERE!!

Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC

To keep up with all the latest MLB news you can find us on Twitter:

@OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB

*I also did an article on Bartolo and why the Mets should feel lucky to have him - and how I think he got snubbed in the Cy Young Award Voting for Sports Unbiased. If you want to check it out CLICK HERE! (I'm very much #Team Bartolo!!!)

Teheran Name Braves' Opening Day Starter

Before Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, Braves’ manager, Fredi Gonzalez made the official announcement that Julio Teheran will be the Braves’ Opening Day starter according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The Braves open the season on March 31st against the Brewers in Milwaukee.

This will be the 23-year old right-hander’s first Opening Day start. Granted the Braves rotation is depleted because of season ending injuries to Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, both of whom will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.  The Braves are going to utilize a four-man rotation until, the recently signed, Ervin Santana is ready to join the rotation in about a week. Gonzalez declined to say who the other three pitchers in the rotation will be. That announcement will come within a day or so.

For more on this story CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC 

Follow us on Twitter @OPSN_MLB and @OakAsSocksGrl 

2014: Life as a MLB Season Ticket Holder: There's Always Hope

Hope is a part of baseball. One of my favorite things about baseball is that there are games almost everyday year-round and for all big-time baseball fans that accounts for about six to seven months of the year, for some much more. Even when your team is eliminated in the playoffs so close to the World Series, every fan can take solace in the fact that there will a new season just six months away. Some fans, Season Ticket Holders (STH) especially, take that hope for a new start and go to fall ball to watch the prospects play in Arizona, keep track of winter ball in other countries and countdown the days to that next trip to Spring Training.  It's something I especially love about being a STH. Your team loses one night, you will always be there the next day with a chance, a hope for your team to be victorious.....

Please CLICK HERE to read more of my column on Sports Unbiased!

Why are Injuries Piling up at Such a Rapid Rate Among MLB Pitchers?

Four Starting Pitchers Go Down to Elbow Injuries in One Week

Daniel Shirey/Getty Images

Personally I think that it HAS to be some kind of disease that is spreading across the country. I'm serious. Well, not exactly about the "disease" aspect but something is going on around Major League Baseball. In recent years more and more players, especially pitchers have been getting injured, having Tommy John surgery and spending over a year just trying to recover to be able to pitch. When is the barrage of injuries in MLB going to stop?

Many ideas have been tried - everything from lowering pitch counts to the new rule regarding home plate collisions to special helmets for pitchers - yet the number of serious injuries continues to grow. Is it the way that teams are handling the players rehab? Not necessarily as both the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg and Atlanta Braves' Kris Medlen had the surgery in 2012 and their rehabs were handled differently. Yet still both pitchers ended up injured again.

To Read the Remainder of this Story click here! Find more Sports News and Updates on Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source for Sports!

A's Will Have to Start Season Without Griffin, Parker!!

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty

Sorry don't have time to fill in the details at this moment, I may or may not come back to it but you can read my report on this bad news using the link below .... Baseball Gods Be With Us!! (Here's hoping Jesse Chavez and Tommy Milone can get their shit together!) 

Read the Story HERE!!! on MLBAM Affiliated MLB Pro-Blog Outside Pitch Sports 

Network LLC

And for other MLB News, Updates and Everything A's follow me on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty

Atlanta Braves Sign Ervin Santana

A source told ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas that the Atlanta Braves have signed free-agent pitcher Ervin Santana, 31, to a one-year $14 million contract. The deal is pending a physical that will be conducted on Wednesday in Lake Buena Vista, FL at the Braves’ spring training facility.

Santana has been on the free-agent market since rejecting a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Kansas City Royals last fall who will now receive a first round draft pick from the Braves in compensation for Santana.  Santana was originally seeking a long-term deal of at least four-years and $50 million. He was the last big name free-agent pitcher on the market and has been linked to several teams in the past few weeks. Most recently it was believed that Santana would sign with either the Toronto Blue Jays or the Baltimore Orioles for a similar price that he is reportedly going to get from the Braves. He also received a three-year offer from the Minnesota Twins, according to Rojas’ source.

To Read the Rest of the Story go to OutsidePitchMLB.com - a MLB Advanced Media Affiliated Pro-Blog

Braves' Ace Medlen gets MRI Results, Seeks Second Opinion

Getty Images

Things in the pitching department are suddenly not looking  so good for the Atlanta Braves.  Their ace Kris Medlen had to leave Sunday’s game against the New York Mets. He grabbed his elbow after throwing the first pitch to Matt Clark with two outs in the fourth inning. He was taken off the field by the trainers immediately. Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters,

“I talked to him 30 seconds after he came inside, after I made the pitching change. He wasn’t in good spirits then. He was really, really worried. But after he got settled down and the trainers looked at him and Mets doctors looked at him, I think he was in better spirits.”

To Read the Rest of this story go to Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports!

MLB News: Rick Ankiel Retires

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Rick Ankiel officially announced his retirement Wednesday via St. Louis broadcaster Dan McLaughlin who made the announcement during the St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training Broadcast. This brings to an end the career of a very unique and intriguing ballplayer.

Drafted straight out of high school in 1997 by the Cardinals, Ankiel made his major league debut as a pitcher in 1999 at the age of 20. In 2000 he was rated at the number one overall prospect in baseball by Baseball America. After having a good regular season Ankiel faltered in the playoffs. He completely lost control of his pitches. He had two very poor starts, one in the NLCS against the Braves and the other in the NLCS against the Mets. He lasted no more than three innings in each start.

Ankiel continued to struggle in 2001 and was soon sent to the minors. Shortly after he had Tommy John surgery and besides on appearance pitching in relief for the Cardinals in 2004, it looked as though his career was at its end.

Read the rest of the story on OPSN - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a Major League Baseball Advanced Media Afiliate

Kimbrel, Braves Avoid Arbitration with a Four Year Deal

My latest for MLB Nation:

Craig Kimbrel and the Atlanta Braves announced Sunday morning that they have agreed to terms on a four-year contract with an option for 2018. The financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

Kimbrel, 25, is arguably one of Major League Baseball’s best closers and by far the best in the National League. He has led the National League in saves the past three seasons, including recording a MLB leading 50 saves last season. In 2013 Kimbrel posted an ERA of 1.21 and had 98 strikeouts in just 67 innings pitched. The three time All-Star was also Rookie of the Year in the National League in 2011.

With statistics like those it is no wonder the Braves wanted to avoid any arbitration issues with the young closer as well as keep him on their roster as long as they can. As it is Kimbrel will be only 29 when this contract is up. If he stays healthy over the next four years the Braves may have a hard time keeping him. Braves general manager, Frank Wren said of Kimbrel,

“”We are very excited to agree to terms with Craig, who we feel is the best closer in Major League Baseball. He is one of the key pieces of our pitching staff and we are happy to keep him in a Braves uniform for at least four more years.”

The Braves have made it their top priority to lock down all their young stars this off season. They recently signed Freddie Freeman, 24, to an eight-year, $135 million deal. They also made sure to keep outfielder Jason Heyward, also 24, and 21-year old starting pitcher, Julio Teheran, who went 14-8 last season with a 3.20 ERA.

With so many young stars the Braves are not only securing success for 2014 but for the future as well.

For More News From Around the League Check Out MLB Nation!

Indians, Michael Brantley Agree to Four Year Contract Extension

Getty Images

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer,  Michael Brantley gave up his arbitration eligible status Monday to commit himself to the Cleveland Indians for the next four years. It must be pretty good being a member of the Cleveland Indians these days, getting a long-term and lucrative deal like this. The two had been in arbitration talks and this deal brings those to an end before the arbitration hearing that was scheduled for February 17th.

The contract is huge for Brantley. Prior to this contract Brantley had asked the Indians for $3.8 million while the club was offering him$2.7 million. Now, he stands to make up to $36 million. It is a guaranteed $6.25 million a year for the first four years and there is a club option for 2018 worth another $11 million if it is picked up.

Brantley has been in MLB for five years totaling three full years of service and this was his first time being eligible for arbitration.  He only made $526,900 in 2013.  At just 24 years old this gives Brantley stability for a good portion of his career.

The Indians seemed to have made the right decision in locking down Brantley, not unlike the Atlanta Braves locking down young stars like Freddie Freeman and Jason Heywood.

Freddie Freeman, Getty Images

Brantley is a healthy young kid who has only once, in five years, been on the disabled list. He has a career batting average of .277 with 26 career home runs and 212 career RBI. He stole 17 bases last season and his speed also helped him on defense as he split time between left and center field. His career fielding percentage is .994. In his five years with Cleveland he has only recorded seven errors and 21 outfield assists. He played in 151 out of 162 games in 2013 hitting .284 with 10 home runs, 73 RBI and .728 OPS.

For More News From Around the League Check Out MLB Nation!

Mets' Matt Harvey May See Some Late Season Action

Getty Images

Matt Harvey, the ace of the New York Mets, who underwent Tommy John surgery just this past October is recovering at an unexpectedly rapid pace. When it was announced that Harvey would undergo the surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow it was assumed that he would miss all of the 2014 season. The usual recovery period for someone undergoing this kind of surgery is usually 12-15 months. It can take others even longer and has been known in some cases to take up to two years.

Initially, Harvey wanted so much to pitch in 2014 that he was prepared to skip surgery and just work on rehabilitation. Ultimately he opted for the procedure because there is a much greater chance of re-injury in taking he former course of action. Harvey says that he knows in the long run he made the right choice telling Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal,

"It's frustrating knowing I'm not going to spring training and going to pitch, but going forward, you look at some of the deals that have been made, financially, performance-wise, it was the best decision.  Going forward, having a long career, it's a decision I'm happy I've made."

In an unexpected twist however, it was recently reported by Dan Martin of the New York Post that Harvey could begin throwing by February 22, exactly four months to the day that his surgery was performed. He is progressing much faster than anticipated and is very optimistic that he may not miss the entire 2014 season. Harvey would like to get in a couple quality starts by September.

Depending on any setbacks in Harvey's recovery and whether or not the Mets are in post season contention will likely influence how soon the young phenom will be back in the game. If the Mets are out of contention, there is no reason to rush the 24-year old right hander. The Mets have seen this happen before to Atlanta Braves' RHP Brandon Beachy.  Beachy, who returned just 13 months after his surgery re-injured himself requiring yet another surgical procedure. The Mets cannot take that chance with their budding star and Harvey understands that. In his interview with the Post he said,

"I can't throw the uniform on and go back on the mound without the permission of higher-ups."

Harvey coming back by the season's end would be a month or two short of the year long recovery period but with the way he is progressing now it looks as though it may be a strong possibility. Whether or not the Mets decide to take that chance is another story.

Up until his injury last season, Harvey was performing at a Cy Young level. He started the All-Star game at his home park and was was 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA.

For more news from around the league check out MLB Nation!

A's Sign Lefty Reliever O'Flaherty to 2 Year Deal

Today the A's signed left handed reliever Eric O'Flaherty from the Atlanta Braves to a two year, $7 million deal. At first I was skeptical of this signing for two reasons. The first reason was that well, since I don't study every guy in every National League bullpen I didn't really know who he was and the second was because he will not be available until mid-season due to having had Tommy John Surgery in May 2013.

Upon further review I learned that this signing could indeed be yet another one of Billy Beane's genius moves! The 28-year old lefty has been one of the best relievers in the league in the past few years, until being sidelined with Tommy John Surgery last season. He has a career ERA of 2.85 and in 2011 his ERA was .98. His stuff his just nasty against left handed batters. Over the last three years he posted a 1.45 ERA, 124 strikeouts vs. only 45 walks and a .419 OPS against lefties. 

Taking on a guy for $3.5 million a year just off of Tommy John Surgery does sound a little crazy at first but with players getting salaries of over $100 million this is a great move for a small market team like the A's. It's a gamble for sure but it just might end up being a HUGE payoff and the A's definitely needed a lefty specialist to replace Jerry Blevins, who was traded to the Washington Nationals this off-season. I love Blevins - personality, good at his job, all around sweetheart - but I must say if O'Flaherty comes off the disabled list and is as good or possibly better than before than he is an upgrade from Blevins. 

Billy is sticking with his pattern of signing players with high ceiling talent but some health issues. Think about guys like Coco Crisp, Bartolo Colon and Jed Lowrie all of whom have helped the A's to win back to back American League West Titles! With a limited budget you have to take gambles once in a while and the A's have shown that it pays off.

Announcing the 2014 MLB Hall-Of-Fame Inductees

It’s now official for the first time since 1971 there will be six living inductees to Major League Baseball’s Hall-of-Fame. This includes three players along with the three managers, Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussaand Joe Torre, who were voted into the hall in December 2013. The three players inducted into MLB’s HOF for the class of 2014 are pitcher Greg Maddux, pitcher Tom Glavine and first baseman and long-time designated hitter Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas.

Last year’s Major League Baseball Hall-of-Fame announcement came and went rather quickly, leaving the baseball world in shock. It was the first year in baseball history that absolutely no one, living or deceased, was elected into the hall at Cooperstown, NY.  Of course it had to do with the issue of performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) and their rampant use during the 1990′s. Many of the eligible players had and still have that stigma attached to their names, that asterisk that will most likely haunt them forever regardless of their induction or not. In 2013, the only players to come close to the 75% of the vote needed for induction were Craig Biggio with 68.2% and pitcher Jack Morris with 67.7%. This year marks Biggio’s second year on the ballot and he came in just shy of induction with 74.8% of the vote. Morris actually lost votes from last year even with it being his 15th and final chance to become a member of baseball’s most elite club.

This morning all eyes were on Greg Maddux. There was talk, until MLB.com writer Ken Gurnick made his ballot public, that Maddux would make history by getting voted in unanimously. With that opportunity gone, Maddux still had a chance to make history by eclipsing Tom Seaver who was elected with 98.84% of the vote. Maddux, who played for the Chicago Cubs, most notably the Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Dodgers over the course of his 22-year big league career, received 97.2% of the vote from the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).  Maddux’s resume is most certainly incredible. He accumulated 355 wins, won 4 consecutive Cy Young Awards and was an eight-time All-Star. Maddux is one of only ten pitchers to have over 300 career wins and 3,000 strike outs. He also won a record-setting 18 Gold Gloves as well as being the only player ever to win at least 15 games over 17 straight seasons. Needless to say he will now be immortalized where he belongs, in Cooperstown, NY.

The second player elected to the HOF today was part of one of baseball’s greatest pitching duos on the Atlanta Braves, alongside Greg Maddux. Tom Glavine spent the majority of his career vying for Cy Young Awards with his teammate taking home two in 1991 and 1998. Glavine, a ten-time All Star, was also a four-time Silver Slugger. He was MVP of the World Series in 1995 with the Braves winning both games two and six of the series. In his game six performance he pitched eight innings of one-hit shutout baseball with the only run in that game coming off a home run by his teammate David Justice. Glavine also played in four other World Series (1991, 1992, 1996, 1999) with the Braves and achieved success as a member of the New York Mets, playing there from 2003-2007, making two of his All-Star appearances during that span. He returned to the Braves for his final season in 2008.

The third and final player receiving baseball’s highest honor is one of the only players to spend the majority of his career as a designated hitter (he also played first base), playing for the Chicago White Sox from 1990-2005, the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007-2008 and had two stints with the Oakland Athletics in 2006 and again in 2008. Nicknamed “The Big Hurt” because of his powerful swing and home run hitting abilities, Frank Thomas was a menacing presence in the batter’s box.  Thomas was a five-time All-Star, two-time American League MVP (1993, 1994), four-time Silver Slugger, the AL batting champion in 1997 and the 2000 Comeback Player of the Year. But his real accomplishments lie in his overall numbers. He is tied for 18th all-time with 521 home runs and has a lifetime career batting average of .301. He is the only player to play seven consecutive seasons hitting over 20 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks while maintaining a .300 batting average. His final MLB game was played with the Oakland Athletics on August 29, 2008. He went 2-4 even after having spent most of the season on the disabled list.

This year’s Hall of Fame announcement far eclipses last year’s. With six living inductees, three managers and three players there is a lot to celebrate in the baseball world. The induction festivities and ceremony which will take place in Cooperstown from July 25-28 will be one for the ages.

For more on the MLB Hall of Fame Announcement check out MLB Nation.

Writer Gurnick Ensures Maddux Won't Be First Unanimous HOF Selection

Although Major League Baseball’s 2014 Hall of Fame class members will not be announced until Wednesday, it was predicted, even expected, by most that pitcher Greg Maddux would be the first unanimous HOF selection in MLB history. Maddux considered one of the greatest, if not the best pitcher of all time, had been tracking at 100 percent according to The Baseball Think Factory, where they have been keeping track of votes that have been released to the public early. That is until today.  

MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, who covers the Los Angeles Dodgers, voted for only one player – five-time All-Star Jack Norris. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) are allowed to vote for the top ten players on the ballot they deem worthy to enter MLB’s HOF. Gurnick’s public release of his ballot has left many wonder what happened? And some would even ask does this guy have any idea what he is doing? 

According to Gurnick’s ballot he voted only for pitcher Jack Morris who has been on the ballot since 2000. Morris has never received more than 67 percent of the 75 percent needed to be inducted into Cooperstown and in some years he received as little as 30 percent of the vote. His case has been a divisive one among the writers over the years as his numbers can be seen as questionable. In the 1980s he gave up the most hits, home runs and earned runs of any other pitcher. On the other hand, he was a five-time All Star who played on four World Series Championship teams. Here is Gurnick’s reasoning on voting for only Morris:

Morris has flaws — a 3.90 ERA, for example. But he gets my vote for more than a decade of ace performance that included three 20-win seasons, Cy Young Award votes in seven seasons and Most Valuable Players votes in five. As for those who played during the period of PED use, I won’t vote for any of them.

Any player, he writes, “who played during the period of PED use”? So that means anyone who happened to be born during a certain time period and who had the audacity to be good enough to want to play Major League Baseball should be punished because of the actions of a few? Morris pitched from 1977-1994. Some of his contemporaries are admitted PED users like Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, but how does that constitute ruling out what would literally mean decades of players? 

And what about now? Even with the new PED policies put forth by the MLB, there are still players out there using. And more specifically when does the “PED period” he is talking about end, if ever? Also to be considered are the use of amphetamines, which were used as performance enhancing drugs beginning in the 1960′s. They are now banned by MLB (without a prescription). If the use of banned steriods is considered cheating then the use of banned amphetamines should be considered cheating too. There are players already in the HOF who were known amphetamine users. Do you remove them from the Hall?

Basically, Gurnick’s logic on going against, what could have been a monumental and historic decision by the BBWAA, just doesn’t add up. Unfortunately for Greg Maddux, who is the only player to win 15 games in 17 straight seasons and is the first of only two players (Randy Johnson) to win the Cy Young Award four times consecutively (1992-1995), he will not be the first player unanimously given baseball’s highest honor. Maddux will certainly get in on this, his first, HOF ballot but not in the historic fashion that was expected.

For more on Greg Maddux check out MLB Nation 

Why I'll always be a La Russa fan!

(and why I don't care if he goes in to the HOF as an Athletic or a Cardinal)

La Russa and Two Others Voted into Major League Baseball's Hall Of Fame on Monday!

It was announced Monday, on the first day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings, that legendary baseball managers Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre were unanimously voted into MLB's Hall Of Fame. Who votes on this? No, not the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) who as we know get the privilege of electing players to the Hall (The players elected by the BWAA will be announced on January 8, 2014). Managers are elected to the HOF by the 16 members of the Expansion Era Comittee and each of the were elected by a unanimous vote. 

Of course you should be able to guess who my favorite is  of the three, even though I do have mad respect for each of them.... come on it's the obvious choice of any A's fan - Tony La Russa. As the manager of the A's he led us to what is considered by many of my generation (three in a row in the 70's is obviously insanely HUGE) the most important World Series Title of all, 1989 where we defeated our arch rivals the lame ass gnats! Woohoo! Anyways, I digress because really that's all that matters to me! Well, not exactly because don't get me wrong I was as a young child happy to see my team succeed for many years, winning three American League Pennants under La Russa.  He was basically the inventor of the "closer" role that we know so well today. He took my personal fave baseball player of all time, starting pitcher and fellow Hall Of Famer Dennis Eckersley and turned him into a one inning shut down machine. **side note: I understand that yes, this is a true statement except for most notably game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Gibson, etc, etc. Yes! We all remember and still hate Kirk Gibson, however I personally (and I think ppl should follow suit) do NOT hate the Dodgers - they are the other mortal enemy of the gnats and they hate the Angels ... we have some things in common! Just saying** He is the only manager besides Sparky Anderson to have World Series Titles in both the AL and NL and has more managerial wins than any other manager save for Connie Mack and John McGraw. And he is one of few who have taken three different teams (A's, White Sox, Cardinals) to the postseason. The guy knows his stuff.

Recently there has been conversation on facebook, etc as to how much La Russa knew about the use of PED's during his tenure with well, mainly the A's but it applies to his other teams as well. Whether or not La Russa had knowledge of their usage during the time doesn't matter to me, he was an icon of my childhood who helped my team do what's most important and that's to win! It's the best gift a life long baseball fan can ask for especially at an impressionable age.

He also started the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) whose head quarters are in my home town of Walnut Creek, CA and where I used to volunteer! The people at ARF are amazing, its shelters are no-kill and there are greAt programs for children to learn about animal rights, raising their pets, etc. He has done a greAt deal for the East Bay Area and that I appreciate! It will always be my own .... So I don't really care if he chooses to go into the Hall Of Fame wearing a Cardinals hat instead of an A's hat. He DID win two of his three World Series in Saint Louis but I would also not be surprised to see him wearing an A's uniform at his induction because of his ties and work in the Bay Area along with his managerial career with the Athletics .... either way, I'll always be a La Russa fan!

*Joe Torre long time player and manager of the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Cardinals and Dodgers ranks 5th on the all time wins list and is one of only five managers to win the World Series at least four times.

*Bobby Cox managed the Braves for a total of 25 seasons (in two stints besides 4 years with the Blue Jays), won 3 NL Manager of the Year Awards and one AL Manager of the Year title and is ranks fourth on the all time wins list .... 

Huddy to the gnats?! I think I'm gonna be sick ....

... SO I'M DONE THINKING THAT THE MAN I THOUGHT I KNEW WAS A CLASS ACT ....

I don't care that he is a nice person with a great family, Kim and the kids were always sweethearts too! I don't care that he was nice enough to take time out of batting practice (of course he wasn't starting that day but still) when I was 22 (and working for KICU producing the live game broadcasts) to teach me about the different pitching grips. That was a great moment (and I still and probably will never be able to even hold the ball to throw a splitter! My hands are far too tiny! lol) for me and I still appreciate it ...

But to go to the "dark side" for $23M is NOT classy. I dont care what people say! What any of you may say. I HATE the gnats (always have and always will) and any player who WILLINGLY goes to play for them! Had he gone to ANY other team, he would still have my respect and support but not this. Black cleats? PLEASE! And orange? The world's ugliest color? Ewww ... Whatever. It's all about the GREEN AND GOLD and our WHITE CLEATS.  I've written SOOOO many comments and tweets and status updates on this horrible development that I am just gonna stop here ...

If you want anymore of my thoughts on this matter you can check My Facebook or My Twitter Account (Follow me @OakAsSocksGrl)! Because I just have no more energy to talk about this .... I think I am gonna go puke now!! (as one friend wrote me "they need to hand out green & yellow puke bags for situations like this" ... LMAO!)

RESPECT OAKLAND BASEBALL!