Bullpen, Baseball & Sock Talk has Moved!!

My Blog Has Moved!! 

Thank you for reading my blog over the last year! I'm excited to announce that it has moved to its own domain!! Though the new site is still under construction it was time to launch it! So please check it out by going to:

BBSTmlb.com

All of my previous blog posts have been imported to the knew blog but they will always still be there as well! I hope you will still enjoy my blog at its new location! Thanks again for listening to me rant and ramble, learn and work my way to becoming a legitimate baseball journalist at FanSided's Call to the Pen. I will always have Baseball, Bullpen & Sock Talk but it was time to expand! So please check out the new site! I hope you like it! Thank you!! 

  

FYI

Just letting y'all know that for now at least I am going to be stopping collecting the days articles from the sites I write for & all the days scores/transactions. There just hasn't been enough content produced lately for the time that putting everyday together. If anyone wants to voice their opinion like "Good Riddance, that was annoying" to "It needs to come back" - I will take that into consideration. If it was helpful to people then right on and I would hella bring it back but if no one really minds then it's less work for me - I still have my articles for my sites, other daily responsibilities, baseball games - soon I will be covering a few A's games here and there live from the press box via twitter as well as after in articles and interviews - book reviews, this month I was asked to review Jason Kendall's new book, Throwback, by the publishers at St. Martin's Press and I still a previous review that hasn't been written - I announced it the other day but I will keep bringing it up and once it is launched officially you'll know - but I am revamping my blog, adding a few features etc over on WordPress and it should be pretty cool but I am still a little ways a way from that being ready yet! My fave new feature is going to be weekly called Relative Replays: Behind the Bullpen Chatter. My mom and I will discuss everything from the A's (ok probably like 40-50% A's related stuff or AL West stuff or how much we just don't like the gnats) to 40-50% of issues, big games, whatever issues are going on in the league. I don't know of another mother-daughter baseball blog (if there is one that's awesome!) and my boyfriend thought it was a great idea ... of  course he who does not like baseball had to smirkingly add at the end "like you two do or think about anything else anyway" which while probably a true story, was not meant to be the compliment I'd like to be able to take it as. Well I have now sufficiently rambled .... but I guess that's just what I do! Have a great Sunday! Go A's! xx~ Jen

Joel Hanrahan and the Tigers: A Perfect Match??

Getty Images

Rumors had been swirling around free agent pitcher Joel Hanrahan since winter. Hanrahan is a proven closer who ran into a some issues last season with the Boston Red Sox posting a 9.82 ERA in just 7 1/3 innings. But in early May the reason for his struggles was revealed. The, now 32-year old right-hander, needed Tommy John Surgery which ended his 2013 season.

Hanrahan has a career ERA of 3.85 and a total 100 career saves. Originally a starting pitcher with the Nationals, he became the Pirates closer in 2011. Hanrahan made the All-Star Team both seasons he played in Pittsburgh collecting 40 saves in 2011 and 36 in 2012.

Hanrahan has now signed with the Tigers .... to read my article about how I think it will affect the Tigers bullpen ..... CLICK HERE!

Brought to you by Sports Unbiased

Find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @SportsUnbiased1

A's Claim LHP Joe Savery on Waivers From Philly

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The Oakland Athletics claimed LHP Joe Savery on outright waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies Monday. To make room for him on the 40-man roster the A's moved fellow southpaw, Eric O'Flaherty on the 60-day Disabled List. O'Flaherty who is coming off of Tommy John Surgery isn't expected to be ready to pitch until July so the move works out just fine.

The transaction ends a disappointing stint in Philly for Savery, who was the Phillies' first round draft pick in 2007. Savery was known not only for his top fastball but also for his big bat, a bat he never even got to use in Philadelphia and will most likely never use in Oakland either. His fastball declined in 2011 and he was re-signed by the Phillies as a first baseman and designated hitter. He played in 2012 for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers, sharing time at first base with Darin Ruf.

Later during a 23-inning game, both Savery and Ruf were called into pitch and everyone realized that Savory's fastball was miraculously back. Savery moved quickly up through the minors and was called up to the Phillies as a pitcher, the very same season he started in Single-A as a first baseman.

(Getty Images)

Savery was 3-2 with the Phillies posting a 4.12 ERA in 41 games over the past three seasons. In 2013, however, he posted a solid 3.15 ERA in 20 innings pitched but only faced a total of 86 batters over that span making it quite a small sample to make comparisons. Hopefully, Savery will be get more of an opportunity with the Athletics that he did not get in Philly and be able to bolster the Athletics' already stellar bullpen.

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

MLB Hot Stove: Oakland Athletics Update

The Major League Baseball Hot Stove season has been quiet for the Oakland Athletics, not to be unexpected for a small market team competing in a market where their free agent outfielder, Chris Young, who's numbers were dismal after his move to the American League last season, can command a one year $7.25 million dollar deal with the New York Mets. A signing like that is an indicator that player values on the market are very high this season.

Last season Chris Young was the highest paid player on the Athletics in 2013 making right around eight million dollars. To put this in comparison the highest paid player on the Yankess, Alex Rodriguez made $29 million last season. Having one of the lowest payrolls in the league the Athletics have little chance of signing what they need to make a run at what would be their third straight American League Western Division title: a little help in the bullpen, a veteran starting pitcher, and a big bat.

Read the rest of my article on Sports Unbiased, your website for all Sports News, Polls and Predictions! (and my articles! lol)

History of OakAsSocksGrl & #OaklandSockSwag till now!

You might wonder why I go by @OaklandAsSocksGrl right? Well obviously I wear a lot of A's inspired knee socks! There's a pretty decent chance you've seen me ~ a crazy brunette running around the Coli in even crazier socks! But really it all started years ago. I'm a girl with OCD and one day I decided that "white socks are only for the gym" but all other socks had to have "pictures or designs on them." Sure it's a bit strange but hey! It has made sock shopping a lot more fun! I have ones with princesses, hello kitty, flames, skulls, polkadots, thigh high #Throx (http://www.throx.com/) - you name it and I probably have it!

The real deal start last baseball season in 2012! There was a give away of yellow socks for kids. Yes, I "borrowed" my friend's son in order to get these but I love them and it has been well worth it! So I started wearing them every few games in the second half of the season last year!

For Christmas as a tradition my mom always gets herself, my sister in law and me crazy matching socks! For Christmas 2012 they were argyle A's socks! I was over the moon about these! I now had two pair that I could wear!!

At Spring Training the socks kinda took on a life of their own! I wore both pairs on alternating days (washing them at the hotel of course!!) and people - random other smokers (yes I smoke, it's bad I know!), the staff and the vendors all started referring to me as the "Socks Girl" and remembering me each day. Even guys like Bob Welch, the A's team photographer Michael Zagaris and Billy Beane took notice! Billy said I should take it and run with it. Being that he is THE Billy Beane who am I to go against his advice?! That'd be crazy!!

Upon returning home I started not only this blog (I still have a ton of unpublished drafts but they will be up shortly at least I hope so!) but a second Twitter Account @OakAsSocksGrl and began posting pics and promoting them on Facebook, Instagram and Google+! Honestly, I have become A LOT more Social Media savvy and internet savvy! I have been able to make new MANY new friends at the games, gain followers, start somewhat of a trend (one group of girls I saw on BART actually called it the "#SocksMovement!" Whoa!) and was even contacted by the Oakland Athletics and asked to throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch at the A's game! A dream come true for any Die Hard A's Fan!! (my first post on this blog is an account of that experience! http://oakassocksgrl.blogspot.com/2013/05/first-post-first-pitch.html) It has even inspired me to begin working on a book idea that I have had for the past decade but never started because it seemed like such a pipe dream that would never come to fruition  until now!

A Twitter follower of mine, Jamey who is now a close friend, came up with the hashtag #OaklandSockSwag which is my signature hashtag!! And I became the Oakland A's Socks Girl! Since then I have gotten and used other hashtag suggestions such as #OaklandKoozieSwag, #OaklandShoeSwag, #CC (for Celebrity Chick but I don't really consider myself to be a celebrity), #IHellaLoveOakland and #CCDiva. But my mainstay is and always will be #OaklandSockSwag so big shout out to my good friend, Jamey VanDyke!

I even had a meme or two made for me! This is the funniest because I never even noticed the dude on the right there! LOL!

At games I've gotten compliments, had people run up to me introducing themselves, shouting my real name and my Twitter alias, made a TON of really A-mAzing new friends and have an even bigger A's fAnily! (yes, fAnily, I spelled it correctly!) Twitter and Facebook friends can easily become REAL LIFE FRIENDS! I was tweeting these two, Mitch and David, who came and found me sitting in the RF Bleachers one afternoon! More than likely though you will find me behind the A's bullpen in Sect. 128 Row 2 Seat 8! That's my second home!

I also noticed (and purchased a few pair myself) that the Coliseum began selling knee high socks for both women and men! Which I thought was kinda random at first but apparently they're now in demand! I don't take credit for this fact but it's certainly cool to have people wearing them and tweeting/facebooking me pictures of them!! I've even found other pairs online, at sporting goods stores and at places like Target that are not officially A's gear but are still green and gold!

And I see and meet more and more people who are wearing them to the games and even out on the town!
Kinda cool that people are not only wearing their #OaklandSockSwag but they are liking it and Tweeting about it! I was a bit surprised!

Just this past homestand (Yankees and Mariners) alone I was strolling around the Coli and the Coli parking lot, sipping on some beers and I kept running into people with socks and some with crazy #OaklandShoeSwag and #OaklandKoozieSwag as well!

There are even men getting into the action!! I've seen them at the Coli and had pics both Tweeted and Snap Chatted to me by guys who rock their #OaklandSockSwag!! In fact the last pic was just posted on my Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/JenRainH20) today by a friend and Twitter follower named Nic! Thanks bro!

Well that is the story of how #OaklandSockSwag came about! And explains part of the reason why you are seeing more and more Oakland A's Green and Gold socks in the world! I can't take all the credit but it's a fun "#SocksMovement" that's starting! What happens next is anybody's guess!

Oh and this is the #OaklandShoeSwag I intend to have made! You can design your own at http://www.converse.com/?CSID=62308_kwid/#/home Have fun kids! Gotta love fun, funky socks and shoes! And as always, LET'S GO OAKLAND!!!!!

My New Favorite Baseball Video!

Click the link and see the best A's Commercial of 2013: Balfour Ragin' Gnome Commercial

Best Commercial of The Year so far imo! Balfour and Doolittle star in this HILARIOUS A's Commercial! I love this! Our A-mAzing #BullpenBeasts are going strong and #Ragin' in 2013! Let's Go Oakland!

A's vs. Rangers 5/15/13

No real time to blog ... not a great day for the A's but a fun day out in my new socks, hanging with my mom! Sure, we were both planning to do laundry and organize our closets (mine is seriously out of control!) but I called my mom about 45 min before game time and said simply "What are you thinking?" Her reply, "That we should go to the A's game!" of course those were my thoughts exactly so we jumped in the car and went on autopilot to the Coliseum! Overall it ended up being a pleasant day filled with beer, rally socks and fandom out at the yard! Gotta love an afternoon behind the A's bullpen at the Coli!!