BBTF.org/m/athletics : Still playing moneyball: An exclusive interview with Billy Beane

Monday, May 20, 2013

Williams: Discover one of baseball’s forgotten streaks

(espn.go.com)

posted 4 days ago by Guapo to athletics, history, pitch counts, records | 25 comment(s)

Over the first 12 days of September, Langford went the distance against the Yankees, Orioles and Royals. Langford, who wore No. 22, had thrown 22 consecutive complete games.

Finally, on Sept. 17, in a game at Arlington, Texas, A’s manager Billy Martin marched to the mound after Langford had pitched 8⅔ innings and signaled for lefty reliever Bob Lacey to come on. Lacey induced a groundout from Buddy Bell to save Langford’s 17th victory.

“I remember him standing there like it was ...

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1. Jacob posted on October 25, 2012 at 03:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Cool interview...He still should've never wrote that book!

2. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on October 25, 2012 at 04:26 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

(Sean) Doolittle starts out as a first baseman and now he’s one of our primary set up men.

Oh wow, I've gone this whole season without realizing its that Sean Doolittle.

3. Shock posted on October 26, 2012 at 02:20 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Man, this is awesome. Loads of good stuff in here.

Beane: Yes. Was it a risky signing? No question. But we also weren’t flying completely without a net. We had information going back to his amateur years. We also had other players who came over from Cuba that we could use as a barometer to try and measure what we’d think he’d do. It was a little bit of scouting, a little bit of science and a little bit of luck.

Bleszinski: Does it make you more likely to jump into the international pool again this winter?

Beane: It depends. It’s dependent on the player. We were runner up on (Aroldis) Chapman and we were runner up on Ramirez. The three players who have come over from Cuba, we were the runner up in two of the three and we ended up getting Cespedes. It is a market that we’ve been involved in, we just haven’t always successfully gotten the player.

4. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on October 26, 2012 at 08:57 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

The bit about trying to get back from the hospital will be good in Moneyball II

5. Ivan Grushenko of Hong Kong posted on October 26, 2012 at 10:28 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

I never knew the A's were the runner-up on Ramirez. I also never knew that being runner-up in signing a player meant anything at all.

6. Commissioner Bud Black Beltre Hillman posted on October 26, 2012 at 11:16 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Well in the context of a question about the team's international activity, it means they've been active in bidding for players they’re interested in.

7. Danny posted on October 26, 2012 at 11:55 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Immediately, right out of the gate, he was throwing mid-90s. We were in a little bit of a dilemma because he had only thrown a couple of innings down there and we knew that other teams had seen a guy throwing mid-90s as a left-hander. We knew we had to keep him on the roster because if we didn’t someone was going to grab him. We kept him on the roster and he started in Stockton and then just simply kept moving up. It’s a great story but he deserves the credit for that switch, not us.

I thought the A's were idiotic for keeping Doolittle on the 40 man roster while DFAing Cardenas last offseason. Boy, was I wrong.

8. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on October 26, 2012 at 12:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I thought the A's were idiotic for keeping Doolittle on the 40 man roster while DFAing Cardenas last offseason. Boy, was I wrong.

I was annoyed about losing Cardenas, but I recall it being about various RHR they were grabbing off waivers.

9. Charlie O posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:30 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I thought the A's were idiotic for keeping Doolittle on the 40 man roster while DFAing Cardenas last offseason. Boy, was I wrong.

You weren't the only one, Danny.

10. The Chronicles of Reddick posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:35 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Apparently they should have signed Scutaro as well.

11. Danny posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:46 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I was annoyed about losing Cardenas, but I recall it being about various RHR they were grabbing off waivers.

It was to make room for Gomes.

5. BourbonSamurai lives on a deadend called Choker St Posted: February 06, 2012 at 11:40 PM (#4055184)

I'd rather have Cardenas than Jonny Gomes.

6. Danny Posted: February 06, 2012 at 11:51 PM (#4055193)

I'd rather have Cardenas than Jonny Gomes.

Or Recker, Doolittle, Wagner, Norberto, Figueroa, Rosales, Kila...

12. Poster Nutbag posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I never knew the A's were the runner-up on Ramirez. I also never knew that being runner-up in signing a player meant anything at all.

In almost every case I would agree, however these are the A's. The team that people still think are trying to lose and refuse to spend money on players, etc. It becomes a relevant point when the stupid, tired argument comes up over and over and over....

13. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:56 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Well shoot.

Also I was totally wrong about Gomes too. What the #### do i know.

14. Der_K posted on October 26, 2012 at 01:59 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

There is a lot of good stuff in this interview.

15. Swedish Chef posted on October 26, 2012 at 03:14 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The team that people still think are trying to lose and refuse to spend money on players, etc. It becomes a relevant point when the stupid, tired argument comes up over and over and over....

Seems that argument has been mostly used by the other side in defending the trade of Gio and others, because they were going to start costing several million a year, too much for poor Oakland.

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Williams: Discover one of baseball’s forgotten streaks

Reader Comments and Retorts

Athletics Think Factory