That's right! This week I'll be interviewing a lifelong Yankees fan. If you've ever wanted to know what makes a Yankees fan tick, here's your chance to get your questions answered. I already plan to talk about the lack of a decent minor league system, the spending disparity between the Yankees and all other teams and its direct correlation with the downfall of the sport and also the recent ESPN article detailing the most overpaid players in the league. No, no one is surprised that there are two Yankees on the list. The shock is that there are ONLY two Yankees on the list. Randy Johnson anyone?

Please email me any questions you'd like answered. Try to be kind. As difficult as it is to admit, my guest is actually a friend.

I've already put the existing comments on the current poll in there, so have at 'em!

Show Topics

0:20 -- Site news/updates

10:42 -- The A's week in review

28:59 -- Wrong about Jay Payton

37:28 -- Stadium news

Links

SF Gate article about the A's stadium

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Show #5

Does anyone out there have Kendall's game-ending play at the plate that came in Friday's game somewhere I could download or view it? Any Extra Innings subscribers with TiVo or ReplayTV maybe? I've now heard the call, but being the huge lover of great defense I am, I would love to SEE the play. Here's yet another strike against the A's for not having a better broadcast contract. There's playoff-type baseball going on here and no one can see it!

I apologize for the lack of a new show this past week, but things have been a bit hectic around here. Anyway, a new show should be up by tomorrow and, if I'm able to get all the bugs taken care of, so will discussion forums. The comments area below each post will remain, but the forums will be the place for any and all extended discussions, such as the one going on about the broadcaster poll. I'll post again when it's all said and done.

I'm going to start putting polls on the sidebar occasionally. If you vote, send me an email to let me know why you made the choice you did.

Not soon after it had been reported that his return was imminent, the A's were dealt a significant blow when it was announced today that Erubiel Durazo is finished for the season. He will be having season ending Tommy John surgery and isn't expected to return to the field before next year's All Star Break.

Durazo's contract expires at the end of this season, but I think he has a better chance of being re-signed than Dotel. Where the A's knew they were taking a risk on Dotel, who was an accomplished setup guy, but wholly unproven as a closer. He made for too many nail-biting moments when he stepped to the mound, the last thing you want when the game is on the line.

Durazo, on the other hand, has exhibited his skill as a big RBI guy who you'd always want at the plate in a clutch situation. When he was healthy, he easily helped to shoulder the burden of carrying the entire team -- a job currently shared by Chavez, Kotsay and (very quietly) Swisher. He was Beane's much sought after "Holy Grail" and now that he has him, I'm not quite so sure he would be willing to let him become a free agent so easily. Only time will tell...

Well, I'll be the first to admit that the Payton acquisition was one that had me scratching my head, and though he has only played in a couple of games so far, he has made a damned good first impression.

In his first 2 games, he had 2 HRs, followed it with an 0-for-6 in his third, then went 3-for-5 in tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- who incidentally win the award for the most ridiculous team name EVER (way to go Mr. Moreno!) -- a game where every run was vital. Way to go new guy!

So, I first mentioned that I was looking for new podcast names in show 1.5, was it? Anyway, it's been quite awhile now and I'm happy to say that it is now done and I couldn't be happier with the new name. Let me reintroduce you all to the "Mean In Green" podcast! It's catchy, a bit edgy and I like it. The winning submission was sent in by Robert Smathers of Albuquerque, NM. Thanks a lot Robert. Now, I have to head on over to all the podcast directories where I submitted my show info to get those changed. Oh well, no one said change was easy...

I currently have no plans to change the site's domain name or the RSS feed address. I did, however, purchase meaningreen.com in case I decide to do that in the future. When it makes it into the DNSs, it will be redirected to athleticsfan.net. So other than the name, it's the same A's news, updates and opinions on the same A's channel.

So, it's official. Eric Byrnes, one of the most energetic and well-loved players to ever suit up has been traded to Colorado for a couple of pitchers. Now that the deals are done, the acquisition of Jay Payton makes TOTAL sense to me. With Boston's crowded outfield, Payton made it known that he wasn't happy with the idea of being the 4th outfielder. With the A's though, Payton has a chance to play just as much as he was with Boston since he's taking over Byrnes' spot as... the 4th... outfielder. Yeah.
I'm not saying that he'll become a clubhouse cancer or anything but I'm sure most players want to know that moving to a new team means new opportunities and new chances to prove themselves valuable, but this change just looks like a new city and uniform for Payton.

Strangely enough, Byrnes' and Payton's numbers are almost identical to each other. The most notable exception is the 5 year age difference between the two. I'm still scratching my head over this one, but maybe this will turn out to be like the Durazo acquisition. When he was acquired, Durazo was considered Beane's holy grail, but because of injury and inconsistent playing time, no one quite understood what anyone saw in him. Of course, it didn't take long for our eyes to be opened once he started playing. I just have to keep telling myself that Beane knows what he's doing. He's only made a couple of bad decisions since his tenure began. Let's just hope this doesn't add to that list.

Today is the last day to submit your suggestions for changing the name of this podcast. I get a good name, you get an A's car flag. It's a win-win! I will accept submissions through the end of the day and will post the results tomorrow. Thanks again to all those who have participated so far. Keep 'em coming.

Show Topics

0:38 -- A's management gets it right again

7:32 -- Payton for Bradford trade rumor

10:52 -- Keith Ginter: Bad or worse?
15:24 -- (Mini) Rant of the week -- Broadcast blackouts

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Show #4

I guess someone out there really DOES want an A's car flag. I knew greed (kidding) would kick in sooner or later and force a few of you to send in your suggestions. I'm glad it did.

Thank you to those who sent these in. I'm hoping to get a really large pool to choose from, but I'm only planning to continue soliciting show names for another week. After July 14th, someone's getting a car flag. I'm really hoping it goes to someone outside California because I would love to give someone a chance to show their team pride by flying the green and gold high after being cruelly transplanted from California to their new digs.

Here are the suggestions so far:

The Oakland A's Praise
A's Fans United
Green A's and Bam!
The Swingin' A's Podcast of Power
The PodCast-letics
The 4th out, A's Podcast
Lets Play Two, Oakland A's PodCast
A's FanCast
Fear the Bat-Wielding Elephant!
Fear the Elephant!
Green Machine Herald
Athletics for the unathletic
The GREEEEEE----EEEEN HORNE... err.. podcast
The other 25
"Easily Being Green"
Soylent A's (Made with real people!)
The Elephant Flies (Well I be done seen about everything.. when I see and elephant FLyyyyyyyy...)

So, those of you who still haven't gotten around to sending in a suggestion, you've got a week to get creative. I want names. You want a car flag. Everyone wins.

Feel free to use the comments section to leave additional suggestions or even to comment on the ones already listed.

Did anyone else see the end of the Rangers vs. Red Sox game last night?

Wow...
Wow...
Man...
Wow...

What the hell has happened to Keith Foulke? I really have no theories here, but it's amazing to see how far he has fallen and how quickly it seems to have occurred. When the A's acquired him, Foulke had lost his closer job in Chicago, which many believed meant that Foulke was going to be more of hindrance than a help to the A's. He proved all those people wrong and did it with a flourish.

His first year with the Red Sox, he dominated in much the same way he did in Oakland. Now, he has a 6.23 ERA, a 5-5 win-loss record and he has already given up more runs this year, than he has in each of his last two years. How the mighty have fallen.

After all the talk about which A's were more deserving of becoming an All Star, Justin Duchscherer was chosen to be the Oakland A's team representative. I'm not going to say that he doesn't deserve to be the one to go -- he absolutely does, especially considering his current ERA and level of consistency regardless of his role -- but come on... chosen over Kotsay?!

I am certain that Mark Kotsay will probably be overlooked for any type of post-season award because he's wearing the green and gold, so making it to the All Star game would be his consolation prize. He is arguably the best center fielder in the A.L. Even if you don't necessarily agree with that, he's definitely in the top 3 defensively. His offense, though it has taken a dip recently, is solid. He's more than capable of delivering in key situations, which is what you want in a guy like that.

Anyway, I guess I'm just upset that Mark Kotsay, a guy who now that I've seen him play I can't believe San Diego would ever have let him go, has never received a gold glove, an award that he should OWN in the A.L. Torii Hunter is good, but if a ball is headed to center field, in Kotsay, I trust.

I've made it to the big time! Eh, well not really, but I AM listed in iTunes now. What this now means is that subscribing to the podcast just became THAT much easier for everyone. It also means that once I figure out how to do it, Genaro's suggestion for bookmarks may now be possible.

It looks like they didn't pick up the show description, or even any remotely useful information that would help people to understand what kind of podcast this is, other than the podcast name (poke, poke, suggestions...), so that will have to be worked out. I guess it's a good thing I work at Apple!

Anyway, there's now a link in the sidebar that should open iTunes and take you directly to my podcast. From there, you only need to click the subscribe button to add the show. Happy listening!

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