At this moment I don't know how long this list will be, you'll just have to read on and see. There are always guys we can hate in every game but there is so much more to love! And I can't give these guys a number, it's just a list, no rhyme or reason for the order it just is what it is.
The All-Star Love List
Olmedo Saenz - This is that guy that you might say WTF!?!? Are you serious? Yah I am! He played for the A's for about a minute but it was a great minute! It was four seasons but the time he actually spent off the bench I think a minute is pretty adequate. But my memories of him are regarding those clutch hits. When the A's would call this guy up to the plate he did his job. When the A's needed a run he gave it to them. He didn't complain, he knew what his role was and he excelled. I was heartbroken when I saw him fall on his way to first and then we later found out he tore his achilles tendon. That is a career ender but the Dodgers took him under their wing and gave him another four seasons.
Ken Griffey Jr. - He is one of the baseball greats! I guess it's obvious that this guy would be on a 'players I love' list but this guy is a class act. If health was on his side he would have legitimately beat records and before anyone could ever think of beating them. At a young age he was in a category amongst the best. Then, like so many greats he is struck with injuries. Injuries that took him out for long periods of time, but the amazing thing about this guy; people never forgot about him. Even though we couldn't see him we knew he was around and people couldn't wait to see him back on the field. Now he is back to where it all started and while I would love to see him in an A's uniform he is where he belongs. He exemplifies what "For The Love of The Game" means. Sure he gets paid, but Seattle? It is unlikely they are going to win a world series anytime soon. He turned to the greats that he is compared to and they guided him on his way. He was lucky enough to grow up in the greatest game in the world, it's a huge part of his life and as great as he is he doesn't have the cockiness that so many have. He knows he's good, he knows without injuries his numbers would be staggering but he remains a class act.
Cal Ripken - 21 Seasons! Not only did he have a long successful career but all 21 of those great seasons were spent with the Baltimore Orioles. How rare is that? Obviously, this is a guy that would cause a lot of PR issues if you got rid of him but you can't tell me there weren't teams that would have loved to have him. There are a lot of memories when it comes to Mr. Ripken, the consecutive games played is the first thing that comes to mind. This guy isn't a big baby he played because he enjoyed playing and he didn't want to let his team down. And when he broke Lou Gehrig's record he said one of the best quotes, "I know that if Lou Gehrig is looking down on tonight's activities, he isn't concerned about someone playing one more consecutive game than he did. Instead, he's viewing tonight as just another example of what is good and right about the great American game." I don't know anyone that can ever put this guy on a most hated player list, Orioles fan or not, you just have to love this guy.
Frank Thomas - What can I say about this guy known as the "Big Hurt?" I named my cat after this guy, I mean that's huge! He almost spent his career with one team but as an A's fan I'm so glad he didn't. He might be old in baseball years and might have bad legs but man when he ran he put his all into it. When he played for the A's and I saw him steal a base, when I saw him slide, these were great, amazing, and absolutely hilarious moments. Some people say this guy had an attitude at times but all I ever saw was a guy who played with heart; he put his all into the game (that's what being an Oakland A does for a player). Unlike some players who with age get a bit lazy. Thomas knows he is one of the greats of the game but he also respects the game and he shows that every time he gets the opportunity to step on the field.
Marco Scutaro - MARCO ::CLAPCLAPCLAP:: SCUTARO ::CLAPCLAPCLAP:: No player can make me smile more than this guy! Utility guy? What? This guy is one of the most underrated players in the game today. He does it all and does it well. He is clutch in the field and at the plate. He took over when Crosby was hurt, he took over for Ellis when he needed a break, and for the (knock on wood) now healthy Chavez. He played these positions and he did them well. He isn't just a utility guy, he is a real baseball player; utility guy is used in such a way today that isn't thought of as highly as it should. Have we forgotten who one of the greatest utilities guy ever in the game, a Hall of Famer all the way, Mr. Pete Rose. Marco is a guy you can put in the infield as your starter, your number one guy and he will succeed. But if you need him there to fill in every now and then he will do that. This is one of those good guys you never hear about. In this so called "era of steroids," we miss out on guys like this. We miss out on hearing all the great moments these guys have had. Scutaro had many great moments with the A's and we will forever be grateful and we will miss him. Hopefully he will be back some day. He is a fan favorite that also produces. Great Character, Great Baseball Player!
Matt Stairs - That throw from right field to home...WHAT??? Amazing! Perfect throw! Right in the catcher's glove! As you can see I like the good guys of baseball, and once again here is another. The baby face, the blonde hair, the smidge of Canadian accent, you can't help but love this guy. He's another guy I consider underrated. He has a pretty good OBP, SLG, and I think all of his numbers could have been much better. He never settled at one position. With the A's he had a lot of time at Right Field but he moved around a lot and for the Cubbies he was their 1st Baseman. I think a lot is to be said about consistency and knowing where you are going to be on any given day. But with that said he is still one of my greats! Matt Stairs is by far one of my favorite players to put on an A's uniform.
Terry Steinbach - Or Steiny to the true A's fan! It was great watching this guy! He began his career with the A's which automatically scores some major points with me and as the catcher of the great A's team of 1989 he is loved by most if not all A's fans. I was just a tator tot when he began his career but he was always a standout in my mind. Steiny was consistent, he was one of the best catchers getting to catch for the likes of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley. He received one vote for the HOF in 2005 and was dropped from future ballots, a complete joke. I try not to be bias and honestly I don't think I am, the A's in his time were great and he was a big part of that.
Gregg Jefferies - This guy is why I would have been a Mets fan if I found myself in the unfortunate situation of being raised in New York. (I apologize to you New Yorkers, but the East Coast and I just would never get along, I dislike Mass. even more.) He was my brothers favorite player along with Shooty Babitt (in 1981; who now does broadcasts for the Oakland A's and also has done some stuff for the Mets ironically enough) so I got caught up in the love and had too, but enjoyed watching this guy. But Jefferies did grow up in California so I guess that's where some of the appeal lies. He did get some crap for some of his actions early on in his career with the Mets and they didn't let up but as with the steroids issue you know I'm not one to care about off the field drama that doesn't and shouldn't affect the game. I had to add this guy on my list because he was my brother's favorite and he made me pay more attention to baseball overall by spreading my wings to the NL. But I'm still an AL girl!
Rickey Henderson - Really? Can you ever say enough about him? Personality, talent, he is one of the greatest ball players to ever play the game, which has been validated by the HOF. He has his fair share of records but to watch this guy live for all the years I was able to watch him he was more than just his records and his 3rd person speech. He made the game even more exciting than it already is and was, he took people up off their @$$. Him and Eck on one team, I mean the A's had it good! The A's had it Real Good!
Dennis Eckersley - A lot of people remember Eck because of "The Gimp." Eck said himself he could go without seeing that at least one year. But if you watch any highlight or the beginning of many baseball shows there it is, Eck and Kirk Gibson (can we say only famous because of this one event! OVERRATED!). Eckersley had his rough times earlier on in his career but he found a home in Oakland. Finally a team found where his position was and where he could truly excel, and excel he did. But to truly understand the greatness you were observing you had to see him pitch at Oakland Coliseum. As soon as he was called out on the mound there was a hush across the crowd. I think you really could hear a pin drop. We just wanted to watch him get those final outs and rarely did he fail us. As a fan you knew we had this in the bag. Those moments are what sticks with fans, not who did roids. That stuff only affects the fair-weather guy who doesn't love the game like a true fan does. Even talking about Eck I get that feeling that I remember so clearly.
Randy Johnson - Never an Oakland A, but oh I wish he had been. He is a hometown boy! For those of you who don't know he was raised in Livermore, California. Guess where I was born and raised? Yup, that's right good ol' Livermore, California. He went to Livermore High School; I would have gone to Granada if I didn't have to move. (so sad, tear, tear) My dad was lucky enough to see him pitch in High School. One day in particular it was known that a lot of scouts would be out watching him and in the way only "The Big Unit" knows how to do...first pitch...wild....second pitch....wild. This went on until the scouts decided they were wasting their time and left. If only they knew what they would be missing out on. He might be aging but he is still a guy I wouldn't mind on my team. But let's see how he does with the Giants we all know where Zito's at right now. The Giants just have that affect. Sure they have Cain and Lincecum but they are too young to know any better.
Ted Williams - There is a lot to love about this guy. It's just too bad he had to play for the Red Sox. He is one of the greatest ball players never to get a ring. One thing I loved about him is what a lot of people don't like about Barry Bonds. Ted Williams did not get along with the media. He didn't want to talk to them after they wrote untruths so they continued writing negative stories and he continued to ignore them. But one of the greatest things about this guy, beyond what he did with the bat is what he did for this country. He was at the prime of his career when he entered the military. I can only imagine what his career numbers would have been. But he knew where his loyalty was and what his priorities were. Not only did he help protect this country, he still managed to become one of the, if not THE best baseball player ever to play the game.
Miguel Tejada - Miggy! He was the heart of the A's clubhouse when he was there. Seeing him hardly able to contain himself, he was always jumping out of the dugout. When a big hit came and guys were running home he would get that arm moving like he was the 3rd base coach. All of this stuff he fell into means nothing to me. He is a good guy in baseball. He doesn't make excuses he is who he is. He was great when he started in Baseball and he is still great now. He loves Baseball and he puts his all in the game, and that's all that matters.
Jason Giambi - When Giambi left the A's it was bad. A's fans felt he didn't leave graciously. He did make a few comments that even I was annoyed by. But he did say his childhood dream was to play for the Yankees, so how can I be upset when a player I truly enjoyed watching got his dream. But like they say things are NOT always greener on the other side. But he is back home in California and with the Oakland A's. He has the good numbers a numbers guy likes to see but he also has quality character. People feel they have the right to criticize him because he wouldn't have admitted to and apologized for using steroids until reports started to surface. WHO WOULD??? But he came out with it. People want to say he never admitted to exactly what he did...yes he did. We know he did some type of illegal substance that is so called performance-enhancing. We are allowed mistakes unless you are a Yankee or another high profile player. I expect nothing but continued greatness from this guy and he definitely belongs on my list of players I love.
Billy Beane - The ultimate baseball guy. I can go on and on. Sure we scratch our heads once in awhile due to some of the trades we have seen but they tend to pan out in the end. Most of us have read Moneyball and some start to denounce Beane's way of running the show because the A's haven't won a Championship in nearly 20 years. But the A's, with Beane's help have shown that you don't need Yankee type of money to win games. Of course the main goal is to win a Championship but with one of the lowest payrolls the A's have managed to get to the playoffs about 50% of the time the last two years have in my opinion been flukes based on all the injuries the A's have had. Now rumor has it Brad Pitt is going to play Billy Beane in the possible upcoming movie Moneyball! Whatever it takes to bring attention to the best organization in baseball or at least west of the Mississippi, is fine with me.
So there is my list as unconventional as it may be. It's a list of guys that make me feel emotion, allows me to reminisce, and express why I love this game!
Now it's your turn. You know I love hearing from other baseball fans. Hope you enjoyed!
And a quick update: The Brew and Bill Show will start airing two shows per week so if you haven't been able to listen to them on Monday Nights @ 10:00 EST you can catch them Thursdays @ 10:00 EST beginning March 4th. Go to blogtalkradio.com for the Brew and Bill Show and A Show of Their Own (Sunday 9:00 EST)
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