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With their being no A’s baseball yesterday, my afternoon was spent cranking out all four episodes of FX’s Love Story. Not sure if any of you are tuning in to the dramatized retelling of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s relationship, but I must admit – – not terrible. Definitely not great by any means, but it’s got an aesthetic that I think a lot of people have been wanting to see more of in TV and film. I also wasn’t alive in the 1990s so I totally missed the moment it’s looking to capture. Which makes it more interesting to me. All I knew about JFK Jr. going in was that he dressed cool, had great hair, and died in a plane crash at the end of the decade. July 16th 1999 was the day that, according to my Nana and resident Shea Langeliers fan, the world stopped and cried at the news of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette’s passing. Now I’m not saying she’s wrong or misinformed by any means, but July 16th 1999 was also a day worth celebrating. Why you ask? Well, a trip to baseball reference taught me that the A’s beat the Giants that day, 4-2, in Oakland, in front of a crowd of about 45,000 people. Jason Giambi went deep off of Russ Ortiz. So did Ben Grieve. Gil Heredia provided 7.1 innings of one run ball. The relief tandem of Buddy Groom and Billy Taylor held down the fort from there, securing the series win against the Giants.
Sounds like a pretty good day to me. For the Kennedy family? Not so much. Unless they were A’s heads like the rest of us.
I tried to locate the broadcast of that game, to see if there was any mention of the plane crash, but had no success. If any of you taped it, and still have that tape in your possession, do not hesitate to reach out. In the meantime, I’ll have A’s vs Rangers fired up, anxiously anticipating not only tonight’s episode of Love Story, but the A’s first win of the spring!
Going into today’s game, the A’s have been outscored 33-4! Yikes! Not want you want to see, especially when the biggest narrative around the A’s going into the Cactus League was how the offense was going to be potent, but the pitching staff lackluster. One of those things has been true. Not the one you want unfortunately. Thankfully today’s a new day, the team is well rested, and my boy Jack Perkins is on the bump. I’m curious to see how they handle Perkins this spring. Chances are he’ll spend the bulk of the regular season coming out of the bullpen, possibly even closing. Today, however, will be a chance for him to run through his starting pitching rituals. That being said, I can’t imagine he’ll go more than a couple of innings.
Let’s check out the lineup behind him!
As you can see, the Stickman Nick Kurtz lead-off experiment is in full effect today. Everyone that follows is expected to make the big league club, so let’s see how they fare against Cal Quantrill and the Texas Rangers.
It’s a split squad day for the Rangers. Some of their heavy hitters such as Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager, and Josh Smith will be off facing the Milwaukee Brewers. Look closely at their lineup against the A’s and you’ll catch a trio of familiar faces. Leading off is Tyler Wade, who was with the club in 2023. Jonah Bride, who the A’s drafted in the 23rd round back in 2018, is occupying the DH spot. Former A’s first rounder Richie Martin Jr. mans the hot corner. It’s been a rough decade for Martin Jr. A cup of coffee with the Baltimore Orioles has been his only real taste of the show. Even then, he hasn’t donned a big league uni since 2022. The Texas Rangers are club number six for the infielder. He’ll be looking to get a little revenge against the A’s today, on this beautiful Thursday afternoon in Mesa, Arizona.
Live from Hohokam Stadium – – it’s the (0-4) A’s against the (4-2) Rangers!
Make yourself a sandwich and enjoy the game. I’ll be putting a Philly cheesesteak to work, hanging onto every Jack Perkins sinker like it’s Game 162.