July 17, 2014 6:24 PM
There’s still hope for Bay Area World Series
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• Sports fans have survived the worst time of the year – the four-day All-Star Bleak, er Break – and should be rested for the final 11 weeks of the baseball season.
The A’s, with a 11/2-game lead in the American League West, are 9-2 favorites to win the World Series. according to vegasinsider.com. They’re no longer the little team that might; now they’re a team with plenty of might. In the National League West, the Giants are just one game behind the Dodgers despite playing awful the past few weeks. If the Tims – Hudson and Lincecum – can continue to dominate and leadoff man Angel Pagan returns soon, the Giants should challenge for a playoff spot.
• Reports about the River Cats changing their affiliation continue to surface. They’ve been the A’s Triple-A affiliate since they began playing in Sacramento in 2000, but with so much buzz online, it seems apparent something will change when their contract expires after the season. If the River Cats sign with the Giants, as has been reported several times this season, will the A’s switch to the Fresno Grizzlies, the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate since 1998? Or will the A’s move their Triple-A team to Nashville, Tenn., as the Modesto Bee’s Brian VanderBeek blogged last weekend? If there is a change, one thing is clear: The local team will still be the River Cats, with different players in the familiar uniforms.
• Major League Baseball and Fox struck out when they failed to honor Tony Gwynn during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. Gwynn, who died June 16, made 15 All-Star teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007. All the fawning over the Yankees’ Derek Jeter was warranted, but baseball could have had a short memorial or even a moment of silence for Gwynn.
Tom Couzens
tcouzens@sacbee.com
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Today’s poll
Which team will win more games this season ?
• A’s
• Giants
To vote, go to
sacbee.com/sports
Wednesday’s results
Did you watch Tuesday’s All-Star Game ?
• Yes, like every year: 30%
• Yes, but only a few innings before I tuned
out: 26%
• No, it’s boring: 44%
Total votes: 140
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