The Oakland As have the best record in the American League at 13-5 and are second only to Milwaukee by a half-game for best record in the Majors. Craig Anderson Jersey . This organizations success, at times, defies logic. They play in the most in-need-of-repair stadium in the Majors and traditionally draw in the bottom third, if not worse, in the Majors. Yet, here they are at 13-5 atop the American League West after starting last season at 12-5 en route to a 96-win season. There were a couple of things that caught my attention about the As 4-1 victory over Houston. First, it was the starting pitcher. Jesse Chavez was actually with the Blue Jays back in 2012 as a reliever. He didnt see much action with a team that had three starters - Brandon Morrow, Drew Hutchison and Kyle Drabek - down with injuries. Later that year, the Jays lost the then 28-year-old on a waiver claim by Oakland. Last season, he worked in the As pen as a reliever. Now the As, thanks in part to injuries, have given the 30-year-old right hander the chance to start. So far, it looks as though the As have struck gold. Chavez has made four starts and in doing so, became the first starter in franchise history to go at least six innings in his first four outings and give up one or fewer runs in each. Sunday, he picked up his first Major League victory as a starter and has solidified his spot in the Oakland rotation. The other thing I noticed is the As lineup. Of the 11 players who appeared in that 4-1 victory over Houston, only one was actually signed and developed by Oakland. That was budding Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes, who defected in 2011 and signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the As in February of 2012. All the rest were picked up in trades - many descript or on waiver claims or lower-tier free agents. Take Daric Barton, who came on late in the game to play first, but can also catch. He was picked up in a trade with St. Louis, along with infielder Kiko Calero and right hander Dan Haren, for then ace lefty Mark Mulder, who ultimately blew out his shoulder with the Redbirds, sat out a few years and ultimately had to abandon a comeback this spring. Barton is still contributing to the As and Haren is still going strong elsewhere. Josh Donaldson failed as a catcher in the Cubs organization and with the As. Then they made him into a third baseman and hes turned into a star. The As, with a limited payroll, just keep finding ways. If you roll back the clock to the year 2000 and then go over the As records over the following 14 seasons, theyve had nine winning seasons, four losing seasons and one .500 season. In fact, they had five seasons in a row between 2007 and 2011 where they only reached .500 once. But their successes have been mighty; two seasons with over 100 victories and seven more with at least 91. In 14 years, the As have finished first in the AL West six times. They have made the postseason eight times. Grant you, they have only won one division series and were defeated in the only ALCS they made it to. But I dont think I have to remind you there have been plenty of other teams that havent come close to making the postseason over that 14 year span, teams that have a lot more money to spend and better venues to play in. The other amazing thing about the As is their attendance. If you go back to when they were the Athletics in Philadelphia, where they resided for 54 years, the Athletics never broke one million in attendance once. During their 13 seasons in Kansas City, the As only surpassed one million twice, while in 46 years in Oakland, they have only bettered the two million mark, which is generally conceded to be the break-even point, 11 times. How good have they been over the last 14 years? Well collectively, they have finished 204 games above .500. The only two teams in the American League that have been head and shoulders better than them are the Yankees at 390 games over .500 with two World Series wins and two losses, and Boston at 265 games over .500 with three World Series triumphs. Billy Beane and Moneyball may have been overrated to a degree, but the As have proven to be one of the great franchises in the game against all odds. The Blue Jays have a significant homestand starting up Tuesday night. Baltimore comes to town for three followed by Boston for three. At 10-9, the Jays are one game ahead of the Orioles and Bosox. The Jays starting rotation will have to deliver more innings over these next six games. Last turn through the starting five, lefty Mark Buehrle was the only one able to get through the sixth and then beyond. The Jays have a bit of a psychological edge in both these series. The Orioles will be coming off an emotional Patriots Day game in Boston Monday morning and a draining series against the Bosox. Then Boston goes from that series to a three gamer with the Yankees. Both the Os and the Red Sox could be a little battle worn by the time they hit Toronto. Everybody talks about the Jays someday regretting trading Noah Syndergaard to the Mets. Well Henderson Alvarez is already in the Majors and looking dominant at times with the Miami Marlins. Saturday at home, he hit 96 MPH on the radar gun and pitched a complete game two-hitter, as the Marlins shut out Seattle 7-0. He faced just 28 batters, one over the minimum. It was Alvarezs first victory since he no-hit the Tigers on the final day of last season. He is 1-2 this season with a 2.66 ERA. Giants righty Tim Hudson is joining some exclusive company. He set a Giants record over the weekend by throwing 30 innings without issuing a single walk. He has also come close to a Major League mark by starting a season with four games of at least seven innings without walking a single batter. A gentleman by the name of "Tiny" Bonham also did that in 1944, according to ESPN, and Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland "Pete" Alexander had a six game run in 1923. We mentioned right hander Dan Haren a little earlier in connection with the As. Well, hes trying to reboot his career with the Dodgers. His control has been impeccable in the early going. He has 20 strikeouts and just two walks. Of all active pitchers, Dan Haren has the top strikeout-to-walk ratio at 4.09 to one. Craig Anderson Senators Jersey . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Chris Neil Jersey . Kevin Love scored 33 points and tied a season high with 19 rebounds for his NBA-best 50th double-double this season, and the Timberwolves withstood Denvers 45-point fourth quarter to beat the skidding Nuggets 132-128 on Monday night for their third win in a row.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - The New York Jets head into the NFL draft with several needs and plenty of picks. General manager John Idzik also has loads of options with the No. 18 selection. Wide receiver? Cornerback? Tight end? Trade up, or down? Well, its anyones guess — the Jets included — right now. But with the depth of this years rookie class and currently holding a whopping 12 selections, New York will likely be able to add a few impact players. "Well go in open-minded," Idzik said. "The nice thing about having 12 picks is it does give you flexibility and manoeuvrability within the draft." Since taking over as GM last year, Idzik has preached a philosophy of building through the draft. And the 12 picks are just one less than the 13 the Jets had in coach Rex Ryans first three years from 2009-11 combined. Idzik took a deliberate but frugal approach to free agency, still landing perhaps the top three players available at their positions in quarterback Michael Vick, running back Chris Johnson and wide receiver Eric Decker. Despite not being the active spenders many fans hoped the Jets would be, that perception wont affect the Jets draft-day approach. "We view the draft, again, as a talent-based operation," Idzik said. "Were just going to go after the best players for our organization, so I dont know that theres any more pressure based on what transpired or what may not have transpired in free agency." Here are five things to know about the Jets heading into the draft: PLETHORA OF PICKS: Having loads of draft selections doesnt always translate into long-term success. With 12 picks, four of which are compensatory, the Jets have their most since having 10 in 2006. They also had 10 picks in 2004, but havent had as many as 12 since 1998, when their first selection came in the second round with defensive end Dorian Boose. Of those 12 players, only fourth-round tackle Jason Fabini became a regular starter for the Jets. Only one player other than Fabini, third-round safety Kevin Williams, started more than one game in New York. Oh, and five of those selections never played for the Jets in a regular-season game. STAYING PUT?: Despite all those picks, theres certainly a chance the Jets wont keep them all. Senators Jersey. They might not even stay in the 18th spot, if the right opportunity to trade up — maybe to get a Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans — comes along. That spot in the draft has produced some decent talent in recent years, including Chad Pennington (2000), Calvin Pace (2003), Joe Flacco (2008) and Maurkice Pouncey (2010), but generally very few Pro Bowl-type players have come at No. 18. "We feel if we stay at 18 that well have the ability to select a good player, somebody that can come in and help us win," senior personnel executive Terry Bradway said. TARGETING NEW TARGETS: Whether its Geno Smith or Michael Vick under centre this season, the Jets addressed the wide receiver position in free agency by bringing in Decker, who immediately upgrades the group after two huge years catching passes from Peyton Manning in Denver. But theres still room to improve. While Watkins and Evans are expected to be long gone by No. 18, the Jets might have a tough decision between LSUs Odell Beckham Jr., Oregon States Brandin Cooks, Southern Californias Marqise Lee or Florida States Kelvin Benjamin. ANOTHER CORNER?: Yes, the Jets took a cornerback with their first-round pick last year in Dee Milliner. But it could happen again, because the Jets might need another top-notch player at the position. After releasing Antonio Cromartie, Milliner became the de facto No. 1 cornerback. The current options to start opposite him are free agent signee Dimitri Patterson, and Kyle Wilson, the teams top pick in 2010, who might be better suited as nickel backs. It wouldnt be a shocker if the Jets jumped on Michigan States Darqueze Dennard, TCUs Jason Verrett, or Virginia Techs Kyle Fuller at No. 18. TIGHT SPOT: The Jets re-signed Jeff Cumberland in the off-season, and Ryan has raved about how he is developing into an all-around tight end. But Zach Sudfeld, Chris Pantale and Konrad Reuland, coming off a knee injury, are the only other tight ends on the roster. So, if North Carolinas Eric Ebron is available, the Jets could opt for perhaps the top-rated tight end in the draft. If not, Texas Techs Jace Amaro or Washingtons Austin Seferian-Jenkins could be possibilities in the second round. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
