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A’s Offense Opens Up In Win Over Yankees

Published

11 years ago

June 15, 2014

Oakland, CA – They got their “mojo” back! The A’s once dominated the lead with long balls. But the last nine games they’ve been held to one or fewer runs runs. That changed today, Oakland knocked in two three-run homers and won the series after defeating the Yankees 10-5.

“It’s good to see,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We haven’t been swinging the bats as well as we were earlier, and certainly had the power portion of it, but two big three-run homers today gets you off to a good start.”

“Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve been built around the long ball,” said Derek Norris. We obviously made ourselves a little more well-rounded over the last couple of years, but when we’re hitting homers, we’re winning. That’s the bottom line.”

Norris went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBIs. He recorded a career-high tying three hits. Five of his seven home runs this year have come with at least two men on base. Norris went yard in the first inning with a three-run homer. Coco Crisp followed with a three-run bomber to left field and extended Oakland’s lead 6-0 in the second.

“It was pretty much just not making adjustments,” New York’s pitcher Vidal Nuno said. “They got some little hits here and there, and then just the one pitch,’bang.’ Those two innings, little frustrating, getting not ahead of the count, and they took advantage of it.”

Nuno’s outing didn’t last long, he was chased off the mound after tossing three innings, giving up eight hits, eight runs, one walk, two strikeouts, one wild pitch and two home runs. The bullpen didn’t fare much either, after loading the bases in the fourth three times.

Jose Ramirez loaded the bases before hitting Craig Gentry in the head knocking him off his feet in the fourth. The A’s extended their lead 7-0. Yoenis Cespedes followed by knocking in two more runs with no outs until Jed Lowrie grounded into a double play at second base.

Josh Donaldson snapped a 0-for-33 hitless streak with an RBI single to right field. Oakland scored four runs making it almost impossible for the Yankees to get back in the game. This was the first time the A’s have scored 10 runs against New York since July 1, 2007.

“It’s tough, but it hasn’t happened much this year,” said Mark Teixeira. “Our pitchers have been so good. Every now and then, you’re going to have games like this, and you just take them as they come and go get them the next day.”

The Yankees got their first run in the sixth, Derek Jeter doubled and Teixeira scored him in with a double. Carlos Beltran lead off the seventh with a home run and then made a terribly mistake in the eighth. Beltran hit a line drive to shortstop Jed Lowrie who threw to second for the out.

He trotted to toward the dugout abandoning first base not realizing there was one more out left in the inning. That resulted in a double play after the first base umpire Dan Lassogna ruled him out. That sent a flurry of questions from New York’s manager Joe Girardi who came out of out the dugout immediately.

“It’s an embarrassing play,” said Girardi.

The Yankees added on two more runs in the seventh when Ryan Cook loaded the bases with two walks and an error by Lowrie. Jeter’s sacrifice fly scored in another run as New York began to chip away at Oakland’s 10-3 lead. Jeter played his final regular season game at the O.co.

“Today was one of those games, but I think for the most part we’ve been playing pretty good as of late,” Jeter said. “You want to continue, you need it to continue, because we’re playing some division games.”

Brett Gardner hit a two-run homer off Jim Johnson in the ninth trimming the lead in half. Johnson then put two on with a walk and a single before Luke Gregerson came in to finish the inning. Both Cook and Johnson combined allowed four late-inning runs.

Thankfully Jesse Chavez pitched a superb game in six innings. He allowed five hits, one run and four strikeouts. Chavez tossed a shutout through the sixth frame before doubles from both Jeter and Teixeria. The righty looked a lot like he did back in April when he tossed similar stats against Texas.

“That’s the biggest thing, not to walk anyone,” said Chavez. “And not to give up the two-strike hits that had been my Achilles heel the last four or five starts.”

“Today, I thought was similar to what we were seeing really early in the season,” Melvin said. “You could tell right away he was on it pretty good, cutter to both sides of the plate, good curveball to create a gap between the hard stuff and the offspeed stuff, threw a few good changeups.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

Published

2 days ago

April 12, 2025

Oakland Post

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Harriet Tubman Scrubbed; DEI Dismantled

A photograph of Harriet Tubman has been removed from a National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad.

Published

6 days ago

April 7, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

A photograph of Harriet Tubman has been removed from a National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad. Previously, the page opened with a photo of Tubman and a description that acknowledged slavery and the efforts of enslaved African Americans to escape bondage. That language is now gone. In its place are images of postage stamps and a reworded introduction that refers to the Underground Railroad as “one of the most significant expressions of the American civil rights movement” that “bridged the divides of race.” The updated version does not mention slavery. The change follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month directing the Smithsonian Institution to eliminate “divisive narratives.” A review by The Washington Post found that since Trump’s return to office, dozens of webpages across the National Park Service have been edited to soften or eliminate references to slavery, racial injustice, and the historical struggles of African Americans.

On the website for the Stone National Historic Site in Maryland, mentions of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone owning enslaved people were removed. Elsewhere, references to “enslaved African Americans” were changed to “enslaved workers.” A page exploring Benjamin Franklin’s views on slavery and his slave ownership was taken offline. The Defense Department also removed several webpages related to diversity and minority contributions to the U.S. military, including a tribute to Jackie Robinson’s Army service and content honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo Code Talkers, and the Marines at Iwo Jima. Officials later said some content would be republished after public outcry. Nearly 400 books were removed from the library at the U.S. Naval Academy. The list includes Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Memorializing the Holocaust, Half American, and Pursuing Trayvon Martin. Officials cited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to eliminate books that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Private companies contracting with the federal government have begun rolling back language diversity and initiatives in response to federal pressure. UnitedHealth Group removed DEI language from its website. Goldman Sachs dropped its diversity requirement for companies it takes public and revised annual filings to reflect “developments in the law.” Bank of America replaced the term “diversity” with “talent” and “opportunity.” Deloitte instructed U.S.-based employees working with federal clients to remove pronouns from email signatures. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Disney, Paramount, JPMorgan Chase, Victoria’s Secret, and others have renamed or eliminated DEI programs. Some, like Paramount, cited the need to comply with Trump’s executive orders.

Target has faced financial and reputational fallout following its reversal of DEI commitments. The company has lost over $12.4 billion in revenue and faces multiple lawsuits related to its shifting policies. Rev. Jamal Bryant launched a national “Target Fast,” urging community mobilization. Separately, the NAACP and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) initiated public education and selective buying campaigns to increase pressure on the retail giant.

“Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the NNPA. “If corporations believe they can roll back diversity commitments without consequence, they are mistaken.”

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What Parents Think about Childcare Right Now

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Children’s earliest years are a critical period when the foundation is built for lifelong physical health and emotional well-being

Published

6 days ago

April 7, 2025

Oakland Post

By: RAPID, Stanford Center on Early Childhood

The RAPID Survey Project, based in the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, is a program of ongoing national and place-based surveys designed to gather essential information on the needs, health-promoting behaviors, and well-being of young children and their caregivers. Our objective is to make timely and actionable data on the experiences of parents, caregivers, and young children available in an ongoing manner to support parent- and data-informed decision-making. Children’s earliest years are a critical period when the foundation is built for lifelong physical health and emotional well-being. Research shows that consistent, responsive caregiving is conducive to healthy development during these early years. We asked parents of infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) to tell us about their childcare experiences and preferences. Using responses from parents of infants or toddlers who participated in national RAPID household surveys in January 2024 and November 2024, we aim to understand the types of childcare that families with infants and toddlers use and what is most important to parents when selecting child care.

Family, friends, and neighbor (FFN) care is the most common childcare choice for families with infants and toddlers.

We asked parents of infants and toddlers questions about how much childcare they use, as well as their experiences using center-based care, home-based care, and both paid and unpaid family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care. More than two in three (68%) parents of infants and toddlers use childcare for five hours or more per week. Among these families, and consistent with other national data, FFN care makes up the largest share of providers of infants and toddlers.

Responses from the survey show that, on a weekly basis:

—32% of parents use center-based care

—26% of parents use unpaid FFN care

—13% of parents use paid FFN care

—12% of parents use home-based care in the childcare provider’s residence

“Sometimes it is difficult to find relatives/friends who I trust and are available as sometimes their plans change.” Parent in Wisconsin

“I’m relying on family and things arise that make them unable to help. I have looked into center-based care and considered going back to work, but it will cost me more for childcare than I can make in income to pay for it.” Parent in Ohio

“I use babysitters, mostly teenagers, so their schedules are sometimes unreliable. They do their best, but they have other commitments, too. They also can’t always work during the day, which is when I need them.” Parent in Texas

Reliable access to childcare is a particular concern for many parents of infants and toddlers.

The predictable schedules and routines that are associated with stable access to childcare support the positive well-being and development of children, families, and caregivers. In their responses to open-ended questions, parents of infants and toddlers spoke about the different challenges they experience securing childcare, including issues with affordability, hours, location, and trust in their provider. As indicated by the quotes in this fact sheet, parents mentioned concerns about providers meeting the specific and intensive caregiving needs of infants and toddlers, while at the same time families navigate high costs, low availability, and inconsistent schedules. Additionally, many parents, particularly those living in rural areas, noted the limited childcare options near their home or work. This points to the barriers to reliable childcare access that families with infants and toddlers face, and these data can inform policies and programs that support families in meeting this critical need.

“In a rural area, childcare is very hard to find, and rates are not competitive because they don’t have to be.” Parent in Montana

“I had challenges finding other part-time care closer to where we live so I drive one hour twice a week for part-time care.” Parent in Louisiana

“We had to contact this provider very early on. I was maybe five or six weeks pregnant. And she happened to have a spot. If we had waited much longer, we wouldn’t have gotten in.” Parent in South Carolina

“I am currently using backup care days offered by my employer as our primary form of childcare for our younger child. In March, I will run out of days to use, and we are struggling to find an affordable option nearby that has availability when we need it.” Parent in Virginia

Trust in their childcare provider is the most important thing to families with infants and toddlers.

To understand families’ childcare needs, we asked parents what factor matters the most when selecting childcare for their infants and toddlers. We provided a list of factors to choose from for each type of childcare used. Across all types of childcare, parents of infants and toddlers are most likely to say that trust and/or comfortability with their provider is the top factor when they select child care for their family. Parents are significantly more likely to endorse trust and/or comfortability with their provider than any other factor, including affordability, availability, location, or the hours the provider is available.

Factors for selecting childcare, in order of frequency endorsed by parents of infants and toddlers:

Trust and/or comfortability
Affordability
Availability
Location
Hours

“Finding a trustworthy and experienced caregiver who could handle our infant’s specific needs was a major concern.” Parent in New York

“Ensuring the caregiver has the necessary experience and qualifications to care for an infant adds another layer of difficulty.” Parent in Iowa

Predictable and nurturing caregiving contributes to positive early childhood development, and more work is needed to support families with infants and toddlers looking for childcare. RAPID data show that there is an unmet need among families with infants and toddlers for reliable, affordable, and trusted sources of childcare and that families are using a patchwork of childcare arrangements to find trusted sources of care for their infants and toddlers that they can afford and rely on. Parents themselves are experts in selecting the sources and settings of childcare that will best support their family and foster their child’s development, and they are placing an emphasis on selecting providers that their family trusts and feels comfortable with. These findings can inform policies and programs that address parents’ childcare concerns and experiences, so they are better supported in providing the healthy, responsive caregiving that is essential to their young children’s development.