Klassenforum » barely missed a home run with a do

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Coco Crisp offered a long list of reasons why Oakland is such a great fit for him for years to come -- his sentiments the same whether or not he had a nice new contract to his name. The Athletics have mutual strong feelings about their do-everything centre fielder and speedy leadoff man, who is staying with the As for an additional two seasons after agreeing Friday to a new contract through 2016 that adds $22.75 million in guaranteed money. "Its nice. I dont think it was weighing on me too much," Crisp said Friday, a day before Oakland holds its FanFest. "Either way, if it happened after the season or before, this is the place I want to be." The deal includes a 2017 option that could become guaranteed, the As said. Crisp was set to attend FanFest on Saturday with the two-time reigning AL West champions, a week ahead of the start of spring training in Phoenix. Crisp has a $7.5 million salary this year under a club option exercised Nov. 1. He will earn $11 million per season in 2015 and 2016, and the 2017 option is for $13 million with a $750,000 buyout. A switch-hitter who gets things going at the top of the lineup with his aggressive baserunning and, more recently, pop in his bat -- Crisp hit a career-high 22 home runs last year. "Im just grateful they put me up there and give me the opportunity to do that. If I hit 22, thatd be awesome. If I hit 23, thatd be better," Crisp said, grinning. "If the best part of the wood gets ahold of the balls, that would be amazing." The 34-year-old Crisp, starting his fifth season with the As, hasnt played more than 136 games in a season since arriving in the Bay Area. He batted .261 with the 22 homers, 66 RBIs and 21 steals last year. Despite the power surge, Crisp has refused to call himself a home run hitter. Yet he does hope to duplicate that production in 2014. "Thats a lot of home runs. Its really impressive for a leadoff hitter," new infielder Nick Punto said. "He might not call himself a home run hitter but he has some pop in the bat." Crisps 2017 option would vest with 550 plate appearances in 2016 or 1,000 plate appearances in 2015-16 combined or 130 games in 2016, or 260 games in 2015-16 combined. In addition, the 260 combined games is with no fewer than 110 played in 2016 and he cant finish 2016 season on the disabled list. New Oakland closer Jim Johnson is happy to no longer have to face Crisp. "Hes a pain," Johnson said. "He fights off good pitches. Hes a guy you think you have a plan and your plan goes to crap." Crisps current contract allows him the use of a ballpark suite for six games per year -- excluding the Yankees, Red Sox and Giants -- and the number increases to eight for 2015-17. Former Tigers manager Jim Leyland said several times that containing Crisp was the biggest key for Detroit to beat the As in the division series for the second straight season. Crisp is a career .278 hitter in 30 post-season games for Boston and Oakland. Left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, who said Friday he hopes for an extension to stay with the As beyond his initial $36 million, four-year deal from February 2012, realizes how much it means to be playing alongside Crisp for the near future. "I dont know if Im going to be the next to get an extension, but he is the key for this team," Cespedes said. "I want to play in Oakland beyond my four years. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to play in the big leagues. I dont forget that." The Coliseum field is still dirt piles in preparation for a Monster Trucks event at the Coliseum later this month, then it will be quickly converted and re-turfed for baseball. Chaussure Air Max Pas Cher .com) - The Toronto Raptors are paying Rudy Gay a visit on Wednesday night when they head into the Sleep Train Arena to take on the Sacramento Kings. Chaussure Air Max Solde . LOUIS -- The St. http://www.airmaxchaussurespascher.fr/. Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Chaussure Air Max France .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday. Air Max Pas Cher En Ligne . Adam LaRoche will take that. "I like our position in the standings and I like how our team is playing," LaRoche said after Washington swept a day-night doubleheader from the Cubs on Saturday. PHOENIX -- Add a dramatic ninth-inning moment to whats looking more and more like a breakout season for A.J. Pollock. The young centre fielder, in his second full big league season, hit a two-out, two-run homer on the first pitch he saw in the ninth to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night. "We were standing there and we were saying Lets walk them off, lets walk them off," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said, "and he crushed the ball." It was the first game-ending homer of Pollocks career. "A really cool feeling," Pollock said. "Thats what you do. You come in here every day and put a lot of swings in the cages and you work hard and its really cool when you actually get up there when the team needs you in late innings and be able to win a game." Pollock, hitless in his first 13 at-bats this season, went 3 for 5 to bring his season average to .296. In his last 26 games, Pollock is batting .341 (31 for 91) with five doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs. "Hes just super-talented," teammate Cody Ross said. "Hes got all the tools to be a great player and you can see that hes getting comfortable." With their fifth loss in seven games, the Padres are just 2 1/2 games ahead of last-place Arizona in the NL West. Cliff Pennington was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Eric Chavez hit into a fielders choice ahead of Pollocks soaring homer to centre off Kevin Quackenbush (0-1). Pollock said the pitch "was probably a little out of the zone, but I just wanted to be aggressive." Yonder Alonso homered and Everth Cabrera launched a three-run shot off Arizona starter Brandon McCarthy in the fifth inning to give San Diego a 4-2 lead. Martin Prado doubled in a run and singled for the Diamondbacks, just back from a 2-4 road trip and opening a seven-game home stand. Brad Ziegler (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. "Great game, no doubt about that," Padres manager Bud Black said. "High intensity on both ends. We got back in the game after two nothing with a big inning. They bouncced back, we bounced back with a home run.dddddddddddd ... They got the last at-bat and put a good swing on a high fastball. " The Diamondbacks went up 2-0 in the second when Prado singled softly up the middle and Ross reached on a bloop hit to short right. With two outs, Pennington singled off third baseman Chase Headleys glove to bring in one run, and another scored when centre fielder Alexi Amarista didnt pick up the ball cleanly. McCarthy blanked the Padres through four, but just after the Chase Field roof opened Alonso hit the first pitch of the fifth inning into the swimming pool area in right. After two outs, Amarista and Tyson Ross singled, and Cabrera homered just inside the right field foul pole. Ross, San Diegos starter, couldnt hold the lead, facing five batters without an out in Arizonas three-run sixth. Pollock singled, then Gerardo Parra reached on a bunt. Paul Goldschmidt singled in a run, Miguel Montero singled home another and Prado barely missed a home run with a double into the cranny next to the Arizona bullpen, putting the Diamondbacks ahead 5-4 and ending Ross night. The lead didnt last long. McCarthy retired the first two in the seventh but was yanked after pinch-hitter Tommy Medica doubled. Lefty Joe Thatcher came on and allowed an RBI double to Cabrera and it was 5-5. Each manager challenged a call and both were rejected. Black challenged a call in the fourth when Seth Smith tried to stretch a double to a triple and was called out on an extremely close play. Gibson challenged a safe call on an attempted pickoff of Headley in the eighth. With two outs in the eighth Jedd Gyorko singled and was easily thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. NOTES: The Diamondbacks said day-of-game ticket sales totalled 5,563, the largest at Chase since August 2008. ... In the second game of the series Tuesday, San Diego sends Eric Stults (2-5, 4.97 ERA) to the mound, while Arizona goes with Wade Miley (3-5, 4.85). ... McCarthy leads the Diamondbacks in homers allowed (11). ... The Padres opened a six-game road trip with their first game at Arizona. ' ' '