Category: Oakland Athletics

The Oakland A’s lose the season opener to the Chicago White Sox

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The White Sox Chris Sale takes aim at the Oakland A’s pitching seven innings and getting the win Monday night

There is nothing better than opening night to start the baseball season. It would be better if the home team would win. That, however, did not happen as the Chicago White Sox beat the A’s 4-3. As usual, the game was sold out, and the 35,067 were hoping the A’s would rally to win the game.

All the scoring came in the third inning. The White Sox sent nine men to the plate and scored four times in their half, and the A’s came back in the bottom of the inning, sent eight men to the plate and scored three times.  The game summary follows below.

The White Sox sent nine men to the plate in the top of the third. They scored four runs on four hits and the A’s committed two errors to help the Sox score the runs. Left Rich Hill pitched well for the first two innings, but the roof caved in on him in the third. After he struck out Dioner Navarro, He walked Austin Jackson. Hill, attempting to keep Jackson close, at first, threw the ball into foul territory down the right field line. Jackson advanced to third on the play. Adam Eaton tripled to drive in Jackson with the first run of the game. Jimmy Rollins singled to drive in Eaton. Jose Abreu doubled to put men on at second and third with one out. Hill struck out the pride of Toms River, New Jersey, Todd Frazier for the second out. Melky Cabrera then hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by Marcus Semien. Semien threw to first but A’s first baseman, Mark Canha, dropped the ball for  an error. Rollins and Abreu scored on the play. White Sox lead 4-0 in the middle of the third. The A’s scored three times in their half of the third. Catcher Stephen Vogt got the rally rolling as he beat out a hit to second. Chris Sale walked Marcus Semien to put men on at first and second with one out. Billy Burns grounded to advance the runners. Jed Lowrie singled to right to drive in Vogt and Semien. Josh Reddick singled up the middle to drive in Lowrie with the third run.  A’s trail 4-3 after three.

There was no more scoring after the third inning. Chris Sale went seven innings and picked up his first win of the year. The White Sox used four pitchers to shut down the A’s in the eighth and ninth innings. The A’s used five relievers. They included Fernando Rodriguez, Ryan Dull, John Axford Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle. The bullpen did their job going six innings and held the White Sox from scoring.  The A’s had a couple of men in scoring position after the third but couldn’t get the key hit needed to get the run in to tie the game. Chicago wins 4-3.

Game Notes- Joe Stiglich of CSNBA report this about A’s pitcher Felix Doubront. Doubront left the exhibition game Saturday after the first inning with pain in his pitching arm.

‘The news doesn’t appear good for the fifth starter Felix Doubront. After leaving Saturday’s exhibition with what was described as forearm tightness, Paparesta said an MRI showed Doubront has some“fibrous tearing” in his ulnar collateral ligament along with a muscle strain. Doubront is headed to Cincinnati next Monday for a second opinion, but any damage to the ligament indicates that Tommy John surgery is a possibility.”

A’s ace Sonny Gray was supposed to start Monday night but was ill due to food poisoning. Gray may pitch Tuesday if he is feeling better.

Before the start of the game, it should be noted that the Opening game ceremonies honored the memories of  Dave Henderson and Tony Phillips. Both men played on the 1989 World Championship team, and both were in their 50s at the time of their passing. The ceremonies included the introduction of the players, coaches, manager, trainers and other members of the staff of both teams. Following the singing of the National Anthem, the fans enjoyed the flyover by a military plane.

The A’s have lost 11 of their last 12 Opening Day games. Rich Hill made his first Opening Day start.

The A’s meet the White Sox Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. Lefty Jose Quintana will pitch for the Sox and he will be opposed by a pitcher to be named later.

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Fietelberg: Gray out with food poisoning for opener questionable for Tuesday

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On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg the A’s open a four game home series with the Chicago White Sox at the Oakland Coliseum. A’s number one ace Sonny Gray was scheduled to start but called in with food poisoning and was replaced by Rich Hill. Hill went up against the Sox Chris Sale Monday’s opener. The Sox come into the Coliseum with a healthy roster to start the season and they are leaning on their slugger first baseman Jose Abreau who hit in the three hole on opening night.

Abreau is the guy that Sox manager Robin Ventura is leaning on to clear the bases and be in the top three in the RBI leaders on the team. Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera is also expected by Ventura to add some punch in the Sox line up. Cabrera whose made the rounds the last few years from San Francisco, Toronto and now on the Sox hit .273 last season with 70 runs, 172 hits, 12 homers and 77 RBIs.

The A’s starters for this series, Hill (Monday), Sonny Gray rumored but not confirmed for Tuesday night, right hander Chris Bassitt on Wednesday and to close out the series A’s starter Kendall Graveman. The A’s designated hitter Billy Butler struggled last season at the plate and is looking for a more productive year as team DH A’s manager Bob Melvin has the confidence that Butler will be moving guys over a lot this season.

Catch the A’s podcast each week with Jerry Feitelberg listen below at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Oakland Athletics: Day Off Report

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Where will they finish?

One of the rituals of every baseball season is predicting where your team will finish in the standings come October. With a 162-game schedule, baseball has to be the toughest sport to predict the outcome for of all the sports.

Unfortunately for A’s fans, the predictions of the experts are not positive when it comes to Oakland:

  • Fangraphs predicts the A’s will finish in a tie for fourth place with the Texas Rangers
  • Baseball Prospectus sees Oakland in fifth and final place after 162 games
  • USA Today also has the A’s finishing in last place (5th place)
  • Sports Illustrated concurs and has the A’s finishing fifth
  • CBS Sports agrees and says the A’s will finish the season in the cellar

The prognosticators see the A’s winning as few as 66 games on the low end and 80 games on the high end.

One run games

The Athletics had a 19-35 record in one-run games in 2015. Improving that record to .500 in 2016 would add at least eight wins for the team. The A’s must improve their record in one-run contests in 2016 if they are to beat the predictions of the experts.

Cut down on the errors

The A’s led the American League in errors with 126 miscues in 2015. Winning a baseball game is tough enough and it is made even harder when you make mistakes that allow your opponent to put men on base or move them into scoring position. Oakland has to reduce the error total if they are to win more games this season.

The Athletics need to see real improvement from shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien was charged with 35 errors in 2015. He is an outfielder that the team is trying to convert to an infielder “on the fly”. That is a difficult task at any level but especially at the major league level.

By all reports, Semien has been working very hard with Coach Ron Washington to improve at the position and to cut down on the errors.

Jarrod Parker Update

Parker underwent successful surgery on his right elbow on Friday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neil ElAttrache at the Kerlan Jobe Clinic.

This was a revision of a UCL graft that was performed on Parker’s elbow two years ago. He has returned to Arizona.

Opening Day items

  • The parking lot will open at noon for you who want have big and long tailgate party
  • Stadium gates will open at 5:00 pm
  • 32,000 magnet schedules will be given out
  • Special tributes along with a moment of silence will be observed for Dave Henderson and Tony Phillips

Take BART on Tuesday

  • There is a Warriors game on Tuesday as well as the A’s game. Parking will cost $30. If you have ever thought about taking BART to a game, Tuesday night would be an ideal time to give it a try.

Last opening day for Sonny?

Many “experts” are speculating that this will be Sonny Gray’s final opening day outing as a member of the Oakland Athletics. Most feel that other teams will be making offers for Gray that A’s “cannot refuse” at the 2016 trade deadline.

What’s happening down on the farm

Make sure to listen to out weekly Oakland A’s podcast. We will keep you up to date on what is happening with A’s farm teams. Who will be the next call up from Nashville? Who will be the opening day starter in 2018? How is the number three draft pick doing in A-ball in Stockton? We will answer those questions and more on the Farm Report.

 

Oakland A’s Saturday post game wrap: A’s tap into a couple of power sources to avoid a sweep in the Bay Bridge Series

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A's swing
Oakland Athletics’ Jed Lowrie, right, celebrates with Josh Reddick, left, and Marcus Semien (10) after scoring on an inside the park two run home run against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning of an exhibition baseball game Saturday, April 2, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

 

By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–Both guys played collegiately at Cal State Fullerton, can hit with power, and have the potential to help the A’s in a major way. Both guys suited up in green and gold for the first time at the O.co Coliseum on Saturday and didn’t waste much time introducing themselves to the home crowd with a taste of that home run ability. But both guys don’t fit on an opening day roster that only has 25 spots.

So while 28-year old Khris Davis will likely land in Bob Melvin’s starting lineup on Monday night, 22-year old Matt Chapman’s time isn’t now, and he was reassigned to Minor League camp following the Bay Bridge series finale.

The A’s powered up to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Giants, winning 4-1 as both Davis and Chapman hit solo shots, and Eric Surkamp turned long man supreme by pitching seven innings in relief to get the win. Felix Dubrount, who was slated to begin the season as the A’s fifth starter was injured, and left the game after an inning, putting his first start at Seattle on Friday in doubt.

Davis was acquired in an off-season trade from Milwaukee, and after hitting .314 with a pair of homers in spring, appears to be ready to supplant veteran Coco Crisp as the team’s everyday guy in left field. Crisp and utility outfielder Sam Fuld were Davis’ competition for the spot, so it figured Davis would claim the competition, given his career-best 27 home runs for the Brewers in 2015.

Davis, the son of a longtime major league scout, Rodney Davis, is the latest in a line of sluggers that don’t necessarily impress you with any other facet of their game other than their ability to run into one frequently enough to justify their spot in an everyday major league starting role. The stout slugger handles fastballs with ease, homering at a rate off of fastballs that rivals Bryce Harper and the top sluggers in the game. But while Davis increased his ability to be discerning at the plate in 2015, drawing more walks, he still struck out 122 times in 392 official at-bats.

On Saturday, Davis homered of a 2-2 pitch from Matt Cain, which surely will be noticed by an organization that puts great value on hitting deep in counts. The newest Athletic has an impressive 60 home runs in 1092 big league-at bats, and he hit significantly higher average in spring than the .250 over his first three big league seasons. But maybe most importantly, he’s naturally gregarious, and happy to have been dealt from rebuilding Milwaukee to reloading Oakland, where good things have happened to players in Davis’ age range and skill set.

“I do what I do and take the elements out,” Davis said in explaining the dynamics of his homer off Cain.

Chapman, the A’s 2014 first-round pick, hit .295 in spring with a team-best six homers, including his eighth inning shot off Josh Osich that came on the first pitch. Despite his surprising spring as a non-roster invitee, Chapman will begin 2016 at Double A Midland. Defensively, he’s not nearly where he needs to be to earn a big league spot playing third base, but he’s put the organization on notice that his time is coming soon.

“The big thing for me, it’s kind of a boost in confidence,” he said. “To know that no matter what kind of slump you hit, or no matter what happens here on out, wherever you go, to know that you can compete at the highest level.”

NOTES: The A’s placed Eric Sogard on the disabled list with a neck strain, leaving Chris Coghlan in Sogard’s role as the team’s primary utility infielder. In fact, Coghlan is listed at five different positions on the A’s Opening Day depth chart, including all three outfield spots.

Yonder Alonso will be the starter at first base, and Danny Valencia has claimed the third base job. Crisp figures to see most of his time as a pinch hitter as Coghlan will be the primary backup to center fielder Billy Burns, and Mark Canha will back Davis in left.

The A’s set in pencil rotation has Sonny Gray followed by Rich Hill, Chris Bassitt, Kendall Graveman and Dubrount with Jesse Hahn on speed dial if the former Boston reliever/starter injured on Saturday misses any significant time.

Sean Doolittle, John Axford, Ryan Madson and 27-year old Australian Liam Hendriks will comprise the back end of the Oakland bullpen.

 

 

Oakland A’s Friday post game wrap: Graveman Sharp Despite Early Struggles in Final Spring Start

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

photo credit:bloguin.com file photo Oakland A’s right hander Kendall Graveman improved his ERA to 4.73 throwing five shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – In the bigger picture, spring training stats mean little to a team’s World Series chances. A win in March won’t make a difference in the standings the way a game in July does. That being said the Oakland Athletics still have to be concerned, albeit ever so minutely, after dropping their 5th straight exhibition contest 3-0 to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park Friday.

The A’s dropped the middle contest of the Bay Bridge Series after their cross-Bay foes plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning off starter Kendall Graveman. Jake Peavy (2-0, 6.11 ERA), taking the hill for the home team, pitched 5 scoreless innings and wound up the winner thanks to a two-run double from his batterymate Buster Posey. Outfielders Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick were the only A’s to get hits off Peavy. The Giants also scored a run off Oakland’s bullpen.

Graveman (1-2, 4.73) entered Friday coming off his best start of the spring after allowing 12 runs over his first 14.2 innings. The 25-year-old righty held the defending World Champion Kansas City Royals to a lone run over 7 innings of 4-hit ball Sunday in Arizona.

“It started off slow,” said Graveman of his spring. “I thought I got incrementally better each outing. It’s something I wanted to do, tune it up before the regular season. I wanted intent with every pitch. I don’t think I could say that with honesty in the first couple outings.”

His Friday appearance looked to be skewing more towards his previous starts than his recent run. Giants leadoff man Denard Span reached base on a single to right, then two-hole hitter Joe Panik reached base after drawing a full-count walk. The 2012 Most Valuable Player Posey punished Graveman for setting the table for the catcher, lining a sinker down the left field chalk to plate a pair of runs with no outs. Graveman recovered though, retiring Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt and Matt Duffy in order, stranding Posey at third base.

“Give Posey credit,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin. “(Graveman) keeps him on the ground, he just hits it down the line. I thought he did well, he kept the ball down. When he’s right the ball is on the ground.”

From there, one of the pieces of the Josh Donaldson trade with Toronto remained locked in on the mound. He finished the night firing 5 innings, yielding 5 hits while walking a pair with a quartet of punchouts.

“It was just like last start,” said Graveman. “I was throwing all 4 pitches for strikes. As long as I can do that and keep all four of them in the zone and throw them in any count.”

Graveman is penciled to fit somewhere in the A’s starting rotation behind opening day starter Sonny Gray and offseason acquisition Rich Hill. He is hoping to build off a 6-9 2015 campaign that saw him compile a 4.05 earned run average over 21 starts while missing the final month of the season with a strained oblique. He hopes the addition of a changeup will help him solidify a spot towards the front end, not the back when the A’s open the season against the Chicago White Sox Monday.

“It felt good,” said Graveman of his new pitch. “I got some ground balls, a couple broken bats. It’s something I’ll have to carry throughout the whole season to be successful. Tonight, being behind in the count or ahead, it was a good pitch.”

The new surroundings helped Graveman and his arsenal of cutters and sinkers he has thrown so well in his time in green and gold. Going from the band boxes and thin air of the Cactus league to 24 Willie Mays Plaza proved beneficial to the bounce-out specialist.

“It’s good for guys who throw sinker balls,” Said Graveman of the change in atmosphere. “You can see some sliders and some people’s pitches shaping up nicer than they do in Arizona. It’s because the air is so thin.”

While Graveman will have to wait until the regular season to test his performance in-game, Oakland still has a chance to improve an offense that only produced 4 hits and put a solitary runner in scoring position. Saturday, the first game exhibition or otherwise at the O.Co Coliseum, will give the A’s a chance to move past a 7-hit, single-run first two games of the  preseason Bay Bridge series.

“We had a really good spring,” said Melvin. “We feel like we have guys who can swing the bat. We didn’t here the last couple nights. They pitched well. We hit four or five balls right on the nose too. They play great defense. It’s what they do.”

Felix Doubront, recently named the A’s fifth starter, will square off against Matt Cain. The one-time no-hitter is looking to prove he is healthy enough to lock down the Giants fifth and final spot in the rotation.

Notes: The A’s are expected to announce their final roster after Saturday’s game. Bob Melvin said he expects to start some of the regulars… Chris Coghlan played 2nd base, 3rd base and the outfield in Friday’s contest….Franklin Barreto was a last-second addition to the A’s dugout Friday, arriving at the park around 8 pm to fill in for the injured Eric Sogard. Sogard is dealing with a neck injury and is day-to-day.

 

Oakland A’s commentary with Tony the Tiger Hayes: Just two more exhibition games until opening day

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By Tony The Tiger Hayes

SAN FRANCISCO–The insignia on their green and gold cap reads A’s, but as the never ending rebuilding process drags into its third campaign you get the feeling they would be totally disappointed if it read: C+.

2016 is all about ramping up the progress the club made in the second half of 2015, when Oakland went 68-94 and finished in last place in the west.

Save one year third baseman Brett Lawrie, most of last season’s top cast and crew are back, highlighted by marquee trio of starting pitcher Sonny Gray, catcher Stephen Vogt, and power hitting outfielder Josh Reddick.

It’s the lesser known younger players who showed promise last season that will determine how well the A’s perform in 2016.

We’re talking pitchers Jesse Hahn, Chris Bassitt, and Kendall Gravamen. Infielders Mark Canna and Marcus Semian and Danny Valencia. And outfielder Billy Burns.

All those players will have to find a way from regressing.

Plus there are the new guys, infielder Yonder Alonso, outfielders Khris Davis and Chris Coughlan.

The A’s lost 3-1 Thursday night in the first game of the Bay Bridge series in San Francisco, but there were some promising signs, especially from starting pitcher Bassitt.

The youngster allowed one runs in four innings, striking out three. Offensively the A’s didn’t show much, collecting just three hits against four Giants hurlers.

The A’s will have two tune-up games vs. San Francisco before opening night Monday.

Oakland A’s Thursday game wrap up: A’s line up card; players may have to roll with different roles each day

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by Tony the Tiger Hayes

Photo credit: Josie Lepe Bay Area News Group–Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt (40) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning on Thursday night

SAN FRANCISCO–There is going to be changes over at the Oakland A’s and that might be everyday according to Oakland manager Bob Melvin. The A’s right fielder Josh Reddick looks like the only fixed position in the line up day to day. Those changes could even include the more reliables designated hitter Billy Butler, shortstop Marcus Semien, and Danny Valencia who plays the hot corner at third.

Melvin says that the A’s will have different position players from day to day and that the guys on that 25 man roster should expect different changes each day. Usually players would like to know what their role is and have a steady line up everyday but for Melvin there is a sure fire way to the method to the madness, “starters for us our relative, we’ll have two different line ups with what we feel are potential starters” said Melvin.

They won’t rest on their laurels this season and the players in the A’s clubhouse all understand the revolving door each day with the lineup card, “It seems to be better the problem last year some guys being too involved in themselves since were losing and were so far out if early.” said Reddick

Thursday night game versus the Giants: A’s starter Chirs Bassitt allowed only one run on three hits in four innings against the Giants at AT&T Park in the loss to the Giants 3-1. Bassitt who got lit up during Cactus League action in Arizona lends the good outing to a change in scenery. Bassitt while pitching in Arizona posted an 7.22 ERA but looked like world of difference pitching against the Giants Thursday night “I’m glad to get out of Arizona that’s for sure you look at me you look at (Jeff) Samardjiza (the Giant starter) anyone who throws a two seam nothing moves the way you want it to move in Arizona. It’s like a cue ball your throwing. It’s dry and you get out here and it’s like ‘where’s it been this whole time.’ said Bassitt.

The A’s are back at AT&T for Friday night right hander Kendall Graveman gets the call for the A’s and for the Giants right hander Jake Peavy a 7:15 PM first pitch. Weather forecast for Friday’s contest calls for wind and cold at 57 degrees at first pitch a big difference from the warm Arizona weather.

 

A’s fall to Snakes in Cactus League finale

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By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, March 30, 2016

photo by: twitter.com–Oakland A’s Chad Pinder socked a home run in Wednesday’s game in Mesa AZ

MESA, Arizona – The Oakland Athletics’ exodus from Hohokam Stadium wasn’t aided by a 3-hour, 24-minute game on spring training getaway day, but the buses were rolling en route to the Bay Area by 4 p.m.

Oakland’s starters had a jump start – they were out of the game, won by Arizona 12-9, by the third inning. The A’s finished up the Cactus League contest with an assortment of Nashville Sounds Midland Rockhounds and Stockton Ports.

Before the game, the A’s announced that right-hander R.J. Alvarez underwent successful surgery on his right elbow. A debridement of the elbow was performed by a Bay Area surgeon. No timetable was announced for his return to the active roster.

On Tuesday, the A’s optioned right-hander Jesse Hahn to Triple-A Nashville.

The Athletics, Visit Oakland and the City of Oakland are hosting a flag raising event at Oakland at 1 p.m. Friday. Dignitaries expected to attend include Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, A’s President Michael Crowley, Manager Bob Melvin, and special guest dignitary A’s mascot Stomper. The event kicks off Oakland A’s Spirit Week, which runs through Opening Night on April 4 when the A’s host the Chicago White Sox at O.co Coliseum.

THE GAME
Arizona won by surging ahead with six runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth, taking an 8-7 lead at that juncture. The A’s took their final lead at 9-8 before the Diamondbacks scored single runs in the seventh and eighth and two in the ninth.

A’s starter Rich Hill worked 4 1/3 innings, striking out two with three walks. Sean Doolittle and Tucker Healy were each credited with a blown save, and the loss was hooked on Trey Cochran-Gill (0-1).

Arizona reliever Silvino Bracho (2-0) struck out three in 1 2/3 innings for the win, and Nick Sariandes threw an adventurous ninth – one hit, two walks and three strikeouts – to earn a save.

Oakland received two-run homers from Chad Pinder and Matt Chapman. Chris Coughlan drove in two runs, giving him 11 for the spring.

Wellington Castillo and Chad Oberacker homered for the D-Backs.

Oakland used 28 players in their Arizona finale for 2016, while Arizona used 24. The announced crowd of 5,335 got a good glimpse of both team’s farmhands.

TAGS: Oakland Athletics,Cactus League,Sports Radio Service,Daniel Dullum

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Graveman has great movement on pitches goes seven on Sunday

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photo credit: en.wikipedia.org file photo–Oakland A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman on August 15, 2015

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg the Oakland A’s Kendall Graveman threw for seven inning on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals and had a great outing going seven innings and gave up one run and had an impressive outing. Graveman has a great change up and this was instrumental in his work pitching against the Royals on Sunday.

Graveman had run support from Chris Coglan and Jed Lowrie who both hit home runs in the 10-1 bombing of the Royals. The cushion helped out and gave Graveman confidence in his outing. Look for him this season to have some successes and manager Bob Melvin looks forward to see what he can do in the regular season.

A’s, Vogt Family Fund, hosting All-Star Benefit April 2

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Announcement from the Oakland A’s Media Relations Dept

OAKLAND, Calif. – A’s catcher Stephen Vogt and the Vogt Family Fund will host the School of Imagination’s first-ever All-Star Benefit on World Autism Day, Saturday, April 2. All proceeds will benefit the School of Imagination, which provides support and services to more than 300 children, many with special needs and disabilities such as autism.

The All-Star Benefit will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Palm Pavilion, Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton, CA 94566.

The All-Star Benefit will be a Texas hold ‘em-style poker tournament featuring celebrity poker players, including Vogt; A’s teammates Josh Reddick, Billy Butler, Billy Burns, Eric Sogard and Josh Phegley; A’s hitting coach Darren Bush; Congressman Eric Swalwell; and KTVU’s Mark Ibanez.

Individual tickets to the event can be purchased online at SOIAllStar.org by using promo code JOINVOGT.

“My wife, Alyssa, and I truly enjoy working with the School of Imagination,” said Vogt. “We love the ability to not only spend time with the kids, but also help them feel important every time we get to go there. The school is doing amazing work and we feel honored to be part of their incredible program.”

The Vogts are active supporters of the School of Imagination, visiting with students both at the school and on the field at O.co Coliseum multiple times throughout the season. They have been working with the school since 2014.

“Stephen’s passion for working with special-needs youth is remarkable,” said A’s President Michael Crowley. “The A’s are proud to join forces with him to help raise awareness and funds for the School of Imagination.”

“We’re so privileged to have the support of the A’s and of Stephen,” said School of Imagination Co-Founder Charlene Sigman. “At times, children with autism and special needs don’t have the same opportunities as other children. All you have to do is see the looks on our students’ faces to understand just how much Stephen’s visits mean to us. To have the A’s and Stephen take such an interest in our small school is just so appreciated by us all.”

Founded in 2001, the School of Imagination in Dublin, Calif. has served thousands of families throughout Northern California. The school is committed to bringing out the extraordinary in every child by providing groundbreaking, collaborative and individualized educational, therapeutic and family support services. It offers a nurturing and positive environment through the highest quality inclusion program that supports all children, encouraging them to become positive influences on society.