Category: Oakland Athletics

A’s overcome Marlins’ five-run inning

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Photo credit: J PAT CARTER/AP PHOTO

By Pearl Allison Lo

A missed catch from Marcell Ozuna with two outs, helped Oakland tie the game as they persisted and broke out in the ninth for a 9-5 win Friday.

Neither starting pitcher fared well, as Marlins’ rookie Anthony DeSclafani had his shortest outing, taken out due to injury after three innings.

The A’s Jesse Chavez matched a season-high four earned runs.

It was all small ball for both teams as Oakland had 16 hits and Miami had 10.

With one out in the first inning, DeSclafani issued three straight singles to load the bases. Josh Donaldson then ground out and Jed Lowrie singled to make it 2-0.

The Marlins loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning as well with two outs, but Ozuna struck out to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth, Oakland had three straight singles again, this time to lead off the inning. Coco Crisp capitalized by bringing in Lowrie with a groundout to make it 3-0.

It became 4-0 in the fifth inning after new Miami pitcher Brian Flynn issued a leadoff walk to Yoenis Cespedes and a one out triple to Donaldson.

Chavez made it 4-2 though, when he gave up four straight singles and a wild pitch in between in the bottom of the inning. That also brought in Dan Otero to replace him and Chavez’s catcher Derek Norris left as well with a back injury. The Marlins kept going, with a double, groundout and a pinch-hit single by Jeff Baker to give Miami the 5-4 lead.

Three pitching changes later, the A’s tied the game on a triple by Josh Reddick after a two-out single by Stephen Vogt. Ozuna failed to catch the ball by Reddick in left field after he dove.

Steve Cishek became the losing pitcher when he came in for the top of the ninth. He gave up three straight singles, intentionally walked Brandon Moss and with two outs, gave up two straight singles. Speedy Crisp went for home after Oakland led with two straight singles and was initially called out by the umpire.

The A’s Sean Doolittle closed out the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

Game notes: The Marlins will look to recover against Oakland Saturday at 1:10pm.

One Dollar Buys A’s a Split in New York

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By Matthew Harrington

In a reversal of fortunes from Tuesday’s 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the New York Mets, the Oakland Athletics shelled promising youngster Zack Wheeler early on Wednesday to split the a two-game series at Citi Field. Coco Crisp and Brandon Moss homered for Oakland in the 8-5 contest while Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-4 with a three-run double to give starter pitcher Brad Mills his first win with the green and gold despite a late comeback bid by the Metropolitans (36-42).

The A’s (48-30) scored twice in the first inning off Wheeler on Moss’ team-leading (along with Josh Donaldson) 18th long ball of the season that came with two outs and a runner on base. A four-run second, highlighted by Cespedes’ bases-loaded double, wrapped up the night for Wheeler (3-8, 4.45 ERA). The former San Francisco Giants draft pick, acquired by New York in the 2011 Carlos Beltran trade, went only two innings. He allowed a season-high six earned runs in his first start since going the distance in a 1-0 shutout over Miami on June 19th.

A Coco Crisp solo shot, his sixth round tripper of the campaign, off Dana Eveland put Oakland up 7-0 in the fourth while a Mills double play ball plated Josh Reddick from third base for the A’s eighth run and final run in the sixth frame.

While Wheeler scuffled, Mills thrived in his second start since replacing the injured Drew Pomeranz in the rotation. While he was tagged with a no decision in Oakland’s 4-2 win over the Red Sox last Thursday, Mills (1-0, 4.35) picked up his first win in the Big Leagues since 2012.

The man supposedly purchased for one dollar from the Milwaukee Brewers on June 17th went 6 1/3, allowing only three runs. All three tallies came on the first pitch of a pinch-hit at-bat for Lucas Duda which resulted in a three-run shot that chased him from the game.

Dan Otero finished off the seventh, but set-up man Luke Gregerson scuffled with his inning of work, allowing a two-run homer to former Athletic Chris Young, the chief culprit in Tuesday’s thrashing after mashing two dingers. Sean Doolittle struck out the side in the ninth to seal the 8-5 win for his 11th save of the season.

On Thursday, the A’s receive a second dose of respite this week after having a day off Monday to make the trek from Oakland to the East Coast. They’ll have a day off in Miami before opening a three-game weekend set against the Marlins Friday in Oakland’s first visit to Miami’s new ballpark which opened in 2012. Right-hander Jesse Chavez takes the hill for the Athletics while the Marlins counter with righty Anthony DeSclafani and his 7.59 ERA.

Kazmir’s Rough Three Innings Dooms A’s, Oakland Loses 10-1

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NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 24: Scott Kazmir #26 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 24, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 24: Scott Kazmir #26 of the Oakland Athletics pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 24, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

 

By Kahlil Najar

NEW YORK – Scott Kazmir is allowed to have one bad game a year. This was it. In three innings Kazmir gave up eight hits and seven runs – of those eight hits, three went for home runs.

“I just wasn’t throwing my pitches where I wanted to at all,” said Kazmir. “Any change up was belt high or even higher, and they put good swings on them. They didn’t miss any of those pitches that were up in the zone. For the most part, everything was right down the middle.”

It seemed as though Kazmir wasn’t on his game tonight. Head Coach Bob Melvin echoed that sentiment, “It was a performance that we haven’t seen so for me it just looked like some balls were up in the zone and he wasn’t locating like he normally does.”

The three homers tonight were also a shock for Kazmir. Known for not giving up the deep ball, Kazmir gave up the home run ball to Curtis Granderson, former Athletic Chris Young and Travis d’Arnaud.

“It’s almost a shock when you see him give up home runs,” said Melvin. “He got some balls up, missed location with a few of them, and they didn’t miss them. The wind was blowing out to left, and they got some in the air out there, took advantage of it.

The only highlight of the night for the A’s was when Yoenis Cespedes hit his 20th double of the year and scored Brandon Moss in the first inning.

The Mets started former Athletic starting pitcher Bartolo Colon who earned his eighth win of the year as he went 8 strong innings and struck out 8 on 112 pitches.

When asked about Colon, catcher Stephen Vogt said, “What he did tonight is what he did for us all of last year. He’s so frustrating to play, especially someone who has caught him and knows him well. He threw me three sliders in one at-bat. I don’t think I’ve seen him throw three offspeed pitches to anyone. That’s just what he does. Just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he’s going to throw you something you have no idea about. That’s just a testament to how good he is.”

The A’s hope to turn it around tomorrow when Brad Mills (0-0, 4.50 ERA) takes on the Mets Zack Wheeler (3-7, 3.93 ERA), game time 4:10pm PST.

Thats Amaury’s News and Commentary: Anticipation building for what could be U.S.’ biggest soccer game in history

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

ANAHEIM–The U.S. in the World Cup gets an opportunity to try and move up to the next level on Thursday with Germany. They got some competition against Germany and the U.S. has played very well. They played Portuagal to a 2-2 loss on Sunday but they have a opportunity to be the best team in the history of the United States as a soccer team as we know it today.

With the U.S. not considered a soccer country that’s changing as the U.S. team is now playing with the best of them in Brazil’s house. There are many power house teams here and the ratings for ESPN for the World Cup has been huge. Eventually the U.S. can be the team to beat someday and it’s going to be a battle for the U.S. on Thursday and it’ll be fun for the fans watching.

The Brazilians are so far the favorite and they beat Cameroon convincingly 4-1 and they’re picked to finish on top. Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico those are powerhouses and when we mention Brazil there’s no doubt that the critics know what they can do. I was at the World Cup in 1994 and it was one of the highlights of my career so when you talk about Brazil that’s the ultimate soccer country of the world.

SF Giants and their struggles: The Giants do have a good nucleolus of pitching but their pitching is not what it was earlier this season. They have a lot of problems and their on a slide right now losing ten of their last 13 games. The Dodgers are going to go heavy and get some help be it pitching or in the line up and close the gap on the Giants.

Needless to say the Giants have hit a really rough patch and they have a number of injured players and the pitching is suspect and the hitting at times is non existent. The Giants are really having some problems and Giant pitcher Matt Cain got shelled on Monday night by the lackluster Padres offense in a 6-0 loss to drop his record to 1-6.

Cain’s problems are a combination of factors, he said after the game on Monday night that he feels fine but the losses mount, Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is having his own struggles at 5-5 with an ERA of 4.90 Lincecum has lost two of his last four games.

Giants rookie second baseman Joe Panik who debuted on Sunday in Arizona with two hits is impressing the club with his glove and his keystone partner at shortstop Brandon Crawford says he’s got some fine tuning needed but he’s going to do just fine, “There may have been a few things he needed to work on, but he’s a good athlete. He adjusted pretty quickly.”

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for the Los Angeles Angels and does News and Commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No Guarantees for Scuffling Reddick in Return to Roster

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By Matthew Harrington

In 2012, Josh Reddick’s career took a gigantic leap, evolving from fifth outfielder with the Boston Red Sox to a 32 home run masher with the Oakland Athletics. The Savannah, Georgia native went from spare part to key cog in an offense, notching 85 runs batted in while providing Gold Glove-winning defense in right field. 2013 brought a regression, a return to the average with a .226 clip at the plate and diminished power (12 home runs). Again, 2014 proves more the latter than the former for the left-handed hitting outfielder who is scuffling to stay above the Mendoza line (.214 batting average in 50 games) while struggling to stay healthy enough to stay on the field.

Reddick last manned right field on May 31s but exited the game against the Los Angeles Angels after two at-bats nursing a hyperextended right knee. Just like in 2013, a season that ended in a second-straight American League West title for Oakland, the A’s rolled on without Reddick’s contributions required. They currently boast the best win percentage in the Major Leagues (.618) and are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most wins in the big leagues (47). Over the last 10 games, all sans Reddick, the A’s have gone 7-3.

Reddick appears poised to wrap up a rehab stint with the Sacramento River Cats in time to join the team for a trip to New York to face the Mets starting Tuesday. While he may be ready to rejoin the team, the Swingin’ A’s might not have a clear role for him. When Reddick first went down to end May on a down note, general manager Billy Beane called upon third-string catcher Stephen Vogt to fill the roster vacancy. The idea heading in was that Vogt would provide some depth at catcher as well as the corner infield and outfield spots where he had a scattering of experience at the minor league level.

Instead, the 29-year-old backstop stole the starting right fielder spot from other candidates like Brandon Moss and Craig Gentry, producing an eye-popping .346 batting average to go with 11 RBIs in only 17 games. While no one will confuse Vogt for a Gold Glove outfielder, his defense afield has certainly passed the eye test. For a catcher, he certainly doesn’t look out of place roaming right field.

One thing Melvin has displayed in his tenure with Oakland is a loyalty his veterans, evidenced by Daric Barton’s ability to work his way into the line-up 30 times this season despite only nine hits. Reddick will receive every opportunity to regain his role as a starter, likely seeing the majority of starts in the coming days. Melvin, however, shouldn’t feel obligated to continue to pencil no.16 onto his lineup card every day if his offensive woes continue.

If Reddick still looks lost at the plate over the next few series, the best course of action may be another stint at Sacramento. Reddick still has a minor league option left, leaving the best course of action to be riding out Vogt’s hot streak for as long as it will last. By then, perhaps Reddick will rediscover his long ball stroke and return to Oakland with past woes behind him.

Michael Duca on A’s and Giants: No quit A’s keep rolling against some of baseball’s best;Everytime Mad Bum comes out he brings that no hitter feel

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by Michael Duca

Oakland A’s update: The Oakland A’s relief pitching was really solid all the way through the entire series against the Boston Red Sox over the weekend. As A’s manager Bob Melvin said before Sunday’s game the players don’t quit and if their seemingly out of a game and their down 6-1 in the eighth inning they still don’t think their out of the game and Sunday they weren’t.

Major League players, coaches and managers would never admit to being blown away even if they are, this season still has 100 games to run almost 90 games to run anyway. They are impressed with the way the A’s play, they’ve got a bunch of guys that aren’t well known outside of Oakland.

The A’s seem to perform in a variety of circumstances, Sunday in the tenth inning they had to give up the designated hitter because one of their catchers took another knock to the noggin on a back swing. Sooner or later their going to have to take a hard look at whether or not they have to start telling players to limit their back swings because a 360 degree back swing is just flat out dangerous and it doesn’t accomplish anything but it certainly endangers catchers.

They wound up giving up the DH and the pitchers spot was going to hit in the tenth inning and the A’s went to Sean Doolittle as their hitter and he made the last out of the game and Doolittle is a guy who as recently as four years ago counting A ball and fall league had impressive seasons. The A’s have versatility almost everywhere you look.

San Francisco Giants update: Giants pitcher Madison Baumgarner is the staff ace you aticipate him having no hit stuff everytime he goes out to the mound. His only rival is a left handed starter in the National League and that’s the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw. Baumgarner and Kernshaw are similar guys, they’re country kids with probably not the prettiest beards in the world. Their hard throwing lefties that can easily strike out ten, 12, or 13 guys on any given night he’s been absolutely rock steady and that’s what you expect from your staff ace.Baumgarner is working hard, he works quickly he throws to contact, he’s willing to trust his defense because he works quickly his defense is trustworthy.

The Giants Joe Panik had two hits in his first Major League start Sunday night at Chase Field and also did a fine job with the glove in his debut. Panik is a nice looking young player but people shouldn’t put too many expectations on him. I don’t want him to get too tied up in the structure in the pressure of this pennant race.

If Panik is able to do what a rookie is able to do which is play within his self and do what he was doing at the previous level that’s good enough. You can find somebody to play second base on a everyday level who’s a solid fielder and who can bring a .850 OPS to bear on the game that’s absolutely all you could ask for. Panik doesn’t need to try and be better now that he’s a Major Leaguer he doesn’t need to push himself.

Michael Duca does A’s and Giants commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice each week

A’s furious comeback falls short as Big Papi homers in the 10th to propel the Red Sox

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By Morris Phillips

Had the A’s completed their comeback on Sunday and beaten the Boston Red Sox for the fourth straight day it would have ranked as one of the team’s biggest accomplishments in a season-to-date of eye-popping feats.

Instead, the A’s were treated to the latest in David Ortiz’s dossier of big accomplishments, as his solo shot in the 10th inning drove the Red Sox past the A’s, 7-6.

The 448th home run of Ortiz’s career came off a two-strike pitch from Fernando Abad, who has allowed three home runs this week in his role as manager Bob Melvin’s lefty specialist.  Ortiz’s blast reversed the tide which saw the A’s tie the game after trailing 6-1 with three runs in the eighth, and two more in the ninth.

“More than anything he stays at rest or at peace mentally in those key spots and doesn’t miss his pitch when he gets it,” Boston manager Dave Farrell said of Ortiz.

The A’s were looking to win their sixth straight, go 20 games above .500 and sweep the Red Sox in a four-game series for the first time since 1971.  Against nemesis Jon Lester it didn’t seem possible as the Boston ace kept the A’s bats near silent until they rallied in the eighth.  Lester struck out 15 A’s batters in a start earlier this year in Boston and followed that up by holding the A’s to a run through the first seven innings on Sunday.

With two outs in the eighth, Lester hit Craig Gentry with a pitch, saw Gentry steal second and walked Jed Lowrie.  Farrell went to his bullpen at that point and Burke Badenhop surrendered consecutive run-scoring singles to Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson and Derek Norris to pull the A’s within 6-4.

In the ninth, the A’s really got serious by denting Red Sox closer Koji Uehara who had converted 42 of 44 save opportunities dating back to last year and was a major piece to Boston’s run to the World Series title.   First Stephen Vogt took Uehara deep and with two outs, John Jaso in a pinch-hitting role homered to get the A’s even, 6-6.

“They never quit.  That’s as hard as we fought all year,” Melvin said of the A’s comeback.  “We never feel like we’re out of a game until the last out.”

But one day after the A’s took over in extra innings, the Red Sox did the same as Ortiz took Abad out as the leadoff batter in the 10th.  It was Ortiz’s 17th home run of the season and it came off a 1-2 pitch from Abad.

The A’s have a rare two-days off this week surrounding a two-game series in New York with the Mets.  They will then travel on to Miami and Detroit before returning home to face the AL East-leading Blue Jays around the July 4th holiday.

On Tuesday in New York, the A’s will send Scott Kazmir to the mound and he will oppose familiar face Bartolo Colon at 4:05pm.

A’s slip past Boston for fifth straight win despite Melvin’s ejection

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By Morris Phillips

So clever were the A’s on Saturday that they overcame the desperation-leaning, reigning World Champs, home plate umpire Quinn Walcott and his game-altering eighth inning call, the subsequent ejection of manager Bob Melvin and the almost complete absence of offense which saw just two Oakland base runners get as far as second base.

The surprising result?  The A’s squeezed past the Red Sox 2-1 in 10 innings on Coco Crisp’s RBI single off All-Star closer Koji Uehara to win their fifth straight and improve their divisional lead over the Angels to 6 ½ games, their biggest margin prior to an All-Star break since 1988.

The A’s were clinging to a 1-0 lead and riding the impressive seven-inning outing of starter Jesse Chavez when confusion struck in the top of the eighth with setup man Luke Gregerson looking to retire Mike Napoli to end the inning.  Gregerson’s two-strike pitch had Napoli swinging and missing, but Walcott ruled that Napoli fouled the pitch and catcher Stephen Vogt failed to catch it.  Bob Melvin was incensed, but powerless to argue balls and strikes.

“My feeling is that if there’s a play that needs to be reviewed, you should review it,” Melvin recounted.  “You just can’t on that one.”

The umpiring crew gathered after the play and discussed it.  But without video review none of the four could definitively say that they saw the foul tip wind up in Vogt’s glove on the fly.

“The plate umpire (Walcott) heard sound and thought the ball hit the ground and called it a foul ball.  This type of play happens quite often actually, it’s a difficult call for us.  And in order to change it, we have to (be) positive,” crew chief Gerry Davis said.

Two pitches later, a hyped up and disappointed Gregerson saw his offering short hop Vogt and bound toward the mound.  Boston’s Dustin Pedroia seized the opportunity, and broke for the plate from third base successfully ahead of Vogt’s attempted tag.

Suddenly, the A’s found themselves in a tie game, and Chavez without the opportunity to pick up a win, despite pitching the first six innings without allowing a hit.   But the resilient bunch minus Melvin who was thrown out in between innings for arguing the blown call rallied in the tenth.

Alberto Callaspo led off by drawing a walk from reliever Edward Mujica.  Nick Punto bunted Callaspo to second, and Crisp came up with the game-winning hit on Uehara’s first and only pitch of the game.

“I was taking the approach they were going to come right after me,” Crisp said in anticipating a first-pitch fastball.  “I didn’t want to wait around for the splitter so I was hoping that he would come in to what I was looking for, and he did.

The A’s improved their major-league best record to 47-28 with the win.  The defending World Champion Red Sox have lost 12 of their last 19 games and continue to struggle offensively.  Boston ranks 27th in slugging percentage which almost seems like an impossibility given the Sox call doubles-orientated, hitter friendly Fenway Park their home.  Incredibly, the Red Sox are just 20-19 at home this season.

On Sunday, Boston’s John Lester stands between the A’s and a four-game sweep.  Lester will be opposed by the A’s Tommy Milone in the 1:05pm start.

Clutch Crisp Seals Victory For A’s Over Red Sox 4-3

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Kyle Blanks scores the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. The A's defested the Red Sox, 4-3. BEN MARGOT/AP
Kyle Blanks scores the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. The A’s defested the Red Sox, 4-3. BEN MARGOT/AP

 

By Kahlil Najar

OAKLAND – Coco Crisp came in to the game in the bottom of the seventh and proved his worth in the eighth when he hit a go-ahead RBI single off of lefty Andrew Miller to give the A’s a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

On his clutch timing Crisp said, “Everybody in here in the later innings, his number can be pulled out of the hat. We know with our team we play a full squad, so we’re always prepared in case of anything.”

Putting Crisp in was something that coach Bob Melvin didn’t want to do, “Certainly I’d like to rest him the whole game, but he always tells me he’s ready to go, and he came up huge for us. There’s been so many times over the last couple of years where he comes up in those situations and comes through so many times. To an extent you almost expect it, which is unrealistic, but you always feel good when he’s up at the plate.

With the win tonight the A’s have the best record in the league and are 18 games over .500.

Josh Donaldson hit his 18th homer of the year in the bottom of the first with two men on to give the A’s a 3-0 lead. Boston mounted a comeback in the second when Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a line drive single to center field and score Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes who had landed on the bases earlier in the inning.

The Red Sox completed the comeback in the top of the third when the always reliable David Ortiz hit a single to right field ans score Xanders Bogaerts to tie the game at 3-3.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the eighth when Crisp smacked a line drive single to Red Sox right fielder Brock Holt and scored Kyle Banks who was on second and sealed the victory for Oakland.

Melvin concluded, “That was a complete team win today. When your starter goes four innings and you got to use a lot of bullpen you certainly got a lot of contributions.”

The Red Sox and A’s head back at it tomorrow night when the Red Sox send Rubby De La Rosa (2-2) against Jesse Chavez (6-4), game time 1:05pm PT.

Opening Day for me

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Opening day for me

Today was the 72nd game of the season for the Oakland Athletics but for me it was Opening Day.

This writer has had health issues over the last seven months that precluded me from attending any ball game this season including the real Opening day on March 31st.

How did this happen? I have been covering the A’s for a number of years and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 2014 season. The A’s were AL West Division Champs the last two seasons and expectations were high that the team could make it to the World Series in 2014. For me, however, things changed one morning in Mid-November and I found that I could barely walk and when I did I was in excruciating pain. I had been to two doctors I Redwood City and they thought they would use epidurals to relieve the pain and the shots did help somewhat but did not cure the problem.

I then decided to see an orthopedic spine surgeon in Daly City. This doctor told me that the epidurals were like band-aids and may help but after looking at my two MRIs advised me that surgery was the only way to go to fix the problem. I agreed and had 2 surgeries performed in late March. After a week in the hospital and 10 days in Rehab, I went home and started to get back to normal. The doctor told me that it takes six months to a year for the back to heal properly. I was a little down when he told me the news but I was determined to start the rehab right away.

To make a long story short, I had a setback six weeks after the surgery that required a third surgery and another 24 days in the hospital and rehab. Thankfully, all that is behind me and today, June 18th, I decided that I would attend my first game of the year. Opening day for me. I am now able to drive and my walking has greatly improved and I was so excited. The only baseball that I had seen had been on TV and the hospital in Daly City carried the SF Giants only. The Rehab center had both the A’s and Giants so that made it a little easier for me to follow the A’s.

I arrived at the park about 10am and was thrilled to see how green the grass is at the stadium. A little later, people started filing into the park for the pre-game festivities. The person who threw out the first pitch was a woman who was celebrating her 103rd birthday and is the oldest person to ever throw out a first pitch. A young woman sang the National Anthem and it was time for the game to start. In addition, it was a beautiful day for a ballgame. It was 77 degrees at 12:37 with light breezes and not a cloud in the sky. The A’s were playing the rubber match in their three game set with the Texas Rangers and

A’s pitcher Sonny Gray went seven innings and allowed the Rangers just two runs while the A’s scored four and won the game.

It was great keeping score and seeing all my friends and colleagues in the press box. Always a joy to see the three stalwarts from KCBS- Hal Ramey, Steve Biter and Joe Salvatore as well as broadcasters Roxy Bernstein, Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, Manolo Doyen and the public address announcer Dick Callahan.

It was a great day and while I am a little tired from the day’s activities, I was just thrilled to be back at the ball park.

Some sad news. Yesterday, it was reported that Sam Goldman had passed away. Sam was either 87 or 88 years old but he was beloved by everyone in the press box. He had been a mentor for so many people that make their living covering sports. I did not know Sam that well but whenever I worked a Giant game, Sam would be there in the press box and he would pass around some hard candy just as a little treat. It was a small thing to do but but it was his trademark and from what I learned, he paid for the candy himself and just loved to do it. To a man, every writer and broadcaster said that they will miss him immensely. Rest in Peace, Sam.