Bay Area Sports Blog

Occasionally we’ll post rebuses: word puzzles based on images. Put the images together and you’ve got a name.

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Former Cal star and 2003 first-round draft pick Conor Jackson, whose career stats pale in comparison to his father’s filmography, was acquired by the A’s in a trade with the Diamondbacks today. Oakland sent minor league pitcher Sam Demel and cash considerations to Arizona, which sweetened the deal by including a boxed set of the once-popular TV series JAG. Jackson’s father played Adm. AJ Chegwidden on the show.

In Jackson, the A’s add a player who is hitting .238 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 42 games. Jackson missed time earlier this season with a bum hamstring and almost all of last year after being diagnosed with Valley Fever. The A’s intend to play him in left field, which could signify the end for Eric Patterson.

Let’s get to know Conor Jackson:

• Jackson made his major league debut at Wrigley Field, where the A’s open a three-game series tonight, on July 28, 2005. He went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter but started and went 2-for-4 two days later.

• Jackson lost 30 pounds while battling Valley Fever last season. (Is there a Silicon Valley Fever that Pablo Sandoval could try to catch?)

• When Conor was about 7, his father played an abusive father on a television movie. “It was so convincing, after I saw it I was so scared of him,” Conor told the Daily News in 2003. “Because it was the first time I’d seen him play a really, really bad guy. He had to sit me down and say, ‘Hey, listen, it was just a movie.’”

• Jackson made a guest appearance on “General Hospital” last year and said he was “more nervous doing that than standing in the batters’ box.”

After the jump, Jackson goes grocery shopping with Eric Byrnes. Hilarity Bickering over hot dog buns ensues.

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BASB’s weekly baseball roundup from both sides of the Bay — and an excuse to post a photo of Crazy Crab knocking Stomper off a tricycle.

CRABS UP

HR Huff and Stuff: Aubrey Huff, who is making Giants fans forget all about offseason flirtations with Nick Johnson and Adam LaRoche, homered twice and drove in four runs Sunday. Huff, who has hit 8 of his 10 homers this season at AT&T Park, is quietly off to his best start ever.

Sweep Swap: The Giants and A’s split this year’s Bay Bridge Series, with each team sweeping at home.

First of Many: Buster Posey CRUSHED his first major league home run at Cincinnati.

CRABS DOWN

(Really) Mad Bum: Madison Bumgarner was ejected from a PCL game and suspended for three games. Bumgarner’s inability to keep his cool may have cost him a call-up to take Todd Wellemeyer’s spot in the rotation.

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BASB’s weekly baseball roundup from both sides of the Bay — and an excuse to post a photo of Crazy Crab knocking Stomper off a tricycle.

CRABS UP

Dingers: We’re not exactly sure what has gotten into the Giants–steroids, perhaps?–but they’ve been hitting home runs at an alarming rate. Like, two home runs in one game by Eugenio Velez alarming. Yes, that really happened.

Draft Day: It’s impossible to predict who the Giants will take in tonight’s amateur draft, primarily because they’re picking 24th, but that only adds to the excitement.

Backup Catchers: Eli Whiteside is having himself quite a season as Jonathan Sanchez’s personal catcher.

CRABS DOWN

John Bowker: Despite hitting better than Carlos Lee and Aramis Ramirez in April, John Bowker was relegated to the bench. After starting only eight games in May, he’s been relegated to Triple-A. Welcome, Pat Burrell.

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Jose Canseco is a big fan of Newport Beach’s Daddy Cakes Bakery and here’s the video to prove it.

“Daddy Cakes, our batter is better. Say that six times, I dare ya!” (Without steroids, cheaters.)

According to the official Daddy Cakes blog, which features photos of fellow DCB lovers Gary Busey and Weird Al, Canseco prefers the Better Batter Buttermilk. We’re inclined to think it’s all about the Criminal Chocolate Chip.

Jim Joyce’s mind-boggling blown call heard ’round the world cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game, but it probably won’t cost the young Detroit righthander any publicity. While Joyce’s mistake left some fans clamoring for instant replay and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig contemplating the possibility of overturning the call, minor league teams in Toledo, Oklahoma City, and Frisco are undoubtedly planning promotions tied to Galarraga’s imperfect perfecto.

Free eye exams? Jim Joyce making the ceremonial first call at first base? Four outs for each team in the ninth inning? The possibilities are endless.

While Joyce, who was the second base umpire for Dallas Braden’s perfect game, will work tonight’s game in Detroit behind the plate, the Sacramento River Cats will honor Braden by adding his jersey to the Raley Field Wall of Fame. Braden won’t be able to make the celebration in Sacramento, but he did offer his A-Rod-hating grandmother, who will throw out the first pitch, some advice.

Just bury it.

Braden will look to bury his four-game winless streak on Friday against the Twins.

BASB’s weekly baseball roundup from both sides of the Bay — and an excuse to post a photo of Crazy Crab knocking Stomper off a tricycle.

CRABS UP

Buster Posey: Finally. (So he won’t collect three hits every game.)

AT&T Park Confidential: NBC sheds some light on a few AT&T Park mysteries, like, where do they keep all those panda heads?

Pat Burrell: A Tampa columnist called Pat Burrell’s signing the worst idea in Rays history, while others have labeled him a clubhouse cancer. The Giants don’t really have much to lose by signing Pat the Bat to a minor league deal.

CRABS DOWN

The Freakanchise: Tim Lincecum hasn’t been his usual, dominant self in his past three starts. The Nationals rocked him last week, while Ubaldo Jimenez outdueled him Monday. Lincecum hasn’t been this, um, not ridiculously awesome since his rookie season. One scout said “something is going on” with Big Timmy Jim, then realized that that “something” is probably a blister.

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Today, Max Scherzer struck out 14 Oakland A’s in 5 2/3 innings, setting the all-time record for strikeouts for a pitcher in less than six innings. Yikes. To get over the shame, A’s fans can just rewind 24 hours and remember this catch by Gabe Gross in the A’s 6-0 win over the Tigers on Saturday.

Gross is having himself a week. On Thursday he hit his first home run in 52 games, and on Friday he hit a ninth-inning dribbler that ended up scoring the go-ahead run in a 5-4 victory. So, despite striking out twice today Gross has made his money this week. Gold star, Grossy.

BASB’s weekly baseball roundup from both sides of the Bay — and an excuse to post a photo of Crazy Crab knocking Stomper off a tricycle.

CRABS UP

Clever Craigslist Ads: For all your ERA lowering needs, please contact Brian Sabean! (via McCovey Chronicles)

Walk This Way: Brandon Crawford, the Giants’ fourth-round pick in the 2008 First Year Player Draft, is off to a strong start for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, in part because of a much improved walk rate.

Trade Talk: If the Giants are going to contend for anything this year, they’ve got to do something about their anemic offense. Pat Burrell? No, thanks. Prince Fielder? Holla! It’s only speculation at this point and it would probably take Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner to make it happen.

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Barry Zito was rocked by the A’s again Friday night, for the 812th time since signing with the Giants. When you get rocked like that, you need to soothe yourself. Perhaps by playing a little rock music. Which Barry will do. At The Independent. Tonight.

According to a press release that landed in our inbox Friday, Zito will take the stage with Kelley James tonight as James opens for State Radio.

Kelley James will be opening for Boston’s State Radio at The Independent in SF with friend and star pitcher Barry Zito joining him on stage playing both drums and guitar. James will bring his unique musical style to The Independent with his urban infused acoustics and impromptu freestyling.

We’re in, but only if there’s impromptu unicorn freestyling from Zito.

Zito, who landed on our hippiest-athletes list in part because of his musical stylings, has played with Chris Isaak and has tastes ranging from Joni Mitchell to Outkast.

So who knows what you’ll see at The Independent. You might see a sick curveball, you might see a fastball with no velocity. Ah, we kid, you’ll only see music. Sweet, sweet chin music?