While firmly entrenched in the lead in the AL West, the A's have headed East to do battle with the Devil Rays and Twins. Both teams feature indoor stadiums, which we have seen can have some interesting effects on a ballgame. With that in mind, the ANtics present "Dome and Domer".


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In 2001, my boss and a co-worker asked me to join their fantasy football league, saying they needed two new people to fill out the 12-team roster. I of course declined. After all, baseball's the sport I really follow, and any attempts I would make to follow the NFL would undoubtedly see me out of patience and eventually out of money. But they were persistent, and as the eventual draft day drew nearer, I agreed, knowing the $50 I put in to get into the league would be money I'd never see again.

Surprise of all surprises, the fact that I didn't follow the league and hadn't pledged my allegiance to any specific team actually gave me a leg up on the hardened regulars. Rather than rooting for my favorites, I could subjectively look at the numbers and the matchups to project who would do well, and somehow, after it was all said and done, I had won the league title, as a rookie, winning both the regular season, and the playoff round (by a single point). (See League History)

2002 and 2003 saw me flounder a bit. The team nose-dived in 2002, which I blamed on my being otherwise distracted in courting my eventual fiancée. 2003, similarly, was my first year married. But as with all marriages, you eventually settle in and find your role again, so by 2004, I won the regular season, and finished second in the playoffs. In 2005, I made the playoffs for a third time in five years, and took home the trophy for the second time, giving me bookends in the bookshelf that spoke to my fantasy football prowess.

But the gravy train looks like it has come to an end. At the conclusion of the 2005 year, the commissioner begged off, claiming family time was much more of a priority. In the wake of that announcement, and barring any true leadership from the peanut gallery, the league disbanded. Now, a group of six players from the original league have started what's called a "Next Generation" site on Fox's Fantasy Sports page, but it's just not going to be the same. No money is involved, and the site auto-drafted, eliminating some of the most fun parts of fantasy football - the trash talk and the one-upmanship at draft day - not to mention no trophies.

It's the end of an era. And on the first full day of NFL games, when recliner chairs and couches across the US are getting their full workout, we're not feeling like celebrating.

Listening to ''Moogwai'', by DJ Lithium (Play Count: 8)

It'd be hard to completely ignore a few of the biggest scandals out there right now.

The first deals with HP's chairman of the board hiring private investigators to use less than ethical methods to spy on reporters and gain access to their phone records in an attempt to ferret out leaks. This Bush-like breach of privacy is the first of its kind in Silicon Valley and has got the worlds of technology and media alike on edge. Some publications are calling for the director's head on a platter, and reporters are more than justified in their exasperation over this breach of confidence.

The second is on a planned "documentary" by ABC on the events around 9/11, and their cause. The show inaccurately portrays the Clinton administration in a light that directly contradicts the 9/11 commission's report, and even as its airing nears, it's said that edits are continuing to be made to bring the piece further in line with accuracy - although disclaimers have been added to say it is not intended to be fully factual, but more in line with a historical drama. Unfortunately, it's been shown that we have a lot more people in the country who are plenty comfortable with watching TV, but not focused enough to read a congressional report, and they'll remember the one they saw when holding the remote and sitting in a recliner. Lawyers for former President Clinton have gone so far as to recommend ABC cancel it altogether.

On that note, with the 9/11 anniversary coming up soon, the Washington Post has said we were on the heels of capturing Bin Laden at the end of 2001, but the trail went cold, and military strength was subsequently redirected toward efforts in Iraq rather than on capturing the initiators of the terror strikes. Oddly, this falls completely in line with what Senator Kerry argued over with Bush during the 2004 debates, and was so roundly denied. Not that anybody can align the administration with the side of truth these days...

Listening to ''Underwater Love'', by Smoke City (Play Count: 8)

I can safely say we're once again more than a one-sport household. While the A's were battling on the East Coast in an eventual 9-6 defeat at Tampa Bay, the University of California Golden Bears returned home to Berkeley and the Memorial Stadium to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and hopefully find some good news after their week one walloping at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers. Of course, being the good alumni we are, my wife and I were there as well, ready to cheer on the Blue and Gold, the band, and Oski.

Since my graduation from Cal more than 7 years ago now, many things about Berkeley have changed and a great many more have not. It's always a delight to come see Cal football and wish for the best, even though we've experienced the worst. As Cal fans who suffered through a myriad of one-year coaches on the gridiron, and have seen the basketball team on probation for NCAA violations, not to mention the team's on-field troubles, we're often surprised when things actually work out well. Today, amid the tradition of the Cal band and the cannon - which shoots off with a bang after every Cal score - and the cries of "Take off that red shirt!" from the faithful, we saw a once-tentative team roar back to defeat the Gophers by a final score of 42-17.

After the Cal offense debuted with a "three and out" series, followed by the defense giving up a few big plays and the inevitable touchdown that followed, we found ourselves down early 7-0. And shortly after battling back to take the lead 14-7, the Gophers responded on the ensuing kickoff, running it back for a game-tying touchdown. The more bitter around us (myself included) made rumblings of beating the traffic, or noticing we had the lead for all of 17 seconds. But that would be the peak of our troubles. The team ended the first half with a 28-17 lead, and the Gophers were held scoreless in the second half, as the darkness and East Bay fog settled in to weigh down their hopes.

Approximately three hours after the game had started, the clock ticked down, the cannon sounded one last time, and Cal picked up its first victory on the season, evening their record at 1-1. And the victory was made even more sweet having already known that Stanford, the school's arch-nemesis, had lost a close contest against lowly-regarded San Jose State, 35 to 34. Even in Cal's triumph, the failure of their future foe was a wonderful thing.

Football is back. Gold and blue will rival the green and gold through the baseball playoffs, and we just may have to find a way to support both teams to the best of our ability. Both the next two upcoming Saturdays offer us the first time to conflict with the A's and Golden Bears schedules, where we are needed in two places at once. It's a rough life, but I am sure we can figure it out. Go Bears!

Listening to ''Tribute'', by DJ Shog (Play Count: 20)