Last year, the A's, on the backs of 4 rookies, Huston Street, Nick Swisher, Joe Blanton and Dan Johnson, surprised many by contending all the way through September. With two weeks complete in the 2006 campaign, Swisher is providing power at the plate and strong defense - laughing in the face of the dreaded sophomore slump. Today, we check in to see how he and the other three "smores" are doing.

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If you took a look at my bookshelf, you'd learn a few things about me - I can't get enough books on technology and the world of business, and like to surround myself with baseball stories and stats. In fact, the bookshelf is a lot like this blog. But one thing that stands out on the bookshelf, but is missing here, is my decades-long obsession with Stephen King. Starting with "IT" and "The Stand" in the 8th grade, I've consistently sought out everything King's ever written, from the old-school horror books, to his instructional book "On Writing", an instant classic. While others may think of macabre and darkness with King's work, I simply treasure his wit and humor. He is a hilarious, outstanding writer - a living legend.

While on a business trip in Las Vegas late last year, I found The Colorado Kid, a much thinner piece, that bore his name, and added it to my "to do" pile. Having taken it off the pile this last week, there's a good reason why it hasn't raced to the top of the charts or been turned into a full-length feature film like so many of his other pieces. The story, discussing a legendary unsolved murder in a small New England town, is told from the vantage point of the small-town reporters, now ancient, who recalled the case's detail, and the fogies love the story telling. But it doesn't go too far. Sure, there are unknowns and curiosity to the tale, but if you are the type who likes tidied up loose ends and resolution, this isn't the story for you. If you are the type who likes excitement and being scared or thrilled, again, not for you. It's for people like me who would feel lost without having Stephen King's full library - and now, that book is checked off the list, but the piece isn't in his top 40.

Listening to ''Someone Like Me'', by Röyksopp (Play Count: 1)

It's said that every time you go to a ballgame, you will see something you have never seen before. While some elements may be formulaic - from sluggers striking out to light-hitting catchers grounding into double plays every time there's a runner on first and less than two outs, the element of surprise makes the difference between a win and a loss for the home team. Today, in a game that at times alternated between needing to cover with umbrellas and that of partly cloudy skies, the A's charged back from a 4-2 deficit against the Rangers on the backs of three consecutive home runs on consecutive pitches in the sixth inning. The first lowered the deficit to one, the second tied it up, and one pitch later, the third put the A's ahead by one - to stay.

For the 16,000 of us who had chosen to brave the elements, the feeling in the stadium was electric - as we saw one veteran A's player followed by two of the A's off-season acquisitions put the nails in the coffin for the visiting team. I had never seen anything like it. The A's, though known for home runs in past years, haven't wowed anyone with the long ball the last few seasons, but 2006 looks like things are a-changing. It's amazing what three swings of the bat can do for an otherwise gray day.

Listening to ''Alpha Male'', by Röyksopp (Play Count: 1)

In case you hadn't already heard, TiVo's aforementioned lawsuit against Echostar for infringement of the company's patents, most specifically related to "time shifting" of television shows, was resolved quickly, with a jury awarding the DVR company more than $73 million in damages, and issuing the first salvo in what could be the first of many court dramas involving TiVo. On the heels of my whining that I had missed out on TiVo's recent stock run from $6 to $8, I had jumped back in at the $8 mark Wednesday, and saw that trade take a positive 22% bounce after market hours Thursday night. While I don't have anything resembling a massive nest egg, I'm definitely picking and pulling wherever I can to increase the bottom line, and this one looks good so far.

Regarding the lawsuit, it's great to see technology innovators rewarded for their investment in R&D (research and development). Too often, competition so closely mimics a product's attributes and offers only price as a differentiator, which while temporarily beneficial to consumers, damages development in the long run, as the original market maker may fall on hard times. Many had speculated that if TiVo lost this round of the lawsuit against Echostar, the company's viability would be very much in jeopardy. For now, that decision has been postponed.

Listening to ''Requiem For A Dream (Leama's D'', by Paul Oakenfold (Play Count: 12)