Twenty SABR members and guests met for fellowship and an A's game in a luxury box at the Coliseum on June 27.

 

Umpire's clubhouse manager Matt Weiss discussed his role and his career with the A's, which included a six year stint as a batboy, winter work in season ticket sales, and current concurrent duties as the assistant manager of the visiting team clubhouse. We learned how umpires prepare for and unwind from games in the clubhouse with the food and services Matt provides.

 

 The A's beat the Pirates 3-2, with the help of four Buc errors and only three Oakland hits. Including the error by A's pitcher Craig Breslow, there were as many errors in the game as runs scored.

 

The winning run, fittingly, came across in the bottom of the eighth inning on a homerun by Kurt Suzuki immediately after Pittsburgh catcher Jason Jaramillo droped Suzuki's foul pop for the final error of the afternoon