Center fielder Coco Crisp strutted back into the Bay Area with puffed-up hair and a retro-style beard. Red-headed right fielder Josh Reddick slicked back his locks and added even more inches to his bushy beard as part of an ongoing competition. General manager Billy Beane still had his hair combed clean but picked “a terrible time,” he said, for a sun spot to be removed from his nose. The A’s are back, and with plenty of new looks. Read More

What was once a statement that would be mocked and chided has now become inevitable: The A’s will make the playoffs in 2012. Yes, it’s hardly official with 16 games left and a tough 10-game road trip facing the A’s. But entering today’s game against the Detroit Tigers, Oakland owns a 1½-game edge over the Baltimore Orioles for the top wild-card spot and, more importantly, a 4½-game lead on the Los Angeles Angels for the all-important second wild-card berth. Read More

Would you bet against the hottest team in baseball down the stretch? With 28 games left to play, the A’s are tied with the New York Yankees for the second-best record in the American League (76-58) despite an 8-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday. They’ve won 15 of their past 18 games and hold onto one of the two wild-card spots, with Tampa Bay lurking close behind. But can this team of misfits and castoffs keep it rolling into October? Read More

If you’ve listened, you’ve heard it. “Get better.” It’s the mantra that Raiders coach Dennis Allen has preached during minicamps and throughout the preseason, and one he hopes will be heeded once regular play starts. “The biggest thing when you go to camp is, when you end camp, you want to be better than you were when you started camp,” Allen said. “And that’s the only reason why we do this is to get better. So I think we’ve done that. Read More