peoples eyes, Ray can do no wrong. Thats something I take pride in,"

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The San Francisco Giants have dominated the baseball headlines in the Bay Area since winning the World Series in 2010 and 2012. The Oakland Athletics have swiped most the attention back after taking over the best record in the majors this summer. And when the two teams met for the first time this season, both continued to head in opposite directions. Jesse Chavez matched a career high with nine strikeouts in six innings, and three relievers pitched scoreless ball to lead the As past the Giants 5-0 on Monday night for their fifth straight win. "Its exciting to be part of the Oakland Athletics right now," said third baseman Josh Donaldson, one of six As players named to the AL All-Star team. The As have been among baseballs best and most consistent clubs all season. Then they made a surprising trade to get right-handers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Chicago Cubs on Friday for three minor leaguers, including top prospect Addison Russell. Oakland also leads the majors with their All-Star selections, the clubs most since 1975. Sundays announcement didnt even include Samardzija, who was selected as a National League All-Star but is ineligible to play. The banged-up Giants, on the other hand, had lost 18 of 23 to fall out of first place in the NL West -- where they once held a 9 1/2-game lead over the Dodgers -- but showed signs of coming out of their slump by winning two in a row at San Diego over the weekend. Instead, the two-time defending AL West champion As put together the kind of all-around effort theyve had most of the season in the Bay Bridge Series opener. Alberto Callaspo hit a two-run double, and three others drove in a run to power the As in front of an announced sellout crowd of 36,067 festive fans at the Coliseum. The worn-down stadium had a colorful sprinkling of green and gold from Oakland revelers mixed with the orange and black of San Francisco supporters -- many of whom left before the final out. Chavez (7-5) allowed four hits and two walks to help extend the As record to a major-league best 56-33. Fernando Abad, Dan Otero and Ryan Cook shut down San Francisco the final three innings. "We all like to feed off each other," Chavez said. "Were just playing good baseball, and were excited to be back home." Ryan Vogelsong (5-6) lost his third straight start for the Giants, who had just five hits. The right-hander gave up five hits and three runs in 5 1-3 innings. He struck out four, walked two and hit a pair of batters, leading to the As first two runs. Oakland started its scoring surge after home plate umpire Paul Nauert ruled Craig Gentry was hit by a pitch on his hand leading off the fifth. Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the play, which was upheld after a video review. Gentry stole second, advanced to third on Coco Crisps bunt single and scored on John Jasos groundout for the As first run. Josh Donaldson also was hit by a pitch by Vogelsong on his left hand leading off the sixth. Nauert originally called it a strike before seeing Donaldsons hand swell. Then Nauert asked first base umpire Angel Hernandez if Donaldson, who said his hand was just sore afterward, swung at the pitch. Hernandez signalled no, and Bochy came out and had a heated conversation with Nauert after the call, wondering how it could be reversed. "Then it got ugly," Bochy said. Callaspo came through later in the inning with a two-run double off Juan Gutierrez to extend Oaklands lead to 3-0. Brandon Moss and Donaldson each drove in a run off Gutierrez in the seventh after Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford committed two throwing errors. The teams will play in Oakland again on Tuesday night before the series shifts to San Francisco for the final two games. NOTES: Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval, who left Saturdays game because of a bruised left elbow after he was hit while swinging at a pitch, sat out for the second straight game. ... Athletics RF Josh Reddick took batting practice and fielded fly balls for the first time since re-aggravating his right knee injury June 28 at Miami. ... Giants 2B Marco Scutaro (back) went 1 for 3 with an RBI single in his first rehab assignment for Triple-A Fresno on Monday night at Sacramento. ... Giants CF Angel Pagan was sent to Arizona to resume his rehabilitation from a nagging back injury. ... Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner (9-6, 3.09 ERA) takes the mound opposite Oaklands Sonny Gray (8-3, 3.08) on Tuesday. Custom Houston Texans Jerseys . -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back. Tyrann Mathieu Texans Jersey . Louis Blues brought in the premier unrestricted free agent centre, and did it without breaking the bank. http://www.officialauthentictexansstore.com/authentic-sammie-coates-jersey.html . JOHNS, N. Aaron Colvin Texans Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. Jordan Akins Jersey . -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh says he isnt going to change what he does on the field.BALTIMORE -- The NFL players union appealed Ray Rices indefinite suspension Tuesday night. Rice was originally handed a two-game suspension in July under the NFLs personal conduct policy after he was charged with assault following a Feb. 15 altercation with his then-fiancee in a casino elevator. The Baltimore running back had already served the first game of that suspension when, on Sept. 8, a video surfaced showing Rice punching Janay Palmer, now his wife, in that elevator. Within hours, the Ravens released Rice and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell extended the suspension to indefinite based on the "new evidence." Goodell and the Ravens say they never saw the video before Sept. 8. "This action taken by our union is to protect the due process rights of all NFL players," the NFL Players Association said in a statement. "The NFLPA appeal is based on supporting facts that reveal a lack of a fair and impartial process, including the role of the office of the commissioner of the NFL. We have asked that a neutral and jointly selected arbitrator hear this case as the commissioner and his staff will be essential witnesses in the proceeding and thus cannot serve as impartial arbitrators." The NFLPA said that the collective bargaining agreement requires a hearing date be set within 10 days of the appeal notice. It also said the hearing will require a neutral arbitrator to determine what information was available to the NFL and when it was available. The union, which had until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to file the appeal, added that under governing labour law, an employee cant be punished twice for the same action when all of the relevant facts were available to the employer at the time of the first punishment. "The erratic and illogical system of ad hoc punishments is a paltry substitute for the leadership the NFL desperately needs right now," National Organization for Women President Terry ONeill said in a statement. "Roger Goodell must resign, and his successor must be fully committed to real and lasting change." Rice can apply for reinstatement when he convinces Goodell that he is "addressing this issue." Rice has been accepted into a diversion program, which upon completion could lead to the assault charge being dropped.dddddddddddd The NFL said that Goodell never intended to personally hear Rices appeal. The NFL has come under heavy scrutiny for its handling of the Rice situation -- and other domestic violence cases -- as the league tries to attract female fans to the game. It is an effort that has been scarred by the original two-game suspension, a punishment many womens organizations deemed too light. Goodell, in a letter sent to all 32 NFL owners in August, acknowledged that he "didnt get it right." He then announced a new policy, stating that first-time domestic violence offenders would face a six-game suspension, and repeat offenders would be suspended indefinitely. The policy didnt apply to Rice, who had already received his penalty. There is apparently no precedent for the indefinite suspension Rice received after the video surfaced. With all questions about who knew what and when -- The Associated Press has reported the video was sent to NFL offices in April -- the league has hired former FBI director Robert Mueller to look into how the NFL sought and handled evidence in the domestic violence case. Soon after receiving the original suspension, Rice called his actions in the elevator "inexcusable" and apologized publicly to Janay, his mother, his teammates and the Ravens organization. He also addressed the length of the suspension, which came with a fine of three paychecks totalling more than $500,000. "I never planned to appeal any kind of punishment," Rice said on July 31. "So whether it was two games, four games, six games, eight games, I was going to own my actions and be a man about it and take whatever was given to me." At that time, he spoke about the damage his reputation received. "In some peoples eyes, Ray can do no wrong. Thats something I take pride in," he said. "I know a lot of people out there have lost respect, maybe not like me anymore. But thats my fault. I have to own that. Thats my battle each day." It is a battle he has waged recently out of the public eye. Although he attended a football game at his former high school with his wife last weekend, he has not spoken to the media since his release from the Ravens. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '