Jack Cust News: Pro Sports Daily

Cust wants to return in 2010

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September 21

San Francisco Chronicle

"Jack Cust said he'd like to be back next year, but he looks around and sees the many young outfielders and hears of the up-and-coming designated-hitter types and he knows that the team might be looking in another direction. "Maybe, I don't know," he said. "It's looking more like it. ... I hope I'm back, bit it's not my decision and I know they have some things to think about, if they want to spend that money on me or someone else. There are a lot of guys I'm sure they want to look at. They've showed they want to go young." Cust, 30, is arbitration eligible again, and he's making $2.8 million this season. Landon Powell could be a DH candidate; so could Eric Chavez if he is not able to play ..."

Cust blasts two homers to help A's, Tomko top Tigers

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August 24

Oakland Tribune

"Jack Cust, who had hit just one home run in his previous 26 games, belted two on Sunday, supporting another excellent pitching performance by Brett Tomko as the Athletics closed out a nine-game homestand with a 9-4 victory over Detroit. With 17,690 fans watching, Cust delivered a 3-run homer to left to cap a four-run third inning, then hit a solo shot to right leading off the sixth to power the A's past the AL Central-leading Tigers. The A's designated hitter hadn't done much of it since the club traded Matt Holliday on July 24, batting just .215 with one homer over that span. But his three-hit game Sunday was his second in three days. Tomko, signed by the A's earlier this month after ..."

Cust's day worthy of a big stage

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August 24

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Bruce Jenkins

"The Detroit Tigers came to Oakland in first place, and they left town that way, but they gained few admirers. They irritated manager Jim Leyland with their lack of clutch hitting, and they were no match for a startling power display Sunday as the A's closed out the three-game series with a 9-4 win. Heading into this beautiful East Bay afternoon, the A's had belted only one three-run homer in a month. By day's end, they had a pair, by Jack Cust and Landon Powell, along with a solo shot from Cliff Pennington and Cust's second homer of the day. To top off this venture into the unlikely, they beat the Central Division leaders with journeyman Brett Tomko, who pitched a solid six innings. Cust's ..."

Cust takes exception to Mitchell

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August 19

Contra Costa Times

"Outfielder/designated hitter Jack Cust has always had issues with the Mitchell Report from the moment it was released roughly 20 months ago. And he's started to wonder why certain names were not included in the 409-page document about steroid use in baseball. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Cust, who is in his third season with the A's, blasted the report for having no member of the Boston Red Sox among the 85 players mentioned. The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reported last month that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were among the 104 players who allegedly tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance during Major League Baseball's survey in 2003, when ..."

Giambi, Cust bust out

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July 2

San Francisco Chronicle

"Two of Oakland's slumpingest players drove balls out of the Coliseum on Wednesday, and they did it against one of the league's top pitchers. Jason Giambi, who entered the day with a league-low .197 average, whacked his 407th career homer, tying him with Hall of Famer Duke Snider on the all-time list. And Jack Cust, pushed down in the order because of a recent slump, also hit a two-run homer off Justin Verlander in Oakland's 5-1 victory over Detroit. Though the A's have lost six of their past eight and 14 of 21, they still took the series from the AL Central-leading Tigers. Giambi had struck out in his first two at-bats Wednesday against Verlander, and his third time up, with no outs, he ..."

Cust's HR, bunt help Oakland snap skid

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June 18

San Francisco Chronicle

"A night after a painful late-inning loss to the Dodgers, the A's nearly gave up another one because of recurring errors. On Wednesday, though, Oakland's bullpen was able to overcome the defensive lapses, pinning down a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers, baseball's winningest team, and snapping a four-game losing streak. Onetime closer Brad Ziegler helped avert potential disaster with two well-timed double-play balls, and Andrew Bailey, who'd blown a save the previous night, finished things up. Bailey allowed a leadoff infield single to Rafael Furcal, but Orlando Hudson popped up a bunt, James Loney fouled out and Casey Blake hit into a force. "It's nice to bounce back with the victory," Bailey ..."

Cust's grand slam sparks teammates

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May 8

San Francisco Chronicle

"One day before, Jack Cust was saying that he doesn't even think about how poorly the ball travels at the Coliseum at night anymore, he just waits for the weather to warm up. Or for a day game. On Thursday, with splendid baseball weather in the East Bay, Cust belted a grand slam in the fourth inning to shove the A's recalcitrant offense into action. Matt Holliday added a three-run homer in the fifth and Oakland thumped the Rangers 9-4 to end a four-game losing streak. "It's nice when the weather heats up because the ball does carry," said Cust, whose blast landed in the seats above the scoreboard in right. "But the ball I hit today would have been out anyway." Holliday has homered four ..."

OAKLAND'S MAKESHIFT SLUGGER

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April 24

San Francisco Chronicle

"In wintry New Jersey, there weren't many options for playing baseball when Jack Cust and his two brothers were growing up. So his father, also named Jack, asked his accounting clients for empty spaces where they could set up a batting machine. "We'd mooch space, set up in any kind of weather," the elder Cust said. "Warehouses, empty retail stores, anywhere." That's how the younger Jack Cust, now an outfielder/designated hitter with the A's, wound up hitting in a beauty parlor on Main Street in Flemington, N.J., one year. The equipment was gone and the windows were taped over, but still, it wasn't your usual batting cage. "I didn't get a haircut or anything," Cust said with a grin. "It was ..."

Dealing with A's for Cust might help Jays

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January 23

Toronto Star

columnist Richard Griffin

"The Jays are asking for fan goodwill while they rebuild and we're here with a positive suggestion of a potential trade with the Oakland A's, a deal I believe may already have been discussed behind closed doors. Spring training is 24 days away and the club has already announced to season-ticket holders that it will not be spending additional money on payroll in '09. With 16 players under contract, the Jays' committed payroll this year is $76.38 million (all figures U.S.). They will spend another $9 million for the remaining nine to 11 players (Shaun Marcum out for the year; Dustin McGowan out until May). The plan is to let young players develop and take their lumps. But there are creative ..."

Jack Cust's late homer lifts Athletics over M's 5-3

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September 22

Seattle Times

"Jack Cust took good-natured ribbing after the Oakland Athletics' slugger had quite a typical day. This familiar Jack Cust effort featured a walk, a strikeout and a two-run homer. "That's been my whole career for better or worse," Cust said Sunday after his eighth-inning home run helped give the A's a 5-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. "Those are the three big things in my stat book." Oakland completed a three-game sweep and sent the last-place Mariners to their 11th straight loss. Seattle went 0-11 on its final road trip of the season, the third time in franchise history the Mariners have failed to win on a trip of at least 10 games. The Mariners have lost 13 straight on the road. ..."

Cust's 30th HR fuels sweep

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September 22

San Francisco Chronicle

"Jack Cust did just about all he could to get a reprieve from talking about strikeouts Sunday. He popped his 30th home run, a two-run shot that completed the A's late-inning comeback and their three-game sweep of Seattle. Then, still glowing from his team's 5-3 win and his personal milestone, the first postgame question was posed. "So, you had a walk, a home run ... and a strikeout," a reporter started. "That's pretty much how my whole career has gone," Cust said. "Walks, strikeouts and home runs are the biggest things in my stat book, for better or worse." Cust's homer came in the eighth inning on a 2-0 pitch that he powered over the left-field fence. The A's rallied for three runs the ..."

Cust sees his problem

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September 21

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist John Shea

"Jack Cust sees his future with the A's. He wants to see more than that. He wants to see the ball better. The not-so-proud owner of the American League single-season strikeout record, Cust said one of his goals in 2009 is to reduce his swings and misses. He has 187 strikeouts - none in Saturday's 8-7 victory over the Mariners in which he had one hit, three walks and scored twice. Cust wants to improve his vision, thinking a better trained set of eyes could mean more contact and, therefore, a higher average to accompany his power numbers. Consequently, his winter workouts will include exercises for his eyes along with exercises for his arms and legs. "I'll dedicate part of my offseason to ..."

A's, Cust will take the K's with the homers and walks

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September 14

Contra Costa Times

"A's fans again were served the Jack Cust sampler platter Saturday afternoon at McAfee Coliseum, consisting of one-third walk, one-third strikeout and one-third home run. True, he also flied out to center, but we'll set that aside since it screws up the math. Point being, the entire offensive package that Cust offers was on display in the A's 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. There will be no shortage of statistics from which to evaluate Cust's 2008 season, but what conclusions to draw from those numbers is a head-scratcher. His opposite-field, two-run shot off Scott Feldman in the fourth inning put the A's in front for good. That was his team-high 29th homer to go with a team-best 68 ..."

Cust can see clearly now and Ellis' pain eases

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August 24

Oakland Tribune

"Jack Cust woke up Saturday morning, and the blurriness in his right eye was gone. Mark Ellis emerged from treatment later that afternoon, and his right shoulder was considerably less sore. Apparently, the A's can have days where the news out of the medical ward isn't all bad. Neither Cust nor Ellis appeared in the lineup Saturday night, and Ellis likely won't return until Monday at the soonest. But good news is a rarity in the second half, and what evolved after both departed early from Friday's game qualified despite their absence Saturday. Start with Ellis, whose career nearly was ended when he suffered a severe separation of the shoulder during a spring training collision with Bobby ..."