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What Are the Longest Bay Area Sports Team Losing Streaks?

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Update 8:06 p.m.: Make that 10 in a row for the A's.

Earlier post
The Oakland A’s were edged out by the Baltimore Orioles last night, 3-2, the team's ninth consecutive loss and -- not coincidentally -- Bob Geren's last game as the team's manager. Worst losing streak in team history?

Nope. The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser put together a list of the team’s worst slumps in Oakland. Looks like the A’s have a way to go to descend to record-breaking depths: They lost 14 straight in 1977. The loss record for the franchise, however, dates back to the team's Philadelphia days -- 20 games each in 1916 and 1943.

The sports blog DSD put up an homage of sorts to two local teams that both lost 17 straight: The San Francisco Warriors, 1964-65 edition, and the San Jose Sharks, circa 1992-93. That Warriors team, which finished 17-63, incredibly enough included future Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain (traded mid-year) and Nate Thurmond.

According to the San Francisco Giants' site, the team's longest losing streak is 10 games – accomplished twice, in 1985 and again in 1996.

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The A’s, of course, racked up a happier streak in recent memory – the 20-game winning streak in 2002 that set an American League record. Those games form part of the storyline for Moneyball, the film based on Michael Lewis’ best-seller. The movie will premiere on September 23.

A's fans hope it won't be their only chance to see the team actually win another game this year.

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