SB Nation User Blog: Sharon

Link Dump 8/4: Chavy hearts Bradley...

Sharon — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 16:03:20 -0000

"I said when the trade happened that Milton is an MVP-type player, and I still mean it,'' A's third baseman Eric Chavez said. "I'd go to bat with him any day.'' He took some heat for his temper on that trip in a July 20 column in the Examiner that called Bradley "a tired act'' and asserted that he has "about seven screws loose.'' Bradley's teammates took notice of the criticism, and after his game-winning homer against Toronto, "tired act'' was scribbled on the team message board in a show of support for him.

"He's like a family member, like everyone in here, and when someone takes a shot at a family member, you're going to defend him,'' Kotsay said.

"I thought that was great,'' Chavez said of the message. "We were all aware (of the column). With the kind of stuff he goes through, there's some satisfaction, some pride that we all feel about his accomplishments. Everyone is happy to see him do well. We love him as a teammate. He's a big part of what we're going to do.''

"Sure, he's intense, but it never goes too far. Kotsay is pretty intense, and so is (Jason) Kendall, but Milton takes it to another level, and I think that's great. You take it all when you have a player who's that's intense a person. He's already one of my favorite teammates all time.''

Clearly, this is a sinking ship.

I'm still waiting for the article that refutes this:

They're also tired of Macha playing the role of enabler. And I'm dead serious. That was the most shocking line in the entire column. Enabler of what?!

Bunnies is going on the DL. Blame Jennifer.

I apologize for the short link dump. I wanted to get one up as soon as possible.

"Is it game over for Milton Bradley?" -- Mychael Urban

Sharon — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 13:47:52 -0000

And so it begins.

After stumbling while rounding first base on Wednesday, Bradley appeared to be injured, and badly. So pronounced was his limp that he that he didn't even try to get back to the base, so the throw from the outfield to shortstop to first base got there in plenty of time for Bradley to be tagged out.

As he was being carried off the field, it looked like Bradley was headed for another stint on the DL. But no. There must have been some kind of medical magician in the dugout, because Bradley was back out on defense the next inning, even diving for a ball.

So the fans let him have it, and rightly so.

It put a huge damper on a nice win for the A's, and while none of his teammates would go on the record (nor would Bradley, who didn't talk after the Boston game, either), it was clear that they are tired of Bradley's act.

They're also tired of Macha playing the role of enabler.

Weird... Until Saturday, Bradley had been on his best behavior. Of course, it's easy to behave when you're on the disabled list, which is where Bradley has been for most of the year.

Is anyone else confused by that? He was on his best behavior until Saturday, but the team is already tired of him? So, the incidents since that day have been such an annoyance that Bradley is...

...becoming a bigger problem by the day. And if the problem isn't nipped in the bud, the A's won't be in first place much longer. Is there more to this story? And have certain players actually gone to Urban and told him how they felt?

About a month ago, Urban wrote this:

Bradley, meanwhile, is now on the DL for the second time this year. He's missed 44 of Oakland's 72 games, and he's still looking for his first double the season. On the bright side, he hasn't bitten anyone's head off, and that was a legitimate fear when the A's picked him up. His teammates seem to genuinely like him, too.

Then again, if you can't make nice with everyone while batting .213 and spending more time in the trainers' room than on the field, you really ARE crazy.

(emphasis mine)

I am very confused. And unfortunately, I'll be away for most of the day.

Link Dump 6/19: I heart this team

Sharon — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 17:27:25 -0000

If you missed Saturday's game, check out gotgreen's pictures of the dugout in the bottom of the 17th.

College-like attitude visible with A's the more they win:

There are plenty of reasons why the A's were able to bounce back this month after yet another slow start.

You've got to put their upbeat, college-style attitude on the list. No, not at the top, where top-notch pitching, hitting and fielding belong. But certainly among the leaders.

Well...what else is on that list?

THE OTHER DUGOUT

Fun.

Lost somewhere in the middle of the Dodgers' 17-inning marathon with the A's on Saturday night was a veteran showing up a rookie.

In the eighth inning of the game that ended with Jae Seo walking in the winning run, second baseman Jeff Kent, a likely Hall of Famer, was on first base with rookie outfielder Andre Ethier at bat.

Kent tried to steal second. He had a good jump, and it looked as if he would easily be safe. But Ethier swung at the pitch, lofting a lazy fly ball into left field.

Kent watched the ball sail into the air -- it was obvious that it would be caught by Nick Swisher -- and, instead of retreating to first base, he got to second and took his helmet off as the ball was caught. Swisher threw to first for the double play.

Kent was later seen jawing at Ethier in the dugout. When asked if he thought Kent could have made it back, Ethier offered this: "It's a question you don't even need to ask," he said. "It's at his discretion if he wants to or not."

Flores was called up yesterday, and poor Jeremy Brown was sent back down. Also, Duke will pitch in Sacramento tonight. Woohoo!

And the A's have been playing so well lately, I failed to notice this: (scroll down)

Matt Kemp's stolen base in the second inning was the 11th straight time a runner had been successful against A's catcher Jason Kendall. After starting the year by throwing out eight of the first 14 attempted thieves, Kendall has caught just two of the last 23.

Link Dump 6/8: It's not safe in here

Sharon — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 13:49:35 -0000

This isn't how it was supposed to be. Sure, losing Harden and Bradley for some time wasn't surprising, but Duchscherer, Kennedy, Street, Loaiza, Witasick, Crosby, Ellis, DJ, Blanton...whether they were hurt or just plain sucked, it wasn't something I saw coming.

That streak we're all waiting for? The big turnaround? I'm afraid that's only going to happen if the A's stay healthy, and I'm not sure that they can. Duke could be closer to returning (scroll down), but Kennedy seems nowhere near that...he paid a visit to Dr. Lewis Yocum. "No rotator cuff tears, just tendinitis, so he needs more rest."

Chavy was scratched from last night's lineup due to back stiffness.

Chavez took two rounds of batting practice before shutting it down. He was bothered by the same problem the night before, first feeling it on a routine chopper in the second -- and it was still bugging him when he homered off Scott Sauerbeck in the eighth.

The five-time Gold Glove winner revealed after the game that he's been playing all year with a strain in his left hamstring where that muscle is attached to the glute, an injury he expects to linger all year. As a result, he has been running differently, and he believes that has led to some recurring irritation in his back. (He was scratched from an eventual rainout at Kansas City in late April with the same problem.)

Larry Davis said the A's planned to rest Chavy for one day in Cleveland anyway. But that hardly makes me feel better since that planned day of rest was to come in a series following a day off (Monday). This is pretty serious, and while a lot of people have called for Davis to be fired for all of the injuries the team has endured, this is where I expect him to shine. He has to keep Chavy healthy. The hamstring is going to be an issue all season, so Davis needs to be proactive. Chavy should get rest from time to time, because the last thing this team needs is to lose him. There's just too much going wrong right now. If Chavy gets hurt because he's not getting the rest he needs, the blame goes directly to Davis. Not Macha.

As for the game, it sucked.

"Whatever," Blanton said. "A three-run homer, a solo homer, yeah, that's four runs, but I felt like I give up a lot of bloop hits, balls through the infield, off the end of the bat, like that." Pitchers make comments like that all the time. But it's been two months. Although Blanton had a fine rookie season, I expected less from him this year. However, I didn't expect this implosion.

Jay Witasick sucked, too. Though he's probably rusty.

Jay Witasick, in his first action since spraining his ankle in April, gave up two hits and two walks -- one of them intentional and the other to Martinez with the bases loaded, forcing in a run in the sixth.

Asked if Witasick's ankle was a factor Wednesday, Macha said, "He's been cleared to go 100 percent, so there are no excuses on that."

The offense? Sucky and stupid last night. Frank Thomas needs to understand that he has no business going for a double when he can't run. He's also one ugly slide away from hurting himself again.

Loaiza starts tonight. I'm hoping he's effective (duh). I want the A's to win, and I want Loaiza to be the pitcher Beane thought he was getting when he offered that contract. But also, Macha will have a short leash for Haren and Zito in New York. Zito has thrown 120+ pitches in two of his last three starts. Haren threw 122 pitches in each of his last two starts. Harden will be on a pitch count of 90, I believe. I don't think the A's can afford to have Loaiza completely bomb tonight. If he does, it could get ugly against the Yankees. The A's offense will be facing Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, and Shawn Chacon.

JASON GRIMSLEY

Ozzie Guillen and Jeff Nelson will share the Most Amusing Reaction to the Jason Grimsley Investigation Award.

In discussing Grimsley's situation, Nelson brought up Rafael Palmeiro, who reportedly said teammate Miguel Tejada provided a vitamin that might have led to Palmeiro's positive test for steroid use.

The difference? Palmeiro compiled Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. Grimsley journeyed to seven teams and has a career ERA of 4.77.

"This isn't some superstar player who's coming out and naming names," Nelson said. "How much credibility is this guy going to have? You look at the guy's past.

"You'll figure out this guy can't be very credible for what he's gone through in his life."

"I didn't like him when he was playing because he was nasty," Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said.

"A former player should shut up and go," Guillen continued. "Shut up and move on."

Who's in charge of PR over there? Holy cow, someone needs to staple Guillen's mouth shut. You didn't like Grimsley because he was "nasty"? And what the heck is Nelson talking about? Palmeiro is credible because he's a superstar?!

Grimsley's lawyer says feds targeted Bonds

The attorney for Jason Grimsley said Wednesday that federal agents tried to pressure the former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher into wearing a listening device to lure other major league players into confidential conversations in an effort to find incriminating evidence against superstar Barry Bonds.

"It was a specific effort to target Bonds," said Edward F. Novak, one of the pre-eminent criminal attorneys in Arizona. "We were told that Jason's cooperation was necessary to their case."

Novak said Grimsley "was outed by the feds" because he refused to cooperate.

Novak denied Grimsley volunteered the names of any fellow players and former players. He said, instead, federal agents questioned Grimsley about specific athletes and asked what he knew about their illegal drug habits. "They asked him specifically about Barry Bonds and Jason said he didn't know Bonds well and didn't know if he did or didn't use drugs."

Novak said investigators then asked Grimsley whether he knew anybody on the San Francisco Giants, Bonds' team, who he might get to confide about the slugger who is now second on the all-time home run list.

Grimsley refused and, according to Novak, told investigators that "baseball players don't go around talking about who is using and who isn't."

Novak said: "There is a lot in the affidavit that my client would dispute."

Grimsley affidavit links O's, scandal

"It's like another Palmeiro issue," said Orioles designated hitter Javy Lopez . "I just hope he didn't mention any guys here. That would be shocking news again. That's the last thing we need here, the same kind of thing that pushed us back last year."

Third baseman Melvin Mora agreed.

"I hope nothing negative comes from this in the clubhouse," Mora said. "We have a lot of young guys in here, and we don't need what happened last year to happen again."

Update [2006-6-8 9:55:9 by Sharon]: Thanks to asfaninTX for this news...Harden is on the DL with a sprained ligament in his right elbow.

Link Dump 6/2: I heart Scott Jr.

Sharon — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:50:58 -0000

DJ hit a homerun last night. I know that he's been terrible. I know it's best for the team to have someone else in the lineup if DJ continues to struggle, but I don't want to lose him. I'm afraid if he gets sent down, we'll never see Scott Jr. again. I suppose it could be argued that we stopped seeing him in August of last year, but you guys know what I mean.

Before the game, A's manager Ken Macha strongly hinted his patience with Johnson was near its end.

"Dan Johnson's our best defensive first baseman," Macha said. "I like defense, but that's an area where you've got to have production."

I want someone to ask Wash when he gets back. No, I want someone to ask Forst and Zaidi.

"In all likelihood" Harden will start on Sunday. And Loaiza...

Probably the most encouraging thing for Loaiza was he said the radar gun clocked him in the 89-91 mph range, a significant improvement over the low-80s readings he had while going 0-3 with an 8.35 ERA in April." Macha said that Loaiza threw 6 pitches clocked at 90 mph.

Bradley may have suffered another setback.

Outfielder Milton Bradley took early batting practice and reported some discomfort hitting from the left side. Macha said that the team's training staff felt it was more a lack-of-use issue than a full-blown setback, and that Bradley is scheduled for another BP session today. "It would have been better if he'd said, 'I feel great, I'm ready to go,' but I prefer him to be honest and for it to be the end of the line as far as that injury is concerned," Macha said. It doesn't seem too serious, but that rehab assignment might be put on hold. Reliever Jay Witasick is expected to throw another rehab stint, this time with Sacramento, either today or Saturday. "I'm feeling real good," said Witasick, who went two innings with Class A Stockton on Tuesday. "I'm looking forward to going out and doing it again." Huston Street needs to give the A's his best, because I'm still not confident in that bullpen without Duke. The idea of being without him until mid-July makes me sick.

DJ, please snap out of it.

Melhuse described a potential switch to first base, even on a temporary basis, as being "a drastic move."

Even so, if Macha asked Melhuse to play first -- where he's made six appearances in his major league career so far -- Melhuse said, "I'd feel comfortable enough to not embarrass myself."

Link Dump 5/26: It's safe in here.

Sharon — Fri, 26 May 2006 14:30:23 -0000

Good news. That's all I'm willing to post today. And let's face it, any slight step forward in the recovery of those injured is the best kind of news right now.

Harden is close. Slusser writes that he could be back in a week to 10 days. That's music to my ears. Tomorrow, he'll throw about 60 pitches in a simulated game. After that, it could be a bullpen session and only one rehab start before he joins the team.

Loaiza will likely go on a rehab assignment next week. How long can the A's keep a player in rehab? Macha indicated before that Loaiza may not find himself in Oakland until he has regained his velocity. It's critical that he shows signs of being the pitcher Beane bought on the market. This isn't like April, when some were discussing the possibility of stashing him away in the bullpen. The A's can't even afford that.

Slusser also mentions that Bradley took practice swings yesterday. 35 from the right and 35 from the left.

...Larry Davis said the idea this time around is to keep things even rather than letting Bradley progress too quickly on one side and not the other. Yes, let's not even think about rushing him this time.

It looks like the A's will be getting Jay Witasick back soon (scroll down). He will probably begin his rehab assignment "by early next week". Sounds good.

Tony F---ing Womack will probably be called up by the Cubs this weekend. I hate him.

Link Dump 5/16: Bobby Kielty is not a beach god.

Sharon — Tue, 16 May 2006 12:35:27 -0000

Because I need to be reminded that a whole bunch of A's are hurt:

A's missing full deck

"The kinds of injuries that we've done that with are the type that take a few days to evaluate how severe it is or how many days it will be," assistant general manager David Forst said. "With Rich (Harden), we put him on the DL immediately. It was a clear-cut injury. The obliques, the hamstrings, you don't want to make too hasty a judgment because a player might bounce back sooner than you thought."
Harden not pumped up about theory "Yeah, it's really frustrating when people think I lift too much or I'm trying to get big just to look good," said the A's top starter, who is expected to be out another two or three weeks. "I'm not trying to be on the cover of Men's Health, that's just a cheap shot. I put all my time and effort into being in the best possible physical shape for baseball. Everything I do is very specific for baseball and for pitching. There is a lot of thought put into it." Team orthopedist Dr. Jerrald Goldman doesn't believe there is a correlation between Harden's workouts and the muscle strains.

"People ask if (the three DL trips) are because of the weight lifting, but I don't believe it's a cause that would explain it," Goldman said. "When you look at it, Bobby Kielty also gets these kinds of injuries, and he doesn't look like a beach god."

Proper stretching is not an issue, either. Harden does rotational exercises for his torso and plenty of work to maintain flexibility, and he also does active-release techniques and deep tissue massage to keep loose. He's extremely flexible, in fact, putting the back of his hands on the floor to demonstrate. He conducts much of his winter work with Canadian sprinters who are Olympic hopefuls, and his sessions are monitored by personal trainers. Mychael Urban better watch out. I think Harden is ready to kick some ass.

In two to three weeks.

Steve Karsay will probably join the team today.

Karsay said that pitching at Triple-A Buffalo that past few weeks helped him regain his split-finger and breaking ball, pitches he'd struggled to find after shoulder surgery in 2003. He's completely healthy and looking forward to returning to his former team. Jeremy Brown will leave Oakland without an at bat. Yay.

Also, Kennedy could be available tonight.

Reliever Joe Kennedy hasn't pitched in a week because of biceps pain and then shoulder tendinitis, but he was aiming to go tonight.

According to team orthopedist Jerrald Goldman, Kennedy needs to be stretched out thoroughly to get the tightness out of his left arm and shoulder, but there is no serious problem.

Oh, and it's Cupcakes vs. Felix Hernandez tonight. Again. I would appreciate a winning streak right about now, because this hopeless feeling isn't doing anything for me. May has been brutal, and there's still two more weeks left. Guys like DJ and Crosby need to pick this team up. They're due.

Speaking of Crosby, he does not believe in the sophomore jinx.

"He's [Dan Johnson] still learning himself a little bit, but everyone knows he's a good hitter," said A's shortstop Bobby Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year. "I don't believe in this whole sophomore thing. I don't buy into it."

But Crosby had a painful sophomore season, playing in barely half the games because of rib and ankle injuries. He still hit .276 with nine homers and 38 RBI.

"My injuries were freak deals," Crosby said. "When people think of the sophomore slump they think of people having success their first year and then guys figure them out in their second year and they struggle. I felt better in my second year than I did in my first year by a long shot.

And this year?

The Yankees are interested in trading for someone to play left field.

Brad Wilkerson, Raul Ibanez, Alfonso Soriano, Torii Hunter, Reggie Sanders, Aubrey Huff, Craig Wilson and Shannon Stewart are all on the list, one that shortens considerably when you count left fielders actually obtainable for Wright, Pavano and their big tickets. But eventually the Yankees are going to have to do something. That list shortens?! Hahahahahahahahahaha...um...yeah...

AWESOME TRADE.

Link Dump 5/9: Welcome to the show, Jeremy Brown.

Sharon — Tue, 09 May 2006 15:01:41 -0000

Yes, he's expected to be called up today. grover and a few others had this pegged all along. Brown, not Baker or Suzuki, was on the 40-man roster. It was the only move that made any sense.

I'm going to enjoy this moment. Not for Michael Lewis, Billy Beane, Paul DePodesta, or "Moneyball". I'm going to enjoy this moment, because I know it must be special for Jeremy Brown.

Dump away...

Link Dump 5/5: Where is my DePony?

Sharon — Fri, 05 May 2006 15:10:27 -0000

Grady Little = motivational speaker? Holy crap, I'd have trouble staying awake through that "pep talk". --- I wonder when the Dodgers will fire Colletti, since having a ton of injuries is not an acceptable excuse. </neyersnark>

Royals owner David Glass is "out of patience". Now. He's out of patience now. Not before, but now. Yeah. What the heck did he expect? Giving your GM $25 million to spend on crap in the offseason isn't enough to cover up the failure that is your organization, Mr. Glass.

Eddie Guardado won't be closing...for now.

"I completely understand where [Hargrove] is coming from," Guardado said. "The thing I feel bad about, it messes the whole bullpen up. I don't want anyone to change because it's the ninth inning. I'm going to talk to them, because I put them in that situation, and I feel really bad."

Brad Wilkerson left last night's game against the Orioles with a concussion.

After the game, Wilkerson said he had a dull headache and a sore right shoulder -- the same one that bothered him last season in Washington.

"I'm kind of worried about it, but I'll wait until (Friday) to see what's going on," Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson also hit his face on the wall that includes metal grates protecting the out-of-town scoreboard. He slammed into it so hard that he knocked a panel out of the scoreboard.

Ouch.

Susan Slusser has the latest on Bradley's oblique:

Outfielder Milton Bradley did rotational exercises to test his right oblique strain, but he is still a couple of days away from playing. Trainer Larry Davis said Bradley needs to be able to do the exercises "aggressively'' first. Anyone get the feeling that Bradley will always be "a couple days away from playing"?

Link Dump 5/2: We need Hatte!

Sharon — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:51:33 -0000

Crosby has given himself a nickname: Bones. Why? Because he thinks it's cool.

Gettin' ink: Outfielder Nick Swisher spent some time before batting practice giving a few teammates fake tattoos with a thick black marker in the clubhouse. His work on third baseman Eric Chavez's left biceps muscle looked like a fourth-grader's art project gone bad, but shortstop Bobby Crosby was most pleased with Swisher's work.

On Crosby's left arm, Swisher drew two crossbones with Crosby's self-appointed nickname, "Bones," over the top of them. Crosby said he gave himself the name last year while the team was in Washington after seeing the name of Bones Ely on a wall at RFK Stadium.

"I thought, 'That's the sweetest name I've ever heard,' and I was hurt at the time, so I thought it was fitting," Crosby explained with a laugh. "Everyone told me you can't give yourself your own nickname, but I stayed with it.

"I'd even go third-person on people, like, 'Bones can't do it today,' or, 'Bones doesn't like that.' And now that's what most of the guys call me, so I guess it worked."

<barf> Quick! Someone call Hatte to get Crosby a new nickname. One that is clever and cute.

Andre Ethier will make his major-league debut tonight.

In 24 games for the 51s, Ethier was hitting a cool .349 with a .444 on-base percentage and had 13 walks while striking out only 16 times.

All of which suggests Ethier, 24, might be just the balm this festering sore of a Dodgers lineup is looking for.

"We have a couple of guys in that (clubhouse) who are really struggling to get base hits at this time," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "They're not going to be hitting .190 or .200 all season long, I can promise you that. They know that, and we know that. We'll just be glad when they get started upward."

Robinson Tejeda will be called up to start for the Rangers today.

Cleveland activates C.C. Sabathia from the disabled list.

Remember when this used to be a "problem" for the A's? I miss that.