Poor Ian Kinsler is headed to the DL with a dislocated thumb. He was injured while attempting a steal early in last night's game against the Angels.

"I knew it wasn't good when I looked down and I saw the top part of the thumb pointing in at me," Kinsler said after the Rangers' 5-4 loss. This is all Macha's fault.

Surprise, surprise! Kielty won't be called up today, and it's possible that he won't see the A's until they play Detroit next week.

Kielty, who is hitting .238 at Sacramento, was sent down at the start of the season so the A's could keep lefty Brad Halsey in the bullpen as insurance if a rainout or two messed up the rotation. It's not hard to tell that Macha would prefer to keep Halsey rather than have a fifth outfielder to juggle.

"I like two lefties in the bullpen,'' Macha said, a sentiment he has expressed numerous times.

My source tells me that Macha carries a home-made bag with Halsey's face plastered on it...with tiny hearts littered all over. He also has a matching shirt that says "I like two lefties in the bullpen!" on the back. I haven't figured out how Macha managed to make it rain last week, but I have to say that I'm impressed. --- Seriously (not really), shocking news isn't it?

If Chavy looks bigger this season (as some of you have pointed out), it's because he is.

Chavez explained that he came into spring training at 230 pounds, 25 pounds more than he was the year before after spending the winter trying to add extra strength. He's at 224 now, he said, "but I really went heavy. I wanted to go for the power.''

He also said that mentally, he feels as if he's in "the right place.'' He might be getting a boost, too, from having a hitter such as Frank Thomas behind him, although opinions vary on that. Crosby believes Thomas is a factor in Chavez's fast start ("I'm sure he is. ... They can't pitch around Chavvy because they'll pay for it if they do.'') and manager Ken Macha does not, because Thomas is batting .080.

"I just know when I'm getting a pitch, I'm hitting it,'' he said. "I remember a time I was fouling off those pitches. I'm not doing that a lot now.''

Haren is one of those marveling at Chavez's display.

"It's awesome,'' Haren said. "Finally, maybe he'll get some recognition here as the player he is, because his tendency (in the past) is to get hot at the end of the year. He's just carrying our team right now.''

Is there any way we can keep Macha away from Chavy? I don't want his loser-y ways rubbing off on one of our best players. Plus, it's kind of obvious Mach tried to throw the game last night, and since Chavy doesn't care about anything (and has no heart), he would be easy to recruit.

A's making progress in negotiations with Cisco:

Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff is very close to finalizing negotiations with Cisco Systems Inc. over a

143-acre parcel -- a deal that would clear a major hurdle in allowing the team to move to Fremont, City Manager Fred Diaz said.

"I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's," Diaz added. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the city of Fremont, then we'll find it and make that happen."

Some city officials also were present at a March 29 Washington Township Men's Club meeting where Wolff told the crowd of more than 200 people that he is serious about pursuing a new A's ballpark. If a deal between Cisco and the A's is completed, the next step would be for the A's to submit a development application for the site, which is adjacent to Interstate 880 and just south of the Pacific Commons shopping center. An environmental impact report for the land then would be issued, which would take about 12 months.

Talks have progressed so far that only a few issues, such as stadium naming rights, remain unresolved, Diaz said. "That is my understanding through (talking with) Lew Wolff," he said.

If you don't like this news...blame Macha.

The Rangers want to be more like the Angels.

They play the game with a style that we're striving to reach," general manager Jon Daniels conceded Tuesday. "They pitch well. Their bullpen has been excellent. They're a great organization." Notice that Daniels mentions the pitching. Here's what Showalter had to say: "They can play games against guys like [Josh] Beckett and [Curt] Schilling, when a pitcher is on top of his game, and beat those guys," manager Buck Showalter noted. "They can manufacture runs. They make guys go deep in the count and they can put pressure on every play. (emphasis mine) --- No, dumbass. Your offense makes pitchers go deep in the count.