DLD 2/21/07--Because The World Needs Dumps

As the Beatles once sang,

Because
The World
Needs DUUUUUUUUUHHHHHUHUHHMMPS.

Well, they would have sang that if they read AN.  Trust me.

Anyhow, I'm starting to get a little scared at how well things are going for the A's this spring.  Susan Slusser has a nice article today about Rule 5 draftee Ryan Goleski.  While initial reports indicated that Goleski would be unavailable for an indefinite period of time due to wrist surgery, he's already fulled healed and ready to compete for a roster spot.  Perhaps it's because the surgery occurred while he was an Indian, rather than an Athletic, so they didn't cut off the hand.

Unfortunately, only in Oakland can unexpected health actually be a problem.  Goleski's sudden return to health creates a roster logjam that might not be easy to solve, especially if a scorned former A's hitting coach has anything to do with it:

It's less likely that Goleski can win a roster spot now that the A's have signed Shannon Stewart; still, the team could move a more expensive fifth-outfielder type, such as Bobby Kielty, if they like what they see of Goleski. Or it's possible that the Indians, with their abundance of outfield talent, might be convinced to work out something so that A's can keep him, especially after the miscommunication about his surgery.

Or maybe not.

Former A's hitting coach Dave Hudgens, now the Indians minor-league coordinator, said, "We hated to lose Ryan.''

Goleski said that Hudgens was instrumental in helping him rebound from a tough 2005 season. After hitting .212 that year, he batted .331 at Kinston and .296 at Double-A Akron in 2006. He hit 27 homers between the two stops, and his 106 RBIs were sixth most among all minor-league players.

"Dave was awesome,'' Goleski said. "He was kind of what I needed at the time. It clicked right away. Some of the stuff he taught me was a turning point for me -- he put things in a way I'd never heard before and some light bulbs went off.''

Said Hudgens, "You could tell he was a talented guy with a great swing. Ryan just needed to get re-focused, get back to what worked for him before by being disciplined at the plate.''

One thought that immediately occurs to me is sending the Indians Jay Marshall (or really, any reliever not named Street, Duke, or Calero) to retain Goleski.  The Indians primary goal this offseason was to repair their distastrous bullpen, and while they have done so to some degree already, they recently suffered a setback with Keith Foulke's unexpected retirement.

Adding further to my unease about the A's good fortune to date are the encouraging reports about Bobby Crosby.  The Merc reports that Crosby felt great after swinging the bat for the first time since August:

He cleared a huge hurdle in his mind Tuesday when he took about 30 pain-free swings off a tee at the A's Papago Park complex. It was the first time the shortstop swung a bat since going on the disabled list Aug. 25 and missing the rest of the 2006 season because of what was eventually diagnosed as a fractured vertebra.

Crosby said he swung at about 60 percent intensity and that he would consult with trainer Larry Davis about how much to step up his participation in the near future.

``I didn't feel it at all,'' Crosby said. ``I haven't felt it fielding, I haven't felt it throwing. That was kind of in the back of my mind -- swinging, would I feel OK? So I'm very optimistic.''

Not only that, but it's possible that Crosby's BRAIN has healed, too:

Crosby also is considering shortening the mighty swing he takes at the plate, both to ease the stress on his back and to make him a better hitter. Although power is one of his biggest strengths, Crosby said a more compact swing could improve the .244 average he has for three-plus seasons.

``Sometimes I see the ball and I just want to crush it,'' he said.

``You see some of these guys with nice smooth swings, you can adjust to pitches better. I think it would help me definitely in my approach.''

While I'm surprised it took Crosby until age 27 to notice that people with nice smooth swings are good hitters, I'm glad he noticed eventually.

I'm afraid to look for any more A's-related news, in the event I find something that isn't good.  So I leave you with the saga of the AFLAC duck, who as Bill King might have said, "has risen, like Lazarus, from the dead!"