at least Bradley is proving that he can play center. As long as Dj can plat first and hit the a's will be fine

all see this coming.

Now we have the best starting centerfielder in the American League not named Grady Sizemore; maybe Ichiro, even though he's aging and doesn't walk.

Please see my blog of a few days ago. Did I not predict this? Sadly.....

That was my first thought, too.  And my second.  And third... fourth...  No, wait, my 2nd or 3rd might have been "Why did he get a contract extension with a known disc herniation?"  Those don't just unherniate themselves, you know.

I think we should temper our enthusiasm about Bradley in CF just a bit. Yes, Bradley is a good athlete with a plus arm. But CF also requires more hustle and better instincts than RF does.
Am I the only one who remembers Bradley casually allowing an inside-the-park HR against KC last year after taking a drunken sailor route on a sinking line drive and then nonchalantly jogging after it as it rolled to the wall?
Bradley, though a great athlete, has lapses in concentration. That's a problem in CF, where it's harder to get good jumps on balls because of your angle.
There IS such a thing as defensive consistency, and Kotsay had a lot of it, while Milton doesn't. Our defense just got a lot worse than some people think.

The blessing is that maybe DJ and Goleski will play better if they can breathe easy and believe their roster spots are a little more secure than they were yesterday.

actually, so now I'm trying to decide if this is good news or not in comparison... I thought he'd come back and say that all the experts agreed his back would never hold up under the strain of regular playing, and that he was packing it in.
If he comes back healthy and reinvigorated, great- if it doesn't work, then maybe it's time for him to consider that.
For the A's, this does give a chance to keep Goleski around for at least part of the season without having to make a decision on him yet, which may be a very good thing in the end.
But like everybody else here, I'm both disheartened by the early rash of injuries (and Cactus League-leading plunkings by opposing pitching isn't helping) and concerned about the durability of plenty of our regulars. And wondering how ready some of the others are going to be by opening day (Duke, Crosby...)
What happened to that whole "we're bound for a good year injury-wise sooner or later" concept? I guess it's "later" again.

You can't hide injuries forever, and Swisher is now the team's top OF depending if you like the idea of him in RF anyway.

he's having the surgery.  He didn't hit very well or play the field all that well last year.  I'll chalk a lot of that up to the pain he was in.  

Losing 2006 version of balky back Kotsay isn't a major blow.  Perhaps getting new surgically enhanced Kotsay back at the start of June will be a boon for the team.

The Kotsay extension, like the Hatteberg extension and the Rhodes contract, never looked very good at the time, and still don't.  

So Barton and/or Buck might be here real soon, eh?

Would trying to sign Bernie Williams make sense now?

until he gets hurt.  Let's not forget that this is a guy who has rarely made it through a full season.  If Bradley goes down for more than a couple of games, things start to look a bit scary in CF.

First, I think it's very selfish of Kotsay to wait until ST, when everyone knew this would be the end result.  But to take his side, and Chavvy's as well, if the A's training staff was telling you "You need surgery", would you trust them?  They seemingly have misdiagnosed every other injury in the last season or so, so why would anyone feel confident in what they say?  I've got to give Kotsay credit for playing through it at the end of the season and in the playoffs, but this was clearly not going away, and he should have had it taken care of.

I think we should all cut Kotsay a bit more slack.  He has played w/ back pain for about 5 years now.  I'm sure he's had his back checked out many, many times over those 5 years, and surgery has never been the best option.  Instead, strengthening excercises, stretching, yoga, and core strength excercises have been his "continuous rehab" in order to stay on the field in order to help the team.

BTW:  I'll never forget the inside-the-park homerun he hit last postseason.  Best 2006 Moment for me.
Good Luck Mark!  Get Healthy!  We'll see you after the All-Star Break when things get really interesting around here.

Cheers,

cf

Believe me when I tell everyone that I know two people who havw had surgery to repair a disc in their back.

Story # 1
My aunt had what was supposed to be routine surgery to repair a bulging disc, her surgeon panicked during the procedure, and she ended up losing her leg because the surgeon accidentally cut one of her main arteries. Now she is living with a prosthetic leg. This surgery was supposdely performed at the best hospital in the Seattle area................

Story # 2
My father in law just had surgery two months ago for almost the very same thing. He feels worse than before he had the surgery and now his left leg makes him limp with constant pain, he's on  a multitude of pain killers, and his appetite is about half of what it used to be. Oh! And now his doctors are suggesting another surgery.........yikes!

This surgery was performed at Stanford Medical Center............

What I want to know is did Mark Kotsay ever consult or seek treatment from a chiropractor? Whatever the case may be, my point is that anyone who thinks surgery is the automatic solution to an injury needs to consider all the factors and risks involved before making judgements. Hope Mark Kotsay comes out of this in one piece and is able to function like most of us. If he can still play efffectively play baseball on top of that then that is a bonus. I just want him to be alright, honestly. Now, c'mon Milton Bradley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go A's!

I think we'll all miss the leadership and the D, but you probably have to see whoever steps in as an upgrade with the stick.  DJ sounds like he's still progressing with his eye rehab, but he can't be much worse than the start of last year.  Durazo also appears to be a better option in the lineup, although he couldn't keep his job with any minor-league squad last year, and I really shudder to think of him playing at first.  He's atrocious.  Really.

I think the smart idea is to keep Swish playing first, send Durazo to marinate in Sac-town (we don't need 2 DH's), utilize the opportunity to see what Goleski's got, and let Travis Buck do some more swing-refining in AAA.

And, hey, if Bradley does get hurt in center, maybe they'll call up Javier Herrera and see what he can do.  They're pretty high on 'im...

My co-worker had back surgery and she was back to work after about 3 weeks.
Of course, she's not a professional baseball player, expected to chase down fly balls, swing a bat, or throw with pinpoint accuracy in infielders ;)

But anything's possible with Kotsay (Right?)