As an avid sports fan in the 90s, who could forget the infamous commercials featuring Dan and Dave, Reebok's attempt at marketing the Barcelona Olympics. Fast forward fourteen years, and we are on the cusp of a similar competition; the high stakes of the A's first baseman job, fought on the battlefield of Spring Training.

After having a conversation about fantasy baseball with another member of AN (and I promise I wasn't talking to myself--I'm not Cindi), I really began to mull over the idea of giving Barton a realistic chance of being on the 2007 team, and the early extra year as the A's first baseman.

Of course, this idea hinges on Dan Johnson being a known quantity, which may or may not actually be true. If we can assume that at his best, Johnson will only be an average first baseman (and based on last season, that may be a generous assessment), then he should be fairly easily replaced. However, there is the slight possibility (something that Beane has alluded to), that Johnson could be more than simply average; he could put up the slugging numbers commonly associated with his position, something the A's need to make up for the rest of their team, who all seem to hold nominations for the popular 'good defense, no offense' category.

However, if we're being realistic, there aren't too many signs that point to Dan Johnson being the player we need at that position, unless the famous dress rehearsal theory applies to dismal sophomore seasons and their subsequent years. As we well remember, for the majority of last year, Johnson inspired little confidence in his abilities to adjust to pitches, or really, even to make any contact except weak ground balls. I guess it's good that he stays healthy when he swings, though?

On the other hand, Daric Barton has long been a top prospect for the future, and as much as you can predict the success of a player from the minor leagues to the majors, he is considered a slam-dunk. Of course, this assessment can be taken with a grain of salt until he is actually major-league tried, but if we're weighing the upside of Daric against what we know about Dan, it makes less and less sense to dogmatically start the season with Dan if Daric puts up any kind of a challenge.

Spring Training is still months away; yet without another bat on the horizon, the A's need to start asking some questions:

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• Can Dan Johnson erase last season and recover his minor league title of "Player That Actually Can Hit The Ball More Than Once A Month"?
  
• Will Daric Barton be a better hitter than Dan Johnson?
  
• Will Daric Barton match the offensive production of Dan Johnson, and get an early start in the majors, an invaluable teaching lesson for a rookie poised to take over the position?
  
• Will Daric Barton provide a little less offensive power than Dan Johnson, yet still get an extra year of experience in the majors to help the A's in 2008?
  
• Is it even possible for Daric Barton to be that much worse than Dan Johnson?
  

Dan vs. Daric. To be settled in Phoenix. Could we, and should we, see an upset?