FanFest Reports

by Englishmajor on Jan 27, 2007 4:52 PM PST

Please add your own. I wasn't taking notes -- what kind of journalist am I? -- so all facts may be incorrect.

Roy Steele, The Voice Of God Fanfest Edition! He sounded much better than his late-season appearances last year, though perhaps not quite all his old resonance and richness is back yet.
Q & A was held outside, with fans in the seats behind home plate, panelists on a stage on the field. I suggested to gigglingone, who I was hanging with today, that this would prevent a repeat of last year's most annoying "question" from kids and teenage girls,

"Can I get an autograph/picture/hug?" Alas, it did not.

Swisher alleges that he has not cut his hair since the end of the season. Looks like he hasn't washed it, either. He referred to this as the Samurai Swisher look.
Swisher and then Blanton, in response to a tacky question about boxers or briefs, said "commando". (Crosby and Ellis = boxers.)
The calendar poster for this year is Swisher and his dog, or perhaps a model dog. I have one to give away to a deserving NRAF.
Some guy went off on Crosby, but the sound system wasn't working particularly well so I couldn't tell exactly what he said. Bobby got a bit defensive and Swish buried his head in his hands.
Mike Piazza was very nice and showed the poise you'd expect from someone who was used to dealing with the NY press and fans.
The field looks absolutely horrible. But we were allowed out on it, and the rain held off until about 2:55, and even then it wasn't bad.
As we walked by the place where Bobby Crosby was shortly to appear in the Coaches' Corner, gigglingone pointed out that there were two paramedics standing by.
In response to a question about pitching to Zito, Dan Haren said he was not concerned about that because "he swings like a girl and runs like a woman".
Milton Bradley was sweet and gracious and thanked everyone for their support last year. Melhuse said something complimentary about him and Milton got up and gave him a hug.
Bobby Kielty has reverted to the Ronnie Mac look.
Billy Beane says there will definitely be mass transit to Cisco Field but avoided most questions about it.

That's all I can remember for now. It was terrific to be back in the park and to see all the fans, although we saw surprisingly few ANers.

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Comments

Two girls confessed to decorating

Blanton and Swisher's house with A's Decore after the ALDS win.

by Zonis on Jan 27, 2007 4:52 PM PST reply actions

the guy that went off on crosby also

went off on Street. I couldn't believe he said those things. I mean Crosby has been frustrating, but there's something called respect. I thought Crosby did a good job of handling the question.

"Very nice day in the Oakland A... Oakland A's? What's this stadium called again?" Nick Swisher on TWIB.

by larrysgurl on Jan 27, 2007 4:54 PM PST reply actions

what exactly did he say to crosby and street?

what an ass, that's totally uncalled for.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 27, 2007 9:09 PM PST up reply actions

he kept asking crosby when he was

going to step up, but in a rude way that was just really unnecessary. Street wasn't there, but after the crosby thing, he asked something like who yells at street after he blows a save. then he said that street needed to be traded.

"Very nice day in the Oakland A... Oakland A's? What's this stadium called again?" Nick Swisher on TWIB.

by larrysgurl on Jan 27, 2007 9:12 PM PST up reply actions

''Swing the bat, dude...

...you all need to swing the bat..."

(Even Blanton?)

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 9:16 PM PST up reply actions

well Blanton does have to hit in

interleague play.

"Very nice day in the Oakland A... Oakland A's? What's this stadium called again?" Nick Swisher on TWIB.

by larrysgurl on Jan 27, 2007 9:18 PM PST up reply actions

The guy

just did it for the attention. He didn't really make any sense, just wanted everyone to notice him and talk about him for days afterwards.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Jan 27, 2007 11:06 PM PST up reply actions

That guy

was wait out of line. FanFest is supposed to be enjoyable for us fans, not brought down by a loser. He was so rude.

"There's a new 33 in town." ~Nick Swisher~

by Cassandra on Jan 28, 2007 10:01 AM PST up reply actions

agree

When that happened, I was thinking "What would ever posses someone and go up and say that?" <<frown>>

"Choosing between Milledge and Gomez is like choosing between Mozart and Beethoven" --NY Mets Message Boards

by apilgrim on Jan 28, 2007 2:04 PM PST up reply actions

a few more things I remember

Crosby has hair and a beard now and he's also engaged <ducks to avoid flying chair from BCG>

The guy that was going off on Crosby basically was saying "you have to step up this year and produce, man...you haven't done anything" or something like that. The crowd started to boo him loudly, but Crosby said "don't boo him, he's entitled to his opinion. I wish I could have been healthy and no one wants to play better more than me." or something like that. The A-hole's follow up question was "which guy on the team gives Street a beat down after he blows a game? Street needs to be traded!" (This was after he had already yelled that several times during the first Q & A session.)

The saddest moments were when a kid asked what pets they had and what their names were and both Blanton and Swisher said that they used to have dogs but their women took them when they left. :O

There were way, way too many people asking for hugs and autographs during the Q & A sessions.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 27, 2007 4:56 PM PST reply actions

oh, and also

what is up with that guy who invades the Q & A's every year to pimp the capital corridor train?

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 27, 2007 4:57 PM PST up reply actions

I think they are trying to

match the quality of their pr with the quality of their train service.

by mikeA on Jan 27, 2007 5:07 PM PST up reply actions

This gal

that Bobby's engaged to--the same gal that had him walking around the mall for two hours? Wish I could sit down and have a good talk with that boy.

by Salvatore on Jan 27, 2007 5:35 PM PST up reply actions

Is it the same chick that was his gf last yr

and did the root beer float day events? she's kinda cute.

by Rickeyfan on Jan 27, 2007 9:00 PM PST up reply actions

I'm sure she

is very cute. I wish the best for them as husband and wife.

by Salvatore on Jan 27, 2007 9:14 PM PST up reply actions

GINA~~!!!

I know I don't even need to say it, but Bobby's a lucky guy.

Then again, all the A's players are!

by Kaiser99 on Jan 27, 2007 9:19 PM PST up reply actions

can't they ban this guy for being disruptive?

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 27, 2007 9:14 PM PST up reply actions

That lame a$$ had no right to say that...

I mean it wasn't Crosby's fault that his back got broken and was misdiagnosed. His baseball game is an all out style that has unfortunately led to many injuries thus far. I'm sure this douchebag had to have taken it personally that Crosby wasn't able to play. This is no press conference, this is a fan friendly Q and A. Way to ruin fanfest buddy.

Plus those comments about trading Street away were way out of line. There are at least 20 teams out there that would kill for Street, the Giants especially.

Props to Crosby and the other guys for handling that situation.

Let's GO OAKLAND!!!

by OaktownRajah on Jan 27, 2007 5:04 PM PST reply actions

Douchebag?

It wasn't me, I swear! I wasn't even there!!

Seriously, though -- it sounds like that dude has no life and was desperately trying to draw attention to himself. Too bad that sh#t works. Sounds like Crosby handled it as well as anyone could though; kudos to him.

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on Jan 27, 2007 7:26 PM PST up reply actions

Liar.

There was a camera on you, you know. We know what you did...

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 8:15 PM PST up reply actions

Oh...how embarassing...

Huh. I always thought that baseball's version of a home run is the motherf---ing home run itself. -FJM

by oblique on Jan 27, 2007 8:37 PM PST up reply actions

And pick that spinach out of your teeth next time.

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 8:43 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Calendar

If yourself or anyone else has any extra calendars... could I request one? I remember GNGG hoarded like 20 of them last year, scaring our baby-faced closer.

Also, I went to FriarFest (the Padres' FanFest today). I loved it... everything was free and admission was just a fiver. I was with a few friends, so I didn't take a whole lot of pictures. But we walked around the warning track, the bases, the clubhouse, all that fun stuff. Then I embarrassed myself by pitching to a virtual reality Barry Bonds. My control leaves much to be desired.

"You can't arrest me, I'm a basketball player." - Gilbert Arenas

by JLaff on Jan 27, 2007 5:29 PM PST reply actions

Also...

I lived the dream. I struck out Barry Bonds. Sort of.

"You can't arrest me, I'm a basketball player." - Gilbert Arenas

by JLaff on Jan 27, 2007 5:51 PM PST up reply actions

As Borat would say, "Niiiice!"

They should have a Trevor Hoffman experience with the jog out from center field with the music blaring. Definite Fan fantasy right there. Or maybe just my fantasy...

Let's GO OAKLAND!!!

by OaktownRajah on Jan 28, 2007 12:28 AM PST up reply actions

That reminds me...

During the first Q and A, Beane did make mention of the crosby "misdiagnosis" (after someone asked if the A's should maybe find a new medical/training staff) and pointed out that the very first diagnosis of his back by the A's medical staff was indeed correct. But that this fact never got reported.

I liked that the Q/A was outside, it was a bit more egalatarian, allowing everyone to get a view of the stage as opposed to keeping people out of the east side club once the room was full. Although, I think they should have broadcast the audio part of the Q/A so that it could be heard past the seating area. They were showing video on the jumbotron, but no audio. Okay, maybe there would have ben an egregious and confusing delay if they had used the house PA, but they could've put more speakers on the field so you could watch and listen from anywhere on the field. A's staff, if yer reading...that's my .02.

Not to mention, I believe Stomper bailed early as my 4 yr was a bit pissed she couldn't find him. Anyone see him gettin' lucky in a van in the parking lot?

by giambizombie on Jan 27, 2007 5:38 PM PST reply actions

I somewhat agree

but I know why they didn't.

If you do it, you have to wear earplugs, because the echo and different timing of the speakers makes it hard to talk. That is why when people sing the National Anthem at games they get ear plugs.

There would have been a really weird time delay for the sound and it would have been just messed up. It works for inside the room, but outside it would have been just wierd.

But yeah, they needed to turn up the speaker volume.

by Zonis on Jan 27, 2007 7:07 PM PST up reply actions

yes

i did mention the delay, although i mispelled 'been' by spelling it 'ben' - and that would've been the problem with the house PA. but they could have put more of those PA columns (like the ones on stage pointing to the seats) out on the field facing the opposite direction and wouldn't have had the tremendous delay issue that occurs with the house PA.

This way, I could've at least heard the audio while I waited in line for the jumper. Man, those jumpers sure are fun!

by giambizombie on Jan 27, 2007 8:39 PM PST up reply actions

Q&A

i LOVED the new setup. i love how they held it outside instead of trying to stuff everybody into the east side club!

by gotgreen on Jan 27, 2007 5:47 PM PST reply actions

some of my favorite moments today

1) seeing during the lockerroom tour that there doesn't appear to be a hierarchical way that players have their lockers...the person working there confirmed that they make the assignments, not the players.

3)Baseball 101 with Mark Ellis. The questions were mostly very intelligent and baseball-oriented, and he answered in great detail. He was happy to meet my season ticket buddy, who happened to call all of Ellis' home game homeruns last season. He also answered my question about who he tries to model his at bats after: Pudge Rodriguez and Michael Young. Very interesting, both players take very careful at bats and look to go opposite field alot.

unexpected bonus: Ty Waller (new first base coach) question and answer. he was scheduled to read children's books with Joe Kennedy but Joe didn't show, so we were treated to a very detailed and engaging discussion with Ty. I was favorably impressed with him.
Least favorite moments: the jerk needling Crosby and dissing Street, plus endless questions such as "can I have your autograph?" will you go out with me"? in the same Q and A session.
Finding out that they charged $25 for the batting cage tour

by OaklandSi on Jan 27, 2007 5:47 PM PST reply actions

please disregard the numbering system above

I'm tired!

by OaklandSi on Jan 27, 2007 5:50 PM PST up reply actions

Oh brother...

Will you go out with me? Oh yeah, your just what I've been waiting for my whole life--a slut and a gold digger.

by Salvatore on Jan 27, 2007 6:01 PM PST up reply actions

Can I use that as my sig?

It's HILARIOUS! =)

"It's true, Swisher can make a conversation with anybody"

by osuSwisher on Jan 28, 2007 5:59 PM PST up reply actions

It would be an honor.

by Salvatore on Jan 28, 2007 6:53 PM PST up reply actions

Thanks =)

"Will you go out with me? Oh yeah, your just what I've been waiting for my whole life--a slut and a gold digger."--Salvatore

by osuSwisher on Jan 28, 2007 7:06 PM PST up reply actions

hey all right

That's a good fanfest moment. Nice to hear that the people's favorite tiler got to meet her favorite player!

by Brian in 317 on Jan 27, 2007 6:02 PM PST up reply actions

oh

and i really <3 milton bradley.

can we keep him please?

by gotgreen on Jan 27, 2007 5:48 PM PST reply actions

after watching Bradley in his Q and A

he seems like such a cool guy. that Q and A was my favorite.

"Very nice day in the Oakland A... Oakland A's? What's this stadium called again?" Nick Swisher on TWIB.

by larrysgurl on Jan 27, 2007 5:50 PM PST up reply actions

I had to leave early, so I missed that Q & A

Can someone let us know if it gets posted for viewing on the A's site? I looked around but couldn't find a link yet.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 27, 2007 6:05 PM PST up reply actions

Bradley

Just charmed the socks off the crowd. Before the Q&A started, he came out 15 minutes early to let people take pictures with him and sign autographs. And during the Q&A he was flat out charismatic. He also said he is embarrassed every times he sees SportsCenter clips of him tossing balls and acting bad on the field.
When Melhuse said what a good guy he is, Milton walked over and gave him a hug.
Melhuse came across as very personable, too.

"Oakland has a way of bringing out the joy in the game." NYT, 9/22/06

by SportySpice @ Athletics Nation on Jan 27, 2007 6:29 PM PST up reply actions

awww....

by OaklandSi on Jan 27, 2007 6:34 PM PST up reply actions

pretty funny too, when he came to give melhuse a

"hug", he also gave him some money.

by smash on Jan 27, 2007 6:59 PM PST up reply actions

Bradley

is an authentic human being, and I find him very refreshing. He would never write something horribly trite like "Bradley is an authentic human being, and I find him very refreshing."

I hope that he and Swisher stick around. I am generally not interested in the personalities of the players, but I like those guys. And Ellis. And Chavez.

by mikeA on Jan 27, 2007 9:37 PM PST up reply actions

You're wrong!

Don't you remember Mr Urban's expose when he referred to how everyone was really pissed off with Bradley, and that he was a 'tired act'?

Clearly you were at someone else's Q&A, because there's no way Urban could have been wrong... or could be holding a grudge...

"Kotsay is 31... Kotsay's back is 127." - Jeepers

by Ozzz on Jan 28, 2007 1:46 AM PST up reply actions

Milton

is awesome!! I've always loved him as a player, but now after that Q&A, I love his personality! He is so funny and nice. =) I hope he's around for a while..

"There's a new 33 in town." ~Nick Swisher~

by Cassandra on Jan 28, 2007 9:58 AM PST up reply actions

ooh!

when are we gonna get to see the pics pf fanfest [swisher/harden]gotgreen? we're waiting...=)

by feeling green on Jan 27, 2007 5:54 PM PST reply actions

pictures coming soon ...

after i rest my tired body.

by gotgreen on Jan 27, 2007 5:56 PM PST up reply actions

I didn't go because my mother-in-law

was supposed to arrive at 1PM. Now she'll be here at 7PM because of flight delays...:-(

"Look its either batman or batman and robin not robin w/o batman robin isn't sh@#."--cchefz71

by jeepers on Jan 27, 2007 6:01 PM PST reply actions

Booooooo!!!

I'm sorry :(

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 8:19 PM PST up reply actions

Poppy is jeepers' mother-in-law?

Who knew?

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jan 27, 2007 9:16 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, jeepers married my underage son.

Now you know our family shame.

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 9:18 PM PST up reply actions

don't forget what Swisher said about Canseco....

"There's a new 33 in town"

Almost everyone was asked about facing Zito, and it seems that Kotsay is already starting to get into Zito's head about it, and Haren said he'd throw a little chin music if Zito got a hit off him.

No Chavy, Marco, Street, or Kendall. :(

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jan 27, 2007 6:07 PM PST reply actions

Marco has a good excuse

he's busy being clutch in the Venezuelan playoffs

by OaklandSi on Jan 27, 2007 7:51 PM PST up reply actions

No Chavy last year, either.

And Kendall might have a brand new baby at home, or arriving any minute, so he's excused.

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 8:20 PM PST up reply actions

You think Kendall's baby is 'charging the mound'?

Ew.

"Kotsay is 31... Kotsay's back is 127." - Jeepers

by Ozzz on Jan 28, 2007 1:47 AM PST up reply actions

Fans asking for Autographs

pictures and hugs are just annoying.

Though two years ago someone had a very funny question sort of like it. He asked Eric Byrnes something to the point of "ok, this is to Byrnsie, I don't want an autograph, but if I bring out a piece of fence, will you run into it?"

by Zonis on Jan 27, 2007 7:11 PM PST reply actions

Great reports

Thanks everybody!
I hope rain didn't spoil it too much.

by streetfan on Jan 27, 2007 7:34 PM PST reply actions

the sun actually came out

and it was dry enough for the on-field activities to take place and for fans to sit outside for the Q&A

by OaklandSi on Jan 27, 2007 7:43 PM PST up reply actions

There was a kid who asked for something different

He asked to do the Bradley-Swisher home-run dance, and he was allowed onto the stage to do it with Swish.

That was REALLY cool.

Fosse is hilarious as well. When a fan asked how Gaudin (he pronouced it GAL-DIN) was going to be used, and when Geren butchered the name as well in his response, Fosse went off (in a funny manner) about how he had JUST pronouced it the RIGHT way when he was introducing everyone, and yet people STILL can't get his name right (putting a rub on Geren that the new manager can't do it as well), gave a short lesson on the PROPER pronouciation, and gave props to Roy Steele for knowing his stuff.

Another favorite moment:

In response to a question about where they felt most comfortable batting in the line-up, Melhuse responded with "Line up? What is that? What's a line up?"

Glad to see Melhuse retain his humor inspite of the circumstances.

by Kaiser99 on Jan 27, 2007 7:43 PM PST reply actions

Poor Melhuse...

He's a really good guy. It's too bad Macha saw Kendall's contract as the driving force behind his playing every day.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Jan 27, 2007 8:17 PM PST up reply actions

Absolutely Melhuse

wants to play more and he does seem like a really good guy. Trying to put myself in Adam's cleats to find some silver lining, not playing much could possbly extend his career as catcher with less wear and tear. If you're him I guess you try to look for anything positive--he's a big league ballplayer--that's pretty good.

by Salvatore on Jan 27, 2007 8:39 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Macha

Did he? How do you know? It seems much more plausible that either a)Kendall intimidated him into the playing time or b)he liked the way Kendall handled the pitchers, or c)Beane made him do it.

Without evidence, your supposition is pure nonsense.

by mikeA on Jan 27, 2007 9:22 PM PST up reply actions

it's also possible that

as mediocre as kendall is now, he's still superior to melhuse.

but melhuse seems to get plenty of chances to end playoff games, and always does.

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 27, 2007 9:26 PM PST up reply actions

owche!

rip 2006, it was nice while it lasted.

by ak_A on Jan 29, 2007 6:54 AM PST up reply actions

Re: Speculation

Mike, it is my understanding that Macha met with Kendall and Melhuse at the end of the 2005 season, and basically said, "What am I supposed to do - sit him on the bench? He's earning $10 million!"

I wasn't in the room. But it's not speculative nonsense.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Jan 27, 2007 9:48 PM PST up reply actions

That is a far cry

from Macha deciding to sit Melhuse for weeks on end because of Kendall's contract. And to the extent that it is true and you don't like it, blame Beane, not Macha.

by mikeA on Jan 27, 2007 11:24 PM PST up reply actions

Ya....

It was hilarious when someone asked about Macha being fired and bradley walked over to melhuse to give him the mike... lol

"We do it a little different here in Oakland" -Jay Payton

by iloveoakland on Jan 28, 2007 9:57 AM PST up reply actions

that's really funny

a similar thing happened during the first Q & A. Someone asked this very pointed question (or rather, complaint) about the move to Fremont and BB turned to to Piazza and said "Mike?" like he should answer the question.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 28, 2007 10:11 AM PST up reply actions

That was priceless! lol.

"There's a new 33 in town." ~Nick Swisher~

by Cassandra on Jan 28, 2007 10:24 AM PST up reply actions

I was also really happy to see the Q&A outside

Last year, we went to the East Side Club about 20 minutes before a Q&A we wanted, and got in the line... and waited... and waited... and while we were standing there, the Q&A started and we realized that what we were in was a line already forming for the NEXT one, an hour away. So we decided to keep waiting (watching the Q&A we were "missing" on the TV screens in the bar), and went into the next session... and even though there were only about 15 people in line ahead of us, the only seats available once we got inside were way over on the sides, where we couldn't see the whole stage, because people had been allowed to just camp out in there despite the limited seating.

Outside, though... much better. We sat in the Plaza level and could hear almost everything. Speaker volume needs to be louder next time, and some girls asking questions definitely need to be less stupid. Seriously, if you're picked for the last question of the session, and you want to know the players' ZODIAC SIGNS? Pass the mic to someone else, go home, turn on your computer and look up the players' birthdays.

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 8:33 PM PST reply actions

I could've told them THAT.

I was naming off their zodiac signs after the girl asked the question. I mean, what else do you think I do with astrology books and a website with player's birthdays?

Come on, now. :)

"The separation between good and great is mental. It's about conviction. It's about commitment. I really believe that." --Barry Zito

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jan 28, 2007 1:08 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, we all know, anyone who asks a stupid

question like that doesn't visit AN, where every players B-Day is celebrated with a Diary.

by theblackpearl on Jan 28, 2007 1:56 PM PST up reply actions

FANFEST shoe report!

I love Milton Bradley!! His shoes were fantastic-allegator skin- I asked him if he wanted to trade for my cheetah print ballet flats from B.P.-he just laughed. .

Kotsay was wearing sandals whats up with that????

"Im drinking seven and seven and theres only seven in here!"- the old Nick Swisher/ Spring 06

by 15andLovinIt28 on Jan 27, 2007 8:37 PM PST reply actions

one question

how was the eye candy ?

www.royalsreview.com

by Freneau on Jan 27, 2007 8:52 PM PST reply actions

Hot as meat on a grill.

They were all sizzling.

"The separation between good and great is mental. It's about conviction. It's about commitment. I really believe that." --Barry Zito

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jan 28, 2007 1:12 PM PST up reply actions

Contractually banned activities

Kotsay mentioned badminton as a banned activity. So apparently the Badminton League is rougher than Jason Kendall may have thought it was...

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 9:05 PM PST reply actions

As someone who played varsity badminton in HS...

Badminton can be a tough sport. Very rough. Scrapes, bruises, diving across the court, fights with the opposition. It's a dangerous sport. I tore ligaments in my hand once diving across the court for a birdie. I've had worse injuries in the four years of high school badminton than I have in nearly twenty years of soccer playing. I can definately see why it should be banned.

Also of note, the contract bans bowling during the off-season. I don't know if that is only Kotsay's (which would make sense, given the back), but didn't the A's used to do a bowling fundraiser????

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jan 27, 2007 9:58 PM PST up reply actions

not only that

I think Kotsay is actually one of the sponsors of the bowling event (with Chavez)!

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 28, 2007 8:28 AM PST up reply actions

crosby is banned from playing baseball

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 28, 2007 8:45 AM PST up reply actions

Tidbits from what I recall watching online ...

Haren won their fantasy football league.

Swish said only Mcgwire should get into the Hall, not Canseco (there's a new 33 in town). Between Blanton/BoCro/Ellis, 2 of them copped out and said both deserve to get in. (My thoughts were - what?! Canseco?! really?!)

Bradley, grew up in So Cal, hates the Angels.
Ellis, from South Dakota, grew up a Twins fan, admired Kirby Puckett.
BoCro admired Cal Ripkin.
Swish was inspired by his dad as a former major leaguer.

Kielty is really big on pre-game coffee. And poker.

by Rickeyfan on Jan 27, 2007 9:41 PM PST reply actions

Too bad Canseco is off the ballot for good...

I guess there can be only one... #33.

Let's GO OAKLAND!!!

by OaktownRajah on Jan 28, 2007 12:31 AM PST up reply actions

Crosby admires Ripken. Ha!

Sweet, sweet irony.

Perhaps he can aspire to play five games in a row sometime this season and break his own 'cardboard man' record.

"Kotsay is 31... Kotsay's back is 127." - Jeepers

by Ozzz on Jan 28, 2007 1:52 AM PST up reply actions

More tidbits

Blanton and Swish like their country music. Whenever Zito left the room, they changed the pregame music. Usually to techno. Bradley likes rap.

Melhuse stepped up to the plate plugging the
Gamer as a great guy (hence the hug).

BoCro sporting facial hair, now looks a little like McSteamy.

Kotsay and Kielty's favorite off-field activities are spending time with their kids.

by Rickeyfan on Jan 27, 2007 9:46 PM PST reply actions

DUDE!

my friend and i totally said that crosby was sporting the mcsteamy!! hahahaha hotness

"The weather is hot, so I'm hot," Scutaro said with mock bravado. "Just kidding."

by TrizzleNizzle510 on Jan 28, 2007 12:22 AM PST up reply actions

omg

i was totally thinking the same thing! i thought he looked like mcsteamy too!

by gotgreen on Jan 28, 2007 12:23 AM PST up reply actions

OK, WOW!

So it wasn't just me! My friend and I were calling him that the rest of the day! That is awesome! I think he looked HOT!

"We don't rebuild in Oakland, man," Swisher cackles. "We re-load." Pics

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Jan 28, 2007 2:38 AM PST up reply actions

Hot?

He is totally teddy bear gerrrr-eee-meee..........! I was saying all day.

by Salvatore on Jan 28, 2007 7:07 AM PST up reply actions

Uh, that is

Gerrr-eee-meeee mcsteamy.

by Salvatore on Jan 28, 2007 7:15 AM PST up reply actions

Rich Harden will have 35 starts this year

because I told him to.

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 9:56 PM PST reply actions

Can you tell him to have 35 dates with me too?

Heck, I'll take more dates. I'd even take just one. Somehow, everytime I see him there are 20,000 other people hanging around -- makes it difficult to ask him out. But maybe if you tell him.....

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jan 27, 2007 10:00 PM PST up reply actions

Weren't you at the Q&A?

I don't see any reason why you couldn't have gotten up to the mic and asked him yourself... that sort of question seems to be perfectly appropriate in that setting, right? ;)

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 10:08 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, i guess so....

But I wanted to be unique. Everyone was going up asking for autographs and pictures. Next time I'll just go up and ask for his phone number.

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Jan 27, 2007 10:37 PM PST up reply actions

Actually,

I know a few people on Vancouver Island and one of them is a real estate lady and I betcha, by hook or by crook, I can get you Rich's Canadian pnone number. Would you like that? Then I can post Rich's number to you right here on AN. Wouldn't that be cool?

by Salvatore on Jan 27, 2007 10:53 PM PST reply actions

You think she's kidding.

Don't tempt her...

"I mean, hey, if they're going to bring the A's to Fremont, you might as well bring a Hooters." ~ some guy

by Poppy on Jan 27, 2007 10:56 PM PST up reply actions

swisher

Man, he has got to be the greatest guy ever, I was in his autograph session and I was on the phone with my brother, he's a huge A's fan and Swish is his favorite player. Anyway, he couldn't go because he is getting ready to deploy to Iraq and when Swisher heard me talking to him about it he took my phone and talked to him for like 5 minutes. That earned him mad props in my book and totally made my bro's day.

by chavyfan on Jan 28, 2007 12:53 PM PST reply actions

wow! that's so cool!

truth is, your brother probably made Swisher's day too!

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Jan 28, 2007 1:03 PM PST up reply actions

Swisher took a picture of me with his camera.

It was pretty much amazing. I made a Swisher shirt that turned out really cool and I had him sign it. As I turned to leave, he was like, "Wait!" I turned around and he said, "Could you hold that up please?"
"My shirt?"
"Yeah. [smile]"

I held it up and he slipped out his camera from his pocket and said, "Okay. One, two, three!"

He freaking took a picture of me with his MTRFKN camera.

I had this huge smile on my face and he said, "Thank you. You made my day." I said, "No problem. You made mine too."

:):):):):):)

"The separation between good and great is mental. It's about conviction. It's about commitment. I really believe that." --Barry Zito

by GreenNGoldGirl on Jan 28, 2007 1:12 PM PST up reply actions

both great stories

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Jan 28, 2007 1:31 PM PST up reply actions

Lucky!!

That is so freakin awesome!! Next time you see him, you should ask if he still has it. That'd be so great if he does.

It reminds me of last season when I went to Anaheim. I was gettin my playoff shirt, which I was wearing, signed by Gerald Perry and I had devil horns on and Dan Johnson takes a pic of me on his phone!! Just think of how dirty that looks!! Me slightly bent over with devil horns on..oh my goodness. haha. I really hope he erased that.. lol.

And the brother getting to talk on the phone with Nick must have been amazing! He must have been caught off guard, but very happy. :)

"There's a new 33 in town." ~Nick Swisher~

by Cassandra on Jan 28, 2007 1:51 PM PST up reply actions

Let's see the shirt

If Swish liked it so much, maybe you should post a photo on here :)

by streetfan on Jan 29, 2007 9:38 PM PST up reply actions

I love to hear stories. :)

"There's a new 33 in town." ~Nick Swisher~

by Cassandra on Jan 28, 2007 1:55 PM PST reply actions

fanfest was fricken hella tite this year!!

wow Swish was a big hit!... he is such a sweeeetheart! and he was funny as hell!... my friends and i got 2 picture tickets with him... we came in and he was just all smiles and manly handshakes..haha.. the photographers were having problems with their equipment or something and Swish looks at us and he goes "this guy is killin me today! get it right man!".... we werent supposed to ask for autographs, hugs, or kisses from the players..haha dammit.. that ruined my gameplan.. but since they were having problems and it was taking forever.. i was like...hey Swish?... i know youre not supposed to sign anything but can you break the rules just for me?.. Swish smiled and said, "how can i say no to a cute face like that.... just promise me you wont tell that guy what i said"...and then he whispers, "just move behind me, hand me the sharpie, and act normal"... hah! then i said i freakin love you swish youre hella tite!, this is the best part... he goes, "and i hella? love you!".... omg i couldve died right there... did Swish remind anyone of you of Sawyer from LOST? haha he had that southern charm to him... god i love Swish... Crosby was sucha McSteamy... so hotttttt.. and i finally got him to sign my Crosby backpack.. took me 2 years.. but i finally have it... best fanfest ever...

"The weather is hot, so I'm hot," Scutaro said with mock bravado. "Just kidding."

by TrizzleNizzle510 on Jan 28, 2007 2:11 PM PST reply actions

Swish=Sawyer

Yes! I totally made that comment to the people I was with.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Jan 28, 2007 6:54 PM PST up reply actions

Deserving NRAF here

If there are extra calendars out there, I would be happy to take one off your hands.

Thanks Englishmajor and all. All these great details are the next best thing to actually being there. Spring Training cannot come fast enough - I am there March 16.

by easyraider on Jan 28, 2007 3:22 PM PST reply actions

Me too

Not much love for our A's out here on the East coast, would proudly display the calendar in my office for all Yankee fans to enjoy.

by Leesa on Jan 28, 2007 4:41 PM PST up reply actions

FYI

the Q&A's are on the A's site now!!

by gotgreen on Jan 28, 2007 5:48 PM PST reply actions

Another Swisher story,

That guy is amazing. He'll make a fortune (another one) as a spokesman for some company some day. I think he converted my daughter into being an A's fan. She's 17 and my son is 4. While we were waiting in line to purchase single game tickets Swisher and Buckley began signing autographs in a little booth set up for that purpose. She took him over to get his autograph on my A's hat and my boys. Another little guy right next to her brought a little bear figurine in an A's outfit and wanted him to sign it. Swisher took it and as he was looking at he said "What am I supposed to do, sign on his ass?" Buckley poked him in the ribs and my daughter about fell over laughing. She was enamored with his accent and attitude. I think as soon as Jeter is gone, she's going to be an A's fan. I hope the A's keep this guy around, he will definately be a legend if he stays.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Jan 28, 2007 5:52 PM PST reply actions

yeah, swisher is great

not only did he talk to my brother, and totally freakin made his day, but he's also the one that converted him to an a's fan this summer before he left for bootcamp, he used to be a yankee fan, but he fellin love with Swish's attitude and chewin style, when we went to the games, he use to take what he would call a "swish dip"

anyways, Swisher=greatest guy in baseball

by chavyfan on Jan 28, 2007 11:10 PM PST reply actions

Tell your brother

we all admire his patriotism and courage here at AN and pray that he returns home safely after his tour of duty.

by Salvatore on Jan 29, 2007 10:06 AM PST up reply actions

Great diary!

The only ANers I saw were English Major, Gigglingone, whom I said hi to, and Zonis, who was too far away to say hi to. Saw several AN shirts but didn't recognize their owners. My family and I got our pic taken with the World Series trophies.

I loved the memoribilia displays, but I didn't have time to get into the A's store where they were selling it. Did anyone get into the A's store? What kind of stuff did they have, and for how much? Just curious.

"...sometimes I can't tell the difference between baseball and magic."- salb918 "Ellie plowed into him like an evil, pink unicorn."-ArakSOT

by McFood on Jan 29, 2007 9:08 AM PST reply actions