This Week on Dallas: Who shot Brad Halsey?
by Tyler Bleszinski on Apr 23, 2007 12:17 PM PDT
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PrintWas it all a dream? Is the A's soap opera of the season already hitting the team, only 18 games in? I know this is covered in the DLD, but Brad Halsey went all psycho on the A's front office in the Chronicle today.
My intention this morning was to let baseballgirl's post about AN Day IV: A New Hope sit on the front page until the A's open the series in Baltimore later today. We need to get the payments rolling in on that and if you want to get in, you should get in early this year. We're considering having the local chapter of SABR also attend AN Day this year and we max out at 225 tickets.
But the A's decided to have their early season drama this year. Last year it was Susan Slusser's story on Nick Swisher's partying and Mychael Urban's tired act piece on Milton Bradley. This year, Halsey calls the A's a "mom and pop shop" and claims that they only care about money. Well, for a team that only cares about money, this "mom and pop shop" sports the second best record in baseball since 2000 and the third best record since 1998. I'm not saying that Halsey doesn't have a valid point about the A's medical care. As a matter of fact, I think he very much does. But his mistake is even bringing up the financial side of things. Every team makes a myriad of decisions based on finances, even the mighty Yankees.
And yeah, Halsey may feel like he is owed the chance, but the truth is that he did nothing in spring training to earn the A's trust. He and his nearly seven ERA was horrible most of the time. And if he was continuing to have an issue down at Sacramento, why did he continue to let himself pitch? I don't know, it seems like Halsey is just whining because he's not getting paid not because he isn't going to get his shot.
As for the A's medical staff, I still think that it continues to be an unacceptable situation when players come out to publicly complain. Crosby and Halsey are two that have made big public stinks about their medical care. I'm guessing that if this is coming out publicly that there have to be lots of complaints privately. In my experience being around ballplayers, the last thing they EVER want to do is to come out publicly on something controversial, so it tells me that they are being ignored when they complain about it internally. I know that's a big assumption, but having been around guys who regurgiate every Bull Durham cliche sound bite, I don't think it's that huge a leap of faith.
Any way, there is also a report circulating that the A's are also calling up former Stanford player Danny Putnam which I take to mean that the A's are putting Bradley on the DL, which is likely what they should've done in the first place given Milton's fragile nature in the past. I understand that the team wants to get as much from their key players as possible and the 15-day DL would've prevented them from having Milton back asap, but you might as well be cautious with these guys early rather than paying for them later. We might not see Milton for a while now and the A's can't exactly afford to be missing their star players.
I am excited about seeing Braden pitch and Putnam play as that's one of the most refreshing things about rooting for the A's. We get to see exciting youngsters quite often. The players like Huston Street, Nick Swisher and Joe Blanton quickly become a part of our passion. Travis Buck is already quickly joining that list and it would be great to get another young pitcher to add. Of course, the A's rotation doesn't seem to need much help right now, Harden or no Harden. The starters have the lowest ERA in baseball right now and have the second lowest BAA of any pitching staff and that's after facing the vaunted Yankees and pitching a series in Arlington.
Any way, sign up for AN Day 4. We're into the good part of the trilogy now. And check out FSU's DLD...it's a real interesting look at baseball's financials.
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I know nothing about Braden but ..
.. do look forward to seeing Putnam play, if indeed he does. He was pretty impressive in ST and maybe he could jumpstart a struggling offense in similar fashion to how Travis Buck has helped the offense .. ya never know ..
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 12:21 PM PDT reply actions
Its like when Tupac got shot for the first time..
Now he's blaming everybody and yelling, "Conspiracy!" Nobody saw this coming. If he wants to be traded, trade him back to the Yanks I'm sure they would love him there right now. "Mom and Pop"?
Obviously Halsey is a Wal*Mart shopper
and isn't a fan of the survival of the mom and pop shops ;-)
by Tyler Bleszinski on Apr 23, 2007 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Halsey Doesn't have a leg to stand on
He has been inconsistent and weak in most of his outings. Being left handed is the only plus he has.
He is as good as gone with his comments in the press today...have fun in Triple A the rest of the year (or the Nationals).
by Morada Mudshark on Apr 23, 2007 12:43 PM PDT reply actions
left handed and breathing
that's two things.
by gigglingone on Apr 23, 2007 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
his trade value isnt any better
...after the outburst. if any, he's just hurt
his chances of being traded by publicly saying
that he's hurt. the river cats are just going to
have to DL him and let him cool off while his arm
recovers.
The roster moves over the next 2 weeks are going
to be interesting. Braden and Putnam are both
not on the 40-man roster. DJ has been raking
in extended spring training and is expected
to come back next week after spending a week
in Sacto. Loaiza is expected to start throwing
again this week. Buck isnt expecting to be sent
back down to AAA anytime soon -- he's one of the
better hitters on the team now. Interesting....
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
It's too soon for the crazy to start.
Right...
...May is only eight days away.
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Apr 23, 2007 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions
athletics.scout.com
I don't have any experience with scout.com.
Are their reports usually accurate?
The person who wrote it
is usually pretty in touch with the A's minor leaguers. So I'd say it's a good bet to be true.
by Tyler Bleszinski on Apr 23, 2007 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
It sounds good to me...
I'm a Cal guy, raised to hate Stanfurd and all its ilk, but we saw Putnam's 3-4 in the Spring and think he could do well for us. He has more upside than say... Kielty.
In the athletics nation there is no ..
.. black nor white, Harvard nor Yale, Cal nor Stanford, - but we bleed green&gold and are one .. {g} ..
I'm a Cal guy, raised to hate Stanfurd and all its ilk,
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I bleed more green than gold
I'm very pro-green. Gold had its moments, but after it got cornered by Gould and Fisk in 1869, I've never thought about it the same. Gold gave up the goods too easily.
Green sucks
Gold is a team player, willing to sacrifice itself for the greater good. Green is an egomaniac that thinks the whole world is all about it.
Go Gold!
Go Card!
Love the callup.
by OaktownPower on Apr 23, 2007 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Agree about the callup and ..
My wife is both a Stanford grad and Giants fan - strange combination! :)
Love the callup.
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions
did Billy lose it?
After the loss to Texas on Sunday? I just wonder
if he's put some of the 'veterans' on the 25-man
roster on notice. The candidates:
Kielty (hasnt been hitting left or right handed.
Defense below average. I think he still has an
option left?)
Walker (has been serviceable in his role but
hasnt shown any extra base power and his defense
at first is nothing to shout about)
DiNardo (has been OK as the mop-up guy but
definitely the extra pitcher on a strong bullpen)
Witasick (has looked better in recent outings
and I would guess that the A's would persist with
him for a while)
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:21 PM PDT reply actions
this early??
Putnam maybe, but I think the organisation has
high hopes for Braden and wouldnt part with him
especially given the dearth of quality starting
pitching in the farm system. Unless Billy can
prize away some high quality pitching arms and
I'm thinking Yankees....
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Bradley's Complaints are legitimate...
...if as the Chron reported he was c/o pain in his arm during Spring Training and was essentially being ignored then that's irresponsiblity by the staff. I won't be quick to judge them but the if the issue is tendinitis in the shoulder/elbow/forearm the prudent action is to shut the pitcher down. Blez made the point about the ERA being 7. It may have been 7 due to his pain and inability to pitch effectively!
Halsey feels like meat right now. He's not the first player to c/o about how they were treated by a staff. I wouldn't put this just on the A's but on MLB in general.
I hope he comes back from this but his bridges to Oakland may have just been burnt to the ground.
I can understand his anger
but it doesn't help his career to go off to the media like that, especially if he wants another team to hire him.
Agreed
I can't think of anyone in Oakland who lasted very long after taking pot shots at management...and he's in Sacramento with zero leverage.
Gerard: as our local source of medical knowledge
I'd be very interested on your opinion of the relationship between teams and the medical groups which pay for the right to provide medical services. I excerpted an NYT article at length on the subject in this comment over in the DLD.
Your thoughts on the ethics and care implications of this would be very much appreciated.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Apr 23, 2007 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Typically,..
Private physician groups (eg orthopedists) will sign a contract with a team to provide services. It's good name recognition (ha! ha!) for the group and the players receive treatment from those physicians as the first consultation, typically. Some players may have established relationships with an orthopedist and will go on their own but that wouldn't take place necessarily without the team's knowlege. Can that be a sticky issue regarding patient-Dr. confidentiality? A player may get into trouble if has a condition the team doesn't know about. Lines of communication are ALWAYS important in the best of relationships.
What most don't know is the degree of sophistication that goes into treating musculoskeletal injuries. These protocols have been established by physicians and physical therapists and are very very thorough. Most teams medical/surgical team are quasi related to higher level of educational institutions. Some of the A's physicians I believe are on staff at UCSF. I know many are cynical at AN but if you could see what takes place behind the scenes you would believe the team has the players interest in mind.
BTW I met with one of the team physicians for the Milwaukee Brewers down in AZ at a conference. I came away impressed with the treatment the players receive.
Harden and Bradley both go on the DL
Just announced by the A's.
Now the roster moves start to make more sense!
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:48 PM PDT reply actions
roster moves
Kotsay to 60 day DL.
Scott Dunn released.
The roster moves now make sense.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Harden on the DL again
I hope it isnt an extended stay....
but he's beginning to look no better than
Prior and Wood.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 1:52 PM PDT reply actions
unlike Prior and wood
Harden when healthy is one of the best in the game
by 3Chavy3 on Apr 23, 2007 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Harden's alright
I have injected him with superhealth mojo -- he's
going to be ace for the rest of the season.
In Harden we hope:)
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
I hope so
by 3Chavy3 on Apr 23, 2007 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions
me too mainly because, no Zito
.. IMHO we don't have the depth of rotation to succeed in a year without Harden - the A's management would I'm sure do their best but I don't like our chances without him - we need E-Lo back as well .. get well E-Lo! :)
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions
oh, i don't know about that...
Harden is much better looking than Prior and Wood....
<drool>
Halsey has pitched lights-out in Sac ...
... with his allegedly hurt arm. I feel for him, but you have to control your frustrations and look at the bigger picture sometimes.
by riverchat on Apr 23, 2007 2:01 PM PDT reply actions
Which would have led the A's to believe he was
only having a dead arm period. If he was mentioning it after every start, then there is a communication break down, but if he said something once in spring training, then went to Sac and pitched well, you'd think it went away.
by theblackpearl on Apr 23, 2007 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Harden on the DL...shocking
...and I was so sure he'd actually be on the mound tomorrow.
Anyway, I hope that they are actually planning on playing Putnam, because otherwise it would make more sense just to have Kielty out there.
Isn't DJ due back real soon so as to allow Swish to stay at first? I'd like to see Putnam play, but it would suck if he's just going to ride the bench.
I'm really troubled by all these complaints about the medical staff. Halsey is one thing--he's been give plenty of chances to prove himself at the ML level--it could just be sour grapes. But Crosby is different. Theoretically, the A's should be doing everything in their power to keep Croz on the field permanently, not just for an extra two weeks so he can play in the playoffs. It makes me think that their diagnosis skills really do leave something to be desired. Furthermore, it raises the question that Hardens' repeating injury cycle may have something to do with the way the training staff treats him--and not totally to do with how "injury-prone" Harden is. It's an unfortunate fact that the A's as a whole have been mighty injury prone in the last few years--and most have been strains, stress fractures, and muscle pulls (as opposed to contact injuries).
It's also frustrating that instead of putting MB on the DL last week, they allowed him to play on a still-sore hamstring--which they had to know would likely aggravate it. You only need to watch baseball to know how tricky a sore hamstring can be.
by Alien @ Athletics Nation on Apr 23, 2007 2:13 PM PDT reply actions
I'm sure that's the last we'll see of Halsey.
Until he's traded and pitching relief in KC or Washington.
Is it time to push the panic button on Harden?
I'm very afraid it heading quickly in that direction.
by 3Chavy3 on Apr 23, 2007 2:28 PM PDT reply actions
If you didn't push it back in February...
then you're running late. :)
"No. It's Oakland."
i removed the button and replaced it
with solid circuit last year. would have to order a complete new master control board for one with a harden panic button anymore.
smart move by the A's
Looking through the schedule for the next month
it made sense to put Harden on the DL as it
was the best way to make the roster moves to bring
up both Braden and Putnam.
Harden hopefully will just miss the one start
and should be activated from the DL to start
at Boston on May 2. In the meantime, he gets
all the rest he needs for the shoulder.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 2:33 PM PDT reply actions
my thinking also
.. but I was afraid to say so for fear of misunderstanding - we really need Rich to make as many starts as possible this year if we expect to contend .. if he can't make his starts, we will try to make do without him, but I surely don't like our chances with a Harden-less starting rotation .. I'm not defending him, nor excusing my previous wrongness, just saying we really need him ..
Harden hopefully will just miss the one start
and should be activated from the DL to start
at Boston on May 2. In the meantime, he gets
all the rest he needs for the shoulder.
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
hmmm.....
not so simple. Harden's turn comes up again
a day before he's scheduled to come of the DL
so it looks like Braden will pitch twice or
Loaiza comes bsck earlier than expected.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
forgot about E-Lo but we need him too!
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Halsey has a weird complaint
If his arm is hurt, why would the major league team want to call him up to pitch for a guy whose arm is hurt?
The dude makes no sense.
Putnam playing RF today
Buck and {i think} Kielty are banged up, according to KenKo ..
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 3:11 PM PDT reply actions
that's interesting
Bedard is a LHP and with Kielty on the roster
you would have expected him to play but Putnam
a LHB gets the nod instead for his big league
debut. I'm sure banged up as he might
be Kielty would want to get in there if he
could.
Kielty is being sent a message here.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions
no surprise there ..
.. he didn't look too good yesterday when he pulled his groin or whatever the specifics of the injury .. it looked like some sort of obvious strain or pull, he limped off the field ..
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Correct: hip injury
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 3:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Geren just said on the pregame show
"we'll get Harden healed up, and he'll have a great second half for us."
Umm....April's not over yet, and the second half doesn't start til mid-July. Freudian slip?
uggghhhh
Freudian slip or not, that isnt funny.
by oak1 on Apr 23, 2007 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions
KenKo just said Harden's DL was retroactive
.. so that he might be ready to go something like 10 days from now .. thus it is all up in the air ..
by Randy Bell on Apr 23, 2007 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions
And the winner is......
Bobby Crosby!!!! Now all the Crosby haters have moved their hate to Larry Davis, Brad Halsey, Rich Harden and Uncle Milty while Bobby gets a stay of execution. And coming in second is DJ, who without multiple injuries to our center fielders would have never got the call to come back up. Just a prediction, Bobby Kielty will be the one who pays for the injury problems when people start getting healthy. That's what happens when you play the outfield like Ron Santo...after the amputations.
lol
ron santo after the amputations.
i think kielty and stewart are underrated in that many people don't seem to realize exactly how horrible they are defensively.
Knee surgery
Didn't he have surgery on his knee recently? Could be related to that.
I'm inclined to side with Halsey
... mostly for his sentiment, if not the way he expressed it. It's no secret that the A's are penny-pinchers as an organization (which, given their market, is probably a good idea), so I think his side of the story makes a lot of sense. Much as a Billy Beane booster as I am, I think his reaction was a little less than honest-- there is nothing going on in that organization that he doesn't know about, and I'm pretty sure he passed on Halsey for exactly the reason Halsey said he did. And it definitely sucks to try to be a team guy, to play by the rules and do your part, then get passed over for non-performance-related issues.
It's not a classy move at all on Halsey's part to rip the organization (even though he had some good things to say about Braden), but if the end result is that we get rid of one of our many soft-tossing lefties, so be it.
Memo to Brad Halsey
Everything you say might well be true, but it's a business, a much better-paying business than most of us get to work in. There's nothing unique in your frustrations. If anything, now you fully understand how the rest of us feel when it comes to our employers.
by Dann on Apr 24, 2007 8:04 PM PDT reply actions
We have seen all this before
When we signed Bradley and Kotsay their health issues were patently obvious. And with some of the others I am not so sure. It is amazing to me that someone with the upside of Buck is also hurt coming out of ST. These are not payroll issues or competency issues pertinent to the medical staff. Now we have Swisher going down in an afternoon game in Baltimore and Lord only knows what else may be going on health wise. Living in Atlanta I was able to observe Charles Thomas at his best. After the Hudson trade he was given a very fair chance to prove his metel but he failed miserably at the plate. I know for sure that our management staff is without peer in judging talent and making astute moves. But what would be wrong at this point from bringing up Charles Thomas and letting him rove center field for a month, just to see what happens? The fact that we are able to continue to win in the face of such adversity is a testament to our players and no one else. How else would one explain it
Let's go A's
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