The Chron's Jake Curtis published this article online today:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/13/SPOM10L4FO.DTL

In it describes Jack McGeary, who was drafted and signed by the Nats in the 6th rd when he had 1st rd talent.  His contract, which is "way over slot," allows him to take classes at Stanford for 3 years.  This, of course, disqualifies him from amateur competition, but allows him to play in the minors in June to whenever school starts.  In his offseason, McGeary works out, conditions, and throws on his own (about 4 h/day).

" It's kind of a solitary thing," McGeary said.

Can this work?

Academically, he maintains a 3.5 GPA albeit with an "interesting" courseload while majoring in Classics (why he forgoes baseball to major in "Classics" is beyond me; isn't he going to school to have a backup job?):

Exploring the Death Penalty; American Literature and Culture to 1855; Management of Sustainable Building Projects; Epic Journeys, Modern Quests (humanities requirement); Sports Nutrition; History of Medicine; Anthropology of Medicine

How about baseball wise? 

Legendary Stanford Coach Mike Marquess:

"I understand it," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said, "but I don't think it was a good decision for his baseball or for his schooling. But it was a family decision and he has a good, strong family."

Nats front office guy:

"He looked outstanding," Rizzo said. "His body is in terrific shape, his arm was live, the ball came out of his hand well."

"The industry is going to be surprised how quickly he develops," Rizzo said.

The agent:

"It's Jim Bowden's creativity; that's the best way to describe it," said Mc- Geary's agent (and former Stanford football player), Brodie Van Wagenen.

In conclusion, this is definitely interesting and kudos to Curtis for breaking an impressive story.  It obviously takes the right person to be a self-starter and to not procrastinate.  Also, I'm don't think this will work for position players.  For A's fans, we think Justin Smoak; the well documented 16th rd firstbaseman with 1st rd talent who chose to be a Gamecock because the A's wouldn't pay him 7 figs.  He probably wouldn't have developed without live pitching.  In this instance, the A's just should have paid him, and I think the 2008 (100% baseball) A's would have got 'er done.

A few things have bothered me about how the A’s do business…and that is how the A’s don’t honor history their own history very well in a variety of ways…

Let’s start with Mt. Davis…I know it’s Al’s thing but couldn’t they have had any say?  They probably did have a say…and agreed.  In a weird way, Mt Davis drastically changed the look of a nice view of the Oakland hills.  The Coliseum wasn’t that nice to begin with, but at least it had a nice view.  Ibid the closing of the third deck, as many fans loyally sat for many years.

A stronger argument is the handling of ex-personnel.  There have been several terrific ex-A’s players who have had jobs in baseball in some capacity, but the A’s have rarely hired them.  Stew, Rickey, Reggie, Weiss, Gallego, Baines, and Carney all have had jobs coaching/exec jobs in some capacity.  Especially Carney…why isn’t he OUR hitting coach?  I’m not qualified to evaluate Van Burkleo, but I’d bet Capt. Carney is an upgrade.  Even if they are a wash, Carney would be a great influence on players and promote the “A’s way.”  I think they tried David Justice for a year or so, but he’s really a Brave and it sounded like he had minimal involvement.  Also, how about trying to mend the relationship with Reggie Jackson?  I’ve read other articles where former A’s players felt snubbed that the club has simply forgotten about them.  The A’s have a rich history with terrific players.  This is one area where the Giants have largely outdone the A’s for the most part, although it certainly helps that they have KNBR.  It would be nice if they signed some of them, or at least publicly acknowledged their attempt to show respect.  I was glad to see their opening day festivities…although I’d say it probably could have been done better with more players.

I mean, who wouldn't love a Terry Steinbach day?  Or allow the first 2000 fans in free who have a Ron Hassey permed mullet?

My first A's game of the year was actually at the Phone Booth.  In appropriate A's game fashion, we arrived nearly 4 h prior to the first pitch (9 AM) for tailgate festivities.  We parked right behind the RF foul pole...in a lot normally reserved for Giants season ticket holders.  In fact, several of them said in passing, "Oh my God, I can't believe they let A's fans into our lot."  The price was steep ($30 to park!!!) but it was worth it to see the following observations:

1) several other cars showed up at 9...they were wearing green and gold...and they tailgated.

2) Giants fans don't tailgate.  Clearly they've never experienced Aidel's chicken & apple sausage or garlic buttered veggies wrapped up in foil. Even the nasty Boca burgers were ok on the grill.

3) Giants fans were inappropriate attire.  I saw several men wearing chinos and tassled loafers with no socks.  The women were wearing long, obnoxiously colored coats.

4) The "need 2" scalpers made it on over!

5) A Giants fan wearing Dodger blue (surprisingly...or maybe not?) accidentally hit our front bumper while trying to park.  He took the keys out of the ignition with his car still in drive...

We made it to our CF bleacher seats in time to start some "Let's Go Oakland" chants which sounded awesome with the feet stomping.  After Sweeney's homer...my good buddy Fred chanted "Put in Zito!" to the tune of "Let's Go Oakland."  Others on this site have shown sympathy for Zito...not in my crew.  It is hard to feel bad for someone who gets more ass than a toilet seat, is filthy rich, and, most importantly, is a sell out.  Yes, I said it.  I was extremely bothered by the "I choose San Fran for the chance to win multiple championships" shtick.  By the 6th inning all I could see were A's fans.  In fact, there was a terrific showing of A's fan for it being the last game of spring training and "on the road."

Best of luck to our A's this year!  And let's keep the Red Sox Transplants from dominating OUR HOUSE!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/28/SPTEVATBE.DTL

Stew is interviewed by John Shea of the Chronicle...and he doesn't hold back against Roger.   He even recalls the game 4 of the '90 ALCS where Roger (who was pitching AND wearing eye black) got tossed in the 2nd inning after charging the home plate ump.

This article made me think about guys like Steinbach, Phillips, Blankenship, and Felix Jose.

can be found here.  No seriously, they are a lot of fun to watch, they are the AAA and PCL champs, and it should be considered a 25-50% discount on going to A's games.  You can take Amtrak to Sacramento and walk across the the river (or take a shuttle) to the game.  Outfield seats are $6, parking (if you drive) is $8...and they offer the best tri-tip sandwhich outside of Kinders (located just behind home plate), and  beer/snacks are relatively cheap.  Plus you can watch all the young talent the A's acquired become future stars and see the obligatory injured "vets" that come around annually for rehab purposes.  It was a lot of fun to watch guys like Ethier and Swisher when they were at Sacramento, and even AAAA players like Koonce and Bobby Smith.  Jairo/Santiago will have conversations with you in Spanish.  Nobody throws bullpen chairs.

In all seriousness, while the A's continually talk about Fremont, they should have considered Sacramento more carefully.  At least we know the RiverCats are safe from relocation...I think.  AN, what do you think?

I completely agree with Buck18's terrific diary regarding Wolff and MLB making "a day at the yard" cost a rediculous amount of money for a family of four.  I also think lots of baseball will be watched/listened to on TV, radio, satellite radio, and "the internets" as our current president likes to say.  I think there is one live, professional baseball experience remaining that caters to the family: minor league baseball.

Continue reading this post »

From SuSlu's notes section on today's wonderful game...

Catcher Landon Powell, recently promoted to Triple-A Sacramento, is out with a severe knee injury and he has told teammates that it feels exactly the same as when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament two years ago. He'd miss the rest of the season and probably much of 2008 if that's the case. Powell was considered a possible candidate to split catching duties in Oakland at some point next season.

Boy does this suck.  I watched him play last Saturday and he hit a bomb to deep right center.  As a former catcher I was really high on this guy.  Maybe his body just isn't suited for catcher?  I'm thankful I don't have any residual knee issues from my playing days.  Some guys just look like they can play baseball and he was one of them.

Maybe we need to change our slogan from "We're all day to day" to "we're either out for the year or we've suffered a rehab setback."

The Chron's Susan Slusser seems to be on top of things this year, specifically focusing on getting the scoop on talented players who were hurt last year.  In the same article, she gives an update on Landon Powell and Dan Meyer:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/20/SPGV7O7HBL1.DTL

Apparantly, Landon Powell is looking fantastic with his feetwork behind the plate and his defensive prowess.  Early reports when he was drafted in the 1st rd of '05 was that he was a solid offensive player but was average behind the plate.  He's slimmed down to 245 thanks to jump rope and speed training, and hopefully this equates to a breakout year in '07.  One would think that slimming down would have to help his surgically repaired knee.  The A's man behind the scenes had this to say:

"With that body, he wasn't going to play in the big leagues,'' director of player development Keith Lieppman said. "It's been an ongoing process, and we eventually got to either/or. There were certain incentives, and then everything came into perspective. We wanted him to imagine what he'd look like in a major-league game -- did he want to look like Jason Varitek or like he's 280 pounds?''

According to John Baker, Dan Meyer looks like a new person:

"His mechanics had really changed because of that injury,'' Baker said. "Now he throws like I think he did with Atlanta, and it's so different. It's so drastic, even the ball spins differently. It comes out of his hand differently. ... He looks like a new person.''

Doctors found an unexpected bone chip in his shoulder during EXPLORATORY surgery.  That's crazy medical House-$hit right there.  Who has the intestinal fortitude to slice open one of Sickel's top prospects in early '05 and look around for something that couldn't be detected by MRI or X-ray.

Yet another tidbit..."It does not appear as if Rule 5 draftee Ryan Goleski will be hampered by the wrist surgery he had last fall. The outfielder worked out with the rest of the early-reporting position players."

Here's to Landon Powell, Dan Meyer, and Ryan Goleski being healthy and living up to expectations.  Well, for Goleski just hit .900 with 35 spring training jacks.

More evidence on the JFK assasination came out today:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/02/19/national/a092233S92.DTL&hw=JFK&s n=001&sc=1000

My opinion of this changed after the Oliver Stone movie "JKF" which is deep in conspiracy theory.  I think the case is getting rexamined in 2025 or something.

Please dump away.

[editor's note, by carp] - Upon Poppy's request and AN's participation, the DLD has been changed from SuSlu bringing her "A" game. Her first report deals with the Stewart signing, has quotes from Forst, and notes that 2 buck Chuck was DFA.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/09/SPGEDO1HHM1.DTL

...Stewart, who turns 33 at the end of the month, has been pain free for three months since going to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, where an ultrasound pinpointed the problem. A cortisone shot in the heel calmed things down, Stewart said, and he's had no sign of the injury since. He's running four days a week and working out five days a week..."He's like Jay Payton, but better,'' said Stewart's agent, Greg Genske. "As long as he's healthy, the A's have just upgraded."

In her next piece she breaks down a possible reason for Johnson's disappointing year: double vision.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/02/09/SPGEDO1NH61.DTL

... Johnson's season-long trouble with dry eyes was discovered to be far more serious: The A's first baseman also had developed double vision, according to a group of specialists in Mesa, Ariz., that Johnson's agent found.

One of the prescriptions Johnson was given during the season apparently caused the double vision, the specialists said. Johnson just thought his vision was blurry, and that complicated the diagnosis, because "my perception of what was wrong was wrong."

Johnson has been undergoing intensive eye therapy and, he said, "There were dramatic results right away. It's night and day."

Will we see an improved Johnson?  Perhaps we can more accurately assess his talent now.  How good can these elephants be?

For an excellent (and I mean excellent) review of
Cal football's incoming recruiting class, check out this blog at http://tightwad-hill.blogspot.com.  And no, that's not my blog.  I can barely find the "Start" menu let alone set up a web log.

By all means, place your dumps here.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2740456

$1 million/1 year.  He got Saarloos money.  I have mixed emotions about this move...on one hand he could have been Eric Karros-esque or it could have been a steal.  Well, at least that eliminates a OF/1B/DH spot.  It's time for Barton, Buck, Johnson, and Durazo to take some hacks off of the tee and win a spot!