I'm not quite sure if there's a more fan-friendly spring training site than the A's Papago Park. Fans are allowed to enter the complex and walk up to the four baseball diamonds without an intrusive security guard backing them away or barracades keeping them away. Players can hardly avoid autograph seekers, though there was a funny scene Monday in which pitcher Barry Zito was jogging to the clubhouse, with fans in full pursuit. Not sure Zito saw much humor in the sight. The other day, general manager Billy Beane addressed the media for the first time in an informal setting. Rather than conduct the interview in his office or on an adjacent patio, Beane wanted to stand in the sun during a chilly morning. While reporters were gathered around him, several fans were within earshot, listening in as Beane discussed Zito's contract and other matters. I simply could not imagine, say, Giants GM Brian Sabean or Yankees GM Brian Cashman conducting an interview with fans gathered around him. Just another example of the laid back atmosphere in A's-ville. Beane might be a millionaire and one of the more famous of his ilk, but he'll show up to camp every day in shorts and sandals. As the GM finished his press briefing, an older man approached and handed him a photo of Beane hitting during a 1989 spring training game. "I've been trying to give you this for three years," the man told Beane, adding, "you were pinch hitting for Canseco." Beane was grateful.
Milton Bradley showed up a couple of days earlier than most position players. Bradley is the outfielder with untapped potential who has made most of his news for his temper and minor off-field incidents. He's looking for a fresh start. I wrote an indepth piece on him for Sunday's Times, so I feel I've gotten to know him, even though I had never spoken to him before Sunday. I introduced myself and he said he heard I had been making calls to his associates and friends. He seems like a nice guy. He later told reporters he wasn't going to talk this spring unless he did something noteworthy in a game. Fine with me. That certainly was the talk of the day among the team's beat writers. Having covered Barry Bonds for 12 years, nothing comes as much of a surprise to me. As far as I'm concerned, Bradley could be a delight to cover. If he doesn't want to talk to the media, more power to him.
It's Day One of the marathon season. Although pitchers and catchers merely have to phone their club to let them know they have reported, some players actually arrive in the clubhouse to get settled in. For the A's, Saturday was the reporting day for pitchers and catchers. There weren't a lot of visitors to the clubhouse, though pitcher Barry Zito, catcher Jason Kendall and All-Star Justin Duchscherer were on hand. Dan Haren, Kirk Saarloos, Kiko Calero and Joe Kennedy also made an appearance, along with position players Charles Thomas and Matt Watson. Position players don't report until later in the week. Sunday will be the first workout for pitchers and catchers at the team's Papago Park complex. On a personal note, this is my 14th straight spring training _ 12 of them with the Giants. This is Year No. 2 with the A's. No matter how many years you've covered baseball, or how jaded you may be _ I'm not there yet _ there's a sense of anticipation this time of year. It's a little like the first day of school. I was anxious on the flight down from Oakland Friday, though a four-hour delay at the airport made for a long day. This is the first report from Phoenix, and they'll continue through spring training.
The day before the A's broke camp in Arizona, they were facing a few difficult roster decisionw this week. Will second baseman Marco Scutaro make the team? Will Seth Etherton beat out Kirk Saarloos for the fifth starter spot? Will young Huston Street make the team? Answers: No, yes, yes. Of course, those are my opinions, but I don't see how the A's can keep three second basemen if Bobby Kielty and Charles Thomas make the team as backup outfielders. The club will carry 12 pitchers. Saarloos has outpitched Etherton lately, but Saarloos is not on the 40-man roster and Etherton said he was told by general manager Billy Beane when he signed that he'd make the team. Street has been one of the biggest surprises in camp and should be among the seven relievers when the season begins. He started spring training tremendously, but has allowed a few runs lately. Scouts love this kid. Some believe that he could become a closer as early as this year, though with only one year of professional experience it's hard to believe the A's would throw him in the fire so quickly.
Spring training is a laid back time for players and writers. What major sport allows you to go into the clubhouse during games? Traditionally, when a starting pitcher leaves the game, writers head down to the clubhouse for a quick interview. After the interview, you can hang out there for a while or head back to the press box. The A's will allow writers to go down the tunnel to the dugout and sneak a peek at the game. Saturday in Tempe, I was standing near the dugout in front of a retaining wall watching the action. You can't get any closer to the field. Yet, no one cared that we were so close to the action. If you've got a press pass, that's good enough for security guards. That's the beauty of spring training. This stuff simply doesn't happen during the regular season. If you were hanging out near the dugout for a real game, you'd have credentials revoked and probably be taken to the police station and locked up. That might get you out of a writing a game story. Come to think of it, not a bad idea. This is a funny time of the year. Spring training can be long and tedious, but now that the Arizona portion is just about over, there's a little bit of sadness that casualness of the exhibition season is nearly over and we won't return until next February to do it all over again.
I was standing in the dugout during A's batting practice before a rare night game in Phoenix and A's strength and conditioning coach Clarence Cockrell was running outfielder Eric Byrnes through an agility drill. The apparatus laying on the ground in front of the dugout was called an "agility ladder." It helps a player improve his footwork. It's essentially the newest workout version of running tire drills, as football players once did. Cockrell showed Byrnes different agility steps and Byrnes then followed his lead. I've never seen the Giants use the agility routine while I was covering them. Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Cockrell said he's been putting players through such drills at spring training during his four years as their conditioning coach and while he was with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. I was tempted to run the drill, but I might have looked funny doing so in slacks and dress shoes. Plus, I worked out during the afternoon and my legs were heavy. You know, we sportswriters have to get into shape during spring training, too. ... Night game at Phoenix Friday: Barry Zito had allowed three runs in his first three innings against San Diego. He was having control problems in the first inning, walking three. It's been a rough week for all A's starters.
