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Michael Duca on A's and Giants
By Michael Duca March 8, 2010 |
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Sportstalk: There is no doubt that after Giants pitcher Barry Zito set the tone with a pitch that hit the Brewers Prince Fielder in the back this week for last year's bowling pin celebration that instilled something in the team who has now won three in a row in pre season. Talk a little about what Zito's pitch to Fielder did for the club? Truthfully, probably not much. Getting the next hitter out did something, though -- it let them know that Zito was doing what needed to be done, and taking care of business, and no more. No distraction, no unneeded emotion. Just meting out a little justice -- and, remember, this goes back farther than just the bowling ball celebration. It certainly also includes the egregious no-slide at home plate several years back that blew up Todd Greene, Giants catcher, effectively ending Greene's career. Sportstalk: Miguel Eric Chavez got the big glove out and his trying his hand at first base.Talk a little about the move from third to first and is Billy Beane and Bob Geren looking at less injuries at that position and a lot more hitting production from Chavez at that position? I think Billy and Bob (Billy Bob?) are looking for, well, ANYTHING from Chavez, other than his signature on the back of gynormous pay checks. Chavez has been a huge disappointment, and would already be somewhere else, anywhere else, if anyone would have taken the contract. That's not to say that Chavez isn't putting forth total effort to recover from all the surgeries, and the physical maladies . . . but at some point, work must be done, not just talked about. The A's picked Chavez over Miguel Tejada when it was contract time, allegedly because they thought Tejada was older than his "official age" -- but there's no doubt that what they've gotten from Chavez hardly qualifies as a young player's productivity. Sportstalk: The A's are relying heavily on veteran Ben Sheets to come through, Sheets has not seen any action off the mound in 17 months. Sheets who had elbow problems and last pitched September 17th, 2008, was touched up by the Brewers for four hits and three of them well struck and that included RBI from Ryan Braun and Jim Edmonds. What are Geren and Beane expecting from Sheets and do you think he's over his challenges with his elbow from last season? Well, I don't know. I'm not a doctor, and I didn't spend last night in a Holiday Inn Express. What they are expecting from Sheets is a renaissance, a huge first half, so they can trade him in June for a stack of youngsters before he throws one too many pitches and his arm flies off with springs and rivets flying in all directions. Or, they are hoping he can win 18 games for them, provide veteran leadership at the top of the rotation, and keep Duchscherer with a smile on his face as he tries to pitch through after effects of his depression and back injuries, then decide that he wants to pitch in Oakland/Fremont/San Jose/Cucamonga forever, for half-price. It's a real dilemma for A's fans. If Sheets pitches to his past form, he won't be an Athletic all that long. If he stays all year, he probably won't come close to earning $10 million. Rick Eymer, AP's Oakland guru, says Billy-Bob will be happy if Sheets does what he did for the Brewers -- he has never won more than 13 games in a year -- and that if he pitches to his potential and the A's are still in the running at the trade deadline, that they will keep Sheets and hope he earns the incentives beyond his $10 million. |
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