Sports Radio Service


		Michael Duca's A's and Giants Q&A By Michael Duca August 24, 2009

	Sportsradio: A's pitcher Justin Duchscherer is out due to clinical depression, Duchscherer has missed most of the year has reportedly had to battle with low mood, self esteem and loss of interest or pleasure. His agent Damon Lapa said, "I think it's something that he's been battling for some time and recently made the difficult decision to put his career on hold for the time being." Do you see this being a tough symptom for Duchscherer to get over relatively soon (of course not for the regular season) or something he can rebound from in the off season and come back fresh next year? My understanding of anti-depression medications is that they work very, very well now. They have some side effects, depending on the person taking them, and one is that a person can feel sleepy all the time, yet have trouble sleeping well. Those symptoms won't be very helpful for a starting pitcher, but I suspect that this will be curable, and probably before spring training -- although I'm not a doctor, psychologist, or even diagnostician. Sportsradio: Giant pitcher Joe Martinez was lit up by the Rockies in five innings, nine hits and six runs in a 14-11 slugfest. The Rockies are going to battle the Giants tooth and nail to the end as the Rockies now hold a two game lead in the wild card. Well, yes. They actually hold a three game lead as I write this, but it might be two, or four, by time people read it. Then, the Rockies come to AT&T Park, where things will probably be reversed. This will be a struggle to the final week of the season, I think. And more than SF and COL will be involved. Sportsradio: A non-Giants or A's question now recently there has been a lot of talk about reinstating Pete Rose after all this time being banned from baseball. Former Giant manager Dusty Baker said that Rose should be admitted in the Hall. Is it well past time for baseball to give Rose a chance for the Hall? Gee, I don't know. For a long time, I've felt that it was. For a long time, I've felt that what he did as a player was sufficient to grant him entry to the Hall of Fame. Then, I heard Bob Feller's comments that Rose "violated the rule that's posted in every clubhouse and that says 'lifetime ban' on the poster." And Feller thinks that Rose will be "dead in the water 1000 years from now." Those are pretty harsh words coming from a guy who brought a WW II Bomb-sight home and used it to steal signs from the scoreboard in Cleveland.