A's News Clips, Saturday, March 26, 2011 Oakland A's Notebook
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A’s News Clips, Saturday, March 26, 2011 Oakland A's notebook: Radio deal on shaky ground as season nears By Joe Stiglich, Oakland Tribune PHOENIX -- With the season opener drawing near, there's uncertainty over whether flagship radio station KTRB 860-AM will be broadcasting the A's games during the regular season. A source with knowledge of the situation told Bay Area News Group on Friday that negotiations for the A's to buy KTRB -- which is in receivership with Comerica Bank -- have hit a major snag. In the fallout, the source said, the agreement between the A's and the receiver to broadcast games during the regular season also is in jeopardy. Ken Pries, the A's vice president for broadcasting and communications, did not return phone calls seeking comment, nor did A's spokesman Bob Rose. The A's sent out a release Friday night saying that "due to technical issues beyond their control," the games Saturday and Sunday against the Colorado Rockies would not be broadcast on KTRB as originally planned. The games instead will air on mlb.com. The same release also said broadcasts will resume Monday when the A's open the three-game Bay Bridge Series against the Giants at AT&T Park. But that doesn't necessarily guarantee broadcasts will continue once the A's begin their regular season Friday at home against the Seattle Mariners. KTRB, a 50,000-watt station, went into receivership in September. The A's have been negotiating to purchase the station ever since and are thought to be the primary bidder. According to the source, the receiver is looking for a higher bid than the A's are willing to offer, and might be threatening to pull games off the air as leverage. But it's also very possible that one of the sides could budge and a compromise struck before Friday's opener to continue airing games. The A's sent left• fielder Chris Carter to Triple-A Sacramento after Friday's 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Carter -- ranked the No. 2 prospect in the organization by Baseball America -- was considered a long shot to make the big league club out of spring training. But his progress is worth monitoring closely, as he's the A's best power-hitting prospect. The timing of the demotion was surprising, given the A's break camp Sunday. Manager Bob Geren said earlier this week that every player left probably would head north with the team for the Bay Bridge Series. "I was maybe a little surprised, but it was coming eventually," Carter, 24, said. "The numbers (in the outfield) weren't really there for me." He hit .250 with two homers and nine RBIs in 19 games. But Carter looked shaky in left field, leaving the question of whether the converted first baseman can stick in the outfield. The A's are committed to Daric Barton at first, and they don't want to restrict Carter to designated hitter duty. "Yeah, I think he runs well enough and I think he throws well enough," Geren said. "Those are the toughest components to teach. The other stuff can be taught." Brandon McCarthy• could have put a vice grip on the fifth starter's spot with a good showing against the Angels. Instead, the right-hander was shelled for 10 hits and six earned runs in 51/3 innings. Whether that affects his standing for the rotation spot is unknown. McCarthy and Tyson Ross are competing for the spot, with Bobby Cramer seemingly relegated to a possible bullpen role. McCarthy or Ross could also snag a bullpen spot if they're not named the No. 5 starter. Chin Music: The finish line is in sight By Joe Stiglich, Oakland Tribune, 3/25/2011 11:51AM There are packed boxes sitting around everywhere in the A’s clubhouse – no doubt that “getaway day” is approaching. The A’s play their final Cactus League game Sunday afternoon against the Rockies, then fly back to the Bay Area that night. I’ll be doing the same, and the chilly (at least by Phoenix standards) Bay Area weather will take some getting used to. –As for the baseball news, we may get word later in the afternoon on the A’s rotation – who the fifth starter is, and the order of guys. Manager Bob Geren did say the first four, in order, are likely to be Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Braden, assuming those pitchers come out of their upcoming throwing sessions feeling well. That would be three lefties in a row, but it’s not like opponents would see three identical pitchers back to back to back. Braden’s off-speed stuff sets him apart from Anderson and Gonzalez, and even Anderson and Gonzalez are slightly different. Both throw mid-90’s fastballs, but Anderson uses a sharp slider, while Gonzalez has more of a traditional curve ball. The lineups: A’s: Crisp CF, Sweeney RF, Willingham LF, Matsui DH, Kouzmanoff 3B, Jackson 1B, LaRoche 2B, Powell C, Sogard SS; McCarthy RHP Angels: Izturis DH, Kendrick 2B, Abreu RF, Callaspo 3B, Aybar SS, Mathis C, Bourjos CF, Trumbo 1B, Pettit LF; Palmer RHP –A couple of Hideki Matsui’s former teammates with the Yomiuri Giants – Koji Goto and Yukinaga Maeda – dropped by camp to visit. Matsui had dinner with both of them last night along with Angels pitcher Hisanori Takahashi. Goto talked admirably of Matsui’s generosity and efforts to mobilize support for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami victims. Goto also cautioned that Matsui gets off to a slow start every season. He’s hitting .125 so far this spring. “In Japan, he was the same way,” Goto said. “The monster only appears after summer comes.” Great line … –A note on yesterday’s game: Right fielder David DeJesus made the best defensive play I’ve seen by an A’s player this spring, extending flat-out for a diving catch in right-center. Just pretty … I had heard lukewarm reviews on his range in the outfield, but he covered a lot of ground to get that ball … –Brian Fuentes is scheduled to throw today, his second of back-to-back outings. He’s been knocked around pretty good in his last two games (5 ER in 1 1/3 IP) after he started his spring with six straight scoreless outings. Geren said he wasn’t too concerned with that since Fuentes faced Arizona in each of the last two appearances, an unfamiliar opponent. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the Angels, a team he’ll be seeing plenty. … Craig Breslow will also make his second appearance. Carl Steward 'darting here and there': Barry Bonds talk aside, lets play ball By Carl Steward, Oakland Tribune columnist Darting here and there ... ı Welcome to the Barry Bonds trial-free zone, where there's just too much juicy baseball stuff going on to regurgitate hat sizes of a juiced past. It's just so yesterday. ı Bonds isn't going to jail or the Hall of Fame regardless of the outcome, so why belabor it? Justice? Please. Under that blindfold, the lady holding the scales is either weeping or sleeping. Maybe both. ı Since most NCAA brackets have crashed and burned -- thanks, all you Big East frauds -- it's time to consider what's going to happen in the 2011 baseball season, like when Brian Wilson might actually shave now that the Samson act has turned oblique. ı My NL division winners: Rockies, Reds and Braves, with the Phillies as the wild card. Bobby Cox left a year too early. Atlanta is going to be very, very good. Philly has major issues, but that rotation is simply too star-studded for a cataclysmic collapse. ı And in the AL: Rangers, Twins and Red Sox, with the Yankees as the wild card. Boston is just plain better than everybody else in either league, and it's not really close. New York, suddenly looking very, very old, may have one last gasp, but perhaps not. ı Why not the Giants? Never mind a World Series reprise, they've never even repeated as division champions in their San Francisco history, and the NL West is too tough for the wild card to come out of their division. Not totally sold on Colorado pitching, though, so the G-men definitely have a shot. But so do the Dodgers. Face it, it's going to be torture all year. ı Why not the A's? Simple. With closer Andrew Bailey's spring shut down, no one's yet convinced Oakland can avoid critical injuries. The components are there for a division run, but Texas will have to fall back, and even though Cliff Lee is gone, that Rangers lineup is still a monster. ı Three key things A's need to succeed: 1) An efficient bullpen protecting their superior rotation; 2) Coco Crisp playing 145- 150 games; 3) David DeJesus, Josh Willingham and Hideki Matsui significantly improving the lineup. Iffy on all counts. ı Three key things Giants need to succeed: 1) Full pitching staff remaining the best in baseball; 2) Pablo Sandoval filling the Juan Uribe gap; 3) Miguel Tejada being at least adequate at shortstop. That last one seems to have close observers noticeably worried, but let's watch Miggy play a month first. ı A Sandoval call: .293, 17 homers, 78 RBIs. Not all the way back, but close enough. At least at the plate, it's more about gained confidence than lost weight.