2024 A’s Fantasy Camp Day 2 | A’s Cast Live

This is a cast live your comprehensive look at the Oakland Athletics Rooker it’s a flyball to deep Center Robert going back at the track he will turn and watch it Fly and 29 other MLB clubs Garcia the SD milestone in a truly historic season jio with an absolute new to left field

It’s glaber day and like a good glaber Torres is there join us as we take you inside the baseball Universe from humidor to Stuff Plus to walkoff dingers we have you covered spend your afternoon with us only on a cast live here’s Chris Townsen good afternoon everybody from

The Valley of the Sun we are back a cast live here at Fantasy Camp and this is how Arizona is supposed to be I can tell you that where we don’t have the wind sun is out I will say this I have noticed over the years being a Arizona veteran

That the sign is if it’s around noon one o00 and no one’s at the pool at your at your place if no one’s at the pool it either means one of two things it’s either too hot which probably normally happens down here or it’s chilly when no

One’s at the pool because usually noon 1:00 there’s always some type of human beings down by the pool kids families whatever and when I look out because my my hotel room looks down at the pool I looked at the pool and when I saw Delair

Was picking me up at noon and I look out at noon and no one’s out at the pool kind of tells you a little bit Yeah wa is our pool ins I didn’t even see where our pool was so our pool is outside it’s outside oh wow yeah you don’t even I

Mean you’re I guess that makes sense it is Arizona I mean why would you put a pole indoors why would you have an indoor po where it’s 120 degrees Yeah it’s like we’re going vacationing in uh Montana or something where you need to put it indoors so we got another great show for

You today we’re going to have a a lot of the coaches are we having the great Raleigh fingers today the Hall of Famer I don’t know if Raley’s here yet I think R’s coming tomorrow so what coaches are we gonna have today we’re gonna try to get

Rosie Adam Rosales love talking to Rosie we’ll try to get um our good friend Raj Davis who works for the league and he’s here as a coach as well and we’ll try to get Terry Steinbach who’s here but and then we’ll have obviously our our as players Nick Allen will be joining us

Here live on set yeah because he’s working out here at Fitch um then we’ll have Ryan Nota and Zack g off from today um later today and then we’ll also have probably the greatest story at Fantasy Camp there’s a camper named Ash who came all the way from Australia we will just

Leave it at that he can explain his whole travel we found out about it last night it’s incredible that the amount of hours he spent on public transportation to get here um but he’s having the time of his life and that’s all that matters here so he came up to me at our

Gathering on Friday night and there’s a great chain down here we actually had Steve venic we had his retirement party there Culinary Dropout and there their the food’s phenomenal if you’re ever down here Culinary Dropout they got a couple of them here in the valley and that one was

In Phoenix this one that we did was it Gilbert yeah it went to Gilbert so we’re having our so there’s a Friday night party where all the campers come together and like we said this is like such a family atmosphere because so many of the the guys and gals who who come

And playing this they’ve known each other for years so it’s kind of like how they reunite cocktails food and there’s a Friday night party all the coaches show up so you know when you got Dave Stewart Carney Lanford and Terry Steinbach and everybody it’s a it’s

Dallas Brady it’s a big deal so he comes up to me and tells me about how he and his family love listening to a cast in Australia I just said up thinking about uh the callers that I have uh down in Australia we love them for the postgame show

And I’m like you one of my Australian callers and he goes no no no but and then he starts telling me the story like you said about how we got here it’s trains planes and Automobiles about how he got here but you know they they are diard a

Fans and I can’t wait for him to tell you the story about how he became an a fan 1988 down in Australia Wide World of Sports would show part of the World Series so he got the first three Innings of the World Series watching Dave Stewart and then

They break away to like skiing and British darts and all these different other sports I not get and then all of a sudden something happens yeah but you don’t get the Whole World Series game and that and that’s how he became an ace fan and it’s awesome then he you

Know like we said he’ll tell the incredible travels so it’s it’s John Candy and uh was that Steve Martin right Steve Martin and John Candy great movie um it’s similar to that pretty much that’s we’ll just leave it at that and I I I’m really looking forward to what Ryan Nota kind of

Recapping his first year as a rule five guy because Mitch Spence is going to be that guy for us this year a St potential starting pitcher who the A’s got in the rule five draft while we were down in Nashville at the winter meetings from the New York

Yankees and what is that pressure like I remember talking to bip Roberts about that who you see on A’s pre and postgame live on NBC Sports California former a and had a terrific career he was once a rule five guy he was in Pittsburgh’s organization selected in the rule five

Draft by the San Diego Padres had to be up with the Padres for a year really struggled then sent back down and had to prove his way back up now obviously that’s not going to happen with Ryan Nota and Rule five those are there’s a lot of pressure right because

You’re gonna be there you’re gonna play and if you fail and they’re gonna send you back your old team has the right to buy you back if they don’t then you’ll go down to to minor league but there’s a lot of pressure when you’re the rule

Five guy and you’re going to be on the big Club so curious Ryan Nota what kind of advice you’d have especially for a pitcher because with a hitter uh you know you get your chances right you’re going to get your opportunities with a pitcher it can be lonely when you don’t

Throw the ball well and you’re going once every five days my God I hate to even say this once every six days but you know what kind ofice for Mitch Spence will he have and will he have that conversation with him because you know you’re kind of out

There on an island as a rule five guy for the first time you’re showing up to an organization you don’t know anybody but for like Ryan Nota it was a unbelievable situation it was great for him getting out I mean he was essentially blocked he’s exactly what

The rule five draft was made for guys who were in a minor league system guys that are are are not going to be protected good players but they need somewhere else to go they need an opportunity because once they sign Freddy Freeman to a contract he was done

His Dodger days were done and what Ryan Nota showed everybody with his ability is great eye his ability to get on base he’s very athletic for a guy of size really good hands so he’s very good defensively what Ryan Nota showed everybody real quick is I can play at

This level and if you put Ryan Nota back out there right now like as a free agent I guarantee there’s a lot of teams who would line up and say you can play for us in the big leagues right now yeah I agree with you we were excited to have

When he came up last year and one of the most famous Ro five picks is Marana who had a great Ace career now he’s in Detroit um probably the most famous role five player ever was Roberto Clementi um I believe he was a Dodger too then the

Pirates got him so that’s how that kind of I think he was like the first rule five guy or one of the first yeah but yeah Nota I mean he is could be a great um person to talk to for Mitt Spence as you men Spence coming over from the

Yankees and he’s gonna he going to get a chance cuz you’re not going to use those five starters as we talked about yesterday there’s going to be at least 12 13 how many do we use last year 17 18 and I know people go what about you know

The relievers who are an opener well if you start the game you count I mean whoever whatever that count is by the end of the year it it matter I mean the the the blurry line don’t I don’t want to get away from Canada you made a good

Point there but the the there’s a blurred line now 2 between what what is a starting pitcher and what is not like you can say well I mean that that that that we used 24 starters last that doesn’t count because of openers well I mean like Jordan Hicks assigned with the

San Francisco Giants this guy is a career which you would see him as a closer throws 103 or whatever yeah well they’re now saying they want him to start four years 40 m 44 million according to Jeff passon he has started before I told you this right before we

Came on he’s made eight career starts in 2022 not great so he made eight starts his best days are as a closer but the Giants want him to try and start right so the lines of who’s a starter who’s a reliever we’ve told you for years now

That where this is going we hate it but where this is going is a position lless staff that’s where this thing’s been going right and Scott Emerson our pitching coach has talked to us about it to where you basically say you got 13 12 13 guys

And nobody has really a a role you just show up ready to go every day you’re either able to pitch or not able to pitch and it’s completely different than what we’ve seen for years Sports evolve Sports change I don’t know will it be successful in the long

Run we haven’t totally seen that the Giants kind of went to that a little bit last year when we saw I wouldn’t say a little bit they went to it a lot where they were we’re doing a lot of reliever starting but that is really kind of

Where the sport is going to go long term if you can have a guy like Garett Cole and now you’re gonna say well Garett Cole’s expensive well Garrett Cole wasn’t always expensive when you can have that Thoroughbred pitcher that you draft whether it’s out of K out a

College out a high school that you think can be this great starting pitcher he’s going to be a luxury well but how you going to fill out the rest of the days of the week with guys got to take the ball we we know for a fact that if we

Don’t designate you as a starter we don’t have to pay you as a starter we can start you without giving you the label as a starter Ryan stanik our guy the opener is a great example of well he go one and then he got through one well why not

Have him go two and then slowly surely slowly but surely the role can evolve to where wow he can go three and he can go two and he can go four and he can get so really you show up every day or you go the manager will

Go the night before the game after the game he’ll look and say okay who do you think is available for tomorrow so you’ll have XY and Z available and you’ll have XY and Z who are not and guys who are available could be six could be eight you are the guys who are

Going it kind of when you talk about it it does makes sense now dealing with human beings dealing with arms dealing with injuries dealing with wants and needs of the player wants and needs of the agent may not completely work out that way but you could see where you

Know if you threw three innings for me on Monday why can’t you throw three innings for me on Wednesday or Thursday and then those three Innings may not be at the start of the game you may start the first three Innings on Monday and then you’re giving me the last three on Thursday

Yeah and s’s I’m glad you brought you mentioned siic because he was like him and Romo are like the original openers and then they kind of Romo was the original opener Romo then Sanic started doing it more now s’s like pitching later in games I think he’s a free agent

Now but he was with Houston most recently oh it would be a great a and well that’d be great be great for us oh God it’d be a great e out of the University of Arkansas between that and talking about SEC football it be we’d

Have a great weekly show but yeah he was a guy that won for being an opener and then they’d have a pitch later in games and they primarily focused on him just being an opener now he’s back to pitching later and he’s never been a

Closer he’s just been like a mid to late Innings guy and then he was the opener for that’s what put him on the map with Tampa and I remember when we asked him about that you know how’s this going to work when you’re trying to get paid and

And you know he had no idea how it was gonna work and here we are you know years later and he still never got that big deal because he was not considered a starting pitcher yeah the value of once we take starter and closer away and obviously we see that right now

With Josh hater as Josh Josh hater trying to get Edwin Diaz or greater money you know once we take that distinction away and it’s the and it’s and if we compare it to a position player it’s the it’s the role that all of a sudden a lot of guys used to cringe

Getting utility guy he’s a u which we know the utility guy is super valuable we need somebody that can play in the infield we need somebody that can play all Outfield spots you can be the emergency catcher sweet Chad Pender come on down I can play it short I can play

Him second I can play him third he can play first he could catch we put him in the Outfield my God he gets great jumps in the Outfield stat cast love Chad Pender who by the way we saw we got to get him on the on the show yeah we saw

Him in Nashville saw him in N I was I was outside the uh it wasn’t exactly a Starbucks but they were serving Starbucks I was it was like it was like you’re walking through like this little neighborhood in the oery land that’s how it it was it’s the Ambiance was very

Nice I enjoyed it and then I’m like it’s like it’s like a street you’re walking through the street and you’re in the middle of a hotel and like there’s there’s Chad Pender you said chi I went oh there’s Chad Pender so I went up and said hello how’s the family

How’s everything and uh said he’d love to come on the show he’s gonna be an agent now oh that what he’s doing yeah he’s gonna it’s getting into that side of the uh smart side to get into by the way want to get back to I want to get

Back to Mark Cana he’s a great example because Mark Cana you would not say is one of the Great rule Five Guys on how it’s supposed to go right you you take the rule five guy you shows up he plays that year he he he can Flatout play

Makes your roster of the rest of’s history Mark canah I don’t even remember remember he was a Marlin and then he was a Rocky and we took him in the rule five was he did we get him from the Rockies or the mar I don’t know there

Was some Rockies yeah a rocky yeah but he was really he was a Marlin’s property and went over to the Rockies and we took him I think we traded for him from then he gets hurt I mean we had no idea what he was going to play it’s like can he

Play first can he play Third is he just gonna DH little did you know he’d have major hip surgery and then years later he’s playing center field for you I mean the whole Mark Hanah thing but he’s a he’s another great example of who would have thought Mark Mark canah is a major

League outfielder now yeah a highly coveted he’s a tiger but he you know went from the Mets to the Brewers now a tiger he’s a coveted Major League outfielder right now when the a selected him as a rule five pick no one he was an infielder he was he was labeled a bad

Infielder with a good bat that’s why these rules are in place to give guys opportunity because you never know now all the Beller people that we now know and I know his Old Coach Gary Cunningham uh who’s a San Jose State Baseball Hall of Famer he’s also a San

Jose Hall of Famer Gary C have you ever met coach cyam yeah I interviewed him for the can Up documentary we did yeah he uh he was not sh like of course you could play Outfield he was a great football player he was you know so these

These guys that get L and B baseball’s got a bad problem that it’s shaking right now is labeling guys you do this you do that getting back to also you’re a starter you’re a lever you’re a closer ah it all starts to blur but getting back to Ryan Nota looking forward to it

That was one of the things that I did at the end of the year is I went into the clubhouse at the very I think it was it like the last or second last day and I said Hey to gof and I went to Nota and I

Went to na Allen I said hey we want to check in with you guys in the off season before spring training just to see how things are going we want to see them right want to see what they look like how they doing how’s your offseason how

Was your holidays what have you been working on what are your expectations so I’m I’m kind of thrilled we’re going to be getting into that today yeah it’s cool that Nick Allen’s actually here too so we’ll get him in person and then gof and Nota it be cool to check on them I

Think didn’t we talk to didn’t we talk to Lawrence Butler too uh one of the last days because he’s always down the come on we just got to ask for him then we’ll have to get Denzel Clark down the line too um yeah we were supposed to get

Denzel Clark it just didn’t work out but we’ll get them don’t worry yeah people everybody’s saying that Denzel Clark is the best athlete they’ve seen in a long long time now we just heard about what a great athlete gelof is and we’ve now seen it we’ve heard what a great athlete Butler

Is now we’ve seen it uh Henry bolty who is a terrific athlete out Palo High who was with the Stockton Ports don’t I’m assuming he’s gonna be moving up that’s my guy Henry Bolly I’m a I’m I mean I’m a big Henry Bolly fan Baseball America rated him as

The be best athlete in the system that’s ahead of Denzel Clark everybody says Denzel Clark what they have seen Denzel Clark is like super freak athlete yeah like NFL style athlete everyone was it was Bobby Crosby told us about how crazy he was during the season how how good of

An athlete he was yeah people can’t believe the catches he makes they can’t believe the things that they see him do on the field that that stuff is exciting because we got so stale as an organization the Money Ball thing just it was you know love Matt

Stairs but you can only have so many mat stairs when you a great pull sorry sorry Maddie I mean I mean you can only have so many you can you can have have you can only have so many slugs right you can have only so many guys and it’s like

Ah do we care how they get on base yeah because how do you get them home how do you get Jack cust home how do you get and you know what I’ll I’ll do equal hate across the bay how do you get Brandon Belt home like for guys that

Have and it’s now a Juan sto thing it’s how oh they walk look they’re on base it’s incredible it’s incredible and then you go well why don’t they score as many runs and then people will say and I’m I’m I’m I’m I’m I’m channeling my inner um what’s our buddy from mlb.com that

Who loves Wan sto oh Mike patrello I I’m CH I’m channeling Mike well it’s not his fault the other guys in the lineup oh so you you walk and you’re slow and it’s not your fault you don’t score a lot of runs because you know what we never said it’s not Ricky

Henderson’s fault that he scores a lot of runs yeah did anybody question why Ricky Henderson scores a lot of runs no not not that I not that we know of right I mean Ricky h no no one no one ever blamed the lineup for why Ricky hend

Well the only reason why Ricky Henderson scored a lot of runs was because the lineup around him did did was that ever said maybe maybe that was a knock on him remember remember how uh Sandy said there you know there’s they always had to trade him maybe it’s because he

Scored too many runs and then he was making the team look I don’t know where’s the charger um over on that side by your backpack yeah I mean it’s I it’s it’s so no one ever C because that’s Jack cus well if Jack cus was in a different

Lineup he’d score he’ do all this because he was in a different lineup well then no one ever said if Ricky would Ricky needed to be in a certain lineup to score runs yeah let’s see Jack and you’ll say well that’s re yes that’s the difference

Between a slow guy and a super fast guy a slow guy you need to do a lot to score him so the A’s Money Ball and all this kind of crap and all of a sudden we were loaded with a bunch of non-athletic guys who just could swing out of their ass

For home runs and could walk and then it doesn’t work you need athletes you need athletic guys that’s when baseball was at its best that’s why I love watching I love going out and watching in my backyard I got a new setup and I love watching just sitting back there when

They have like the games from the 80s and you to see dudes are running and flying around and guys have power give me more Daryl strawberries trying to think who’s a who be a good comp to him right now in baseball or just so there’s some guys

That have speed give me Eric Davis give me guys that can hit for power and can run Eric the Red I mean Barry bones before steroids no offense yeah well he’s a good player both but all those guys I mean you would have guys like Steve Fenley you got Jim Edmonds you got

All these guys who can run and can hit now we have what several like Ronald aun’s one yeah and I mean there there’s not as many as there used to be but there’s a lot of terrific athletes in baseball once again um there’s no question about it we’re gonna get Ash

Coming on from you going to get him now uh I do need to get into the Hall of Fame because this is going to be our last time on before the Hall of Fame actually announced I think it’s next the 23rd I think is when they announce who

Goes in and we’re gonna have a big class it’s trending that way it’s trending to have a very big class and if you’re a big hall guy you know there’s small Hall people and big Hall people if you’re a big hall guy you’re you’re not

GNA love it if you’re a I mean if you’re a small hul guy you’re not going to love it if you’re a big hul guy I think you’re absolutely going love it so Adrien belr I mean it’s he’s trending at 98 point you need 75% bele is trending at

98.5 no-brainer correct yeah no I mean I I I’m not even gonna go to his wik Wikipedia and even read all the stuff I don’t need to he has 3,000 headsets you don’t even need to yeah the home runs the RBI the gold gloves the Platinum how many PL was he got two

Platinum gloves something like that I even need to go the way I don’t even need the resume Adrien beler is a first ballot no question Hall of Famer agreed I I forgot what his war is but it’s it is very high uh I would say don’t even

Need to look at it you don’t need to look you need to look at it I want to know what his war is though curiosity will always get me uh his war is actually 93.5 it’s pretty good now it’s interesting we’re gonna get into that because we had a guy last

Night questioned who has a 94 war and a lot of people question it it goes into the big Hall find you since you win I wasn’t going to do it just quickly just just you corre you were correct two platinum gold or two Platinum glovs yeah five gold gloves four-time Allstar

National League home run leader four time Silver Slugger I mean he’s just down the line 3,000 hits he’s got four 477 home runs 1,77 RBI yeah 1700 RBI 1500 runs that’s pretty good how did he score all these runs why can’t one sto score runs and

116 Ops plus so that’s you know remember League average is 100 he’s 16 no brainer so that’s one number two this is your guy yeah this is my guy and this is he he he kind of he goes into the big Hall conversation because if it was if we were still playing small

Hall I don’t know that just doesn’t sound right does it smaller Hall of Fame harder to get into more exclusive if we were really picking and choose who comes into the club you know there there’s two lines to get into the club there’s that line that’s a longer line and that’s the who

You really want in the club line to the right yes Bel tr’s in that line way to put it yeah all right I could have been very sexist there and I I I talking about clubs and who you let in that Line’s a different line than that line Joe Mau to me is

More in that line oh wow shots fired I’m just saying Joe Mau great career but he’s trending at 84.4 obviously three batting titles that’s great MVP he’s got an MVP it’s great three gold gloves but the Maj half of his time wasn’t even a catcher so if

We’re taking his numbers as a non- catcher kind of rough man kind of hard to put him in the he’s not in the Short Line If you look at how many games he actually did catch he caught 921 games and he caught and he played 603 at

First only I everyone’s gonna go well with his home runs well he wasn’t a power hitter he had 143 home runs the MVP year was the only hit over 20 I’m pretty sure um 306 career batting average 55.2 War 923 runs batted in at 124 Ops plus oh 118 runs

Scored yeah but all his good numbers were in the Metrodome um yeah that’s that’s see the whole argument about uh I mean debate about Todd hton I mean if if we’re gonna if we’re gonna yeah yeah if you’re GNA bang Todd hton for K’s field how about

Mau for the Metrodome I never thought about the about that with the Metrodome Metrodome was a totally offensive ballpark my man Ash is here he’s in the green he looks gorgeous in this uniform the Kelly Green is rocking today you ready now Stewart had to we’re got we got some great stories have

We we’re switch Ash welcome I know you’re a big fan of a cast live in Ace cast this is your debut you watch and listen to this all the time I do mate every day like I listen to you guys on iHeart radio catch up with your podcast

Watch on YouTube it’s just fantastic it’s given me access to the a that I could only have a dream of having it’s fantastic well I got to say it’s an honor to have you here you you embodi everything that A’s Fantasy Camp is all about what it took you just to get here

To Mesa Arizona talk tell the fans your travel schedule what you had to do to get here from Down Under okay so I live in a town called Duo which is about six hours West of Sydney so essentially to get to Sydney airport I had to catch a

Had to drive 5 hours caught a train for two hours uh then I flew from Sydney to LAX and then from there flew to from LAX to Phoenix so trains planes and Automobiles Chris um but you know this has been like just the most amazing experience so I

Turn up first day I’m sitting there in the sitting there at the bar as you do um on these camps and uh I’ve got Bobby Crosby next to me on this side I’ve got Dallas Braden here and we’re just sitting there chatting like we’re we’re Buds and we’re just learning about the

Game and just just listening to Dallas talk about how he would set up hitters when he’d pick them off from you know pick them off and as a student of the game just the access you get is just incredible and um everyone’s so nice um

And uh it’s just just the one one in a lifetime experience which I reckon I’ll make two of two of a lifetime experience because I’m coming back this is really great well you said last night to me you said this is the greatest day of my life

And yesterday you were out on the map you’re struggling a little bit and the great Dave Stewart one of the one of the I mean we all know you talk about guys that you know we talk about players not in the Hall of Fame I mean guy won 20

Games four straight years that’ll never be done again he’s a World Series MVP he’s in the Oakland Ace Hall of Fame his win total would have been far greater except for the early part of his career where he eventually figured stuff out but Dave Stewart is truly one of the

Greatest big game pitchers a three-time World Series champion just what was it like you’re out there on the mound and a guy that you absolutely love Dave Stewart is coming out to talk to you man Dave he’s come out gives me the stare and says just go

Play catch because I I couldn’t sit the hit the side of a bus I was just struggling you know I haven’t thrown off a m for 25 years but just to have him come up and you know I’m getting visited by Dave Stewart like yeah where does that happen like that just doesn’t

Happen you know and also I’m in the Box hitting and I’ve got Ernie young you know giving you giving you advice on you know how to get out in the head of the how to get out and hit and actually I had a better day at the bat I went three

For three so yeah was good he’s swinging it Ash is definitely swinging it yeah yeah yeah yeah you when you just mentioned the names like you’re at the bar with Bobby Crosby and Dallas brayen your your manager and the guy coming out and dealing with you is Dave Stewart played golf with shudy

Babbit like man it’s like an A’s fans it is it’s a fantasy like it’s just it doesn’t happen it’s just unbelievable no doubt talk about we we on Friday night you came up and we were talking and just how you became an a fan yes I yeah you

Turn up here in that guy you’re from Australia what why the A’s why are you doing that and uh so in Australia at the time in the 80s baseball was only ever on TV for the World Series it had come on at 1:00 in the morning which wasn’t

Even the real time it was like recorded and you’d have to record it on your betat max or your or your VHS and watch it the next day but in 88 they decided to show the World Series and they showed it in a show called Wide World of Sports

So uh which is pretty cool so we get the first three Innings of the game and I decided at that point I was following the green and gold they cut it off and they go to I think Nordic Ski Jumping then they went to British darts and I

Think they went to ice skating and then it comes back on in the last Innings and uh Kirk Gibson’s at bat hits a home run and I decided at that point that I was just following the A’s from there on in and then 12 months later Stew was in

Australia um and I was a little kid well 16y old not a little kid and uh he did a camp and all I knew was St was this guy that had a hat over like this and he’d look at you and go you know get you

You’d be scared of him and uh he was just the nicest guy you could ever meet and I got to ask him a question I asked him what made Dennis echle so good and he said because he could hit the bees on the side of a from here to there

Um and I decided at that time just how nice he was and how good he was that this was a team and from there I’ve just followed you and in the old days you’d have to look up the score in the paper or the get the standings we used to get

That in Australia but or by Baseball America out of the that was like three or four months old or whatever out of the news agency um but now you know I’m like a regular fan I listen to 162 games a year I watch it I’ve listen to your

Spring training stuff I listen to the a cast um yeah and it’s just fantastic God bless you yeah you’re you’re you’re exactly what we need yeah and you reach to Australia like I hear people from Australia call to you all the time and and that sort of stuff and I was talking

To Cody last night Lucas is one of our great callers down down under he’s he’s F he’s come to see us and of course we’ve had a pipeline of Australian players but we do have listeners down there and it’s always you guys are a day ahead so I always joke that whenever an

Australian calls into the postgame show I said we’re going into the future they are in the future but yeah it’s like when our games are being played it’s like midday in Australia the next day it’s midday and I’m I’m listening to it on the radio at work sorry I hope no one

From work’s watching that’s what I do and uh yeah it’s good so just what was it like being an a fan growing up like you said tough to get like scores tough to know what was going on we didn’t have you know you and I are old enough we

Didn’t have the the internet we didn’t have cell phones we didn’t have you know we didn’t have it for God’s sake you brought up betamax you know how many you know how many people watching this have no idea the difference between VHS and there was a fight between beta and VHS

Back in the day kids look it up on Google and VHS one and Oregan beta was better Oregan beta Max was better just but VHS in the end was cheaper and it went out it went out I know and and we sound like two old men and no one has

Any idea what the hell we’re talking about VHS tapes yes I still have bags of VHS tapes of my high school games back when yeah that’s that’s long time ago but yeah you you I mean it had to be hard because put it this way back in the

Day if you were an A’s fan or a fan of any team in the west coast and you lived on the East Coast y you didn’t get the next day you had to wait the papers the day it took you two days to get so the standings used to come in like probably

Once a fortn Night they’d put them in the like the back Columns of the sports page it have where where the team was following and some of the scores through the week but you know like I said we would buy I would buy like every there

We’d get a a range of American magazines coming through at my local news agent and there would be like Bas you know some baseball magazines those kind of things and that’s you know who’s the best player you know the best teams what’s the ratings were those kind of

Things and yeah that’s kind of how we had to do it all right let’s I know you got to get going here and you gotta play but just tell everybody if somebody is out there and they’re wondering man that looks cool look at the Kelly Green uni

Look at the Hat you know I’m a huge baseball fan I played baseball in high school I’ve always wanted to or one thing that I’ve always said it makes a great gift if you’ve always wondering what a great Christmas birthday gift to give somebody but I I if if I was to say

Talk to the person out there who’s always said they want to come to Fantasy Camp tell them what the experience as a as someone who’s come all the way from Australia what the experience is like so the experience is just so authentic it’s so real um you get to know you get to

Meet these fantastic players I’m going to meet Ry fingers for God’s sakes that um and it’s just a wonderful experience you the people here are just fantastic you go into that rent training rooms you get the access to all the trainers you get access to all the clubs facilities

Out there the hitting cages everything it’s all rolled out here and honestly this is an awesome experience so if you ever get an opportunity get it this was my 50th birthday present by the way so that’s how that Happ happy 50th birthday so that’s how that happened and uh yeah

It’s it’s a really good experience so I encourage you if you get a chance do it you w regret it and you just got to come from wherever you’re watching he he had to do trains and airplanes Well everybody’s probably gonna have to do an

Airplane but what you had to do to get here I mean what what would you say the time was from door to door so from door to door I recogniz was about 26 hours 26 hours for you I guarantee it’s going to be about an hour and 10 hour 20

Minutes but worth every every minute of it well congratulations uh Happy Birthday congratulations I know this is a big moment for you yeah you said you said Friday was the biggest day of your life then you said last night and you were talking at Cody last night so I

Don’t know how you got that was the biggest day of your life uh I love that but today today may be the greatest day of your life yeah yeah yeah if I can get a couple of hits in the next game I I think it’ll it’ll now are you are are

Are can we put you in the plus or minus of being able to pitch today uh look I you’re in the red I think I’m in the red because uh you know I haven’t pitched a lot um and my training regime was literally throwing balls into a cricket

Net by myself so you know I’m a bit stiff today but we’ll see all right right let’s get some hits today yeah yeah I got to try and do that hey thanks for coming on we truly appreciate it you’re what Ace Fantasy Camp is all about thanks Chris lovely thanks for

Having me all right coming up next we got all of our guests and everything that we’re gonna be doing for the next couple hours right here Down in the Valley of the Sun hey it’s Enos s it’s your friendly neighborhood baseball scribe there are two things I love

Baseball and beer but I’m not busy around the ballpark you’re likely catching me back with a cold one at any of fuel workk Brewings eight locations sprinkle across the area fieldworks got a rotating lineup of over 20 beers on top that’s as diverse as any 26-man roster they got everything from Super

Juicy hazy ipas to crisp psers and tropical sours that make his taste buds do the wave whether you’re all about that draft life or prefer to grabs some cans to go fieldworks got your bases covered check them out at fieldwork brewing.com to learn more that’s fieldwork brewing.com A manager Mark Kat was on a cast live at the winter meetings and discussed the culture being built by the young A’s I think we do have a collection of talent um that they that the ace fans saw come together really in August and September

You know if you look at the first half of the year you know we were staring at history Zach gof showed up and a couple others kind of changed the culture the the next group that came the soderstrom butler group kind of recognized how difficult the big leagues really are I

Think the culture that was built in September amongst this young group is going to continue forward in springing training they’re going to continue to challenge each other they’re going to continue to hold each other accountable which is uh is all the right things um to build going forward for you know

Winning ball Club you can watch the full interview at youtube.com/ Athletics or listen at athletics.com ASC this is Chris Townsen and Commander Cody for link Soul you got to go to their website right now link soul.com the new polos are unbelievable new colors lighter wait we got our new summer shipment Cody I couldn’t be happier I look better all thanks to Linko so we’re talking about new polos

You can check out their shorts anything you need for summer they have it right now when you go to their website they’ve got a smoking summer deal go to link soul.com that’s link soul.com it’s almost that time again a fans spring training will be here before you know it

And the Oakland Athletics will be celebrating 10 years at hoo cam Stadium Now’s the Time to make plans to catch us in Mesa Arizona in on February 24th and enjoy the sunshine of your family and friends Lawrence Butler it’s a flyball to leftfield that’s deep has a chance

Opposite field and Home Run Lawrence Butler grab your tickets early for the best seats at the lowest prices as your green and gold take on the Giants padr Cubs angels and more at hoo cam Stadium don’t wait get your tickets at athletics.com Spring that’s athletics.com sspring if you’re looking for a great

Place to eat and watch games go see our friends at the chicken pie shop of Walnut Creek the chicken pie shop is one of the hottest restaurants in Walnut Creek you’re not going to find a better menu and come try the world famous chicken pie that has been served in

Southern California for 86 years spacious indoor and outdoor dining perfect for your next private party or corporate event don’t forget free parking for more information go through Chicken pyop wc.com that’s chicken pyop wc.com unlock offers and receive exclusive in-game features by downloading the MLB Ballpark app for iPhone and Android

Today plus get the latest information on game times schedules and more nestled in the hills of San Jose minutes from Silicon Valley cinear Hills Golf Club offers 27 holes of Championship golf first class Pro Shop practice facility and great food in the grill this time of year also means

Family and business get togethers let the folks at cinear Hills make your event Unforgettable while enjoying their award-winning venue it’s all there for you Championship golf a great space for any events and incredible food see it all at cinear hills.com that’s cabar hills.com like sports business is about winning Championship decisions are

Business decisions based on what it takes to help your company win and that’s why there’s ubo Business Services specializing in helping you win every day by streamlining workflows managing documents and providing the best inclass office technology make your Championship decision with ubo Business Services visit them at uo.com that’s

Uo.com and the underdog Oakland Athletics win their first championship since they were in Philadelphia in 1930 hi I’m Raleigh fingers Hall of Famer three-time World Series champion with the Oakland A’s and World Series MVP winning takes teamwork skill and heart so when you need an ace for a personal

Injury lawyer that will win you the game go with the winning team call venardi Zera at 833 VZ for me or go to VZ lawfirm.com venardi serata the official injury law firm of the Oakland A’s become an A’s Insider today visit athletics.com newsletter and sign up to receive the latest team highlights

Up-to-date news features and more all delivered free to your inbox that’s athletics.com newsletter if you’re looking for a new mattress Nest Bing has you covered sleep on the same mattress Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson sleeps on Nest Bing is the number one brand of online mattresses in the bay area’s favorite mattress store

Take home the easy breather pillow the New York Times calls it their number one pick you can navigate their easy website Nest bing.com that’s Nest betting.com green and gold fans use the coupon code Oakland and you get 10% off your entire order Nest betting love where you

Sleep a live continues from the town here’s Chris towns it yeah that that that was really cool to think that everything that he’s gone through to get to here to be a part of of This and I know we’re going to say it again we did it yesterday we did it last year we’ll do it again for the next couple hours just how special the opportunity is to come down for these men and women and experience everything that they’re experiencing it’s more than just

Baseball it becomes like a Brotherhood and I know if I said that without if I said that without ever coming down here I would probably roll my eyes be like oh they’re making me say it but it’s it’s once you’re down here and you feel it and you see it and you

Experience it you now understand you understand why there’s people that have been doing this for 14 years 10 years then it’s five years you just you understand and they all the campers are coming out of lunch right now they played games this morning they’re going to play games this

Afternoon and then of course you know probably one of the best parts about the camp Beyond playing oh the a dentist here’s the a dentist walk and I got to meet the a dentist last night as we were down there well you guys got a little

Rowdy I just be honest you got a little loud got a little loud I was talking to Ash the whole time that that was the rest of the crew doc the a Dennis and I got to hang out he was telling me stories so now you know

Some might say I delve into the A’s a little too much that I’m too into covering everything and knowing everything I now know who has bad who who has the good and bad dental hygiene of the A’s now I can now look at a player and go you know bro you got a

Floss and brush a little more that should be like a that should be like a scoreboard segment like in between Innings good teeth bad teeth it’s like hey bro brought by Crest mixing a toothbrush how about that no but the yeah the the as brought you by

Liser hey I my John Levine and Dave siik my two good buddies I played baseball with at San Jose State both work for Proctor and Gamble you want Crest sponsorship I get it I can get us I can get us toilet paper I can get Proctor and Gamble whatever you need they make

It I can get us sponsor that should your first question to Nick Allen so how are your teeth yeah do you need some Tide what what do you need Nick I can get you whatever whatever kind of sponsorship yeah use use Tide Pods not the other ones think of everything Proctor and

Gamble does and what they make and that’s everything in your grocery store uh all your all your needs you you need whitening strips I can make it happen oh well see we just found our new score we Justin Marshall if you’re listening look we’re just gave you content for all season

Long you need toilet you need toilet paper you need to wipe I’m your guy um so yeah but that’s what the last night was sitting around I got to meet the a dentist Dave was his name right I just called him doc I don’t I

Mean you maybe you were on a I I I have respect for the doctor and call Doc I I wasn’t going to be that formal um you were with Ash Ash talking about everybody’s sitting around here Bobby Crosby’s telling stories Dallas Braden is being Dallas Braden that’s the other

Thing is you get to be you get to see Dallas Braden as after hours Dallas Braden yeah you get to actually you’ve heard about it you know it happens but then when you’re down here you get to actually live the after hours Dallas Braden Bobby Crosby very worried that that I wasn’t calling

My wife after she said to please call me he said he should probably go call I said Bobby everything’s fine okay when Bobby Crosby is giving you advice that is a that’s when you know remember boob Bobby is great A baseball man Bobby is like 44 and single

So when Bobby Crosby’s giving you advice you you know yeah you probably should take it yeah I called her anyway she said why are you calling me hang out hang out and party so I did is that what your wife said yeah she’s like well call

Me before you get to bed and that one happened yeah but you got to call now just sitting around at night having some cocktails and everybody you know it’s just it it’s it’s you’re joining a club you’re joining a club it’s not like a country club it’s not like a sorority or

Fraternity you’re Jo you’re joining a CL there’s a lot of love around here and I don’t throw it I don’t throw that ra that that that word around much but there’s a there is a lot of love and these people all check in with each other during the year how are families

Doing and everything you get to know families because once you start coming next thing you know wives and husbands come with you kids come with you it’s really a f it becomes a family affair ltce love trust commitment and effort where where is our guy I’m in Arizona I

Need to talk to my guy my spiritual advisor that’s what we should start has he come has he come out of hiding yet remember that was his thing after the World Series he was going to disappear and be alone Tory lll was going to disappear remember he said he wanted to

Like go camping and just be by himself and and I I get it because they they was lost in the World Series and then you know they had a great year to get there and then yeah what he he was great after the game talking about it he’s he’s very

Good at at appealing and to to everyone and showing his emotions that’s why I respect him so much for what he does off the field when he talks to the media he’s very open and that’s why I think a lot of people appreciate what he does

You know we may we may need to because obviously things have change for him at least for this next coming season access to him is going to be harder it may be one of of those where Ace cast may have to hit the road real quick and go over

To Dbacks Camp just to interview him say hey we’ll come over real quick set up our cameras he’d probably do it yeah I me but but you just lining him up it it might it might because because we’re gonna we’re coming to Spring but we’re

Going to be here early so we can talk I mean we’re gonna get an interview with every guy on the 40 man roster see so we’re not going to come because we’ll be on the air back in the Bay Area before all the spring training games right Monday through Friday yeah so we’re

Going to come down here before game so we can talk to everybody because that’s that that part of the problem is that we’ve run into is that we get down here right before game supposed to start and then there’s very key minor league guys like let’s say Zack Goff who’s now gone

Yeah and we don’t get to talk to Zack kof we’re like where’d he go he’s like well he’s gone well go get him and they go no and then we don’t get to get him so you know being down here we’re going to get all the key players

That we’re going to need from the big league standpoint down through the top prospect standpoint because it’s been a while like let’s say Max Mony 2.0 we haven’t talked to Max Mony since he was drafted I’d like to talk to Max Mony 2.0 and see how he’s doing yeah by the way I

Just looked at our schedule uh our third Spring Training Game second home game is against Arizona on Monday the 26th we’re not down here no we’ll be gone but we can we can secure Tor over video the yeah the dback so many to reach out during I’ll be here I’ll be here oh

There you go then you have you go have to go talk to him I’m gonna have to effort I will effort my own my own deal to get Tory you’ll have the you’ll have the technology so we can figure it out yeah we’re gonna get Tori on there’s no

Doubt about that um but yeah Fantasy Camp obviously very special uh quickly we’re going to have Nick Allen coming on here at two yeah or would be one o’ your time yeah uh quickly if you want tickets for spring training all tickets available athletics.com spring first game February 24th against Bud Black and

The Rockies and breaking news in the World of Sports whenever we’re on we like to keep you also updated that that goes back to our Sports Talk days uh Alabama Alabama as Keith Jackson used to say uh has a new football coach since Nick Sabian stepped out uh to on

Harbaugh I was told last last night and at lunch that Harbaugh was going to be the Alabama coach and I said you have a better chance of seeing Jesus and no one believed me and I told you there’s no way that was gonna happen uh Harbaugh

Will not be the next Alabama coach uh correct uh but the the new coach is the great kayin D’Or the head coach of the well was the head coach of the University of Washington just lost in a national championship game to the out forementioned Jim Harbaugh used to be at

Fresno State so now he is the new head coach at Alabama as Nick sabbin has retired from the game of football he has no Alabama ties not that I know of I don’t know what his deal is either but because like we saw all the stuff coming

Out about college football like um you know guys being rumored Fort Mike norell who coaches at Florida State just reup and signed to stay with Florida State um who was Dan Lanning who was at Oregon he’s staying at Oregon now so sarc coach Sark at Texas because he was an

Offensive coordinator there Lane train Lance k you know him as Lane there was no chance Lane K was going to be the head coach at Alabama none he’s building a bulli oldness it’s fine there was no way lane kin all right so uh got a new head coach

At the University of Alabama good for them back to Joe Mau oh and I’m big I’m going off our boss delir Delair Delair is a small hall guy so am I and I think we should judge these guys a little bit harsher and like when he was talking last night

We were talking about some players and you know when you talk about some of the guys that barely got in back in the day it was harsh the way we judge these guys and I think if you went on that kind of um if you went on that kind of

Curve Joe Mau would not be a first ballot Hall of Famer oh no I don’t think he’s goingon to be first ballot this time anyway B BL we with BP BL who you talking about burp BL there was a lot of people were like B BL 11 did win 300

Games burp BL 11 should not be in the Hall of Fame and you go he got in on the 15th try right it was 15th yes it was the last ballot don’t quote me on that it was the last ballot though I think he got in was it that would have been 15

And then you go well what was his War had to be really low right his war was 94.5 yeah that’s that’s not M Cena got in with a 70 yeah and he never won a siong a World Series he won 287 games he’s a world two-time World Series

Champion I mean it was like burp blon have has over 3,000 he’s got almost 4,000 strikeouts M didn’t I don’t think M has that or 300 wins or sa young and he got in um did he get on the first ballot M I don’t think so I wasn’t know if it

Was the first ballot yeah you look at Bert bl’s career and he couldn’t get in and you’re going to throw Joe Mau in like it’s nothing Joe Mau let’s face a lot of his career was at first base and if you judge his numbers at first base that’s not even

Sniffing Hall of Fame no um he was not first battle he retired in 09 he didn’t or his last year was 2008 right before they won the World Series the next year the Yankees he got in on in 2019 so 11 years after he was done so yeah it was

Not first ballot so do you understand where I’m going with ma where’s that there put that list back up in front of where you had that list up oh so yeah when you look at Mau I it’s I get it I get the first part of it as a

Catcher the batting titles no question the MVP no question but the thing about the Hall of Fame is sustained and I know you could say that that 10year window but a lot of his career was at first base DH and it was not he was there because he had a

Contract sorry so I mean I understand he’s going to get in I don’t have a problem with getting in I’m just saying if we’re going to look from a small hall there’s a Todd hton is 82 Point trending at 82.8 Delair yes I got his phone till Delair yes I have

His phone he’s texting you oh telling him yes yes yeah yeah so I I do I love Todd hton I think Todd hton was a Flatout gamer great quarterback at Tennessee great backup quarterback to PA Manning I I you look at you look at Todd and and

The thing is you can look at his road splits and that’s where I think a lot of uneducated people don’t well first of all I understand and part of it is from the time my days working in football and knowing the NFL and you could say the same thing in

Basketball list listen in to people talk about how hard it is to play an altitude how hard it is there’s a reason why boxers go to altitude to train and it is really hard to play in altitude on a consistent basis by the way Hall of

Famer Tony larusa is here Tony larusa is here talking about Dave Stewart right now yeah that’s home in Nashville see the kind of people you run into at Fantasy Camp Tony larusa is here so um playing an altitude’s rough injury all the different things you got to go

Through it is hard and it’s hard to play well I don’t care what sport it is and the hockey guys will tell you the same thing and then you got to go back down to sea level I mean you’re a mile high up you’re living a mile high up you’re

Playing in a mile high up and then now you got to go down to sea level but you go to Todd helton’s Road numbers and Todd helton’s Road numbers are better than a lot of Hall of famer’s Road numbers whether no matter where they play his Road numbers stack up to guys

That are in the Baseball Hall of Fame their Road numbers it’s like the the judge the judgment on Todd hton is unbelievable you like 287 on the road right something like that yeah it’s it’s legit his Road numbers 316 average 1400 rb400 runs scored an Ops of 953 there he is there’s my

Man we call him Nicki pie shop these days but Nick Allen is with us the starting shortstop for your Oakland Athletics and it’s great that people get to see you because people will be wondering what are our guys doing in the off season yeah it shows exactly what

You’re doing you’re here busting your behind I am yeah I just showered up but uh got done with a good day uh got a great workout in and then got some grounders and uh hitting the cage so so no we’re getting good work out I mean

What what can’t you not love about being out here you know you got sun and four baseball fields to just try to use so you’re here like every day uh mostly yeah the days that I um that I put into my schedule to be here I am here so um

And I’m just trying to make the most out of it you know you get this short short window to to uh make the most out of your career so I’m just trying my best right now so when when the season ended and I know we’ll get into it you had a

Busy offseason you got married and everything but from a standpoint of working out because last year was your first in the big leagues played a lot when did you say I need time and then I need to get it going again well I think the first week of the offseason was kind

Of just see family again because we finished in Anaheim so we went back down to uh San Diego and you know I got to see family cousins all all all in that and then just kind of start setting up things for the wedding in a sense but

The next week we I came back out here at Arizona and I wanted to get after it because I knew November would be a busy month for me so I just kind of I started working out getting back with uh cuffy our strength coach and then um I started

Doing stuff at Drive Line hitting wise and I just spent that whole month just trying to get myself better to where I knew I was going to take some time off in November I wouldn’t be sitting there like oh gosh I gota what what am I doing

You know this is usually when I start but I wanted to make sure I I spent the time you know with my wife and and spend that time with her and and and just enjoy being off so I knew October was a big month for me to try to get after it

Yeah when you get married you do have to have a little time for the wife it it kind of works that way all right how’d the wedding go honeymoon we do all that how was it yeah wedding was amazing um couldn’t have been better I mean just

Having uh family and friends there was just uh just like a party so it was it was awesome and then we went to uh New Zealand and Australia for our honeymoon so we got a little bit of uh tropical in Australia um on Hamilton Island and then

We kind of got into more just adventure and stuff in New Zealand just a a little cooler weather but it was more sightseeing and whatnot so all right so then you have the holidays and you come back and it’s gungho because I mean for you this is this is a monster year for

Your career 100% you know I think um you know every day I I have built in and try in my in in my routine to treat every day the same just um not make a certain thing too big uh but no I I definitely think that um it’s time for me to start

Showing what I can do and um and not to put pressure on myself but just keep going and keep trying to play winning baseball uh and try to help the A’s win any way I can so when you say you went to drive line obviously when we take off

And you’re going to leave like this complex and you’re going to go somewhere else what are you trying to accomplish what were the goals what did you learn while you were there I just learned the things that you know I was a very handsy hitter um not really using my lower half

The right way and uh so I took a lot of that information and just try to get better with it there but then now I’m doing it here uh at the complex and I’m working with Tim Esme right now uh he’ll be one of our uh ASL

Manager here but he’s in here every day and I just been working with him just to try to make sure it fits into my game um having you know not trying to get too big but also you know be strong with my lower half and making sure that the

Barrel gets to that baseball so you know outside pitches I’m not like fouling it off or whatnot but that Barrel’s getting there and then I’m also um just staying true to my game just a lot of Hardline drives so uh drive line showed me some

Things that I need to work on and then now I’m just working on them here yeah because we’ve always heard so much about Drive Line and we we we we know about it with a lot with pitching yeah right guys are going to drive line to throw harder

So take us through the process of a hitter when we’re using technology which Drive Line does like how are we learning to separate the upper body from the lower body to you know because a lot of people let the ground is leverage for us a lot of people don’t understand that

You know we understand from a pitcher a pitcher uses the mound to drrive but flat ground we don’t think about that we don’t think even like hockey players using the Ice’s leverage I know more about it from my golf now to where I’m trying to as an old man trying to hit it

Way farther than I than I used to but we use the ground as leverage and that we’re using a lot of that we’re figuring out and I’m sure those are kind of the things that you dealt with at Drive Line yeah 100% I think where when I first got

In there they had me hooked up to all these certain things and then they just it was like a motion capture lab and then after like a couple days later they had this full report for you and you get to see you know I I saw all that I like

To I have a tendency of jumping forward and this and my front hip is just not giving me time to clear so I I’m I was basically just a torso hitter and a handsy hitter and so um yeah I had to clean that up and then I redid uh a map

A couple days ago and you know um definitely some numbers jumped up there in a better way for me and so now I’m just trying to get that keep that going in a positive way and with especially with trying to reel it in Into The

Hitter that I know I I I need to be yeah in a sense so um so it’s all going in the right direction and just got to keep working cuz speed is your game line drives is your game Doubles Doubles yeah hard hard hit hard hit balls low line

Drives balls in the Gap if I leave I if I leave the yard I leave the yard and that’s just it happens I’m not trying to do that I don’t want to do that but I know I I can go pole side but my game is

To get on base and touch on plate as much as I possibly can and I definitely know that and that’s what I want to do now defensively obviously the hands you got it all do are the things that you work on to get better at or is it really

Is at a point you’re just let’s just refine what we got yeah um uh it’s keep getting better I mean today you know I was out there with Tim and and Benji um uh and we were just today we we worked on you know a couple uh backhand stuff

And I and I realized that I can definitely get to a certain spot better um and I was like damn like that’s something that I felt like I I really I really could have been better at last year too um and also being like I had a couple times where I wasn’t really

Getting to the the left of the baseball and then I’d get big with my with my right leg um and that just was I I felt like I wasn’t athletic so today we were just working on a couple things like that and there’s always room for

Improvement um and I know I can keep getting better because uh just I know the feelings that I want and I know some sometimes last year I never felt those things so um I’m just working back at it this year to keep getting better um and

I know there’s more more in the tank for sure how many of the guys are down here working out with you on a regular basis there’s this I mean there’s not been a crazy amount of people in here but we got um Cooper Bowman in here um

He’s rehabbing but he’s getting after it every day he’s obviously a great player um max M’s been in um and there’s it’s kind of been more closed off this this year because I think they had this weird rule with the minor minor leagues to where if you’re

Not on the 40-man roster or whatnot you can’t be you’re not like talking to the team for like new CBA rules CBA so so that’s been kind of a little bit weird but um but now I mean I’ve been in I’ve just been trying to get the most out of

It we got all the strength coaches in there and trainers that have been very helpful this offseason so um can’t thank them enough and also can’t thank Tim Esme enough for being out here um and spending this time getting out to Here and Now Benji’s coming out every day um

So it’s been it’s been awesome January 11th it’s gonna be here before you know it yes is it kind of one of those where you’re just you’re chomping I mean if you’re here every day or you’re here most days you’re you’re you’re ready to rock definitely chomping at the bit but

I know you know you got to make the most out of just enjoying the the time off but um but I know I’m working hard and I just um just want to see that into into action for sure how much are you have you been in contact with your fellow

Players um just texts here and there I’ve been I gone through some text with Nota just on some swing stuff and uh um just shooting a little text maybe here and there with gof um and then obviously I talk to Jonah bride all probably all

The time uh but yeah I think um you know everyone’s having it seems like everyone’s getting married this offseason so everyone’s that’s good I mean maybe we you know we were all worrying about that last year getting the plans and set trying to you know

Obviously our our wives put put a lot of effort into that and we were just trying to help out where we could but um they try and say you’re not gonna be involved but you’re involved we’re involved we’re involved I know mine was years ago but I

Remember it’s like oh no I’ll just you know I’ll make everything happen and then it’s all what about the caterer what about photographer what about the band what about it’s like I thought you said I I just I’ll get I’ll be there you wish you could just say I’ll be there

Make it happen it just it doesn’t work that way well I just want a bunch of you guys to show up up and and I want you to say we’re not going through another year like last year that sucked sucked for all of us right like like that can’t

Happen again I know I mean I Rooker came to I mean g off and uh and I a little bit I mean last year but he was just like we can’t do this again you know we got to find a way to really work our you

Know tails off to get better and put us in a better position and then you know Zach and I always talk about we’re were like sink or swim especially in our division you know so we got to find a way to make it happen else you know it

Doesn’t happen so that’s just our I think that’s hopefully our going to be our motto but we just got to obviously take it day by day and just keep getting better gof is extremely talented very talented and we kept hearing it so when we saw him we went and checked him out

In um in San Jose when he came with the ports he was a third baseman right and then all of a sudden he gets hurt and he’s a second basem but now we’ve seen it just talk about you guys knew it we’ve now seen it he’s he’s a special

Cat no 100% I mean I I played with him um you know he actually got called up when I when I was in Triple A he he was we needed players um some extra players this was in 21 and he just got drafted and he was here I think in

Instructs um and so they they had him come up for Triple A and he had like about a week with us and he was doing really well and just really held his own so you just knew from there this guy’s gonna be really good and then obviously

Um spent some time with him and again in Triple A this year I mean the guy just works his tail off and then he gets to the big leagues and he shows off you know he does his thing so no surprise there no surprise that he’s all he’s

Going to be a great player in this game um it’s fun going to the ballpark with him and um just seeing his energy that he brings uh it’s inspiring um for sure well and you mentioned Nota we’re going to have him on today and we’re gonna

Have gof on today after you um man talk about proving yourself as a rule five guy not to went from he’s interesting to where I’m watch him going I want to see him play every day to he’s our starting first baseman let’s stop screwing around

To where now I know for a fact people are calling for him at the trading deadline and the a said no to go from a rule five guy that well he’s got to be on the team because he didn’t have that great of a spring right but all of a

Sudden he starts getting on base and he shows you how big and athletic and how good he is defensively he goes from gotta be here till all of a sudden teams are calling to trade for him that tells you a lot about how good Ryan note is

Well it’s another guy like that I mean both these guys Zach and Ryan they have this just thing about them where they go about their business just the right way and um so for Ryan to have the season he did it’s no surprise to me um I just

Kind of really started to get to know him last year uh and you can see he get when he gets up to play man he it doesn’t matter who he’s facing you know he digs in and he’s gonna dig in against the best and he’s gonna you know if

You’re not throwing it throwing it where I want it I’m not swinging and it’s probably gon to be a ball and he’s ready to hit in the zone no matter what so I mean this guy he’s very talented really good defensively I love having him he

Can pick he can pick it um so I know if there’s a little safety net for me a little bit but I try to give him the best throws I possibly can but uh he’s very talented and I I I wouldn’t be surprised if you know this guy is just

Obviously putting up amazing numbers this year and there is that major Comfort too as an infielder when you know your guy can pick it that you can take some chances yeah 100% I mean it’s it’s definitely nice having him over there um just he’s just an awesome guy

So it’s it’s fun being around him it’s fun the energy that he brings as well so right now the I mean those two guys you just brought up are they’re obviously amazing we got a lot of great guys on this team but um those two guys are

Definitely uh spark plug for sure all right there’s been a lot of talk Cody about what the nickname should be for Nick Allen right there’s been with we floated Niki picket Niki Nick there’s all kinds of Nikki hit it out Nikki stick it Nikki I mean there’s all kind

We like Nikki pie shop I like that we gotta get you got to realize he grew up going to the original our family restaurant the San Diego chicken pie shop I had birthdays there literally I was like like seven years old seven I was like let’s just go to chicken pie

Shop I love it yeah so he’s been going to the family restaurant so now we have it in Walnut Creek the chicken pie shop in Walnut Creek now he’s a fan of the chicken pie shop in Walnut Creek 100% yeah so that’s why we had Nikki pie shop

We’re gonna have to get you just endless free food and endless free whatever you need I’m just happy to be there well you know I I’ve said it before I grew up with his f family um God going to church with your grandparents going to school with your

Mom and your aunt and your dad went to the same High School your dad’s a little older so we never your dad when your dad was leaving I was coming in but uh obviously the connection with your family and we’ve been rooting for you and to watch you grow has been great and

Congratulations on getting married it’s do you feel like a grownup now a little bit a little bit more but different ball game huh yeah but still got to be like a kid out in the baseball field so but I definitely feel like um you know there’s

Uh I’m just blessed with what’s going on right now so this is your year like this is it right you had your taste and that’s is what everybody’s always said the gallon goes up you just got to figure it out and once he fig figures it

Out boom this is the year for you take it one day at a time but I’m that’s my freaking goal yeah for sure all right enjoy the rest of the offseason my man and when we see you next we’ll be at uh spring training I appreciate it thank

You guys the starting short stop for your Oakland Athletics right here on A’s cast live this is Chris Townsen and Commander Cody for link Soul you got to go to their website right now link so.com the new polos are unbelievable new colors lighter weight we got our new

Summer shipment Cody I couldn’t be happier I look better all thanks to Linko so we’re talking about new polos you could check out their shorts anything you need for summer they have it right now when you go to their website they’ve got a smoking summer deal go to link .c that’s link soul.com

It’s almost that time again a fans spring training will be here before you know it and the Oakland Athletics will be celebrating 10 years at hoo cam Stadium Now’s the Time to make plans to catch us in Mesa Arizona starting on February 24th and enjoy the sunshine of

Your family and friends Lawrence Butler it’s a flyball to left field that’s deep has a chance opposite field home run Lawrence Butler grab your tickets early for the best seats at the lowest prices as your green and gold take on the Giants Padre Cubs angels and more at hoo

Cam Stadium don’t wait get your tickets at athletics.com Spring that’s athletics.com spring former Rockies GM and MLB network analyst Dan O Dow joined a cast live for the winter meetings in Nashville and commended David force on the job he’s done with the a I mean I’ve gone through

Some major rebuilding jobs but there was always light at the end of the tunnel I mean the thing that always blew Me Away by the job that Billy and David had done for so many years is knowing that the stadium issue had this Dark Cloud hanging over their head and that you

Know there’s so many ups and down emotionally attached to that like in Cleveland to give you an example when we went through that massive rebuild in the 90s we knew that Jacob’s field was coming in 1994 so the pain of all those losses in 89

90912 93 but we saw light at the end of the tunnel and we could see the talent we were collecting I can’t IM imagine what it’d be like showing up every single day with that pressure on you but no light at the end of the tunnel that would have been emotionally really hard

Because I mean all the people that do these jobs they’re competitive people and even if you’re realistic about your opportunities to win it doesn’t make the losses any less pay and the disappointments of you know a deal that doesn’t work out or a player you draft

Doesn’t get over the hump at the big league level it just takes an emotional toll on you over a period of time and it’s it’s really hard to maintain any kind of optimism about the Future these are really really hard jobs and I so I I really feel for what David’s trying to

Do I think David’s personality has a better chance to handling it than maybe mine’s did or even Billy’s did because I think we are wired a little bit tighter I think David’s got a way of putting things in perspective exceptionally well and I think that behooves him to be able

To survive this period of time and start to see all the good things that are happening in the AIDS organization because I think there are it’s just you don’t necessarily see it just yet at the biger you can watch the full interview at youtube.com/ Athletics or listen at athletics.com

ASC hey it’s Enos SAS your friendly neighborhood baseball scribe there are two things I love baseball and beer when I’m not busy around the ballpark you’re likely catching me back with a cold one at any of fieldwork ruins eight locations sprinkled across the bay area fieldworks got a rotating lineup of over

20 beers on top that’s as diverse as any 26 man roster they got everything from Super juicy hazy ipas to crisp psers and tropical sours that make his taste buds do the way whether you’re all about that draft live for prer to grabs from cans to go fieldworks got your bases covered

Check them out at fieldwork brewing.com to learn more that’s fieldwork brewing.com thanks to the Xfinity 10g Network my little brother’s friends won’t leave our house when I was their age internet with basically no interruptions was a pipe dream you sound like my grandpa now through December 21st new customers can get 1.2 GB

Internet for $25 a month for 2 years with no annual contract and Wi-Fi equipment included when you at xinity mobile with unlimited data at regular rates switch today requires purer SP an autop pay with stored bank account restrictions Supply taxes and fees extra xinity mobile requires xinity internet after promo regular Supply internet

Service and Wi-Fi equipment actual speeds vary if you’re looking for a new mattress Nest betting has you covered sleep on the same mattress Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson sleeps on Nest betting is the number one brand of online mattresses and the bay area’s favorite mattress store take home the easy

Breather pillow the New York Times calls it their number one pick you can navigate their easy website Nest betting.com that’s Nest betting.com green and gold fans use the coupon code Oakland and you get 10% off your entire order Nest vetting love where you Sleep former Rookie of the Year and A’s first base coach Bobby Crosby joined a cast live to talk about his growth as a manager at midlin I wouldn’t say there’s a a lot except for just learning the game more I mean there’s there’s always different personalities that you’re

Going to get um I you know you talked about wash a lot of the stuff I do came from him uh it’s a passion it’s about the players it’s not about myself I had my time playing that was great now it’s about them so I pour everything into

Them and what what do they need it’s not about what I need um and I’ve tried to do that from when I first started coaching um managing there’s always you know there’s different facets of the game the running game which I really didn’t have to worry about um as a short

That that i’ that I’ve learned um and you get different personalities last year we had a tightnit group that knew each other cuz there was a lot of repeat guys and this year we’ve had you know Uber talented guys come up but they weren’t a part of that same group so

It’s how do we form these guys into all believing the same thing and being under the same same umbrella and and believing in each other so there’s always certain different things that that are going to come up that are going to help me grow as a coach you know whatever happens

With with me coaching wise that’s great and I would love to to to coach in the big leagues and manage in the big leagues and I think that’d be a class you can watch the full interview at youtube.com/ atletics or listen at athletics.com ASC this is Chris Townsen and if you’re looking for a great place to eat and watch games go see my friends at the chicken pie shop at Walnut Creek the chicken pie shop is one of the hottest restaurants in Walnut Creek you’re not going to find a better menu and come try

Their world famous chicken pie that has been served in Southern California for 86 years spacious indoor and outdoor dining perfect for your next private party or corporate event don’t forget free parking for more information go to Chicken pyop wc.com that’s chicken pyop wc.com nestled in the hills of San Jose minutes

From Silicon Valley cinear Hills Golf Club offers 27 holes of Championship golf a first class Pro Shop practice facility and great food in the grill this time of year also also means family and business get togethers let the folks at cinear Hills make your event Unforgettable while enjoying their

Award-winning venue it’s all there for you Championship golf a great space for any events and incredible food see it all at cinear hills.com that’s cinear hills.com hey Billy this deck is great for getting everyone together thanks we’re really enjoying the outdoor space especially on a day like today what’s

The material Humbolt Redwood from ashb Lumber they gave us a great deal provided us with a quick quote and we couldn’t be happier we even found a great contractor through their online contractor directory don’t miss a day Outdoors visit ashb Lumber and Berkeley or conquered to see our stock of

Naturally strong naturally beautiful Humbolt Redwood find out more at ashb lumber.com for all your building needs ashb Lumber unlock offers and receive exclusive in-game features by downloading the MLB Ballpark app for iPhone and Android today plus get the latest information on game time schedules and more streaming from the town a cast live

Continues with Chris towns It I’ve been asked we have a guest at 2:30 yeah Ry not oh uh there’s all kinds of luminaries here right now you’ve got the Hall of Fame you got Hall of Famers here Ace Hall of Famer Baseball Hall of Famers Tony the Rus have you heard of

Him that’s my good friend Steve venic Ace Hall of Famers here I didn’t see vous but I feelig walked up yeah I mean that’s kind of that that’s kind of high rollers you you get to see when when you’re around here and a you know great to see Nick by the way we

Just had a long conversation off the air with Nick Allen and I hate to say these kinds of things because they can come back as you’re saying it on air and on video so people can cut it up and throw it back at you but I think we’re gonna be way

Better than people think I agree I mean I’m just not saying that because I don’t have like after you win what we 50 games last year 50 yes yeah when you win 50 games you could I could easily come on and say we’re going to be better and better is 51 correct 52

I told you fan graph has us at 73 yeah by the way your your wind is starting to pop up a little bit um yeah I these guys and I knew it by talking to them last year that these guys did not like they they did not it was a young

Group and these guys they got tired of getting crapped on they got tired of it they really really did and talk to to Nick and and as he talks to gelof and he talks to Nota and we’re g to talk to Ryan Nota here in five minutes a bunch

Of these guys are like yeah this this is not acceptable pitching has a lot to do with it we talk about it 4,374 I think is the number correct how many outs you got to get in the season and how many innings and all that but from a position player standpoint the

A’s are going to be better the a are going to be a better team and I’m just not going to do the joke oh they got to win 55 games they’re going to be better and it’s going to be interesting and I think it’s going to be far more

Exciting far or I should say far more it’ll be a far more entertaining brand because right now the way everything’s being covered anything you say nobody’s gonna care everybody’s gonna hate on it and it’s not until these guys prove it it won’t be until these guys go out

There and start winning some of those close games that they lost start putting some teams away start getting on top of teams start showing their athleticism it’s not until they start doing it will people have to start recognizing it till then no one’s goingon to listen but

That’s all right that’s the process that we’re in that’s the step we’re in they’re gonna go after and and even when they go out and start winning there’s still going to be a lot of chaos around it but this team is going to be better

And it’s going to be far more than it was last year yeah I’m I think I’m most excited for what’s happening with the starting pitchers and who’s going to be the guys that we well we know we’re not getting five but we know we’re GNA have probably closer to 10 to 15 different

Traditional starting pitches because I’m not gonna say traditional yeah so you know a Miss Spence uh what does Luis Medina take a step forward how does wal Chuck look when he comes back because he’s had surgery this offseason you know the growth of JP Sears Paulie Paulie Wy

Paul Blackburn does he cut back to the form he had in 2022 when he was an Allstar um there’s a lot of interesting pieces on this team to pay attention to yes selfishly I want to see if Mason Miller turns into a great closer like I followed all along with Josh haer but

There’s a lot of things to to look forward to with this team because the team is so young it’s not like we’re bringing a team to L in 50 games there a bunch of veteran players that you know that are still here it’s a really young

Team but the oldest players on the team are Seth Brown and Brent Roker oh alus for a miss too well that’s old yeah those are the you want old we got some old we definitely got some old but the pitching staff all the guys are young like newly

Signed Trevor got might be one of the oldest guys in the pitching staff now like him and Paulie Wai well how do you not how do you not look at the way the season ended last year and look at Joe Bole look at Joey Estus and you go okay that there’s

Something there I’m not sure when Freddy tarno is gonna be but Freddy tarno came over from the Braves uh Freddy tarno looks like he’s got something but I’m looking from a position player standpoint gonna be better yeah they’re going to be far better I can’t wait to

See and I don’t want to put too much on gelof but I already know and you’re gonna hear from Nota he oozes confidence Nota is gonna be ready to rock and you look at gelof and if Nick Allen you know what he’s worked on this offseason really works and he gets more offensive

I think the outfielders are going to hit we already know they’re athletic this is a far more athletic team than we’ve seen in years and it’s something the team needs I mean we’re seeing a lot more athletic players in in the game and when

The team was winning in 19 and 18 and 19 winning 97 games that team was a really athletic team and that team was really good defensively so if you get back to playing good defense and you’re an athletic team you got a chance you got when you’re a good athletic team and you

Play defense and you get some starting pitching you’ve got a chance and all of a sudden those winds start to start to mount and you start to get confidence it doesn’t matter what any of the guys on mlb.com or espn.com and or the athletic and they’ve

Got to do all their list and you know they got to do all their projections and that all that stuff doesn’t mean anything it entertains us but none of it means anything because when they’re wrong a lot of them don’t admit it they don’t admit that they’re wrong look at

How many projections how many people had the H for example how many people had the Dbacks in the World Series I don’t think anyone did start of the Season no no we knew they were GNA get better but I don’t think people thought they were gonna be in the World Series against

Texas I how many people put Texas in the World Series no it was all Yankees Dodgers World Series well I mean and and and to think how Texas in the in crap the bed to just be in the playoffs like they were a team that you thought should

Have won the division they crapped the bed they got to take the long flight to Tampa you would have not put your money on Texas or the last weekend was a dis what Texas loses two out of three loses the division in Seattle and Houston sweeps the Dbacks correct and they win

The division think about that the Dbacks got swept their last weekend they looked horrible they won only 84 games and Texas ends up crapping the bed in the end and they end both these teams end up in the World Series yeah but by the way uh notice here which camera we going

Through where’s my man Ryan Nota Nota how are you I’m good how are you guys doing you know what we got down here down to uh the facility for fantasy camp and I gotta tell you it we were in Nashville for the winter meetings that was great but it’s great to finally be

Back in Arizona and it’s making me miss baseball we’re missing you we’re missing baseball you’ve got to be chomping at the bit right now oh yeah yeah definitely chomping at the bit for sure um it’s funny you say that I’m actually in Nashville now and got here in January

Uh it’s a little bit warmer here than it is in Cincinnati to train and get everything I need to get done before Spring starts so what was this off season like for you now that you’ve established yourself as a big Leaguer what were like the main things you felt

Like this is what I need to do I was just able to eat better eat right um you know and just have enough time in the day to go and recover and get everything I need to do to get my body right to come in spring training ready to

Go yeah that was a big thing for you I remember we talked in the offseason uh but what essentially anything like like swing wise have you worked on anything like mechanics wise with that yeah definitely uh just trying to get more consistent uh you know

Staying short to the ball uh I got with bushy a couple times had some calls with him and you know just going through little adjustments need to make just so I can be more consistent and you know help the ball Club out what was it like from a mental standpoint to go through

This off seon not being a rule five guy not being a minor leager with the Dodgers but knowing that you’re a true Bonafide major league baseball player what was that like from a mental standpoint it was good you know it just means that I had to put my head down and

Work even harder and uh you know I just I’m grateful for the opportunity I got last year and you know grateful for all the coaching staff and players around me to help get me better and you know progress through the year and I feel like that this next year is just another

Stepping stone for us just to keep getting better keep working and showing people that we can actually come out and compete and you know win a lot more ball games I know you proved the to the base baseball world but what did what did last year prove to

You just that ever since I was three I always wanted to be a big leager just like everybody else on that field and uh you know just being able to you know first get that first hit and go from there it just really solidified that you

Know I belong and I can do something in this game and you know hopefully help lead the team and just become an even better person and player l there ever a point what was the point though where you said yeah I do belong when when did

You finally feel last season like yeah I do belong here I do belong in the big leagues I’d have to say the first Homer um yeah that was definitely one moment where I was just like all right like it’s the same game so just go out

There and just give it your all and just be you yeah the thing that I really enjoyed we just had Nick Allen on is that this this this young group and I know you guys have been texting each other this off seon you you you got something here you got this nucleus talk

About this kind of bond that you guys are establishing gelof a lot of the younger players that leads me to believe that this upcoming season is going to be far better than what we saw last year yeah you know we saw it towards the end

Of the year and how you know no matter how the season was going the locker room was always good you know the plane rides were always good hotel everything you know we always started to hang out more towards the end of the year and just create a nice Brotherhood and a bond

That’s you know what you need in this game you know it takes a team to win and I feel like we got the right guys and I feel like we got the right people as just their personalities and how they go about their business and just wanting to

Win so I think this year is going to be a good test to us and you know see how we come out and how much fire we bring and you know hopefully we surprise some people and then hopefully it gets to a point where we’re done surprising and

People are known I gotta ask you about Mitch Spence who is the rule five pick from the New York Yankees that the athletic picked up in the rule five draft at the winter meetings we were there we were trying to get the information out of David Force he

Wouldn’t give it to us but we finally got to see the pick it’s not easy being a rule Five Guy now that you have done it will you pull him aside have some conversations do you have like in the back of your mind any any advice you

Might have for him to get through spring training going into the year yeah I definitely can do that you know I think last year spring training for myself I put a little too much extra pressure on myself just to try to you know prove that I belong and uh you know hopefully

Um I’ve heard he’s a good dude and you know we’re happy about that we have a lot of good dudes in the clubhouse so he’ll fit right in and uh I’ll definitely be there for him if he has any questions or needs any answers for how to deal with certain things coming

To New Ork because I’ve done that quite a bit so uh I’ll I’ll definitely be there to help him out when he needs it yeah people just don’t understand you are a unique guy when you’re the rule five guy you’re different from everybody else on the roster your situation is

Different from everybody’s and a lot of people don’t think about that yeah there is a lot of pressure when you get it this random draft that not a lot of people follow that happens at the winter meetings people you know most people don’t see it because the media doesn’t

Really cover it but everybody in baseball goes into that part of the convention center and all the GMS all the assistant GM everybody goes in there the rule five draft’s a big thing for front offices for the rest of baseball it isn’t and when you’re that pick and

You go to spring training there is a lot of pressure because you’re this one unique guy and you’re not like anybody else yeah it’s definitely a different aspect to the uh to the game but I think it’s good you know um I’m one of a handful of guys that have benef

Benefited from the rule five draft you know just being log jammed in a system that um like the Dodgers were when I was there and I think it’s good for Spence you know and it’s good for our team you know we’re getting a nice righty that comes in and throws strikes fills his

Own up and you know it’s going to be a bulldog on the mound so I’m excited to get him in the clubhouse and I think the guys are excited as well and hopefully you know we can have another good rule five backtack years so last night as everybody sitting around here at Fantasy

Camp and everybody’s having drinks I got to uh hang out with the uh the dentist of the Oakland Athletics and the doctor that helped you and he was you know kind of talking about wow that was people don’t realize how scary your situation was with your broken jaw um obviously

You played one game through it they didn’t know yet you hadn’t had X-rays but man that’s pretty scary what you went through I don’t think a lot of people understand what your situation was what you’re going through when you found out you had that brok BR jaw yeah definitely was uh wasn’t

Something you see every day in the baseball field um but something unfortunate that happened but uh you know got to have a good dentist to work on me and get me back into the to the game last year and you know it was it was definitely weird because you know

Physically I felt perfectly fine but you know couldn’t eat food couldn’t open my mouth uh definitely talking a lot better now but uh yeah definitely you know I grew up playing did you did you lose weight yeah I lost about I think after all said and

Done it was about 10 pounds damn um you know I was on a nice smoothie diet for a while and uh and it’s a good thing I like smoothies but it did get old I I would see steak and you know good chicken and just some good food I always

Just want to eat it and I’m like man um I think that was part god you’re in the you’re you’re in the clubhouse and they got Mexican food and they got steaks and they got and you’re sitting there going another protein shake that’s got to be brutal yeah and

Sometimes you know we’d put some some real food into the bunder with some chicken broth so I can get a little taste of something so uhh that was definitely different for me um I would not expect to have a a broken jaw um in my baseball career at least from

Something that wasn’t a pitch up and in um so just you know what’s been going on just let all the fans know what have you been doing this off season when you’ve been away from baseball what did Ryan not to do for a little fun during the holidays and uh non- baseballwise what’s

Been going on in your life um I’m trying to get into learn uh the piano it’s a lot harder than I was expecting um so we’re getting there couple more years I think I can uh you know maybe show some skills off um but other than that just

Hanging out with the family um girlfriend you know it was a good time for us just to relax and have some you know good dinners and see more family than I’m used to seeing and that was that was a blessing trying to learn the piano I

Like that a skill set as you’re getting older yeah that the coolest thing about that is like someday you’re GNA be rolling in and there’ll be a bunch of people and you’ll be in like in this fancy hotel in a Lobby and you can just

Get down and start and it’ll be like one of the most impressive things I’ve actually seen it happen before whenever the guy can roll out of nowhere and start playing piano everybody’s everybody always goes like damn you could be that guy and uh that actually

Happened in uh when I was in doua with the Dodgers Andre Jackson we were uh in Witchita and I was going out to get some breakfast and all of a sudden I just hear the piano playing like in this little side room in the lobby and I was

Like who’s playing it actually sounds pretty good so I walked back there and I was like Andre I was like what I’m like so it was pretty sweet and that kind of enticed me a little bit and you know this year I was like you know what I’m

Have a little bit more downtime than usual you know might as well learn something by the way Lucas IG of your Oakland Athletics has just chimed in saying hello by the way Lucas we we just I I hosted the 38th annual Santa Clara County baseball banquet

Where we honored him as pitcher of the year in major league in for Bay Area guys um he was pitcher of the year so we just honored him so Lucas if you’re watching or you’re listening uh great to hear from me it was great to see you the

Other night and uh go go a go ahead Ryan say hello to your teammate what’s up S how we doing baby he’s a big part of what’s gonna you know pitching obviously you know we’re talking about a lot of you young guys and I don’t really see

You as a young guy anymore but there’s a lot of young guys and you guys are going to have to pull your weight obviously but the pitching’s going to be interesting because guys like Lucas IG and we were talking earlier about all the different potential guys who could

Be starting you got a lot of good arms coming through the system right now yeah definitely you know Lucas was a big part of our success that we when we had it last year you know get on the mound and being a bulldog you know and he’s got a

Unique situ situation he came up as a position player so I’m I’m still trying to get him in the cage once in a while to see if he can still still has the swing but uh you know we love having him on the mound and we do have a lot of

Other young guys that are coming up and we saw some of them last year and especially Bole coming in and finishing strong last year when we got him you know I’m excited to see what we got and you know just keep rolling from there let’s end on this Nick Allen said it and

Then he really said it once he was off camera and we were done and and we know you were coming up he’s like we’re going to be a lot better and just talk about that how you guys don’t want to go through the same situation you went

Through last year that that that there is something amongst all you guys that you’re like this year is going to be far better yeah you know no one likes to lose um I’ve always said it I think I hate losing more than I like to win so

It definitely was a little tough last year in the beginning of the year you know how we started but the way we finished and how we competed against everybody and especially guys that and or teams I should say that you know made it far in the postseason even won the

World Series last year you know we competed and won so I think we all know what we can do and what we’re capable of doing as long as we stick together do the little things and you know just become the family that we became at the end of the

Year great stuff always good to see you can’t wait to see it spring training so be well enjoy Nashville and we’ll see you in February down here in the Valley of the Sun sounds good Chris ice see you too take care the great Ryan Nota

Joining us right here on a cast live and that guy I’m not gonna be shocked in the next couple years if you see him in an All-Star game how about that um I could see it I mean he’s good defensively he got better as the year

One on what does he do gets on base he gets on base at an extreme level and then you start to he he gets on base at an All-Star level yeah he had as a first year player folks he was leading the American League in on base percentage and there were at

Times during the year he was top five what did I mean did he end up top five and what op on base on base he was leading the American League and he’s just started for whoa that one came close he he was he started feeling it with the bat and obviously the broken

Jaw really hurt but he started feeling about if you start putting the power with the on base you have a and the defense you have an All-Star player yeah I’m looking right now at the uh I’m looking at the American League on base percentage leaders it’s uh Nota Was Li um see why is he not on here are are you in postseason no it’s regular season weird I’m not on my actual computer I have all the access all the advanced stats where it’s easier to find it all right hold you just hold on you just hold on Ryan

NOA he had a 364 on base he had 364 with a he had a 770 Ops in his first year yeah yeah for some reason he’s not listed as a maybe he didn’t have enough qualified at bats I don’t know he had 406 oh yeah so what

Is the leader the leader what in the American League showy Otani was 412 okay yeah yand Diaz yand Diaz had 410 I mean he was pretty good too then Seager JP Crawford adley rushman all guys that had outstanding years left keep going down he’s at 364 so he would

Have been eighth he would have been tied with he tied for eighth with Randy this is how good okay once again if you think I’m blowing smoke and you think oh towns is just being an ace Homer keep it right here these are the guys it’s Otani Diaz Seager Crawford rushman

Tucker uh Tristan casus who by the way he’s a guy to watch out for with the Boston Red Sox uh and Randy Ros Arena he would have been the top eight and that’s with a broken jaw yeah because there was a point where he was leading and he was

Top three for a good point of the the year now I don’t think he was going to stay up in the 400 range with showy Otani that’s how good of a player he had 16 bombs in his first year he was ninth in walks in the American

League too so just think about this he improves on that you’re talking 20 plus home runs and you’re talking one of the best on base percentages in baseball don’t tell me he can’t be an All-Star player no definitely I think I I think you might be on to something I mean what

Was the one you made uh the proclamation you made years ago about matad Olson getting Hall of Fame votes I think I think we’re oh yeah I everybody was trying to Matt Chapman this Matt Chapman that I’m like Matt Olson’s a better player I me see that’s what happens when

You watch the team every day and you go uh you guys are all loving and I like Matt Chapman I I love that he was he was a tough guy who came and brought it every day I love that but I clearly was looking over going Matt olssen is a

Better player even as Simeon got better Matt Olsen is a better player Matt Olsson was the best player we had if you watch that team day in and day out Matt Olsson was the best player yeah and he was the best player he saved those guys

Asses so many times with picks it was unbelievable Matt olssen was our best player if you started watching last year and you know anything about baseball and you’re watching it you’re going okay Ryan Nota walk walk walk base hit walk he keeps getting on base hey he can pick

It he’s actually pretty good defensively you know what he can run for a big man what is he 63 220 something like that he runs really well you start to realize this guy can play and then all of a sudden then you started seeing the home

Runs and you went this is a real player here and that’s when I got tipped off that yeah he was one of the we had a couple guys that were considered Untouchable at the deadline he was one of them he went from a rule five pick to

Untouchable a team in rebuild mode we’re a team in in rebuild mode the key for this team whether we want to hear it or not the key for this team what smart business for this team is to choir this is GNA be highly unpopular I

Get it but I’m just going to give you reality because sometimes you need reality because there hasn’t been a whole hell of a lot of reality you’re getting a lot of what people want to hear right now you’re getting misinformation you’re you’re getting a lot of this is reality you need to build

And find as many young good players as possible they’re not all going to work out but you need to find as many this needs to be the Cleveland Indians model of the late 80s early 90s which we have talked to Dan odow about John Hart has talked about it this is

Old School baseball I know but in the late 80s early 90s when they knew Jacob’s field was going to be built all they cared about was a acquiring young Talent that’s why they shipped off guys like Joe Carter and they got as much young Talent as they possibly

Could so that when they do open their new building these guys have matured they’re ready to go and then you’ll have the money to go buy free agents to go with them that is the model and that’s where we are right now and unfortunately Nota is not a young guy was he

Is 28 yeah he he’s not young he’ll be 28 in March yeah so when 2028 rolls around he’s not a young player but anyway the fact that he came in and by the time you’re a couple months later you have a lot of teams asking to trade for him that says a lot

About him as a player in his character to go from a rule five guy to a guy where all these teams are calling Oakland going hey uh we’d love to have him and David Forest is like nope off he is not not on the trading block well I

Mean for him that has to be awesome to hear that you know how highly he’s thought of in the organization and everything he was able to accomplish last year I think his on base percentage would have been higher and he would have been more qualified if he didn’t have

The jaw injury and missed some time and you know kind of he had a slump there for a bit but every you know every young player in the first year first couple years does slump a little bit but he is a lot he is a lot to be excited about

Looking at his stats you non- batting average people he hit 229 if he doesn’t hit 229 if he hits 260 he’s gonna have some more home runs he’s gonna hit 260 that Ops is well over 800 yeah what’s what was his Ops plus Ops plus is 121 pretty good 100’s League

Average he was 121 that’s pretty good that’s pretty good Ryan not in his first year showed out and he told us to spring training last year I want to win a gold glove yeah we’ve had some good first baseman the last first baseman the last you know

I’m really well I mean defensively I’m saying and it was great to see the Year Matt Olsson had last year I mean obviously he was deserved of the MVP but it was he had a he had an MVP year and a year a lot of guys had an MVP year but

Tell you what Ryan Nota and the next couple years I don’t think he’ll ever have the power that Matt Olsson has but he has the ability to walk way more than Matt Olsson does yeah uh what many olsson’s never a big walk guy not a big he was a big

Strikeout guy big strikeout guy he he he cut it down that one year but like okay here here’s olsson’s numbers last year olssen walked no he walked 104 times last year that was the most he’s ever had in his career yeah give me the years

Before that 75 88 34 that was a 2020 season 51 uh strikeout numbers 163 138 okay so give me get give me give me Olsen’s walk numbers in full years full years uh 2018 he played every game he walked 70 times okay so this is this is

Ryan Nota in 128 games he walks 77 yeah so he’s walking more than Matt Olen in a full so what was Matt Olsen’s uh Ops Ops in that year uh Ops was 788 yeah this kids was s 70 he had lower Ops plus too so I mean and I don’t think Ryan no

Is ever going to be the home run hitter Matt Olsson is but if you’re looking at F very first full year you can look at Ryan not’s numbers and see a pattern of a more consistent player yeah maybe if he get the longevity that’ll or not the

The yeah I guess CU back to back here is Ol not in any way G to say that he’s better than Matt Olsen no Matt is a Matt Olsen I said we’ll get Hall of Fame votes for sure and we’ll be on the ballot for a while Matt olsson’s a great

Player um I don’t think NOS as good as he is defensively but I’m just saying from an offensive standpoint I got a guy here 128 games walked 77 times I mean it’s unbel he h 16 bombs had a 770 Ops and a 121 Ops plus that is legit for

Your first time ever playing Major League Baseball and it’s kind of better than Matt Olson’s and Matt Olson had the cup not a cup he he had a taste of it a few times this is just his first time this is his shot so Matt olsson’s First full full

Year is barely better than the First full year of Ryan Nota and Nota Dean played nearly the same amount of games all right so we’ll play quick over under for next year over under will Matt will Ryan Nota have more walks than wetto has run scored with the Yankees

That’s going to be around a hundred right that’s a $31 Million Man High s arbitration Juan stto stto last year scored 97 runs that’s what I say Run 100 yeah yeah that’s 100 walks is a lot of walks I mean OB your Barry Bonds but I

Mean for oh soda walked 132 last year for for most people that’s a lot of walks that’s just 20 more than he had last year Ryan notas walks for is one s’s run scored that’s kind of a random question I’m gonna go Ryan Nota say can

SoDo played in every game last year and he only scored 97 runs well I say only yeah first year in the Bronx for Juan SoDo will be real interesting right yeah they got an interesting team they’re putting together him Marcus strowman signed last night because yeah strowman

Signed a two-year deal with the Yanks good luck with that because strowman the way he ended up he was awful I remember Stu was was touting strowman and strowman was going great for the CBS he was awesome for them and then he was just he fell off he was hurt he was

Terrible you know Juan sto’s first year in the Bronx will be so amazing because now you’re gonna be scrutinized so the warts that he has the Mike petriello of the world won’t be able to to to shy this away anymore you know this whole he just

Walks a lot now he did finally turn it on offensively last year in San Diego where he hadn’t done it originally when coming over from Washington to San Diego but hitting 240 taking a lot of called third strikes if he falls back into that Juan sto it’s

Gonna be rough sledding in the Bronx oh he might get booed oh he will get booed I mean then again people never thought the Warriors would get booed in their own Arena and they’ve been booing Steve Kerr and the Warriors the last few games so anything’s possible it’s new yor

They’ll boo him they’ll probably boo him in the first game if he doesn’t have a who have they not booed uh Jeter Jeter yeah Manel everybody else got booed yeah everybody gets booed Aaron judge has gotten booed you’re tell me a-rod’s gotten booed in New York a Rod’s gotten

Way booed in New York um yeah Juan stto if he reverts back to taking a lot of taking a lot of walks taking a lot of called third strikes not swinging It Low batting average he he will get roast cuz he is not he is a he’s a rental he’s a one-year it’s

Kind of like you want big money from the Yankees here’s your shot to prove it and everybody always sees this like when these trades happen because I know he’s a there’s he’s he’s a analytic darling right once again because he walks um this whole they put it they put it from the

Standpoint of well the Yankees will have to make him fall in love hey he’s gonna have to prove he can play in New York yeah this isn’t washingt he seemed like a little bit of a sensitive flower in San Diego yeah and that’s this is not San Diego

Yeah not at all I can tell you I know San Diego they have like three writers in San Diego this this is not the San Diego Union Tribune going bro this is so awesome bro isn’t this great at Petco no this is not this is not everybody has

Board shorts on and they got the food man Sho and this is not San Diego D the breweries San Diego everybody in their breweries yeah GS here by the way oh is he yeah he doesn’t know well he’s in Florida but he what’s he G what’s up man how are you

I’m doing great how are you guys it is great to see you I told you a long time ago we were gonna want to check in uh here in the off season we’re down here at Fitz Park at Fantasy Camp a fantasy camp we just talked to your teammates

We just talked to uh Nick Allen we just talked to Ryan Nota and uh great to see you and I know you got to feel just like they are they can’t wait to get back here to Arizona and get it going man yeah I’m right there with them I can’t

Wait to you know get with the guys and you know get ready to work you know when we think about the last time we saw you just tell us what it was like the first couple weeks when you went back home to think about what your first time in the

Big leagues what it was like what were your thoughts my thoughts was it’s a blast and I want to be here for a long time and I want to win um and I think just getting the taste of that being around some really great teammates along the way having a

Good coaching staff and I think you know getting a taste of it was awesome but you know I think um like myself I think we’re all just really hungry for more and that’s what we’re gonna you know try to do this year so I love to hear that

Because we heard that from Nick we’ve heard that from Ryan uh you get the sense from the front office that you guys were happy to be here but you weren’t happy with the way the losing was and I I know from covering the team like it’s harsh it’s tough to lose like

That but you guys there’s going to be a little bit more of a sense of a pride I guess coming into the spring training that to you do not want to go through another year like that 100% And um you know I wasn’t up the whole year

Obviously but um I think we you know started to turn around uh right after All-Star break and you know we have a great group of guys and um you know we put the work in I think we have really good um you know approaches on the field

And off the field and um we all genuinely like each other too so I think you know we’re on this together and you know no one’s gonna come save us I think we got the right group of guys uh in the clubhouse and we’re just gonna you know

Do our best and and get after it every day how much are you communicating with guys in the offseason uh every every few weeks probably just text someone random and just say like like maybe send a video or something I I stay in touch with a lot

Of the guys but it’s more just excitement and can’t really contain it so I’ll text one of them and just say hey man like are you feeling what I’m feeling are you ready to go and everyone’s on the same page so it’s you know it’s exciting what what did you

Want to work on what have you been doing what’s been happening for you this off season um I think the offseason is is crucial because uh taking your B taking care of your body is um I think the most important so in the weight room eating well sleeping well is something that um

I took priority over um along with the baseball side now you know getting closer to spring training so um making sure I’m doing running and and a lot of baseball stuff doing machine work and and all that stuff so I think just ultimately just taking care of my body

Try to get bigger faster stronger and um you know the ultimate goal is just to stay on the field you know it’s so interesting when you hear guys like yourself talk about you get to the big league level you’re playing every single day obviously the pressure is far more

Greater because now you’re you’re just not playing for yourself to try and get up to the big leagues now you’re playing for a team a franchise and everything uh just the the amount of rest and learning how to take care of your body how much more now would you say you’re in tune

With your body and what you need to do to be ready versus what you were a few years ago yeah that’s huge I think um you know when I first got drafted in 2021 I went into the offseason not really knowing uh what I needed to do and then you know I

Played a full full season in 22 and then um you know I think every offseason since then I think I’ve gotten really um much better at hunting in on my craft what I feel like I need to do to stay ready um and get ready for a long season

Because you know the goal is to play 162 and um if we’re fortunate enough we want to play you know 162 plus play in the playoffs and you got to be at your best at the end of the year so um you know it’s it’s huge but I think just every

Year that I’ve been in pro ball and even going back to college I think um I just know that much more about my body and what it takes to uh you know keep it ready you know every single spring training is different for every single guy some guys are you know just trying

To I think where you were where you just wanted to Showcase yourself to the front office to every single year trying to say I’m closer or I’m ready this is a different spring training for you so have you thought about how the goals and what you want to accomplish in spring

Training will be different than from years past yeah I think you always got to go into spring training knowing that you got to go out there and win a job um you know nothing’s a given going into the spring especially with with our group where we’re at and um you know that’s

Going to be how I approach the spring is I’m gonna come in be ready to go and kind of just rely on CS to to kind of pull me back in because I don’t want to be um you know saying like oh I want to

Play a few Innings here and there I want to be um you know going out out there ready to play and and trying to be playing every day the best of my ability so um that’s the same approach I’m going to go in with it now what was maybe one

Or two things that you look back and you think about the season you go God I wish I would have done that differently or I would approach this in a different way can you give us maybe one or two that uh you look back in the off season that you

Went man I’m when I have that opportunity again I’m going to do it differently I think at the beginning playing in the WBC I think think looking back I would have gotten a hit I’m still hitless in the WBC experience but uh um me I I look back and I don’t have any

Regrets I think it’s all part of the process and part of the journey um so I look back and I don’t regret anything because I think if I did something wrong or if something didn’t go my way I learned from it and that’s how I’m gonna

Continue to live my life I like that I like that what are the fun things you’ve done away from baseball has there been anything good that you’ve had going on this offseason yeah actually I just got back from Disney World with my family um got to take the family there and

Grandparents so um that was the birthday present from me and my brother to my mom so uh you know we went to a few parks and and had some fun that’s OD because Disney because all of us out here are used to Disneyland California which is way smaller Disney World is like I’ve

Never been there I’ve stayed near there for some conventions Disney World is like you can’t do it all like in a week right it’s like massive yeah there’s there’s so many parks I mean we we only went to um Magic Kingdom Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom and that was three day it

Was two days but we did three parks and it was it was a lot but um yeah I think to to get it all in you definitely have to be here for for more than uh just two days but uh yeah it was a blast and uh

You know still got the lifts in um you know a little gritty in the in the small hotel I think it was uh it wasn’t it wasn’t the best gy but we still got it in you know how’s your brother doing he’s doing great um I think it’s good

For him to have me and just um me to have him as well of just having that training partner and yeah you know getting after it every day through the ups and downs and you know just just on our way to the top you know when you think about your relationship with Nick

Allen and what you’ve just learned as an up up the middle you know just talking about that transition the relationship with Nick and just and just for you learning second base and getting better at second base when we always thought you were going to be a third baseman

Could be a big shortstop third baseman but second base just talk about that transition and just your communication and relationship with Nick Allen um Nick is the man um ever since I got drafted ever since I met him he’s been you know nothing but professional and and super energetic and and awesome

And um the one thing I took from it is this is how I’ve I’ve been in the past few years is that whoever’s the best at what they do I try to gravitate towards them and try to compete at what they do so uh from the beginning it was was

Always Nicki picket um the best hands super smooth I’ve never seen anyone as smooth as him so I try to be around him as much as possible and try to you know compete with them and try to get better you know this off season a lot of

The stuff that they talk about the future of the A’s and they talk about you know certain when they when we’re not talking about Ballpark and relocation that kind of stuff when we’re just focusing on baseball a lot is about you um how do you like that how do you

Like that Spotlight have you enjoyed it uh I don’t feel much of a spotlight um I think it it was a tough season and um I think you got to pull some positives and you know obviously me me coming up I had a pretty good uh first

Few games so um so yeah I mean that’s cool but I think the ultimate goal is just just winning I want to win and um you know I want to be part of it so um I don’t I don’t feel the spotlight at all

Um but you know I just want to be I just want to be in spring training right now and just you know getting after it put the work in and you know know ultimately just go out there and compete yeah I love what I’m hearing from you and from

From Ryan and also from Nick today everybody’s saying the same thing I keep hearing winning I keep hearing wan to win you guys are putting it out in the universe you guys are putting it out like we want to win you know last year only win in 50 games was pretty harsh it

Was tough but there’s like expectations if you can just we’ll let you go on that you know just talk about how you guys have expectations even though there’s a lot of people that don’t have those same expectations for you you guys expect to come here this season not two seasons

Not three seasons you expect this season to win yeah of course and I think the big thing is just being a winning baseball player and being a winner in general I think um you know a lot of the wins in the season are one in spring training and just every day in offseason

Too so I think part of being a winning player is just showing up putting in the work being super competitive and bring people with you and I think you know that’s going to be the mentality in spring training is just us showing up getting after it every day and and try

To be winners that day and just keep stacking days up and then see where we stand at the end of the year yeah just one more when what what what’s like a main goal you’re gonna have when you get here whether it’s yourself defense offense what’s a main goal something

You’re really gonna want to work on and accomplish at spring training I think just uh keep building on on what I’ve done and and just my routines and sticking to it I think um you know being on the field is is super important um that’s the only way you can you know add

Add to the team so um for me it’s just going to be keep building on on the routines that I think I um found that worked well for me last year um keep building on them and you know staying super competitive and um try to have that winning you know baseball player

Mentality every day well I’m just checking my phone because I can see it here on Instagram I just normally I’m just looking at the camera you look good can’t wait to see you uh it’s gonna be fantastic fantastic I just being down here just inspires you kind of get you

Ready for spring training so be well be good and we’ll see you at hoo cam once spring training starts awesome thank you so much Chris I appreciate it be well you too Zack Goff the future of the franchisees they like to say yeah it’s kind of cool Cody I’m looking at it

Right here we can uh you got it on Instagram live yeah um I did it for all our because normally I can only see the camera I don’t get to see him so I want to pull it up and see him if I would

Have put up if I would have put up our iPod our iPad tripods they would have been they wouldn’t blown on the field yesterday so that’s why we we didn’t put those up I made the executive decision not to do that yeah yesterday was uh yesterday was no

Joke yesterday was a windy day like I was having to hold this thing when Carney Lansford was here so it wouldn’t hit Carney Lansford it was uh it was a whole different ball game well I don’t know man I’m fired up am I supposed to be I mean listen to

These kids the kids fire me up they’re the future they there there’s they’re they are what’s going to take us from the darkness to the light right yes I mean you think with a young team that’s where we’re going and these are the guys that everyone’s excited

About all of our fans we’re excited there’s so much going on with in the organization with young players that we are excited about I’m excited about the starting pitches we got to start talking to some of those guys soon yeah get some of our guys on and we got to talk to

Lawrence Butler got to check with law see what he’s up to laws down there in the Atlanta area with Maris Grom and with a bunch of guys big Leaguers guys gonna be big Leaguers but you know they’re down there pushing themselves so that’s that’s good we know

Denzel Clark we were supposed to talk to him he’s he’s uh yeah and uh it’s a they’re all talking about winning you know they could all be sitting there going I’m working on this I’m gonna do this I I I I none of them say that none of that I’m going to get

Into what they’re doing and force them to do that but they want to talk about I want to win they keep that that doesn’t guarantee anything but that’s what you want to hear you’ve got young guys that are coming to spring training no matter what the noise is no matter what all the

Negativity is they’re coming here they want to win baseball games yeah and it’s been refreshing to hear from all three guys today and allena and G hear what they’re you know talk about winning and saying a touch and you know the things gofs had to say about Nick Allen and how

How slicky is a shortstop and just talking with him that’s the stuff you want to hear not yeah I don’t I really I don’t really check in on people during the offseason you know I just kind of keep to myself you know I haven’t talked to anybody well you know I want to

Darkness Retreat like Aaron Rogers you know I don’t really talk to anyone I don’t I don’t uh I don’t pick up a bat till January you know I’ve been sucking down a 12pack every day who are you guys yeah why am I doing this is this gonna

Be H how long is this gonna be you know I I play golf I no I mean it’s each one of them talked about winning yeah it’s great and that’s what this thing’s about and that’s how you turn it around this is the process and so Nick Allen talked about having to do

It we’re not going to mention the interview but they asked him to do an interview and obviously everybody’s going to everybody is going for the loow hanging fruit right now and they’ll even do it with the players and the players have nothing to do with relocation the

Players have nothing to do with any of that but you know there’s something to be said about when there are no expectations and really everybody forgets about you which is kind of a good place to be right you you you don’t you don’t have this major spot light you

Don’t have this pressure and all of a sudden if things go your way and now if’s if’s a big word for two letters it’s a big word yeah if but if a lot of things go your way and you get out to a good start man and you start gaining

Confidence I mean that’s that that tells a lot right yeah and our next guest knows all about winning and building a playing on a team that was building towards something and yeah so there’s a lot to look forward to as we mentioned going going into to the 20244 season I

Mean the big question is going to be is how’s this club doing right now I mean because obviously he’s an A’s great and we can sit here and we can talk about all the things he’s done in his career the big question is is is he

Gonna be able to bring home a fantasy camp Championship he and his guy Carney how we doing skip how we doing out there well if you asked me yesterday pretty good so far today we started out a little slow this morning and uh we got a very close two nothing game going on

Back there right now well this is the year that that you cannot allow Dallas Braden this is well Carney kind of said at your guys’ year well that was yesterday when we were one and0 and we beat Dallas yesterday so we were kind of feeling pretty good about it he was

Actually here right after you you beat Dallas too so maybe that’s why he was feeling that way well you know and I’m not going to thr my team under the bus but we might have had a few guys that uh might have missed curfew last night and

I think it’s showing today and uh you know we need to get those guys back on track I’m gonna be honest with you I think they were with us last night so you’re to blame for this poor performance today okay me technically I don’t drink so it wasn’t

Me but I was with the crew and I may have bought and I heard that the crew was out uh late now I’m we’re forced to check on beds tonight night you to make sure the team is in where they’re supposed to be you could say that the

Hotel personnel uh came to us multiple times to be quiet and I even heard through the grape vine that there was part of the staff that found extra rooms so that the uh participants didn’t have to go to bed I uh I knew the Rotary Club while you guys were before while

You guys were playing and I was going through the hotel yesterday the Rotary Club was in this big room and I noticed that they were in there so last night when we were being kicked out of the hotel bar I I you know what it it actually is my fault that’s what I’m

Looking at it’s you know the more I’m staring at you stuttering right now it is 100% your fault for this poor I found the extra I found the extra room for everybody to party last night we got the weakest link right here right now uh we were just Tau we just talked

To Zach gof and we talked to Ryan Nota and then we had Nick Allen right here young players all talking about one thing winning even though you know the good things the bad things the things they accomplish the things that they’re trying to do this off season a young

Group of of men all they want to talk about is winning and I think about when you guys were young and you were coming up because right now as you know everything’s so negative everything is so harsh what does it mean to you that you got a bunch of young really good

Athletes these young A’s who are coming to spring training they don’t want to talk about themselves they want to talk about how last year stunk and they don’t want that again and they want to win what does that mean to you that means a

Lot um and I I think the reason for that is um the the team that developed in you know my era of baseball especially our group coming through the miners we had probably 10 to 15 of us that ended up in the big leagues that one and a ball one

And double a ball uh next year in doua ball finish second so we had a group of guys that uh culturally were were winning and you carry that up into you know the big leagues and you surround those winners in our case with some veteran players and next thing you know

We’re on a great run so I’m excited to hear that these younger players instead of uh uh you know talking about the potential dollars that are out there and you see the big signings in baseball instead of dreaming one day that’s going to be me I like to hear that it is about

Winning we just had Tony larusa was here visiting us a little bit we were in in our locker room talking and we talked about how uh we feel uh watching baseball has changed a little bit in the sense of playing winning baseball and the way Tony uh did with us in Oakland

Where he won in St Louis it was about getting the guy over getting the guy in taking a pitch so Ricky could steal you know we’re teasing Carney about that and then one of the best things was Carney takes the pitch Ricky steals Carney moves him over uh Jose or Dave Henderson

Drives them in I mean and here we are one- nothing you know and that philosophy in our opinion has seemed to have gotten lost on some teams you know we talked to Dallas who sees a lot of games and yesterday after this we were kind of talk and Shop about that and

We’re excited to hear that especially with Oakland because you can do a lot of things if you’re playing fundamental baseball you can do a lot of things if you got everybody believing that we need to play winning baseball you know we need to get that guy over get that guy

In and if you get the team believing that you can accomplish a lot of things now if you don’t beat yourself you can’t say that enough like if you play defense because like when we saw the team in 18 and 19 when they won 97 games two straight years which was only good

Enough for a wild card spot hard to believe but that like we talked about the Hallmark of those teams really was everybody want to talk home runs it was great defense so it’s like if you play defense you got some athletes and you pitch a little bit you got a chance you

Got a chance okay so go back to our era of playing what does every Everybody remember about the 88 89 90 teams the bash Brothers the home runs and all this stuff what doesn’t get talked about is we were like second or third in the league in defense all of those years

Which is you know was agreeing you know with the statement that year saying if you do play that defense if you put emphasis on that yeah don’t give anybody don’t give the good teams extra outs that’s how they’re going to come and be think how good you were like you behind

The dish Carney third Walt Weiss we still bring on the program was with the Atlanta Braves he had a mixture of second baseman Mark Maguire was better at first base and Big Mac on this program told us the thing that he’s most proud of is his Gold Glove he was better

Than you thought so you guys and then yeah had athletes in the Outfield right Jose was better when he was younger yes you had Ricky you had Hindu so like defensively you guys were good we were solid yeah but again so so many people go back and as soon as you mention those

Teams right away they think offense you know and and obviously pitching all right but that defense is probably the third or fourth thing that was talked about and we prided ourselves in that um we had drills and stuff in spring training that we did to make sure that

We didn’t lack on our defense the the Reps of double play balls the Reps that the infielders took the Reps that we did as as catchers you know from blocking balls to throwing to to the different bases in different bunt situations and it kind of went unnoticed but when you

Go to the grand scheme of things of what it takes to develop a a winning team or or an era of of of winning it comes down to doing the little things you know I think about catcher and a lot of people I used to get into this with our our

Great friend Ray FY it’s like you just don’t because early in his career it’s one thing to be a catcher it’s also to be a catcher to be an offensive catcher and Ray was an offensive catcher before he got hurt obviously you were an offensive catcher you know it’s so tough

Because there’s the physical part of the game where just you get banged up night after night after night you’ve got to know all your pitchers you got to know what makes them tick what they can throw Under Pressure how they’re feeling you got to know starters relievers you got

To know the other team’s hitters you got to know all of that and then you have the pressure of being an offensive catcher what was that like because it’s one thing if you’re just a defensive guy that’s all they expect yeah but when I want you to perform and be an offensive

Guy and all that all that I talked about how tough is that it’s tough and and I loved it and I made this comment to many many of people if I don’t I didn’t want to be known just for as as a one-sided catcher like uh I didn’t want to be

Known oh he’s a good defensive guy oh he calls a good game I wanted to be known that if I have the ability to hit 300 then be a 300 hitter and do what you’re supposed to do behind the plate it’s no different than than than our other

Positional players you know we had good good defensive guys oh they’re not supposed to hit uh carne’s you know playing hard at third but but we we don’t need his Bat no we need everybody’s bat So I prided myself in trying to stay Within Myself and doing

What I was capable of doing was I capable of of of uh you know being a 40 home run no but I was capable of of using Gap to Gap and using uh uh the the field that I was taught how to use and I wanted to make sure that I stayed in

That and I was probably hard on myself offensively because I felt I could do more than catching a good game and and being a 222 230 hitter yeah you’re far better than that yeah you’re far better than that well thank you uh seeing Tony Lusa here today what is it like because

Since it’s fantasy camp and you know Terry seach and we get to hang with him World Series champion you know All-Star game MVP and you know you got you got Stu and you got everybody out here so it’s like the fantasy right but what’s it like for you you know as as Tony’s

Gotten older you know Hall of Famer A’s Hall of Famer what is it like when you guys you accomplish so much in this game what’s it like when you guys just get back here in the locker room and you’re talking with Tony you know I I think I’m GNA

Speak for myself and and there might be other players that feel the same way but while you while you’re playing the game and even once you’re kind of out of the game you really don’t ever uh uh uh give yourself or a lot of credit for stuff that you accomplished you know three

World Series appearances World Series champ MVP you know all BL blah blah you know stuff like that but when you get your group together like now so Tony walked into that room and we go to the coach’s room and we start reminiscing about stories we go oh what about that

Play and and what about that situation and man I think this was the best team you know coming from Tony’s words that he was ever uh uh uh privileged to to manage it’s when you start reminiscing and talking amongst yourselves that you you you almost like take a step back and

Realize man what we did was pretty cool what we did you know was pretty special we had a very unique group of guys and and and we sat inside that room and you kind of went to Third Base then we went to shortstop who was playing short and

Then we went to Jose how good of an offensive player and defensive player he was early in his career you know he patrolled right field arguably should have got a gold glove one of those years then you go to Dave and then you go to rookie and you you you talk and laugh

And joke and tease and then you you you you kind of like Out of Body Experience you know you step back a little bit and go man that’s right we we did a lot we were we were pretty good you know we we

We had a lot of fun and and yeah I can kind of see why you know a lot of these campers are like hey nice to meet you Mr steinbuck nice to meet you Mr lford you know but you you you kind of forget about that you know as as a you guys

Were rock stars well I don’t want to go you were we had fun I was in high school I was in high school you I mean Jose cono and so I’ve gotten to do quite a bit with Jose and because Jose it is what it is right there there’s the

There’s a crowd that loves him there’s a crowd that doesn’t it bottom line is when I was growing up Jose cono was the biggest star in baseball he was an integral part of our team period and and and I’m agreeing with you yeah do we agree with everything that happened

Everything he did no but you go back you go back Fus what did he these these Rings he of that and so I’m glad that I think it was five seven years ago he finally started to come back I I think it was one of the

Reunion teams that that we had that he he you know kind of I don’t know what he yes he said he came back I mean or said he was G gonna come back and for us it was good to see him you know it’s like damn Jose you’re an idiot but man it’s

Good to see you you know I mean those years were fun look at this reunion that we’re having look at all the people that are cheering for us you know and you kind of I don’t know what do you want to say like like like like bury the hatchet

Or or you know all of us have probably done dumb things in our life you know but it doesn’t ruin you forever you know what I mean so for me yeah it was good to see him back because he was part of those teams we had tremendous stories

Like you’re saying I mean we can you know the the the the the home run in the Sky Dome that’s up in the fifth deck and I’ll never forget the photographer went up their next day took a picture where the ball landed and where home plate was

And home plate was this tiny tiny little dot you know and you’re going man you know and and we reminisce about the stadiums that we would go to and you have cono Maguire and Dave Henderson in group four and Max’s case Jose’s case we’re at finway Park and they’re hitting

90% of the balls over and out of uh finway Park and the Boston fans how [ __ ] they are they saw that performance nvp they stood up and gave that group of standing o you know you don’t see that especially at Boston but that’s how special that group of people we had and

And the talent that we had you know one guy I want to bring it up because I watched it I watch a lot of MLB Network you know it is what it is right and I watch a lot of it and I was watching the Dave Cobra documentary and to watch the

Part once again I’m in high school at the time you guys are the biggest you know because 888 I graduate in 90s so 88 899 these are my these are my formative baseball years I’m going to play baseball in college baseball’s everything for me you guys are the

Number one team and it got to the part because they go through the whole Pittsburgh then it goes to Cincinnati and then it’s the Dave Parker coming to Oakland and you’re like Dave Parker swinging that Sledgehammer in the on Deck Circle he’s the veteran guy he’s

Been Allstar he’s been MVP he’s been the what was it like when just old man Dave Parker who was larger than life personality-wise career-wise shows up to help you guys win a World Series I mean 100% Larger than Life but uh uh uh consistent with what the A’s did and who

The A’s brought in yeah Dave you’re great yeah look at your accolades but coming from him and joining us he says what can I do to be part of this team what can I contribute to make this group of guys a winning team what can we do to

Get to the World Series what can we do to win you know the World Series and when you hear that coming from a guy like Dave Parker and the credentials and accolades that he already had it was like hell yeah you know we can do this

And and having him part of that was was fantastic and I’ll never forget it uh he’s been out of the game and I was out of the game we were at some function where it might have been an autograph I can’t remember what it was but I see him

You know I’m thinking well here’s Dave Parker you know look at I mean yes a teammate of mine and World Ser Champion but all the other stuff he’s done and the first thing he does comes and gives you a big old hug and said steiny I

Can’t believe how much fun we had in those years that was fun I’m going you got a whole career that you could go back and reflect on and yet he felt that way about the the the group of people that we assembled for those teams so

There was a time over at NBC doing uh a I know he’s got to go I just gotta I got to get this uh so we’re doing the pre- and postgame show for NBC Stu and I yeah and we started getting into a story about how

He loved to mess with you and there was this time in Toronto he messed with you but then he had the whole thing of Bud Lights for you after the game and I was thinking you know you were a young catcher Bob Welch already established himself in the World Series Dodgers

Right here’s Dave Stewart 20 game winner you were a young guy dealing with some veteran big names Moore I mean Here Comes eers Le eckersley’s turned his career around but echle had already thrown a no hitter in 120 games you dealt with a Honeycut you dealt with a

Lot of Veteran guys as a young catcher through those great years what was that like Mike Moore Bobby welz you know we throw those names in there um yes it was hard I they they couldn’t have been more helpful um they uh uh through the

Attitude of the a system and I mean Dave Duncan is the pitching coach Renee Latchman as as our catching coach the meetings that we had with dunk and and and the pitchers prior to games and the uh uh willingness and the ability of me wanting to learn and their patience and

Their experience of saying hey this guy is going to be our catcher we’re gonna work with him and we tease a lot about Stu I mean I give this story all the time because Tony was big on momentum of the game catcher it’s your job to be in

Sync with what the pitch is doing and he wanted want a fast-paced game you know defense keeps on track want to get her hitters off the field get them back on in the batter box so we can score runs and Stu had a series of signs one two

Three four so I put one down all right and Stu wipes he wipes two three four one right back to one winds up and throws the pitch well what the hell that’s just what I called you know so so I wait you know we we wait till the

Game’s over and and again you know the buckets of beer and and we’re talking Sho and we’re reminising and I’m going Sue I got to talk to you what I said what the hell happened in the fifth inning what do you mean the fifth inning

I put down one and you went 2 3 4 1 why would you just put what I called down and he starts laughing stny I don’t want you to think that you know what the hell you’re calling and to this day we just talked we just brought that up the other night

And we laugh about it but the good thing was that group of pitchers were were willing enough to work with me and I was willing to do what I could for them and we had stew which is a good for Fork ball pitcher I had to block balls with

Guys on third Mike Moore was a good forkball pitcher had to block balls with a guy on Third and once you show those pictures that you have the ability and and the knowledge and to to to do that they feel comfortable hey I got a big

Strike out here you know we got two outs guy on Third and and and and Joe Carter’s on Deck we got to get this hit it out Fork balls the pitch in the dirt block it catch it tag the guy out we’re out of the inning and once they know

That they confidently they can do that and you’re going to knock that ball down you gain a lot of respect all right what time do you want people in tonight I want them in so they can perform what time you tell me a time let’s go midnight no later than midnight

I don’t want any special rooms going on tonight all right when the bar closes it’s closed well I I was going to negotiate till 11: you’re going midnight well they might have to drink their wounds tonight last night they drank their successes tonight it’s going to be the

Other way you have my word it will be shut down at midnight remember we just said this phrase today if you’re going to Hoot with the how owls you have to soar with the Eagles if you’re going to Hoot with the owls at night you got to

Soore with the Eagles in the morning you got it make sure my club knows that unfortunately your club didn’t bring that today the eagle was not flying or the eagle hasn’t flown yet today let’s put it that way okay maybe what I’ll do last round of Gatorades just so we can

Get everybody electrolytes and get everybody for the night whatever it takes we’ll find out tomorrow you know what you mean in A’s history and all these fans you mean a lot and it’s always great and to get you out of the snow get you out of Minnesota get you

Here in the sun it’s a little bit better right you stay here for the month yeah we’re staying here we got friends of ours we got a condo rented we’ll leave the 30 to 31st depending on what the weather is if it’s colder we’ll stay that one extra

Day always great having you on thanks for having us and again I appreciate the a fans they they’ve been fantastic we got more coming up next right here on a cast live hey it’s Eno SAS your friendly neighborhood baseball scribe there are two things I love baseball and beer but

I’m not busy around the ballpark you’re likely catching me back with a cold one at any of fieldwork brewing’s eight locations sprinkled across the bay area fieldworks got a rotating lineup of over 20 beers on top that’s as diverse as any 26-man roster they got everything from

Super juicy hazy ipas to crisp pillers and tropical sour that make his taste buds do the wave whether you’re all about that draft life or prer to grabs from can to go fieldworks got your bases covered check them out at fieldwork brewing.com to learn more that’s fieldwork ring.com this is Chris Townsen

And Commander Cody for link Soul the new summer col and prints are in stock the new polos lightweight all the colors you want fabulous we got our new order my wife is so happy that I’m dressing so much better oh thanks to link Soul you name it whether it’s polos whether it’s

Shorts anything for your summer needs you need to revamp your wardrobe you go to link soul.com and they got great summer deals go to link soul.com that’s link soul.com A’s General Manager David forest was on a cast live during the winter meetings and explained why the team was moving Mason Miller to the bullpen Mason’s tried starting now over three years minor leagues big leagues keeps coming up with something and uh we’re going to

Try the pen and and you know to Mason’s credit he’s open to whatever he’s obviously a little disappointed I think everybody wants to be a starter when it comes down to it but but I mean he you know obviously like you said with his stuff you could have a really impressive

Career in full pen but we told him this is not permanent like go out there let’s try and keep you healthy for a year that’s got to be the first step that way you help yourself you help the team and then we can reevaluate you can watch the full interview at

Youtube.com/ Athletics or listen at athletics.com Aast if you’re looking for a new mattress Nest betting has you covered sleep on the same mattress Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson sleeps on Nest betting is the number one brand of online mattresses in the Bay Area ‘s favorite mattress store take home the easy breather pillow the New York Times calls

It their number one pick you can navigate their easyuse website Nest bing.com that’s Nest bing.com green and gold fans use the coupon code Oakland and you get 10% off your entire order Nest bedding love where you sleep if you’re looking for a great place to eat and watch games go see our

Friends at the chicken pie shop of Walnut Creek the chicken pie shop is one of the hottest restant in Walnut Creek you’re not going to find a better menu and come try the world famous chicken pie that has been served in Southern California for 86 years spacious indoor

And outdoor dining perfect for your next private party or corporate event don’t forget free parking for more information go through Chicken pwc.com that’s chicken pyop wc.com A manager Mark Kat was on a cast live at the winter meetings and discussed the culture being built by the young a I think we do have a collection of talent um that they that the A’s fans saw come together really in August in September

You know if you look at the first half of the year you know we were staring at history Zach gof showed up and a couple others kind of changed the culture the the next group that came the Sodom Butler group kind of recognized how difficult the big leagues really are I

Think the culture that was built in September amongst this young group is going to continue forward in Spring training they’re going to continue to challenge each other they’re going to continue to hold each other accountable which is uh is all the right things um to build going forward for you know

Winning ball Club you can watch the full interview at youtube.com/ Athletics or listen at athletics.com Aast nestled in the hills of San Jose minutes from Silicon Valley cinear Hills Golf Club offers 27 holes of championship golf a first class Pro Shop practice facility and great food in the grill this time of year also means family and business get togethers let the folks at cabar Hills make your event

Unforgettable while enjoying their award-winning venue it’s all there for you Championship golf a great space for any events and incredible food see it all at cinear hills.com that’s cinear hills.com Angels manager Ron Washington was on a cast live at Nashville and talked about his new role with the organization it’s about making a

Difference uh it’s about teaching which the game certainly need more than any time it ever needed it because uh the baseball players now are young you know you have to teach you usually do that in the minor leagues but now you got to do it at the at the major league and I’ve

Always been a teacher and I’m ready for this opportunity and a challenge you can watch the full interview at youtube.com/ atics or listen at athletics.com /cast and the underdog Oakland Athletics win their first championship since they were in Philadelphia in 1930 hi I’m Raley fingers Hall of Famer three-time World Series champion with the Oakland A’s and World Series MVP winning takes teamwork skill and heart so when you need an ace for a personal injury lawyer

That will win you the game go with the winning team call vardi Zera at 833 VZ for me or go to VZ lawfirm.com bardi serata the official injury law firm of the Oakland A like sports business is about winning Championship decisions are business decisions based on what it takes to help

Your company win and that’s why there’s ubo Business Services specializing in helping you win every day by streamlining workflows managing documents and providing the best-in-class office technology make your championship decision with ubo Business Services visit them at uo.com that’s ube.com Ace cast live continues from the studio here’s Chris Townsen well I have to tell you I said I’m gonna end this show I’m gonna end fantasy camp on aast live I don’t want slow I don’t want old I don’t want some who can’t bring it I want someone

Who brought it to the yard every single day I want somebody who the fans Love Cody somebody who was a fan favorite and but we delir delivered and delir delivered Adam Rosales Rosie what’s up man how are you I’m doing great how are you doing uh this is it for us well I’m

Gonna be here through Monday through all the awards and the championship thing and I’m going to do the Raleigh fingers uh uh interview but uh this for us live on Ace cast live this is it you’re bringing us home all right I’m happy to do that I’m honored so uh how are you

First and foremost fantastic never better and how’s your team doing we were better yesterday our name is called someday because last year Cad and I we didn’t win one game you didn’t win one game we didn’t win one game and CAD didn’t win I think two years ago he

Didn’t win one game so we named our team someday you’ll win and we did we won yesterday and we have we didn’t win today so maybe we should change that name to yesterday it’s fun though it’s so much fun out here to watch these people give

It their all I mean it’s just it’s a lot of fun I mean it’s there’s like there’s there’s so much joy in these people’s faces and their effort they love it they love it it’s their fantasy of being a big leager you know they get the treatment inside the clubhouse house you

Know we have a fun time do the kangaroo court stuff and they come out here on the field and we try to treat them like major league baseball players you know but it’s there’s a lot of challenges though for these for these uh Major Leaguers you know there’d be a lot of CH

I mean for us I mean I mean I mean you’re even in really good shape I mean still if you went out there you’d be sore I I feel like just playing catch I’m sore right and these guys are out here playing double headers I’m like wow

Yeah that’s a good challenge Ian it’s uh but I mean this is something relatively you did was last year your first year yeah first year doing it so you’ve got to and you now you’re starting to see what lot of lot like what shudy babbett and everybody seen it’s like a family

Atmosphere around here these people a lot of people have been here for many straight years yeah I didn’t know what to expect coming in last year you know just kind of like all right yeah I’ll do it sounds like a lot of fun I’ve heard

Great things about it I got through it I I saw everything happen got that experience and I just couldn’t wait to get back for this year so it’s uh it’s definitely something I look forward to every year now you know when I think about your connection with this

Organization kind of wild right I mean would you have ever thought like if when you’re first coming up and you’re bouncing around did you ever think wow I’m not just going to be you know working in the A’s I’m gonna be a part of like the A’s family you know what I I

Felt that right away when I was an a you know Billy Bean called me up that that day I still remember it when I got traded from the Reds yes in what 2010 he called me up and just the way he made me feel how welcome I felt and I got to the

A’s and it was like automatic a special place in my heart for the A’s and it’s been great ever since the relationship that I’ve had being in Oakland A you know I remember when the A’s got you and immediately in that spring training immed game started you start playing

Like every day like you were gonna get an opportunity that spring was huge for you you were getting an opportunity that you’d never gotten before yeah one of the campers asked what was the pivotal part in my career what was my break and I was like I never really thought about

That that’s a great question and I think it was when Billy Bean called me that that shift from playing for the Cincinnati Reds to the Oakland A’s I feel like that was a big break in my career was kind of cool to have the conversation with one of the campers

Today at lunch yeah that is I because I remember it I remember we’re running the games and it was like remember you know you were one of the main Acquisitions in the off season and you’re playing like every every day during spring and you’re getting that opportunity you know

Obviously they saw something in you that I think now you’re seeing as a coach like they saw they always management saw there was this this baseball guy in you you’re now becoming that guy from a coach standpoint does that make sense you mean like like I see other players

Like that or what yes like the way you were a grinder the way you worked hard you brought it every day you were on time and that means something by the way folks being on time ready to go you were that kind of player you were a hustler

Billy needed more of that inside the organization and like you you’re now as a coach making that happen inside the organization very interesting yeah I try my best to bring that that same energy it’s it’s a lot different Dynamic being a coach because you are responsible for so many different personalities and you

Have to understand what works for them you know I knew what worked for me you know I always have my foot on the gas pedal my whole career I couldn’t take it off but here it’s different you know as a coach you gotta understand what these kids need and understand like how to

Communicate with them so that you can put them in a good position to succeed you know how tough is a manager was it for you when a guy didn’t hustle like you did I couldn’t stand it it’s it was really hard to to see that and I you

Know there’s times where I took kids out of games I’m like you need I expect expect more than I’ve told you I’ve expect more out of you than that so I had to take them out of the game and they have to learn the hard way sometimes you know but um but that

Didn’t happen too often a lot of times these young kids that we have down here in the ACL where I’ll be coaching they put their heart and soul into it they they do their best and they do grind it out just like I was as a player but

Sometimes you see those guys that just can’t can’t do it well that’s say they’ve always talked about with coaching it’s like you know great hitters will look at guys who struggle and go well why can’t you hit you’re you one of your biggest strengths was being

A guy that brought it every day yeah that’s and that’s effort is something everybody can control that’s the right that’s what I always preach to the players here you got to bring that you can like you said like you can control that you got a choice to make to bring

That energy every day and to see that like as a manager to see somebody run out on the field or run the bases correctly and bring that energy it’s infectious and that’s why I try to tell them how important that is for this game of baseball and a lot of them buy into

It but then again it’s a lot of hard work and determination to keep that same mentality for even just 58 games or whatever we play let alone 162 you know and now you’re gonna be settling back into a hitting coach role that’s yeah that’s what I understand hitting coach

Base running infielding maybe a little bench coaching for Tim Esme and I’m really really excited about that to really connect with the players I feel like I bring a lot of value to understand what they’re going through and to relate with them I feel like they’re going to appreciate me more like

That and the value that I can bring to them in a cage or on the the infield dirt um yeah just that connection that direct connection with the player and put a lot of time into like studying them and figuring out what what they might need help with you know what’s so

Interesting is that’s also what Bobby Crosby’s doing so so both you and Bobby Crosby got the managing experience and then now he’s going to be up with the big club and it’s going to be focusing on individuals it’s it’s like both of you got a great lesson you got the

Lesson of what it’s like to be the main guy and you have to control everything and now you can get back into honing honing your craft working with individual players right right and I think Bobby’s gonna be Fant I’m so happy for him to be at that major league level

And be able to do that and the players are gonna love having him around you know from the what how I know Bobby and just the his reputation around the A’s organization reputation around baseball he’s going to be great up in the major league so yeah it’s great to take that

Role on you know like you said I think you and I had a conversation before about how important it is to to get that experience as a manager and now how it’s going to augment what we’re doing as a a hidden coach or bench coach whatever

We’re gonna be you know it changes you yeah for sure yeah because Mark katay will tell you that I know Bob Melvin has told me that it’s like it changes you in life when you become the guy and you got to look after every because you have to

Look at after all the coaches you got to look all the players it’s a great experience and it also is great for you to go back to being the coach you’re now a hitting coach working with all the hitters right exactly and that’s like again I’m really looking forward to that

And understanding it obviously just like as a baseball player you’re always learning as a baseball player as a coach it’s a whole different Dynamic and I’m geeked every day to learn from the staff here when all the staff is in here for spring training I just soak it in you

Know we have all the meetings before we talk about the players or the the organization and what’s expected and it’s amazing what I absorb in those rooms and learn and I do my best to try to implement all those those qualities out on the field for these players now

When you’re working with a lot of these young guys who are first coming into pro ball there’s a reason why they got to pro ball but there’s also things they need to change but there’s a dynamic there like you don’t want to change a guy too to much to where you completely

Alter him and he’s done right he’s in trouble right so it’s like you need to fix some guys but you don’t need to tweak too much what is that like when because you saw it as a manager and as coach like when you got these young guys

Very raw really good athletes coming in like there’s an art to how much to tweak and how much not to I don’t know if that I if I’m explaining that well but there is you don’t want to do too much yeah right there’s a happy medium right

There’s a there’s um less is more sometimes but that’s why it’s so important to get to know the player and I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned in managing is the trust that the player needs to have in you before you can help a player like he’s got to

Trust you in order to actually absorb something that you’re saying right you can’t just you get like you said you gotta you gotta show them how much you really care you know it’s their career ultimately but they really need to feel that you care about them and that they

Can trust you that’s not easy gaining trust is it’s not easy it’s not easy but that’s why you work together that’s why you collaborate in the in the hit in the meetings you know with the coaches to make sure that we’re all on the same page it’s all one voice trying to help

One kid you know and that’s not easy to do that collaboration but I know we do we do our best to talk about what these players need and so that we all understand but that’s I think that’s the key though to be on the same page and you know have that collaboration well

You know so you know for for fans so interesting is that they see the finished product right they see the big league product you see the big Leaguers well they got to start from somewhere and you’re getting guys who don’t speak the language they’re not from this

Country or they’re really young kids out of high school just talk about what you’re seeing when you’re first getting these guys they’re not playing a full season they’re as raw as raw can be yeah and I think when you say raw immediately I think of like the the mental capacity

And the mental strength that they have to have I think that’s what they have to understand is yeah they get the physical Talent like they can play in the big leagues I believe they can play in the big leagues but the question is can they play every day in the big leagues can

They stay healthy can they deal with failure do they know where to go on the field in different situations do they understand the mental side of the game that’s what I believe separates a kid from one level to the next is their capacity to learn the game of baseball

And really implement what they learn so how are you longterm what what what are you thinking longterm for you cuz right now I know cuz you got the young kids you’re like you’re like cool with this but at some point kids get older Adam Rosales gets older yeah so what do you

Thinking long term man yeah I do I talked to my wife a lot about it you know when the kids are a little bit older because obviously like I I love this time I’m grateful I’m and this organization loves you too so there’s like you know there’s a lot of things

There’s a lot of things you can do in this organization yeah no I appreciate that and I and I really want to help out the best I can um yeah I mean I do aspire to to get to the major league level you know and to to help out at

That level um I know it’s going to take a lot of work when the time comes to do that um but I really yeah it would be really neat to get back to the major leagues and to understand what it takes to to help a major league level player

Out you know maybe get you back to the big Le it’d be nice but like you said uh I’m always transparent you know like I right now I’m just trying to be a husband and father right here um in Mesa Arizona I got to tell you you were

Always one of my favorites to cover wild times and there was that one year it’s like you’re in our clubhouse then you’re with the Rangers then you’re back with us and you’re back with the r that was there haven’t been too many guys have ever gone back and forth two franchises

One season like that was that just unreal it was I think it was more unreal for my wife than it was for me cuz I was in I was in Toronto with the A’s right and my wife’s in Oakland waiting to hear what happens next as we get a fou ball

Yeah and then all of our stuff’s in Texas with all of our stuff like all of our our car with all of our baggage and all that it was kind of a wild time but but it’s cool it’s cool to tell the story you know I tell the the story a

Lot to young kids you know that I work with with the A’s or outside you know with high school kids I get to tell them stuff that look you’re going to go through some stuff like this in life you know and it’s kind of the adjustments

You got to make quick but then again you always have such support like the support system that you have you go to a new Clubhouse and the the team welcomes you you know a lot of respect especially at the major league level Yeah well yeah you were a great test at what adversity

Is because in that face of adversity oh by the way yeah I don’t care what uniform you put on you got to perform you have to perform there’s no question yeah you definitely have to help the team win and that’s that was my mentality the whole my number one goal

When I was a little kid was to play one game on Wrigley Field and I got to do that and once I did that I’m like What’s Next you know and my goal was to win a World Series you know that was like what I was fighting for in the offseason to

Train for and hoping to get an opportunity and it was cool I got to go to the playoffs with the A’s in 2012 you know I got to go to playoffs a couple other times but never quite got to the World Series but um yeah you got You

Gotta Be You Gotta produce and you got you gotta have that winning mentality um Al it’s gonna be really hard to develop the way you’re supposed to develop you know and now we just need you to go win a game of fantasy camp we’ll see if that’s we’re down 13 to two right

Now how do you know that well it was 13 to two when I left it’s pitching in defense right defense wins Championship yeah your defense is not winning you anything all right my friend all right tal is great to hang good to see it we’ll see you at spring training all right awesome

Looking forward to it great stuff great stuff the great Adam Rosales right here on a cast live when we come back we’re going to wrap everything up from fantasy camp right here in Arizona it’s Chris Townsen and Commander Cody for link Soul you need to redo your wardrobe especially for summer they got

New colors new Styles summer is here the polos unbelievable the shorts you name it we got our new order my wife is the happiest one out of all of us because I look better thanks to link soul and they’ve got unbelievable deals right now for the summer so what do you waiting

For shirts polos shorts you name it you go to link soul.com that’s link soul.com hey it’s Eno SAS your friendly neighborhood baseball scribe there are two things I love baseball and beer when I’m not busy around the ballpark you’re likely catching me back with a cold one

At any of Fiel workor ruins eight locations sprinkled across the bay area fieldworks got a rotating lineup of over 20 beers on to that’s as diverse as any 26-man roster they got everything from Super juy hazy ipas the crisp psers and tropical sours that make the taste buds

Do the way whether you’re all about that draft life prefer to grabs some cans to go fieldworks got your bases covered check them out at fieldwork brewing.com to learn more that’s fieldwork brewing.com streaming from the a road Studio a cast live continues with Chris Townsen another successful trip

Commander uh this was fun second fantasy camp for us in the books now we got spring training in like a month right a little over a month yeah I like it I like how we do winter meetings Fantasy Camp into spring training and then Away

We Go season starts the grind is upon us again well you get so much down here right you get the history I mean you get to be like a kid when you see these guys I when you get to see Dave Stewart and conne Lansford and Terry Steinbach

You know I can imagine like years ago when you used to have all the the guys from the 70s here we’re going to have Raleigh fingers here tomorrow truly one of the great pitchers in the history of baseball it’s too bad you know we’re supposed to have was and step vote here

But unfortunately not not Unfortunately they got big league manager jobs so they’re a little busy life Chang for them but this is a wonderful if you’re you can’t say it enough to be a part of the fantasy camp family you know when he had shoy babbit here yesterday he’s been

Doing this for what 26 years yeah and he started talking and choking up about it because I mean he’s got lifelong friendships because of being a part of this and you want to be a part of this if you love baseball and you want to

Play and you want I mean come down to Fantasy Camp it makes for a great gift whether it’s birthday whether it’s Christmas you name it could be an anniversary gift I it’s a great gift and then you know it’s it’s men women and then next you know their their kids end

Up playing so it’s uh you got four fields of baseball going at all time you all times you can’t beat it it it’s a it’s a spectacular event and I’m just I’m proud that we finally got to be a part of it how cool it is yeah maybe one

Of these years we’ll we’ll get out there no I mean I You’ you L You’ literally you need to be ready though you’ve gota you when maybe it should be me I’m the younger one huh maybe I should got there I’m the younger one have about it I did

Play basketball last week in Pittsburgh with my friends and how’d that work set him group text next morning I say hey how you guys feeling my buddy who’s a doctor goes yeah I to take some uh uprofit in town before I went to work this morning you just you you you need to

Prepare you need to start throwing that’s what Ash was saying he was trading for a while and like he said he has thrown up a mountain in 25 years I mean we we would literally need to go across the street from my house and start playing catch in the Park yeah and

Just need to just slowly but truly get into shape running sprinting taking ground balls I mean you got to get into shape you know what I’m I’m going to go do you one better I’m going to call Eno have him hook me up I’ll go up to drive

Line and work out up there yeah go to drive line we’ll work on your stuff plus tell me how that works out get my V up a little bit and then that was the good part about today also was catching up with Nick Allen Ryan NOA Zach Goff I get

It everybody can can the naysayers can say whatever they want especially about the players saying about winning until they do it it’s just talk but the vibe around these guys and what their expectations are and what they think it gives me hope yeah for sure and

It was good like you said it was great to catch up with them and they know spring training will be here and we’ll catch up with everyone and you can’t tell me the division has gotten better no the division has not gotten better there’s a lot of Chaos in the division

There is time I mean you think we have chaos there’s chaos everywhere and who who can get better inside the chaos let’s see real quick Angels haven’t done anything Astros haven’t done anything Mariners are subtracting um and the Rangers they haven’t done anything either I know they

Won the World Series they haven’t they haven’t really made they haven’t made any moves Jordan Montgomery still out there so so a lot to go I mean we still got a lot of big free agents out there Blake Snell hasn’t signed anywhere so this team they got better at the end of

Last year and these guys have a better taste in their mouth they’re young they’re hungry and they got talent that that’s the thing You’ be young and hungry no Talent you got no chance no Talent no chance but there’s Talent there that this trip got me fired up for

Spring training same it was good this gonna be ready to rock spring training Ace cast live we’re going to have we’re going to have you covered wall toall A’s and what’s going on on with the Athletics from the front office to the coaching staff to the players to the

40-man roster to the prospects we will have everybody we will cover it like a snuggie that’s still thing they have different like my kids have the it’s like the hood with the I don’t think the feet is that a onesie one no no onesie with the where your

Feet go in oh like the like the babies you put the babies in the onesie and adults like on I don’t know about the snuggy was like the was wasn’t like like a was like a blanket thing wasn’t it it was like a a u almost like a uh what you

Take camping sleeping bag it’s like it was like a sleeping bag with a hood right oh okay yeah yeah but the analogy is it covers everything we cover everything like a snuggie and we’ll do that in all baseball because there is and hopefully by the time we come back

For spring training that Chapman has a home Bellinger has a home SN hater that all these guys have a it’s crazy you’re it’s Jan is it the 11th or 12th today’s the 12th it’s the 12th and you’ve got all these Prime free agents haven’t signed yet and how many of these guys

Are Boris guys you think they’re happy a lot of them are Boris guys you think they’re happy no you think you’re happy on January 12th and you don’t have a job you don’t have a job every day that goes by your leverage where’s your leverage we’re in a game of

Leverage yeah where’s your leverage right now well they don’t have any right now yeah I think hopefully some all all those guys are signed by spring training well they will be because you well maybe they won’t maybe some guys will take it in Spring maybe B says I’m not playing

Till you give me the $200 million I want which Eno said I said he would not give them 200 million so we’ll see what happens it’ll be interesting we we got what a like a month and a week so five weeks well pitchers and catchers report what on the 17th valent Valentine’s Day

14th maybe yeah maybe it’s Valentine’s Day so they’re reporting so if you’re a pitcher they’re reporting pretty quick it’s so ramp up now although Nick Al was a drive line too so everyone’s everyone’s going to drive line this offseason apparently well that’s what we’re gonna send you

That get ready for Fantasy that would be hilarious probably not in the budget but we’ll send you to drive line to get you ready send you to drive line in December we’re we got a rowdy crowd here on the back fields back backfield three looked like there was a big

Double it looks like it’s a two-run double that that’s four against Dallas bradden’s team Dallas Braden team oh Dallas is going out High fiveing he’s punching his guy it’s heated here Fantasy Camp telling you the best part of fantasy camp was walking in here not a pitch been thrown and Dave Stewart screaming

From the field full uniform hat the bill turned and he’s all over the commissioner screaming at him didn’t even then I’m walking by he’s not even saying hello like normally how Dave Stewart is a a fine gentleman Dave Stewart Dave Stewart’s hey and and you see like when Dave turns

It on when that flip switches with Dave Stewart you don’t want to be around yeah he had choice I got to hear Choice words out of Dade Stewart’s mouth before a pitch was thrown here Fantasy Camp if that’s not what you’re paying to see I don’t know

What else I wish I missed it but I I I’m sure great it was great it was great and then and then now Terry’s mad at us because we kept all his guys out late last night if you can hear Dave Stewart Dave Stewart curse at like 9:00 am it’s

The best it’s the best uh yeah t we were just we were having a nice Fantasy Camp social Gathering it’s not my fault Bobby Crosby’s loud not Bobby Crosby’s loud he uh and the more he consumes the louder he gets so we had to move it into

This room where the Rotary Club was see that’s the kind of stuff you get your fantasy camp you get to hang out with us at night you get to do everything during the day so where that added bonus so that you pay for to come you get to you

Can you can sit there and you get the full experience of having a few drinks with the commander yeah Ash loved it and he said it was the best part of the trip so between the two of you he knew it was a conversation made in heaven deir and I

Were just laughing going these two are made for each other we’re talking about traveling in Australia and bar pubs and uh how much of Australia is undiscovered it was great no I I can’t even imagine Cliff claven meeting Cliff claven it was the best he he he invited us out he did

Invite us out to go to Australia it’s like Kramer George castanic and Cliff Cleveland all meeting each other at one time did you get any Pittsburgh in there no there’s there was no no there was no pittsb there was one of the fantasy campers is from Pittsburgh though and

Then she goes oh yeah um I mention I live in San Jose and she goes oh yeah my friend lives in San Jose too in Japan Town she shows her address it’s across the robot tracks from where I live such a small world can’t make it up [Laughter]

You can’t make it up all right do you have the list of everybody we’ve had um I closed it let me open it come on it was a big list big list all right hold on it’s we’re almost there um we had yesterday we had Dallas Braden Bobby

Crosby Carney Lansford Dave Stewart and shudy babbit today uh Nick Allen Ryan Nota Zack gof Terry Steinbach and Adam Rosales so every yeah we R out everyone we need we want I’m glad we got I’m glad we talked to the young guys as they got me fired up all right partner great

Stuff all righty when we come back it will be spring training time our first day back will be when TW 20th February 20th February 20th till then be well my friends and that’ll do it for a cast live and a cast from from fantasy camp year two in the books it was wonderful

Thank you everybody for watching we always appreciate it and next time we’ll see you’ll be February 20th back here in the valley of the sun it’s almost that time again Ace fans spring training will be here before you know it and the Oakland Athletics will be celebrating 10

source