Braden, 'Zook' champs off the field

OAKLAND, Sept. 18, 2009 -- Congrats to Kurt Suzuki and Dallas Braden, who were honored in a pregame ceremony tonight as the co-winners of the annual Dave Stewart Community Service Award.

Braden, who still can't even jog because of the nerve problem in his left foot, has done the bulk of his charity work in downtrodden Stockton, feeding the less fortunate on Thanksgiving and sponsoring a couple of Little Leaguers being raised by a single mom. I've never seen anyone with such pride and passion for his hometown. An honor richly deserved.  

Suzuki is best-known off the field for what he's done to raise help offset the massive medical bills of former college teammate Jon Wilhite, who survived -- barely -- the grisly accident that took the life of, among others, Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart.

Wilhite's recovery has been borderline miraculous. The guy suffered internal decapitation, which means his skull was separated from his spine, and that's certain death in virtually every instance. But not only has 'Zook's buddy survived, he's thrived. Sports Illustrated recently ran a great article detailing it all. Check it out if you get a chance.

And now, time for a few wind sprints around The Coli ...

... The more I see of Landon Powell, the more I think he should be Oakland's designated hitter next season. He hasn't hit for much of an average, but the kid's got serious pop, and I bet he'd be a .260-.270 hitter with regular time. Either way, he's too gifted and too young to be a backup to an iron man like Kurt Suzuki, and he's not healthy enough to be an everyday position player. Just let the man hit.

... Speaking of Powell, Eric Munson was called up from Triple-A Sacramento a week ago to be the third catcher and still hasn't played. I'm guessing he'd rather be back with his boys right about now fighting it out for the Pacific Coast League crown in Sacramento.

... Never been a huge fan of Meat Loaf's music, but I've quite enjoyed his work as an actor -- in part because he never seems to take himself all that seriously. So I was thrown for a loop this morning when I happened upon a promo for "Citizen Jane," a TV movie he's done for the Hallmark Channel (home of "Golden Girls," a guilty pleasure of mine). It seems he's taking himself a bit more seriously now, because he's no longer just Meat Loaf. He's Meat Loaf Aday, last name included, as if to distinguish himself from all the other Meat Loafs (Loaves?) out there. Bad for Ball.
 
... Daric Barton looks like the guy we saw in September 2007 right now. Patient, balanced, confident, the works. He's tracking balls deep, taking pitches he can't drive and squaring a lot of balls up. He got robbed twice tonight on balls that were crushed, first on a diving catch in center field, then on a leaping catch at the right-field wall that took a home run away. Also hit a one-hop smash down the first-base line that went for a routine 3U.

... Digging Cliff Pennington's arm right about now. The throw he made after a ball deflected off Mark Ellis tonight was an absolute seed.

... Rajai Davis and I were chatting in the dugout this afternoon, discussing his successful baiting of an outfielder in Texas on Wednesday to get an extra base, when I told him I was waiting for him to steal home with that classic Little League play: take off when the catcher lobs the ball back to the pitcher. A few hours later, he steals third on exactly the kind of play we were talking about. I'm certainly not taking credit for it, but it sure did make my night that much more enjoyable. Love that guy.

... If you're A's management, you had to wince when Vin Mazzaro, out for the year now, said he thought he was "pretty good" this year. Um, no. He was pretty good a few times. The rest of the time he was average at best. That's how he got to 4-9 with a 5.32 ERA. The kid's got a ton of talent, but someone needs to pull him aside and make sure he understands that mediocrity can't be accepted. He simply can't be allowed to go into the offseason thinking he was "pretty good."

... Add Clayton Mortensen to the list of viable rotation candidates next spring. The list is pretty long now. Should be a lot of fun in Phoenix come March.

That's all for now, folks. Peace, chicken fajitas and Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits to all ...
            
--Mychael Urban