Notes From The Nat

Many are the times, over the last few years, that while talking to peopple at Nat Bailey Stadium, I was told "you should go talk to Rud - he’s that guy over there, watching from the first base side - he has more stories than anyone. He’s been around this place for decades…"

More often than not, I’d think to myself, "Yeah, I should totally go talk to that guy." But I didn’t.

It was always a case of, maybe next season I’ll go sit with him and turn on the recorder and put his memories to print. Too much to do. Too much going on. Maybe tomorrow, and then maybe next year…

I missed my shot. Rud Haar passed away, leaving behind a wife of 69 years, three kids, and a heap of grandkids and great grandkids who, hopefully, can leave even half as big a mark as Rud left on Vancouver baseball.

Rud Haar was the groundskeeper at Nat Bailey Stadium for 19 years, but his involvement in local baseball went far longer than that. He was the founding President of the Pacific Metro League, which saved the last remaining teams from the 30-year-old old Industrial League and actually kicked on with a little growth, offering semi-pro ball at Capilano Stadium during the years when there was no other ball to see in this town.

He was a long time coach, administrator, fan and enthusiast, but the legacy he’ll be most remembered for in wider circles is the grass at Nat Bailey Stadium, which he tended to lovingly to the point where the ballpark was actually better known for its premier playing surface than just about anything else - no easy feat when the place is underwater for the first few months of the year, and under goose poop for the rest.

Rud was laid to rest last Sunday. You’d have to think that on gameday, however, he’ll be perched in his favorite seat, right next to old Nat Bailey, enjoying the game on the field.

And me? I’ll just quietly boot myself in the behind that I never recorded Rud’s thoughts and memories on tape.

Thankfully, others did, like the Vancouver Courier writer who talked to Rud about the famous Babe Ruth all-star game that happened in Vancouver on October 9th, 1934 - a game that an 18-year-old Rud Haar attended:

The 88-year-old Haar, the headgroundskeeper at Nat Bailey Stadium from 1981 through 1991, recalls, "Icame down from Woodfibre to take in the game. It took three or fourhours by Union Steamship. I would have been 18 then. It was a terribly,terribly wet day. As the game progressed, it got worse and worse. Thefield became pretty muddy. About the sixth inning, they made theannouncement that the game was going to be terminated because of theweather conditions. The crowd let out a big moan and Ruth came in fromthe outfield and said, ‘Look, if these people can sit here and watchus, we can stay out here and play.’ That impressed me. I remember thatso well."

They played the full nine innings to a 2-2 tie.

"There was a ball hitthrough the middle," remembers Haar, "and, despite the atrociousconditions, Gehringer went back of second and fielded that ballbackhand and threw to first. That play has stuck out in my mind allthese years. And Averill hit a homer that just seemed to go forever. Idon’t know if it cleared the houses on Sixth Avenue, but it was a greatclout. He really powered it. I was always an Earl Averill fan afterthat."

Rud Haar, Vancouver baseball legend, and now permanent resident of the field of dreams that is this city’s baseball past. 

News is slow for the C’s this time of year, but my handy Google alert system just gave me a heads up that the Canadians were mentioned as part of a minor league baseball award ceremony… only, not in the way you’d hope.

 Ask any catcher what’s the toughest hit to get and 99 out of 100 will say it’s a triple. With their typically stockier frame and worn-out knees, backstops are lucky if they have enough speed and energy to hustle their way to third on one swing.

Adam Witter of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes got that elusive extra-base hit and a whole lot more when he hit for the cycle on Aug. 29 against the Vancouver Canadians, earning MiLB.com’s Best Short-Season Single-Game Performance Award.

Gack. You guys remember that night, don’t you? I sure as hell do. We got crushed 19-3.

Just four days earlier, Witter, an non-drafted free agent out of East Carolina University, nearly pulled off the feat against the Canadians when he went 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. After the Volcanoes crossed the border to Nat Bailey Stadium, Witter picked up where he left off, banging a two-run triple to left-center field in the first inning.

"(I knew) as soon as I hit it," the 23-year-old said. "I’m an aggressive base runner and I don’t see too many triples every year, but as soon as I hit the ball deep in the gap, that’s the first thing I was thinking — triple. I was using my two-strike approach and just work my way on base any way I could, and I ended up squaring the ball on the outer half and drove it to the opposite gap." Center fielder Jermaine Mitchell was shaded toward right-center. The ball bounced in front of him, then ricocheted off the wall, giving Witter enough time to hustle into third. Two innings later, Witter drove in two more runs with a double to right. By then, thoughts of a cycle had crept into his head.

Bitter memories, aren’t they? But it gets worse….

There were some doubts as the game progressed, with Witter drawing a walk and singling in the fifth and seventh, respectively. But the Volcanoes erupted for 10 runs in the seventh on their way to a 19-3 rout. Eight batters into the frame, with two runners aboard, Witter strode to the plate again.

He got hold of a pitch from right-hander Shane Presutti and drove it just high enough to clear the center-field wall, giving Witter the home run, the cycle and a career-high seven RBIs. "They have a really big wall up there, so I knew I hit it hard enough," said Witter, who went 4-for-4 with four runs scored. "But I just wasn’t sure if it was going to stay high enough to get over the wall."

Sigh.

Credit where it’s due though, Witter, a guy who didn’t get drafted over 50 rounds and had to sneak in the backdoor to pro ball, finished the year with a .435 average and looks to be on the road to the bigs. I mean, it’s all well and good to detest your opponents, but when they pwn you like the volcs pwned us this last year, you really just have to tip your cap and pay homage to them.

So there it is. Respect for the Volcanoes.

But don’t get too comfortable, you bastards.

According to the San Fran Chronicle today:

Despite talk that the A’s are interested in signing Bonds to a 2007 contract, replacing Frank Thomas as designated hitter, a club source said it probably won’t happen.

…[Asst GM David] Forst said the A’s are "considering" Bonds and added, "He’s probably the best player in the game over the last 15 years, and I think anyone would be interested in having his bat in the lineup."

But as the source said, don’t count on it.

The piece goes on to suggest Mike Piazza and Moises Alou might make great replacements for former DH Frank Thomas. I’d be happy with either one, even though I’m pretty certain both have dabbled in the same illegal chemicals that Bonds elevated to the level of a martial art.

So what is it that is keeping Bonds from being the ace of this season’s free agent market?

Well gee… would YOU sign a guy for $10m when he could be indicted to face criminal charges any time in the next year?

Meanwhile, Frank Thomas has officially signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, who are developing a reputation as a team who are more than happy to gamble $10m or so a season on long term contracts for players who are already at their career upsides. Witness the money thrown at BJ Ryan, AJ Burnett, and now a guy who is 103, can’t run, can’t field, weighs 275lbs, and has a long history of injury that makes last season look like the exception rather than the rule.

The Blue Jays (I still refuse to use the teen-oriented Jays name the club now prefers) are offering big Frank $9m a year for two seasons, with a third year option if he hits certain incentive targets (IE: 1050 PAs over 2 seasons, or 525 PAs in his second season). Toronto’s payroll now likely stands at $95m per season - or nearly 50% more than Oakland’s.

Now, people may well point out that I was a Thomas fan all last season - and I was. I thought he was comeback player of the year by a large margin, but here’s the thing - Oakland only spent $500k on his salary. Of course, that got up to $3m with the incentives he racked up, but more power to him - he earned those incentive payments.

But Thomas becomes a bad investment at $9m a year. At $3m a year he’s being paid what you’d pay a second string outfielder. At $9m a year, he’s eating up payroll you should be giving to a guy who’ll hit .300/25HRs/100RBIs. And chances are, this season (and especially next), that ain’t Frank Thomas.

Good move, Billy Beane. Though, not so good a move with the choice of manager for Oakland next season.

With options including TV baseball analyst and Hall of Fame pitcher Orel Hershiser, Japanese League champion manager Aaron Heilman, player favorite and infield genius Ron Washington, respected Anaheim pitching coach Bud Black, and Beane’s best friend forever Bob Geren, who did Beane choose?

That’s right. He chose his BFF. Weak.

There’s been some talk on the street that the A’s might be interested in signing Barroid Bonds as a replacement DH for Frank Thomas, now that the Big Hurt has signed a silly deal to go break his ankle on Toronto’s concrete playing surface for like a gazillion bucks and a truckload of rebar.

Well please hear these words: If that happens, all mention of the A’s, whether they be in Oakland, Fremont or Peoria, will cease on this site.

There’ll be no little Oakland logo at the top. There’ll be no mention of A’s news. There’ll be no talk of former Vancouver players and how they’re doing in The Show. It will all cease, right there and then, and will not return.

I can take a lot of stabs to my baseball heart. I took it with a smile when the C’s went from AAA to short-season rookie ball. I have no issue with the A’s moving to Fremont, since the city of Oakland (the fifth most dangerous city in America, according to recent stats) puts them on the level of a Scientology bake sale in terms of civic importance. I watched Mulder and Hudson and Tejada leave, and will do so again with Zito, and I shrug, understanding that it’s the lot of a small market team for such things to happen. I watched Ron Washington stupidly abandoned, allowing Texas to offer him the manager job that he so deserved, while Billy Beane hired his BFF to take the A’s managerial position, even with a range of other great options out there.

All that stuff is fine. Whatever. You buy the ticket, you take the ride. But I won’t put up with Barry Bonds in white cleats. Can’t do it. Won’t do it. If the A’s have that little respect for the integrity of the game, they’ve lost me, and may not get me back.

Reasons why after the fold:

Ah, sod it.

Of all the coaches in the Oakland Athletics dugout, the one that I have always considered to be the hub of clubhouse unity is Ron Washington. Here’s a guy that has the support of the fans, the players, the press, and by all accounts the front office, so when Ken Macha was kicked to the curb, you’d expect Wash might have got a shot at the brass ring.

Well, he will. It just won’t be with Oakland.

Tonight, the Texas Rangers announced they’ve picked up Washington as manager, taking from Oakland the guy who helped them become the premier defensive unit in the game. Good news for Texas, not so great news for the A’s.

This will, however, in all likelihood mean there’ll be a small shift in a few coaching positions up the system. Will AAA Sacramento manager Tony Defrancesco be called up to replace Wash? Will Bob Geren get the top spot in the majors for Oakland, or will he perhaps walk if someone else gets it?

So many ‘what if’ scenarios, only one certainty: Wash will be missed.