2005 Fantasy Camp Diary

Day Three: A Short Day

(Wed., Feb. 2, 2005)

By Meg Goldsmith for Kerry and Craig

The campers were treated to a rare off day, with only one game instead of the usual two.  This was mostly due to the small number of campers (only 95 or so) attending, meaning only seven games are needed for the "regular season" which ends after tomorrow's game action.  Today's game was played under Veteran's Tournament rules, meaning only one pitcher was allowed to throw as many as two innings and the "three run rule" was in effect.  

The Grizzlies beat The Rock, Rocky Johnson's team, 7-0.  Craig had another monster game at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a double and three RBI's.  Kerry scored two of the seven runs, going 1 for 2 with two walks.  He also pitched a scoreless sixth inning, with three up and three down, one of those being a strikeout.  In the field, Kerry played the infield the first five innings and had lots of chances.  He started the game at third, where he remained for the first three innings.  He had three chances, including throwing someone out at first from behind the bag.  In the fourth inning he moved to shortstop.  While at short, he caught some pop ups and had one memorable play.  He caught a blooper that went over the third baseman's head but had to make a sliding backhanded catch to do it.    

It's worth noting that at this point in the tournament, the Grizzlies lead the camp with their 4-1 record.  The other two teams tied with them lost their game today so the Grizzlies have sole possession of first place.  Unfortunately two teams, Grant Jackson's Buccaneers and Jack Voight's Vultures (Dave Berson's team) are winless so far in camp.  It should be noted that Grant Jackson's team went winless last year which means the Buccaneers have a 0-17 streak going at present.  Nobody's officially counting but that's probably a camp record.  But when the playoffs begin, everyone has a chance to make The Ring series since they'll "start over" in NCAA type fashion.   

On the injury front, Kerry commented that he's never felt this good this late into camp.  He said neither he nor Craig have any nagging injuries and his toe feels "Great!"  The scrape on his arm is healing and the trainers have covered it so he doesn't reopen the sore should he make another dive into a base.  His arm felt a little dead after today's game but was feeling fine again tonight.  

He and Craig joined some of the other campers and Mike Cuellar joined them as they went to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner tonight.  Kerry is a vegetarian but said this place has a vegetarian option.  Tomorrow they have the Q&A with all the pros.  I suggested that they get a ball with all the Cy Young award winners signatures on it so they got Mike Flanagan's signature Mon. night.  I asked if they got Cuellar's signature tonight and he said that they were waiting until the official autograph session tomorrow night (following the Q&A).  The only trick will be getting Steve Stone's signature on the ball but it could make a nice display piece if they manage to do that.

Kerry did share two stories that Wayne Gross told last night.  The first was a Billy Martin story.  If you recall, the A's were awful in 1980, the year before Martin was brought in as manager.  Wayne told them that Billy sat the entire team down in spring training and told them, "This team is going to have a winning record this year."  Wayne told the campers that everyone just looked around as though he was crazy.  It was essentially the same group of guys who had lost 108 the previous season.  But Billy kept reiterating that point and by the end of spring training they all believed it.  One of Billy's tactics for "Billy Ball" was to put pressure on their opponents.  Martin taught them how to steal home, telling them that anyone could steal home.  The trick to doing it is to sneak 1/3 of the way down the line and then take off when the pitcher goes into his windup.  (Note:  The pitcher has to be throwing from a windup for this to work.)  He then put the team through some drills so they'd fully understand exactly when they should take off.   To prove that anyone could do it, Billy called the play with Jim Essian at third during one of their spring training games.  Gross told the campers that Billy flashed the steal sign to the third base coach not once but twice.  During a lull in the action, the coach told Essian "Billy wants you to steal home on this next pitch."  So Essian did what he'd been taught during Billy's drills and was successful.  Wayne said the entire bench erupted in shrieks much the way Little Leaguers would do when they'd win a championship.  Then in a game in April against Detroit, with the bases loaded and Wayne on third, Billy flashed the steal sign.  Jack Morris was on the mound and Lance Parrish was behind the plate.  Wayne looked at Parrish, who was a big guy and thought about the fact that this is who he was going to have to go through to steal home.  So Gross took his walking lead and when Morris wound up he took off for the plate as he'd been taught.  And he did it!  He stole home!  Dwayne Murphy, who was on second, took third on the play.  On the very next pitch, Murphy stole home.  And Mitchell Page, who had moved up to second when Gross stole home, got caught at the plate for the third out of the inning trying to score from second after the ball went to the backstop.  Gross told them that Parrish returned to the dugout and destroyed the watercooler in the visitors dugout, for which he got a bill from the A's.

In 1986 Gross started the season with the Orioles but they released him.  Or, as he put it, they "fired" him.  So he called the A's and told them he'd be willing to go to AAA and work his way back into the majors.  He wasn't yet prepared to hang 'em up and this wouldn't cost Oakland anything since the Orioles would be liable for his contract.  They told him they'd like him to go to Tacoma, their AAA affiliate, and work with a young hot shot they'd drafted from USC.  They wanted Wayne to teach him the intricacies of playing third base.  Wayne reported to Tacoma and watched the young hotshot blast the ball all over the place, and he worked with him.  After two weeks, he called Sandy Alderson, the A's GM at the time, and told him, "This guy is too big to play third.  He's going to hit just fine but he should be moved to the other side of the infield and turned into a first baseman."  And that's what the A's did with Mark McGwire.

Craig's Stats:

Kerry's Stats:

Previous Reports:

Day Two Action

Day One with the Grizzlies

Veteran's Tournament Day 2

Veteran's Tournament Day 1

Preparing for Camp