plus 3, Cahill to start spring opener, more on Chavez, Duchscherer - San Francisco Chronicle

Cahill to start spring opener, more on Chavez, Duchscherer - San Francisco Chronicle
New York Times' New Strategy: Demote Editors To Writers - The Business Insider
Geren talks Fox, Stassi, Souza; Duchscherer update - San Francisco Chronicle
Thunder coach is a rising star and worthy of honor - Tulsa World

Cahill to start spring opener, more on Chavez, Duchscherer - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:55 AM PST

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Cahill to start spring opener, more on Chavez, Duchscherer

From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser in Phoenix

As I wrote in this morning's Drumbeat, Ben Sheets will start the second spring game against his longtime Brewers team; starting the day before in the Cactus League opener will be Trevor Cahill, according to pitching coach Curt Young. Clayton Mortensen also will pitch in that first game against the Cubs on March 4.

Don't assume because Cahill is starting the day before Opening Day starter Sheets that it means he's the fifth starter. There's little doubt that he is the front-runner, but the schedule won't be any indication: That first week of March, teams usually have starters work every four days rather than every five, meaning that there will be a maximum of four "starters" the first week or two. The other starters will be worked in after the men who open the games finish their two or three innings.

One of the A's projected starters isn't likely to be throwing in a game the first week or two, anyway. Justin Duchscherer is out with a irritated sacroiliac joint, and he had a nerve ablation procedure today to eradicate the discomfort. (Nerves in the area are burned by the heat from radio frequency.) Duchscherer is expected to be back in the clubhouse tomorrow but he's unlikely to throw for a few more days.

I wrote in this morning's paper about Eric Chavez's bumpy road ahead in learning to play first base, and Chavez put his fledgling skills on display today at Phoenix Muni during an informal workout with many of the team's position players.

He doesn't look entirely comfortable at first, and his footwork is clearly not perfect, but everyone believes the six-time Gold Glove winner will pick up the position easily.

"He's a great athlete," second baseman Mark Ellis said. "He can play everywhere."

Ellis paused, then laughingly added, "Not second base, though. He's not that good an athlete."

Chavez said he doesn't like using the oversized first baseman's glove much, so he's trying to wear it as much as possible, especially since he's breaking in two of them. He thinks as long as he gets his feet going quickly, he can handle anything in the field.

He's not going to take grounders at third much, if at all, and that probably will be the case throughout the season. He is trying to limit his throwing to games to save his surgically repaired shoulder extra wear and tear. He will play third and probably a little shortstop in games this spring, and he has an outfielder's glove just in case. His main focus, though, is first base. He knows he can play third and short; first will provide another option for him as the team's utility man.

The A's aren't going to want to push Chavez and his twice-repaired back to play every day during the season, anyway. Four games a week, maybe, might be about the limit, so he could, say, fill in at third one day, DH another, play first and then short if needed.

That was the plan with Nomar Garciaparra last year, too, though, and he was almost immediately playing third every day, which clearly wore him down and led to a recurrence of his chronic calf problems. If Chavez is healthy and swinging the bat well, the A's are going to have to avoid the temptation to use him every day. He's got too many problem spots and potential health issues to risk aggravating anything.

I know many Drumbeat regulars are skeptical about Chavez, and as I've mentioned, he and the team aren't taking anything for granted, either. I can say, though, that I have covered Chavez his entire big-league career, and he looks and sounds as good as he ever has. He took batting practice today and he is swinging the bat well and with no pain. He's moving freely.

He also has a great attitude about his new role. He's more than embracing it - he's crazy about it. He said today that leaving the everyday third-base job behind is "freeing" mentally, and he's enthusiastic about playing other positions. The main thing, he said, is that he can produce offensively, and if he can do that, they'll find a spot - hopefully with reasonable rest - for him to play.

Joey Devine threw a 20-pitch bullpen today and he said it was "free and easy;" managaer Bob Geren estimated Devine as 50-50 for Opening Day, but he pointed out that because Devine is a reliever that even if he doesn't get into spring games the first week or two, he'd still have time to get ready for the regular season. Considering how good Devine said he's feeling, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's on the Opening Day roster.

Brett Anderson threw a bullpen session today, and catcher Kurt Suzuki said it was great. Anderson said it went better than his first one, and Cahill, overhearing, said, "And I heard your first one was perfect." Anderson just shrugged. Yep, he looks like he's on already.

Tomorrow's stretch time is 9:30 a.m. at Phoenix Muni; Cahill and Sheets are among those scheduled to throw bullpen sessions. As a reminder, I'm Twittering about the daily schedule and providing some notes and news as things happen at my Twitter account, @susanslusser.

Posted By: Susan Slusser (Email, Twitter) | February 23 2010 at 01:02 PM

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New York Times' New Strategy: Demote Editors To Writers - The Business Insider

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 07:14 AM PST

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There have been a lot of shuffling around in the New York Times' masthead recently, with several editors being "demoted" to writer positions.

The New York Observer's John Koblin takes a look at the changes.

According to executive editor Bill Keller: "Journalists are disposed to a kind of A.D.D., a restless curiosity," he told the Observer in an email. "While there are, of course, writers who happily specialize for most of a career, one great lure of this work is that you can move from subject to subject, from reporting to editing and back again. So, think of it as pushing the 'refresh' button."

Here's an outline of the recent changes:

Sam Sifton: Culture editor to restaurant critic

Trip Gabriel: Styles editor to education writer

Suzanne Daley: National editor to European correspondent

Frank Bruni: Big-time restaurant critic to Times magazine writer at large

Jon Landman: Digital editor to culture editor

Stuart Emmrich: Travel editor to styles editor

There's been other shufflings as well, with some top-notch talent during the Times' buyout and layoff spree last fall. Sewell Chan moved from leading City Room to over Washington at the DC bureau. Ed Wyatt just switched from the entertainment beat to return to the financial regulation beat as well.

According to the New York Times Co.' SEC filing, the company cut 1,681 jobs overall, from 9,346 staffers last year to 7,665 by Dec. 27, 2009.

New York Times executives also didn't rule out cutting the headcount some time this year, in their Q4 earnings report.

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Geren talks Fox, Stassi, Souza; Duchscherer update - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 06:02 AM PST

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Geren talks Fox, Stassi, Souza; Duchscherer update

From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser in Phoenix

**UPDATE** Justin Duchscherer's nerve ablation procedure to alleviate discomfort in his SI joint was re-scheduled for tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 11:30 a.m. local time. No reason was given by the team for the delay.

Bob Geren was asked about some of the new faces in camp during his manager's media session this morning, and he said that high-profile prospect Max Stassi - considered one of the biggest steals of last year's draft because other clubs were convinced he'd go to UCLA out of Yuba City High School - doesn't catch as if he's 18. Geren said that Stassi moves extremely well behind the plate, he's quick, and he shows a lot of maturity.

"You'd think he's much further along than 18 years old," Geren said.

Stassi looks young when he's not behind the plate, though; he's the most fresh-faced of the non-roster invitees, largely because he's a good three years younger than anyone else. In fact, the next closest member of the team in age is Trevor Cahill, who will turn 22 on March 1; Stassi will be 19 on March 15. Stassi is also the smallest catcher in camp; he's listed at 5-foot-10 but he looks as if he's more than an inch shorter than Kurt Suzuki, who is 5-11. His lack of size never hurt his power in high school, though; scouts say he has incredibly quick hands.

Jake Fox, who is generally considered a corner infielder and DH, is catching bullpens this week. He caught Brad Kilby yesterday and Kilby thought Fox did a fine job. Any versatility will help, and Geren pointed out that Fox also can play left field.

"We definitely want to see what he can do behind the plate," Geren said. "He'll definitely catch in a game (this spring). And he's not just here to help with bullpens, he's here to work with the catchers."

Many of you know - and have pointed out - that Fox is not known for his glove. Some of the A's who have seen Fox take infield believe that Fox is better than advertised at third and that he's better than, say, Adam Kennedy, who played third for Oakland last year after spending his entire career at second. With Kevin Kouzmanoff now in Oakland and Eric Chavez feeling good as he tries to come back from his second back surgery, it's unclear where Fox might best fit, and a healthy Chavez could squeeze Fox out of a roster spot depending on the team's needs on the bench. Fox has options left; the only player on the bubble of a roster spot without options is second baseman/outfielder Eric Patterson.

It's always possible that Fox's hitting ability will be the difference when it comes to a roster spot. Chavez raved about Fox's bat, and Geren said today, "He can really hit. I threw to him yesterday, and you can really see that."

Geren got a look at Justin Souza yesterday; the right-hander from Galt came over from Seattle for Jack Hannahan last summer but had some arm trouble, so was shut down until instructionals, and the A's liked what they saw of him there enough to protect him during the Rule-5 draft. Geren said that Souza has a sneaky delivery with a release point that might make his pitches hard to pick up - and he also throws in the mid-90s.

Today's bullpen sessions took place at Papago Park rather than Phoenix Muni because of rain throughout the morning; the pitchers throw in the covered batting cage at Papago, which is less than ideal for fans wanting to check out the action.

Tomorrow calls for sun, however, so anyone planning to swing by Oakland's camp should find pitchers and catchers stretching on the field at 9:45 a.m. at Phoenix Muni. I'll again be updating when and where workouts are if there are any changes; check my Twitter account @susanslusser.

Posted By: Susan Slusser (Email, Twitter) | February 22 2010 at 11:52 AM

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Thunder coach is a rising star and worthy of honor - Tulsa World

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 06:16 AM PST

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OKLAHOMA CITY — In most newspapers, this headline was presented in really small type:

Oklahoma City Thunder retains Brooks as head coach.

During a five-month period last season, Scott Brooks was the caretaker of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The interim coach. A temp.

He was the overseer of a steadily improving team, but nothing was guaranteed. On April 15, he was named the head coach. After a decade of laboring as a minor-league coach and an NBA assistant, Brooks would get his shot.

No one who saw that really small headline could have expected this.

As the collective driving force behind the Thunder's ascension to Western Conference relevance, young guns Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green have gotten considerable media attention.

And by coaxing a high level of consistency and 17 road wins from a roster that includes nine players age 23 or younger, Brooks also is a rising star.

In mid-April of this year, there could be another headline. A much larger one that would resoundingly validate Thunder owner Clay Bennett's decision to promote Brooks:

"Brooks named NBA coach of the year."

Far-fetched? Not hardly. If anything, Brooks could be viewed as the current favorite.

Tuesday, in a sold-out Ford Center, Phoenix rallied for a 104-102 win, ending OKC's nine-game win streak. OKC squandered a late 10-point lead and lost to a Suns team that was without point guard Steve Nash (sore lower back).

But

the setback — the Thunder's first in 27 days — does nothing to diminish Brooks' status as a coach of the year candidate.

After having finished 23-59 last season, Oklahoma City is 33-22 and occupies the No. 6 position overall in the Western Conference.

Unless the Thunder is belted by injuries or fades badly during a rough stretch of March-April games, Brooks' squad is destined for the playoffs.

During Tuesday's pregame session with reporters, Brooks — a 44-year-old native of Lathrop, Calif. was grudgingly drawn into the coach of the year conversation.

"I haven't thought about it until somebody asked me about it the other day," he said, turning to glance at a sports writer.

"I'm not concerned with it. I think it's a disservice to talk about it," Brooks said. "It's about our guys. It's never about the coach."

Entries might also include Larry Brown, who has the Charlotte Bobcats contending for an Eastern Conference playoff spot; Nate McMillan, who has held Portland together in spite of terrible injuries; and Jerry Sloan, who has never won the award in 21 previous seasons as the Utah Jazz' head man. Utah is currently third in the Western Conference.

Brooks is a young man at 44, and yet he is more than twice as old as his 21-year-old leaders, Durant and Westbrook. During his 11-season career as an NBA guard, Brooks was with seven teams. He was a backup on the Houston Rockets' 1993-94 championship team.

During last week's come-from-behind, overtime Thunder win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Brooks shed his cool exterior and seemed as excited as his players.

"I'm not a robot. I get excited," he said. "I get angry at times. You definitely have to, at most times, keep it under control."

Even if Brooks' optimism had been so tempered that he wouldn't discuss the possibilities with his assistants or closest friends, did he see signs of this during the preseason? Did he believe then that the 2009-10 Thunder could blossom into a playoff team?

"I knew the guys would come in committed to the defensive end," Brooks said. "At any level, if you're committed on defense, you can create enough offense to keep the game going and give yourself a chance to win.

"From the first day of training camp all the way up to today's shoot-around, the guys are committed to what we do and committed to each other."

With 36 points against Phoenix, Durant became the NBA's scoring leader with a 29.9 average (LeBron James is at 29.8). Durant also extended his streak of 25-point performances to 29 consecutive games.

Durant's scoring, Westbrook's development at the point, effective team defense — all have combined to define the Thunder season. Good fortune also has been a huge factor. No other team has been less impacted by injuries. Durant, Westbrook, Green and Thabo Sefalosha each has started in all 55 games. Center Nenad Krstic has made 53 starts.

In his first full season as an NBA head coach, Brooks is making a legitimate bid for the highest honor in his profession. Just don't expect him to make a fuss about it.

"I don't wake up thinking, 'Oh, I've got to do well for me,'" Brooks said. "Whatever happens at the end of the year, we all have to live with it. I don't go into it looking to get an award. We're all in this game to compete for championships. That's a tough job and a long road."

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