This inaugural blog
entry comes from Phoenix Muni, the home of the A’s in Arizona during
Spring Training. Our Diamond Vision crew
arrived on Sunday to film three days worth of interviews with the
players and coaches and new videos with me about fun new stuff in the Coliseum this year.

But before I get into any of that detail, I have to admit, this is my very first time here at Spring Training. Sort of embarrassing to admit for such a longtime, dedicated fan! Of course, it’s always been on my radar, but for
whatever reason, the scheduling, budgeting and prioritizing has never
worked out in the past. After this superlative experience, Arizona ball will be in my regular rotation of yearly
vacations.

So first impressions thus far… The stadium, Phoenix Municipal, is
darling. I know, that’s not the adjective you would normally use for a
ballpark, but when it comes to the Muni, it truly applies. If you’re
familiar with the Rivercats’ Stadium in Sac, picture something even more
intimate with the most spectacular desert bluffs looming over left
field.

A
cozy stadium is exactly the place to find relaxed ballplayers,
especially before the games actually begin. The goal for our crew in Phoenix was to capture material for the Oakland A’s website, our in-stadium entertainment and television commercials. And let me tell you, these guys delivered! For me, the most fun part was developing our in-game entertainment like the answers to all those pop quizzes we play with fans during the inning breaks.

Nearly two dozen players and coaches visited us in our “studio”
(really, an office we rearranged and built a makeshift set) to answer a
number of fun, fill-in-the blank questions like, “My dream vacationspot is…” or “My teammates give me the hardest time for…”
As you can imagine with our collection of characters, the answers were
hilarious!! Dallas Braden had us laughing out loud
and newcomer Michael Taylor wowed us with his charm and thoughtfulness.

One of the sweeter moments during the three days of interviews was with Rajai Davis, a true fan-favorite. New for sale in the team store this season is his player t-shirt…you know, the ones that have his name and number on the back. When he saw them for the first time, his eyes lit up, his grin spread even wider than usual and he couldn’t help but express his pride and excitement of reaching this poignant moment in his big league career. He realized that people actually want to wear his name and his number! A lot of players would probably take it for granted and not even care or maybe they would, but would never admit it. That’s just part of what makes Rajai so special…

Thanks for stopping by, fans. Stay tuned for
some fun, new Spring Training-related videos and longer interviews to be posted on this
site in the near future. Maybe I’ll be able to convince the Diamond Vision crew to cut an outtake video, because that’s where the really good player moments live on…
 
I’m looking forward to seeing some of you down here in Scottsdale, and the rest of you, at home in Oakland in one short month. I’m so excited to get my
green and gold back on in 2010 (although I’m just
enjoying these games as a fan) — Let’s Go Oakland!