A Smattering of Intelligence--Brown, Boras, and Colbert

As much attention as Carlos Quentin and Cliff Lee have gained from the media for their surprising starts to 2008, it might surprise you to learn that Emil Brown of the A's is second in the American League in RBIs. It certainly surprised me; I just realized Brown's lofty standing this morning, after a visit to MLB.com's homepage. This is the same Emil Brown who was let go by the wretched Royals after slugging a cool .347 in 2007. When Oakland GM Billy Beane signed Brown during the winter, more than a few eyebrows raised up in the direction of the Bay Area. At 33, Brown didn't seem to fit in with Oakland's rebuilding plan, but his contributions in right field have moved the A's past the rebuilding phase and straight into contention. If nothing else, Beane might be able to peddle Brown to a contender for a prospect later this summer--assuming that the A's themselves fall out of contention...

If you're not an A's fan, you'd be hard-pressed to name Oakland's starting outfield, but such anonymity hasn't prevented the A's from playing .600 ball. Oakland's current day outfield hardly brings back memories of the Rickey Henderson-Dwayne Murphy-Tony Armas combination that once roamed the warning track at the Oakland Coliseum, but Brown and company are holding their own. Brown and Jack Cust, just named the American League Player of the Week, have given Bob Geren excellent production from the corners, while Ryan Sweeney has filled the bill defensively in center field. ..

Defenders of Scott Boras wonder some of us lose our patience with the super agent from time to time. Well, Boras gave us more ammunition this week when he talked about his client, Oliver Perez, and his upcoming free agency. Boras compared Perez to Johan Santana, saying that the former is similar to the latter at the same age. I'm sorry, but when someone tries to jam pabblum like this down our throats, it's aggravating at the least--and offensive at the most...

Former big league slugger Nate Colbert will be visiting Cooperstown in late June. Best known for hitting five home runs in a 1972 doubleheader, Colbert will be participating in a special program at the Hall of Fame, with times and details to be announced. Colbert was one of the few bright spots for the Padres during their early futility as an expansion franchise. Colbert won selection to three All-Star teams, but saw his career short-circuited by back problems, which ended his playing days by the time he was 30. 

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