Sweeps and Cleanings

The A's got the sweep they were looking for and Jermaine Dye went to the 15 day DL for a cleaning.

Dye's injury is not as serious as it sounds, but it is a concern.

We're not going to get Will Carroll on you, sign up for Baseball Prospectus Premium and get the Under the Knife details with more injury updates than a FOX News anchor covering a Jerry Lewis impersonator training seminar at the same hotel as an Andy Dick detox weekend.

Anyway.

From personal experience the injury is really a reoccurrence of a previous injury and a possible precursor to more injuries.

Once you have a knee surgery, you're more likely to have another. Floating debris and moving cartilage can cause stiffness and difficulties. It's just a fact. Doctors can do a lot in a scope, but they just can't seem to be able to shake the loose debris out six months in advance.

The only way to go is via arthroscopic surgery and the old surgery sucker.

Dye should be moving around fairly well in a week or two. With just a few tiny "X's" on his knee as proof.

If the arthroscopic surgery has any drawbacks, it's that it no longer leaves full leg scars anymore. Even drastic ACL surgeries leave only an occasional cresent and a few inches of cut flesh.

Chicks dig scars, so it would be nice if a ragged knee could make up for a crappy personality.

As far as Dye; after his horrible start and his injury 18 months ago, he's got some serious physical therapy and muscle reconditioning to go through. It's rehab, but it will be on a different level. Dye's knees are going to be Ellis Burkish in a few years we propose. That has serious consequences for a guy who was a Gold Glove winner.

If Thad Bosley has time, he should tinker with Dye's swing-really just his stance and hands. His hands were way out in front and the flow of power from his legs (lower trunk) was wasted effort by the time the ball (if the ball) hit the bat head.

By sending Dye down, Eric Byrnes moves into a semi-full time role. Byrnes has made the most of the experience and it will be interesting to see if the knowledge he will be in the lineup tomorrow will allow him to be more selective at the plate.

We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s very difficult to be a reserve outfielder and not swing at everything close to the plate when each pitch might be the last pitch you see for a week…or even in your career at the major league level.

That focus now falls to Jason Grabowski.

The jack-of-all-trades was tearing the cover off the ball in Sacramento, hitting .377 in more than 20 games. That’s good.

Grabowski is one of those players in MLB you wonder why he hasn’t caught on.

He needs a gimmick.

Playing five different positions isn’t enough. He needs more.

A snappy haircut (you tell him he’s borderline mullet’ish) or an awkward batting stance might do the trick.

Or get his agent to book him on some late night TV shows.

Hey, worked for Turk Wendell.