MATT WATSON

Height:	5'11"		DOB:	5-Sep-78
Weight:	200 lbs		2005 Age:	26
Bats:	Left		Birthplace:	Lancaster, PA
Throws:	Right		ML Service:	17 Days
Obtained:	Claimed on waivers, October 9, 2003 from the NY Mets

This is the final part of the original interview with Matt Watson. Matt is headed out West in the next few days. Hopefully, Matt will have a spot at the A's FanFest this weekend. Otherwise, he'll make a hard left and head toward Arizona.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

You spent last year in Sacramento with the RiverCats. Having lived and work in Sacramento for some time, it's a bit of a peculiar notion to think that while I'm busy not working, you're getting ready for a game. What's a normal day like in Sacramento when you're getting ready for a night game at Raley Field?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

A normal day in Sac town consisted of getting up around 8:30 with the wife and kid. Having breakfast and playing around the house. Some days we’d run errands in the morning or early afternoon. Around 1:30 (Nickname) Swisher and I would usually leave to go to the field. We’d hang around the clubhouse, play cards, get loose, hit in the cage. Around 4:30 we’d stretch, take BP (Batting Practice), then have about an hour an fifteen minutes to relax before the game started. Games would usually be over around 10:00. We’d head home and then do the whole thing over again the next day.

(ED NOTE: You can tell Matt is not from Sacramento. Sac, or Sac Town is not used by Californians. Nor is Frisco or SoCal. Just a note. Matt's forgiven.)


ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

What about on a multi-city road trip? I think the consensus misconception is that there's a team bus, the team ends up BBQ'ing by the side of the road when the bus breaks down, the team stays at a Motel 6 and eats at Denny's when they aren't busy playing the field - i.e. chasing women....

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

Road trips are a little better at the triple A level. We fly to most places and even though they are the early flights, we don’t have long bus rides. Some of the parks you can walk to the stadium and some you take the bus. All in all, the travel isn’t too bad and we end having time to eat decent meals. Most clubbies do a pretty good job.


I think the general perception of the minor leagues is from movies like Bull Durham. Although back in the lower levels of the minors the movies aren’t too far from the truth. Bus trips are long and most meals are fast food.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

The next few questions appear like a dumb questions...but, I doubt that many people are willing to ask these kinds of questions - but they think about them to themselves. How do you get paid? What kind of hoops do you have to jump through to get your paycheck?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

The Athletics provide direct deposit for their players. The Mets didn’t. This was nice for my wife/ secretary (I think Matt means Administrative Assistant). We have a mortgage back home in PA. And trying to send checks home and send bills out used to be a problem with other teams I’ve played for.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

With the minor leagues there's international travel. After 9/11 there have been a lot more changes in the way in which people travel, I imagine your job has a lot of behind the scenes paperwork.

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

Most paperwork I have to send in gets done by my agent. I’ve played in other countries and luckily haven’t had any problems with visas or passports.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Security is everyone's responsibility. Have you been asked by anyone unknown to you to carry a bag that is not yours? Have you been in contact with your bags at all times?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

Fortunately, I haven’t had anyone ask me to carry anything. I think they see me lugging around three or four bags of my own and bats. I’m usually the one asking other people to help me. Mostly just through the checkpoints...

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Let's get back to in game activity. You have to deal with a lot of weather related changes. How do you deal with the heat, cold, wind, rain as far as equipment and uniform?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

As far as the weather goes (in Sacramento), we sometimes feel like we’re in the movie Groundhog Day, so when it rains it’s a nice little change from the ordinary. I don’t mind playing in cold weather, being from PA. It’s second nature to me. Nothing a little Under Armour and Flexall can’t fix.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Spring Training is only a few days away. What are some of the differences between the big league camp and the minor league camp? Are the housing situations a little different - are you going to Ariozona early to get a better chance at the big room?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

In Spring Training it is pretty laid back. Most of the guys in big league camp know what they have to do everyday and there isn’t as much "hand holding" as there is in minor league camp. Most guys come to spring in shape and are ready to work or compete for a job. This spring I am going to stay with Swisher and Blanton in an apartment. I believe outfielders and other position players report the 24th of February. I’ll probably go down on the 15th.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Do you have to get a once-over by the team physicians and trainers before they turn you loose on the field?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

We go through a pretty intense physical before we are allowed to start working out. They want to make sure that everyone is ready to compete and make sure nobody comes in with injuries sustained in off season training.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

How quickly does the organization break off into smaller groups where you 'know' what direction a player is headed (25 Man Roster or 40 Man Roster...or not)?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

They keep the groups pretty random in Spring. I don’t think they know exactly where people are going to end up; but I’m sure that they know to a certain extent who is generally going get sent to minor league camp.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Most of the games in Spring Training are played during the day; what happens at night? Algonquin Roundtable discussions on the intricacies of symbolic logic?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

...MISSING INFORMATION...

...


I don’t know what happens at night with the coaches. I’m sure they sit around and discuss the team and what their needs are over dinner. I’m not exactly sure, you’d have to ask one of them.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

You've been in three organizations, now. What are some of the differences between Les Expos (now Nationals), the Mets and the A's?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

There are some differences in every organization I’ve been in. They have all been great to me and I have enjoyed playing everywhere I’ve been. They all run top notch programs. The instructors and coaches have all been very knowledgeable. The Mets seem to be making a lot of moves this off season but when I was there they were pretty good about giving some of their minor leaguers a chance at the big league level.


The only main difference I see between the teams I’ve been with is the Mets are a high market team and they are starting to sign big time free agents. The Expos and the A’s are smaller market teams and hopefully they will promote from within instead of going out to get proven major leaguers.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

How much true 'instruction' goes on at the minor league level in each organization?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

There is a lot of instruction in the lower levels of the minor leagues. They have instructional leagues for younger players to get more at bats and innings pitched. At the higher levels and the big league level it is more of a fine tuning when we go over bunt plays and relays.

(ED NOTE: Matt was referring to bunting in the Expos and Mets organization...not with the A's, we all hope.)

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

What is the experience of being a young player traded while still in the development stage?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

I didn’t mind being traded when I was in Double A. Each year there are different instructors and hitting coaches so I was able to go to the Mets and meet some of my favorite hitting coaches. I really learned a lot from my coaches in Double and Triple A with the Mets, so I think it was a blessing in disguise.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Who in the A's organization would you like to see pitching to you on a regular basis - who could you rake? Who would you rather not have to face in intrasquad games in the next few weeks?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

As far as guys in our organization I’d like to hit off...I’m not going to touch that one because it always comes back to bite ya in the a$$ (...later...). All I know is there are a lot of good young pitchers in camp this year that many guys on other teams don’t like to see come into the games.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Let's talk about your approach at the plate. Who's approach to hitting in the A's organization do you think most closely resembles your own?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

Early in my career I was a free swinger. I never struck out a lot but I didn’t walk much either. The A’s are more of a disciplined team where the guys work the count. So instead of somebody resembling my approach at the plate, I think I’m trying to adapt a little to their philosophy of being more patient. I think I did a lot better as the season went on last year.


I like Mark Kotsay’s and Eric Chavez's approach. They both had good years last year. I remember Kotsay talking about selective hitting last year and struggling with it early in the season. He seemed to figure it out and ended up among the league leaders in hitting.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

If you were able to sit down and figure out a productive season for yourself at the Major League Level - what kind of numbers would we be talking about?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

As far as figuring out numbers for the year I try not to put emphasis on stats. I like doing well, don’t get me wrong, but I learned early in my career that numbers can be deceiving. My worst year in Double A I got wrapped up in production and stats. I think I went into August hitting .229. Everyday, I was so eager to get four hits and justify the Mets trading for me that I started pressing. The last month my manager talked to me and told me to, "relax". He said, "don’t think about numbers, the season's already three quarters over". As soon as I did that in finished with the best month of my career and getting up to .279.

So every year I try to focus on every game and take things game by game or series by series. Trying to predict what you can do only does two things:

• Makes you frustrated if you don’t reach numbers you set for yourself
  
  
  or
  
  
  
• You end up selling yourself short if you attain your projected numbers

Who’s to say what will happen from day to day let alone projecting a season?


If I’m back in Sacremento, my wife and I will have to make the best of it and try to go back out there and three-peat. I’ve always been able to concentrate and focus on my goal of getting to majors and staying there.


In camp I just need to go out and work hard and play the way I’m capable of. Hopefully, I will get enough at bats this spring to show everyone what I can do. Last spring I was a new guy coming and I think the A’s felt like they should give at bats to some guys like Edwards, Grabowski, etc. who were organizational players the year before. Hopefully, this year I’ll be one of those organization players who gets a long look.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Okay. Now...you've made the 25 Man Roster and there are two important questions to answer; what music do you want playing when you walk up to the plate and what number do you want to wear?

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

I’m not a big fan of music going to plate, so whatever they decide would be fine with me. Sometimes, I get too pumped up when I hear a good song and I just wanna dance.

I don’t think Ken Macha would enjoy seeing me break it down while I’m in the box with the tying run on second base.

I’m partial to number 20 but whatever number the A’s have on a jersey that isn’t taken, I will wear that.

ELEPHANTS in OAKLAND:

Matt, answer the question...

Matt Watson (Oakland A's):

If I had to chose a song I’d probably pick one of the three:

1. Pearl Jam - State of Love and Trust



2. Alice in Chains - Grind



3. Limp Bizkit - Did all for the Nookie

All of these have one thing in common...they are all extremely hard to dance to.


Trust me I’ve tried.




Matt was thanked a few hundred times and he was mailed a care package from Elephants in Oakland. Hopefully, Matt is available for a follow up during Spring Training. If so, you should start sending in questions now. In the meantime, start calling the Oakland A's and telling them you want to see Matt at the Fan Fest February 12th.

Oakland Athletics Baseball CO
(510) 638-4900