A few weeks before Vancouver hitting coach Ben Winslow was due to
arrive in Vancouver, Notes From The Nat had the scoop that he’d not
only been dating former Canadians press honcho Leanne Cass, and had not
only got engaged to her, but had actually just married her in a quiet
rural setting. At the time, it was a giant scoop - we even had
pictures!

But out of respect to Benny, we decided to wait until the news was out
there a little before talking about it in public - after all, a guy’s
private life is his private life.

Well, last night after Vancouver’s loss to Eugene, Benny the Jet talked
to the TEAM 1040 guys and told the entire city the news that a select
few had known previously - he has a Mrs Winslow in tow.

So congratulations to the happy couple - both are tremendous folks,
clearly head over heels for each other, and if any one person in the
A’s organization deserves to find true happiness, it’s a selfless dude
like The Jet.

Thankfully, I’m a pretty fast typer, so I managed to transcribe the
interview on the fly, and though it’s not word for word exact (hey, I’m
not THAT fast), it’s pretty darn close. Enjoy.
Was there anything positive to come out of yesterday’s game?

BW: Well, the good thing about this game was the weather was really
nice, and when you’re in the batter’s box and the girls are out waiting
for you in the stands, and the sun is out, everything’s okay, you know?
(laughs) Actually, it was pretty bad, but we’re not worried about it.
It’s one game.

The C’s have hit a bit of a slump though…

BW: Yeah, we’re not too good right now. We were running hot bats but
right now we have become ice cold. That’s baseball, that’s something
every hitter goes through, ups and downs, cold streaks, but we have
good pitching and are looking forward to the future. I think once a
couple of guys break out of slumps, we’ll start winning a lot of
ballgames.

You lost Chad Boyd and Toddric Johnson to Kane County - how do you feel when you lose a couple of guys like that?

BW: It’s a mixed reaction. There’s three parts of it as a player -
you’re obviously excited for the guy, you’re sad it’s not you, and
you’re sad you’re losing him in the lineup. That’s a bunch of emotions
going on, but it’s really about development here, you know? We’re more
concerned with that guy playing in the majors, than we are about him
winning in Vancouver. That’s the reality.

You’ve got Matt Sulentic, however, to take their place…

BW: Yeah, that guy, I tell ya, he works his tail off and it’s fun to
watch. He’s always pulling coaches and guys into the cage and he’s like
"throw to me", which is awesome. He’s a high school kid, so he has some
serious work to do in the outfield, but as far as hitting, he’s top of
the high schoolers in the country and he’ll be something special.

What about your new lead-off guy, Larry Cobb?

BW: He’s the scrappiest dude you’ll ever find as a lead-off man. I
swear, he was born in a junkyard, he’s all sorts of tough. He just gets
it done, no matter how ugly he might have to get to make it happen, he
gets it done.

And Jermaine Mitchell…

BW: I tell you, you dont wanna blink when Mitchell is in the batter’s
box, he hits the ball, he gets on base, and when he does, he’s one of
the fastest guys I’ve played with - he just flies, so even when his bat
is cold, he’s a chance to get on base and score.

How did you get to become a coach in Vancouver?

BW: I went to college and that didn’t pan out too well, but a little
later I thought I had a chance to play, so I knocked on Oakland’s door,
they let me in to try out, and I spent three seasons running around
like a crazy guy. They gave me a contract and decided I was good enough
to coach, and they’ll probably rethink that seeing how we’re hitting
right now. (laughs)

You were a bit of a utility guy when you played, right?

BW: Oh yeah, I lied my ass off, tole them I played everything. I was
always second baseman in college, but I lied and said, sure, I can play
third. Yeah, I can take first, outfield, pitching… Just play me.
They’re like, ‘We’ve got an injured guy, can you play that position?’
and I’m all ‘Oh yeah, I play that spot, send me out there, coach.’

Rick Magnante: discuss.

BW: He’s an amazing professional, so articulate, so precise, a great
manager, just incredible to be around and learn from. When we get in a
set routine, get the guys used to bus trips and playing every day, you
can bet we’ll have a good season with him running the show.

Talk about the transition for these guys to wooden bats.

BW: well, nowadays most colleges are using wood through their seasons,
taking batting practice, summer ball, etc, so there’s a change, but
it’s not as big a change as it once was. to be sure, you’ve gotta take
a better swing with wood.

What do you think of talk that the C’s might bring in the outfield wall?

BW: I think it would ruin it. (laughs) Not ruin it, the atmosphere here
is amazing for baseball, but that’s part of the aura of this place, the
big outfield. It’s almost mythical in how far you have to hit a ball.

Should they just bring in the center field maybe, so people might hit the occasional home run to center?

BW: Oh, center field happened when I was here. But I hit it from second
base. (laughs) They should keep it how it is, maybe clean up the wall a
little, shoot down some of those birds so there’s less poop out there
to roll around in. But it’s fine as it is, I think.

This is your first time in the press box, right? have you been here before?

BW: No, I haven’t, I love it up here. My wife used to watch me from up
here, she used to watch me play. Well, I didn’t play much but she
watched me. My behind looks really good from up here, I guess.

That’d be Ms Cass?

BW: Ms Winslow now. Yeah.

You’re still pretty young, right?

BW: Yeah, I’m not much older than the guys I’m coaching, and I actually
played with a couple of these guys. Obviously I was their father figure
and still am, so it feels good to feed them knowledge and… No, I’m
goofing off, but I did play with some of the guys down there, and
they’re pretty respectful, despite that.

What’s behind the C’s hitting slump of late?

BW: Well, I’ve always said that hitting as a team is indicative of the
coaching, and I struck out a ton when I was playing, so clearly they’re
learning plenty from me. What are ya gonna do?

The errors aren’t helping…

BW: Again, I made a lot of errors too. Blame me. It’s all my fault. (laughs)

Thanks Benny.