The Oakland Athletics lost to the Seattle Mariners last night, but the actions of a former Vancouver Canadian kept things interesting.

That’s Kurt Suzuki to the left, dropping the shoulder into a rampaging Jose Vidro, denying the big guy at the plate and denying him a run. What’s even more impressive than a rookie catcher nailing a charging rhino at the plate, is that he did it not once, but twice - both times to the same guy.

I have to say that Kurt Suzuki is one of my favourite guys in the system right now. It’s not that he’s the most talented guy around the diamond. It’s that he’s NOT the most talented guy around the diamond, and yet he works so hard, runs out every pop fly, hustles after every bunt, puts his body on the line every time and lives and dies by every pitch thrown, that born talent becomes irrelevant to the fact that he’s turned himself into a damn fine ballplayer.

Compare and contrast to Landon Powell, who was the 1st round draftee and a fellow catcher the year Suzuki was drafted by the A’s. Powell, with talent by the truckload, looked during his time in Vancouver as though, while he was competing with Suzuki for the same job, the position was his to lose.

As the season wore on, it became clear Powell thought it far more important to get home and start spending his bonus than winning ballgames for a short season ballclub. In fact, when the team made the playoffs, Powell almost blatantly dogged it, not looking to extend the season any further than he had to.

And lest anyone think that’s me making broad assumptions, I’ll tell you right here that I heard it from the mouths of other players on his team. What’s worse, Powell wasn’t the only one rolling over for the Boise Hawks that year.  

But Suzuki went the other way. He broke more bats and slammed more helmets than anyone I’ve ever encountered, bar Don Sutton III, who holds the record for most equipment destroyed and curses delivered by a wide margin. If Suzuki struck out, it wasn’t because he was looking for a walk, it was because he was chasing a dinger. If he popped a flyball into the shallow outfield, he’d be at second base before the ball was caught. And if there was a play at the plate, someone was going to be feeling it next morning.

I’m glad Suzuki has made it to The Show, not to mention secured himself a permanent spot in the lineup. It means that it’s still possible to be a walk-on in college and make the majors if you just work hard enough and refuse to be distracted by outside forces. 

RIVERCATS CLOSING IN ON PCL TITLE:
Speaking of ex-Vancouver Canadians, the team that used to BE the Vancouver Canadians, the Sacramento Rivercats, look to have a solid shot at winning the Pacific Coast League, having gone 2-0 up in the series against the New Orleans Zephyrs last night.

The Cats won 3-2 on the back of solid work from 2002 Vancouver Canadians outfield/1B duo Brian Stavisky and Brant Colamarino [seen right]. The former doubled in the latter with the scores tied and two outs in the top of the 9th, leading the Oakland-affiliated AAA club with a tight come from behind victory with 2005 C’s ace Mike Madsen pitching strongly over 6 1/3 innings (2ER, 5H, 1K, 2BB).

What’s great about this win is Colamarino was a last minute addition to the AAA squad, having ended his season with the AA Midland Rockhounds a week earlier, before heading home for a rest.

"It’s just incredible," Sacramento infielder Lou Merloni, who homered in the first inning, said by phone. "This guy was at home eating a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich when (manager) Tony DeFrancesco called him and said, ‘We need you.’ "

The previous night, 2004 C’s outfielder Nick Blasi notched his playoff batting average up to (get this) .519 with three hits and three runs, having helped his team come back from 0-2 down in the earlier playoff round with a grand slam, among other things.

And for those not aware of Blasi’s backstory - he was dying on the vine in high-A ball, having spent two seasons in Kane County and one in Vancouver, when a rash of Oakland injuries saw the A’s send him to AAA ball as an emergency fill-in for a few days.

Since that time, Blasi has been the hardest hitting outfielder in the system - bar none. He takes walks, he slap hits, and the biggest surprise over previous seasons is he’s suddenly become a powerlord.

Blasi for the majors in 2008? Don’t be surprised.

Two former C’s bound for the islands:
In a move that comes as something of a change to Oakland’s organizational thinking, three prospects have been shipped off to Hawaii for a little winter ball. Scout.com reports that Justin Sellers (2005), Jared Lansford and Jermaine Mitchell (2006) have packed their bags and shipped out to the sunny climes for a little fine-tuning.

Meanwhile, the A’s are sending 38 minor leaguers to the instructional league, along with a good chunk of their minor league coaching staff.

Former C’s manager Juan Navarette (2005) will be there, along with former hitting coach Todd Steverson (2004), and 2006 hitting coach and 2004-5 player, Benny ‘The Jet’ Winslow.

On the pitching side, 2007 Canadians attending will be Pedro Figueroa, Justin Friend, Brad Hertzler, Scott Hodsdon, Chad Kerfoot, Leonardo Martinez, Nick Walters, and Brent Lysander. Among the catchers, Dante Love and Julio Rivera get the call, along with infielders Danny Hamblin, Sean Doolittle, Josh Horton and Mike Richard, and outfielders Grant Desme, Shane Keough and Matt Sulentic.

2006 C’s in attendance will include Larry ‘Corny’ Cobb, Mike ‘Fearless’ Affronti, Christian Vitters, and Andrew Bailey.