The earth begins to shift. Dust starts exploding from the ground as a single middle finger rises from the deep.

A hand soon follows – ragged, dirty, flesh falling off as it rises, but a hand nonetheless.

Thankfully, Anderson Cooper is nowhere to be seen.

Yes, NatNotes has returned from the dead, you ungrateful swine. You can’t get rid of us that easily!

2010 beckons and who are we to refuse its siren call?

But why now?

Why not?

Actually, here’s why now – C’s outfielding alum Grant Desme has quit organized ball to become a priest, right after MVPing at Arizona Fall Ball.

The A’s? Not happy.

Billy Beane “was understanding and supportive,” according to Desme, but he added the decision “sort of knocked him off his horse.”

“I was doing well at ball. But I really had to get down to the bottom of things,” the 23-year-old Desme said. “I wasn’t at peace with where I was at.”

A lifelong Catholic, Desme thought about becoming a priest for about a year and a half. He kept his path quiet within the sports world, and his plan to enter a seminary this summer startled the A’s when he told them Thursday night.

The lesson to be learned? Think twice before using a second round draft pick on a religious kid.

“I love the game, but I aspire to higher things,” he said. “I know I have no regrets.”

Derek Tharpe was a C’s pitcher back in ‘04-’05 with moderate promise. Nicest guy in the world, but he chose to step away from organized ball to get married and go on a religious mission. When he returned in ‘07, he got belted around and gave the game away.

I remember thinking at the time, you can’t fault a kid for putting faith above all else. But at the same time, of everything a person can do in life, seeing how far your pro ball career will take you is the one thing that just can’t be put on hold.

The priesthood? Meh. I reckon they still would have taken Desme in a few years time, and hey, if he’d made it to the majors (he was considered close to a lock), he could have earned a boatload of cash and given it all away to the church.

I’m guessing this is a decision he’ll one day regret. But hey, you’ve gotta follow the road in front of you, I guess.

NatNotes is back – sporadic, but back. And yes, we’re okay with going to hell.