A's outfielder is making the most of recent chance
By Janie McCauley
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAKLAND, Calif. - Eric Byrnes gallops across the outfield grass to make a spectacular diving catch.
Later, he charges straight for the wall with seemingly no care for the consequences that come from crashing hard into the thinly padded concrete.
Byrnes, with his shaggy blond hair and upbeat attitude, has finally earned an everyday spot with the Oakland Athletics, and he's not going to give it back without a fight.
"He never stops, and never did as a child," said Byrnes' mother, Judy. "I absolutely have to say prayers before every game. I can't watch him running into the walls that much. He's done that since he was little. I don't think he knows any other way to play. He was a difficult little guy to raise because of his energy."
Byrnes is doing so well as a starter that the A's are pondering what they are going to do when right fielder Jermaine Dye returns from injury in the coming weeks. When Dye hurt his knee in April, it provided just the break Byrnes needed to show the A's what he has believed all along - that he can be a consistent contributor at the big-league level.
"I was never a prospect coming up," Byrnes said. "I was an eighth-round pick. There wasn't a lot of attention, nor do I think there were a whole lot of expectations. I always knew in my mind that the success when I'm playing on the field was what was going to get me to the big leagues, and in the same way, I know that the success that I have on the field is going to keep me in the big leagues."
Byrnes is all over the national television highlights, whether it's trying to rob a home run with a high grab against the wall, or saving a game with a key hit. He's a regular on an A's radio show - partly because he likes to wake up early.
It is amazing how things have changed for the 27-year-old outfielder in just more than a month.
"He's becoming a major-league baseball player," A's hitting coach Thad Bosley said. "I believe every major-league base-ball player who puts on a uniform can be an everyday player. The X factor is opportunity. ... It's a difficult thing to do (after pinch hitting). He's showing the organization and other organizations in the game, 'I can do this.' "
As a backup, Byrnes had a routine for how he prepared to play late in the game.
The stationary bike. Abdominal work. In the third inning, he was off to the batting cage for running and sprints. Then some hitting. He monitored the TV the whole time, just in case he was needed back in the dugout in a hurry.
Byrnes used to joke with the team's video man to come get him from the batting cage only if all three A's outfielders happened to collide - not two, but all three.
Byrnes entered Saturday's game against Kansas City with a team-high batting average of .351 and a career-best 14-game hitting streak. He had three home runs and 19 RBIs. He has even taken over the leadoff spot from the struggling Mark Ellis.
Byrnes said he is enjoying baseball again, which has been tough in recent seasons as he bounced between the A's and Triple-A Sacramento.
"I think you lose sight of how fun the game is when you spend so much time on the bench, but once you get out there and start playing, there's no better feeling for me in the world," Byrnes said. "I'm just having fun with it."
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