Notes: Byrnes to make impact
Mabry returns to Oakland as a Mariner
By Kent Schacht / MLB.com
OAKLAND -- After five years in professional baseball, and three years bouncing between Oakland and Triple-A Sacramento, Eric Byrnes is on the A's Opening Day roster for the first time. But as glad as he is to finally make the club out of Spring Training, he's now focused on a bigger prize.
"It's a good feeling," said Byrnes. "It also gives you something to work for. Before, I was working to get to the big leagues, but now that I'm here, I'm working to try to get some playing time. I'm trying to help make an impact."
Byrnes said he didn't celebrate when he found out that he made the roster. In fact, nobody ever came and told him he was on the team. But then again, despite having options available and seeing limited action in Oakland last year, he never believed he'd open the season anywhere else.
"This is something that I expected since day one of Spring Training. I prepared myself in the offseason. I knew it was going to be tough, because I only got 94 at bats in the big leagues last year and it's hard to get better as a baseball player in doing that," Byrnes said. "If you get 94 at bats, it's real easy to find yourself back in Triple A or out of the game the next year because you didn't progress like everybody else did who got 400-500 at bats. I had to prepare myself and do everything this offseason to be ready to come to Spring Training and win a job."
Next on the agenda is doing everything he can to break into the lineup and help the A's get to the next level. According to Byrnes, that means he will come to the park everyday not expecting to ride the pine all game.
"I'd rather assume that I'm here to make an impact," he said. "I'm here to have a role on this team that's going to help us win baseball games. Whether that's coming off the bench or spot starting or starting, you've got to believe that you're here for a reason and to help win games."
Byrnes said he thinks believing is one of the most important keys to getting to where he wants to be.
"You can't have the mindset that if you're a bench guy that you're just going to sit on the bench all year. You've got to believe that you're as good as the next guy out there, if not better. If I didn't have that mindset, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."
Mabry returns: John Mabry returned to Network Associates Coliseum again as a Mariner on Tuesday, but said despite not getting an offer to return to the A's, he had nothing but good memories of the partial season he spent in Oakland.
Mabry, who played in 89 games in Oakland after being acquired last May from the Phillies for Jeremy Giambi, said he's happy to have landed back in Seattle, but will take away plenty of good memories from his time in green and gold.
"The 20-game win streak and winning the West were things I won't forget," he said. "But most of all, the friendships with some of the guys over there I'll always have too.
"That's the thing that's good about going to so many different teams," he added. "It's tough personally, but the good thing is you meet a lot of great people, and you're a better person because of all the people you meet."
Mabry, who has played for six big league clubs, is in his third stint with Seattle, where he figures to play a similar role he did last year in Oakland -- as a bench utility player and left-handed bat.
The daily Macha: "Hopefully, I've got about 45,000 people coming to see me." Macha, when asked if he had any family members coming into town for his first game as A's skipper
A's cetera: Macha said he had trouble sleeping before his first game as manager, rising at 5:30 a.m. He was at the Coliseum by 9:30 a.m. ... The A's returned five players from their 2002 Opening Day lineup Tuesday -- Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez, Ramon Hernandez, Terrence Long and Scott Hatteberg. Long started last season in center field, Hatteberg at DH. ... Before the game, along with other Major League games going on live, one of Tim Hudson's 2002 starts against the Mariners was on the tube in the Seattle clubhouse. ...White won the first dot race of the season, one which was clouded in controversy. Afterward, a formal protest was lodged by both blue and red. "The man keeps gettin' us down," said Blue. "Red and I've got no chance when we're playin' AL West teams."
Coming up: The A's host the Mariners on Wednesday night with 2002 AL Cy Young winner Barry Zito taking on Jamie Moyer. Thursday afternoon, the two teams close out the opening series with a 12:35 p.m. PT start that will feature Mark Mulder pitching for Oakland and Joel Pineiro for the Mariners.
Kent Schacht is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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