I interviewed the 4 A’s pitchers on the Phoenix Desert Dogs, getting some background on the life of ballplayers away from the field for my novel. Two of them–Mickey Storey and Sam Demel–pitched flawless innings in the game afterward.

It was fun to reconnect with James Simmons, whom I interviewed at the 2007 Arizona Fall League, and have chatted with at several River Cats games since then. He was pitching really well at Sacramento this year until he strained a muscle in his upper arm and was aout for 4 or 5 starts. He missed so much work that the A’s sent him to the Fall League for an encore stint. He has been pitching well in Arizona. He is working on establishing a reliable out pitch. For someone who doesn’t through above 89-90 mpg, it is much harder to get guys out without a mid-90′s fastball. I am confident he will succeed.

The Fall League is a gem that few people know about. I think there were maybe 400+ people in the stands and some of them were scouts and team employees. It is eerily quiet and you can hear everything that is said on the field. If you’re a diehard baseball fan and are not ready to give up the game after the world series, you should play a trip to Phoenix in Oct. or Nov. and catch our 6-7 prospects who go to the AFL each year. Lots of fun.

I’ll be at the Rising Stars Showcase game in Surprise. Looking forward to it. Will interview the A’s pitchers on the Desert Dogs on Friday. Should be fun, especially James Simmons, whom I interviewed 2 years ago when he was first at the AFL.

Bee