Bartolo Colon (left) talks about his suspension for use of performance-enhancing drugs with the help of interpreter Ariel Prieto

PHOENIX – Bartolo Colon, whose suspension from the A’s last Aug. 22 for use of performance-enhancing drugs could have ruined the A’s season but didn’t, said he expected no adverse effects as he prepares to pitch in 2013 without any PEDs.
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Josh Reddick's WWE championship belt the real deal this time

PHOENIX – Finally, Josh Reddick isn’t faking it any more.
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PHOENIX – The arrival of Chris Young has given the A’s a multitude of riches in the outfield, but there are problems, too, at least from the vantage point of Yoenis Cespedes.
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PHOENIX – Jed Lowrie and Chris Young’s first work for the A’s will be serious departures from their previous work elsewhere.
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PHOENIX – With his long hair and scraggly beard more prominent than ever, A’s outfielder Josh Reddick walked into the Oakland clubhouse Friday morning for the first time and was greeted with the quip “Hillbilly Jesus.’’

There’s no doubt he fits the moniker.
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PHOENIX – You always hear about this athlete or that athlete being a standup guy.

That was seldom more true than in the case of A’s reliever Grant Balfour, who was standing up without evident pain or discomfort Friday morning in the A’s clubhouse a day after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
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PHOENIX – It came as good news to A’s catcher John Jaso to learn that Felix Hernandez was able to get his wish and stay in Seattle, signing a seven-year, $175-million contract extension with the Mariners late Wednesday afternoon.
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PHOENIX – The A’s will be without closer Grant Balfour for between 4-6 weeks after he has arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus in his right knee Thursday afternoon.
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PHOENIX – The A’s will be without closer Grant Balfour for between 4-6 weeks after he has arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus in his right knee Thursday afternoon.
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PHOENIX – There’s hardly ever anything completely fair in baseball when you are a player looking to make a big league roster, and that’s as true with the A’s this spring as with any other club.

The A’s have eight players who are out of options, meaning Oakland has to find a way to keep them on their roster this season or risk losing them by having to put them on waivers.

Daric Barton, Travis Blackley, Jerry Blevins, Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Pat Neshek, Chris Resop and Adam Rosales all are on that list. And it wouldn’t be a tremendous surprise if all eight landed a job, some at the expense of other otherwise worthy candidates.

Blevins is a fixture in the bullpen and Donaldson and Moss make up the corners of the infield, so they seem to be locks to make the final 25-man roster.

The other five will have a leg up on the competition based on the fact that the A’s historically don’t want to lose players without any return. Some could be traded, but all have value, as manager Bob Melvin admitted Wednesday.

“With our organization, we try to keep as many guys as we can,’’ Melvin said before the second day of spring workouts for pitchers and catchers. That’s not always the most popular position, but …’’

Melvin says the A’s will give everybody a look this spring, but come the end of March when rosters have to be finalized, he suggested that the desire to keep players would become a factor.

“The important thing right now is to give everybody a chance to play and see where we are,’’ he said.