Carl Steward (Twitter: @stewardsfolly) pinch-hitting for John Hickey the next few days …

It’s always fun to start your spring training relief gig with a trip to Surprise, which is about 45 miles from Phoenix Muni. You pass through the famed retirement community of Sun City, and this year, there’s a new treat for visitors: A mortuary billboard listing actual bargain prices for a cremation ($745) or a full burial ($3,300). I mean, they don’t mess around here when it comes to old age. They cut to the quick. But those seem like excellent prices.

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PHOENIX – A’s closer Grant Balfour threw 25 pitches off a mound Friday morning, his first time to do so since Feb. 14 surgery to remove a bit of meniscus from his right knee.

The right-hander said there was a little bit of residual soreness in the knee but said that things went about as well as he could hope. He now has a full month to get himself ready to be the Oakland ninth-inning guy for the opener April 1.

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The biggest open secret in A’s camp is a secret no more.

Brett Anderson will be the A’s opening day starter, and as his reward the left-hander gets a Game 1 matchup with Seattle ace Felix Hernandez April 1 in the Coliseum.

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Sorry about the taeness of the blog post. We’ve had issues, too technical to get into, but technical enough that I couldn’t post until now. – -John

Here’s what you should have gotten 3 hours ago:

PHOENIX – Chris Young, who is supposed to be in the A’s outfield today against the Padres, won’t be.

Young, who came out of Sunday’s game against the Angels with a slight cramp in his right quad, is being given one more day of rest by manager Bob Melvin. Well, he’s not going to play in the game, anyway.

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PHOENIX – The A’s almost had a bit of news this morning.

They posted the first starts for three expected members of the starting rotation, including Brett Anderson, who pitches against the Cubs in Mesa Thursday after A.J. Griffin faces the Diamondbacks today in Scottsdale and Dan Straily throws Wednesday at home against the Padres.

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The sun is mostly still shining on Jason Giambi

PHOENIX – The call didn’t come until February, but when it did come with an invitation to the Cleveland Indians’ spring training camp, it was right on time.

Longtime A’s first baseman Jason Giambi, who just turned 42, said yes when Cleveland called and is likely to be the part-time designated hitter and full-time mentor to the young corps of Indians hitters. He’s just fine with that.

“I’ll be out here until they tear the uniform off me,’’ Giambi said in the visitors’ dugout before Cleveland paid a Cactus League call on the Oakland A’s Monday.

“It’s a good opportunity to get some playing time, and they want me to mentor the young kids, which is something I’d been doing in Colorado anyway. And I love to play ball.’’

Giambi has known Cleveland manager Terry Francona since Francona was managing the Chicago White Sox Double-A Birmingham team on which one Michael Jordan was the star attraction in the mid-1990s. Giambi played for Huntsville at the same time.

“It started then and we really became friends when he was managing Boston and I was with the Yankees,’’ Giambi said. “Nothing’s guaranteed, but it would be great to play for him.’’

Giambi, who has 1,405 career RBIs and 429 homers, needs to have a decent spring to make the team, but Francona has said the opening is there if Giambi grabs it.

Down the line, Giambi is open to coaching or managing when he’s done playing.

PHOENIX – Outfielder Chris Young reported to the A’s spring training camp at Phoenix Municipal Stadium Monday with no evident ill effects from the quad cramp he suffered while making a diving catch in the first inning against the Angels Sunday.

“It’s good,’’ Young said. “It was a little sore yesterday when I came out, but I worked with the trainers and it feels fine.’’

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PHOENIX – The A’s are set with their catching for the season with John Jaso and Derek Norris figuring to share duty this season.

But what happens when those two, the only catchers on Oakland’s 40-man roster, are unavailable for a prolonged period of time?

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Shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima

PHOENIX – The A’s could be settled on a starting shortstop/second base combination by mid-March.

Manager Bob Melvin said Saturday that in an ideal world, the congestion up the middle would be cleared out with about two weeks left in the A’s spring training season.

That would give presumed shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima a fortnight in which to create a comfort zone with whichever of the five second base candidates wins the job.

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A's lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers in Maryvale

PHOENIX – It’s too much to say that baseball becomes real Saturday with the start of the Cactus League for the A’s.
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