What truly resonated deepest with me, was the proclamation by Cook that Melvin was a “Master of Communication”. He went on to discuss how Melvin was always upfront and honest with each and every player regarding their role and his expectations. With an ever changing lineup that employed multiple platoons throughout much of the season, as well as a bullpen that featured nothing short of three changes at the closer position; Melvin’s clarity would prove pivotal to the Athletics success in 2012, and bode well for the future.

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Not to discredit former manager Bob Geren, but a glaring issue during his infamous tenure at the helm of the good ship Athletic was his inability to communicate. A long history of documented quarrels with Huston Street, Bobby Crosby, and Brian Fuentes lead to his reputation as being little more than a middle man between the front office and the field. His eventual undoing was sparked by his altercation with Fuentes, when the veteran southpaw claimed that there was a breakdown in communication regarding his role in the bullpen.

Since Bob Melvin took over for the beleaguered Geren, the difference has been night and day. Gone from the press, are whispers of discontent and confusion. The clubhouse has been stabilized, the team has become a coherent unit, and for the first time in years the possibility of a full fledged player mutiny appears to be nonexistent. In Beane we may trust, but in Melvin we may continue to flourish.

Situated deep in the underground labyrinth of the Oracle Arena, we engaged in an intimate question and answer session with Manager Bob Melvin, Assistant GM David Forst, and 3rd Base Coach Mike Gallego. Given approximately 15 minutes each per guest, the interviews were conducted in the vision of a mock press conference and we were all treated as true members of the media.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Not just overzealous fans.

The highlight of the experience from a personal standpoint, was interacting with Mr. Gallego and having my rather…tenacious two-part question answered in an entertaining and informative manner by the man himself.

I’ll get to that in a moment.

First and foremost, there was a noticeable difference when it came turn for Gallego to grant us an audience. Speaking solely for myself, it was initially intimidating to glance just a few feet away and have both the manager and the assistant GM at your disposal for any question you may have. To their credit and professionalism, both Melvin and Forst answered each and every question with admirable detail and honestly as if they were in front of the BBWAA.

When Mike Gallego entered the room, he immediately made a crack about the humid temperature and lack of air conditioning in the cramped quarters. Internally this put me at ease, and I settled in for a memorable 15 minute interval of pure baseball knowledge.

Within moments, Gallego had us all transfixed by his memories prior to Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.  As any experienced baseball fan can remind you, this happened to be the day that the famed Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area and brought the series and the city to a halt. Gallego was preparing for the game when the big one hit, and initially thought that the thunderous noise reverberating above was the sound of a thousand fans stomping their feet from the seats.  When the realization hit that the echoing noise was in fact an earthquake, he reached into his locker for his most prized possession…his glove.

It was at the climax of this recollection, it become abundantly clear to me that this man was a genuine battle-hardened storyteller. A baseball lifer with enough stories and anecdotes to fill a library.

15 minutes would never be enough.

Unable to mentally formulate a worthy question to Melvin or Forst, I knew I couldn’t pass up another opportunity with Gallego. I couldn’t sit idly and watch a called third strike.

So I mustered up all the courage I had and recited my previously prepared question. It went something like this “Mike, any thoughts on your former teammate Walt Weiss being named Rockies Manager…and can you see yourself managing one day?” My voiced cracked like a prepubescent teen at the junior prom.

Gallego smiled and asked “so you’re really asking me two questions?”

I replied back “more or less.”

Gallego than proceeded to provide a candid answer regarding inquiring on his own behalf for the Colorado job via phone at the onset of the offseason. With his past experience coaching for the Rockies, he felt he could be a prime candidate to take over the club. Unfortunately he was notified by Colorado management that he would be not be interviewed for the job. While it wasn’t the answer he was hoping for, he perked up when he learned that his former double play partner Weiss, would indeed be a candidate. When Weiss was named manager, the two old teammates shared a phone call and laughed about his lack of experience. Written plainly on Gallego’s face, was a sense of a joy and pride that one of his closest friends had reached a prominent goal.

The rest of the sit-down was a blur. For me it was similar to that scene in Old School, where Will Ferrell rattles off that long winded but perfectly logical answer during the debate against James Carville, than can’t remember what happened after he wins. I was there, but I wasn’t really there. Too mesmerized by the fact that one of my favorite players from childhood now knew I existed. From what I can gather, there was something about Yoenis Cespedes‘s considerable shortstop abilities and Brandon Moss‘s childlike query about why the A’s are never able to have walk-off  wins on the road.

All in all, it was an incredible experience. Many thanks to the Media Relations & Broadcast Coordinator Adam Loberstein and PR Director Bob Rose for putting the event together and inviting Sean and I. For two guys with aspirations to cover baseball, this was a big deal. I’d also like to extend a special thank you to Bob Melvin, David Forst, and especially Mike Gallego for making it a day to truly remember.

This article though will concentrate on the things that Bob Melvin had to say.  There really isn’t anyone in the A’s universe that doesn’t already have the utmost respect for Melvin, but the fact that he seems to really take the questions coming from a bunch of blog writers seriously shows a lot about his true character.  The first question fired his way dealt with the impending battle between Scott Sizemore and Jemile Weeks for the starting second base job.  It appeared as if the job would be Sizemore’s to lose, but Melvin seemed to indicate the Cactus League performance of each player would dictate who got the job.  He also went on to mention the presence of Adam Rosales, who he seemed to hint would be on the outside looking in because of his versatility, Grant Green, and Eric Sogard as well.  While Melvin took the time to make sure he mentioned everyone, I don’t believe for a second that Rosales, Green, or Sogard will be penciled into the lineup as the second baseman come Opening Night.  The mere mention of Green though excites this writer though, I’ve been calling for him to simply get a chance for as long as I can remember, the fact that he was mentioned before Sogard may also indicate he’s leapfrogged the bespectacled one on the organizational depth chart.

Melvin also noted that Sizemore had no limitations physically coming into Spring Training and that they only foresee some possible obstacles in just readjusting to being in the game.  His versatility also means he could see time at third base as well, meaning Josh Donaldson should not get too comfortable either.

Melvin also addressed the coaching approach to the 2013 season following the 2012 season’s success.  He and his coaching staff will seek to make sure that the team doesn’t rest on the laurels of that success in 2012, and make sure they realize they have to work every bit as hard if not harder in 2013 to build on that success.  I wanted to ask him if the fact that much of the offseason coverage on the AL West centered around all that the Angels did and all that the Rangers failed to do would impact his philosophy.  He made it clear that they didn’t want to focus on what any other team in the division was doing, but said if you asked them “they might have a little different view of us this year, than they did last year.”

The topic of Daric Barton‘s position on the depth chart also came up, and while Melvin noted that Barton is the one true defender at the first base position, he does have “potentially” more work to do than others to get playing time.  Essentially unless Barton impresses the brass like he did in 2010, and Brandon Moss or Chris Carter struggle or get injured, he’ll have an extremely steep mountain to climb to get himself onto the 25 man roster, let alone get into the lineup with any regularity.

It’s clear that Melvin has confidence in this team, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t.  But he also seems hesitant to heap praise on them either.  That is why he’s such a great manager, he knows how to get the best from his players, and continue to do so as well.  He knows this team can’t get ahead of itself, and that the accomplishments of 2012 mean absolutely nothing in 2013.

Tomorrow I’ll examine what Assistant General Manager David Forst had to say about various topics including the First Year Player Draft, the starting rotation, and more.