Replace “Goodell” with “Selig” and this is right on point. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)

Since I’m such a nice guy (undoubtedly deserving of being on his nice list) I’ll fill you all in on some of the juicy details of what Santa thought of them.  Last night we saw Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss, and Grant Balfour make the nice list, while Jemile Weeks, Bartolo Colon, and Jesse Chavez made his naughty list.  Tonight I’ll reveal 6 more Athletics and how they fared on his list.

NICE: Brandon Inge

“What else can I say?  This guy was the personification of toughness.  Watching him on television pop his dislocated shoulder back into place before getting a clutch hit was enough to get him on the nice list.  But on top of that he delivered so many times with the bat and inspired total “Ingesanity” across the 510.  His time with the Athletics might have been brief, but it made an impact.  I’ll leave him a Major League contract with a chance to make a similar impact on another team in 2013 under his tree.”

NICE: Sean Doolittle

“This time last year Doolittle was just learning how to pitch.  He started the 2012 season in A level Stockton and shot his way up through the minors to make it to Oakland.  But his amazing season didn’t end there, he showed some serious dominance at the Major League level as well.  A second season showing even more poise and dominance will be in the cards for Sean Doolittle in 2013, I guarantee that.  I don’t know if I have to do much to help him out really, but since he’s so great I’ll leave him a slight uptick on his velocity under the tree.”

NICE: Jarrod Parker

“This guy was stolen from the Arizona Diamondbacks for Trevor Cahill, and that deal would have been a steal if it was just Parker who came to Oakland.  Add in the fact that Ryan Cook was part of the trade as well makes it an all out fleecing.  Parker showed that very same ace potential everyone expected to see from him.  He started games 1 and 5 of the ALDS and didn’t embarrass himself one bit.  I would really like to see him cut those walks down a bit, there’s nothing myself and the reindeer despise more than free passes.  I’ll leave him a little fine tuning on the command of all his pitches under the tree, a little bit of that will send his career higher than we fly on Christmas Eve.”

NAUGHTY: Josh Reddick

“I’ll start this by saying his defensive skills are really impressive, and that cannon for an arm is great to watch.  His power production at times was very impressive, but that profound slump he endured throughout most of the second half of the season was brutal to watch.  He looked really lost at the plate.  I want to see him stay out of those kinds of valleys next season so I plan on leaving him a nice little thing I like to call consistency under his tree, I may drop a hint of clutch hitting in his stocking as well for when he comes up with runners in scoring position.”

NAUGHTY: Coco Crisp

“Many might be surprised to see Coco on my naughty list, he was such a spark plug for the Athletics throughout the second half of the season.  That is, when he was on the field.  It was always something with Coco, ear infection, pink eye, sniffles, you name it.  He needs to become more durable and dependable.  He also seemed to sulk a bit early in the season when the A’s moved him to left field to make way for Yoenis Cespedes in center, and his play on the field and at the plate showed his displeasure.  He needs to cut that out and be a team player all the way.  I’ll leave Coco some attitude adjustment books and some One-A-Day vitamins to keep away those routine maladies under his surely flashy tree.

NAUGHTY: Derek Norris 

“This isn’t totally his fault, he was thrust into a situation out of his control.  While he did hit that amazing walk off home run against the San Francisco Giants who myself and Mrs. Claus really can’t stand, those big hits were few and far between.  Personally I hold Norris responsible for the departure of my favorite player Kurt Suzuki, he was such a great member of the Athletics and it’s Norris’ fault that he’s gone now.  I’m going to leave a puka shell necklace under his tree to always remind myself of Kurt and Norris better wear it, or I might have to send my friend the Easter Bunny after him in the Spring.”

I hope you all enjoy this inside look into Santa Claus’s insights as much as I enjoyed digging through them.  I have a few more highlights from his notes I want to share with you all, and those will be revealed tomorrow, assuming of course there is still a world to reveal them to.

August 4, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (16) throws the ball against the Toronto Blue Jays during the second inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

For a number of years, many A’s fans looked to the announcement of the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards with great anticipation, hoping if not expecting to see one of their guys named as one of the 9 best fielders in the league.  For 6 straight years from 2001 to 2006 former A’s 3B Eric Chavez took home the award for his stellar play at the hot corner.  It was essentially a given at the conclusion of each season that he would be the man.  On the other hand, in 2006 we saw Mark Ellis set a new single season record for fielding percentage by a second baseman, but lost the award to Mark Grudzielanek likely because he had a better offensive season.  Therein lies the major flaw in the voting process for the Gold Glove Award, subjectivity.  The award is voted on by the managers and members of their coaching staffs, and many of their votes are cast based on reputation.

This season the A’s have a chance to win their first Gold Glove since that 2006 season as both right fielder Josh Reddick and third baseman Brandon Inge have been named finalists for their respective positions.  Reddick is joined by Shin-Soo Choo and Jeff Francoeur as the nominees for RF.  Inge will battle Adrian Beltre and Mike Moustakas for the award at 3B.

On the surface, it seems like Reddick has to be favored to win the award over Choo and Francoeur, and personally I think it would be a travesty if he didnt.  Inge on the other hand only made 76 starts between the Detroit Tigers and the Athletics at 3rd, so it would seem like a bit of an odd choice if he were to win.

Josh Reddick and Jeff Francoeur would seem to be the frontrunners in this race, and while Francouer had 19 assists to Reddick’s 14,  Reddick had a 17.7 UZR to Francoeur’s -4.2 UZR.  The difference is astronomical in favor of Reddick, so while he trails in assists, his obvious superiority overall at the position is crystal clear.  This is Reddick’s award to lose.

Inge on the other hand would need a Rafael Palmeiro-like vote to win this award.  We all know Inge is a phenomenal fielder at the position, but there is simply no way he should win the award over someone like Adrian Beltre (as much as it pains me to say it).  Nevertheless, it’s pretty cool that Inge is still considered among the elite fielders at 3rd.  Perhaps he gained a little bit of respect around the league for his gutsy display in Chicago when he popped his dislocated shoulder back into place right there on the field.  I know I’d give him a vote just for that.

The winners will be announced Tuesday at 6:30 PM on ESPN2, A’s fans will eagerly await the news.

July 29, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Brandon Inge (7) at bat in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Athletics 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

The second reason is Inge’s defense. Inge had an 11.1 UZR which is extremely good (0 is average). He made all the routine plays and added in some incredible plays along the way. His defense brings to memory Mark Ellis. Never too spectacular but always above average and never missing a routine play. The A’s need this late in games especially if they plan to contend next season and make a trip to the postseason. They had trouble (at multiple positions) defensively so the 2012 Gold Glove nominee would be a welcome site in Green and Gold for another season.

The final reason I mentioned was Inge’s veteran leadership. With Josh Donaldson getting the majority of the playing time now at third base Inge will take a back seat. However, with Donaldson going presumably into his second season and his first full season at the hot corner the A’s would do well to have Inge as a back up to mentor him and make sure he does not go through a sophomore slump á la Jemile Weeks. With Inge being a bench player before in his career he will know how to handle the situation of coming into a game cold. His personality is contagious and fits right in with the Athletics clubhouse. This was proven when he returned to the team only days after having shoulder surgery to cheer on his teammates and watch them play October baseball.

With Inge probably only seeing a one year deal in the four to five million dollar range the A’s would be smart in resigning him. Even though it seems expensive in the A’s sense to pay a bench player that much money Inge could be a key commodity should the A’s make it to October again. As the Giants showed timely hitting and good defense are key parts in the recipe to win in the postseason. Inge boasts both of these qualities as well as a veteran leadership that seems to be almost an extension of Manager Bob Melvin. This is why the A’s should try and resign Brandon Inge.