New A’s utility man Chris Coghlan on Zo’ role; new slide rules
New A’s utility man Chris Coghlan on Zo’ role; new slide rules
“Unbelievable, he was there like 10 minutes after the trade, seemed like,” manager Bob Melvin said.
“The great thing is, it was only a five-mile drive,” said Coghlan, who left the Cubs camp on the other side of town to drop equipment off at Hohokam Stadium on Thursday afternoon, right after going to the A’s in a deal for starter Aaron Brooks.
Coghlan sensed when he was summoned off the field Thursday that something was afoot; he’d already met with Cubs brass to map out a plan for the season.
It was surprising, a whirlwind of emotions: bitter because you love the guys over there and you’re like, ‘Man, we have a really good bunch,’ and then you get to come over here, which is sweet because the team wants you.
Coghlan is a utility player and proud of it, following in the footsteps of onetime A’s player and Cubs prize offseason addition Ben Zobrist, the super-utility man.
“When I was younger, my ego, I was like ‘I want to play one positon,’ but as you grow, to be able to play different positions really helps the team so I’ve learned to embrace it,” Coghlan said.
Slide rules were changed Thursday; MLB issued an edict that “takeout slides” will not be allowed.
Will clarifying slide rules help? “They need to, but it’s going to be gray,” he said.
Everyone tries to compare me to (Chase) Utley but I think you have to watch the video and everyone knows there’s a huge difference.