Nick Swisher: The plot thickens?

You know, I need to be less optimistic when they place players in the 15-day DL. The same player could be moved to the 60-day DL later or a rehab assignment or any number of roster shennanigans could take place. A stint on the 15-day DL does not mean that the player would be back in the lineup in 15 days.

A little something from the SF Chronicle made me think:

Watching Nick Swisher put on his shoes provides a vivid explanation of why he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday.

The A's rookie outfielder winces in pain as he reaches down to his feet, evoking enough sympathy from his teammates that they tell him out loud to take painkillers. Swisher prefers to avoid pills, so he'll deal with the pain as best he can while trying not to go stir crazy during his forced layoff...
and
...Depending on how long it takes for Swisher to get rid of the pain and regain his range of motion, his absence could be longer than 15 days.

Why would Swish have pain while putting on his shoes? Is the pain from reaching for the shoe (good)? Or is the pain from bending down(bad)?

Surgery? Well there goes Swish's chances for ROY, I sure hope he ins't the Joe Mauer of '05.

And also apparently our callup from AAA is a crazy driver.

Clark, who lives in San Mateo, was commuting to River Cats home games, making the 107-mile drive each way.

"I was using it as a way to kind of get away from the game a little bit, '' said Clark, 28. "I got home about 12 o'clock, so it wasn't that bad. I would prefer not to make it anymore. The 10-minute drive is a lot better.''

San Mateo to the Coliseum in 10 minutes? The man is fast, indeed.

To be specific, the distance from San Mateo, CA to the Coliseum is 25 miles, thanks to Mapquest. That means Jermaine has to drive an average of 150 mph to get to the Coliseum in 10 minutes. Note to self, for the duration of Jermaine Clark's stint in Oakland, aviod the roads and take BART to the game.