CSN Bay Area/Urban: Buck Baffled by A’s Mixed Messages

As well he should be:

Because anyone who’s followed the team knows only this about the strange situation: The A’s, who buried Buck like an old bone shortly after he asked to rest a tweaked oblique in Texas last May, have continued to pile dirt on him all winter.

He is the invisible outfielder.

He’s less than an afterthought to the A’s, who have sent message after unflattering message to Buck over the past eight months.

The messages, delivered via demotions, challenges to his work ethic and manhood, silent treatments and, most recently, the signings of Coco Crisp and Gabe Gross and the rumors linking the A’s to Johnny Damon, have Buck’s head spinning—if not on the verge of exploding.

It seems to me that there’s still a lot of “spit on it and get back in there” when it comes to injuries and that there needs to be more of a middle ground taken when a player reports that he’s hurting.