OAKLAND -- Seconds after sitting down in the home dugout at McAfee Coliseum to start his daily pregame session with the media, manager Ken Macha bolted from his seat and ran toward the left-field line, where his players were stretching out in preparation for the opener of a three-game series against the rival Angels.
A minute later, Macha was back, leaving in his wake a scrum of players playfully mobbing catcher Jason Kendall.
Kendall, Macha explained, had been named the recipient of the 2006 Jim "Catfish" Hunter Award, which is presented annually to the Athletics player "whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse best exemplifies the courageous, competitive and inspirational spirit demonstrated by the late Hall of Fame pitcher."
"Well deserved," said Macha. "[Kendall] typifies the grinding attitude" of Hunter, who was a workhorse righty for the A's and Yankees during a 15-year career that preceded a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Hunter, who holds the Oakland Athletics record for career victories (131), won 20 or more games for five consecutive seasons from 1971-75 and was the 1974 American League Cy Young Award winner, passed away on Sept. 9, 1999, at the age of 53.
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Notes: Kendall honored by colleagues
Notes: Kendall honored by colleagues
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