Carlos' Corner: 'I want Scott to do well'
Peņa says he's happy for red-hot Hatteberg
By Carlos Peņa
Special to MLB.com
Carlos Peņa, a 23-year-old rookie, was acquired by Oakland during the
offseason in a six-player trade with Texas. Expected to replace Jason
Giambi as the A's starting first baseman, perhaps as soon as Opening
Day, Peņa is considered one of the top prospects in the game and is
providing for MLB.com an exclusive daily diary for the 2002 season.
Peņa didn't play Sunday against the Mariners, but his primary
competition for the starting job at first base -- Scott Hatteberg --
played and hit his third homer in two days. Scott Hatteberg leads the
A's in batting with a .467 average this Spring, and after the game
Peņa spoke of his relationship with Hatteberg.
PHOENIX -- Today I was wondering what people must think of how I
feel about Scott doing so well. I was wondering if they think I'm
nervous or mad, because we're both first basemen. Then I started to
laugh to myself, because it's quite the opposite. Scott is my
teammate, and how can you ever want a teammate to do poorly?
And more important than Scott being my teammate is that he's my
friend. We take ground balls together every day, and we talk a lot
and get along perfectly fine. When we talk, we don't talk too much
about technique. It's rarely technical. It's more like me asking him
about his career and how it's gone so far.
He's been in the big leagues for a while and I'm only a rookie, so I
ask him about life in the big leagues, how his family has helped him,
how he's dealt with certain situations. Things like that.
I want to make this very, very clear: Baseball is baseball. But
baseball will end someday for me, and it will end someday for all of
us. Friendship transcends baseball, because it's forever, and that's
important to remember because when it's all said and done, you'll get
far more satisfaction out of your relationships than you will out of
this game we play.
Scott's raking the ball right now, and I'm very happy for him. Some
people might think that I would be upset because he's doing so well,
but seeing him do well doesn't affect me in any negative way because
I care for the guy. I want him to do well. And when I'm raking the
ball, I would expect the same from him.
Carlos Peņa's diary appears as told to Mychael Urban of OaklandAthletics.com.
