Ryan Madson just finished talking to the Bay Area media a little while ago, and here’s a slice of what he had to say.
The A’s other newly signed reliever, John Axford, and general manager David Forst will be talking later in the afternoon, and I’ll have a complete story posted after that:
--On his feelings about joining the A’s and why he chose Oakland:
“I’m very excited. Obviously they came out aggressive and early on, saying the right things. They had a good relationship with my agent, Damon Lapa. … I felt comfortable from the beginning.”
--Discussing coming back after he had retired following road blocks stemming from Tommy John surgery:
“It was difficult sitting out and not being able to do what I love to do. It got taken away from me early. I was sitting at home. It didn’t feel right. … I put in a ton of work, getting my body in shape (to) give it one more shot. I put my head down and did the work and everything worked out after that. I was pleasantly surprised with my stuff (in 2015), being able to pitch on back-to-back days. I had a great year, probably one of my best seasons I’ve ever had.”
--On his work tutoring high school pitcher Johnny Morell in retirement, which led Madson to want to return to baseball:
“We started working out. He had a lively arm, throwing 90 miles per hour already. It did get my juices flowing again. I had to throw long toss with him. It was a test for my arm but also a test for my heart.”
--On his confidence that the A’s bullpen can bounce back after last season:
“Obviously Sean is (the closer). That’s the first part of a good bullpen is the anchor, and he is one. And all of our supporting arms are gonna be great. … We’re gonna feed off each other.”
--Madson’s thoughts on Sonny Gray:
“Uber amount of talent. Like a young Cole Hamels, the way he wants to compete.”
--On last year’s bench-clearing incidents between the A’s and Royals:
“Whether it was the White Sox or the A’s, everybody was together on that team and wasn’t gonna let anybody push us around … It was a crazy time, but good … It made you feel like you were part of something.”