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Land O' Lakes Grad Headed To The Show

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By EDDIE DANIELS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 8, 2008

A Sacramento River Cats meeting took a sharp turn from routine to shocking Monday afternoon.

As the Oakland Athletics Triple-A affiliate prepared for Tuesday's opening game of the five-game, Pacific Coast League championship series, the coach announced they would be without their third baseman – Land O' Lakes grad Jeff Baisley. He was headed to Detroit - to play with the A's.

"It kind of caught me off guard. There had been a few guys called up and I figured if they were going to do it, it would be at the end of the playoffs … our coach was talking and I really wasn't paying attention," Baisley admitted. "I heard that and it caught really me off guard."

Baisley will hop on a 6 AM (Pacific Coast Time) flight to Detroit and as soon as he touches down, he'll have to head to Comerica Park for Game 2 of Oakland's three-game series with the Tigers.

As soon as Baisley could, he called his girlfriend, his parents and brothers, Brian - his twin - and Brad, who once was a pitching prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies Minor League system. Jeff admits, in his rapid-fire succession of phone calls, he only spoke to two of the first six.

He finally caught his father, Land O' Lakes baseball coach Calvin Baisley, by calling the phone in the Land O' Lakes athletics office. A coach then coaxed poppa Baisley off the baseball diamond and away from practice.

"My stomach got in knots," Calvin Baisley admitted. "I said, 'OK, this is either the phone call or he hurt his foot again.' Thank God it was the phone call."

Calvin Baisley and his wife, as well as Brad Baisley and his wife and a few friends will make the trip to Detroit for the series, in which Jeff Baisley is expected to play.

Twin brother Brian is in the New York Yankees Class-A Short Season team in Staten Island and can't make the trip.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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