A’s excited about shortstop Andrus
MESA, ARIZ. » When the Oakland Athletics traded designated hitter Khris Davis to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 12-year veteran shortstop Elvis Andrus, A’s manager Bob Melvin quickly saw an opportunity present itself.
Andrus, a career .274 hitter with 305 stolen bases, possesses the ability to contribute through his offensive and defensive production.
Perhaps more importantly though, Melvin saw another layer to Andrus’ potential offering. He sees him as someone capable of passing more than a decade of knowledge down to the A’s younger players.
“Having him as a resource is terrific,” Melvin said. “He’s a veteran guy.”
Melvin’s view of Andrus’ prospects as a leader stems from his familiarity with the former Ranger infielder. Having both spent more than a decade in the AL West, Melvin has picked up on some of Andrus’ tendencies and he’s confident Andrus has honed in on some of the Athletics’ moves.
Melvin has Andrus on his side now. He sees a chance to improve his team as a result.
“Elvis has played against us for a long time,” Melvin said. “He’s seen our guys and he’s got some opinions. He may have some things that we didn’t know.”
Andrus is coming off a down year. Hampered by a back injury through the 2020 season, he hit .194 in 29 games, marking the first time in his career that his batting average dipped below .200. Defensively, Andrus struggled as well. In outs above average, which calculates the number of plays a defender made and the difficulty of them, Andrus ranked No. 219 of 244 players. Only five shortstops finished the season ranked lower than him in the category.
Melvin believes Andrus’ lack of offensive production can be attributed to the injury, though. The 32-yearold’s new teammates are confident he’ll be able to find his stride again in Oakland.
“We’re getting a bat, you know,” Laureano said. “He’s been in the World Series twice. He’s been in the playoffs a bunch of times. He already played with one of the
best third basemen in the history of the game (Adrian Beltre) and he’s playing with one of the best current third basemen in the game (Matt Chapman).”
Before last season, Andrus had proven himself as a threat at the plate and
on the basepaths. In 12 seasons, he’s stolen fewer than 20 bases in a year just twice, an aspect of his game that Melvin feels the team can capitalize on in the upcoming campaign.
“He’s a guy that not only is a good runner and a base-stealer,” Melvin said, “He’s pretty aware of when he needs to steal and can pick up things for some of our guys.”
Baserunning is one of the areas Laureano has chosen to focus on in his conversations with Andrus over the course of the last week. The A’s center fielder is coming off his least productive season on the bases in his three-year career. With a proven base-stealer now in his locker room, Laureano believes he and his teammates can improve their own skill sets.
“We’re going to learn a lot from him,” Laureano said. “Not only defensively for the infielders but the whole group.”
Melvin is confident that his team added a contributor on the field if Andrus is healthy. Either way, the A’s manager knows he added an important presence off it.
“He’s like a point guard,” Melvin said. “He’s got a great sense for the game.”
DkAR AMY >> My husband and I have been married for almost eight years.
I’m 44 and he is
38. We have three kids, ages 5, 3, and one.
We’ve always had an amazing sex life and a great relationship in every way.
We also have the usual stress that comes along with raising kids (paying bills, running a household, etc.).
We’ve always taken comfort in each other.
My issue is that I’m tired of the sleaze and vulgarity that has always been a part of his way of trying to get me “in the mood” when he wants to have sex.
I’ve never once turned him away when he wanted it, and I believe our sex drives are equal.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’m getting older or because of the constant neediness of my children, but when he starts with the constant sexual innuendos, getting handsy, grabbing my body and breasts
— it makes me feel disgusted. I feel like a piece of meat.
When we were first together and up until a few months ago, it didn’t bother me.
What’s wrong with me?!
By the time I’m done dealing with my little ones and their constant need for mommy and then my husband acting like a grabby teen, I want to just shut down. His methods are just not a turn-on for me anymore.
I want him to be more mature and respectful in his approach.
I’d like to sit down and tell him how I really feel, but I don’t want to embarrass him and make him insecure.
What should I do?
— Pawed
DkARPAWkD>> There is nothing wrong with you.
Your husband plays out a particular script when he wants to initiate sex with you. He will continue to do what he always does, because he has no idea of how it makes you feel, and what a turn-off it is for you.
So what do you think your loving husband would prefer: to unwittingly humiliate and disgust you with vulgarities and breast-grabbing in the name of foreplay and have you grow so turned off that your built-up resentment deepens a fault line between you — or to talk about it, risking some momentary discomfort?
Sex is all about communication, and right now you two are on vastly different pages. You have as much a right to express your desires as he does!
It’s natural — and healthy — to switch things up as the circumstances of your life change. In a quiet moment, sit down and talk to him, before you erupt in the moment and react in a way that would genuinely embarrass him.
Help to write a new script. Think about what you WOULD like in terms of foreplay, and lead with that.