Gio seeks to control his emotions

[beane4pres]

OAKLAND -- Armed with a white chocolate chip cookie in hand, silver studs on both ears and a chain around his neck, Gio Gonzalez sits back seemingly relaxed, appearing like any other twenty-something.

Hours earlier, he was feverishly talking in Spanish -- a language, just like any other, he's easily come to learn. Now, he's rambling in English -- as fast as he can, at least, in between bites of baked goodness.

One second he's outwardly witty, spewing out jokes and sarcastic comments, left and right; the next he's down to business, the cookie all but forgotten.

Less than five minutes pass before it's clear that this A's pitcher is a man -- though still sporting a young boyish look -- of many faces.

In fact, that's his problem -- has been all along since he stepped foot in Oakland. And he, before any teammates or coaches, will be the first one to admit it.

On this rainy day in the Bay, he graciously does, spending the next 10 minutes breaking the whole thing down.

"Same face, same appearance," he says. "That's the one thing this club has constantly been drilling in the back of my head. Keep my poker face and don't mess around. I work on that every day."

Gonzalez has entered serious mode.

"It's probably the toughest job I've ever done," he continues. "Trying to control it all is hard. I'm a very emotional guy when it comes to pitching."

Don't leave him time, though, to flip the switch to funny mode. Because he will, and he does so quite often without warning.

"Dana Eveland and I would always look at each other and start singing 'Poker Face,'" he says grinning.

Sounds like Lady Gaga has given him quite the appropriate theme song. Gonzalez nods with a smile. A pause ensues before the inevitable comes.

"She even called me up for one of her music videos," he says with an almost convincing assurance, "but I never ended up going."

Gonzalez knows that's probably for the better. After all, he's got his work cut out for him creating his own poker face rather than worrying about that of the pop sensation -- that is, if he really wants a shot at landing a permanent spot in the A's rotation, a goal he's yet to reach since making his big league debut on Aug. 6, 2008.

Since that time, he's compiled a 7-11 record in 30 games -- 24 of which he started. He'd rather not look at his career 6.24 ERA, nor think about the constant mental battle he's been fighting along the way. Now 24, he realizes he's entering a pivotal point in his very young career. Call it a do-or-die situation. Maybe a sink-or-swim scenario. Either way, Gonzalez knows that if he doesn't pull it together mentally, the baseball community will never get to see what he's capable of physically.

"It's a constant fight with myself," he says. "When I go out there, I never try to show up anybody. I'm a competitor, and I like getting into the crowd. I go out there to win the game. That's the person I learned to be growing up. I grew up around the big crowds, the big rivalries and loud noises, so all my life I've had to deal with controlling my emotions. And here in Oakland, they have really enforced that on me."

Gonzalez is on a roll now, his mind racing while his mouth tries to catch up with his thoughts. He then thinks back to what he calls a decisive turning point last season.

It was July 20, a home game against Minnesota. Gonzalez begins talking about his performance that day, but he knows the numbers speak for themselves.

His poker face never showed up. The lefty gave up 11 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Twins that day, walking away with a mile-high 9.33 ERA.

"That was it," he says. "It got to the point where the coaching staff took me in and said, 'We need to slow you down, Gio. Put your emotions aside, swallow everything you got and just pitch.'

"Once they took me into the office and broke that down for me, it really stuck with me and helped me become a pitcher who was offering more than what I was giving. That's something I hugely appreciate. They've literally taken their time with me."

By night's end on that late July day, Gonzalez had a 1-2 record in four starts. It's safe to say A's fans probably winced when realizing his next nod was at Yankee Stadium. Five days passed, and there he was on the mound again, this time talking himself out of all distractions.

Says Gonzalez: "I started saying to myself, 'Alright, this is what you're going to do. This is how you're going to do it.' You always prepare for the next hitter, no matter what happened to the other hitter. You have to ask yourself again, 'What am I going to do now?' I have to control that to minimize the damage. It helps me slow down my game and get that next big out."

Gonzalez never needed a big out against the host Yankees, though. Not with his poker face making the cross-country trip.

He gave up just two hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. And just to make certain his 11-run outings were in the past for good and his Yankee Stadium dominance was no fluke, he gave up the same amount of runs in his next five starts combined and finished the season 6-7 with a 5.75 ERA.

"There was a huge difference," he says. "There were times when everything seemed to be spinning out of control, and I felt like I was going nuts. That's where the composure has to come in so that the batter can't read whether you're doing good or bad. They can only see one face, and that's what I'm hoping to bring from the end of last season to this year.

"They say try to control your emotions and control your feelings. The last couple of games I did. I literally kept all my feelings and all my emotions in a box, whether it was after giving up a base hit to a guy or striking him out."

Gonzalez will join right-handers Trevor Cahill and Vin Mazzaro in camp as the top three candidates for the remaining fifth spot in a rotation that already boasts Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden. He knows he's still competing for a fifth spot but, before he begins to approach the matter, he catches himself.

"That decision, once again, is out of my hands," he says. "I will be ready to show the coaches that I have prepared, but I can't do anything beyond that. Everybody goes in with the mindset of winning a rotation spot, but the truth of the matter is you can only do as much as you can. You can't go in there demanding what's going to happen.

"The only thing I know right now is that I will enter camp strong, healthy and ready to go. I will give 150 percent of my dedication to the Oakland A's and try to help out as much as I can in the pitching rotation and any other part they need me."

Drafted by the White Sox in 2004, Gonzalez came to Oakland with two other players in the early 2008 trade that sent Nick Swisher packing his bags for Chicago. His two-year ride with the A's has certainly had its fair share of trials, but Gonzalez is not alone in believing he's got the tools to be a formidable big league presence.

"When he throws strikes, he probably has the best stuff on the team," says manager Bob Geren. "His ball has velocity and late movement. He obviously has the best curve ball on the staff, and he gets more swings and misses and strikeouts than anybody. So if you went on talent alone, he's probably the most talented pitcher."

The skipper says this with full confidence, yet at the same time knows he has to add a disclaimer.

"He also has to learn how to command everything," he continues. "He has to control his emotions and not let it snowball. I think it's a constant battle for a pitcher, especially for Gio. But he's young, and he improved last year so we'll be looking for him to keep getting better. We've talked many times, and it's good to be emotional and have some energy, but you also don't want to let it get you off focus."

That's the pounding Gonzalez refers to often. But he fully appreciates it, knowing those around him need to keep him in check to ease the adrenaline he's carried around since growing up in Hialeah, Fla. He especially credits batterymates Kurt Suzuki and Landon Powell for continually lighting that fire under him when necessary.

"For a pitcher that helps so much, and you want to give them what you can on the mound," Gonzalez says. "Working with those two guys helps me be a better pitcher for them."

Says Powell: "I caught Gio in the Minor Leagues, and one of his things is he's always had the physical attributes to be an unbelievable pitcher, and he's just struggled mentally getting flustered or getting upset at maybe a bad call or things like that. He's very passionate about the game, so those emotions are understandable on the field. But as a pitcher at this level, you have to be able to put those emotions to the side. He did make a big turning point last year and started really believing in himself, trusting his teammates, trusting his defense and making the pitches he needed to make."

Consistency will certainly be key for Gonzalez starting the moment he reports to camp next week. For now, though, the cookie has disappeared. The young pitcher leans back and one last time assures himself he's got everything in check -- his weight, his mind, his arm.

He just can't forget his poker face.

[Eastbayphan]

Its called xanex.

[rolliegotfingered]

Do some people just not know about mlb.com or something?
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[Swisher33Rocks]

that article was on the A's site like 3 days ago.

about the article, that's all Gio has to do to succeed. He has the stuff to be a very legit MLB pitcher, but as long as his emotions are kept in check his control won't go to shit and we A's fans will stay off his ass.
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2008 NCAA CWS CHAMPIONS - FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
"It's better to be lucky than good"

[beane4pres]

[Buick]

"and we A's fans will stay off his ass."

LOL

He blows goats.

(I didn't even glance @ the article and I was going to avoid this thread.

sorry..

I just had to drop a smart ass comment..couldn't help it)
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FUCK the Raiders.

"Swing the bat like a man." - Fosse (7.24.09)

"FUCK! SHIT!" - Duke (4.7.10)

[Swisher33Rocks]

i assume that even if he wins the CY you'll still say he sux. right?
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2008 NCAA CWS CHAMPIONS - FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
"It's better to be lucky than good"

[beane4pres]

Yes Buick would. Just like if we were to win the WS, rollie would still be pissed about something.
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[rolliegotfingered]

Right. Please continue to post articles from THEE A's website. It really makes this place stick out from all the others. I mean really, do you have a quota or something? Do you feel you have to post something, anything on a daily basis?

"Athletics Clubhouse. Where you can read the official A's articles again."

Although "Home of regurgitated A's news." Has a nice ring to it.

I'm seeing bumper stickers....
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[beane4pres]

Oh my god! NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE!!!!! Everyone Rollie has made a new rule! Because Rollie thinks that it is necessary to not post a article and get reactions and comments and thoughts out of everyone from a the A's website.

So please everyone, we REALLY don't want to annoy Rollie because it's REALLY HARD to do that. So if you have a comments on any future articles from the A's homepage PLEASE, do NOT post them on here because this message board is NOT for that purpose. This message board is for the latest breaking news and things that ARE NOT posted on the A's website. Promptly sign in to your MLB.com handle and PLEASE comment on that website because Rollie here has deemed it necessary because the WHOLE FUCKING WORLD revolves around his bitterself.
Seriously rollie, I like you and I like sarcastic comments most of the time, lighten the fuck up because your really starting to look like a bitch old Republican lady. There's nothing wrong with posting a article to get people's thoughts and comments on it. If you got a problem with that, then put your complaint in a email and write your local congressman.

[rolliegotfingered]

Didn't mean to step on your twat.

But good point, you are trying to make this place your own glorified mlb.com comments section.

You must be proud.
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[Eastbayphan]

I don't go to the a's main site EVER. All the good a's articles get posted here.

I read MLB.com on my phone, but I get all my a's news here.

So stop trying to be the "asshole".

[beane4pres]

Fitting that the article is about trying to keep emotions in check.
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[ENmiTy89]

There's a lot drama involving that cookie in this article.
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FUCK YOU OAKLAND FUCK MY LIFE OH FUCKBALLS- some Seattle fan

[JBL4Prez]

MLB.com: Where The Yankees, Red Sox, and Baked Goods come first
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Zakk Wylde is God...or damn close to it

[Buick]

[rolliegotfingered]

[Eastbayphan]