How I Spent My Vacation: Crossing the Plate for the A’s

Chris Duncan thought he had the ultimate summer job as batboy for the Oakland Athletics. This week, his job was even better.

Duncan, 14, actually got into a game in the ninth inning as a pinch runner. Well, an exhibition game, anyway.

Duncan scored as the A’s beat their triple-A affiliate, the Edmonton Trappers, 9-7.

And just how did the Tucson youngster get this dream job?

Easy. His father, Dave, is the A’s pitching coach.

Add unexpected appearances: Oakland Manager Tony La Russa wrote himself into the lineup in the ninth inning against Edmonton. He popped out to second base.

Trivia time: USC football Coach John Robinson is unbeaten against two Pacific 10 schools, boasting 8-0 records against each of them. Which two schools?

Izzy, or Izzy not?After the Cabbage Patch Kids joined Izzy as official mascots of the 1996 Olympic Games, USOC spokesman Mike Moran moved to ward off a possible controversy.

“Izzy,” Moran said, “can be looked at as the captain of the mascot team.”

Please, No Mo: After weeks of seeking suggestions from their listeners, KABC “Sportstalk” co-hosts Steve Edwards and Eric Tracy have finally come up with a nickname for Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo. The winning entry was Orient Express. The other two finalists were Bullet Train and Hideo (Hit the Road, Jack, and Never Come Back) Nomo.

Stealing home: This steal didn’t make the box score. It was more likely to make a police report.

Home plate was stolen from Recreation Park, home of the Visalia Oaks of the Class-A California League, then returned more than a week later.

An anonymous female telephone caller said the base was being held hostage until the Oaks won “some games.” At the time, the team had lost six in a row at home, but then the Oaks won three of the next seven on the road.

The same caller told the Visalia Times-Delta on Monday that the stolen plate could be found south of the newspaper’s building.

Trivia answer: Oregon State and Stanford.

Quotebook: NHL free agent Kelly Chase on New York Ranger Joey Kocur’s favorite books: “One was a coloring book that Joey hadn’t finished. The other was the shortest book ever written: The list of the big goals scored by [former King coach] Barry Melrose.”