A’S MARCH TO OWN TUNE

It sounds like a nightclub, but it sure doesn’t look like one. From the speakers all around the room, a pulsating, techno-pop tune with eardrum-busting volume travels in waves and bounces off the wooden lockers in the Oakland Athletics’ clubhouse.

If someone ever thought to record a collision between a bus loaded with drums and a concrete wall, this would come close, and it’s brought to you courtesy of the maestro, outfielder Mark Kotsay.

“We’ve sort of adopted it as our official team theme music,” he said.

This comes as news to Manager Ken Macha, who shrugs, then admits that when he’s the first to arrive Sunday mornings of a day game, he’ll slip on some Frank Sinatra music. But Macha isn’t really picky about the musical selection in the clubhouse at this stage of the American League season with the playoffs on the line.

“It’s a pretty loose clubhouse,” he said. “I want the guys to come in there and enjoy it. There’s enough time for stress when the game starts.

“And, after all, it’s their room.”

So it is, here, deep in the bowels of McAfee Coliseum, a Romper Room for baseball players, a carpeted playpen for one of the loosest teams in baseball. Four black recliners invite moments of reflection in the middle of the clubhouse. A matching black sofa is at the far end, next to the full-size video game arcade.

Pitcher Barry Zito has so much stuff, including a guitar in its case, he needs two lockers. Catcher and chardonnay lover Jason Kendall has bottles of Grgich Hills and Rombauer tucked safely in his locker. Kotsay’s top shelf is filled with bobble-head dolls of his teammates.

Two round card tables, almost big enough for an airplane to land on, stand in the middle of the clubhouse, waiting for action. Five big-screen televisions hang from the ceiling, so as to better follow the playoff race against the Angels, the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees, who just finished a three-game series at the Coliseum.

The A’s good humor is going to be tested after losing two of three to the Angels and two of three to the Yankees in the last week. They are 76-60 and trail the Angels by one game in the AL West and the Yankees by one game in the wild-card race.

As far as clubhouses go, this one is far from opulent -- these are the budget-conscious A’s, after all -- but you have to say it has been effective for them. Their 39-14 record in June and July was the best in baseball and propelled them into the thick of the division and wild-card races.

Suffice to say that the A’s are not so tightly wound, not that they match the level of the acknowledged league leaders, the prankish Boston Red Sox. But at the same time, said outfielder Nick Swisher, the A’s clubhouse offers a comfort level that leads to a better performance on the field.

“We’ve got 25 guys who have each other’s back,” he said. “It’s very special to find that.”

Team unity, maybe that’s why the A’s did it, each of them grabbing one of the Bobby Crosby children’s backpacks being given away to the crowd before the game and wearing them onto the field for their stretching exercises.

And that could also be why Kendall recently had a dare for outfielder Bobby Kielty. Kendall asked Kielty whether he would wear a Ronald McDonald costume onto the field, if one could be obtained. Of course, said Kielty, very Ronald-like with his shock of red hair. So in costume and with complete makeup, Kielty took the field.

He did not, however, take batting practice. It’s possible that somewhere, golden arches were smiling, but frivolity has its limits, even for a team like the loosey-goosey A’s.

“Being uptight is probably not a very good way to play the game,” said North Carolina sports psychologist Richard Coop. “The whole premise is you play carefree, but not careless. The manager is so important in this. The manager has to be secure in himself to let that happen, so it takes guts.”

Macha took over in 2003 and replaced Art Howe. If Howe was regarded as somewhat aloof, Macha is seen as being more involved, although he freely admits that his personality falls something short of stand-up comic quality. Macha may have the sense of humor of a cactus, but he also has the ability to allow his team the space it needs in the clubhouse, as long as they follow his one simple rule.

“Give me 100% when you’re playing,” he said.

At the same time, the ones who are playing have seen some changes. The A’s have witnessed the comings and goings of key teammates in recent years, but through the dealings of General Manager Billy Beane, they’ve rebuilt a pitching staff that lost starters Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson before this season and a lineup that lost hitting stars Miguel Tejada and Jason Giambi in recent years. Taking their places are young pitchers Joe Blanton, 24, Dan Haren, 24, and Rich Harden, 23, plus sluggers Swisher and Dan Johnson.

When Hudson and Mulder were around, they would lead teammates in pregame races of battery-powered race cars, scooting them across the carpeted clubhouse floor. Judging from the intensity of 22-year-old rookie relief pitcher Huston Street, the video arcade is the big draw now.

Swisher, 24, played in only 20 games with the A’s last year, but has 17 homers so far as a starter in right field. Johnson, 26, made his major league debut this season and is batting .293 as the starting first baseman.

“These guys made it very easy for me to adjust,” Johnson said. “This is how we have to play, loose and easy, but always trying to win. And it starts in the clubhouse.”

To get the ball rolling, clubhouse chefs prepare a pregame breakfast buffet and a postgame snack of barbecue. Playing baseball or talking about playing baseball is best done on a full stomach, the A’s believe.

It’s all about providing the kind of environment that breeds success, according to Florida sports psychologist Jim Loehr.

“Tension is not a great thing to have in the clubhouse,” he said. “So to create a platform for tuning in to another channel -- from baseball to fun to video games -- just for distraction, you’re probably doing the players a great favor.”

Macha is in charge, even if he doesn’t feel that way. The play-hard rule supersedes all others, even those that pertain to the mood of the clubhouse.

“There are certain things that are important and certain things that are not an issue because they’re not important, simple as that,” he said. “You don’t want to cheat your teammates.”

Macha stood up in the dugout and locked his eyes on Zito, Haren and Kielty, their hair poking out from beneath their caps. The pennant race, well, that can wait for a minute, Macha must have thought. Once he got back in the clubhouse, he would start formulating a new plan.

“We’ve got to get these guys haircuts,” he said. “Real ones.”

So far, in the clubhouse and on the field, the A’s have been totally for real.