Carlos' Corner: 'A pleasant surprise'
Peña grateful for the way A's fans have accepted him
By By Carlos Peña / Special to MLB.com

Carlos Peña, a 23-year-old rookie heralded as one of the top
prospects in the game, was acquired by Oakland during the offseason
in a six-player trade with Texas. He's replacing Jason Giambi as the
A's first baseman and is providing for MLB.com an exclusive daily
diary for the 2002 season.

Before Wednesday's night game against the Yankees, Peña looked back
to the cheers he received Tuesday -- Giambi's first night back in
Oakland -- and expressed his gratitude to A's fans.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tuesday night was quite an experience for
everyone, and I guess I was the anti-Jason in a way. Because I'm the
first baseman now, I got the kind of cheers that Jason used to get,
and that's probably more than I deserve right now.

Don't get me wrong. It was very nice. It's a great feeling to know
that the fans are behind you. But at the same time, I said to
myself, "Don't flatter yourself. This is because Jason is here, and
the fans are getting back at him by cheering extra loud for you."
Believe me, my two feet were right where they belong: on the ground,
humbled.

Even before Jason came back, the fans in Oakland have been very good
to me. They've embraced me very quickly, and that's been a pleasant
surprise. A lot of rookies have to really earn their way into the
fans' hearts, but these fans took me in immediately, and I can't tell
you how grateful I am for that.

The fans are what make this whole Major League experience possible,
and to know that they appreciate what you do and that maybe you make
their experience more enjoyable in some way, that's special.

It's like the people of Oakland have already adopted me, already
starting looking at me as one of the 25 baseball sons of the city.
It's a pleasure to know that they're looking out for me, and I take
that very seriously. Because the way I see it is that they've put
their faith in me, and I don't want to let them down. I came in
expecting to be a nobody, but these people treat me like I'm
somebody.

One of the things I really like about the crowds here is that they
understand the game. They recognize and acknowledge and appreciate
when you do the little things. For instance, when I ground out hard
to second base, it's probably a routine out. But I always run as hard
as I can because you never know. And if the second baseman makes the
play and I'm out, but my hustle at least made it a close play,
sometimes I can hear someone in that stands saying, "Nice hustle,
Carlos."

I'm not saying that's why I hustle, but it's nice to have it
recognized.

Last night it was the same thing with Frankie Menechino. He made so
many plays at second base, and some of them he made look easy. But
they were key plays, solid plays, and these fans seem to know what's
easy and what's not, even if it looks easy.

Clapping for a diving play is one thing, but recognizing how
difficult that backhand in the hole was is something only true fans
understand. We're lucky to have this type of fan here in Oakland.

Carlos Peña's diary appears as told to Mychael Urban, who covers the
Oakland A's for MLB.com.