A's respond to Eric Chavez's criticsms

NEW YORK -- In Saturday's five-plus hour game the A's erupted for a franchise record three home runs in a single inning of an extra inning game. As they celebrated in the dugout former Athletics player Eric Chavez peered in and didn't like what he saw. According to a report in the NY Post, Chavez was irked by the A's celebrations. Chavez told the Post that he though the celebrations were "high school-ish," and "pretty unprofessional."The A's responded to his criticisms on Sunday and defended their actions. Veteran leader Jonny Gomes, who was the guy that had to green light Josh Reddick's "Pie-derman" celebration, said he believes the team respects the game. Gomes is very mindful of the traditions of baseball, and in the past has said he would never allow the team to do anything that he viewed as disrespectful. He didn't want to address Chavez's comments directly, saying he has no reactions to them. He did take the time to defend the A's rights to have a good time in the dugout. "I mean listen, you've got 17 rookies over here," Gomes said. "These guys are playing the game to have fun, they aren't playing the game to go to arbitration, they aren't playing the game for free agency. They are playing the game for fun, you know? "You take fun out of the game and you're going to have 17 rookies crumble," Gomes added.The A's have a loose and fun clubhouse and it is a big part of their success. They have never been accused of going too far in the past, even with the pies and MLB-leading 13 walk-off wins.To hear something like this coming from a former A's player, one that understands the dynamic of the A's team, came as a surprise. The Oakland clubhouse was often described as a frat house in Chavez's glory days with the team. Eric's brother Casey Chavez is still Oakland's bullpen catcher. Manager Bob Melvin did read Chavez's comments, and defended his team. "You know what I'll be brief on that," Melvin said. "We play the game hard and we respect it on the field. What happens in your dugout, I think if you look around the league and see some things you can pick something out of every dugout." "We try to play the game the right way on the field definitely," Melvin added. "If you try to keep things loose in your dugout there is nothing wrong with that."