Bay Area Buzz 12/2: Jon Lester, Brett Lawrie, Jim Harbaugh, Hasso Plattner
Bay Area Topics
Jon Lester
"Today, the San Francisco Giants are scheduled to meet with Oakland Athletics’ Left Handed Pitcher, Jon Lester, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. Lester, who pitched for the Oakland A’s during their postseason run in 2014, is now a free agent. He has a few other teams looking to offer him a contract, including the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. The Giants reportedly may need to offer him a bigger contract than they offered Sandoval."
–Erin Wild, Around the Foghorn
Brett Lawrie
"A’s fans may still be coming to grips with the trade of Josh Donaldson, but his replacement sounds ready to embrace Oakland as his new baseball home.Brett Lawrie addressed Bay Area media for the first time Monday, on the heels of Friday’s blockbuster trade that sent him and three others from the Toronto Blue Jays to the A’s in exchange for Donaldson.A once blue-chip prospect whose career so far has been derailed by injuries, Lawrie said he’s looking forward to turning the page and getting a fresh start in green and gold. And he doesn’t view the prospect of replacing Donaldson, the A’s best player and a fan favorite, as a burden.“I can’t look at it like that,” said Lawrie, who turns 25 in January. “I need to go out there and be me. You can’t fill someone’s shoes, and I’m sure that’s not what’s expected of me. I’m gonna be me and go about my daily business. If I can go do that and stay on the field, I’m gonna be a help to this team and feel like I have a lot to contribute.”"
Jim Harbaugh
"San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, speaking to reporters for the first time since Thursday night’s 19-3 home loss on national television to the Seattle Seahawks, was asked if he thought his future in Santa Clara was in question.“I really, I don’t worry about my future,” he said Monday in his weekly media conference. “I haven’t participated in any of that speculation. I just, I think I have a recessive gene for worrying about my own future.”Reports have swirled that Harbaugh could be trade bait if the 49ers, who are 7-5 and sitting two spots out of the NFC’s six-team playoff field, miss the postseason because he has one year remaining on his five-year, $25 million contract."
Hasso Plattner
"Sharks majority owner Hasso Plattner is preaching patience when it comes to his team’s sputtering start to the NHL season.“Patience is exactly what is needed,” he said in an exchange of emails. “It is far too early to throw in the towel.”Plattner has stated his intent to stay out of the public spotlight since taking over the reins of Sharks Sports & Entertainment in January 2013.But he responded to a question asking his thoughts on the team’s 11-10-4 start after last spring’s playoff collapse and the fact that five games at the SAP Center this season have fallen several hundred seats short of capacity after a 205-game sellout streak.San Jose Sharks controlling owner Hasso Plattner. (Courtesy of San Jose Sharks)“After 10 years on the sunny side, we now have to fight to reach the top eight in our conference,” wrote Plattner, 70. “Our fans will be with us as long as the team gives its all.”"