Cal's McKeever Pitches for A's

On Wednesday the Athletics added another arm when California women's head coach Teri McKeever threw out the first pitch prior to the Oakland A's game against the Chicago White Sox.  The A's, who have gained notoriety recent years because of Michael Lewis' book Moneyball (and the subsequent movie starring Brad Pitt) have sought to put a winning product on the field through innovative use of statistics.  By the end of the game the A's could have used the Olympic coach's arm in a marathon that went 14-innings. 

McKeever, who recently led the Golden Bears to their third NCAA championship in four years, is the first woman to claim the role of U.S. Olympic swimming head coach. She became the first woman to coach in any capacity on a U.S. Olympic swimming team when she worked as a U.S. assistant in the 2004, a role she duplicated in the 2008 Olympics. She was also the first woman to serve as a U.S. head coach at a major international meet, when she led the women's national team in the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships.

No word on whether men's coach Dave Durden will be working from the mound anytime soon.  California's men's team is a client of AvidaSports, however, and should there every be a similar Moneyball-esque moment chronicling the Bears' use of AvidaSports Metrics, Pitt would seem well-suited for the role of Durden.