MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Kendall's fiery qualities will make Oakland better

The former Pirates' catcher learned his take-no-prisoners style from his father.
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
PHOENIX -- Jason Kendall is fierce and fiery, qualities the friendly, laid-back Oakland A's could use from time to time. Oakland's new catcher is willing to kick some behind when necessary, even when it comes to family members.
One high-school game in particular kept Mike Kendall, Kendall's older brother, from ever crossing his brother on the field.
"We had a senior catcher [at Torrance High School] and Jason was a sophomore, so he was sitting on the bench, which he'd never done before," Mike Kendall said. "Then our catcher got hurt, and I was pitching, so they asked me who I wanted to catch, and I said to put Jason in there.
"I had a no-hitter going through the fifth inning, and I hadn't shaken him off the whole time. Then, when I finally shook him off, he came out to the mound and told me to throw a curveball. I said, 'I'm the senior, you're the sophomore, I put you in the game.' He went back to the plate, let [the hitter] know a fastball was coming, and it got hit up the middle."
Jason Kendall disputes that, saying he never told the hitter what was coming. He did offer to fight his brother, though.
Whatever the case, Mike Kendall never questioned the pitch selection again. "At that point, I had to throw what he wanted," Mike Kendall said. "And with Jason catching, I wound up having my best season ever."
Father was major leaguer
The younger Kendall learned his take-no-prisoners style from his father Fred, who played for San Diego, Cleveland and Boston. Fred Kendall never pushed his son to follow him, however. He just provided tutoring and helped when asked.
"To be honest, Jason did it on his own," said Fred, who is the Colorado Rockies' catching coordinator. "I didn't make him be a catcher. He had to have constant activity, though -- he quit soccer because he got bored so fast -- and catcher kept him involved all the time. If he was in the outfield, he'd get bored. He had to catch."
A lifetime of catching and coaching makes the elder Kendall an expert's expert, and he marvels at what his son, a three-time All-Star, has done at a position that has changed so dramatically in the past two decades.
"It used to be the catcher was the kid with the candy bar in his pocket, " Fred said. "You'd put the worst athlete on the field behind home plate. Now that would be like taking the worst athlete and making him quarterback of the football team. You have to deal with world-class runners, block balls in the dirt, and you have to be tough and consistent day in and day out."
Jason Kendall has done the day-in and day-out thing better than just about anyone. In the past five years, he's averaged 150 games behind the plate, most in the majors.