OAKLAND – Liam Hendriks entered the A’s clubhouse Tuesday afternoon wearing gray shorts and the sleeveless white jersey of the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
That’s the Australian rules football team that Hendriks grew up rooting for. And the daily routine for Oakland’s new reliever is to take the field – usually by himself and before the pitchers stretch – and kick the football around just to get the blood flowing.
“It gets me outside, gets me running around,” Hendriks said. “If I sit inside too long, I get lethargic. I also use it to get a bit of a tan on my shoulders.