MESA, Ariz. — Mountain Pointe High School baseball coach Matt Denny opened his email last fall and read a note from someone claiming to be a major leaguer, who was wondering if he needed a hand on his coaching staff.
Denny thought it was a hoax.
“You get a lot of guys who say things that aren’t true,” he said.
The curious individual happened to be A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell, and he was sincere about his offer. Before long, Maxwell was driving out to the Phoenix high school, attending Mountain Pointe’s fall workouts and putting the team’s catchers through the same drills that A’s catchers do.