Melvin: A's play hard and with respect

NEW YORK -- The Yankees and A's engaged in a brief back-and-forth Sunday over the on-field reactions to Saturday's game. Eric Chavez told the New York Post that he took exception to the way Oakland celebrated hitting three home runs in the 13th inning of Saturday's game.

"I thought it was distasteful," Chavez said about Oakland's celebration. "That's not cool. That's not how you play the game. I am all for having fun, but that crossed the line. It is all about being humble."

Chavez, who began his career in the Oakland organization, also told the Post that he felt the A's dugout celebrations were "high school-ish" and "pretty unprofessional." He also allowed, however, that the home runs were "no-doubt blasts" and that he thought the game was over.

Of course, the game wasn't over. The Yankees came back with four runs of their own in the 13th inning and went on to win it in the 14th. A's manager Bob Melvin was asked about the Post report on Sunday.

"I'll be brief on that," said Melvin of the Chavez quotes and how they played in the Oakland clubhouse. "We play the game hard and we respect it out on the field. ... I think if you look around the league and see some things, you can pick something out of anyone's dugout. ...We play the game the right way on the field. If you try to keep things loose in your dugout, there's nothing wrong with that."

Melvin was asked if the Chavez quotes carried more impact because they came from a player with ties to the Oakland organization, and he said, "No. Not to me."

Jonny Gomes, who hit the first of the three home runs for the A's, met with the media to give his own take on the situation.

"Have you ever seen what the Cardinals do when they hit a home run?" asked Gomes. "When a Cardinal hits a home run, the whole team stands in a single-file line. The guy who hits it [smacks hands] all the way down. That's the Cardinals. It's one of the oldest organizations in baseball and run by one of the most professional guys in the clubhouse."