Posted By Jeff Fletcher on March 27, 2009 4:38 pm

By now you may already know that Justin Duchscherer is having elbow surgery that will likely cause him to be out at least six weeks. Any reasonable A’s fan long ago stopped waiting for Justin Duchscherer.

The interesting stuff today came from Dallas Braden, who is now almost certain to be the opening day starter. Braden pitched today in a minor-league game. Five days from now is next Wednesday and five days from that is opening day, April 6. The A’s haven’t announced Braden as the opening day starter, but today I said to him: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to count to five and then count to five again…”

“I’m not a math major,” Braden said. “I don’t try to count to five any more times than I have to. When the season starts I’ll get the ball every fifth day, in Oakland or Sacramento or in independent ball. I don’t count my chickens before they are hatched. If I go to Anaheim and see my nameplate on a locker, I’ll know I made the team. If they give me the ball on opening day, I’ll know I’m the opening day starter.”

Braden is a funny guy. From a purely selfish media perspective, we all root for him to stick around.