Frank-ly, it's surprising

One of the more amazing developments of this baseball season has been the re-birth of former Columbus High School star Frank Thomas, who was forced to start over with the Oakland A’s after 16 seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
Thomas received a World Series ring last year despite making a minimal contribution and didn't do much to endear himself to general manager Ken Williams. The White Sox were perfectly willing to put up with Thomas’ grouchiness as long as he was supplying 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons. When injuries made his number of DNPs keep place with RBIs, however, it was easy to let go of a player who had always been thought of as a clubhouse cancer.
I remember writing at the start of the season that Thomas should have made a graceful exit from the game and retired while he was still mostly well thought of by White Sox fans.
Turns out a lot of us misjudged Thomas.
Many of us still want to think of him as the me-first, stats-over-championships player he seemed to be in the prime of his career. But this season with Oakland, Thomas has subjugated his ego and re-established himself as the sort of player who can carry a team.
On Monday, in the opening game of Oakland's American League playoff series at Minnesota, Thomas delivered a pair of home runs, including the game-winner in the ninth.
More importantly, the 38-year-old has taken the time to become a mentor to younger players like first baseman Nick Swisher and outfielder Milton Bradley.
About eight months ago, it looked like Thomas' career might be over. Now, it looks almost as strong as it did when he was winning AL MVP awards in 1993 and '94.
There's no question, however, that he's still stat-driven. One reason why he might have wanted to extend his career is the belief that he needed to reach the 500-homer plateau to get serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.
He'll undoubtedly get there. His career .305 batting average and one-time status as the most-feared right-handed hitter in the game should make him a lock when his name finally appears on a ballot.