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Google Glasses head to ballpark with Oakland A's pitchers

Relievers will be able to wear the high-tech specs on the field for team activities but not during games, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

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Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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There are a lot of places where Google Glasses are prohibited, but the Oakland A's bullpen is not one of them.

A's pitchers Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle on Wednesday became the first Major Leaguers to score a pair of the high-tech specs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Web giant gave the $1,500 eyewear to the relievers for free, according to the Chron, presumably making the pair part of the Google Glass Explorers program, which gauges how early adopters might use the coveted specs.

The A's official Twitter account tweeted a photo of the hurlers suited up with the head-mounted optical displays.

But don't expect to see the specs on the mound, helping pitchers evaluate data on the opposing batters; Google Glasses are not game-approved. Although the players won't be sporting the high-tech specs during games, A's manager Bob Melvin "gave them permission to wear them for pregame activities, like team stretch, batting practice, etc.," A's spokesman Adam Loberstein told the Chronicle's Benny Evangelista.

Despite being a sought-after device, the glasses weren't exactly a hit in the clubhouse. Melvin joked with the Chronicle's A's beat reporter Susan Slusser that he would not talk to Cook or Doolittle while they were wearing the glasses to avoid being recorded.

Eric Sogard, the A's glasses-wearing infielder, "was disappointed he can't wear Google Glass with his glasses," Slusser tweeted. "He says his vision is too blurry. He needs prescription Google Glass." (Don't worry, Sogie, Google is focusing on a solution to your problem.)

While Melvin was clear his players wouldn't be wearing Google Glasses during games, there might still be a place for the specs on the baseball diamond. I can think of four gentlemen on the field who might benefit from a little extra input during games.