Jason Kendall made his first official appearance with Oakland Athletics Tuesday at the Coliseum, and the vibe was a good one.

After nine seasons with the mediocre Pirates, Kendall repeatedly described how thrilled he is to be with a contender - "I'm still kind of in la-la land," he said - and Oakland GM Billy Beane was equally effusive about his newest acquisition.

"When you look at what Jason has accomplished, you could make the argument he has a chance to be one of the best catchers in franchise history since the team has moved to Oakland," Beane said, turning to Kendall and adding, "I'm not ready to give you (Philadelphia Hall of Famer) Mickey Cochrane's mantle yet."

Kendall, obtained Saturday in exchange for pitchers Arthur Rhodes and Mark Redman (plus an eventual $5 million in cash), led all big-league catchers in games (146), on-base percentage (.399) runs (86) and hits (183) last year.

His durability is extraordinary - at one point last season, the Pirates went a month and a half without another catcher, and Kendall, 30, caught 34 games in a row, including two doubleheaders, one at Texas. He also caught 15 straight right before that stretch, making it 49 of 50.

"I can't stand taking days off," Kendall said. "I don't want any days off. The only bad part about catching is people think you can't catch 162 games."

Last year's catcher, Damian Miller, started 109 games, so Kendall provides another plus there along with his offensive numbers.

The former Pirate could well bring the club even more, however: He's a feisty sort, a player who has been known to mix it up a bit (with four suspensions in seven years) and he could inject some toughness into a clubhouse that is great in most respects but can be a touch laid-back.

"I'm not going to say you should fight everybody, but you have to protect your teammates," Kendall said.

"Sometimes hard-nosed is a term you use for someone who's not a great player, but when you combine that with Jason's talent and leadership ability, you've got an outstanding player," Beane said.

Kendall is practically gleeful about joining a contender. He said it took him half a second to waive his no-trade clause.

"I'm much happier when I wake up in the morning," he said. "To know I'll be in a pennant race in September, it's the best Christmas present ever."

Kendall doesn't believe adjusting to a new league or a new staff will be too difficult, and he's looking forward to catching Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.

"Obviously, with Oakland, that's what you hear about, Big Three," Kendall said. "I'm very excited to be working with guys of that caliber."

The feeling is mutual.

"I've heard great things about him," Hudson said. "I've heard he's a Mark Kotsay-type player, and that's a big compliment."