SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Oakland outfielder Milton Bradley admits that he lacks subtlety, that there is nothing simple about him. He's driven by something inside, something he creates in his head.

It's that something which makes him an All-Star when things are right -- and he feels his situation with the A's is just right.

Bradley hit a home run and a double, and drove in two runs in the A's 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Then he spoke out on his motivation for the season.

"I've always focused on playing," he said. "These guys here, they want me and they let you play. They don't want to change you into being like some clone. They want the real Milton Bradley to stand up. I have a good feeling about it."

Bradley, who had season-ending surgery last September to repair a torn patella tendon in his left knee, remembers a day in November when he visited Dodger Stadium for the last time.

"I went to visit the P.R. guy and this other guy comes in and starts talking to me about seeing Jay Williams [the NBA player who sustained torn knee ligaments, a fractured pelvis and damaged nerves in his left leg in a motorcycle accident] and how he didn't look the same and looked bad," Bradley said. "I thought 'Why is he telling me this?' That day, I left knowing the first day of Spring Training I would be on the field."

Bradley said doctors in Los Angeles told him surgery would mean six to nine months of recovery and rehabbing.

"I went to Ohio, got surgery and now I'm back on the field. Anytime you tell me I can't do something, it makes me what to do it."

He's been on the disabled list six times and had two stints on the suspended list. He hasn't played a full season yet, coming close in 2004. Bradley can hit, though, and he can play a mean outfield. The A's took a chance.

"Nobody can motivate me," Bradley said. "I'm self-motivated. I create scenarios in my head. That's the way it is. That's what drives me. I tried to be too nice early, and I'm not as good a player. I have to get rowdy and take it out on the baseball. I'm not an ordinary cat."

Nor do the A's want him to be ordinary. They traded for him to provide some power from both sides of the plate and to give the lineup some balance. He's slated to bat fifth, but he can bat third through sixth.

If he says he plays better angry, A's manager Ken Macha said he'll "ask him what I can do to get him mad."

If he needs an edge, the A's are willing to give him the space and the opportunity.

More on Frank: Frank Thomas faced live pitching at Minor League camp for the third straight day. He's expected to take Wednesday off and then return to the Minor League complex at Papago Park to face right-hander Joe Blanton, among others.

"We can make sure to get him game ready hitting-wise," said Macha, who stuck to the mantra that Thomas will play in a game when the trainers give him the OK. "The thing to understand about Frank is he went through minimal rehab last year and hit 12 home runs in 100 at-bats. That's an indicator he'll be fine."

Thomas has yet to run full speed this spring. A's head trainer Larry Davis said when it comes to Thomas, there's no one indicator.

"You worry about everything he does," Davis said.

To DH or not to DH: It wasn't really much of a quandary for Macha, who decided that fair is fair, even though San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou offered to allow the A's to use the designated hitter in Tuesday's game in Scottsdale.

"I called over there asked him if he would use the DH," Macha said of his conversation with Alou. "He said he was not using the DH, but that it would be all right if we used it. I thought about it, and I don't think that's how I'd view a baseball game, so we're not using the DH either."

Macha said there's enough to worry about during Spring Training to start scheduling batting practice for the pitchers.

"It's a waste of time to schedule any of that stuff for the pitchers," he said. "We'll get to that in May."

Extra innings: Second baseman Mark Ellis took a scheduled day off on Tuesday. ... Infielder Keith Ginter is sidelined with a sore left knee after fouling a ball off his knee during Monday's 7-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. ... Infielder Marco Scutaro missed his second straight game on Tuesday with a sore left shoulder, which he jammed diving back into second on Sunday.

Up Next: Right-hander Esteban Loaiza will be making his first start of the spring when the A's host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday in Phoenix at 12:05 p.m. PT. Loaiza made two starts for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Miguel Batista is scheduled to pitch for the Diamondbacks.