Unless you've been living under a rock, or in a college bubble, or in any other sort of living space that can be likened metaphorically to any other secluded living space, you know that on Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, the Chicago Cubs walked-off against the Houston Ast ... nah, I'm just kidding. As entertaining as it would be to talk about that baseball trivia goldmine of a game (last time a couple of 100 game losers faced off? 1962. The Cubbies were, naturally, involved in that one, too), I'll spare you the torture.
Instead, we'll move on to the other side of the baseball spectrum. As we transition from the failed spendthrifts to the overachievers, let's take a moment and try to recall where we were June 30. I don't remember either, but I do know where the Oakland Athletics were. They were 13 games behind the Texas Rangers and were just resigning themselves to their fate as the third best team in the American League West for another year.
Or so we thought. Flash-forward to today, and those same Athletics are the number two seed in the American League playoffs. And the reward for sweeping the Rangers at home is a handful of dates with the 7th best team in the AL, the Detroit Tigers. Life right now could not possibly get better for Athletics Nation - San Jose notwithstanding.
To be frank, I've been pretty into A's Nation myself for the past week or so. All of a sudden, it seems everyone else is, too - glory hunters, meh. There's no conflict of interest with the New York Mets, and it's easy to cheer for the underdog. Plus, there's Billy Beane. I'm pretty sure I've seen more A's games this season than most of the fans who were on hand to witness them clinch the West on Wednesday. To conclude the rant against fair-weather A's fans, is it just me, or do you see more A's merchandise being sported around campus these days?
Crouching Tigers, Stolen
Playoff Spot
Why are the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs? The short answer is Miggy. Miguel Cabrera has had a historic season clinching the Triple Crown, and he has led the Tigers to the postseason. But that wasn't exactly my question. What I want to know is why the Tigers are in the playoffs, instead of, say, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays or Los Angeles Angels.
You obviously know why. It's because they won the AL Central. Duh. But that's my point. It bothers me immensely that two teams with better records than the Tigers miss out on the playoffs, while the Tigers are sitting pretty, with a divisional series berth, no less. I mean, even the Rangers are playing the wildcard game, and they won five more games than the Tigers. Reform, Mr. Selig! This is unfair.
Don't Be Medlen with the Braves
Another team that has a better record than the Tigers and is playing the wildcard game is the Atlanta Braves. (I don't have a problem with this. Different leagues.) After missing out on the postseason last year, the Braves have been rewarded for their faith in their managerial staff with a sudden death game against the team that stole their playoff berth last season, the St. Louis Cardinals. And I don't think it would surprise anyone if things go the Braves' way this time around, especially if you look at the pitching matchup. The Braves have won all of Kris Medlen's last 23 starts, and that is some kind of streak. And as someone who has watched Medlen shut out the Mets on a couple of occasions this year, I would warn Cardinals fans of their imminent offensive failure. And a piece of advice - if that does happen, you can always #BlameBeltran.
Rangers in the Wildcard
Game F'Orioles?
The last week or so hasn't exactly gone as planned for the Texas Rangers. And if they don't check themselves sooner rather than later, their road to the World Series will come to an abrupt, unceremonious end. Whoever wins their playoff game against the Baltimore Orioles will take on the New York Yankees in the divisional series, so I'm basing my rooting interest purely on which team will make that match-up more interesting. The fact is, "Rangers in Postseason" is like that movie your local theater runs for a couple of months - a blockbuster when it came out, and you had to be the first one there to see it. Then you watched it again just to say that you did, but now you're just waiting for something new. Even if something new is some foreign film that you promised your girlfriend you would watch when it won an Oscar or something, and now it's finally here, but you've been dumped since then, and the very mention of that film is a waking reminder of the one that broke your heart. So yeah: Come on O's!
"Moneyball II," featuring Bob Saget as namesake Melvin
If it hasn't become apparent yet, I'm in love with Billy Beane. I've basically named my second child already (Billyna if it's a girl). It's been a very successful year already for Billy, what with the A's winning the West and Brad Pitt's portrayal of Beane in the critically acclaimed "Moneyball." But I feel it's my duty to remind everyone of the credit Billy deserves for the success of his A's. Looking back, this season for the A's has been just as screen-worthy as the 2002 one. Sequel!
Happy October, everyone! Enjoy the playoffs. Baseball is in the air! But so are other things, so get your flu shots.
