Merry Christmas to me!!! Now that I'm all grown up and my son is still too young to enjoy the holiday season, this is what I look forward to each year. It's my own personal Festivus!!
This year I am in four fantasy football leagues, the first of which drafts tonight. It's the league that I will be writing about, once again, this season here. I am the commissioner of the 14 team league and we are now in our 16th season. We will gather in a room too small for 14 people and lay out pizzas and wings while we draft the old school way, in person. This is a normal snake draft save for the fact that we do a 3rd round reverse twist. After going 1-14 and then 14-1 in round two, we repeat 14-1 once again in round three before continuing to snake. In the five years or so since starting this, it has been proven that teams 1-7 and 8-14 have an equal chance of making the playoffs, which wasn't true before with such a large league size.
With the fourth pick tonight, it becomes imperative that I hit a home run with my choice. I only have two picks out of the first 38 which leaves me very little room for error (like taking the Darren McFadden/Steven Jackson combination from a year ago). I probably won't make up my mind until I'm on the clock tonight about which direction I want go.
Tomorrow afternoon I head over to my friends house for another in person draft. This league is completely different than my league. It is only 10 teams big and it is not only an auction draft, but we use keepers as well. I have not had much success in this league for whatever reason. I have tried to balance the win now approach while keeping an eye out for players who are a year away from stardom and getting them cheap. I have rarely drafted rookies which very well could be my main problem. This year I do have a rookie keeper in the form of Russell Wilson. I'm banking on him being starter worthy (one of the best 10 quarterbacks in the league) and freeing up some cap room space for other players. I will also be keeping his teammate, Marshawn Lynch and past diva/enigma receiver Dez Bryant. It's a good base, but I'm sure to screw up the rest of the roster. Once again I was burned by keeping Darren McFadden last season. No more.
Sunday brings me a new league. I will be writing for a fantasy football website (http://www.leaguesafepost.com/) this year and they have invited all the new writers into a league. It will be an online, auction draft and, obviously, it comes with some twists. There are no kicker or defensive spots. There is a normal flex spot as well as a, new to me, OP slot (offensive player utility) where you can even start a second quarterback. The scoring in this league leans heavily on touchdowns over yardage as 120 yards rushing/receiving will equal the points of one touchdown. Not knowing any of the owners and not being strong in auction drafts along with not seeing exactly how the scoring system will affect players puts me at a strategy disadvantage. I'll have to use guile and pure dumb luck to succeed in this one.
After I have recovered from my weekend of fun, I have one final draft on Thursday night. It's a relatively standard league save for it being a PPR (points per reception) league. That will slightly change my strategy as a player like Reggie Bush becomes a far more valuable player than the likes of Alfred Morris (if you believe Bush can stay healthy). This will be an online, snake draft and only 10 teams this year (we lost two mainly to the guys becoming fathers and hating a certain league mate who is just plain vile). It's only my 3rd year in this league and very possibly could be my last if that certain someone continues his wrath of being a prick. There are just certain things that ruin fantasy football and foul mouthed idiots will do it. I have never met him, but his online persona is of a person I'm glad I've never met.
Fantasy football is meant to be fun. A way to enjoy games in a secondary way rather than just rooting for your favorite team and against the Cowboys. I love to be active in my league with add/drops, trades and polite trash talking. Nobody can claim to be a master at fantasy football, there are just too many variables, but you can put yourself in a good situation to succeed in all league formats by doing a bit of research.
Good luck to everyone drafting this weekend, may your #1 draft pick not tear an ACL in Week 1 and may your sleepers become league MVP's.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
John Cusack and 2013 Fantasy Football
For my third annual article of my introduction into the fantasy football season, I have chosen one of my favorite actors. Over the last
30 years, John Cusack has entertained viewing audiences with his quirky sense of humor
and his reluctance (for the most part) to avoid doing a movie just to
cash a Hollywood paycheck. The first movie I truly remember watching
repeatedly was One Crazy Summer when it aired pretty much every other
weekend on my local television stations. Whether it was the animated
sequences or the 'climatic' boat race at the end, it was always a movie
that kept me laughing.
Two movies that I won't touch on in this article, but that are two of my favorite of all time are Being John Malkovich and Grosse Pointe Blank. These are two completely different movies, but both fit the odd ball personality of Cusack characters to a tee. Now, Con Air is not what most would call an Academy Award worthy film, but I can't help watching it every time it is on television. Its the perfect time waster on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Put the bunny back in the box.
Last season I covered Denzel Washington where I definitely had some opportunities for improvement. I undersold the rookie class and overbought the Philadelphia Eagles. Frank Gore still had some gas left in the tank, but Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees once again put up monster numbers. I thought the Tennessee Titans would make some bigger strides and I completely bombed on my Donald Brown breakout prediction.
This season I will be looking back at the career of John Cusack and hopefully give my faithful readers an edge on either what to do or what not to do, depending on how good you think I am at this.
The Raven
I've wanted to watch this movie, but for some reason I haven't gotten around to it, but what better way to start this season than with a look at the defending Super Bowl Champions. Trying to repeat as a champion is difficult in any sport and this year already looks daunting for Baltimore. Gone are two legendary defensive stalwarts in retired linebacker Ray Lewis and free agent (Houston) safety Ed Reed. You have to expect a step back for the defense that has been such a fantasy monster over the last decade. On the other side of the ball, Joe Flacco has a new contract, but he lost veteran (and aging) wide receiver Anquan Boldin to free agency and recently, and far more importantly, emerging tight end Dennis Pitta to injury. In the four years since his rookie year, Flacco has been the model of consistency: mid to upper 3000's in yards passing, low to mid 20's in TD passes and double digit interceptions. Not the sexiest stat line and the main reason he'll never be a consistent fantasy starter. He'll keep Torrey Smith's numbers down, unfortunately, but he is the only receiver with massive upside, if Flacco can put a full season together. Ray Rice is the do it all back for the Ravens and for your fantasy team. There was something to worry about when the Ravens let Vonta Leach go, but he recently re-signed with the club and that cements Rice as a top 5 fantasy pick in my book. With Leach in the backfield with Rice, the numbers have been strikingly alarming. In the two seasons as a starter without Leach, Rice averaged 1908 yards from scrimmage per season while the two seasons with Leach he averaged 1844 yards from scrimmage per season. Wait? What? Doesn't that contradict the value of Leach?? No and here's why, Rice scored just 14 touchdowns without Leach and 25!! with Leach. That is the key number. Leach paves the way for the diminutive Rice inside the five without stealing the touchdowns.
Hot Tub Time Machine
In this comedy, a bunch of old dudes find a way to travel back in time to relive the years when they were young and hip in their own minds. Which aging veteran has one more viable fantasy season left in him like what Tony Gonzalez was able to to do last season for the Falcons (by the way he's definitely got something left)? Outside of Peyton Manning, the QB position is a young mans spot. If I had to take a veteran signal caller with the shot of doing something special, I'd go with Carson Palmer. Why? Two words: Bruce Arians. Oh you thought I was going to say Larry Fitzgerald? He's good, but maybe, just maybe Arians can find the proper scheme for those two to thrive. As for RB's, Frank Gore showed he wasn't ready to pass the torch to LaMichael James or Kendall Hunter just yet. The door is still open for one more season with Hunter injured, but its Reggie Bush (who I personally disowned three years ago) that should be primed to succeed. He loves open space and joins a Lions team that spreads the field like no other. Similar to the role that Darren Sproles has in New Orleans (that Bush was supposed to be), this could be a season of 75 receptions and double digit total touchdowns. Out wide, Dwayne Bowe has suddenly turned 28 before our eyes and his hopes for resurrecting his career rely solely on Andy Reid. The question is whether both of them are washed up or whether Bowe just needed a (once?) great offensive mind. Alex Smith isn't the greatest quarterback, but he should be sufficient enough to lead an above average offense in a weakened division. At tight end, old dudes still shine led by Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Antonio Gates, but its Greg Olsen who once again is primed to shine if only the Panthers use him more wisely. He's a match up nightmare, but he loses too many touchdowns to the run heavy goal line offense of Carolina. If Cam Newton just passes a handful more times inside the 10, Olsen could see his touchdown total climb to 9+ and make him a top five option.
2012
Oh John. I like you and I love end of the world movies, but 2012 just didn't do it for me. Just like the Mayans, the movie missed its mark with audiences. The rookie class of 2012 proved to be unlike the movie and was a complete box office smash hit. Andrew Luck, RGIII, Russell Wilson, Doug Martin, Trent Richardson and even late round sensation Alfred Morris all starred. This years crop of rookies can not and will not match them. As Ralph Wiggum once uttered: 'That's unpossible!' The fact that WR Tavon Austin was the first fantasy worthy choice at pick 12 says it all. There weren't high end, impact ready rookies this season. Now, of course, somebody will step in and shine, but I can't think of too many rookies that I'll spend a valuable pick on this go around. EJ Manuel and Geno Smith will aim to be the next in the line of hybrid quarterbacks a la RGIII and Colin Kaepernick, but unless you're in a deep keeper league, look elsewhere come draft day. The first running back off the board was my favorite college back as a UNC fan, Gio Bernard. He won't be the starter in Cincinnati, but he'll have his chances and could be a Darren Sproles clone in a year or two. Montee Ball is the one to watch as he is on a pass heavy team and will have room to run from day one. If any of the group has the potential to be a fantasy hero, it's him because Denver is going to score and score a lot. Peyton will have to let his rookie back score every once in a while, won't he? I also think Le'veon Bell is in a good spot with Pittsburgh while both Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin will be looking to earn the majority of reps in Green Bay. Rookie wide receivers are usually a must avoid, but everyone is speaking wonders about Texans rookie DeAndre Hopkins. He is on a really good team with a stud receiver in Andre Johnson opposite him and he can catch the ball, no really catch the ball. I am calling him the next Reggie Wayne whom I coveted for years as Marvin Harrison was aging in Indianapolis. That being said, it took Wayne four seasons to have his first 1,000 yard campaign. Back to Austin who is in a good place in St. Louis where his speed will be on full display, but there's no chance he produces to his current ADP which is ahead of the likes of Cecil Shorts and T.Y. Hilton who will be far more productive.
Bullets Over Broadway
I've never been a fan of Woody Allen films (save for Antz) and I've never, ever, ever, been a fan of sports teams in the great state of New York. The fact is I downright loathe every team based out of the Empire State and luckily for me there are three New York based teams in the NFL for me to dislike. Yes, the Buffalo Bills are still both in New York (not Toronto) and still in the NFL. The Giants and the Jets get most of the publicity and seeing as they are co-hosting the Super Bowl this season, all eyes will once again be focused on them. In western New York, the Bills have overhauled the offense dispatching incumbent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to Tennessee and bringing in Kevin Kolb and rookie E.J. Manuel. Fred Jackson gave way to C.J. Spiller in the backfield last season and boy did Spiller shine averaging 6.8 yards per TOUCH while accumulating 1,700 yards from scrimmage and he only started 7 games (playing in all 16). The step back at quarterback will hinder his progression this season, but he's the one Bills player to grab. Steve Johnson is already injured and not worth much more than a third receiver on your roster at this point. The Jets have said adieu to the failed Tim Tebow experiment and hopefully they can refocus on football. Of course, I think a distraction to the pig slop that the Jets will roll out might be exactly what the fans will need. When Chris Ivory is your best bet at fantasy gold, you know you'll be struggling. That's not saying Ivory won't be a beast now that he has a chance to shine, but he's an awfully risky choice as a #2 starter in most 12+ team leagues. For the Giants, the picture is much more appetizing. Eli Manning has his stable of weapons back with Victor Cruz re-signing, Hakeem Nicks still fighting bumps and bruises, new tight end Brandon Myers and sleeper pick Rueben Randle to step in when Nicks misses his handful of games. David Wilson and Andre Brown could prove to be a fantasy owners nightmare with a split backfield. Wilson might handle the between the 20's running while Brown will steal away the scores. A disaster in the making barring someone breaking through. Pay close attention to that race during the preseason.
Money For Nothing
A mostly forgettable movie about John Cusack lucking into $1.2 million and his decision on whether to take the money and run or be a good citizen and return it. In the era of big money free agency, there are plenty of players who have parlayed one (or more) good seasons into a big paycheck from another team. Fantasy owners are also fooled easily by the big dollar sign and ignore whether the signing was actually a good fit for both the player and the team. I had high hopes for Percy Harvin (officially a trade, but Minnesota wasn't paying the big bucks) up in Seattle, but his hip injury has derailed his season until at least Thanksgiving. For quarterbacks, there really was nothing to write about. Ryan Fitzpatrick will probably play in a couple of games, but he's Ryan Fitzpatrick, so I'll pass. The running back position has at least one gold member in Steven Jackson. After nearly a decade toiling away in St. Louis, Jackson has been gifted the most idyllic situation he could ask for. He replaces Michael Turner, who, with limited burst left in his legs still mustered 10 rushing touchdowns. Jackson might be just a year younger than Turner, but he will feel seven years younger this season. No longer will he be facing an eight man front. Hell, he'll have his pick of holes with the vertical passing game that Atlanta can throw at defenses. This will be Jackson's last great fantasy year. Reggie Bush has moved on from Miami to Detroit and he is in a very similar situation to Jackson, with a slightly more inconsistent offense. Bush will excel in PPR leagues, but be more than serviceable in all league formats. Ahmad Bradshaw has moved on from the New York Giants to an up and coming offense in Indianapolis. His situation is a bit murkier as even though he can be seen as opening day starter, he'll have to deal with Vick Ballard and the ever disappointing Donald Brown for touches. Running the ball was the biggest opportunity for the Colts as they only scored 11 times on the ground and five of those were by quarterback Andrew Luck. Their top two backs did combine for 1,200 yards which would be a great season for Bradshaw if everything breaks right. Wes Welker is the obvious best wide receiver on a new team this season. He has partnered with long time rival Peyton Manning in Denver as the Broncos gear up to make a Super Bowl run. The only question is how Denver will spread the ball around to their big three receivers. The catches and yardage will be there for Welker, but he could be anywhere from 3-10 touchdowns. Mike Wallace could be a huge smash in Miami, but my 'Spidey-senses' feel it will be more of the same for Wallace as a one trick pony. He runs fast, he runs deep and when he's on, he's great. Too bad Ryan Tannehill hasn't proven himself enough to warrant my seal of approval. Greg Jennings pulled a Brett Favre and jumped from Green Bay to division rival Minnesota. The downward spiral for Jennings has been quick and decisive. Not only is he on the way out, but he has gone from fantasy stud Aaron Rodgers to fantasy enigma Christian Ponder. He's, at best, a third wide receiver in a deep league for me. At tight end Jared Cook is my guy to watch in St. Louis. I have high hopes for a breakout season from him. Martellus Bennett has gone to Chicago and is an interesting sleeper if Jay Cutler can stay upright and learn to once again use his tight end wisely. Bears tight ends caught just 25 passes in 2012 with 3 receiving touchdowns. Bennett will double that.
Shadows and Fog
Another Woody Allen film that I somehow missed. John Cusack wasn't among the top billed cast in this film, but was relegated to a smaller role. Just because a player isn't a starter on opening day, it doesn't mean he won't become a fantasy all-star for the season. Most players that fit this bill might not even be drafted. They will be picked up off the waiver wire in the first few weeks. The draft is just the stepping stone for fantasy owners. Not all the players you draft will be with you come week 12. Through trades, injuries, poor play and the waiver wire, your roster is mostly expendable. Weeks 1-4 are the key time frame to shape your roster into a playoff contender. Think back to Mike Vick a few years ago or Alfred Morris last season. Players come out of nowhere to All-Pro type seasons. Of course for every success off the waiver wire there will be a Kevin Ogletree who exploded last year in Week 1 and only had one more serviceable game over the next 15. This is also the most difficult list to prepare because nobody knows the practice squad guys yet, but I'll pick out a couple of guys and see if I get lucky. Rookies Latavius Murray in Oakland and Joseph Randle in Dallas are in prime positions as backups/third stringers. The veteran starters for their respective teams, Darren McFadden and DeMarco Murray are fragile (they must have Italian heritage). Both will get their chances to step in sometime this season. Roy Helu Jr. in Washington and Shaun Draughn in Kansas City could also find some playing time with the right breaks. Until last season, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was known to change running backs as often as his underwear. Who is to say he doesn't revert back to that in 2013? Jamaal Charles has the majority of the touches locked up in Kanasas City, but Shaun Draughn was decent with his chances last season and could be a surprise if Charles comes up lame one week. Out wide, Riley Cooper may be a racist, but he is one of the few Eagles currently healthy. DeSean Jackson is a problem child and Jason Avant had zero touchdowns while catching 53 passes a year ago. In Minnesota, Percy Harvin is gone, Greg Jennings is in, but it is rookie Cardarrelle Patterson, that may wind up being the most productive by years end. Who knows if Jennings can stay on the field and Jerome Simpson was awful after his suspension in 2012. The one tight end that might surprise is Jordan Cameron. He has done next to nothing in his career to date, but now with tight end career maker Norv Turner in the house, he'll be given every chance to succeed.
The Grifters
I love movies about con artists and robberies. They could make 100 more Ocean Eleven movies and I'd watch them all. The Sting, Matchstick Men, The Thomas Crown Affair and on and on. Nothing beats a good theft. The same holds true in fantasy football. As an owner you are trying to maximize value out of each pick. Your first round pick should be the league MVP, your third round pick should post first round numbers and most importantly you need to find a breakout star in the sixth or seventh round (eighth or ninth in 10 team leagues). After you've acquired a solid starting lineup through the first handful of rounds, its time to grab players with pure upside. These picks won't cost you any games, but they do have a chance to make your season. Some of the the players that I'm keeping an eye on during the middle rounds are: Ben Tate in Houston, Ryan Williams in Arizona, Golden Tate in Seattle, Greg Little in Cleveland and Rob Housler in Arizona. I think that through injury and poor play in front of them, all five of these players could excel if given the right opportunity. Arian Foster is in trouble this season (so he'll be MVP right?). He has been overused with over 400 touches last season and has been battling injuries all off season. Ben Tate is more than capable as a backup and if I were coaching Houston, I'd be splitting the touches at a 60/40% clip, meaning horrible value for Foster, great value for Tate. Ryan Williams can't stay healthy while Arizona can't find a running back they like. Beanie Wells was shuttled away and Rashard Mendenhall replaced him. Stop laughing. This is Williams job for the taking and the only Cardinals running back I'm even thinking about drafting. Golden Tate has seen his numbers progressively increase over his three year career. Just when it appeared that Seattle was bringing in competition in Percy Harvin, Tate caught a break with the hip injury to Harvin. Still, Tate is being drafted, on average, 30 picks behind teammate Sidney Rice. That is great value for a player that is no worse than a co-number one wide receiver for the Seahawks. Greg Little took a step back in his progression last season thanks in large part to the play of rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. My reason for hope, outside of the 3rd year receiver golden fantasy rule, is that Little ended 2012 strong with two of his three touchdown receptions. Weeden will have a year of experience and with Josh Gordon missing the first two games, Little will have a chance to get some looks as the go to guy right off the bat. Rob Housler is the starting tight end in Arizona, but he'll be no fantasy owners starter at the start of the season. With Carson Palmer under center for the Cardinals, Housler has to think he is in store for a lot of targets. Brandon Myers caught 79 passes from Palmer last season in Oakland. Housler can do that too.
Eight Men Out
This is one of my favorite sports movies of all time. The mostly true story of the 1919 ChicagoBlack
White Sox who threw the World Series to make some extra money because
of their hatred for owner Charles Comiskey. After taking the money and
intentionally losing the Series, eight players were banned from baseball
forever. Over the years I have banned players from my teams after
being burned one too many times. Yeah I'm looking at you Reggie Bush!
You can now welcome Darren McFadden to the club. This year (outside of
those two) there are eight players I have already crossed off my list
based purely on value versus their current ADP.
1. Rob Gronkowski - Barring a minor medical miracle, this will not be the year of the Gronk. I'm not wasting a third round pick on somebody who very well may miss the first six games of the season. I cannot deny his talent when healthy but he has had far too many surgeries in the last year for my liking.
2. Vernon Davis - I could easily put Jermichael Finley here as well. I just don't know what to do with these two. Davis disappeared when Colin Kaepernick took over and Finley saw 88 balls thrown his way and scored just twice. Two scores while playing on the Packers juggernaut of an offense?? Really?? Donald Driver and Tom Crabtree caught a total of 16 balls for Green Bay last season and had 5 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Davis had one touchdown in his final 13 regular season games. That's unacceptable and I'm not going to watch and wait to see if the 49ers figure out how to use their best receiver better.
3. Chris Ivory - Well actually the entire Jets squad is nominated here. They look awful. Chris Ivory wasn't good with New Orleans and I am scared to death on how bad he'll be in New York. Simple as that.
4. Steve Johnson - I don't get the fascination with Johnson. It took him 12 weeks last season to hit 100 yards in a game. He's got a rookie quarterback that was overvalued throwing to him. He's already battling injuries. Red flags on the field everywhere. Avoid at all costs.
5. DeSean Jackson - The diva receiver. How I loathe thee. You can add Miles Austin to this spot too. Both of these guys have gutted my teams over the years and I'm done with them. Man up and play the game right. Shut your trap, run your routes, catch the ball and go back to the huddle.
6. Hakeem Nicks - Yes a Tar Heel. Even as a die hard fan of UNC, I'm giving up on Nicks. He can't stay on the field enough for my liking. Such a shame. Prove me wrong.
7. Tom Brady - Too many questions and I never take quarterbacks early, much less ones that have lost every single receiver he trusted in a year before. The quarterback position is so deep this year that there is no reason to reach for someone in such a precarious situation.
8. Maurice Jones-Drew - After being injured and while still playing for the lowly Jaguars, MJD is still being picked in the 3rd round in most leagues. Nope, not going to happen. I'd rather a younger David Wilson or Montee Ball on a much better offense instead.
The Sure Thing
Some say that John Cusack peaked in the '80s thanks to films like this one. Your classic boy wants perfect girl, but is paired up with another, completely opposite girl and you guessed it, they fall for each other. Throw in a road trip and you have the secret recipe for Hollywood success. Last season it seemed like every fantasy draft I did, quarterbacks went flying early and often. In my oldest league, a 14 team draft where the majority of us have been together for 15 years, there were five...count them...five quarterbacks drafted in the first round. That was unprecedented. I can't remember a season where more than two quarterbacks were chosen in round 1. I snagged an unknown rookie named RGIII in the sixth round which worked out nicely. Too bad I screwed up my first five picks so royally he couldn't salvage my season. This season the quarterback position is as deep as ever. In addition to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady who were by far and away the sure thing in 2012, Peyton Manning and Cam Newton returned to form. Matt Stafford might not have matched his 2011 campaign, but Detroit has Megatron and he throws 40 times a game. Rookies RGIII, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson blew away any predictions and Colin Kaepernick came from off the bench to guide his team to a Super Bowl. Then there's Eli Manning and Tony Romo, two NFC East quarterbacks that put up good numbers and continue to be undervalued year in and year out. Last, and certainly not least, is Matt Ryan who was my preseason MVP choice last season, and he'll be in the running this season for the high flying Falcons. That's 13 top notch starting quarterbacks for any fantasy team. A glutton of a sure thing. Here's my advice for you when drafting...wait for a quarterback. I say it every year and it used to be a very risky proposition, but this season there is no need to take a quarterback until past pick 60 at the earliest. In a 10 team league you could even wait until the 8th or 9th round and still grab Luck or Eli and be quite happy.
Say Anything
The last great 80s comedy that John Cusack did is fitting for my closing rant. I'm going to stand outside your window with boombox in hand and rant all season. It's what I do. I've been doing fantasy football since the mid 1990's when the Bills were the preeminent offensive team. Here's my list of advice for people just getting into fantasy football or those looking to get better:
1. Immerse yourself into the world of football in preparing for your draft. Leave no stone unturned. Learn the rosters, the depth charts, the rookies, the veterans. A fantasy roster is not just about the starters in Week 1, its about having the players on your bench that will emerge in weeks 4 through 8.
2. Be active, if not overly active. You are the GM of a team and just like real GM's, be ready to move players to make your team better. Unless you're in a keeper league, you have just one shot with your roster. Don't get attached to anyone. If you see an opportunity to make your roster better, do it.
3. Have fun. I'm in a friends league where there is one bad apple who constantly brings down the morale of the league with his disgraceful banter on the league message boards. He fights with every owner, offers horrible trades and thinks he is God's gift to fantasy football. There's a reason you're playing in a $50 league sir, nobody has it all figured out. We all make mistakes, but some of us are humble enough to ride out the bad seasons in the same manner that we enjoy the good ones.
4. Draft with your brain and not with your heart. I'm a Redskins fan and in my keeper league I'm keeping two Seahawks (who ended Washington's season) and a Cowboy (hated rival). I play to win the game! Last season was awesome having RGIII and Alfred Morris on the same fantasy team while watching Washington streak towards the playoffs. That doesn't happen often and I'm not going to force it this season. Draft the best available player whether you hate his team or not.
5. Remember every league is different. The owners act differently. The scoring is different. League size varies. Each draft is different. My three primary leagues consist of a 14 team, in person, snake draft with the caveat of our 3rd round is reversed. This means we go 1-14, 14-1 and then 14-1 again in round 3. The next league is an online, 10 team, snake draft with the caveat of being a PPR (points per reception) league. My last league is an in person, 10 team, keeper league, with the caveat of it being an auction league. That's where each owner has a salary cap and every non-keeper is available for purchase at the right price. There are a million ways to run a league. Try them all.
Good luck this season.
Two movies that I won't touch on in this article, but that are two of my favorite of all time are Being John Malkovich and Grosse Pointe Blank. These are two completely different movies, but both fit the odd ball personality of Cusack characters to a tee. Now, Con Air is not what most would call an Academy Award worthy film, but I can't help watching it every time it is on television. Its the perfect time waster on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Put the bunny back in the box.
Last season I covered Denzel Washington where I definitely had some opportunities for improvement. I undersold the rookie class and overbought the Philadelphia Eagles. Frank Gore still had some gas left in the tank, but Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees once again put up monster numbers. I thought the Tennessee Titans would make some bigger strides and I completely bombed on my Donald Brown breakout prediction.
This season I will be looking back at the career of John Cusack and hopefully give my faithful readers an edge on either what to do or what not to do, depending on how good you think I am at this.
The Raven
I've wanted to watch this movie, but for some reason I haven't gotten around to it, but what better way to start this season than with a look at the defending Super Bowl Champions. Trying to repeat as a champion is difficult in any sport and this year already looks daunting for Baltimore. Gone are two legendary defensive stalwarts in retired linebacker Ray Lewis and free agent (Houston) safety Ed Reed. You have to expect a step back for the defense that has been such a fantasy monster over the last decade. On the other side of the ball, Joe Flacco has a new contract, but he lost veteran (and aging) wide receiver Anquan Boldin to free agency and recently, and far more importantly, emerging tight end Dennis Pitta to injury. In the four years since his rookie year, Flacco has been the model of consistency: mid to upper 3000's in yards passing, low to mid 20's in TD passes and double digit interceptions. Not the sexiest stat line and the main reason he'll never be a consistent fantasy starter. He'll keep Torrey Smith's numbers down, unfortunately, but he is the only receiver with massive upside, if Flacco can put a full season together. Ray Rice is the do it all back for the Ravens and for your fantasy team. There was something to worry about when the Ravens let Vonta Leach go, but he recently re-signed with the club and that cements Rice as a top 5 fantasy pick in my book. With Leach in the backfield with Rice, the numbers have been strikingly alarming. In the two seasons as a starter without Leach, Rice averaged 1908 yards from scrimmage per season while the two seasons with Leach he averaged 1844 yards from scrimmage per season. Wait? What? Doesn't that contradict the value of Leach?? No and here's why, Rice scored just 14 touchdowns without Leach and 25!! with Leach. That is the key number. Leach paves the way for the diminutive Rice inside the five without stealing the touchdowns.
Hot Tub Time Machine
In this comedy, a bunch of old dudes find a way to travel back in time to relive the years when they were young and hip in their own minds. Which aging veteran has one more viable fantasy season left in him like what Tony Gonzalez was able to to do last season for the Falcons (by the way he's definitely got something left)? Outside of Peyton Manning, the QB position is a young mans spot. If I had to take a veteran signal caller with the shot of doing something special, I'd go with Carson Palmer. Why? Two words: Bruce Arians. Oh you thought I was going to say Larry Fitzgerald? He's good, but maybe, just maybe Arians can find the proper scheme for those two to thrive. As for RB's, Frank Gore showed he wasn't ready to pass the torch to LaMichael James or Kendall Hunter just yet. The door is still open for one more season with Hunter injured, but its Reggie Bush (who I personally disowned three years ago) that should be primed to succeed. He loves open space and joins a Lions team that spreads the field like no other. Similar to the role that Darren Sproles has in New Orleans (that Bush was supposed to be), this could be a season of 75 receptions and double digit total touchdowns. Out wide, Dwayne Bowe has suddenly turned 28 before our eyes and his hopes for resurrecting his career rely solely on Andy Reid. The question is whether both of them are washed up or whether Bowe just needed a (once?) great offensive mind. Alex Smith isn't the greatest quarterback, but he should be sufficient enough to lead an above average offense in a weakened division. At tight end, old dudes still shine led by Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Antonio Gates, but its Greg Olsen who once again is primed to shine if only the Panthers use him more wisely. He's a match up nightmare, but he loses too many touchdowns to the run heavy goal line offense of Carolina. If Cam Newton just passes a handful more times inside the 10, Olsen could see his touchdown total climb to 9+ and make him a top five option.
2012
Oh John. I like you and I love end of the world movies, but 2012 just didn't do it for me. Just like the Mayans, the movie missed its mark with audiences. The rookie class of 2012 proved to be unlike the movie and was a complete box office smash hit. Andrew Luck, RGIII, Russell Wilson, Doug Martin, Trent Richardson and even late round sensation Alfred Morris all starred. This years crop of rookies can not and will not match them. As Ralph Wiggum once uttered: 'That's unpossible!' The fact that WR Tavon Austin was the first fantasy worthy choice at pick 12 says it all. There weren't high end, impact ready rookies this season. Now, of course, somebody will step in and shine, but I can't think of too many rookies that I'll spend a valuable pick on this go around. EJ Manuel and Geno Smith will aim to be the next in the line of hybrid quarterbacks a la RGIII and Colin Kaepernick, but unless you're in a deep keeper league, look elsewhere come draft day. The first running back off the board was my favorite college back as a UNC fan, Gio Bernard. He won't be the starter in Cincinnati, but he'll have his chances and could be a Darren Sproles clone in a year or two. Montee Ball is the one to watch as he is on a pass heavy team and will have room to run from day one. If any of the group has the potential to be a fantasy hero, it's him because Denver is going to score and score a lot. Peyton will have to let his rookie back score every once in a while, won't he? I also think Le'veon Bell is in a good spot with Pittsburgh while both Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin will be looking to earn the majority of reps in Green Bay. Rookie wide receivers are usually a must avoid, but everyone is speaking wonders about Texans rookie DeAndre Hopkins. He is on a really good team with a stud receiver in Andre Johnson opposite him and he can catch the ball, no really catch the ball. I am calling him the next Reggie Wayne whom I coveted for years as Marvin Harrison was aging in Indianapolis. That being said, it took Wayne four seasons to have his first 1,000 yard campaign. Back to Austin who is in a good place in St. Louis where his speed will be on full display, but there's no chance he produces to his current ADP which is ahead of the likes of Cecil Shorts and T.Y. Hilton who will be far more productive.
Bullets Over Broadway
I've never been a fan of Woody Allen films (save for Antz) and I've never, ever, ever, been a fan of sports teams in the great state of New York. The fact is I downright loathe every team based out of the Empire State and luckily for me there are three New York based teams in the NFL for me to dislike. Yes, the Buffalo Bills are still both in New York (not Toronto) and still in the NFL. The Giants and the Jets get most of the publicity and seeing as they are co-hosting the Super Bowl this season, all eyes will once again be focused on them. In western New York, the Bills have overhauled the offense dispatching incumbent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to Tennessee and bringing in Kevin Kolb and rookie E.J. Manuel. Fred Jackson gave way to C.J. Spiller in the backfield last season and boy did Spiller shine averaging 6.8 yards per TOUCH while accumulating 1,700 yards from scrimmage and he only started 7 games (playing in all 16). The step back at quarterback will hinder his progression this season, but he's the one Bills player to grab. Steve Johnson is already injured and not worth much more than a third receiver on your roster at this point. The Jets have said adieu to the failed Tim Tebow experiment and hopefully they can refocus on football. Of course, I think a distraction to the pig slop that the Jets will roll out might be exactly what the fans will need. When Chris Ivory is your best bet at fantasy gold, you know you'll be struggling. That's not saying Ivory won't be a beast now that he has a chance to shine, but he's an awfully risky choice as a #2 starter in most 12+ team leagues. For the Giants, the picture is much more appetizing. Eli Manning has his stable of weapons back with Victor Cruz re-signing, Hakeem Nicks still fighting bumps and bruises, new tight end Brandon Myers and sleeper pick Rueben Randle to step in when Nicks misses his handful of games. David Wilson and Andre Brown could prove to be a fantasy owners nightmare with a split backfield. Wilson might handle the between the 20's running while Brown will steal away the scores. A disaster in the making barring someone breaking through. Pay close attention to that race during the preseason.
Money For Nothing
A mostly forgettable movie about John Cusack lucking into $1.2 million and his decision on whether to take the money and run or be a good citizen and return it. In the era of big money free agency, there are plenty of players who have parlayed one (or more) good seasons into a big paycheck from another team. Fantasy owners are also fooled easily by the big dollar sign and ignore whether the signing was actually a good fit for both the player and the team. I had high hopes for Percy Harvin (officially a trade, but Minnesota wasn't paying the big bucks) up in Seattle, but his hip injury has derailed his season until at least Thanksgiving. For quarterbacks, there really was nothing to write about. Ryan Fitzpatrick will probably play in a couple of games, but he's Ryan Fitzpatrick, so I'll pass. The running back position has at least one gold member in Steven Jackson. After nearly a decade toiling away in St. Louis, Jackson has been gifted the most idyllic situation he could ask for. He replaces Michael Turner, who, with limited burst left in his legs still mustered 10 rushing touchdowns. Jackson might be just a year younger than Turner, but he will feel seven years younger this season. No longer will he be facing an eight man front. Hell, he'll have his pick of holes with the vertical passing game that Atlanta can throw at defenses. This will be Jackson's last great fantasy year. Reggie Bush has moved on from Miami to Detroit and he is in a very similar situation to Jackson, with a slightly more inconsistent offense. Bush will excel in PPR leagues, but be more than serviceable in all league formats. Ahmad Bradshaw has moved on from the New York Giants to an up and coming offense in Indianapolis. His situation is a bit murkier as even though he can be seen as opening day starter, he'll have to deal with Vick Ballard and the ever disappointing Donald Brown for touches. Running the ball was the biggest opportunity for the Colts as they only scored 11 times on the ground and five of those were by quarterback Andrew Luck. Their top two backs did combine for 1,200 yards which would be a great season for Bradshaw if everything breaks right. Wes Welker is the obvious best wide receiver on a new team this season. He has partnered with long time rival Peyton Manning in Denver as the Broncos gear up to make a Super Bowl run. The only question is how Denver will spread the ball around to their big three receivers. The catches and yardage will be there for Welker, but he could be anywhere from 3-10 touchdowns. Mike Wallace could be a huge smash in Miami, but my 'Spidey-senses' feel it will be more of the same for Wallace as a one trick pony. He runs fast, he runs deep and when he's on, he's great. Too bad Ryan Tannehill hasn't proven himself enough to warrant my seal of approval. Greg Jennings pulled a Brett Favre and jumped from Green Bay to division rival Minnesota. The downward spiral for Jennings has been quick and decisive. Not only is he on the way out, but he has gone from fantasy stud Aaron Rodgers to fantasy enigma Christian Ponder. He's, at best, a third wide receiver in a deep league for me. At tight end Jared Cook is my guy to watch in St. Louis. I have high hopes for a breakout season from him. Martellus Bennett has gone to Chicago and is an interesting sleeper if Jay Cutler can stay upright and learn to once again use his tight end wisely. Bears tight ends caught just 25 passes in 2012 with 3 receiving touchdowns. Bennett will double that.
Shadows and Fog
Another Woody Allen film that I somehow missed. John Cusack wasn't among the top billed cast in this film, but was relegated to a smaller role. Just because a player isn't a starter on opening day, it doesn't mean he won't become a fantasy all-star for the season. Most players that fit this bill might not even be drafted. They will be picked up off the waiver wire in the first few weeks. The draft is just the stepping stone for fantasy owners. Not all the players you draft will be with you come week 12. Through trades, injuries, poor play and the waiver wire, your roster is mostly expendable. Weeks 1-4 are the key time frame to shape your roster into a playoff contender. Think back to Mike Vick a few years ago or Alfred Morris last season. Players come out of nowhere to All-Pro type seasons. Of course for every success off the waiver wire there will be a Kevin Ogletree who exploded last year in Week 1 and only had one more serviceable game over the next 15. This is also the most difficult list to prepare because nobody knows the practice squad guys yet, but I'll pick out a couple of guys and see if I get lucky. Rookies Latavius Murray in Oakland and Joseph Randle in Dallas are in prime positions as backups/third stringers. The veteran starters for their respective teams, Darren McFadden and DeMarco Murray are fragile (they must have Italian heritage). Both will get their chances to step in sometime this season. Roy Helu Jr. in Washington and Shaun Draughn in Kansas City could also find some playing time with the right breaks. Until last season, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was known to change running backs as often as his underwear. Who is to say he doesn't revert back to that in 2013? Jamaal Charles has the majority of the touches locked up in Kanasas City, but Shaun Draughn was decent with his chances last season and could be a surprise if Charles comes up lame one week. Out wide, Riley Cooper may be a racist, but he is one of the few Eagles currently healthy. DeSean Jackson is a problem child and Jason Avant had zero touchdowns while catching 53 passes a year ago. In Minnesota, Percy Harvin is gone, Greg Jennings is in, but it is rookie Cardarrelle Patterson, that may wind up being the most productive by years end. Who knows if Jennings can stay on the field and Jerome Simpson was awful after his suspension in 2012. The one tight end that might surprise is Jordan Cameron. He has done next to nothing in his career to date, but now with tight end career maker Norv Turner in the house, he'll be given every chance to succeed.
The Grifters
I love movies about con artists and robberies. They could make 100 more Ocean Eleven movies and I'd watch them all. The Sting, Matchstick Men, The Thomas Crown Affair and on and on. Nothing beats a good theft. The same holds true in fantasy football. As an owner you are trying to maximize value out of each pick. Your first round pick should be the league MVP, your third round pick should post first round numbers and most importantly you need to find a breakout star in the sixth or seventh round (eighth or ninth in 10 team leagues). After you've acquired a solid starting lineup through the first handful of rounds, its time to grab players with pure upside. These picks won't cost you any games, but they do have a chance to make your season. Some of the the players that I'm keeping an eye on during the middle rounds are: Ben Tate in Houston, Ryan Williams in Arizona, Golden Tate in Seattle, Greg Little in Cleveland and Rob Housler in Arizona. I think that through injury and poor play in front of them, all five of these players could excel if given the right opportunity. Arian Foster is in trouble this season (so he'll be MVP right?). He has been overused with over 400 touches last season and has been battling injuries all off season. Ben Tate is more than capable as a backup and if I were coaching Houston, I'd be splitting the touches at a 60/40% clip, meaning horrible value for Foster, great value for Tate. Ryan Williams can't stay healthy while Arizona can't find a running back they like. Beanie Wells was shuttled away and Rashard Mendenhall replaced him. Stop laughing. This is Williams job for the taking and the only Cardinals running back I'm even thinking about drafting. Golden Tate has seen his numbers progressively increase over his three year career. Just when it appeared that Seattle was bringing in competition in Percy Harvin, Tate caught a break with the hip injury to Harvin. Still, Tate is being drafted, on average, 30 picks behind teammate Sidney Rice. That is great value for a player that is no worse than a co-number one wide receiver for the Seahawks. Greg Little took a step back in his progression last season thanks in large part to the play of rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden. My reason for hope, outside of the 3rd year receiver golden fantasy rule, is that Little ended 2012 strong with two of his three touchdown receptions. Weeden will have a year of experience and with Josh Gordon missing the first two games, Little will have a chance to get some looks as the go to guy right off the bat. Rob Housler is the starting tight end in Arizona, but he'll be no fantasy owners starter at the start of the season. With Carson Palmer under center for the Cardinals, Housler has to think he is in store for a lot of targets. Brandon Myers caught 79 passes from Palmer last season in Oakland. Housler can do that too.
Eight Men Out
This is one of my favorite sports movies of all time. The mostly true story of the 1919 Chicago
1. Rob Gronkowski - Barring a minor medical miracle, this will not be the year of the Gronk. I'm not wasting a third round pick on somebody who very well may miss the first six games of the season. I cannot deny his talent when healthy but he has had far too many surgeries in the last year for my liking.
2. Vernon Davis - I could easily put Jermichael Finley here as well. I just don't know what to do with these two. Davis disappeared when Colin Kaepernick took over and Finley saw 88 balls thrown his way and scored just twice. Two scores while playing on the Packers juggernaut of an offense?? Really?? Donald Driver and Tom Crabtree caught a total of 16 balls for Green Bay last season and had 5 total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Davis had one touchdown in his final 13 regular season games. That's unacceptable and I'm not going to watch and wait to see if the 49ers figure out how to use their best receiver better.
3. Chris Ivory - Well actually the entire Jets squad is nominated here. They look awful. Chris Ivory wasn't good with New Orleans and I am scared to death on how bad he'll be in New York. Simple as that.
4. Steve Johnson - I don't get the fascination with Johnson. It took him 12 weeks last season to hit 100 yards in a game. He's got a rookie quarterback that was overvalued throwing to him. He's already battling injuries. Red flags on the field everywhere. Avoid at all costs.
5. DeSean Jackson - The diva receiver. How I loathe thee. You can add Miles Austin to this spot too. Both of these guys have gutted my teams over the years and I'm done with them. Man up and play the game right. Shut your trap, run your routes, catch the ball and go back to the huddle.
6. Hakeem Nicks - Yes a Tar Heel. Even as a die hard fan of UNC, I'm giving up on Nicks. He can't stay on the field enough for my liking. Such a shame. Prove me wrong.
7. Tom Brady - Too many questions and I never take quarterbacks early, much less ones that have lost every single receiver he trusted in a year before. The quarterback position is so deep this year that there is no reason to reach for someone in such a precarious situation.
8. Maurice Jones-Drew - After being injured and while still playing for the lowly Jaguars, MJD is still being picked in the 3rd round in most leagues. Nope, not going to happen. I'd rather a younger David Wilson or Montee Ball on a much better offense instead.
The Sure Thing
Some say that John Cusack peaked in the '80s thanks to films like this one. Your classic boy wants perfect girl, but is paired up with another, completely opposite girl and you guessed it, they fall for each other. Throw in a road trip and you have the secret recipe for Hollywood success. Last season it seemed like every fantasy draft I did, quarterbacks went flying early and often. In my oldest league, a 14 team draft where the majority of us have been together for 15 years, there were five...count them...five quarterbacks drafted in the first round. That was unprecedented. I can't remember a season where more than two quarterbacks were chosen in round 1. I snagged an unknown rookie named RGIII in the sixth round which worked out nicely. Too bad I screwed up my first five picks so royally he couldn't salvage my season. This season the quarterback position is as deep as ever. In addition to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady who were by far and away the sure thing in 2012, Peyton Manning and Cam Newton returned to form. Matt Stafford might not have matched his 2011 campaign, but Detroit has Megatron and he throws 40 times a game. Rookies RGIII, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson blew away any predictions and Colin Kaepernick came from off the bench to guide his team to a Super Bowl. Then there's Eli Manning and Tony Romo, two NFC East quarterbacks that put up good numbers and continue to be undervalued year in and year out. Last, and certainly not least, is Matt Ryan who was my preseason MVP choice last season, and he'll be in the running this season for the high flying Falcons. That's 13 top notch starting quarterbacks for any fantasy team. A glutton of a sure thing. Here's my advice for you when drafting...wait for a quarterback. I say it every year and it used to be a very risky proposition, but this season there is no need to take a quarterback until past pick 60 at the earliest. In a 10 team league you could even wait until the 8th or 9th round and still grab Luck or Eli and be quite happy.
Say Anything
The last great 80s comedy that John Cusack did is fitting for my closing rant. I'm going to stand outside your window with boombox in hand and rant all season. It's what I do. I've been doing fantasy football since the mid 1990's when the Bills were the preeminent offensive team. Here's my list of advice for people just getting into fantasy football or those looking to get better:
1. Immerse yourself into the world of football in preparing for your draft. Leave no stone unturned. Learn the rosters, the depth charts, the rookies, the veterans. A fantasy roster is not just about the starters in Week 1, its about having the players on your bench that will emerge in weeks 4 through 8.
2. Be active, if not overly active. You are the GM of a team and just like real GM's, be ready to move players to make your team better. Unless you're in a keeper league, you have just one shot with your roster. Don't get attached to anyone. If you see an opportunity to make your roster better, do it.
3. Have fun. I'm in a friends league where there is one bad apple who constantly brings down the morale of the league with his disgraceful banter on the league message boards. He fights with every owner, offers horrible trades and thinks he is God's gift to fantasy football. There's a reason you're playing in a $50 league sir, nobody has it all figured out. We all make mistakes, but some of us are humble enough to ride out the bad seasons in the same manner that we enjoy the good ones.
4. Draft with your brain and not with your heart. I'm a Redskins fan and in my keeper league I'm keeping two Seahawks (who ended Washington's season) and a Cowboy (hated rival). I play to win the game! Last season was awesome having RGIII and Alfred Morris on the same fantasy team while watching Washington streak towards the playoffs. That doesn't happen often and I'm not going to force it this season. Draft the best available player whether you hate his team or not.
5. Remember every league is different. The owners act differently. The scoring is different. League size varies. Each draft is different. My three primary leagues consist of a 14 team, in person, snake draft with the caveat of our 3rd round is reversed. This means we go 1-14, 14-1 and then 14-1 again in round 3. The next league is an online, 10 team, snake draft with the caveat of being a PPR (points per reception) league. My last league is an in person, 10 team, keeper league, with the caveat of it being an auction league. That's where each owner has a salary cap and every non-keeper is available for purchase at the right price. There are a million ways to run a league. Try them all.
Good luck this season.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Paths We Choose
For those who have read my post on being an Oakland Athletics fan over the last 25 years, I discussed how I became a fan in the summer of 1988. To keep it short, I was so embarrassed of the 0-21 start by my local favorite Baltimore Orioles, that I adopted my little league team, the Athletics, as my new favorite team. 25 years later I'm still a devoted fan of a team that is 3,000 miles away from me. I have been to countless Oakland games in Baltimore, but I have also seen them play at Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago (both Cubs and White Sox) and just once in Oakland.
Although Oakland has not won a World Series since 1989, it has been mostly a thrill ride following the green and gold clad Athletics. Even when they're weren't good, they still had Mark McGwire chasing Roger Maris in the mid-90's before being jettisoned to St. Louis. I looked back at their last 25 seasons and compared them to the last quarter century of every other franchise in Major League Baseball to see just how fortunate I was to be on the Athletics in the summer of 1988 and not (sorry Kansas City) on the Royals that year.
If I were to rank each of the 30 franchises that have played in the last 25 years on how they have pleased their fans, this is what it would look like:
(All records from start of 1988 season through July 10th, 2013)
1. New York Yankees
Resumé: 2311-1757 record; 17 playoff appearances; 5-2 World Series record
The Good: All the wins, all the money, the careers of Bernie, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera
The Bad: The Danny Tartabull years, the bad side of George Steinbrenner
2. Atlanta Braves
Resumé: 2260-1809 record; 16 playoff appearances; 1-4 World Series record
The Good: 14* straight Division titles; Maddux, Smolts and Glavine, Games on TBS
The Bad: Playoff choke jobs, never winning that second title, 106 loss 1988 season
3. Boston Red Sox
Resumé: 2210-1867 record; 11 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: Ending 'The Curse', comeback vs. Yankees, Pedro Martinez
The Bad: Grady Little's decision, when Manny lost it and was exiled
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Resumé: 2152-1918 record: 10 playoff appearances; 2-1 World Series record
The Good: Albert Pujols/Mark McGwire HR's, Game 6 of 2011 WS
The Bad: 1988-95 missing playoffs, 1996 playoff choke
5. San Francisco Giants
Resumé: 2132-1941 record; 7 playoff appearances; 2-2 World Series record
The Good: Winning 2 of last 3 WS, Barry Bonds breaking records, 103 wins not making playoffs
The Bad: Two 6+ year playoff droughts, the unfriendly side of Bonds and Jeff Kent
6. Oakland Athletics
Resumé: 2169-1905 record; 10 playoff appeances; 1-2 World Series record
The Good: Bash brothers, Moneyball, Rickey Henderson and the 20 game win streak
The Bad: Playoff losses in early 2000's, the stadium, 1993-99, Jeremy Giambi
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
Resumé: 2123-1947 record; 7 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Vin Scully, Kirk Gibson/Orel Hershiser's 1988 season, Clayton Kershaw's curveball
The Bad: 1997-03 drought, 1 playoff game win in 19 years between 1989-2007
8. Los Angeles Angels
Resumé: 2103-1972 record; 6 playoff apperances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Vlad Guerrero/Mike Trout, 2002 WS Game Six Rally w/ Rally Monkey
The Bad: 1988-2001 playoff drought, all the name changes, 1995 choke
9. Toronto Blue Jays
Resumé: 2065-2009 record; 4 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: Back to back WS Championships, The Sky Dome, Joe Carter touching them all
The Bad: No playoff appearances since they won the World Series (20 years...)
10. Minnesota Twins
Resumé: 2012-2058 record; 7 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: The atmosphere in the Metrodome, Kirby Puckett, Johan Santana
The Bad: Playing the Yankees in the playoffs, 1992-2001 drought, playing outside in Minnesota
11. Chicago White Sox
Resumé: 2100-1968 record; 4 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Frank Thomas, Ozzie Guillen's fire, Mark Buehrle effieciency and perfect game
The Bad: Having to listen to Hawk Harrelson, Ozzie Guillen's idiocy
12. Philadelphia Phillies
Resumé: 2039-2036 record; 6 playoff appearances; 1-2 World Series record
The Good: The fun that was the 1993 team, Halladay/Hamels/Lee
The Bad: 1988-2006 save for the 1993 season, the Vet, Mitch Williams' last pitch in '93
13. Miami Marlins
Resumé: 1537-1725 record; 2 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: The two championships, developing great young talent for other teams
The Bad: Jeffrey Loria, 19 useless seasons, Ozzie Guillen, that statue in left center
14. Arizona Diamondbacks
Resumé: 1257-1264 record; 5 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Luis Gonzalez' walk off, Schilling/Johnson duo, a ballpark with a pool
The Bad: Losing 111 games with Randy Johnson in 2004, the handling of Justin Upton
15. Cincinnati Reds
Resumé: 2040-2035 record; 4 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: The Nasty Boys, Joey Votto, Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo's goggle glasses
The Bad: 1996-2009 playoff drought, Marge Schott, Pete Rose scandal
16. Cleveland Indians
Resumé: 2054-2018 record; 7 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: Jacobs Field at its peak, the dominance of the 1995 lineup
The Bad: Everything before the strike of 1994, Game 7 of 1997, letting Lee/Sabathia go
17. Texas Rangers
Resumé: 2068-2006 record; 6 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: Igor, Pudge, Raffy, ARod, Josh Hamilton, Beltre...basically all the hitting
The Bad: Most of the pitching, the heat, Nelson Cruz's defense in the World Series
18. Houston Astros
Resumé: 2032-2043 record; 6 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: The Killer B's - Biggio, Bagwell, Bell, Berkman - The train in the outfield
The Bad: Astroturf, 1988-1996, 2006-present, that hanging slider to Pujols, the hill in CF
19. New York Mets
Resumé: 2039-2028 record; 4 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Mike Piazza, the 2000 season and David Wright
The Bad: 1989-98, 2007-present droughts,103 loss 1993 season
20. Chicago Cubs
Resumé: 1963-2106 record; 5 playoff appearances; No World Series appearnces
The Good: The loyalty of the fans, Harry Caray, Prior/Wood, Day Games, Sammy Sosa
The Bad: Poor Steve Bartman, Dusty Baker's use of Prior/Wood, most on field action
21. San Diego Padres
Resumé: 1977-2102 record; 4 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Tony Gwynn, making a World Series and getting to play in San Diego
The Bad: Trading away Roberto Alomar/Joe Carter/Fred McGriff, drafting Matt Bush over Verlander
22. Colorado Rockies
Resumé: 1545-1725 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: The offensive explosion of the '90's - Bichette/Walker/Galarraga/Burks...then Helton
The Bad: The humidor, ruining Denny Neagle/Mike Hampton, stealing CarGo from the Athletics
23. Detroit Tigers
Resumé: 1892-2182 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: The Justin Verlander years, Miguel Cabrera, Lou Whitaker/Alan Trammel/Sparky Anderson
The Bad: 1988-2005 with a bottoming out of 119 losses in 2003 with 106 losses the year before
24. Tampa Bay Rays
Resumé: 1155-1364 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Exorcising the Devil, Evan Longoria, all the young home grown pitching, Joe Maddon
The Bad: The Trop, the fan base, 9 last place finishes in first 10 years of existence
25. Seattle Mariners
Resumé: 1985-2086 record; 4 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Griffey Jr., Buhner, Edgar, Ichiro, 1995&2001, The Big Unit/King Felix
The Bad: Most everything since 2002, The Kingdome, losing so many stars over the years
26. Baltimore Orioles
Resumé: 1911-2159 record; 3 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Cal Ripken Jr. and the streak, Camden Yards, Mike Mussina, Adam Jones
The Bad: Peter Angelos, Jeffery Maier, 1998-2011 futility, 0-21 that started it all
27. Milwaukee Brewers
Resumé: 1944-2128 record; 2 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Leaving County Stadium, Prince Fielder/Ryan Braun, Bernie Brewer
The Bad: 1988-2007 with 106 losses in 2002, being switched to the National League
28. Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
Resumé: 1943-2129 record; 1 playoff appearance; No World Series appearances
The Good: The 1994 team, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper
The Bad: Folding the franchise, losing Pedro/L Walker/R Johnson/M Alou etc., the strike
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
Resumé: 1876-2192 record; 3 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: 1990-92 run with Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke/Drabek, Andrew McCutchen, PNC Park
The Bad: 1993-present drought of no .500 or better teams, Sid Bream
30. Kansas City Royals
Resumé: 1826-2241 record; No playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Producing great young talent (for other franchises), Bret Saberhagen's 1989 season
The Bad: Only franchise not to make the playoffs in the last 25 seasons, 3 straight 100+ loss seasons
*from Atlanta: Strike season of 1994 doesn't count where Montreal held a 6 game lead on Atlanta with 48 games to go
There you have it. 25 years for 30 different franchises. Outside of winning a World Series or two more, I wouldn't trade my allegiance for anything. But dammit, Jeremy Giambi, why didn't you slide???
Although Oakland has not won a World Series since 1989, it has been mostly a thrill ride following the green and gold clad Athletics. Even when they're weren't good, they still had Mark McGwire chasing Roger Maris in the mid-90's before being jettisoned to St. Louis. I looked back at their last 25 seasons and compared them to the last quarter century of every other franchise in Major League Baseball to see just how fortunate I was to be on the Athletics in the summer of 1988 and not (sorry Kansas City) on the Royals that year.
If I were to rank each of the 30 franchises that have played in the last 25 years on how they have pleased their fans, this is what it would look like:
(All records from start of 1988 season through July 10th, 2013)
1. New York Yankees
Resumé: 2311-1757 record; 17 playoff appearances; 5-2 World Series record
The Good: All the wins, all the money, the careers of Bernie, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera
The Bad: The Danny Tartabull years, the bad side of George Steinbrenner
2. Atlanta Braves
Resumé: 2260-1809 record; 16 playoff appearances; 1-4 World Series record
The Good: 14* straight Division titles; Maddux, Smolts and Glavine, Games on TBS
The Bad: Playoff choke jobs, never winning that second title, 106 loss 1988 season
3. Boston Red Sox
Resumé: 2210-1867 record; 11 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: Ending 'The Curse', comeback vs. Yankees, Pedro Martinez
The Bad: Grady Little's decision, when Manny lost it and was exiled
4. St. Louis Cardinals
Resumé: 2152-1918 record: 10 playoff appearances; 2-1 World Series record
The Good: Albert Pujols/Mark McGwire HR's, Game 6 of 2011 WS
The Bad: 1988-95 missing playoffs, 1996 playoff choke
5. San Francisco Giants
Resumé: 2132-1941 record; 7 playoff appearances; 2-2 World Series record
The Good: Winning 2 of last 3 WS, Barry Bonds breaking records, 103 wins not making playoffs
The Bad: Two 6+ year playoff droughts, the unfriendly side of Bonds and Jeff Kent
6. Oakland Athletics
Resumé: 2169-1905 record; 10 playoff appeances; 1-2 World Series record
The Good: Bash brothers, Moneyball, Rickey Henderson and the 20 game win streak
The Bad: Playoff losses in early 2000's, the stadium, 1993-99, Jeremy Giambi
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
Resumé: 2123-1947 record; 7 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Vin Scully, Kirk Gibson/Orel Hershiser's 1988 season, Clayton Kershaw's curveball
The Bad: 1997-03 drought, 1 playoff game win in 19 years between 1989-2007
8. Los Angeles Angels
Resumé: 2103-1972 record; 6 playoff apperances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Vlad Guerrero/Mike Trout, 2002 WS Game Six Rally w/ Rally Monkey
The Bad: 1988-2001 playoff drought, all the name changes, 1995 choke
9. Toronto Blue Jays
Resumé: 2065-2009 record; 4 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: Back to back WS Championships, The Sky Dome, Joe Carter touching them all
The Bad: No playoff appearances since they won the World Series (20 years...)
10. Minnesota Twins
Resumé: 2012-2058 record; 7 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: The atmosphere in the Metrodome, Kirby Puckett, Johan Santana
The Bad: Playing the Yankees in the playoffs, 1992-2001 drought, playing outside in Minnesota
11. Chicago White Sox
Resumé: 2100-1968 record; 4 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Frank Thomas, Ozzie Guillen's fire, Mark Buehrle effieciency and perfect game
The Bad: Having to listen to Hawk Harrelson, Ozzie Guillen's idiocy
12. Philadelphia Phillies
Resumé: 2039-2036 record; 6 playoff appearances; 1-2 World Series record
The Good: The fun that was the 1993 team, Halladay/Hamels/Lee
The Bad: 1988-2006 save for the 1993 season, the Vet, Mitch Williams' last pitch in '93
13. Miami Marlins
Resumé: 1537-1725 record; 2 playoff appearances; 2-0 World Series record
The Good: The two championships, developing great young talent for other teams
The Bad: Jeffrey Loria, 19 useless seasons, Ozzie Guillen, that statue in left center
14. Arizona Diamondbacks
Resumé: 1257-1264 record; 5 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: Luis Gonzalez' walk off, Schilling/Johnson duo, a ballpark with a pool
The Bad: Losing 111 games with Randy Johnson in 2004, the handling of Justin Upton
15. Cincinnati Reds
Resumé: 2040-2035 record; 4 playoff appearances; 1-0 World Series record
The Good: The Nasty Boys, Joey Votto, Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo's goggle glasses
The Bad: 1996-2009 playoff drought, Marge Schott, Pete Rose scandal
16. Cleveland Indians
Resumé: 2054-2018 record; 7 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: Jacobs Field at its peak, the dominance of the 1995 lineup
The Bad: Everything before the strike of 1994, Game 7 of 1997, letting Lee/Sabathia go
17. Texas Rangers
Resumé: 2068-2006 record; 6 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: Igor, Pudge, Raffy, ARod, Josh Hamilton, Beltre...basically all the hitting
The Bad: Most of the pitching, the heat, Nelson Cruz's defense in the World Series
18. Houston Astros
Resumé: 2032-2043 record; 6 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: The Killer B's - Biggio, Bagwell, Bell, Berkman - The train in the outfield
The Bad: Astroturf, 1988-1996, 2006-present, that hanging slider to Pujols, the hill in CF
19. New York Mets
Resumé: 2039-2028 record; 4 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Mike Piazza, the 2000 season and David Wright
The Bad: 1989-98, 2007-present droughts,103 loss 1993 season
20. Chicago Cubs
Resumé: 1963-2106 record; 5 playoff appearances; No World Series appearnces
The Good: The loyalty of the fans, Harry Caray, Prior/Wood, Day Games, Sammy Sosa
The Bad: Poor Steve Bartman, Dusty Baker's use of Prior/Wood, most on field action
21. San Diego Padres
Resumé: 1977-2102 record; 4 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Tony Gwynn, making a World Series and getting to play in San Diego
The Bad: Trading away Roberto Alomar/Joe Carter/Fred McGriff, drafting Matt Bush over Verlander
22. Colorado Rockies
Resumé: 1545-1725 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: The offensive explosion of the '90's - Bichette/Walker/Galarraga/Burks...then Helton
The Bad: The humidor, ruining Denny Neagle/Mike Hampton, stealing CarGo from the Athletics
23. Detroit Tigers
Resumé: 1892-2182 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-2 World Series record
The Good: The Justin Verlander years, Miguel Cabrera, Lou Whitaker/Alan Trammel/Sparky Anderson
The Bad: 1988-2005 with a bottoming out of 119 losses in 2003 with 106 losses the year before
24. Tampa Bay Rays
Resumé: 1155-1364 record; 3 playoff appearances; 0-1 World Series record
The Good: Exorcising the Devil, Evan Longoria, all the young home grown pitching, Joe Maddon
The Bad: The Trop, the fan base, 9 last place finishes in first 10 years of existence
25. Seattle Mariners
Resumé: 1985-2086 record; 4 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Griffey Jr., Buhner, Edgar, Ichiro, 1995&2001, The Big Unit/King Felix
The Bad: Most everything since 2002, The Kingdome, losing so many stars over the years
26. Baltimore Orioles
Resumé: 1911-2159 record; 3 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Cal Ripken Jr. and the streak, Camden Yards, Mike Mussina, Adam Jones
The Bad: Peter Angelos, Jeffery Maier, 1998-2011 futility, 0-21 that started it all
27. Milwaukee Brewers
Resumé: 1944-2128 record; 2 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Leaving County Stadium, Prince Fielder/Ryan Braun, Bernie Brewer
The Bad: 1988-2007 with 106 losses in 2002, being switched to the National League
28. Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos
Resumé: 1943-2129 record; 1 playoff appearance; No World Series appearances
The Good: The 1994 team, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper
The Bad: Folding the franchise, losing Pedro/L Walker/R Johnson/M Alou etc., the strike
29. Pittsburgh Pirates
Resumé: 1876-2192 record; 3 playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: 1990-92 run with Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke/Drabek, Andrew McCutchen, PNC Park
The Bad: 1993-present drought of no .500 or better teams, Sid Bream
30. Kansas City Royals
Resumé: 1826-2241 record; No playoff appearances; No World Series appearances
The Good: Producing great young talent (for other franchises), Bret Saberhagen's 1989 season
The Bad: Only franchise not to make the playoffs in the last 25 seasons, 3 straight 100+ loss seasons
*from Atlanta: Strike season of 1994 doesn't count where Montreal held a 6 game lead on Atlanta with 48 games to go
There you have it. 25 years for 30 different franchises. Outside of winning a World Series or two more, I wouldn't trade my allegiance for anything. But dammit, Jeremy Giambi, why didn't you slide???
Thursday, March 28, 2013
MLB Preview and Unbiased Predictions
AL East
Toronto Blue Jays 91-71 (#3 Seed)
Tampa Bay Rays 86-76 (Wild Card #2)
New York Yankees 80-82
Baltimore Orioles 79-83
Boston Red Sox 73-89
AL Central
Detroit Tigers 93-69 (#1 Seed)
Chicago White Sox 83-79
Kansas City Royals 81-81
Cleveland Indians 77-85
Minnesota Twins 69-93
AL West
Los Angeles Angels 92-70 (#2 Seed)
Oakland Athletics 87-75 (Wild Card #1)
Texas Rangers 86-76
Seattle Mariners 76-86
Houston Astos 60-102
NL East
Washington Nationals 99-63 (#1 Seed)
Atlanta Braves 95-67 (Wild Card #1)
Philadelphia Phillies 82-80
New York Mets 74-88
Miami Marlins 62-100
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals 92-70 (#3 Seed)
Cincinnati Reds 91-71
Pittsburgh Pirates 80-82
Milwaukee Brewers 75-87
Chicago Cubs 65-97
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers 96-66 (#2 Seed)
San Francisco Giants 92-70 (Wild Card #2)
Arizona Diamondbacks 79-83
San Diego Padres 70-92
Colorado Rockies 63-99
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------AL East Fantasy Hero Fantasy Goat
Toronto- Jose Bautista/Brandon Morrow Melky Cabrera/Mark Buerhle
Tampa Bay- Ben Zobrist/Matt Moore Matt Joyce/Alex Cobb
New York- Robinson Cano/Mariano Rivera Mark Teixeira/Ivan Nova
Baltimore- Manny Machado/Jason Hammel Nick Markakis/Chris Tillman
Boston- Mike Napoli/Clay Bucholz Shane Victorino/Felix Doubront
AL Central
Detroit- Austin Jackson/Max Scherzer Torii Hunter/Doug Fister
Chicago- Alexei Ramirez/Addison Reed Gordon Beckham/Jake Peavy
Kansas City- Salvador Perez/James Shields Alex Gordon/Ervin Santana
Cleveland- Carlos Santana/Justin Masterson Nick Swisher/Ubaldo Jimenez
Minnesota- Josh Willingham/Vance Worley Trevor Plouffe/Scott Diamond
AL West
Los Angeles- Howie Kendrick/Jason Vargas Mark Trumbo/Tommy Hanson
Oakland- Yoenis Cespedes/Jarrod Parker Brandon Moss/Tommy Milone
Texas- Elvis Andrus/Alexi Ogando Lance Berkman/Matt Harrison
Seattle- Kyle Seager/Hisashi Iwakuma Raul Ibanez/Joe Saunders
Houston- Matt Dominguez/Wesley Wright Brett Wallace/Erik Bedard
NL East Fantasy Hero Fantasy Goat
Washington- Bryce Harper/Jordan Zimmermann Danny Espinosa/Drew Storen
Atlanta- Justin Upton/Mike Minor Dan Uggla/Kris Medlen
Philadelphia- Dominic Brown/Cliff Lee Michael Young/Roy Halladay
New York- Ike Davis/Matt Harvey Lucas Duda/Johan Santana
Miami- Giancarlo Stanton/Jacob Turner Juan Pierre/Ricky Nolasco
NL Central
St. Louis- Allen Craig/Shelby Miller Carlos Beltran/Lance Lynn
Cincinnati- Zack Cozart/Mat Latos Shin-Soo Choo/Homer Bailey
Pittsburgh- Starling Marte/Wandy Rodriguez Garrett Jones/A.J. Burnett
Milwaukee- Carlos Gomez/Marco Estrada Corey Hart/Mike Fiers
Chicago- Anthony Rizzo/Jeff Samardzija David DeJesus/Carlos Marmol
NL West
Los Angeles- Carl Crawford/Zack Greinke Andre Either/Chris Capuano
San Francisco- Brandon Belt/Tim Lincecum Marco Scutaro/Ryan Vogelsong
Arizona- Martin Prado/Brandon McCarthy Aaron Hill/Wade Miley
San Diego- Yander Alonso/Luke Gregerson Chase Headley/Huston Street
Colorado- Michael Cuddyer/Juan Nicasio Wilin Rosario/Jeff Francis
AL CY YOUNG: Justin Verlander AL MVP: Jose Bautista
NL CY YOUNG: Clayton Kershaw NL MVP: Bryce Harper
Playoffs:
Tampa Bay over Oakland in Wild Card Game
Atlanta over San Francisco in Wild Card Game
Detroit over Tampa Bay in 4 games in ALDS
Toronto over Los Angeles Angels in 5 games in ALDS
Washington over Atlanta in 5 games in NLDS
Los Angeles Dodgers over St. Louis in 4 games in NLDS
Detroit over Toronto in 6 games in ALCS
Washington over Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games in NLCS
Detroit over Washington in 7 games in World Series
World Series MVP: Justin Verlander
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Heartbreak and Elation: Oakland Athletics
The fourth post in my series of the ups and downs of being a sports fanatic heads west to Oakland, California as I discuss my beloved Athletics. If you have missed my first three posts, they are about the Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals and North Carolina Tar Heels. I know you're asking yourself a question right now. 'How does he like the Oakland Athletics when it's obvious that he lives on the east coast?'
For the answer to this, let me wind the clock back to 1988 where the 10 year old version of me was a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. Not that I chose this fate, I just happened to live in Northern Virginia and they were the only team I had heard of. The Washington Nationals were still the Montreal Expos and Baltimore was still just a handful of years removed from their most recent World Series victory back in 1983. 1988 was not 1983 for Baltimore. The hapless Orioles started that season 0-21 and by the time my birthday arrived on May 5th they were 3-24. It was that 10th birthday when I received newspaper clippings from my grandfather in Pennsylvania (who was a very happy Pittsburgh Pirates fan, oh the irony) about how horrible and embarrassing the Orioles were. It was at that moment I made a choice.
Right around that time I began playing in the 'Majors' division of Little League. This was the first season where we played with actual names from Major League Baseball. No longer were we just a local sponsors name. I was drafted by the Athletics. I probably didn't even understand that they were based in Oakland, much less California. My grandfather shamed me from being an Orioles fan anymore. Starting in the summer of 1988 I was now a fan of the Oakland Athletics.
As I learned about the Athletics, I would go to the backyard with my wiffle bat and ball and mimic their lineup with Carney Lansford, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and pitchers Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley as our own.
I was on the Athletics for three years (including one truly heartbreaking championship game loss) and during those three years the real Oakland Athletics went to three World Series. During that time frame I was introduced to my fair share of elation and heartbreak. Nearly 25 years since moving on from Little League I am still a die hard, east coast, Oakland Athletics fan and over the years Oakland has supplied me with countless moments that cover the spectrum of emotions. I have picked out 10 of my favorite and 10 moments that still hurt to share with my readers.
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF ELATION AS A OAKLAND ATHLETICS FAN
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1994 - August 9th vs Chicago White Sox (R. Sierra 8th inning HR to pull A's w/in 0.5 game of 1st)
2012 - October 3rd vs Texas Rangers (Athletics clinch A.L. West crown with comeback victory)
2000 - Game 1 ALDS October 3rd vs New York Yankees (Gil Heredia beats Roger Clemens)
The 1994 season is one to forget for many fans and players alike. The season ended in mid-August due to labor conflict and for the first time since 1904 there was no World Series played. I was sixteen and could care less about all the talk of the impending problems, but rather I worried about how horrid the Athletics were playing. By June 22nd, following a 10-1 drubbing by the Kansas City Royals, Oakland had fallen to 25-45, but miraculously stood only 7 games out of first place in the watered down A.L. W(orst)est. The next day, the season began to change for Oakland, they won 13 of their next 16 as I headed to Baltimore to watch Oakland play a Sunday matinee with my family. We had tickets about 15 rows behind the first base dugout and I (as always) went wearing a green and gold shirt/hat combo. The Orioles held a 4-3 lead heading into the 9th inning as Lee Smith slowly came into the ballgame. Ruben Sierra reached base to lead off the inning and up came my favorite player of all time, Mark McGwire. I stood and cheered hoping for a home run and that is just what I got! A 2 run blast put the Athletics up 5-4 and I screamed loud enough to hear myself and really only myself on the playback on HTS later that night (yes I watched the game again). I was told by many a fan to sit down and 'go back to Oakland' but I responded with 'Now you'll get to see a real closer come in!' Dennis Eckersley entered and shut the Orioles down for my favorite Athletics victory of all time that I saw in person. By seasons end (mid-August) the Athletics had crept to within just a game of 1st place and still stood 12 games under .500. The A.L. West would very likely have sent a team to the playoffs who was under .500 in one of the ugliest division races that never happened.
9. 2001 - Game 2 ALDS October 11th vs New York Yankees
Outside of the Seattle Mariners who magically won 116 games in 2001, the Athletics were by far and away the best regular season team in all of Major League Baseball. That team won 102 games, but because of the Mariners they were forced to open up the playoffs on the road against the New York Yankees who won 95 games. That didn't stop Oakland from winning Game 1 once again (as they had done a year earlier in Yankee Stadium) as this time it was Mark Mulder who out pitched Roger Clemens. I fully expected the 'evil empire' to strike back in Game 2, but Tim Hudson pitched one of his best games of his career a night later. Hudson scattered six hits and walked just one batter over 8 glorious innings and Jason Isringhausen survived a shaky ninth to put the Athletics up 2-0 in the best of five series. Ron Gant provided the winning run with a solo home run in the 4th inning. After losing the previous year to New York, I was on cloud nine after winning both game in New York to start this series. Everyone had said that the only reason Oakland didn't win in 2000 was because they weren't able to set up their pitching rotation. They did not have that problem in 2001. With Mulder and Hudson already done, the Athletics were still set with their third 'ace' Barry Zito in Game 3, Corey Lidle in Game 4 and back to Mulder for a Game 5 that didn't look like was going to happen. I was already looking forward to showing Seattle who was the real best team in the A.L. West. I also knew I was headed to JMU for Game 3 to visit my sister for the weekend where one of her suite mates was a die hard Yankees fan and boy did I have some chest puffing words for her...more on that later.
8. 2003 - Game 1 ALDS October 1st vs Boston
By 2003 the Athletics had made the playoffs three consecutive years and had flamed out in the A.L.D.S. three straight times. A fourth consecutive A.L. West crown in 2003 paired Oakland up with Boston in the Division Series this time. With home field advantage and experience finally on their side, Oakland was given a good chance to beat the Red Sox. This proved to be one of the best Division Series baseball had ever seen since adopting the new round in 1995. Game 1 might have been the best of the five games. I started the evening playing my own baseball game, but tracking the score on my phone (no web plan, just calling an 800 number for updates). Oakland started out well behind Tim Hudson and led 3-2 heading into the 7th inning. My game was wrapping up by then, but by the time I got home, Oakland was now trailing 4-3. I sat in front of my television as the Athletics came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning needing a run to extend the game. I did not have a great feeling after 3 years of torment, but Oakland pieced together a rally and gave themselves a chance. With two on and two outs, Erubiel Durazo singled home the tying run as I erupted in joy. After Eric Chavez grounded out to end the inning, the game started anew in the 10th. Both teams were held scoreless into the 12th inning which is where Oakland survived wading through the middle of the lineup by stranding two runners. In the bottom of the 12th inning a walk and back to back ground outs left Oakland with a man on second and two outs. Scott Hatteberg walked and Eric Chavez stole 3rd base. Hatteberg then went to 2nd on defensive indifference. Boston chose to walk Terrance Long to load the bases and bring up slow footed catcher, Ramon Hernandez with the bases loaded. During the 'Moneyball' era of the Athletics, the team had scoffed at the stolen base and the bunt. It was about plate discipline and extra base hits. This is why what happened next shocked not only the world of baseball, but definitely die hard fans of Oakland like myself. On a 0-1 count, Hernandez squared to bunt and with the third baseman playing at normal depth, was caught unaware and Hernandez scampered down to first as the winning run crossed the plate. I don't have video of the game, but I had some friends reenact the events and it looked a little something like this:
6. 2000 - October 1st vs Texas
After six seasons of losing baseball, the Athletics finally showed signs of promise during the 1999 season. A 35-20 summer stretch that season was thrilling and although the team played just .500 ball from September 1st on, there was hope heading into the new millennium. By August 11th of the 2000 season the Athletics had lost their sixth game in a row and stood 7 games out of first place. With 47 games left, the season appeared to be lost. Then, what eventually became an Oakland tradition, they got red hot down the stretch. By the time the final three games of the season arrived, Oakland had shaved Seattle's lead to just a 1/2 game (with Oakland holding the head to head tiebreaker). The day before welcoming the struggling Texas Rangers to town for the biggest series since 1992, Oakland had dropped a gut-wrenching 14 inning decision to Anaheim (compare it to the 14 inning disaster versus New York this past September for pain inducing feelings). Seattle was headed to Anaheim for their final three games of the season. Friday night: Oakland won a back and forth affair while Seattle fell to the Angels. Oakland was now in first place and controlled their own destiny! Saturday afternoon: Oakland thumped the hapless Rangers winning 23-2 meaning a Seattle loss that night would clinch the division for the Athletics. Yeah, that didn't happen as Seattle nearly matched Oakland with a 21-9 destruction of Anaheim. One day, one win needed. Oakland was forced to start their ace, Tim Hudson who was 19-6 on the season. At the same time down the coast, Seattle started their game. Through six innings of the two games, nothing had been decided. Oakland was scoreless with Texas while Seattle and Anaheim were knotted a two apiece. A six month, 162 game season had now been boiled down to just three innings. In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and nobody on base, Oakland finally broke through. A double was followed by a run scoring single and Oakland was now just six outs away from the division crown. Seattle also scored 3 runs in their seventh inning, putting all the pressure squarely on Oakland. Tim Hudson worked through the 8th inning and Oakland went back to work on offense. A lead off home run by Randy Velarde was shortly followed by another, pinch hit, home run by Olmedo Saenz as Oakland went to the 9th inning with a 3-0 lead. Obviously, Jason Isringhausen allowed hits to two of the first three batters of the inning, but got the fourth batter to pop out. With two on and two out, Isringhausen struck out Frank Catalanotto looking and Oakland was headed back to the playoffs. The dugout emptied and the bubbly was popped as the drought had finally ended.
Personal information warning: Ever since I was too old to play second base as a left handed fielder at the age of 13, I wanted to pitch. I was told I didn't throw hard enough, didn't throw enough strikes and couldn't survive on the mound. Until shoulder injuries finally put an end to my amateur career, I ended up pitching for about 17 years. I never threw hard, but I could make the ball dance and I could paint the corners in my prime. This leads me to the greatest day in the career of fellow 'soft throwing' lefty Dallas Braden. Mother's Day 2010, I was hanging out around the house in late afternoon and was tracking the Athletics game via Twitter. It was early in the season and Oakland had been average in what would turn out to be a truly average (81-81) season. Through four innings, Braden had not allowed a base runner. Through five innings, Braden had not allowed a base runner. Now my interest had started to pique. I turned the game on my television, putting my daily household chores aside and settled in for what I hoped was a memorable moment. Look, I'm a sucker for any chance at a no hitter or a perfect game. Even if it's the Yankees, I'll root for a pitcher to do the amazing. I never got through more than four perfect innings in any of my career starts. I pitched a two hitter once I think. I don't care what level you play, pitching a 7 or even a 9 inning game without allowing a hit, much less a base runner is the epitome of difficult. By now Dallas Braden had made it through the sixth inning and then the seventh inning without a base runner. 21 up. 21 down. Now I was starting to sweat. In the last 112 seasons, only 21 pitchers have been perfect. That's quite rare even with five perfect games in the last three seasons (plus one that should have been). The eighth inning came and went. 24 up. 24 down. Now I can taste it. I'm practically shaking in anticipation. I know pitchers are lost in the moment when this is happening, but I couldn't sit still. ESPN had put the game on. The MLB Network carried it. The 9th inning. Three batters to history. A line out. A fly out. One more out. Oh please, oh please, oh please. A swing. For a second the ball looks to be hit up the middle, but it turns out to be a rather routine ground ball to short stop. The throw to first...YES!! PERFECT GAME! Dallas Braden had his greatest moment on the day honoring mother's and aiding in the awareness of the fight against breast cancer. Dallas Braden had lost his own mother to breast cancer. The significance of the moment was overwhelming as Braden found his grandmother coming from out of the stands and hugged her and broke down with emotion. What a glorious moment for a good guy.
4. 2012 - September 29 vs Seattle
The 2012 Oakland Athletics are by far and away my favorite team during the 25 years of being a fan of the green and gold. The story has been told countless times about the off season trades, the prediction of 100+ losses, the terrible start, the comebacks, the Bernie dance, the win streak to end the season and of course the pies. I recapped my affinity for them in my post: 94 Reasons I Love the 2012 Oakland Athletics. If I had to pick one regular season game that truly encapsulates their season, it's September 29th versus Seattle. Coming of a loss at Texas that all but quashed their division title hopes, Oakland had won the first game of a three game series against Seattle, but now had to face Jason Vargas who had only given up 9 earned runs in his previous five starts against Oakland in 2012. Start #6 was more of the same. Through seven innings, Oakland had only scored on a fluke, heads up base running play by Yoenis Cespedes. He scored from first on a single after the right fielder relaxed for just a second. Meanwhile, Seattle had scored four runs and heading into the bottom of the 8th, still held a 4-1 advantage. Oakland pieced together a rally, as they were apt to do, but unlike their previous rallies, this one was cut down at the plate as Stephen Drew was thrown out to end the inning after Oakland had scored to cut the lead to 4-2. A scoreless top half of the inning set up more Oakland dramatics in the bottom of the 9th. With one out, Josh Reddick was walked on four pitches, bringing Josh Donaldson to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, Donaldson crushed a hanging curve ball to dead center field and the game was suddenly and dramatically tied at 4. Now everyone in Oakland knew was was coming next. It was just a matter of who. Fans didn't have to wait long as in the 10th inning with two men on and one man out, Brandon Moss destroyed a pitch into the right field seats for a game winning, walk off, 3 run home run. It was Oakland's 14 and final walk off of the regular season and their 90th win of a very magical season. Of the players named in this recap (Cespedes, Drew, Reddick, Donaldson and Moss) only Donaldson had ever played for Oakland before 2012 and he didn't play in 2011 at all. With the win, Oakland stood just 2.5 games out first place with just four games to go. Spoiler Alert: They won out, beating Seattle again and then sweeping Texas to win the A.L. West.
3. 2002 - September 4th vs Kansas City
The most famous Oakland Athletics team is the 2002 team, thanks to the movie Moneyball. They were portrayed as a rag tag bunch of misfits that somehow won enough games to make the playoffs by Hollywood. The truth is that this team had made the playoffs in back to back seasons previously, winning over 100 games the year before. True they lost three key players, but they returned one of the best young set of core players in the majors. Behind the Cy Young award winning Barry Zito and A.L. MVP Miguel Tejada, this team was far better than the movie showed audiences. By the end of May, the team was headed nowhere which was accurate in the movie. Oakland stood 10 games off the lead in the A.L. West, but as had become a recent trend, they played much better from June onward. Beginning June 6th, Oakland won 16 of 17 games, but it was an even better streak beginning on August 13th that caught the nations attention. Barry Zito beat the Blue Jays that day to keep the Athletics within 4.5 games of first place, but that was just the beginning for Oakland. They reeled off 18 more wins in a row to match both the 1906 White Sox and 1947 Yankees for the current American League record of 19 wins in a row. Labor Day weekend was chock full of drama with Oakland winning in walk-off fashion on both Sunday and Monday afternoons. After a day off, Oakland took on Kansas City in a nationally televised game with the 'streak' on the line. A twentieth win would set an American League record and apparently make for a pretty thrilling movie arc as well. Through three innings, the game was a rout with Oakland taking a commanding 11-0 lead. Ho-hum, 20 in a row. Kansas City, to their credit, was ready to cancel the party. They stormed back with 5 runs in the 4th inning and 5 more in the 8th inning. Then they tied the game at 11 with a run off of Billy Koch who was pitching in his fifth consecutive game. Oakland escaped further damage and went to the home half of the 9th with a chance at history hanging in the balance. Even though this was not a make or break game for the season and Oakland would go on to win the A.L. West by four full games, the streak meant something to me. I had skipped out of work mid day on Labor Day to watch #19, I had ran around the house like a school kid when Miguel Tejada won #18 a day earlier. With one out in the 9th, Scott Hatteberg (#10, my uniform number BTW) pinch hit and hit a game winning, streak continuing, scream inducing home run. Hollywood execs called General Manager Billy Beane immediately thereafter.
The 2001 postseason is one of the most famous postseasons in the history of Major League Baseball. With the backdrop of the country recovering from the tragedy of 9/11 and a classic, seven game World Series that had more drama, more twists and turns than any Hollywood script could produce, there was a lot to remember. Two games into the playoffs, Oakland had already staked their claim as the new kid on the block. They walked into New York and beat the 3 time defending World Series Champions with great pitching and timely hitting. I was on cloud nine. I was feeling brash and boastful. The end of an era, the beginning of a new generation. I had bought into the swagger and bravado of Oakland with their long hair and beer bellies and rock and roll attitude. It was going to be a repeat of the dynasty from 1972-74 with three staight championships of their own. Yeah I let my mind get the best of me. That Saturday, I headed down to JMU with my parents to visit my sister who had just recently started her freshman year there. I had graduated in 2000 myself and watched the campus turn into the Bronx each October as New York won in the fall of 1996, 1998 and 1999 (and eventually 2000 with me back at home thankfully). I was sick and tired of it, but that was going to end that night. When I had helped my sister move in that August one of her suite mates was sporting a Yankees hat and putting up Yankees paraphanelia all over her room. We had bantered back and forth, but I didn't have much ammunition at the time. Now sporting my green and gold Athletics shirt I strutted into the dorm just waiting to get a shot at her. She saw me, I smiled, she walked away. Victory was mine. Game 3 was in Oakland and I don't think I've even seen a more raucous crowd. After all, Oakland had won their last 17, count them 17, games in Oakland to end the season. It was going to be a good night. I pulled up to a quaint little 22" television in the dorm room, alone as everyone was out and about for Parents Weekend. It was another low scoring affair as Barry Zito and Mike Mussina matched out for out. The Yankees struck first in the fifth inning as Jorge Posada launched a solo home run to quiet the crowd. That was one of just two hits the Yankees would get all night long. Oakland didn't fare much better until the bottom of the seventh inning when a two out rally nearly ended the series. Jeremy Giambi, the younger, yet just as slow footed, brother of slugger Jason hit a single to right field. That brought up...drumroll please...Terrance Long! The center of the postseason universe in my lifetime. He hadn't failed in 2002 and 2003 yet and he didn't fail this time. Long laced a bullet down the right field line into the corner. Giambi rounded second and was being waved home. The relay throw from the corner airmailed the cut off man, Oakland was going to tie the game up! Then out of nowhere, Derek Jeter appeared as if the devil himself had placed him there to destroy everything that was holy to me. He picked the ball up on a bounce, flipped the ball sidearmed to catcher Jorge Posada who tagged Giambi in the leg as he ran through home plate. I didn't use the word 'slide'. Jeremy Giambi didn't slide. We'll never know if that would've made the difference, but you always slide into home on a close play...ALWAYS! Just another little mistake that was maginified until it burned a hole through your brain into your guts and spilled your entrails all over the floor for Oakland. The crowd was deflated, New York hung on for a 1-0 victory. In Game 4, Jermaine Dye broke his leg as New York won again. Game 5 saw Jason Giambi play his final game with Oakland as New York not only won the series, but wound up signing Giambi away from Oakland. Life sucks sometimes. Slide dammit!
1. 1988 - Game 1 October 15th vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The one that started it all. I'll admit most of what I remember from this game will probably be revisionist history. I was 10 years old and just a budding fan of the Oakland Athletics. Hell I was just in the beginning stages of truly understanding the game of baseball. I know I was watching the game, I swear I was. I think I was. What I do know is that I have seen the highlight of the penultimate moment of this game far too many times. It is why this ranks #1 and will probably (please God hopefully) always rank #1 on this list. Oakland was the favorite against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. They had won 10 more games in the regular season than the Dodgers and had swept the Boston Red Sox in the A.L.C.S.. The Dodgers on the other hand were the underdog within their League Championship Series against the New York Mets, but had won. With Game 1 in Los Angeles it seemed imperitive to most pundits that if the Dodgers had any shot at competing with Oakland they would need to win Game 1. A first inning, two run home run for Los Angeles helped give them hope. That was dashed rather quickly as Jose Canseco hit a second inning grand slam giving Oakland a 4-2 lead. Oakland starter, Dave Stewart, surrendered a sixth inning run, but heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, Oakland still led 4-3. Dennis Eckersley was summoned to close out the game. This is what he did. He led the all of baseball with 45 saves that season and was the runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting. At age 33, Eckersley, a one time starter and recovering addict had a new lease on life as a closer. He would close games for the next decade for Oakland and later St. Louis, but in 1988 he was just getting started. He quickly retired the first two batters, ho-hum, nothing to see here, have a nice night, enjoy the trip home. Uncharacticalistically, he walked the next batter (he had walked just 11 in 72 innings in the regular season and would walk just 3 batters in the 1989 season in 57 innings). Of course, maybe that was part of the strategy. This brought up the pitchers spot in the lineup and thanks to an injury to National League MVP Kirk Gibson, the Dodgers were out of viable options. With a healthy Gibson, the Dodgers would have been given a much better shot to win the series. He was thought to be unavailable though, that was until he appeared limping towards the on deck circle. Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers manager, had been told by Gibson that he had one good swing in him. He rolled the dice. Eckersley overpowered the gimpy Gibson with fastballs, but Gibson worked the count full and fouled off a tough pitch at that point. Eckersley switched it up and apparently Kirk Gibson was ready for it. Instead of sticking with the fastball that Gibson had shown no ability to hit solidly, Eckersley tried a slider on the outside corner. Gibson later said he was sitting on that pitch and guessed completely. He lunged on one leg and smacked the pitch into the bleachers in right field sending the city of Los Angeles into delerium. Gibson slowly, injury or not, gutted his way around the bases adding an extra fist pump between first and second that was emulated by a generation of kids. Oakland never recovered as Orel Hershiser seized the momentum and won both Game 2 and Game 5 as the Dodgers won the World Series. To this day I swear I cried watching that ball land in the bleachers. I know I still feel anger in the pit of my stomach everytime I see the replay or hear Vin Scully's call of "I don't believe what I just saw." I'll leave you with that pain. Sorry Athletics fans, I really am.
For the answer to this, let me wind the clock back to 1988 where the 10 year old version of me was a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. Not that I chose this fate, I just happened to live in Northern Virginia and they were the only team I had heard of. The Washington Nationals were still the Montreal Expos and Baltimore was still just a handful of years removed from their most recent World Series victory back in 1983. 1988 was not 1983 for Baltimore. The hapless Orioles started that season 0-21 and by the time my birthday arrived on May 5th they were 3-24. It was that 10th birthday when I received newspaper clippings from my grandfather in Pennsylvania (who was a very happy Pittsburgh Pirates fan, oh the irony) about how horrible and embarrassing the Orioles were. It was at that moment I made a choice.
Right around that time I began playing in the 'Majors' division of Little League. This was the first season where we played with actual names from Major League Baseball. No longer were we just a local sponsors name. I was drafted by the Athletics. I probably didn't even understand that they were based in Oakland, much less California. My grandfather shamed me from being an Orioles fan anymore. Starting in the summer of 1988 I was now a fan of the Oakland Athletics.
As I learned about the Athletics, I would go to the backyard with my wiffle bat and ball and mimic their lineup with Carney Lansford, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and pitchers Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley as our own.
I was on the Athletics for three years (including one truly heartbreaking championship game loss) and during those three years the real Oakland Athletics went to three World Series. During that time frame I was introduced to my fair share of elation and heartbreak. Nearly 25 years since moving on from Little League I am still a die hard, east coast, Oakland Athletics fan and over the years Oakland has supplied me with countless moments that cover the spectrum of emotions. I have picked out 10 of my favorite and 10 moments that still hurt to share with my readers.
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF ELATION AS A OAKLAND ATHLETICS FAN
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1994 - August 9th vs Chicago White Sox (R. Sierra 8th inning HR to pull A's w/in 0.5 game of 1st)
2012 - October 3rd vs Texas Rangers (Athletics clinch A.L. West crown with comeback victory)
2000 - Game 1 ALDS October 3rd vs New York Yankees (Gil Heredia beats Roger Clemens)
10. 1994 - July 10th vs Baltimore Orioles
The 1994 season is one to forget for many fans and players alike. The season ended in mid-August due to labor conflict and for the first time since 1904 there was no World Series played. I was sixteen and could care less about all the talk of the impending problems, but rather I worried about how horrid the Athletics were playing. By June 22nd, following a 10-1 drubbing by the Kansas City Royals, Oakland had fallen to 25-45, but miraculously stood only 7 games out of first place in the watered down A.L. W(orst)est. The next day, the season began to change for Oakland, they won 13 of their next 16 as I headed to Baltimore to watch Oakland play a Sunday matinee with my family. We had tickets about 15 rows behind the first base dugout and I (as always) went wearing a green and gold shirt/hat combo. The Orioles held a 4-3 lead heading into the 9th inning as Lee Smith slowly came into the ballgame. Ruben Sierra reached base to lead off the inning and up came my favorite player of all time, Mark McGwire. I stood and cheered hoping for a home run and that is just what I got! A 2 run blast put the Athletics up 5-4 and I screamed loud enough to hear myself and really only myself on the playback on HTS later that night (yes I watched the game again). I was told by many a fan to sit down and 'go back to Oakland' but I responded with 'Now you'll get to see a real closer come in!' Dennis Eckersley entered and shut the Orioles down for my favorite Athletics victory of all time that I saw in person. By seasons end (mid-August) the Athletics had crept to within just a game of 1st place and still stood 12 games under .500. The A.L. West would very likely have sent a team to the playoffs who was under .500 in one of the ugliest division races that never happened.
9. 2001 - Game 2 ALDS October 11th vs New York Yankees
Outside of the Seattle Mariners who magically won 116 games in 2001, the Athletics were by far and away the best regular season team in all of Major League Baseball. That team won 102 games, but because of the Mariners they were forced to open up the playoffs on the road against the New York Yankees who won 95 games. That didn't stop Oakland from winning Game 1 once again (as they had done a year earlier in Yankee Stadium) as this time it was Mark Mulder who out pitched Roger Clemens. I fully expected the 'evil empire' to strike back in Game 2, but Tim Hudson pitched one of his best games of his career a night later. Hudson scattered six hits and walked just one batter over 8 glorious innings and Jason Isringhausen survived a shaky ninth to put the Athletics up 2-0 in the best of five series. Ron Gant provided the winning run with a solo home run in the 4th inning. After losing the previous year to New York, I was on cloud nine after winning both game in New York to start this series. Everyone had said that the only reason Oakland didn't win in 2000 was because they weren't able to set up their pitching rotation. They did not have that problem in 2001. With Mulder and Hudson already done, the Athletics were still set with their third 'ace' Barry Zito in Game 3, Corey Lidle in Game 4 and back to Mulder for a Game 5 that didn't look like was going to happen. I was already looking forward to showing Seattle who was the real best team in the A.L. West. I also knew I was headed to JMU for Game 3 to visit my sister for the weekend where one of her suite mates was a die hard Yankees fan and boy did I have some chest puffing words for her...more on that later.
8. 2003 - Game 1 ALDS October 1st vs Boston
By 2003 the Athletics had made the playoffs three consecutive years and had flamed out in the A.L.D.S. three straight times. A fourth consecutive A.L. West crown in 2003 paired Oakland up with Boston in the Division Series this time. With home field advantage and experience finally on their side, Oakland was given a good chance to beat the Red Sox. This proved to be one of the best Division Series baseball had ever seen since adopting the new round in 1995. Game 1 might have been the best of the five games. I started the evening playing my own baseball game, but tracking the score on my phone (no web plan, just calling an 800 number for updates). Oakland started out well behind Tim Hudson and led 3-2 heading into the 7th inning. My game was wrapping up by then, but by the time I got home, Oakland was now trailing 4-3. I sat in front of my television as the Athletics came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning needing a run to extend the game. I did not have a great feeling after 3 years of torment, but Oakland pieced together a rally and gave themselves a chance. With two on and two outs, Erubiel Durazo singled home the tying run as I erupted in joy. After Eric Chavez grounded out to end the inning, the game started anew in the 10th. Both teams were held scoreless into the 12th inning which is where Oakland survived wading through the middle of the lineup by stranding two runners. In the bottom of the 12th inning a walk and back to back ground outs left Oakland with a man on second and two outs. Scott Hatteberg walked and Eric Chavez stole 3rd base. Hatteberg then went to 2nd on defensive indifference. Boston chose to walk Terrance Long to load the bases and bring up slow footed catcher, Ramon Hernandez with the bases loaded. During the 'Moneyball' era of the Athletics, the team had scoffed at the stolen base and the bunt. It was about plate discipline and extra base hits. This is why what happened next shocked not only the world of baseball, but definitely die hard fans of Oakland like myself. On a 0-1 count, Hernandez squared to bunt and with the third baseman playing at normal depth, was caught unaware and Hernandez scampered down to first as the winning run crossed the plate. I don't have video of the game, but I had some friends reenact the events and it looked a little something like this:
7. 2006 - Game 3 ALDS October 6th vs Minnesota
After missing the playoffs in 2004 and 2005 and saying goodbye to two thirds of the 'Big 3', 2006 was seen as a rebuilding year for Oakland. Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder were traded away, but Dan Haren and Joe Blanton combined for 30 wins to help Barry Zito lead Oakland back to the playoffs. Frank Thomas came in to town for a memorable 39 home run season and Nick Swisher hit a career high (to date) 35 home runs to pace the offense. All of this led to Oakland capturing the A.L. West title once again with a date against the Minnesota Twins. When they last met, Oakland was the heavy favorite and that ended poorly. This go around Minnesota, with not only home field advantage and a better regular season record also had 19 game winner Johan Santana going in Game 1. The only saving grace I felt for Oakland was that Francisco Liriano who had stormed onto the baseball stage was injured and unavailable. I had all but conceded the first game in my mind, but when Oakland beat Santana I thought they might have a shot. Then they stole Game 2 and Oakland was once again one game away from advancing. Unfortunately Oakland was 0-9 since 2000 in the playoffs with a chance to win and advance. I had to force myself to watch Game 3. How can you blame me? I had seen this story before. I sat there, I watched and I rejoiced with a banshee type scream as the 2000 lbs. elephant that had been on the shoulder of all Athletics fans was finally removed with a Game 3 victory. Not only did Oakland win, but they won with relative ease. The Athletics were finally, FINALLY moving on to the A.L.C.S. to face the Detroit Tigers. Life had to be better there, didn't it?
After missing the playoffs in 2004 and 2005 and saying goodbye to two thirds of the 'Big 3', 2006 was seen as a rebuilding year for Oakland. Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder were traded away, but Dan Haren and Joe Blanton combined for 30 wins to help Barry Zito lead Oakland back to the playoffs. Frank Thomas came in to town for a memorable 39 home run season and Nick Swisher hit a career high (to date) 35 home runs to pace the offense. All of this led to Oakland capturing the A.L. West title once again with a date against the Minnesota Twins. When they last met, Oakland was the heavy favorite and that ended poorly. This go around Minnesota, with not only home field advantage and a better regular season record also had 19 game winner Johan Santana going in Game 1. The only saving grace I felt for Oakland was that Francisco Liriano who had stormed onto the baseball stage was injured and unavailable. I had all but conceded the first game in my mind, but when Oakland beat Santana I thought they might have a shot. Then they stole Game 2 and Oakland was once again one game away from advancing. Unfortunately Oakland was 0-9 since 2000 in the playoffs with a chance to win and advance. I had to force myself to watch Game 3. How can you blame me? I had seen this story before. I sat there, I watched and I rejoiced with a banshee type scream as the 2000 lbs. elephant that had been on the shoulder of all Athletics fans was finally removed with a Game 3 victory. Not only did Oakland win, but they won with relative ease. The Athletics were finally, FINALLY moving on to the A.L.C.S. to face the Detroit Tigers. Life had to be better there, didn't it?
6. 2000 - October 1st vs Texas
After six seasons of losing baseball, the Athletics finally showed signs of promise during the 1999 season. A 35-20 summer stretch that season was thrilling and although the team played just .500 ball from September 1st on, there was hope heading into the new millennium. By August 11th of the 2000 season the Athletics had lost their sixth game in a row and stood 7 games out of first place. With 47 games left, the season appeared to be lost. Then, what eventually became an Oakland tradition, they got red hot down the stretch. By the time the final three games of the season arrived, Oakland had shaved Seattle's lead to just a 1/2 game (with Oakland holding the head to head tiebreaker). The day before welcoming the struggling Texas Rangers to town for the biggest series since 1992, Oakland had dropped a gut-wrenching 14 inning decision to Anaheim (compare it to the 14 inning disaster versus New York this past September for pain inducing feelings). Seattle was headed to Anaheim for their final three games of the season. Friday night: Oakland won a back and forth affair while Seattle fell to the Angels. Oakland was now in first place and controlled their own destiny! Saturday afternoon: Oakland thumped the hapless Rangers winning 23-2 meaning a Seattle loss that night would clinch the division for the Athletics. Yeah, that didn't happen as Seattle nearly matched Oakland with a 21-9 destruction of Anaheim. One day, one win needed. Oakland was forced to start their ace, Tim Hudson who was 19-6 on the season. At the same time down the coast, Seattle started their game. Through six innings of the two games, nothing had been decided. Oakland was scoreless with Texas while Seattle and Anaheim were knotted a two apiece. A six month, 162 game season had now been boiled down to just three innings. In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and nobody on base, Oakland finally broke through. A double was followed by a run scoring single and Oakland was now just six outs away from the division crown. Seattle also scored 3 runs in their seventh inning, putting all the pressure squarely on Oakland. Tim Hudson worked through the 8th inning and Oakland went back to work on offense. A lead off home run by Randy Velarde was shortly followed by another, pinch hit, home run by Olmedo Saenz as Oakland went to the 9th inning with a 3-0 lead. Obviously, Jason Isringhausen allowed hits to two of the first three batters of the inning, but got the fourth batter to pop out. With two on and two out, Isringhausen struck out Frank Catalanotto looking and Oakland was headed back to the playoffs. The dugout emptied and the bubbly was popped as the drought had finally ended.
5. 2010 - May 9th vs Tampa Bay
Personal information warning: Ever since I was too old to play second base as a left handed fielder at the age of 13, I wanted to pitch. I was told I didn't throw hard enough, didn't throw enough strikes and couldn't survive on the mound. Until shoulder injuries finally put an end to my amateur career, I ended up pitching for about 17 years. I never threw hard, but I could make the ball dance and I could paint the corners in my prime. This leads me to the greatest day in the career of fellow 'soft throwing' lefty Dallas Braden. Mother's Day 2010, I was hanging out around the house in late afternoon and was tracking the Athletics game via Twitter. It was early in the season and Oakland had been average in what would turn out to be a truly average (81-81) season. Through four innings, Braden had not allowed a base runner. Through five innings, Braden had not allowed a base runner. Now my interest had started to pique. I turned the game on my television, putting my daily household chores aside and settled in for what I hoped was a memorable moment. Look, I'm a sucker for any chance at a no hitter or a perfect game. Even if it's the Yankees, I'll root for a pitcher to do the amazing. I never got through more than four perfect innings in any of my career starts. I pitched a two hitter once I think. I don't care what level you play, pitching a 7 or even a 9 inning game without allowing a hit, much less a base runner is the epitome of difficult. By now Dallas Braden had made it through the sixth inning and then the seventh inning without a base runner. 21 up. 21 down. Now I was starting to sweat. In the last 112 seasons, only 21 pitchers have been perfect. That's quite rare even with five perfect games in the last three seasons (plus one that should have been). The eighth inning came and went. 24 up. 24 down. Now I can taste it. I'm practically shaking in anticipation. I know pitchers are lost in the moment when this is happening, but I couldn't sit still. ESPN had put the game on. The MLB Network carried it. The 9th inning. Three batters to history. A line out. A fly out. One more out. Oh please, oh please, oh please. A swing. For a second the ball looks to be hit up the middle, but it turns out to be a rather routine ground ball to short stop. The throw to first...YES!! PERFECT GAME! Dallas Braden had his greatest moment on the day honoring mother's and aiding in the awareness of the fight against breast cancer. Dallas Braden had lost his own mother to breast cancer. The significance of the moment was overwhelming as Braden found his grandmother coming from out of the stands and hugged her and broke down with emotion. What a glorious moment for a good guy.
The 2012 Oakland Athletics are by far and away my favorite team during the 25 years of being a fan of the green and gold. The story has been told countless times about the off season trades, the prediction of 100+ losses, the terrible start, the comebacks, the Bernie dance, the win streak to end the season and of course the pies. I recapped my affinity for them in my post: 94 Reasons I Love the 2012 Oakland Athletics. If I had to pick one regular season game that truly encapsulates their season, it's September 29th versus Seattle. Coming of a loss at Texas that all but quashed their division title hopes, Oakland had won the first game of a three game series against Seattle, but now had to face Jason Vargas who had only given up 9 earned runs in his previous five starts against Oakland in 2012. Start #6 was more of the same. Through seven innings, Oakland had only scored on a fluke, heads up base running play by Yoenis Cespedes. He scored from first on a single after the right fielder relaxed for just a second. Meanwhile, Seattle had scored four runs and heading into the bottom of the 8th, still held a 4-1 advantage. Oakland pieced together a rally, as they were apt to do, but unlike their previous rallies, this one was cut down at the plate as Stephen Drew was thrown out to end the inning after Oakland had scored to cut the lead to 4-2. A scoreless top half of the inning set up more Oakland dramatics in the bottom of the 9th. With one out, Josh Reddick was walked on four pitches, bringing Josh Donaldson to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, Donaldson crushed a hanging curve ball to dead center field and the game was suddenly and dramatically tied at 4. Now everyone in Oakland knew was was coming next. It was just a matter of who. Fans didn't have to wait long as in the 10th inning with two men on and one man out, Brandon Moss destroyed a pitch into the right field seats for a game winning, walk off, 3 run home run. It was Oakland's 14 and final walk off of the regular season and their 90th win of a very magical season. Of the players named in this recap (Cespedes, Drew, Reddick, Donaldson and Moss) only Donaldson had ever played for Oakland before 2012 and he didn't play in 2011 at all. With the win, Oakland stood just 2.5 games out first place with just four games to go. Spoiler Alert: They won out, beating Seattle again and then sweeping Texas to win the A.L. West.
3. 2002 - September 4th vs Kansas City
The most famous Oakland Athletics team is the 2002 team, thanks to the movie Moneyball. They were portrayed as a rag tag bunch of misfits that somehow won enough games to make the playoffs by Hollywood. The truth is that this team had made the playoffs in back to back seasons previously, winning over 100 games the year before. True they lost three key players, but they returned one of the best young set of core players in the majors. Behind the Cy Young award winning Barry Zito and A.L. MVP Miguel Tejada, this team was far better than the movie showed audiences. By the end of May, the team was headed nowhere which was accurate in the movie. Oakland stood 10 games off the lead in the A.L. West, but as had become a recent trend, they played much better from June onward. Beginning June 6th, Oakland won 16 of 17 games, but it was an even better streak beginning on August 13th that caught the nations attention. Barry Zito beat the Blue Jays that day to keep the Athletics within 4.5 games of first place, but that was just the beginning for Oakland. They reeled off 18 more wins in a row to match both the 1906 White Sox and 1947 Yankees for the current American League record of 19 wins in a row. Labor Day weekend was chock full of drama with Oakland winning in walk-off fashion on both Sunday and Monday afternoons. After a day off, Oakland took on Kansas City in a nationally televised game with the 'streak' on the line. A twentieth win would set an American League record and apparently make for a pretty thrilling movie arc as well. Through three innings, the game was a rout with Oakland taking a commanding 11-0 lead. Ho-hum, 20 in a row. Kansas City, to their credit, was ready to cancel the party. They stormed back with 5 runs in the 4th inning and 5 more in the 8th inning. Then they tied the game at 11 with a run off of Billy Koch who was pitching in his fifth consecutive game. Oakland escaped further damage and went to the home half of the 9th with a chance at history hanging in the balance. Even though this was not a make or break game for the season and Oakland would go on to win the A.L. West by four full games, the streak meant something to me. I had skipped out of work mid day on Labor Day to watch #19, I had ran around the house like a school kid when Miguel Tejada won #18 a day earlier. With one out in the 9th, Scott Hatteberg (#10, my uniform number BTW) pinch hit and hit a game winning, streak continuing, scream inducing home run. Hollywood execs called General Manager Billy Beane immediately thereafter.
2. 1989 - Game 4 World Series vs San Francisco Giants
Unfortunately this one is a memory that is fading faster than my hairline. Back in the fall of 1989, I was barely an Athletics fan. Sure, a year earlier I had re-branded myself in a fan of the green and gold, but living in northern Virginia and having a bedtime before 10:00 p.m. I didn't get to see much of Oakland on a daily basis. I was relegated to seeing scores from the games two nights earlier thanks to the early publishing times of the Washington Post. Luckily for me, the World Series games that year starting earlier in the night than 10 p.m.. After watching Oakland win the first two games of the Series, I had settled in to watch Game 3, but as history will forever remember, an earthquake hit the area in and around San Francisco which forced Major League Baseball to postpone the game. Ten days later, under somber circumstances, Oakland defeated San Francisco to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. As a naive 11 year old I didn't fully grasp the ramifications of being up 3 games to 0 and as Game 4 approached, I was still as nervous as ever. Rickey Henderson allowed me to exhale a bit as he hit a lead off home run to stake Oakland to a lead that they would never relinquish. By the time the Giants came to bat in the bottom of the 6th inning, they trailed 8-0 and even though they scored six runs over the next two innings, Oakland stayed in control. In the 9th inning, Oakland trotted out Dennis Eckersley who I had really only seen one previous time in a real pressure situation (more on that gruesome introduction later). He had a three run lead to protect and protect it he did. Oakland wrapped up a four game sweep of their bay area neighbors, but couldn't even celebrate in normal fashion with the heavy hearts of damage throughout the area. 23 years and counting guys...
Unfortunately this one is a memory that is fading faster than my hairline. Back in the fall of 1989, I was barely an Athletics fan. Sure, a year earlier I had re-branded myself in a fan of the green and gold, but living in northern Virginia and having a bedtime before 10:00 p.m. I didn't get to see much of Oakland on a daily basis. I was relegated to seeing scores from the games two nights earlier thanks to the early publishing times of the Washington Post. Luckily for me, the World Series games that year starting earlier in the night than 10 p.m.. After watching Oakland win the first two games of the Series, I had settled in to watch Game 3, but as history will forever remember, an earthquake hit the area in and around San Francisco which forced Major League Baseball to postpone the game. Ten days later, under somber circumstances, Oakland defeated San Francisco to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. As a naive 11 year old I didn't fully grasp the ramifications of being up 3 games to 0 and as Game 4 approached, I was still as nervous as ever. Rickey Henderson allowed me to exhale a bit as he hit a lead off home run to stake Oakland to a lead that they would never relinquish. By the time the Giants came to bat in the bottom of the 6th inning, they trailed 8-0 and even though they scored six runs over the next two innings, Oakland stayed in control. In the 9th inning, Oakland trotted out Dennis Eckersley who I had really only seen one previous time in a real pressure situation (more on that gruesome introduction later). He had a three run lead to protect and protect it he did. Oakland wrapped up a four game sweep of their bay area neighbors, but couldn't even celebrate in normal fashion with the heavy hearts of damage throughout the area. 23 years and counting guys...
1. 2012 - Game 4 ALDS October 10th vs. Detroit
Since 1989, Oakland has made the playoffs eight time including the magical journey of 2012. They have been heavy favorites and lovable underdogs at various times. Last year I believe that they were seen as lovable underdogs with a heavy favorite aura about them. Within the five game series against Detroit, every range of emotion was expelled. A lead off home run in Game 1 against Justin Verlander gave me hope, but he vanquished that quickly thereafter. Game 2 was painful, very painful. In Game 3 Brett Anderson and the bullpen were downright dominant as Oakland stayed alive. Game 4 proved to be the best game of the series and my most favorite moment of elation in the 25 years of being a fan of the Oakland Athletics. The game started out as boring as sin with Oakland flailing at every pitch by Tigers starter Max Scherzer who had 8 strikeouts through the first five innings. Detroit led 2-0 going into the home half of the sixth inning when the tide appeared ready to turn. Detroit's biggest weakness last season was their defense. An inning starting error got Oakland going and a wild pitch and a double followed and Oakland was on the board, now down 2-1. Stephen Drew (once again) was the man behind the big hit, but (once again) was thrown out trying for an extra base, which quashed the rally right there and then. Oakland did force Scherzer out of the game which gave me hope, but after a scoreless 7th inning and an insurance run for Detroit in the 8th, Oakland was suddenly six outs away from the end of their season. In the bottom of the 8th, Oakland got two men on base and season long surprise/hero Brandon Moss stepped to the plate. This was the moment, it had to be the moment. It wasn't the moment. Moss struck out and Oakland's season had dwindled to three outs. I sat back and reflected during the top of the 9th inning. It had been a great season. I didn't expect six months of joy, but that's why I'm a fan. As I was about to become a father for the first time, I realized that 2012 made me feel like a kid again. It had been a couple of years since I lived and died on every pitch via an internet game cast (no pictures...just a box score changing). I used to be obsessed with every at bat, every run and every outcome. My priorities had started to change. The 2012 team let me forget about that for about three hours each day that summer. Dammit, I didn't want that to end. This team was too much fun. Did they have one more magical moment in them? Josh Reddick stepped to the plate to start the 9th and he singled. Josh Donaldson followed with a double. 2nd and 3rd nobody out.... Coliseum crowd rocking. I was just trying to stay in control from my man cave. Seth Smith was now up. He doubled. Game tied. I went ballistic. I could hear the city of Oakland cheering 3,000 miles away. There was work left to be done. George Kottaras pinch hit and popped out. Cliff Pennington struck out. Uh-oh. Two outs, man on second base. Coco Crisp up. The heart and soul of the 'Bernie' movement. A fan favorite. I'll let the video speak for what happened next.
It was a primal, cathartic scream that escaped me. I only regretted not being able to be there in person. (Side note I was at Nationals Park the following afternoon to witness the Jayson Werth walk off home run that temporarily kept Washington's season alive. That happened to be the first ever playoff baseball game for any team I saw in person. I know what Oakland looked like at that moment)
Unfortunately, Oakland lost Game 5 which will be a repeated theme in the 2nd half of this post.
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF HEARTBREAK AS A OAKLAND ATHLETICS FAN
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
2012 - Game 5 October 11th vs. Detroit Tigers
2001 - Game 5 October 15th vs. New York Yankees
1997 - July 31st - (McGwire traded)
10. 1990 - Game 4 October 20th vs. Cincinnati Reds
The year following a World Series championship, Oakland was once again primed for another title run. They cruised through the regular season winning 103 games, which were eight more than any other team in baseball. Then they rolled through the A.L.C.S. against the Boston Red Sox, sweeping them in four games. There they would face the Cincinnati Reds who 'upset' the Pittsburgh Pirates in the N.L.C.S. in six games. All signs pointed to Oakland repeating as champions and the World Series ended up being a rout, just not as people were expecting. Behind Jose Rijo and a stellar bullpen, Cincinnati shutout the dominant Oakland offense as they won 7-0 in Game 1. The following night Oakland held a 4-3 lead going to the 8th inning, but unlike the Reds bullpen, Oakland coughed up their lead and wound up losing in the 10th inning. Back at home for Game 3, Oakland again came out flat as Cincinnati beat them 8-3. Just like the previous year, I still had hope, because I didn't know any better. Then in Game 4 was star outfielder Eric Davis was injured for Cincinnati, I thought to myself, if only they can win this one, it'll be a series again. Leading 1-0 and only six outs away from winning their first game of the series, Oakland let another lead slip away. The Reds scored two runs in the eighth and shut the Athletics down to capture the title. I was only 12, but I was horribly depressed about that. The silver lining I took from it was that in the three years of me being a fan of the Athletics, they had been to three straight World Series. They were going to be back, no doubt about it. I'm still waiting on their return. The drought is entering its 23rd season.
9. 2006 - Game 2 October 11th vs. Detroit Tigers
After four (yet to be discussed) gut wrenching losses in the playoffs, the Athletics re-invented themselves in 2006 and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in seven years. They swept past the Minnesota Twins to meet the Detroit Tigers in the A.L.C.S., the franchises first since 1992. I was thrilled to see that Detroit had beaten the hated and, I assumed, much better New York Yankees in the previous series. I went it to this series with full expectations of reaching the World Series. Oakland had home field advantage and all the pundits had always said, lookout for Oakland if they could ever play in a seven game series because of their pitching depth. With Barry Zito on the mound for Game 1 I hoped for a great start. Zito didn't even make it through the 4th innings and it was Tigers starter Nate Robertson who excelled. He got through five scoreless innings and left up 5-0 with the Tigers eventually winning 5-1. I knew that Game 2 was a make or break game for Oakland. They wouldn't recover from an 0-2 hole heading to Detroit. Looking back a match up of Esteban Loaiza versus rookie Justin Verlander makes sense now, but I though Oakland had the advantage. Through three innings Oakland held a 3-1 lead and everything looked to be okay. Then Loaiza imploded. He gave up four hits, a walk and four runs in the fourth as a two run lead was turned into a two run deficit. Detroit tacked on two more in the sixth inning and never looked back, winning 8-5. All my excitement and hope was dashed. My feelings carried into the Oakland clubhouse as they mustered all of two hits in Game 3, being shut out 3-0. Then, just to toy with me, they took a 3-0 lead in Game 4 into the fifth inning, but Detroit rallied to tie the game at 3 and went to the 9th inning with a chance to win the series. With two on and two out, Magglio Ordonez put the final nail in the Athletics coffin with a walk off 3 run home run.
8. 2000 - Game 5 October 8th vs. New York Yankees
After winning the A.L. West for the first time in eight seasons on the final day of the season, the Oakland Athletics were gifted a date with the two time defending World Series champion New York Yankees. While Oakland had been red hot down the stretch, New York was showing signs of wear and tear of 2+ consecutive long seasons, losing their last 7 games and 14 of 17 overall (Oakland was 14-3 in that time frame). With Games 1 and 2 in Oakland, the Athletics seemingly had a semblance of an advantage over the best team money could buy. On the field, Oakland kept rolling by winning Game 1 in front of the rabid fan base. Andy Pettitte silenced the crowd and the bats of Oakland as New York won Game 2 4-0. Back on the east coast, New York took control of the series by winning Game 3 as it looked like the young Athletics were just too green to compete. With a chance to wrap up the series, New York got shellacked on their home field as Roger Clemens lost for the second time in the series. An 11-1 rout got people wondering if Oakland could really upset the Yankees with another cross country trip awaiting the two teams and a game in less than 24 hours. Unfortunately for me, I got stuck working the night shift at my store. I had a TV in my office, but it being a horrendously busy Sunday night I was dragged away right as Chuck Knoblauch singled to lead off the game for New York. I hurried back to the office about 10 minutes later only to see in horror that New York had knocked out Athletics start Gil Heredia and had scored 6 runs. I was distraught. The game was apparently over before it started. As I shuffled in and out of the office over the next hour or so, Oakland tried desperately to get back into the game. They scored five of the next six runs and with five full innings to play only trailed by two at 7-5. Fifteen outs to shock the baseball community. They managed all of three base runners the rest of the way. New York went on to win its third straight World Series.
7. 1992 - Game 4 October 11th vs. Toronto Blue Jays
A year after a somewhat disappointing 84 win season, Oakland returned to the playoffs in 1992 by winning the A.L. West with 96 wins. There they played the Toronto Blue Jays who had now made the playoffs in three of four seasons, keeping pace with Oakland who had been in the postseason for four of five seasons. The Blue Jays had lost each of their two previous League Championship series while Oakland had been undefeated. It appeared to be a very evenly matched series, one that would swing at any moment. In Game 1, Oakland hit three home runs including a ninth inning game winner to take an early series lead. Toronto won both Games 2 and 3 by two runs as the close series played out to everyone's expectations. It was in Game 4 where Oakland let their reign of the American League slip away. In a battle of pitching veterans, it was Oakland starter Bob Welch that out performed Blue Jays starter Jack Morris. Through three innings, Oakland held a 5-1 lead that eventually grew to 6-1 through seven innings. With the way Oakland's bullpen had performed over the previous five seasons, everyone would have figured this game was over and the series was going to be knotted at two games apiece. Toronto didn't make it easy. Welch was chased from the game after a lead off double by Robbie Alomar. The next four Blue Jays singled as Toronto posted three runs to close the gap to two. The biggest factor that would pay dividends later was that Oakland was forced to bring in Dennis Eckersley (who gave up the last two singles) to end the inning while throwing 13 pitches. The Athletics went quietly in the bottom of the eighth as Toronto sent the top of their lineup up in the 9th. Devon White led off with a single, capping an 8 pitch at bat, which brought Robbie Alomar back to the plate. Alomar had another quality at bat and on the sixth pitch hit a game tying two run home run to deep right field. I had seen this before. It hurt all the same. Still, the game was only tied and with Oakland being the home team, I still thought they could pull it out. In the bottom of the 9th, Harold Baines led off with a single and pinch runner Eric Fox stole second base. This is where it got weird. Mark McGwire...yes that one, was asked to, albeit successfully, sacrifice Fox to third with a bunt. Mark McGwire hit 42 home runs that season with 0 sacrifice bunts. For his career he hit 583 home runs with just 3 sacrifice bunts. The baseball gods apparently didn't like seeing a slugger of his caliber square around like he was a light hitting middle infielder. Oakland didn't score that inning and to extra innings they went. In the top of the 11th Toronto scored a run on a sacrifice fly and held on to win an excruciating, mini-dynasty ending, game 7-6. Oakland won Game 5 to stay alive, but back in Toronto, the Blue Jays eliminated the Athletics and headed to the World Series where they would win the first of two consecutive championships. It took Oakland 14 years to get to another A.L.C.S..
6. 2003 - Game 5 October 6th vs. Boston Red Sox
Following three consecutive vomit inducing playoff series, Oakland had yet to learn from past mistakes. After taking a 2-0, best of five, series lead against Boston, the Athletics were once again forced to a winner take all, Game 5. All Oakland had to do was get past Pedro Martinez again after holding him to a no decision in Game 1. Game 2 winner, Barry Zito, was on the mound for Oakland, but after losing two straight games, all the momentum was on the side of the Red Sox. Through five innings, the game progressed as expected with Oakland leading 1-0. The sixth inning was not a good one for the green and gold...again (you'll see). Jason Varitek led off the sixth inning with a game tying home run off of Zito, which was survivable. After a walk and a one out hit by pitch, Boston's best hitter, Manny Ramirez, stepped to the plate. He crushed a pitch into the right field bleachers and Boston suddenly led 4-1, just 12 outs away from completing another Oakland implosion. The Athletics didn't give up. They scored a run in the sixth and chased Pedro in the eighth with another run to cut the deficit to one. It was still 4-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth. One last chance to get the monkey off their backs. Boston started the inning with reliever Scott Williamson on the mound. That was not a good strategy. He walked the first two batters of the inning which brought the crowd alive. Boston replaced him with Game 3 starter, Derek Lowe. Back in Virginia, I had left my living room with my roommates and hunkered down in my bedroom for fear of more pain and depression. Now with two on and nobody out, I was, once again, ready to explode in joy. Ramon Hernandez, the hero of Game 1, laid down another perfect bunt to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd with one out. Adam Melhuse of all people, pinch hit for Jermaine Dye (a move I still question) and not shockingly struck out looking. Two outs. My mood swung immediately. Why the #$^* is this happening again? Lowe walked Chris Singleton to load the bases. Terrance Long stepped to the plate. Hero or goat, it all rested on his shoulders. On a 1-2 count, Long took a fastball that narrowly edge the black of the inside corner and struck out looking. Derrick Lowe motioned to Oakland his thoughts with a quick hand gesture to his groin and the collapse was complete. I stayed in my room that night, quiet and lonely and pissed. Dammit. But this wasn't even the most painful game of that series.
5. 2003 - Game 3 October 4th vs. Boston Red Sox
Two nights earlier life was pretty good. Oakland was up 2-0 over the Red Sox and although they were headed to Boston for Game 3, looked to have the series in hand. I got stuck at work that night, but was following along over the phone in between customers. There wasn't much to report. After five innings Oakland trailed 1-0. Both starters, Ted Lilly for the Athletics and Derek Lowe for the Red Sox were stuck on cruise control. Oakland was going to need a break to get back in the game. Speaking of breaks, I took mine and headed down the street to the sports bar to watch a couple of innings. I got there just in time to witness a play that still infuriates me to this day for various reasons. Oakland had loaded the bases in the sixth inning after a single and two walks. Mixed in between was the first of two of the strangest plays I had ever witnessed and I still have no explanation of what happened a decade later. The first was a play at the plate where fan favorite, 100% energy, Eric Byrnes appeared to score after an errant throw got past catcher Jason Varitek. Byrnes injured himself sliding into Varitek and then shoved him while Varitek scrambled to get the ball. All the while, Byrnes failed to realize he missed the plate. He was tagged out seconds later. Oakland still trailed 1-0. Eric Chavez was intentionally walked to load the bases bringing Ramon Hernandez to the plate. Did he dare bunt again? No, he hit a grounder to short stop...inning over...wait, Nomar booted it! Oakland scored! 1-1! Tejada then collided with third baseman Bill Mueller...obstruction!! The umpire pointed at the two players yelling 'obstruction' and Tejada slowed down and stopped halfway down the line to home. Oakland was going to take the lead. Boston gathered the ball up and tagged Tejada. The same umpire now yelled 'Out!' I nearly lost my shit in the restaurant. There was no sound on the television and all I saw was Oakland manager Ken Macha screaming. It was ruled that if Tejada had just kept running towards home he would have been awarded home, but since he stopped he was still a live player. He didn't even need to touch home, but just make an attempt. Two runs washed away over stupidity. Classic Oakland in October. The Athletics were undaunted. They kept the score even a run apiece through nine innings. I was back at work. The night had slowed at work and I had called my girlfriend to have her watch the game for me. She could have cared less. She knows nothing about baseball. The tenth inning came and went. The Athletics came up dry in the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, I was on the phone with her receiving play by play updates. With one out and one man on base, Trot Nixon pinch hit for Boston. These were the words I heard when I asked her what was going on: "All the players for Boston have run onto the field and are at home..." I hung up. Son of a bitch.
4. 2012 - Game 2 October 7th vs. Detroit Tigers
After losing Game 1 against Justin Verlander and the Tigers, Oakland knew the only chance at avoiding Verlander again was to win the next three games. This was to be no easy task, but a win in Game 2 would not only swing the momentum to the Athleics, but send them home with home field advantage. Tommy Milone started for Oakland and although he had been much better in the cavernous dimensions of Oakland all season, there isn't much difference between his home field and that of Comerica Park in Detroit. He held Detroit's powerful offense in check giving up just a single run over six innings. The Tigers starter, Doug Fister, was equally as good through six innings as the teams headed to the seventh tied at 1. Of course I was stuck at work, but heading to the seventh I took my break just in time to watch the craziness begin. Oakland broke the tie with some classic post season small ball. A leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single was all it took to give the Athletics a 2-1 lead. With nine outs to get, Oakland had their bullpen rested and ready. It was to be Sean Doolittle in the 7th, Ryan Cook in the 8th and Grant Balfour in the 9th. The trio had been rock solid down the stretch in the regular season, but as everyone soon found out, that means squat in October. Doolittle retired the first two batters, but then gave up back to back hits. Luckily for him, all he had to do was retire the American League Triple Crown,Clu Haywood Miguel Cabrera. Doolittle did his job getting Cabrera to hit a fly ball to center field. Coco Crisp raced in and DROPPED THE GODFORSAKEN BALL!! Two runs scored and Detroit was in the lead 3-2. I had seen this before from Oakland. Weird stuff happens and I nearly broke the television in the break room. Oakland escaped further damage and went back to work. Yoenis Cespedes led off with a single off reliever Joaquin Benoit and with one out stole second and third base. Then Oakland caught a break. Benoit uncorked a wild pitch and the game was tied at 3! On the next pitch, Josh Reddick crushed a ball to the stands in right field and Oakland was suddenly back on top 4-3. What a swing of emotions. The funny thing about a swing is its tendency to go back and forth. The bottom of the 8th proved that. Ryan Cook entered as was the plan and of course he got into hot water right away. Two straight hits and a sacrifice bunt put Detroit in position to take the lead back, but a strikeout got Oakland an out away from escaping. On the first pitch to Alex Avila, Cook matched Benoit with a run scoring wild pitch of his own. 4-4 game. Oakland came up empty in the 9th, but still brought closer Grant Balfour out in the bottom half of the inning. By now I was back working and my nerves were shot. Balfour struck out the first batter, but then ran into trouble with back to back hits and an intentional walk to load the bases. Don Kelly hit a fly ball deep enough to score the winning run as Detroit walked off with win and another, in the long line of, crushing defeats to my soul.
3. 2002 - Game 5 October 6th vs. Minnesota Twins
The demise of the 'Moneyball' team. As heavy favorites against Minnesota, Oakland had already choked away Game 1 before thumping the Twins in Games 2 and 3. The series should have been a sweep. Minnesota crushed Oakland in Game 4 and the teams headed back to Oakland for a one game series. Oakland had already suffered defeats in Game 5 in the last two seasons, but that was against New York. Surely Oakland could beat the Twins at home, surely they could. I was at home and a train wreck. I couldn't stomach another year of disappointment, especially not as the prohibitive favorite. Mark Mulder squared off for Oakland against Brad Radke. Both pitchers had won their previous start and this game turned out to be a pitcher's duel. The Twins scored a single run in both the second and third innings, but Oakland got on the board with a lone run in the third inning as well. That is where the game stood heading to the ninth inning. The Athletics had never really threathened Minnesota as they mustered all of four base runners, and never two in an inning, between the 4th and the 8th. Mulder had settled in and he and Chad Bradford shut Minnesota down, but closer Billy Koch couldn't do likewise in the 9th. Stop me if you've heard this one before, but as the 9th inning approached, it was nearing the time for me to go to work. I was already late, but since I was the boss, I could have cared less. I knew that Oakland only needed to get through the 9th unscathed because Minnesota was going to bring in Eddie Guardado whom they owned. His 16.88 ERA that season against Oakland was all I needed to know. The Athletics were going to win this game! Oh that's right Billy Koch. That asshole. He started the ninth inning with a walk and then gave up a 2 run home run to king of the douchbags A.J. Pierzynski. The damage wasn't done. With fans filing out, Koch gave up another run before closing out the horrible inning leaving Oakland in a massive 5-1 hole. Distraught, defeated and facing 8 hours of work, I jumped in the shower (to hide my tears...not really, but maybe) to get ready for work. I exited, numb to the touch and wanting to bury my head in a pillow and disappear for days on end. I didn't do that though, I got dressed and walked downstairs to notice the game was still on, still being played. What had I missed? What the hell was going on? The crowd was boisterous, the announcers were stupified. Mark Ellis had hit a 3 run home run with just one out! It was a 5-4 ball game. Terrance Long (you'll remember him from such disappointments as striking out with the bases loaded to end the '03 season) had yet to rip a hole in my heart, but he flew out to center for the second out. Randy Velarde super charged the crowd with a single, bringing Ray Durham to the plate with a chance to be a hero. That, of course, is not how this Hollywood ending worked out. He popped out into foul territory and Minnesota won in Oakland. It was the third of four straight Game 5 disasters I witnessed. Imagine, if you will, that instead of being blown out in three consecutive Super Bowls after Scott Norwood missed a potential game winning field goal, the Buffalo Bills lost all four games in that fashion. No fan should have to suffer that. This one hurt most of all. Of course outside of the movie, the most famous moment from those four years came one year earlier.
2. 2001 - Game 3 October 13th vs. New York Yankees
Since 1989, Oakland has made the playoffs eight time including the magical journey of 2012. They have been heavy favorites and lovable underdogs at various times. Last year I believe that they were seen as lovable underdogs with a heavy favorite aura about them. Within the five game series against Detroit, every range of emotion was expelled. A lead off home run in Game 1 against Justin Verlander gave me hope, but he vanquished that quickly thereafter. Game 2 was painful, very painful. In Game 3 Brett Anderson and the bullpen were downright dominant as Oakland stayed alive. Game 4 proved to be the best game of the series and my most favorite moment of elation in the 25 years of being a fan of the Oakland Athletics. The game started out as boring as sin with Oakland flailing at every pitch by Tigers starter Max Scherzer who had 8 strikeouts through the first five innings. Detroit led 2-0 going into the home half of the sixth inning when the tide appeared ready to turn. Detroit's biggest weakness last season was their defense. An inning starting error got Oakland going and a wild pitch and a double followed and Oakland was on the board, now down 2-1. Stephen Drew (once again) was the man behind the big hit, but (once again) was thrown out trying for an extra base, which quashed the rally right there and then. Oakland did force Scherzer out of the game which gave me hope, but after a scoreless 7th inning and an insurance run for Detroit in the 8th, Oakland was suddenly six outs away from the end of their season. In the bottom of the 8th, Oakland got two men on base and season long surprise/hero Brandon Moss stepped to the plate. This was the moment, it had to be the moment. It wasn't the moment. Moss struck out and Oakland's season had dwindled to three outs. I sat back and reflected during the top of the 9th inning. It had been a great season. I didn't expect six months of joy, but that's why I'm a fan. As I was about to become a father for the first time, I realized that 2012 made me feel like a kid again. It had been a couple of years since I lived and died on every pitch via an internet game cast (no pictures...just a box score changing). I used to be obsessed with every at bat, every run and every outcome. My priorities had started to change. The 2012 team let me forget about that for about three hours each day that summer. Dammit, I didn't want that to end. This team was too much fun. Did they have one more magical moment in them? Josh Reddick stepped to the plate to start the 9th and he singled. Josh Donaldson followed with a double. 2nd and 3rd nobody out.... Coliseum crowd rocking. I was just trying to stay in control from my man cave. Seth Smith was now up. He doubled. Game tied. I went ballistic. I could hear the city of Oakland cheering 3,000 miles away. There was work left to be done. George Kottaras pinch hit and popped out. Cliff Pennington struck out. Uh-oh. Two outs, man on second base. Coco Crisp up. The heart and soul of the 'Bernie' movement. A fan favorite. I'll let the video speak for what happened next.
It was a primal, cathartic scream that escaped me. I only regretted not being able to be there in person. (Side note I was at Nationals Park the following afternoon to witness the Jayson Werth walk off home run that temporarily kept Washington's season alive. That happened to be the first ever playoff baseball game for any team I saw in person. I know what Oakland looked like at that moment)
Unfortunately, Oakland lost Game 5 which will be a repeated theme in the 2nd half of this post.
TOP 10 MOMENTS OF HEARTBREAK AS A OAKLAND ATHLETICS FAN
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
2012 - Game 5 October 11th vs. Detroit Tigers
2001 - Game 5 October 15th vs. New York Yankees
1997 - July 31st - (McGwire traded)
10. 1990 - Game 4 October 20th vs. Cincinnati Reds
The year following a World Series championship, Oakland was once again primed for another title run. They cruised through the regular season winning 103 games, which were eight more than any other team in baseball. Then they rolled through the A.L.C.S. against the Boston Red Sox, sweeping them in four games. There they would face the Cincinnati Reds who 'upset' the Pittsburgh Pirates in the N.L.C.S. in six games. All signs pointed to Oakland repeating as champions and the World Series ended up being a rout, just not as people were expecting. Behind Jose Rijo and a stellar bullpen, Cincinnati shutout the dominant Oakland offense as they won 7-0 in Game 1. The following night Oakland held a 4-3 lead going to the 8th inning, but unlike the Reds bullpen, Oakland coughed up their lead and wound up losing in the 10th inning. Back at home for Game 3, Oakland again came out flat as Cincinnati beat them 8-3. Just like the previous year, I still had hope, because I didn't know any better. Then in Game 4 was star outfielder Eric Davis was injured for Cincinnati, I thought to myself, if only they can win this one, it'll be a series again. Leading 1-0 and only six outs away from winning their first game of the series, Oakland let another lead slip away. The Reds scored two runs in the eighth and shut the Athletics down to capture the title. I was only 12, but I was horribly depressed about that. The silver lining I took from it was that in the three years of me being a fan of the Athletics, they had been to three straight World Series. They were going to be back, no doubt about it. I'm still waiting on their return. The drought is entering its 23rd season.
9. 2006 - Game 2 October 11th vs. Detroit Tigers
After four (yet to be discussed) gut wrenching losses in the playoffs, the Athletics re-invented themselves in 2006 and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in seven years. They swept past the Minnesota Twins to meet the Detroit Tigers in the A.L.C.S., the franchises first since 1992. I was thrilled to see that Detroit had beaten the hated and, I assumed, much better New York Yankees in the previous series. I went it to this series with full expectations of reaching the World Series. Oakland had home field advantage and all the pundits had always said, lookout for Oakland if they could ever play in a seven game series because of their pitching depth. With Barry Zito on the mound for Game 1 I hoped for a great start. Zito didn't even make it through the 4th innings and it was Tigers starter Nate Robertson who excelled. He got through five scoreless innings and left up 5-0 with the Tigers eventually winning 5-1. I knew that Game 2 was a make or break game for Oakland. They wouldn't recover from an 0-2 hole heading to Detroit. Looking back a match up of Esteban Loaiza versus rookie Justin Verlander makes sense now, but I though Oakland had the advantage. Through three innings Oakland held a 3-1 lead and everything looked to be okay. Then Loaiza imploded. He gave up four hits, a walk and four runs in the fourth as a two run lead was turned into a two run deficit. Detroit tacked on two more in the sixth inning and never looked back, winning 8-5. All my excitement and hope was dashed. My feelings carried into the Oakland clubhouse as they mustered all of two hits in Game 3, being shut out 3-0. Then, just to toy with me, they took a 3-0 lead in Game 4 into the fifth inning, but Detroit rallied to tie the game at 3 and went to the 9th inning with a chance to win the series. With two on and two out, Magglio Ordonez put the final nail in the Athletics coffin with a walk off 3 run home run.
8. 2000 - Game 5 October 8th vs. New York Yankees
After winning the A.L. West for the first time in eight seasons on the final day of the season, the Oakland Athletics were gifted a date with the two time defending World Series champion New York Yankees. While Oakland had been red hot down the stretch, New York was showing signs of wear and tear of 2+ consecutive long seasons, losing their last 7 games and 14 of 17 overall (Oakland was 14-3 in that time frame). With Games 1 and 2 in Oakland, the Athletics seemingly had a semblance of an advantage over the best team money could buy. On the field, Oakland kept rolling by winning Game 1 in front of the rabid fan base. Andy Pettitte silenced the crowd and the bats of Oakland as New York won Game 2 4-0. Back on the east coast, New York took control of the series by winning Game 3 as it looked like the young Athletics were just too green to compete. With a chance to wrap up the series, New York got shellacked on their home field as Roger Clemens lost for the second time in the series. An 11-1 rout got people wondering if Oakland could really upset the Yankees with another cross country trip awaiting the two teams and a game in less than 24 hours. Unfortunately for me, I got stuck working the night shift at my store. I had a TV in my office, but it being a horrendously busy Sunday night I was dragged away right as Chuck Knoblauch singled to lead off the game for New York. I hurried back to the office about 10 minutes later only to see in horror that New York had knocked out Athletics start Gil Heredia and had scored 6 runs. I was distraught. The game was apparently over before it started. As I shuffled in and out of the office over the next hour or so, Oakland tried desperately to get back into the game. They scored five of the next six runs and with five full innings to play only trailed by two at 7-5. Fifteen outs to shock the baseball community. They managed all of three base runners the rest of the way. New York went on to win its third straight World Series.
7. 1992 - Game 4 October 11th vs. Toronto Blue Jays
A year after a somewhat disappointing 84 win season, Oakland returned to the playoffs in 1992 by winning the A.L. West with 96 wins. There they played the Toronto Blue Jays who had now made the playoffs in three of four seasons, keeping pace with Oakland who had been in the postseason for four of five seasons. The Blue Jays had lost each of their two previous League Championship series while Oakland had been undefeated. It appeared to be a very evenly matched series, one that would swing at any moment. In Game 1, Oakland hit three home runs including a ninth inning game winner to take an early series lead. Toronto won both Games 2 and 3 by two runs as the close series played out to everyone's expectations. It was in Game 4 where Oakland let their reign of the American League slip away. In a battle of pitching veterans, it was Oakland starter Bob Welch that out performed Blue Jays starter Jack Morris. Through three innings, Oakland held a 5-1 lead that eventually grew to 6-1 through seven innings. With the way Oakland's bullpen had performed over the previous five seasons, everyone would have figured this game was over and the series was going to be knotted at two games apiece. Toronto didn't make it easy. Welch was chased from the game after a lead off double by Robbie Alomar. The next four Blue Jays singled as Toronto posted three runs to close the gap to two. The biggest factor that would pay dividends later was that Oakland was forced to bring in Dennis Eckersley (who gave up the last two singles) to end the inning while throwing 13 pitches. The Athletics went quietly in the bottom of the eighth as Toronto sent the top of their lineup up in the 9th. Devon White led off with a single, capping an 8 pitch at bat, which brought Robbie Alomar back to the plate. Alomar had another quality at bat and on the sixth pitch hit a game tying two run home run to deep right field. I had seen this before. It hurt all the same. Still, the game was only tied and with Oakland being the home team, I still thought they could pull it out. In the bottom of the 9th, Harold Baines led off with a single and pinch runner Eric Fox stole second base. This is where it got weird. Mark McGwire...yes that one, was asked to, albeit successfully, sacrifice Fox to third with a bunt. Mark McGwire hit 42 home runs that season with 0 sacrifice bunts. For his career he hit 583 home runs with just 3 sacrifice bunts. The baseball gods apparently didn't like seeing a slugger of his caliber square around like he was a light hitting middle infielder. Oakland didn't score that inning and to extra innings they went. In the top of the 11th Toronto scored a run on a sacrifice fly and held on to win an excruciating, mini-dynasty ending, game 7-6. Oakland won Game 5 to stay alive, but back in Toronto, the Blue Jays eliminated the Athletics and headed to the World Series where they would win the first of two consecutive championships. It took Oakland 14 years to get to another A.L.C.S..
6. 2003 - Game 5 October 6th vs. Boston Red Sox
Following three consecutive vomit inducing playoff series, Oakland had yet to learn from past mistakes. After taking a 2-0, best of five, series lead against Boston, the Athletics were once again forced to a winner take all, Game 5. All Oakland had to do was get past Pedro Martinez again after holding him to a no decision in Game 1. Game 2 winner, Barry Zito, was on the mound for Oakland, but after losing two straight games, all the momentum was on the side of the Red Sox. Through five innings, the game progressed as expected with Oakland leading 1-0. The sixth inning was not a good one for the green and gold...again (you'll see). Jason Varitek led off the sixth inning with a game tying home run off of Zito, which was survivable. After a walk and a one out hit by pitch, Boston's best hitter, Manny Ramirez, stepped to the plate. He crushed a pitch into the right field bleachers and Boston suddenly led 4-1, just 12 outs away from completing another Oakland implosion. The Athletics didn't give up. They scored a run in the sixth and chased Pedro in the eighth with another run to cut the deficit to one. It was still 4-3 heading to the bottom of the ninth. One last chance to get the monkey off their backs. Boston started the inning with reliever Scott Williamson on the mound. That was not a good strategy. He walked the first two batters of the inning which brought the crowd alive. Boston replaced him with Game 3 starter, Derek Lowe. Back in Virginia, I had left my living room with my roommates and hunkered down in my bedroom for fear of more pain and depression. Now with two on and nobody out, I was, once again, ready to explode in joy. Ramon Hernandez, the hero of Game 1, laid down another perfect bunt to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd with one out. Adam Melhuse of all people, pinch hit for Jermaine Dye (a move I still question) and not shockingly struck out looking. Two outs. My mood swung immediately. Why the #$^* is this happening again? Lowe walked Chris Singleton to load the bases. Terrance Long stepped to the plate. Hero or goat, it all rested on his shoulders. On a 1-2 count, Long took a fastball that narrowly edge the black of the inside corner and struck out looking. Derrick Lowe motioned to Oakland his thoughts with a quick hand gesture to his groin and the collapse was complete. I stayed in my room that night, quiet and lonely and pissed. Dammit. But this wasn't even the most painful game of that series.
5. 2003 - Game 3 October 4th vs. Boston Red Sox
Two nights earlier life was pretty good. Oakland was up 2-0 over the Red Sox and although they were headed to Boston for Game 3, looked to have the series in hand. I got stuck at work that night, but was following along over the phone in between customers. There wasn't much to report. After five innings Oakland trailed 1-0. Both starters, Ted Lilly for the Athletics and Derek Lowe for the Red Sox were stuck on cruise control. Oakland was going to need a break to get back in the game. Speaking of breaks, I took mine and headed down the street to the sports bar to watch a couple of innings. I got there just in time to witness a play that still infuriates me to this day for various reasons. Oakland had loaded the bases in the sixth inning after a single and two walks. Mixed in between was the first of two of the strangest plays I had ever witnessed and I still have no explanation of what happened a decade later. The first was a play at the plate where fan favorite, 100% energy, Eric Byrnes appeared to score after an errant throw got past catcher Jason Varitek. Byrnes injured himself sliding into Varitek and then shoved him while Varitek scrambled to get the ball. All the while, Byrnes failed to realize he missed the plate. He was tagged out seconds later. Oakland still trailed 1-0. Eric Chavez was intentionally walked to load the bases bringing Ramon Hernandez to the plate. Did he dare bunt again? No, he hit a grounder to short stop...inning over...wait, Nomar booted it! Oakland scored! 1-1! Tejada then collided with third baseman Bill Mueller...obstruction!! The umpire pointed at the two players yelling 'obstruction' and Tejada slowed down and stopped halfway down the line to home. Oakland was going to take the lead. Boston gathered the ball up and tagged Tejada. The same umpire now yelled 'Out!' I nearly lost my shit in the restaurant. There was no sound on the television and all I saw was Oakland manager Ken Macha screaming. It was ruled that if Tejada had just kept running towards home he would have been awarded home, but since he stopped he was still a live player. He didn't even need to touch home, but just make an attempt. Two runs washed away over stupidity. Classic Oakland in October. The Athletics were undaunted. They kept the score even a run apiece through nine innings. I was back at work. The night had slowed at work and I had called my girlfriend to have her watch the game for me. She could have cared less. She knows nothing about baseball. The tenth inning came and went. The Athletics came up dry in the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, I was on the phone with her receiving play by play updates. With one out and one man on base, Trot Nixon pinch hit for Boston. These were the words I heard when I asked her what was going on: "All the players for Boston have run onto the field and are at home..." I hung up. Son of a bitch.
4. 2012 - Game 2 October 7th vs. Detroit Tigers
After losing Game 1 against Justin Verlander and the Tigers, Oakland knew the only chance at avoiding Verlander again was to win the next three games. This was to be no easy task, but a win in Game 2 would not only swing the momentum to the Athleics, but send them home with home field advantage. Tommy Milone started for Oakland and although he had been much better in the cavernous dimensions of Oakland all season, there isn't much difference between his home field and that of Comerica Park in Detroit. He held Detroit's powerful offense in check giving up just a single run over six innings. The Tigers starter, Doug Fister, was equally as good through six innings as the teams headed to the seventh tied at 1. Of course I was stuck at work, but heading to the seventh I took my break just in time to watch the craziness begin. Oakland broke the tie with some classic post season small ball. A leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single was all it took to give the Athletics a 2-1 lead. With nine outs to get, Oakland had their bullpen rested and ready. It was to be Sean Doolittle in the 7th, Ryan Cook in the 8th and Grant Balfour in the 9th. The trio had been rock solid down the stretch in the regular season, but as everyone soon found out, that means squat in October. Doolittle retired the first two batters, but then gave up back to back hits. Luckily for him, all he had to do was retire the American League Triple Crown,
3. 2002 - Game 5 October 6th vs. Minnesota Twins
The demise of the 'Moneyball' team. As heavy favorites against Minnesota, Oakland had already choked away Game 1 before thumping the Twins in Games 2 and 3. The series should have been a sweep. Minnesota crushed Oakland in Game 4 and the teams headed back to Oakland for a one game series. Oakland had already suffered defeats in Game 5 in the last two seasons, but that was against New York. Surely Oakland could beat the Twins at home, surely they could. I was at home and a train wreck. I couldn't stomach another year of disappointment, especially not as the prohibitive favorite. Mark Mulder squared off for Oakland against Brad Radke. Both pitchers had won their previous start and this game turned out to be a pitcher's duel. The Twins scored a single run in both the second and third innings, but Oakland got on the board with a lone run in the third inning as well. That is where the game stood heading to the ninth inning. The Athletics had never really threathened Minnesota as they mustered all of four base runners, and never two in an inning, between the 4th and the 8th. Mulder had settled in and he and Chad Bradford shut Minnesota down, but closer Billy Koch couldn't do likewise in the 9th. Stop me if you've heard this one before, but as the 9th inning approached, it was nearing the time for me to go to work. I was already late, but since I was the boss, I could have cared less. I knew that Oakland only needed to get through the 9th unscathed because Minnesota was going to bring in Eddie Guardado whom they owned. His 16.88 ERA that season against Oakland was all I needed to know. The Athletics were going to win this game! Oh that's right Billy Koch. That asshole. He started the ninth inning with a walk and then gave up a 2 run home run to king of the douchbags A.J. Pierzynski. The damage wasn't done. With fans filing out, Koch gave up another run before closing out the horrible inning leaving Oakland in a massive 5-1 hole. Distraught, defeated and facing 8 hours of work, I jumped in the shower (to hide my tears...not really, but maybe) to get ready for work. I exited, numb to the touch and wanting to bury my head in a pillow and disappear for days on end. I didn't do that though, I got dressed and walked downstairs to notice the game was still on, still being played. What had I missed? What the hell was going on? The crowd was boisterous, the announcers were stupified. Mark Ellis had hit a 3 run home run with just one out! It was a 5-4 ball game. Terrance Long (you'll remember him from such disappointments as striking out with the bases loaded to end the '03 season) had yet to rip a hole in my heart, but he flew out to center for the second out. Randy Velarde super charged the crowd with a single, bringing Ray Durham to the plate with a chance to be a hero. That, of course, is not how this Hollywood ending worked out. He popped out into foul territory and Minnesota won in Oakland. It was the third of four straight Game 5 disasters I witnessed. Imagine, if you will, that instead of being blown out in three consecutive Super Bowls after Scott Norwood missed a potential game winning field goal, the Buffalo Bills lost all four games in that fashion. No fan should have to suffer that. This one hurt most of all. Of course outside of the movie, the most famous moment from those four years came one year earlier.
2. 2001 - Game 3 October 13th vs. New York Yankees
The 2001 postseason is one of the most famous postseasons in the history of Major League Baseball. With the backdrop of the country recovering from the tragedy of 9/11 and a classic, seven game World Series that had more drama, more twists and turns than any Hollywood script could produce, there was a lot to remember. Two games into the playoffs, Oakland had already staked their claim as the new kid on the block. They walked into New York and beat the 3 time defending World Series Champions with great pitching and timely hitting. I was on cloud nine. I was feeling brash and boastful. The end of an era, the beginning of a new generation. I had bought into the swagger and bravado of Oakland with their long hair and beer bellies and rock and roll attitude. It was going to be a repeat of the dynasty from 1972-74 with three staight championships of their own. Yeah I let my mind get the best of me. That Saturday, I headed down to JMU with my parents to visit my sister who had just recently started her freshman year there. I had graduated in 2000 myself and watched the campus turn into the Bronx each October as New York won in the fall of 1996, 1998 and 1999 (and eventually 2000 with me back at home thankfully). I was sick and tired of it, but that was going to end that night. When I had helped my sister move in that August one of her suite mates was sporting a Yankees hat and putting up Yankees paraphanelia all over her room. We had bantered back and forth, but I didn't have much ammunition at the time. Now sporting my green and gold Athletics shirt I strutted into the dorm just waiting to get a shot at her. She saw me, I smiled, she walked away. Victory was mine. Game 3 was in Oakland and I don't think I've even seen a more raucous crowd. After all, Oakland had won their last 17, count them 17, games in Oakland to end the season. It was going to be a good night. I pulled up to a quaint little 22" television in the dorm room, alone as everyone was out and about for Parents Weekend. It was another low scoring affair as Barry Zito and Mike Mussina matched out for out. The Yankees struck first in the fifth inning as Jorge Posada launched a solo home run to quiet the crowd. That was one of just two hits the Yankees would get all night long. Oakland didn't fare much better until the bottom of the seventh inning when a two out rally nearly ended the series. Jeremy Giambi, the younger, yet just as slow footed, brother of slugger Jason hit a single to right field. That brought up...drumroll please...Terrance Long! The center of the postseason universe in my lifetime. He hadn't failed in 2002 and 2003 yet and he didn't fail this time. Long laced a bullet down the right field line into the corner. Giambi rounded second and was being waved home. The relay throw from the corner airmailed the cut off man, Oakland was going to tie the game up! Then out of nowhere, Derek Jeter appeared as if the devil himself had placed him there to destroy everything that was holy to me. He picked the ball up on a bounce, flipped the ball sidearmed to catcher Jorge Posada who tagged Giambi in the leg as he ran through home plate. I didn't use the word 'slide'. Jeremy Giambi didn't slide. We'll never know if that would've made the difference, but you always slide into home on a close play...ALWAYS! Just another little mistake that was maginified until it burned a hole through your brain into your guts and spilled your entrails all over the floor for Oakland. The crowd was deflated, New York hung on for a 1-0 victory. In Game 4, Jermaine Dye broke his leg as New York won again. Game 5 saw Jason Giambi play his final game with Oakland as New York not only won the series, but wound up signing Giambi away from Oakland. Life sucks sometimes. Slide dammit!
1. 1988 - Game 1 October 15th vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The one that started it all. I'll admit most of what I remember from this game will probably be revisionist history. I was 10 years old and just a budding fan of the Oakland Athletics. Hell I was just in the beginning stages of truly understanding the game of baseball. I know I was watching the game, I swear I was. I think I was. What I do know is that I have seen the highlight of the penultimate moment of this game far too many times. It is why this ranks #1 and will probably (please God hopefully) always rank #1 on this list. Oakland was the favorite against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. They had won 10 more games in the regular season than the Dodgers and had swept the Boston Red Sox in the A.L.C.S.. The Dodgers on the other hand were the underdog within their League Championship Series against the New York Mets, but had won. With Game 1 in Los Angeles it seemed imperitive to most pundits that if the Dodgers had any shot at competing with Oakland they would need to win Game 1. A first inning, two run home run for Los Angeles helped give them hope. That was dashed rather quickly as Jose Canseco hit a second inning grand slam giving Oakland a 4-2 lead. Oakland starter, Dave Stewart, surrendered a sixth inning run, but heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, Oakland still led 4-3. Dennis Eckersley was summoned to close out the game. This is what he did. He led the all of baseball with 45 saves that season and was the runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting. At age 33, Eckersley, a one time starter and recovering addict had a new lease on life as a closer. He would close games for the next decade for Oakland and later St. Louis, but in 1988 he was just getting started. He quickly retired the first two batters, ho-hum, nothing to see here, have a nice night, enjoy the trip home. Uncharacticalistically, he walked the next batter (he had walked just 11 in 72 innings in the regular season and would walk just 3 batters in the 1989 season in 57 innings). Of course, maybe that was part of the strategy. This brought up the pitchers spot in the lineup and thanks to an injury to National League MVP Kirk Gibson, the Dodgers were out of viable options. With a healthy Gibson, the Dodgers would have been given a much better shot to win the series. He was thought to be unavailable though, that was until he appeared limping towards the on deck circle. Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers manager, had been told by Gibson that he had one good swing in him. He rolled the dice. Eckersley overpowered the gimpy Gibson with fastballs, but Gibson worked the count full and fouled off a tough pitch at that point. Eckersley switched it up and apparently Kirk Gibson was ready for it. Instead of sticking with the fastball that Gibson had shown no ability to hit solidly, Eckersley tried a slider on the outside corner. Gibson later said he was sitting on that pitch and guessed completely. He lunged on one leg and smacked the pitch into the bleachers in right field sending the city of Los Angeles into delerium. Gibson slowly, injury or not, gutted his way around the bases adding an extra fist pump between first and second that was emulated by a generation of kids. Oakland never recovered as Orel Hershiser seized the momentum and won both Game 2 and Game 5 as the Dodgers won the World Series. To this day I swear I cried watching that ball land in the bleachers. I know I still feel anger in the pit of my stomach everytime I see the replay or hear Vin Scully's call of "I don't believe what I just saw." I'll leave you with that pain. Sorry Athletics fans, I really am.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)