OK, let's win the whole damn thing

Thanks to the Texas Rangers' collapse in the ninth inning in game one of a day-night doubleheader and another Oakland home run happy rally in its last at-bat, the American League West Division title is indeed a realistic possibility. The Angels were down to their final out trailing 4-3 in the top of the ninth against Texas closer Joe Nathan (he of 36 saves in 38 previous chances), but Torii Hunter -admittedly one of the nicest guys I've ever interviewed in my years as a sportswriter- hit a two-run double. The Angels won 5-4 and threatened yet again to apply some neck breathing and turtleneck tightening to the A's. The Angels have refused to go down quietly into the Orange County night for the past week or so.

Pressure? Ha. The A's seem immune to the "p" word. Knowing this bunch, someone may take Words that Begin with the Letter P for $200, Alex, and the A's would buzz in with "What's a walk-off pie?" Oakland let Seattle hang around and hang around until the eighth inning Sunday. Thanks to some nifty relief work from Ryan Cook to escape a tricky jam in the seventh, the game remained tied at two when the A's broke out the jack cheese and went crackers after a solo shot by Yoenis Cespedes and a two-run job by Josh Reddick to help complete the sweep. It wasn't a walk-off win so the Sara Lee/Marie Callender's/Bakers Square treatment need not apply here. But it did count as a victory in the Athletics' final at-bat, and this team has developed a knack for such dramatics during this unlikely 91-win and counting season.

Simply put, these are fun days for the A's, and the fun would only be spoiled if at this point the team somehow let its magic number of two to clinch a playoff spot slip away in the final three games. Of course, nobody with "Let's Go Oakland" in his or her DNA should forget about the collapse of '11 made by both Boston and Atlanta as they let almost sure-thing wild-card spots disappear in the final days of the season.

But let's see what happens in game two for the Angels and Rangers tonight and welcome Texas to Oakland for three games that one way or another will make for a significant end to an improbable regular season. The key is to enjoy the ride and expect the unexpected, because that's what's gone on in the East Bay the last three-plus months.

That'll teach me!

So maybe I'm a good (bad?) luck charm for the A's. I was watching today's game and the Athletics looked toast against underrated Mariners' lefty Jason Vargas, down 4-1 in the eighth. Instead, I suffered through the movie "Trouble With The Curve" with my sisters (if you're a baseball purist, don't go see it. In my opinion it's less realistic than many baseball movies I've seen; slightly ahead of "Rookie Of The Year; but I digress).

Great comeback in the ninth and Moss wins it with a three-run shot in the 10th. The A's are closing in on a playoff berth. If the rain goes away and Texas can bounce back against the Angels tonight, the A's could get even closer to locking down a wild card before Texas arrives on Monday. I plan on watching Sunday's game. But if Oakland falls way back again I promise to turn the channel and try to improve the Green and Gold's chances!

Clear and "Crisp" A's keep their cool

The Shut Up the Critics Tour of '12 took another step toward a final and satisfying resolution Friday for the A's. The 8-2 win over Seattle back home in Oakland after surviving 17 road games in 20 reduced the magic number for clinching at least a wild card berth to four.

That said, when you're an A's fan you understand until there is a dogpile on the O.Co infield, the skeptics won't have rested until they can finally say they knew the A's would fall apart. It's just the way it works in Oakland. Of course, those pesky Angels won again (and think about ludicrous it is to call pesky a free-spending team that signed Albert Pujols to a ridiculously long contract, threw big money at C.J. Wilson, traded for frontline starting pitcher Zack Greinke at the deadline and boasts among other sexy names one Mike the best player in the solar system Trout). So the A's ensured they would maintain a margin for error for their closest pursuers.

Maybe that's been what the A's have needed all along: The pressure on themselves to stay hungry. Pressure and this young bunch of Bernie-dancing, pie-throwing, walk-off-winning misfits don't seem to be parallel universes. But you get the feeling the A's are so loose off the field, they want to have to earn their way into the playoffs and not cruise into the postseason like the Giants, who took command of their fading N.L. West opponents about a month ago and are simply biding their time until the National League Division Series. Not that Oakland fans wouldn't want their team to be able to have it that easy, but the A's players seem to be loving this idea of treating every game like No. 162.

The latest "The A's will fold now" stretch was that 10-game roadie to Detroit, New York and Texas that wasn't the popping of the green and gold dirigible. They still have to be careful that the Angels don't run the table the rest of the way and the A's stumble a bit, but there's no reason for this team to not get to that finish line it's worked so hard to and had so much fun to reach.

One more reason to feel good about Friday's game: Coco Crisp. He missed most of the road trip with pinkeye, and his first start in about 10 days was a memorable one. He channeled his inner Rickey Henderson leading off the game with a solo homer and added two more hits and two more runs scored. The A's have overcome losing Brandon Inge, Bartolo Colon, Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson, but they need Crisp to not only provide speed and some pop at the top of the lineup, but the A's need their few veterans like Crisp and Jonny Gomes to lead what is mostly an absurdly inexperienced group given the battle-tested Angels and Rays lurking behind them in the wild card standings. 

Time to focus on the wild card

Let's be real here: Even a free-spirited, we're-too-young-to-know-any-better club like the A's have probably understood what they've worked so hard for since just before the All-Star break. And that wasn't to hoist a 2012 American League Western Championship flag. The Texas Rangers, even with their division lead shaved and clipped and trimmed to just a handful of games and the reality of having those three in Oakland next week that could have decided the division, have been in command of the West and could be messing up the clubhouse with champagne and beer spillage sometime this weekend.

What does that mean for the A's? Thursday's 9-7 loss at Texas in their final regular-season road game simplified their goals the rest of the season. When the A's slammed the Rangers on Wednesday to get back within three games of first, the thought was another victory in the series finale would have Oakland within sniffing distance of overtaking the two-time defending AL champs' stranglehold on the Western Division. Now that a potential two-game margin is back at four with six games left, Oakland's priority is holding off the surging Angels and completing an improbable run to a wild-card playoff date.

At this point, the A's should be just fine if the Rangers' championship celebration comes sooner rather than later. And with a magic number of three Texas can just go ahead and reach that figure on its own by sweeping the Angels this weekend in Arlington. Of course the A's need to not stumble against Seattle, but if you're an A's fan the Angels should terrify you right now. Oakland's lead over the Angels dropped to 1 1/2 games pending the fighting C.J. Wilsons' game with the Mariners in the shadows of the Matterhorn Thursday.

While it would keep the Athletics' AL West title hopes afloat if the Rangers stumble over the next three games, the last thing the A's want is to have the Angels still chasing a playoff spot and that potential three-game finale with Texas in must-win mode for the Rangers as well as Oakland. These A's don't want two desperate teams along with themselves jockeying for a pair of postseason spots -Tampa Bay is hovering too but running out of time- and one being left behind.

So as much as the A's would rather have an ALDS berth locked up and division championship hopes to dream about, it's time to root like heck for Texas to beat up the visiting Angels. Oh, and first and foremost take care of business against the Mariners at the Coliseum. So goal No. 1 is wrap up a playoff spot by Sunday, relegate that three-game series with the Rangers to it doesn't matter that much status and let Bob Melvin, Curt Young and Billy Beane decide which of your now five -FIVE!- rookie starting pitchers is best suited to get the ball for an expected wild-card game matchup with Baltimore.

But the playoffs are far from a lock for the A's. And did anyone really expect this group to have it easy entering the final homestand even while this glorious second-half surge was unfolding? Enjoy the theater and taut chills of a playoff race while it's out there. We haven't seen such drama on THAT side of the Bay in a while now.

I grudgingly have decided to do some blogging after years of being a sports reporter while avoiding the blogosphere that has seemingly seen every person with a keyboard and opinion take a stab at. But while I take pride in being objective when I have been working in sports media, in this blog I can put on my fan's hat and simply root for my teams. But I'll probably try and stay objective as I can since old habits don't die!

My goal in this forum is to just focus my attention on the A's and Sharks because 1. They are among the most passionate rooting interests I have; 2. Generally in this market dominated by the 49ers, Giants, Raiders and Warriors, I have for years objected to the lack of attention the Bay Area's American League baseball club and National Hockey League entry seem to get from many fans and media alike.

Basically, I plan on giving my take on how the A's and Sharks are doing and what I'm expecting from them going forward; nothing more, nothing less. We'll see how it goes.