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.
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.
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