Thanks to scheduling beyond our control, the last few days have been completely out of the ordinary - consisting of our going into the office at a normal hour, and then bailing in the mid-afternoon, to race north to the Oakland Coliseum, take in the game, and then meander our way back home again.While we've enjoyed the twice-weekly trip all summer long, this was typically a Friday/Saturday jaunt, and games could regularly be seen at 7 p.m. Friday, with a day game Saturday. Now, in the ALCS, we are slaves to the masters of the MLB universe, Fox and ESPN, who have dictated the games start at 5 (so East Coast viewers can chime in) and on Tuesday and Wednesday, messing up our routine.
I'd be beyond jubilant, and happy to tell you the process were all worth it, had our team, the A's, done their jobs. But after two games at home in the league championship series, we've seen the green and gold on the short end of the stick, losing Tuesday by a score of 5-1, and tonight, by a tally of 8-5. The team has been fighting from behind the entire series, and whatever leads we did have tonight were fleeting at best, as the Tigers put runs on the board and we simply couldn't catch up.
Down by 3 tonight, the A's teased us by loading the bases, and bringing to the plate Frank Thomas, who is always a threat to homer. Had he put the ball in the seats, we would have seen history made - a grand slam to win the game in the most dramatic way. But he didn't make it, and we can't rely on one man's heroics to overcome 8 innings of mediocrity.
There's a million ways we could point fingers, but simply said, if you were to say that Nick Swisher and Thomas (and Scutaro) would be a combined .000 through the first two games, there really wouldn't need to be any more discussion. They look lost out there.
Milton Bradley (with two home runs) and Kotsay (two doubles) were a lot of fun to watch, and I love seeing the rare Chavez homer. He's come through twice in the last three playoff games, even if he is swinging and missing way too much. In fact, the whole team just K'd and K'd and K'd today. Yuck.
Now the series goes back to Detroit, and the A's find themselves in a deep hole they might not ever get out of. Tonight just could have been the last time we see them all year, and though I will always hold out hope until the last batter is out in the last inning of the last game, we are unhappy season ticket holders tonight. From Friday's jubilation to today's frustrations, we've run the entire gamut. That's the rough life of being a serious sports fan who expects the world.
Listening to ''neo & farina'', by Blutonium Boy Vs DJ Session One (Play Count: 5)