With six home runs and 13 RBI over his last four games, Miguel Cabrera is in the process of following up his Triple Crown season with an even greater one. Already he has 14 homers and 55 RBI to go with a .391/.467 /.701; he's one homer shy of leading the league in all five categories.
Drew Sheppard, the maker of the hypnotic composite GIFs of…
Consider this a kind of a respectful rant if you will.
I grew up in the East Bay and the A’s are my team. I’ve been vocal about that for a while and it’s no secret. But unlike a lot of A’s fans, I do not hate, despise or whatever you call it with the Giants. They are the other team across the Bay. They aren’t a real rival to the A’s. I appreciate and love the Bay and I want good things for my area.
With that said, the Giants winning another World Series would be very tough on me as an A’s fan. Part of it is because I wish my team could have beat the Tigers. But the real reason has nothing to do with the game, but the aftermath.
Who will win?
Growing up in the East Bay, I became an Oakland A’s fan and it’s the team I feel the most passionate about. With being an A’s fan, there is that “rivalry” with the San Francisco Giants.
At least to me, the rivalry doesn’t really exist. But in recent years, it has become something I think has gotten out of hand.
Since the Giants won the World Series in 2010, the bandwagon has gotten out of control for them. Pandering to their requirement for panda hats and fancy lifestying, the new Giants “fans” have given me an A’s fan a hard time. It seems that at any opportunity, they mock everything that is Oakland. Whether it’s the team’s stadium or even the city’s not so glamorous appeal, Giants fans have recently made an effort to look down on me and my team.
I was there last night. And last night reminded me why I love baseball. In fact, the entire season for the 2012 Oakland Athletics is a constant reminder of why the game of baseball is the best in the world.
Last night featured great drama with the Tigers taking an early lead. Then Josh Donaldson with a great defensive play. The A’s bullpen finding a way to keep it close. Then the improbable A’s doing what they do best, they rally in the 9th and produce one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen.
Josh Reddick’s single brought back life to this Coliseum that had a nervous feel to it. The crowd still believed, but until Reddick got that hit, and the crowd exploded. Josh Donaldson’s double blew the roof off. And once again, the team started to feel the mojo at the Coliseum. Seth Smith’s double blew the roof off the place and the improbable comeback was complete. This excitement could not be matched.
You don’t want to face these A’s. Nobody wants to meet them in the playoffs. But that’s what the Detroit Tigers have to deal with this weekend.
I am bias but I have watched every A’s game this season and they are playing at a level that I haven’t seen in a long time. They are the little engine that could but with a swagger so strong. These Oakland A’s are on fire right now.
When it comes to playoff baseball — or any sport in fact — you don’t want to face against the hottest team entering the dance. The A’s not only are the hottest team, but they snatched the AL West away from the Texas Rangers in the process.
The A’s are the most dangerous team right now. Maybe they can harness that into this ALDS. Maybe they won’t. Who knows? But trust me, this A’s team is for real and the rest of the AL better be careful.
Which of these two will win the AL MVP?
This is a very simple debate with a complicated answer. Who would I choose as my AL MVP?
The two candidates are the phenom Mike Trout and the power horse Miguel Cabrera. Both put up great numbers and in any other year, their numbers would be enough to make them the runaway winner.
But since both are having monster years at the same time, it’s hard.
Here are photos from last night’s throwback game between the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.
This isn’t really a throwback game. The Tigers were in the right attire but the Rays wore their theoretical fauxback jerseys Saturday of what might their uniforms could look like.
But overall, if this is a one-time thing for the Rays, I say it’s done very well. The Rays jerseys look fantastic on the field. I wish they had an elastic waistband but other than that, it’s so unique that I am glad they did it.
As for the Tigers, they look fantastic in their duds and I would love to see them wear it again in the near future.
