Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
August 09, 2004
Better Record

The Athletics defeated the Twins today, taking three out of four in their weekend series against Minnesota. More importantly, the A's moved one game ahead of the Twins in the race for the 2nd best record in the AL. Whoever winds up 2nd will not have to play the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, plus will get home field in that round. (That is of course, if the Yankees hold the division and overall lead in the league.)


Posted by David Pinto at 04:52 PM | Series | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Well, if they don't, that'll give us all something to write about for a few years.

Posted by: Larry Mahnken at August 9, 2004 09:23 PM

Re: The Oakland-KC-Philadelphia Athletics

Not only do the Moneyball Athletics find a way to win every year, but when you combine their 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s successes with their 1st half of the century successes in Philadelphia, you have basically the second most successful baseball franchise in the game after the Yankees. What other franchise won three straight World Series or made three straight appearances (29-31) (72-74) (88-90) or 4 out of 4 (10-14) or has won so many pennants and division titles or produced so many great pitchers, from Rube Waddell and Gettysburg Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove to Mark Mulder and Barry Zito and Tim Hudson and HOF Dennis Eckersley???

The As have produced Hall of Fame talent, or close to HOF talent, at every position, most notably at pitcher, since 1901, with alarming regularity, and except for the 40s and 50s, they have always appeared in the playoffs in every decade as a force to be reckoned with.

Has any baseball franchise other than the Yankees been so consistent for so long????

Long live the Elephant, long live Connie Mack's As, long live Money ball. From the hallowed halls of Shibe Park to Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, greatness has followed them all through their days. Home Run Baker, Sal Bando, Eric Chavez at 3B; Eddie Joost, Bert Campaneris, Miguel Tejada at SS; Jimmie Foxx, Mark McGwire at 1B; Mickey Cochrane, Gene Tenace, Ramon Hernandez at C; Al Simmons, Rickey Henderson in LF; Mule Haas, Bing Miller, Terrence Long in CF; Reggie Jackson, Jose Conseco, and others in RF; Eddie Collins, Danny Murphy, and many recent stars at 2B. And let's not forget Joe Rudi, OF.

Throughout the history of this franchise, great players playing great baseball.

It means something to be an A.

--AJK

Posted by: Art Kyriazis at August 12, 2004 05:42 PM