It was inevitable. My wife and I were at the Monterey Aquarium today, and Oakland Athletic hats were prominent. The "A's", in case you haven't heard, were on the brink of wrapping up a season for the ages by sweeping the reigning two-time American League champion Texas Rangers and capturing their first division title in several years. Yes, the bandwagoners, or fair weather fans, were back. These are so called "fans" who only show their support when a team is winning. Boo on them....
Anyhow, regardless of what kind of A's fan you are, there is a good reason to celebrate....and scratch your head. Of the 14 teams that make up the American League, including the budget-heavy LA/Anaheim Angels and New York Yankees, as well as the aforementioned Rangers, the A's were 13th in batting average (.238) going into the final game of season, 12th in hits (1,298), 10th in runs scored (698), and were 1st in strikeouts with an all-time franchise high 1,372. On defense, they committed the 3rd most errors (111) and had the 3rd worst team fielding percentage (.982). (Scratching your head yet?) Despite all of that, they supported the best record in the MAJORS since the All-Star break, or the hypothetical mid-point of the season, with a 51-25 record. They were .500 before that (43-43)!
How can that possibly happen you ask?
Well, since this is my blog, I'd like to offer two possibilities. The first, and most important, is pitching. The A's posted a team ERA of 3.50, which was 2nd lowest in the American League. Opposing hitters only averaged .246 against A's pitching, scored 608 runs, and hit 193 home runs (all 2nd lowest in the league). They were 4th in wins (92) and 4th lowest in walks allowed (457). In short, batters had a hard time getting on base via a hit or walk against A's pitching, let alone scoring runs.
Secondly, I strongly believe in the good team chemistry = fun = confidence = momentum theory. Ok, it's a theory I made up, but after playing in various team sports from my early 20's to my early 40's, I've experienced being on teams that weren't the most talented out there, teams without a "super star", but teams that outplayed opponents better than we were. Teams like this require contributions from everyone. And when that happens, a team chemistry starts to form. Once that takes root, confidence starts to build and before you know it, momemtum takes over. And that, in part, is what I think happened to the A's. The team formed a bond somewhere in June, clutch hitting became contagious (they had a league leading 14 walk-off wins), they began to enjoy playing every day (in fact couldn't wait), garnered confidence, and before they knew it, won 51 of their last 75 games. That, great pitching.....and of course a little good fortune.
The "Amazing A's"....a reference to the Oakland A's teams of the early 70's who won three world series in a row. Both teams featured blue collar, everyday, hard working guys. The only difference is the 2012 team supports goatees rather than moustaches.
Remember the 2012 A's, because they very well may be remembered as the ultimate "fairy tale" team in a season for the ages.
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