A's in the Playoffs!

What an unbelievable season the A's have had! We traded away our best pitchers, our favorite catcher. Lost our remaining veterans to injury and drug bust. Kept having to tap into the minors and picking up players from the scrap heap. Somehow the motley crew coalesced. Somehow they developed confidence. Maybe it was doing the Bernie dance and staying loose. Or maybe the drug testing finally leveled the playing field. Beane was again a genius, getting ahead of the curve.

Cespedes!

Remembered in time to watch some of the delayed broadcast of the Mariners v Athletics game at the Tokyo Dome. Bartolo Colon gave up a solo homer to Smoaks at the top of the 7th but then cooly got the outs to escape the inning. A's turn. With Kurt Suzuki on base, Cespedes hit his first major league homer and suddenly the A's were ahead. New pitcher for the Mariners, new batter for the A's. Reddick hits a solo homer. I used to watch Colon when he was the Angels' ace and didn't like our chances against him. Age and injuries have pared down his superpowers, but today he is pitching masterfully. It's a bit of an adjustment to cheer for him, as it is reconciling the trades of our best pitchers (Cahill, Gonzalez, Bailey), and the acquisition of 50 -game suspended Manny Ramirez, who I used to boo in many a game. It is impossible to have a hometown hero for a team like the Athletics, which must trade and trade for future prospects. This year in particular felt glum and hopeless with our key players gone. Yet the A's posted a stellar spring training record and...wow Johnny Gomes just hit a homer! Colon exits after 86 pitches in 8 innings. Balfour has the honors in the top of the 9th. 1-2-3 game over!

Will Darvish Become a Ranger?

While there is nothing but dismal news coming out of the A's club, the Rangers may have a chance to bring Yu Darvish over from the Ham Fighters. If that happens, you can bet that the Coliseum will be filled with adoring Japanese fans whenever Texas comes into town.