Reflections on Last Homestand of 2012/Season Predictions

Opening Night 2013 for the Oakland Athletics is just mere hours away and I will be reflecting back on the Last Homestand of the 2012 season and make my prediction for the 2013 Oakland Athletics.

After sitting in Section 216/217 for most of 2011, I decided to go hang out in the Right Field bleachers after being introduced by a mutual friend from our kickball league late in the season.  I started sitting out there and realized how much fun I could have with a group of friends that were closer in age.  I love sitting in 216/217, but there isn't the type of crazy shenanigans that the bleachers have.  Lots of ribbing of the opposing right fielder (other than Jeff Francouer), yelling at the opposing bullpen and loving our right fielder.

Keith and I were the only ones that believed supposedly...

Fast forward back to 2012 and during the final homestand against Seattle and Texas, I went to four of the six games and sat in the RF Bleachers.  I had to miss Saturday's game due to a family event and Monday because I am the Captain for my slow pitch softball team.  I had the utmost belief that the A's could make the playoffs and the division.  The A's just needed to take care of business against Seattle and hoped that the Angels would help us out against the Rangers in Arlington.  I don't remember much of Friday's game, but I was able to catch the end of the comeback Saturday where Josh Donaldson hit the game tying homer and Brandon Moss hit the game winner and broadcaster Vince Cotroneo proclaimed, "Oakland is the WALK-OFF capital of baseball."

On Saturday night after the game, one of my twitter followers messaged me about giving me a ticket for Wednesday's game.  She said that she had an extra ticket and wanted to give it to a die hard fan.  The problem was that the game was at 12:35pm and I had to work that day, but I said I would take it anyway and if I didn't use it, I could give it someone that needed one.  I had a second ticket already just in case and I knew my buddy was in town, so I would have given it to him.  On Sunday before the game I met up with the woman who would give me the ticket.  Her name is Patti and I asked if she wanted the face value of it.  She said no and said she wanted to give the ticket to a die hard A's fan.  She said that she wasn't going to be able to use the ticket anyway.  I was in total shock that a fellow A's fan would offer me a ticket for free like that.  I thanked her, gave her a hug (I believe) and we went on our way.  I felt like this was a sign that this was going to be a great week for A's fans...

On Sunday night, the Angels and Rangers played a double header in Arlington.  Most people that I was talking to wanted the Angels to get swept by the Rangers, so the A's would clinch a tie for the Wild Card that evening.  I thought of it differently and my dad and I debated about this for much of the previous week.  We came to the conclusion that the A's would need to sweep the season and Texas would need to lose 2/3 to the Angels and get swept by us in order to avoid the one game playoff for the division title on Thursday.  In 2012, the playoffs were quirky as the Wild Card Play in Game was on a Friday, so the A's could have had to fly a ton within a 48 hour period just to play games.  Lucky for me, the A's and Rangers split their DH and the A's were 2 games back of the AL West with 3 to play vs the Rangers and had clinched a tie for a Wild Card berth.

Monday was interesting as we had softball that evening and some of our players missed the game to be at the A's game.  I felt like I had a duty to stay with my softball team and my teammates were actually very surprised I stayed to play softball and we ended up tying that night.  Our team watched the A's clinch a Wild Card Spot and cut the AL West lead down to one in an Alameda bar.  I was very happy for my friends that went though.  On Tuesday, Travis Blackley was scheduled to start and this did not go well with many A's fans.  During Travis' last outing, he was shelled by Texas allowing 5 runs in his one inning of work, but then wrote a heartfelt note via his iPhone to the fans via twitter.  Just this note alone made me believe that Blackley was going to help the A's be tied for the AL West lead that evening. Blackley was outstanding that evening and the AL West was tied going into the last day of the season...

Game 162 will be for all the AL West marbles

So Wednesday came and I was able to use the ticket that Patti gave me and also take my buddy! But wait a second, you said you had to work!  During that Tuesday afternoon at work, I got specific instructions from the boss (father) that he was going to take care of the tickets for people in our office that wanted to go to the game on Wednesday IF the A's won.  This seems like a lot, but there was only one person that was not interested in going and he isn't a sports fan anyway.  I had to get 4 tickets anywhere in the Coliseum right after the game if the A's won and I knew it was going to be a task...I texted my buddy Keith who worked in the box office throughout and he told me where he would be.  The problem though was that I was unable to leave right after the game because I wanted to soak in the moment, so Omar and I rushed over to the ticket kiosk looking for tickets to Wednesday's game.  I was able to secure four tickets for my office and we all were able to miss work.

As for the ballgame, it felt like a blur and went very slow at times. The blur part was when the A's scored and then the Rangers scored what seemed like a million runs.  The other blur part was when the A's got the lead back on the Josh Hamilton dropped fly ball and added on.  I felt like they were only up by a run when it was really like 5.  Once Coco caught the final out, I went into photo taking mode and tried to capture the moment.  I was able to take a few photos, but I was mobbed and was celebrating with all the bleacher buddies.  I swear that no one had a dry face.  It was crazy to see where the team was at that moment.  I remember hanging out at the Red Lion at 3am watching the A's open in Japan with some of these folks and then on October 3, 2012, celebrating an improbable run to the Western Division title.  I remember going through our entire group of fAnily with hugs and high fives.  I think I started out with my buddy Alex whom I grew up with, then Benjamin, who was in the MLB Fan Cave at the beginning of the season and sitting right next to me.  I saw Erica, Ashley, Spencer, Liza, Lauren, Dennis, Andy, Wiggi, Will, Amanda, Omar, James, and many more...That day and week was just AmAzing and a week I will never forget...

Just a few people in RF 149 that day...
Thanks to Justin L. for taking the photo for me.

Sniff's Oakland Athletics Season Prediction Post
Below is my "Futuristic Article" that I wrote on the Athletics Scout.com Boards as I am a frequent poster there.  Enjoy Athletics fans!

In a San Francisco Giants fan's worst nightmare, the Oakland Athletics swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in Oakland in front of a crowd of over 55,000 by the score of 5-1 to win the World Series.  Major League Home Run Leader Yoenis Cespedes was named World Series MVP going 12-22 with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs.

With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers struck first on a Matt Kemp solo home run off of Jarrod Parker, but that was all they were able to muster.  Parker then settled down, throwing 7 IP, allowing just the one run and 7 strikeouts using a mixture of fastballs and breaking balls to perfection. 

Series MVP Cespedes continued to torment Dodger pitching hitting a 3 run shot to begin the A's scoring in the 4th inning off lefty ace Clayton Kershaw who was going on just three days rest.  Shortstop Hiro Nakajima who started the season in AAA after being injured went 2-4 with an RBI double in the 5th to add the A's lead.  Josh Reddick would add a solo homer in the 8th off of reliever Kenley Jansen to cap the scoring. 

After a hot start in April, Oakland cooled off in Late May falling 5 games under the .500 mark before getting to 6 over by the All Star Break and 3 back of AL West leading Los Angeles Angels.  After the break, Oakland got hot again playing .600 baseball and winning the West by 5 games along with the best record in the AL.  After sweeping Tampa Bay in the Division Series, Oakland exacted revenge on the Detroit Tigers from 2012 in the ALCS winning the series 4-2.

Throughout the World Series, the Dodgers' pitching staff had no answer for the powerful Oakland offense who hit a team total of 227 homers in 2013, leading the majors.  Kershaw struggled throughout giving up 8 runs in just 8 innings pitched.

The title is the 5th championship Oakland has won since moving from Kansas City in 1968.

Other Sniff Thoughts...

Even though I will be at the A's game, I am hoping for a "Double Dub" with both the San Jose Sharks and the A's winning.  The past couple of days have been excellent with the "Triple Dub" on Saturday with the A's, Warriors and Sharks winning.  I would love to witness the first A's Opening Day win in about what seems like 8 billion years (last Opening Day win was 2004).  Positive thoughts all and Happy Opening Day!