Make a decision, and stand firm.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 9:35 PM PDT Comment 42 comments

For me it's easy:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Let's take a day off and think about it...

As I left the office today, I was immediatly greeted in my car by an ESPN update that informed me that the A's had won....awesome!

When I left my home early in the morning, I reminded myself that the we were playing a day game today and I should check the internet on my phone for updates as often as I could. But unfortunately, as sometime goes for those of us working for the man, priorities have to be re-aligned.

I arrived home in a jovial mood, but then I realized that with the A's already having played, I didn't have much to look forward to as far as baseball was concerned.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I had then realized that it was Wednesday, and ESPN has baseball on Wednesday nights. Being in LA, there was also another game on TV, and by now, we all know the result of that one.

So as we look ahead to the weekend series with Detroit, we also see the Angels on the verge of being swept in Toronto. A Blue Jay sweep and a 3.5 game deficit would make for a nice day off, but let's not tread on the toes of the Wooofing Gods.

The game on ESPN tonight was a pleasant surprise. Allthough with a quick check of the standings, I found myself feeling totally indifferent. A win by the Twins was exactly perfect. Nothing gained, nothing lost for the A's. Only a John Kerry style flip-flop of Wild Card chasers.

Some how watching these 2 games, I couldn't help but feel that the schedule makers had known something that the rest of us didn't. And as I look towards the weekend matchups, I'm thankful the schedule makers are A's fans.

The Angels have received alot of publicity over the last few years. I guess a Wild Card berth and a World Series win will do that. But did you know that last year, on the 2nd to last day of the season in Oakland, the Angels won the American League Western Division for the first time in 18 years? Sure, no-one can forget that that series, but 18 years??? My how history is overlooked by one magnificent post-season run.

Many people on this site have blog-en their preference that the A's win the Wild Card and face the White Sox in the first round. While given the recent success aginst the Central Division leader, I see this as perfectly understandable. However, I tend to lean on the side of the A's as far as goals go.

As we host the Tigers on friday, The Angels will be heading into a desperate New York after losing another series to a non-contender.

I will not be rooting for either, but pulling for the Yankees.

One thing this A's club has proven is that they are not afraid of anyone. Given the "tightness" of the AL East and the Wild Card races, and the strength of the schedules between the AL West leaders, it seems perfectly clear to me:

Let's win the Division, send the Rancho Palos Verdes Angels of Anahiem near Los Angeles home, and let the Wild Cards fall where they may.

Poll

Make your decision:

Short stacked= To early to tell

7 votes

Are you bluffing?=Bring on Chicago

4 votes

All in=Go Yankees

21 votes

Please Force, no diaries after 2 Grey Goose martinis

11 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 42 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I would have to

root against the Yankees, even in the possible not-best interests of the A's. I figure, who the heck knows who the actual front-runner will be, competing with the A's, for the WC? And who the heck knows if the division or WC is more realistic or more desirable? But if the A's were not to make it, I'd love to see Minnesota (or Baltimore) snatch the WC and leave the Yankees out in the cold.

So I root for the A's, and against the Yankees, no matter what, and go from there.

Nico

by Nico on Jul 27, 2005 9:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Betting with your heart,

Not your head Nico.

The most common flaw in all of competition.

Sure, we all have bad, heart-breaking, hateful memories of the Yankees, but the Angels are our biggest foe.

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the Yankees

are baseball/humanity's biggest foe. In baseball--and extending the analogy of what the Yankees represent to the world--the Yankees represent everything that's wrong with the world. Being a "good American," the team I root for second-most passionately to the A's is "whoever's playing the Yankees."

Nico

by Nico on Jul 27, 2005 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can't root for either

I'd love to win the division to see the shock on those smug Angel fans, but not so much that I'd pull for the Yank-eeks. As far as the playoffs, remember, it's a crap shoot. Just get in: division champ, WC, whatever, just get in. But regardless of our fortunes, I'd love to see the Yanks miss the playoffs. In fact, what I'd really love is for the Orioles to pull some pitchers out of their deep pockets, win the division, and send both Boston and NY into the long, cold winter to lick their wounds.

by guapobob on Jul 27, 2005 9:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Who cares?

I don't think any "decision" has to be made. As long as we root for Oakland and they keep winning, we can let the rest sort itself out.

As for the whole White Sox vs Red Sox argument, I also think that's immaterial. If we can't beat both of them in a short series, we're not cut out to be the champs. We need to get into the playoffs any way we can.

I enjoy watching the Yanks and Angels lose. But as for rooting for the A's, we can only tend to our own garden and not worry too much about the future.

Fearing Mecir since 2000.

by salb918 on Jul 27, 2005 9:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Good points,

And I don't mean to sound to literal. My posts are always meant as a bit jesting.

To me, it just that if you take a close look at the rest of the schedule, the Angels have it signifigantly tougher. It's also certainly not far-fetched to believe that we win the division or go home.

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

a strange mix of philosophies

voltaire's candide and john wayne-style kill em all and let god sort em out.

if rooting matters, and we must believe it does on some level to be discussing this, then force's point makes more sense than nico's.

and let's not forget that we should be rooting for the d-rays, and for the blue jays and orioles to not completely collapse.

by the way, force, i'm convinced you write all your diaries intoxicated...and i like it!

If I weren't playing baseball, I'd be... "in the Ultimate Fighting Championship." -Rich Harden

by xbhaskarx on Jul 28, 2005 3:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As much as I hate the Yanks & BoSox...

I will always root against anyone in our division in a race (I can root for the M's safely now), even if we lose a first rounder again this year...

I can handle that this year, but to come away with a AL West pennant, that there kids, no matter what, would be absolutely beautiful...

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm glad.

Its great to have enough contenders playing each other it seems every series we have. Last week it was Yanks vs Minny for the WC lead. Now it is the Angels against the Yanks (again). The way I root for this series is this: Would I rather go to the playoffs facing not the White Sox, with a chance that the Angels don't go to the post season at all, or would I rather just go to the playoffs as the WC facing the White Sox with the Angels in it as well. I'm going to have to go with the former and root for the Yankees even though they're richer than Bush's propaganda machines that made the "flip-flop" term so widely known about Kerry...and that takes a lot of money when Bush has way more skeletons in his closet. Go Moneyteam! Go Moneyball!

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 27, 2005 10:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't care if your left or right... no more...

politics, please, there's plenty of other blogs for that sh*t...

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sorry dude

Not trying to be "political" in the least, just a common silly analogy.

Maybe a bit of overreaction based on my history on this blog? Sheesh.

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yea, your right, a bit of an over-reaction..

I just don't like that stuff interfering in my enjoyment of the A's Domination Station, being interrupted by snide remarks...

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not you

I think A fanatic was referring to WhiteElephantGuy. You were remarkably restrained in your diary!

Fearing Mecir since 2000.

by salb918 on Jul 27, 2005 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, directed to WEG, not Force...

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm still sorry

It would have never happened had I not said "Flip-flop".

I really didn't even think of it as a political thing at all, just a joke.

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yours was mild, WEG just went for jugular

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry to offend

but mine too was just an analogy. No need to get upset. Its not like I said, "FLIPFLOP? You redneck sunuva etc. etc." I talked about baseball, and gave my main point. I didn't ruin the thread, so just ignore the comment if something that small bugs you.

IMO they were both mild. Good Diary, btw force.

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 27, 2005 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks WEG

And I liked your post before it was revealed as Democratic gauno...JK

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha

screw the demon-crats. I believe that if we can't banter about politics then we take it way too seriously. By the way, I don't understand your reference to poker when talking about the playoffs. Can't see the relation to their corresponding answer.

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 27, 2005 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Explanations

Short stack: You could interpret as that you don't have enough chips to bet yet, saying there are just to many games left to played, trades to be made, injuries, etc.

"Let's see how the pot grows and we'll see next time around"

Are you bluffing?: The Wild card is exactly that to most folks, a mystery, the unknown.

"Is this team for real, or are they faking it?"

All in: Sure hand, power player, big fish.

"Get out of the way, or you're getting run over".

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

More guano?

screw the demon-crats. I believe that if we can't banter about politics then we take it way too seriously.

I don't believe that you believe any of this.

http://www.cafehayek.com ~ a blog for classical liberals

by LowcountryJoe on Jul 28, 2005 4:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lets NOT continue this.

.....

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 28, 2005 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Quite recently...

The Angels surpassed the Yankees as my most hated team in baseball. And, I don't want those Angels fans who know nothing about baseball to start gloating about back to back. So, I'm cheering against the Angels at all cost and will be pulling for the division all the way! Even if it means I need the Yanks to win. Also, the division we only have to worry about the Angels, whereas the WC has a lot more contenders. And hey, we may still face the Sox in the furst round...itll just be of another color.

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." ~Ted Williams

by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 27, 2005 10:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm a bandwagoner

...because I use to hate the Yanks the most, then I hated the Red Sox, then I hated the Angels. In a consistent trend of which team either knocked us out of the playoffs or which team eliminated us. Strangely, I was just depressed we lost to the twins though because I felt we beat ourselves that series. The others, I thought we had to prove it to the other teams and we didn't.

But yes, Angels are the worst, and its probably because of their fans.

Change is for the better. For both the A's and in life.

by WhiteElephantGuy on Jul 27, 2005 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

too hard to figure out

Like Sal, I just pull for the A's. I also want more playoff games to be in Oakland, so I hope we win the division.

let's not tread on the toes of the Wooofing Gods

I'm sure they appreciate it, for their reach is long, their power unlimited, and their feet rather delicate for such powerful beings.

by Apricot on Jul 27, 2005 10:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

a division win doesnt necessarily mean...

more home games. If we end up with the third best record among Division winners (a possibility with the ChiSox so high, whereas the central was usually always the lowbie), we could end up with road games in Boston.

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." ~Ted Williams

by ZeroIndulgence on Jul 27, 2005 11:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i want to win the division!

GO A's!

by gotgreen on Jul 27, 2005 10:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

What would you do with it?

Have you thought about that? They take up a lot of space.

Nico

by Nico on Jul 27, 2005 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, I would use it to figure out every 3-man....

rotation scenario & possible breaks, at least for the first series...

Go Oakland Invaders!

by OaklandInvader on Jul 27, 2005 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would

invade Poland with my division and declare martial law. I would rename it the Holy Woofing Empire and have many small bobbleheads made of myself and placed in state-owned taxicabs. Naturally, I would be adored by small children and widows.

Or was that not the question?

by Apricot on Jul 27, 2005 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This could be a problem

The Holy Woofing Empire would soon invade and conquer New York and all it's media outlets.

Soon the Gods would get angry and invoke thier wrath on NY.

Hmm. Maybe it woudn't be a problem...

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If the HWE took over the US

we would immediately declare a big reorganization of baseball. First, the DH would be eliminated. Second, players would only be allowed to play for the team that is physically closest to their birthplace. Third, clubs would all be community-owned. Fourth, correct sock height would be meticulously enforced. Fifth, AN would immediately be given a television station and a helicopter. High Socks Crew would get a small fleet of solar powered mopeds and would be sent to eliminate enemies of the realm with a combination of backhanded compliments and swift violence.

Sorry if this is a little rambley. I've been stuck in a cave eating insects all night. Just sharing.

by Apricot on Jul 27, 2005 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

AL West

I'd rather the A's win the West, simply because in order to do so hey'll have to continue to play at a high level for the next two months and change (hopefully 3). In a game where confidence is so critical, I think coming from where the A's were in MAY to AL WEST CHAMPIONS would be a tremendous boost to the club's collective psyche. I think we are easily within striking distance of the Angels and should hope for a Chicago swoon givin us HF for the entire playoffs. Always shoot for the best.

by Doug on Jul 27, 2005 10:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah

And as far as the rooting goes, I only root for the A's to win-let the rest sort itself out

by Doug on Jul 27, 2005 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Win the West!

Get some home field advantage!

The A's played the BoSox pretty well this year---and they did it deep in the heart of MAY!

If the May's can take two of three from the Red Sox (and almost take two of three at Fenway), then why the heck can't this team take 3 of 5 in October?

"He threw me a pitch I'd never seen before, Sexson said. The umpire asked me what it was, and I said, 'I don't know.' This guy throws ghost pitches.''

by Alien on Jul 27, 2005 10:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bad luck...

But, this year we will get the good luck!!!!

by Donner on Jul 28, 2005 10:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't care what team wins what...

I picked the A's to win the AL West THIS year! They're going to do that. So, until October, I don't care what any other team does.

Those of you who didn't, well... am I smarter than you or do you just lack faith?

The A's control their own destiny.

Rich Harden - Cy Young 2005!

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 27, 2005 11:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The point is...

That even though you "don't care what the other teams do", if the Angels win more games than the A's the rest of the way, you're "prediction" won't come true, and we probably won't make the palyoffs.

So save your woofing for the Angels this weekend.

Copy Alpha Foxtrot...root with extreme prejudice...over.

by Force on Jul 27, 2005 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The simplest way to make the playoffs

is to win the West. It would also be the coolest way to make the playoffs - from the third-worst team in baseball to division champs. I like winning division titles. It means your team won something.

The Angels are leading by four games. They can be caught. Their lead has already shrunk by more than two-thirds.

The Wild Card still worries me. It means the A's must beat out the Yankees/Red Sox loser. Those teams are vulnerable, especially the Yankees, but they are also scary. The Twins are tough opponents, too. Who needs all that aggravation, and the risk that one of those teams goes on some crazy 30-12 streak to end the season?

Win the West. Avenge the bitterness of last season. Stir up a real rivalry with the Angels.

That said, I won't be too broken up if the Angels take two of three in the Bronx. I have hated the Yankees from childhood, and am hard-pressed to root for them - even when I know I should.

by bear88 on Jul 28, 2005 12:15 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I love it when two foes

play each other because SOMEONE has got to lose... I'll look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Be happy with the outcome no matter who wins or loses.

GO A'S!!!

GO A's!!!

by AsGirl on Jul 28, 2005 12:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Precise Playoff Pontification at 2:30 AM

This is kind of a silly diary (for which we can thank the grey goose I guess). I mean, who should A's fans root for in the regular season--the Angels or the Yankees? The easy answer would be ... um ... neither one? I root for the A's?

But I think the diary implies another question: Which road to the playoffs do A's fans prefer--the wild card, or the division title?

It's suggested that some would prefer the Wild Card so that we could play Chicago in the first round, a team we've dominated in the regular season. But it might be just as well to fear such a match-up; the White Sox do, after all, lead the majors in wins, and regular season dominance might not translate into the postseason. In general, I feel that even as a fan, it's better to avoid preference of one opponent over another. Any kind of rejoice over a perceived advantageous playoff matchup smacks of WOOFING. "Oh, we get to play them?! YES!!"

That leaves two possible reasons to prefer a division title: 2) The home-field advantage you get if you're one of the top two division winners in the AL; and 3) A belief that a division title represents an additional accomplishment that the team can hang its hat on--that its significance goes beyond the playoff birth that comes with it.

Home-field advantage is nice--but it's far from being the ultimate factor in determining who wins a playoff series. We all know this (bitter taste in the back of my throat) from experience.

And as for the division title being an additional accomplishment--this is a notion I actually saw A's players talking about in the Chron the other day. They were saying that they didn't want to "settle" for the wild card; that they wanted the division title. I kind of cringe at hearing this, since for me, the division title is only important as a means of getting into the playoffs. They can hang a "wild card" flag just as easily as they can a "division title" flag. Ultimately, if two teams from a single division make the playoffs, the one with bragging rights is the one that advances further in the playoffs. For further clarification on this bragging rights issue, see 2004 AL East Division Title winner and Wild Card winner.

Of course, this is all fantasy anyway--no one PLANS how they're going to get into the playoffs. Every team just wins as many games as they can. So all I'm saying is, that in regards to this strategic decision that no one will ever have to make regarding how to get into the playoffs ... well, if they did have to make it, they shouldn't worry themselves too much over making it badly, since it doesn't really matter whether they choose Road A or Road B.

There is so much more to say, but Murphy's Law tells me that if I continue typing here any longer, I will without a doubt accidentally erase everything I have spent the last --amount of time edited out-- writing and revising. Good night!

"Every time he opens his mouth he makes a fool of himself," La Russa said. "He's a village idiot."

by rubin sierra on Jul 28, 2005 2:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

what I want...

..is for the yankees to win the East.

Yes, I said it. I'm not openly rooting for them so much as I really want the Bosox to lose. I used to hate the Yanks more than any other team in sports, pro or otherwise. But not anymore. I absolutely hate the RedSox. I'd rather have them lose out to Baltimore but they need some help and the Yanks have the next best record.

We have 10 games v. Twins and 10 games v. Angels to settle the WC and West, we are the masters of our destiny (or something like that). But who wins the East isn't, so a little not hate goes out to the big blue cash machine.

by AllThingsOakland on Jul 28, 2005 8:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs