just a matter of time

Time, they say, flies when you’re having fun.  But these days, it just simply flies.

Surely the time to read this post will fly, not like last time.

Another baseball season is coming to its climax, at least where our A’s are concerned.  After seven years of plenty, the last two Septembers have been cause for "seeing what the kids can do", rather than playoff aspirations.  Remember when the All-Star Break meant catching fire and destroying everything in our path?  Remember when "20" stood for The Streak, instead of how many games we’re behind the Angels?  Maybe you think it’s silly to get all misty-eyed over things that took place this decade, but doesn’t this moment feel like a long, long time ago?

And if that does, well, what about this:

Yep, next season marks the 20th anniversary of Oakland’s last World Champion.  And ok it’s nowhere near Cubs’ or Indians’ or Giants’ territory, but the last time we held the trophy, I was 22.  Or the same age my son will be in six years.  Speaking of whom, I always tell him to appreciate the good when it’s here, because you never know when life is going to rear back and toss you the proverbial curve.  But hell, he’s 15; he could care less about curves.  Well, not those kind anyway.

And so it is in baseball.  You’re up, you’re down.  (If you’re Crosby, you’re down a lot).  Thing that history tells us about our A’s, even as far back as their Philly days, is that when they’re good, they’re really good, and when they’re bad, they’re cover-your-eyes-and-hold-your-nose bad.  And when that bad follows the good, as it does now, just when we got accustomed to annual invites to the Big Crapshoot, it feels that much worse.

But boy, when that good comes back around, when the darkness disappears and September means something again- and you stubbornly stuck through it all because, well, that’s what love does- there’s no better feeling.  Suddenly there’s a warmth and a gooiness about you, kind of like Rye and Dale cookies fresh out of the oven.  (Jennifer, put that DAMN journal away!)

A lot of fans make a big deal out of winning the World Series.  Work with me here.  I want the A’s to win one as much as PT hates dumb people (apologies if I have offended any dumb people).  But I like what the A’s have given us for the past forty-one seasons.  For about a third of that time, we’ve had the opportunity to win it all.  And for the other two-thirds…see, following a losing team is kind of like dating a crazy woman.  You stay out of morbid curiosity of what today might bring.  (I know, I know…earlier I said it was love; you didn’t honestly believe that crap, did you?)

The truth is there is plenty to like- ok, love- about our A’s, even this year’s version.  I mean, didn’t last night feel like the good ol’ days?  There’s over 300 comments in the recap that say, “Yeah, it did”.

Come to think of it, last night was the good ol’ days.  Not that you’d ever catch me in a nostalgic moment.