Rallying the Troops: How We Did It

The A's are looking sharp in their last 11 games.  Young guys taking advantage of their opportunities despite crowds numbers that belong in a SJ Quakes game rather than an MLB stadium.  What has pushed these guys to deliver?

Could it be that the team is starting to gel?  Maybe Raja Davis is diverting some of his torque from his legs to his arms?  Perhaps this rag-tag group of 10 starters is just the kind of outside-the-box thinking that can revolutionize our A's back into a unique winner - Moneyball Part 2 (movies studios always love a sequel)?  OR is it that the A's took off once I finally showed up to the Colesium on Friday night against Seattle?

I gotta think it's my presence in the Coliseum.  As a die-hard living in D.C. since 2007, it's tough getting to see the A's live.  The A's didn't play the Nationals during last years interleague play between the AL West and NL East.  I get to the A's - Orioles but that's in Camden Yards and weekday games (w/o a car it's really tough getting to the game after work).  Going to NYC is out of the question; it's easy getting up to New York, but damn are those tickets ridiculously expensive.  And with the sweetness that is my low wage-long hour-little vaca-job as office lackey in the political arena, I only was able to visit the Bay when a sweet deal on airfare finally arose.

But once I got to a real stadium - the cozy confines that are the Oakland Coliseum- things just looked a little brighter.  The fans were nicer, the players played harder, the text messages to the scoreboard were rife with wit, and the grass smelled greener.  Yes, maybe the A's just needed to know I was there, that I was going to deposit a little bit of my time and emotion on the field.  I may not be in the stands every day, but damn!  9-2 since I showed up!?!  I'm not heavy on superstition, I only let it get to me in baseball, but I think that I just might be the rally cap the A's have been missing the past couple years.

We all have to be invested in this club to make it a winner: Players, Fans, Coaches, Management, Grounds Keepers, the Churro Guy who rolls his R's, and of course the Fan Club Signs + Drummers + Flag Corps.  We love our A's and no matter how far down we go, we will rise together. 

I think I'll have to start putting $40 a month into a savings account for a trip next year - perhaps get in for Opening Day, and get 2010 off on the right foot.