FanPost

Why I Am Still Getting Up At 3 AM For Opening Day

I created this account way back in 2008, when the memories of the 2002 season, and the 2006 season were still fresh in my mind, and the 2008 season had hope and high expectations. We opened that season in Japan against Boston, and my brother and I stayed up late to watch the game. I was 15, he was 12, and we were diehards. Of the players in that game, only Daric Barton and Kurt Suzuki remain. Of the 2006 team, nobody is left. The team is getting ready to pack up and head to San Jose, and my favorite all-time A's, Mark Ellis, Eric Chavez, Tim Hudson are long gone. As are some of my current favorites, Trevor Cahill, Andrew Bailey and Gio Gonzalez. The 2012 season is bleak and the starting 9 will be filled with guys most people have never heard of. Brandon McCarthy, last year's 5th starter will be our opening day man opposing King Felix. I could go on and on why it is so difficult to remain an A's fan. However, I prefer to look at this team a different way.



As A's fans, we all embrace the us-against-the-world mentality that the MLB has thrust upon us with years of neglect and an owner who refuses to show an inkling of care about the team that is on the field. The Giants try to keep us from getting a new stadium at all costs, Bud "Slowest Decision Maker in Modern World History" Selig refuses to deal with our issues, and our stadium rarely sells out. But there is one thing we keep forgetting. When the Yankees win the World Series, only Yankee fans care. If they win 110 games and then lose in the first round, they're an unbelievable dissapointment. Tickets a few rows behind the Yankee dugout will set you back 4 figures. If this A's team somehow (and geez is this a stretch) makes even a close run at the West either this year or next year, it would be as exciting as anything we've seen in the past 10 years. In 2002, we started out terribly and went on a run like nothing baseball had ever seen, only to lose in the 1st round. A Yankee fan would call this a failure of a season, but young fans like me remember it as the most amazing season we've ever witnessed. I saw games 18-20 and the ball that Miguel Tejada hit for a walk-off single in game 19 is proudly displayed in my house. In 2006 we had a team that the experts didn't see as anything special, yet we made in to the ALCS.



So A's fans, lets be positive when we start this season not by looking at where we are but where we've been and where we're headed. This team is built to contend in 2015, and I'm fine with that. But we still have a great bullpen, good starters, a rising star second baseman, a decent outfield and a good shortstop. Our catcher is a team leader and veteran presence that can help grow our young prospect pitchers. If the past has taught us anything, its that pre-season expectations are moot. Last year SI said we'd win the division, and we failed miserably, but in 2006 and 2002, nobody saw us doing what we did. So maybe 2012 will bring us 100 losses, maybe 90, maybe .500. Who knows, but I know I'll be up at 3 AM again this year, with all the optimism and hope that I've had in seasons past. Because I'm an Oakland A's fan, the world tells me my team is done, hopeless, worthless and not long for the world. I don't care. I'm putting on the green and gold and cheering proudly for this team. Let's Go Oakland!



BTW this doesn't mean I won't be rooting as hard as I can that the Giants, Angels, Yankees,and Rangers all go 0-162.