"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light" -Dylan Thomas
I find it hard to write a recap about today's game. It was a good game. It's just that the season is gone and it feels a bit like a can of Pringles. Barbecue flavor. At the point when all that's left are the shards of barbecue powdered potato flakes and you "drink" them down. And then you are afraid to look into the canister because you know they are all gone, but you still want more of that sweet mesquite tang on your tongue.
The only difference is that I can't go down to Safeway and grab another can. Sure, there will be a few weeks of Sour Cream and Onion, or Original flavor, left to enjoy. But Barbecue is gone. And it is this fact that has me reading Dylan Thomas poetry.
Alas, there was a game today and the A's won, completing the sweep and finishing without a losing record for the first time since 2006. Dallas Braden was anything but spectacular, but as we have come to expect, he kept the team in the game through 5 innings. The Boofalo, Boof Bonser, Henry "Humo" Rodriguez and Craig "Braniac" Breslow did yeoman's work out of the pen to protect Braden's 11th win.
The offense was pretty good, too. Mark Ellis continued his late season surge with an RBI double, extending a career best tying 13 game hit streak. Kurt Suzuki hit his first bomb in over a month. Crush Carter burninated once more, with a key RBI single in the 6th, putting Braden ahead just before he exited. Kouzmanoff belted one to Bellingham, a blast that proved to be a needed run.
I can't help but think, as I write out those names, that I am really only certain that one of them will be in next years canister. And they raged against the dying of the light today. In a way that we can all be proud of. They fought against "playing out the string." They suffered a sweep in Anaheim, only to turn it around in Seattle, playing for something when they, seemingly, had nothing to play for.
This years can of Barbecue Pringles brought us many good things. The maturing of Gio and Dactyl. The struggle, and eventual triumph, of Trogdor. The Mother's Day Miracle. Unicorn Power: the Renaissance. Cliff Pennington's right arm. Coco's leaping thievery. Really, there were many, many highlights after four seasons of mainly lowlights. Progress is good.
Next year's can is going to be different. I can't wait to taste it.
Congratulations to all of my friends and family that root for the Giants. Good luck in the tournament.
