I don’t even understand the seeding tiebreakers. If the Yankees win tonight, they have the same record as the A’s. They split their season series 5–5. Wikipedia unhelpfully informs me that the next tiebreaker is “The team with the best overall record in intradivision games.” So, do we compare the A’s’ record against the AL West to the Yankees’ record against the AL East, or is it the A’s’ record against the East compared to the Yankees’ against the West?
I guess it actually doesn’t matter; either way, the A’s are ahead. So people need to quit saying “if the Yankees lose tonight, the A’s will be the #1 seed” in tones of wonderment; the A’s are already the #1 seed.
Liam Neeson trained Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, and Batman. Furthermore, he is both Zeus and Aslan, technically making him two different flavors of God. He also punches wolves. So why would you kidnap another member of his family?
1. Take one of the lowest payroll teams in baseball, one that finished 74-88 a year ago.
2. Get rid of next year’s NL wins leader
3. While you’re at it, get rid of one of the top 5 RBI leaders in the AL for the next year as well.
4. Just for kicks, sign Brandon Inge once Detroit dumps him and make him your everyday 3B.
5. Use about 116 rookie pitchers, including one who was a position player in the minors until this year.
6. Remove any remaining offense from the two position players that anyone has still heard of (Suzuki and Barton).
7. Have Jemile Weeks turn into Jemele Hill at the plate until he’s sent down.
8. And, just to make it interesting, only win 26 of your first 61 games.
It should have never gotten to this. The fans and media (and from I understand, to some extent the front office) has been all over Wash for being too attatched to his veterans over the course of the year. Michael Young should not have been given the 4 month leash of sub 70 wRC+ in the 5 spot he was given. Craig Gentry should not have been sentenced to platoondom for the entire season, not getting a chance for more playing time no matter HOW WELL he did. Wash never gave the young players a chance. He always just kept the status quo, essesntially ignoring the problems on the team, justifying it with “we’re in first place!”
He coasted through the entire season, preparing his team for October in April and May. And not point during the season did he ever once manage the team with a sense of urgency.
Not to take anything away from Oakland. They played lights out after the all-star break. But if at ANY time Wash had decided to address the problems on the team, the could have- SHOULD HAVE- been avoided.
Thanks for posting this for me. I had meant to put it here first but I was too caught up on the excitement of last night’s game when I posted this on ESPN.com first.
Oof. This hurts. It got to the point down the stretch that the only hitter I was confident in was Beltre and the only pitcher I was confident in was Yu…on a team that had six other All-Stars.
hahahahahahaha – even with the year of mike trout, one of the greatest season’s ever, the angiss could not touch this rag tag band of misfits. what does that make mike trout and his super duper season? OVERrated! I mean, good for him, and wow, probably the best individual season I’ve ever seen, but… so… what…
1. The Angels were 9-10 against the A’s. Basically that’s 500 baseball. Hard to suggest that the Angels “couldn’t touch them”.
2. Given that the A’s ended up with the 2nd best record in the AL it would reason that many teams had difficulty against them.
3. How does the A’s winning 94 games make Trout’s season overrated? Not sure you understand the distinction between a team accomplishment and an individual accomplishment.
4. So what? Mike Trout just had one of the greatest seasons of all time. He’s 21. He’ll be playing against your team for years to come. I would say that his season is historic and will have ramifications on baseball for many years.
Congrats to the A’s and the Rangers. The AL West proved to be the best division in baseball. The Angels were a disappointment despite an 89 win season. The M’s were the best cellar team in the game. All in all it was a solid year for the division.
The Rangers got 3 extra games with the Astros while the A’s got 3 extra games with the Giants thanks to natural rivalry. Rangers swept while A’s went 1-2.
And nobody would disagree that beating the Giants is significantly harder than beating the Astros.
Why does it say Cespedes error? It was Josh Hamilton’s error on a ball hit by Cespedes. Don’t your win probability graphs always list the player who made the error, not the player who hit the ball?
Wash turned into Dusty Baker this year. That’s what added pressure does to you. Next thing we hear about will be a stroke… especially if they get knocked out in this next game.
Yes, it was entirely Mike Trout’s fault that his team barely missed the playoffs.
Without him, they would never have been in contention and spared the embarrasment.
Nah, he should hate Mike Scosia. He made sure your best player started in the minors and shipped off your best hitting catcher after you refused to play him. If you had Trout to start the year and had never gotten rid of Napoli, you may not be whinning right now.
It’s unfair to punish Miggy for his lack of speed. He’s 6’4″ and 250lbs+. Speed is valuable, but it’s also the one thing you can’t really improve upon as an athlete, and even if he trained with Olympic sprinters in the offseason, the effect would likely be slight.
I would agree with that assessement. I have been saying most of this season that there has been something “missing” from the Rangers; they didn’t seem the same team as before; like they were being kicked out the door to go play.
Cabrera could probably maintain his power numbers and increase his raw foot speed (not to mention agility on basepaths) by shedding 35-40 of those 250ish lbs. Even a quicker bat too.
But he also just won the Triple Crown and making million$. Why would he give a burrowing screw.
Wes says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:04 pm
“Who the hell is that?”
Me, every time I check an A’s box score. Good on them, what a fantastic 2nd half.
Bab says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Epitomizing “team baseball.” Amazing.
Desertfox says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Truly the great thing about baseball.
Well-Beered Englishman says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:08 pm
This is the only day all year they’ve been in first place.
Mick's Jagger says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:13 pm
What could be better? Beating the Yankees, then WS champs. A team no one thought would scratch out 70 wins. Astros next year? HAH!
Fredchuckdave says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Beane
Danmay says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Wow, that is all
Anon21 says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:24 pm
I don’t even understand the seeding tiebreakers. If the Yankees win tonight, they have the same record as the A’s. They split their season series 5–5. Wikipedia unhelpfully informs me that the next tiebreaker is “The team with the best overall record in intradivision games.” So, do we compare the A’s’ record against the AL West to the Yankees’ record against the AL East, or is it the A’s’ record against the East compared to the Yankees’ against the West?
Anon21 says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:27 pm
I guess it actually doesn’t matter; either way, the A’s are ahead. So people need to quit saying “if the Yankees lose tonight, the A’s will be the #1 seed” in tones of wonderment; the A’s are already the #1 seed.
Anon21 says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:28 pm
oh, wait… never the fuck mind.
Steve says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:31 pm
I admire the hell out of the As
Slats says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Liam Neeson trained Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, and Batman. Furthermore, he is both Zeus and Aslan, technically making him two different flavors of God. He also punches wolves. So why would you kidnap another member of his family?
Cooperstown2009 says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:34 pm
wat
Ron Washington says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Choke? I thought you said coke!
Brad Pitt says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:36 pm
I smell a sequel.
Dan says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:37 pm
I have no idea what is going on here
Rippers says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Oakland Athletics are the greatest story in sports.
Not Tebow, LeBron, Dwight, Jets, Heat or Yankees.
Moneyball says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, behold Moneyball 2.0!!
1. Take one of the lowest payroll teams in baseball, one that finished 74-88 a year ago.
2. Get rid of next year’s NL wins leader
3. While you’re at it, get rid of one of the top 5 RBI leaders in the AL for the next year as well.
4. Just for kicks, sign Brandon Inge once Detroit dumps him and make him your everyday 3B.
5. Use about 116 rookie pitchers, including one who was a position player in the minors until this year.
6. Remove any remaining offense from the two position players that anyone has still heard of (Suzuki and Barton).
7. Have Jemile Weeks turn into Jemele Hill at the plate until he’s sent down.
8. And, just to make it interesting, only win 26 of your first 61 games.
Just the facts, Jack says:
October 3, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Actual, context free text message I sent on July 19th:
“Who the fuck is on the A’s?”
MikeS says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:02 pm
And the only day that really counts.
Daven says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:03 pm
You forgot import a Cuban.
MikeS says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Does this prove that 162 games is actually a small sample size?
David Wiers says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:11 pm
I love this team.
/drinks another
dustin says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Just right in my book.
Jamie says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I thought that was the Orioles
Colin says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:18 pm
You ready for As-Tigers? I know I am.
channelclemente says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Must be asymmetric WARfare, huh.
downbythebay says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:39 pm
if the Rangers get eliminated from the playoffs, shall they be coined as going Buffalo Bills ?
Ok so... says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:42 pm
Where’s the fangraphs article that tells me how they did it?
The Oakland A's Players says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Who are all these people filling the stands and why did they take so long to do it?
Miguel Cabrera says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Let me guess…Mike Trout
I Agree Guy says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:52 pm
You don’t quantify the unquantifiable.
The A’s are pure grit, scrappiness, and heart.
Andre the Angels Fan says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:53 pm
God I hate the A’s.
And the Orioles.
My blood is boiling right now.
Colin says:
October 3, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Impossible, Nick Punto is not on the A’s roster last time I checked.
Tom B says:
October 3, 2012 at 9:04 pm
9. Get extremely lucky.
Tom B says:
October 3, 2012 at 9:05 pm
You should hate your underperforming Angels… not other teams that are playing well.
Bab says:
October 3, 2012 at 9:15 pm
All teams get lucky. Don’t be an ass.
MyrAn says:
October 3, 2012 at 9:52 pm
9. Trade reliever for potential stud position players.
Reddick WAR 4.5 is the best of the Sox or the A’s. You could potentially change 9 to “Pilfer teams desperate to succeed.”
The Sox actually followed the revised number 9 when it shipped players to the Dodgers.
Captain Willard says:
October 3, 2012 at 10:25 pm
I’ve seen this movie before. Really:
Chris From Bothell says:
October 3, 2012 at 10:25 pm
downbythebay: The Texas One-Strike-Aways will have turned into the Texas One-Game-Aways.
yeah says:
October 3, 2012 at 10:30 pm
And David Eckstein has been retired for years!
Jack says:
October 3, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Except Lew Wolff is a man and is still going to move the team…..
Keystone Heavy says:
October 3, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Rangers fan here:
It should have never gotten to this. The fans and media (and from I understand, to some extent the front office) has been all over Wash for being too attatched to his veterans over the course of the year. Michael Young should not have been given the 4 month leash of sub 70 wRC+ in the 5 spot he was given. Craig Gentry should not have been sentenced to platoondom for the entire season, not getting a chance for more playing time no matter HOW WELL he did. Wash never gave the young players a chance. He always just kept the status quo, essesntially ignoring the problems on the team, justifying it with “we’re in first place!”
He coasted through the entire season, preparing his team for October in April and May. And not point during the season did he ever once manage the team with a sense of urgency.
Not to take anything away from Oakland. They played lights out after the all-star break. But if at ANY time Wash had decided to address the problems on the team, the could have- SHOULD HAVE- been avoided.
Bab says:
October 3, 2012 at 11:27 pm
I noticed that Wash and the Rangers players sounded like there was *no way* they would get swept in this last three-game series.
“We know what we have to do and we’ll do it.”
“They’re playing good ball but we just have to execute.”
The Rangers totally took their position for granted.
YA Booble says:
October 3, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Thanks for posting this for me. I had meant to put it here first but I was too caught up on the excitement of last night’s game when I posted this on ESPN.com first.
YA Booble
The TIF says:
October 3, 2012 at 11:29 pm
C’mon now…. there’s teams getting lucky then there’s the Baltimore Orio… oh wait, we’re not talking about them.
Eric says:
October 3, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Oof. This hurts. It got to the point down the stretch that the only hitter I was confident in was Beltre and the only pitcher I was confident in was Yu…on a team that had six other All-Stars.
At least Michael Young is a leader though…?
Jack says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:22 am
This whole season has been game six all over again.
ChrisCEIT says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:23 am
And Jason Kendall blah blah blah…
rorschach says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:24 am
Baseball!
Captain Obvious/SelfServing says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:26 am
Thanks sir, I couldn’t have said it better.
jrogers says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:26 am
I believe only half the teams get lucky, on average.
Ron Washington says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:27 am
Look man, it’s the first time it’s happened.
Old School says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:40 am
Cameron continues his disdain for Miguel Cabrera and the triple crown.
No mention of the achievement at all.
Train says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:42 am
hahahahahahaha – even with the year of mike trout, one of the greatest season’s ever, the angiss could not touch this rag tag band of misfits. what does that make mike trout and his super duper season? OVERrated! I mean, good for him, and wow, probably the best individual season I’ve ever seen, but… so… what…
Mike Trout says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:42 am
Dave cannot help the fact that I am the superior player.
NBarnes says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:43 am
Look on the bright side, you have years and years of Vernon Wells to look forward to. That should help keep you merry through the winter, yes?
Bryce Harper says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:43 am
Clown answer bro.
United States of Oakland says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:56 am
Oakland Athletics = “America’s Team”
bloop triple says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:58 am
At least Trout won’t have to worry about “postseason performance” pundits for another year.
Eno Sarris says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:59 am
Just more wins than the Tigers…
Old School says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:07 am
No postseason or MVP for Trout.
Also lower average, less HR’s & less RBI’s.
Old School says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:08 am
WAR! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!
Kazinski says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:18 am
Amount still owed to Vernon Wells as of April 2012: $75m.
A’s entire payroll as of April 2012: $53m
Or to put it another way:
Angels 2012 payroll: 151M
A’s and O’s combined 2012 payroll: 137m
CJ says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:23 am
>probably the best individual season I’ve ever seen
>OVERrated!
wat
ron says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:27 am
with the Cuban slugger, the old 3rd baseman with the hurt shoulder, and the old pitcher who cheats
Kazinski says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:34 am
By that logic Cabrera is OVERrated too.
The A’s won more games that the Tigers with Cabrera, the Rangers with Hamilton, the Angels with Trout and Pujols, and they got nobody.
I’ll bet the A’s entire roster combined for less than 100,000 allstar votes.
David G says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:57 am
Oakland is a terrible place.
Cidron says:
October 4, 2012 at 2:11 am
the one thing about 162 games is, it tends to lessen the luck factor, as all teams have their lucky stretches.
Michael says:
October 4, 2012 at 2:16 am
The A’s won the division by 1 game. Bartolo Colon contributed 2.4 WAR this year. Your move, Texas Rangers lawyers.
United States of Oakland says:
October 4, 2012 at 2:21 am
Says who?
You?
Bab says:
October 4, 2012 at 2:32 am
Texas-based SABR-lawyers.
I’d stay uninvolved.
wilt says:
October 4, 2012 at 2:39 am
idjut.
TheGrandSlamwich says:
October 4, 2012 at 3:29 am
As an Oakland A’s fan I can honestly say that tomorrow morning I will swear never to drink again!
BJsWorld says:
October 4, 2012 at 3:31 am
More runs, more important position, elite level defense, elite level baserunning … do we really have to do this again.
Mike Trout was the better player. If Miggy wins it we will simply verify that the BBWA is still completely out of touch with reality.
BJsWorld says:
October 4, 2012 at 3:40 am
Yeah … your post pretty much makes no sense.
1. The Angels were 9-10 against the A’s. Basically that’s 500 baseball. Hard to suggest that the Angels “couldn’t touch them”.
2. Given that the A’s ended up with the 2nd best record in the AL it would reason that many teams had difficulty against them.
3. How does the A’s winning 94 games make Trout’s season overrated? Not sure you understand the distinction between a team accomplishment and an individual accomplishment.
4. So what? Mike Trout just had one of the greatest seasons of all time. He’s 21. He’ll be playing against your team for years to come. I would say that his season is historic and will have ramifications on baseball for many years.
Congrats to the A’s and the Rangers. The AL West proved to be the best division in baseball. The Angels were a disappointment despite an 89 win season. The M’s were the best cellar team in the game. All in all it was a solid year for the division.
Old School says:
October 4, 2012 at 5:44 am
You realize Miggy hits a lot of doubles so has no need to steal second.
That voids your base stealing argument.
Narra says:
October 4, 2012 at 8:10 am
I agree! The perfect time to talk about Miguel Cabrera is in an A’s-Texas game thread. They are terribly related.
I wager the you’re the sort of person that feels the need talk about his bowel movements while at a five course dinner.
BX says:
October 4, 2012 at 10:17 am
The Rangers got 3 extra games with the Astros while the A’s got 3 extra games with the Giants thanks to natural rivalry. Rangers swept while A’s went 1-2.
And nobody would disagree that beating the Giants is significantly harder than beating the Astros.
James says:
October 4, 2012 at 10:19 am
Miggy hit a single or walked over 180 times this season. He only hit 40 doubles. He wasn’t always on 2nd…
Trout ended up on first about 180 times too, he just turned 50 of those into extra base hits by stealing.
Would you rather have 13 more doubles or 50 SBs?
Ludwig von Koopa says:
October 4, 2012 at 10:45 am
Maybe not the best analogy there… after all, bowel movements tend to be a direct consequence of dinner.
Delirium Nocturnum says:
October 4, 2012 at 11:10 am
Nonsense.
ecp says:
October 4, 2012 at 11:27 am
Why does it say Cespedes error? It was Josh Hamilton’s error on a ball hit by Cespedes. Don’t your win probability graphs always list the player who made the error, not the player who hit the ball?
AngMohClay says:
October 4, 2012 at 11:32 am
Lucky, please. Their pythagorean W-L is 92-70, and they averaged 0.6 more runs per game than their opponent. You don’t do that over 162 by luck.
Orioles on the other hand…
Baltar says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I guess all you flamers have never heard of irony.
Wellhitball says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:27 pm
It’s hilarious how much money your team spent this year.
For nothing, at all.
Wellhitball says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Wash turned into Dusty Baker this year. That’s what added pressure does to you. Next thing we hear about will be a stroke… especially if they get knocked out in this next game.
Baltar says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Thank God there was no mention, until you spoiled it with your big mouth.
Baltar says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Yes, it was entirely Mike Trout’s fault that his team barely missed the playoffs.
Without him, they would never have been in contention and spared the embarrasment.
Wellhitball says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Who cares about “ifs”, anyway? If I had a billion dollars, I’d have a billion dollars. You couldn’t take anything away from the A’s if you tried.
Wellhitball says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:35 pm
I think the A’s were like 77-43 with Cespedes, or something of that nature. more games than that, though.
Wellhitball says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Great point, James. Sincerely
Bartolo Colon says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Not only that, but I kept the Angels out of the playoffs as well.
But I guess no one here or elsewhere will bother to mention that
Dave Chappelle says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I’ve said it numerous times.
Average_Casey says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:44 pm
And Willie Bloomquist doesn’t play for them. He is the undisputed grittiest ball player of them all. You cannot forget about Willie Ballgame!
Average_Casey says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Nah, he should hate Mike Scosia. He made sure your best player started in the minors and shipped off your best hitting catcher after you refused to play him. If you had Trout to start the year and had never gotten rid of Napoli, you may not be whinning right now.
Eric Davis - 44 Magnum says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:53 pm
The A’s are no 1995 Mariners, but I suppose this comeback is sorta nice.
chuckb says:
October 4, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Amount still owed to Albert Pujols: $225 + M
A’s payroll: $53 M
Cus says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:12 pm
It’s unfair to punish Miggy for his lack of speed. He’s 6’4″ and 250lbs+. Speed is valuable, but it’s also the one thing you can’t really improve upon as an athlete, and even if he trained with Olympic sprinters in the offseason, the effect would likely be slight.
joser says:
October 4, 2012 at 1:58 pm
I don’t know of a baseball team called the Buffalo Bills, but whatever sport that is, I suggest you retroactively say they got all deRanger’d.
Tim A says:
October 4, 2012 at 3:15 pm
ALW best winning% division by far + MLB worst Houston Astros = worst season in history 2013, enjoy Crane shouldn’t have let them move you.
Liver says:
October 4, 2012 at 4:39 pm
I would agree with that assessement. I have been saying most of this season that there has been something “missing” from the Rangers; they didn’t seem the same team as before; like they were being kicked out the door to go play.
williams .482 says:
October 4, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Guys, this is a troll. You can’t win.
williams .482 says:
October 4, 2012 at 7:29 pm
I suspect it is easier to improve your speed than to improve the number of bottom-of-the-order hitters who reach base in front of you.
Bab says:
October 4, 2012 at 8:09 pm
See what you’re saying, but no.
Cabrera could probably maintain his power numbers and increase his raw foot speed (not to mention agility on basepaths) by shedding 35-40 of those 250ish lbs. Even a quicker bat too.
But he also just won the Triple Crown and making million$. Why would he give a burrowing screw.
Bab says:
October 4, 2012 at 8:48 pm
Trending: “MLB’s Richest Teams Impose Payroll Restrictions to Find “Price-Value Balance’”
Matthias says:
October 5, 2012 at 1:46 pm
In all fairness, that $225M is over, what, 9 years?
But Pujols’ average yearly salarly is still nearly half of the entire A’s 2012 salary. Scary.