Silent But Deadly

Welcome to the show, Brandon Hicks! 1

Earlier this evening, Oakland Athletics shortstop Brandon Hicks (.171, 1 HR, 3 RBI) hit the first home run of his major league career against the first place American League West rival Texas Rangers. It was a walk-off, solo home run to center field. It has the A's, winners of 10 of their last 12 games, tied for the second American League Wild Card spot at the time the game ended. 


BACK IN THE GAME, BABY!

The Hat Trick has briefly commented on the A's in our pre-season, one-quarter season point, and halfway point evaluations of the American League's teams. I predicted a mediocre season, and the A's were less than mediocre at the time of the one quarter-point evaluation (actually in last place, slightly behind the woeful Seattle Mariners). What has happened since that point is amazing.

By the All-Star break, the Athletics had played themselves back into contention. I hear the A's getting very little attention in sports media. However, should the Athletics, behind stellar pitching and right fielder Josh Reddick's (.271, 26 HR, 46 RBI) base-clearing bat, continue to play .500-plus baseball it will be impossible to ignore them in September, and possibly October.


RETURNING TO THEIR ROOTS

The Athletics were once a proud franchise, dominating the American League in the late 1980s and early 1990s with three pennants and a 1989 World Series championship under future Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa. The A's last playoff appearance was in 2006, when they were swept from the American League Championship Series by the Detroit Tigers. The American League Divisional Series sweep of the Minnesota Twins in that 2006 season was the Athletics' first playoff series win in 16 years. During that 16 year drought, the A's only had a heart-breaking string of four consecutive Game 5 losses in the best-of-five first round of the playoffs between 2000 and 2003.

There has not been much to celebrate on the other side of the Bay in a very long time. Manager Bob Melvin, in his first full season as the Athletics' manager, could be just two months away from bringing the magic back to O.co Colosseum. If so, he may enjoy the biggest "I told you so," in the faces of myself and every other sports writer who wrote them off in March.  


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