The Oakland A’s are going to the playoffs!

How awesome is that .gif file?  No, really, how awesome is that .gif and how awesome are the 2012 Oakland A’s?  (Thanks for creating this!)

When is $50 million worth more than $150 million?  Take a look at the MLB playoffs standings right now and see where the A’s sit relative to where the Angels sit.  If I didn’t see it with my own eyes last night, I’m not sure I would believe it, but the Oakland Athletics are heading to the (insert enthusiastic curse words here) playoffs!  At the very least, they have clinched the right to play in Friday’s wild card play-in game.  Depending on how things go tonight and subsequently tomorrow perhaps, the A’s could be looking at a division title and avoiding the one game elimination altogether.  Rather than getting ahead of ourselves, let’s take a quick step back. 

The A’s have the second lowest payroll in baseball, a mere $100K more than the SD Padres for the lowest spot in baseball.  The team’s stadium situation remains in chaos thanks to Bud Selig and a handful of other issues.  Billy Beane spent last offseason gutting the pitching staff for more prospects and younger, cheaper talent.  The season started off with some pretty bad baseball in April and May.  The team started to turn things around, playing just over .500 ball in June and then July hit, where the team went 19-5.  They have the best record in baseball since the All-Star break.  At that time, I had already given up on this season ten times.  Yet, here we are, going to the playoffs and control of our own destiny to the division title! 

Read that entire paragraph again.  It still doesn’t make any sense to me either.  I can’t wait for tonight’s game.  Obviously, I hope the team can pull this one off and then go into tomorrow afternoon’s game with the chance to really deflate the Rangers locker room, while at the same time, avoid Friday’s one game playoff.  Tonight’s game is going to be tough, with Blackley starting on the mound for the A’s and facing Harrison, an 18 game winner this season already.  One game at a time, let’s do this! 

Let’s go Oakland!