In case anyone didn’t know, Coco Crisp can get a little fired up. Tonight, he had good reason. The A’s trailed the entire game before walking off against Tigers closer Jose Valverde. Ahead 3-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Valverde surrendered the lead on a single and two doubles, before retiring two A’s. With Seth Smith on second, Crisp singles through the right side. Rookie pinch hitter Avisail Garcia misplayed the ball, allowing Smith to score without a throw. Pandemonium ensued as Crisp appeared ready to swing on anyone who approached him, teammates and coaches alike. With a defiant scowl, Coco galloped around the infield levying vicious–and ill-directed–high fives to his jubilant teammates.
Whether Crisp was an angry as he seemed, or whether he was simply releasing a bevy of pent up aggression, one thing is clear: the Oakland A’s are not fading quietly into the abyss. On a night when the other American League dream team suffered its first walk-off defeat all season, the A’s showed a resilience for which they have become renown.
As a baseball fan, it’s great to see a team like the A’s succeed, and it’s great to see a guy like Coco Crisp come out the hero. They’re similar, Crisp and his team: under-estimated, naysayed, and scrappy. In the age of TV mega-deals engendering payrolls that rival the nation’s GDP, Oakland is a breath of fresh air, Crisp is a reminder of the oft-forgotten parable of hard work breeding success.
Detroit’s got a triple crown, and likely the Cy Young. That’s enough. Off The Bench endorses the scrappy, happy, and (yes/sorry) nappy Coco Crisp and his Oakland A’s.
-Ari Glantz
Stat of the Day: Rickey Henderson played eight seasons in Oakland. Coco Crisp owns the franchise record for consecutive stolen bases without being caught.
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