Over the past holiday weekend, I decided to head out to the west coast to visit a close friend that I had not seen much since we graduated college. The trip allowed me to catch up with my good pal, AJ, go sightseeing around the Bay Area and most importantly to the both of us, watch some baseball.
This weekend I was fortunate enough to see AT&T Park in San Francisco and the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland. Despite these two parks being close in proximity, they have little to nothing in common. One is very highly acclaimed because of its beauty and unique features while the other is looked at as the worst park in all of baseball.
Ironically enough, I had more fun at the “dump” in Oakland.
While beautiful views from the stands are enjoyable, I have always been someone who would rather watch a good team than sit in a nice ballpark. On Sunday, I watched the Giants and the Mets play. Noah Syndergaard threw a complete game shutout against the Bruce Bochy’s September call up lineup and 20,000 fans went home content with their free pair of Buster Posey socks that were given out at the gates.
I had just watched two teams play a meaningless game in September at a beautiful park and went home with a giveaway item that was supposed to excuse the fact that I just watched a game that was mediocre at best.
It was like I had never left home.
However, on the next day, things were different. For the first time in years, I was able to watch a meaningful baseball game in person that was played in the month of September. It wasn’t at Fenway Park or Wrigley Field and while the Yankees were playing in the game they weren’t the team that everyone came to see. That team was the Oakland A’s.
Getting to see the A’s take down the most powerful franchise in the history of the sport in a national televised game on Labor Day was incredible.
Yet, it almost made me feel a small bit of jealousy.
Here we have a club that spends less money than nearly every other team, playing in a stadium that is literally falling apart in an area where they are second fiddle to another franchise that is currently three games under .500.
Somehow they have overcame all of this and are once again preparing to make another postseason run.
It made me wonder, if the Oakland A’s can do this, why in the world can’t the Pittsburgh Pirates?
In the month of July, the A’s and the Pirates were nearly in the same boat. Both had started the month far out of playoff contention. The A’s were 8.0 games back of the second wild card while the Pirates were 5.5 games back and three games under .500. However, both went on to have their best month of the season, going 17-8 and 17-9 respectively.
One team had an exciting streak of walk-off wins while the other ripped off 11 victories in a row. Each club added notable talent to give themselves a shot to compete down the stretch. Unfortunately, only one of them ended up doing so.
Unlike the Pirates this season, along with pretty much every other year in the Clint Hurdle era, the A’s did not fade away in August; they got better. They continued to make deals, caught and passed the Seattle Mariners in the wild card standings and are now going toe-to-toe with the defending World Series champions for the American League West title in the final month of the season.
The Oakland Athletics are currently doing everything that Pirates fans have dreamed to see their club do for the past three years.
This is happening not because the A’s are more talented but because they are more intelligent.
When you are a small market team like the Pirates, A’s, Brewers or anyone else, you are forced to play “Moneyball”.
Not only did the A’s front office invent this concept, they have perfected it.
Nearly every team in today’s game has a significant financial advantage over the Athletics, yet they never have used it as an excuse like the Pirates have.
They take risks and get creative, they address problems when they see them and are never content with simply being relevant. The A’s have traded away some of their best prospects over the past five years, yet are still able to develop talent better than most teams. Most importantly, the A’s play every game with the mentality of “win today, worry about tomorrow’s game tomorrow”.
The Pirates should take notes.
It is not impossible for a small market team to compete.
Even Pirates fans know that.
However, in order to compete constantly, you have to do things in a different way than most clubs. That’s what the Oakland A’s are; they are different. They don’t have a recognizable superstar, a fancy stadium or deep pockets.
All that this organization cares about is winning.
Could the same thing be said for the Pirates franchise?
I will let you answer that on your own.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
