The journey from no expectations to a playoff team...The 2012 Oakland A's

     What a crazy day. After having no expectations all year long for the Oakland Athletics, suddenly on their elimination night it was the first time I had high expectations for this team. Just think, one more win and the tarps would have been removed from The "I refuse to call it O.co" Coliseum. What a heart stopping spectacle that would have been (no sarcasm, I joined the petition #removethetarps). Sure, hope was there all along but fooling myself with expectations would just enrage me even more as their was an inevitable end to the season in the near future. Here is what I as well as every other A's fan had to look forward to for the 2012 season: (Saying the list is short is an understatement. For comparison purposes I will tell you the Yankees list was as long as the Mitchell Report, or the list of people Jose Canseco ratted out). These are actual thoughts that went through my as well as every other A's fans heads! Don't make fun Giants fans, we had all the hope in the world, especially after...

-Manny Ramirez signed a one year $500,000 deal. (Yes! A 40 year old will lead our team to a 3rd place finish in the loaded AL West!!)

-Billy "better portrayed as Brad Pitt" Beane thought he was Brian Cashman for a day and signed Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (5-tool player) to an unheard of 4 year- $36 million deal! (Did that really just happen?! We just outbid the Marlins to sign a Center Fielder in a strong safeties body to become the face of the franchise... I immediately rushed home and YouTubed the Cuban defector. He rakes!)

-Lew "glass half full" Wolff: The A's traded Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Sweeney and Andrew Bailey for a bevy of young pitchers. (Trying to summon my inner Eva Longoria during her break-up, I mustered up all my hope: The future looks bright and we moved from the 27th payroll to the 29th payroll in the league...Yipeee!!!)

-A new stadium was coming, we don't know when but there probably will be a new one in the future. We may finally move out of the football field and into a stadium that isn't made out of 95% concrete and 5% Al Davis' personal "fountain of youth". There is something about seeing the leftover sidelines from the Raiders game earlier in the week that somewhat ruins the moment. The same way seeing Jack Nicholson sitting next to Mark Cuban would anger Lakers fans. (Yes, I just mentioned a movie star and the craziest owner in all of sports in the same sentence. Your welcome, TMZ).

-At least the tickets will be cheap and I can't wait to see the A's rock their alternative "I wish it was still the 1980's" yellow jerseys. (While the Giants fans are excited to see a winning team I am pumped about the jerseys, that shows the off-season (or lack thereof) we had!)

-There was a name change to O.co Coliseum and there were 4 fireworks nights(!). Finally, a night when I could bring the whole family out, in Oakland mind you and watch some quality baseball while enjoying some family friendly fireworks. All this happening, while the Sunday before there were cars burning in the parking lot (thanks, Raiders fans! Guilty.) How about the night when A's fans were allowed to go on the field after the game and watch a showing of Moneyball?...Wow, special events staff at that point I realized you had really outdone yourself! What was the thought process going into that? "The field is already half baseball-half football, why not let 25,000 wild fans storm the field and partake in the team's "Vietnam flashback"? This was sure to fill the fans with fury and bad/good memories of the "glory days" that was the Zito-Mulder-Hudson trio. Oh, now I get it. It was a PR move to save face for Mr. Beane. At the time of this "Night O' Fun", the team was 26-32. Great timing Special Events staff! You just moved past the Toronto Blue Jays as the 29th worst Events staff in all of baseball. Another huge leap in 2012 for the Oakland A's!! After that jump it was hard for me to even sit still! Plus, we had 2 new options at DH...

-Seth Smith and Jonny Gomes. The two names that make you want to jump out of your seat! Had any of you ever heard of these guys? No. Well, they sound like Oakland A's players already! (Name that movie) Seth Smith-the Mile High City castoff was coming from a Rockies team that traded him for 2 pitchers they could add to their 75 pitch-limit experiment. Fun Fact: Smith was Eli Manning's backup at Ole Miss. Pretty cool. That's the kind of guy I want hitting fourth in my order, coincidentally so did Mr. Beane. Or not? Was it the long lost Son of Anarchy--Johnny Gomes job to lose? The tatted, scuffed up always dipping "bad boy" had just come from the NL and had something to prove. Who knew Gomes would have the locker room presence that he did? Not even the Academy Award nominated Billy Beane (oh wait, well it still counts) could have seen the impact he made without a bat in his hands. Gomes had become the Elder Statesmen of what would become the youngest team in the league. Underrated dual signs of Smith and Gomes, Billy. I applaud you!

There you go, there were what us A's fans had to look forward to. At best a 3rd place finish and at best we would be a contending team by 2014. Had someone told me that we would be a playoff team I would have thought you were either kidding around or know nothing about baseball. There is no better feeling than having no expectations to having the most exciting summer/ half fall of your baseball life. To beating down on the Angels and Rangers and taking the Detroit Tigers to 5 games. If only Verlander wasn't the best baseball player on the planet. He truly is on another level than anyone else in the league. Thank you 5 rookie pitchers, thank you 15 walk-off wins, thank you Reddick-pie, thank you Bernie Lean, thank you Balfour rage, thank you Spider Reddick and thank you 2012 Oakland A's! It sure was fun!!