Success is such a funny word. How one measures it is
completely up to the standards in which theyset. Take baseball for example. If
you can average three hits every 10 at-bats, you're a success. Where else in
life can you succeed 30 percent of the time and sit at the top of your chosen
profession? For the 2012 season, success is very much in grasp for the Oakland
Athletics. Some would you say it has already been accomplished. Eight months
ago, the thought of a decent season seemed like a pipe dream for even the most
loyal of A's fans.
 |
| (Keith Allison/Flickr) |
In a winter of discontent, general manager Billy Beane
traded the three players on his roster of the greatest value in Trevor Cahill,
Gio Gonzalez, and Andrew Bailey. In the course of a month’s time, Beane set
forth to rebuild and retool the team with an eye to a prospective move to San
Jose. This hypothetical relocation is at least three years away from happening,
and standing in their way to dispute territory rights are the San Francisco
Giants. With the assumption that the move will eventually be approved, A's
management essentially told the fan base that they must endure yet another
rebuild and lose their favorite players. To top that off, the team will be
leaving the economically challenged city of Oakland in the near future.
For lifelong fans, that's a hard pill to swallow. For some,
it’s a reason to turn their back on a team. For others, it provides a chance to
curse the ownership and the disparity of finances in baseball. Yet some have
kept the faith. They've trusted the process and track record of player
development. They've rationalized and accepted the fact that the city of
Oakland does not support the team, and some feel fortunate that ownership will
at least keep them in the Bay Area.
