BAY AREA BASEBALL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

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In a world of growing deception and turmoil, it's time now for the innocent purity of baseball in the San Francisco Bay area and both the Giants and A's are in the hunt for the divisional playoffs. Where you live in the Bay Area plays a big difference in your team allegiance but in my case I have a loyalty to both teams and find myself capable of an objective analysis of their chances to advance in 2014: Allen L Roland, Ph.D

 

Having lived for over 30 years in the North Bay Counties of Sonoma and Marin, I have been a fervent Giants fan but when I moved to Contra Costa in 2010 for my work with combat vets with PTSD ~ I became swept up in Oakland A's fever and have now reached a healthy parity in my team allegiance but can offer a fairly objective analysis of their playoff chances in 2014.

 

Oakland A's ~ What was once a fun loving group of over achievers led by power-hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland was the team to beat by the All- Star break this year ~ but then Billy Beane (with visions of a World Championship in his eyes) got impatient, sold the soul of the team (Cespedes) to the Red Sox for proven World Series closer Jon Lester and watched the team slowly disintegrate through August and September. It is my opinion that Melvin and the Team were overruled on the Lester for Cespedes trade and that explains the recent slide in A's spirit ~ it was no longer fun but instead all business.

But the final dagger in the heart for the stumbling A's happened  on Wednesday, September 17th when bulldog Jeff Samardzija threw a brilliant 4 hitter through 8 innings against an obviously outgunned and bewildered Ranger team.

Obviously Samardzija wanted to pitch the ninth but Manager Bob Melvin would have none of that and went with his already chosen closer Doolittle whose fast ball and slider was welcome relief for the young Rangers who pounced on him for six runs and the ball game.

Doolittle knew it ~ "It's going to be a turning point one way or another," Doolittle told reporters after the game. "After the season's over, are we going to look back and point at tonight as the game where the wheels came off for good, or are we going to be able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and talk about how resilient we are as a team and how we were able to overcome a game like this and still get it done?"

Melvin's inability to recognize what everyone else, including myself and the ball players themselves (on both sides) already knew, that Samardzija was on a special roll and deserved to at least attempt to close the 1-0 game cast a "Why Try" spell on the A's and the wheels did indeed seemingly come off for good.

Lester will attempt to right the ship against the Phillies on Friday, the 19th but the collapse seems complete and the fun Boys of Summer have become the burned out survivors of fall ~ destined to dwell on what might have been and what ever happened to those fun (double pie) times with Cespedes this year before Billy Beane pulled the plug.

San Francisco Giants ~ Whereas the spirit left the A's it returned with a vengeance to the Giants ~ along with Angel Pagan, a rejuvenated team leader Buster Posy ~ and of course, their wily old fox manager Bruce Bochy.

The Giants are making their every two year run for the money (having won the gold in 2010 and 2012) but realistically a wild card berth seems only likely this year. However, never underestimate Bruce Bochy in late September and October ~ he is a master motivator and big game strategist but it's unlikely he will take all the marbles this year.

The problem is pitching and their nemesis the LA Dodgers ~ who are locked in first in the West and show no signs on relinquishing it to the Giants. The Dodgers are more individually gifted and of course have the best pitcher in baseball ~ Clayton Kershaw with 20 wins already in his belt. The Giants definitely have more team chemistry but that may not be enough this year.

PREDICTIONS

NATIONAL LEAGUE WINNERS

WEST LA Dodgers

CENTRAL Cardinals
EAST  Washington
Wild Card SF Giants

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE WINNERS

WEST LA Angels

CENTRAL Detroit Tigers
EAST Baltimore
Wild Card Kansas City Royals

 

NL DIVISIONAL SERIES

Dodgers defeat Cardinals

Washington defeats Giants
LA Dodgers versus Washington in Final
Winner LA Dodgers

 

AL DIVISIONAL SERIES

Baltimore defeats Royals

Angels defeat Detroit
LA Angels versus Baltimore in Final
Winner LA Angels

 

WORLD SERIES  LA Dodgers versus LA Angels

Winner LA Dodgers in seven games.

 

MVP  Clayton Kershaw

 

And that's the way it appears to be ~ at least that's my prediction as a Bay Area resident and avid baseball fan whose allegiance is now split between the A's and Giants.

" Prediction and explanation are exactly symmetrical. Explanations are, in effect, predictions about what has happened; predictions are explanations about what's going to happen.” ~ John Roberts Searle

 

Allen L Roland
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/bay-area-baseball-playoff-predictions.html

Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and heart centered spiritual counselor Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private Skype consultations at allen@allenroland.com

 
Allen L Roland is also a lecturer and shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

 

SPIRITED OAKLAND A's ARE TEAM TO BEAT IN AMERICAN LEAGUE

Oakland Athletics' Josh Reddick, left, pies teammate Josh Donaldson in the face after Donaldson drove in the winning run against the Boston Red Sox in a crucial Major League Baseball game, Sunday, July 14, 2013 at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. The A's won in 11 innings, 3-2. (D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group)

Having been a NY and then SF Giant fan for most of my life, I was unprepared for the unabashed spirit and enthusiasm of both the Oakland A's and their fans when I moved to the East Bay in late 2012. Now I'm convinced that this band of disciplined yet fun loving over-achievers, led by their steady and savvy 2012 manager of the year Bob Melvin, is the team to beat in the American League: Allen L Roland

Having just watched the Oakland A's take two out of three from the Boston Red Sox last weekend ~ I am more convinced than ever that this exciting and underrated team with the third lowest major league payroll ( 60 Million ) has the right stuff to not only win the American League but wrest the World Championship crown from my beloved but now struggling SF Giants across the bay. There is no question they are on a roll ~ in recent games against the Pirates, Cardinals, Reds and Red Sox, the A's won eight of eleven and they are 19-11 in one run games. Quite simply, they believe in themselves and they are having fun as they dismantle their opposition.

To get the full flavor of the A's, you must attend or see a game, listen to the upbeat and continuous rap music and join the laughter and fun of these players ~ for they obviously respect the game of baseball and enjoy each other immensely as witness Reddick pieing Josh Donaldson after his walk off single to beat the Boston Red Sox in the eleventh inning on July 14th.

The A's are the true boys of summer in 2013 and fully embody the spirit, fun and enthusiasm that I vividly remember as a teenager ~ when summer baseball ruled my world and the smell of leather, pine tar and the loud crack of the bat was music to my senses.

But only a true A's fan, not a Johnny come lately like myself, can fully do justice to the spirit of this team. That would be Idalia Topete ( a big time A's fan ) who published this video tribute on June 2, 2013.

 

This is her first ever highlights video. She wanted to make it shorter but there was just too many awesome moments. WATCH IN HD! For she obviously fully captured the spirited A's. ( 14 minute video )  All videos belong to MLB and CSN California. As she said ~ "I don't own any rights, I'm just a fan."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMinCQs1WHA

Songs used:

Feel Again- One Republic
Can't Hold Us- Macklemore
The Fighter- Gym Class Heroes
Let It Rock- Kevin Rudolf

"When baseball is no longer fun, it's no longer a game." Hall of Famer, Joe DiMaggio

Allen L Roland

http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/spirited-oakland-as-are-team-to-beat-in.html

Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and transformational counselor Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private Skype consultations (allen@allenroland.com )

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net