The Major League Baseball (MLB) Playoffs are underway, and already, the beloved, vaunted Oakland A’s are in trouble in Detroit. That’s where they’re playing the American League Central Champion Detroit Tigers in the ALDS and are down 2 games out of a best of five, and thus are just one win from reaching the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Thankfully, the next game is Tuesday, in Oakland, as are the next three games.
Meanwhile, the crosstown rival San Francisco Giants are in their second game of the NLDS against The Cincinnati Reds, and former Giants manager Dusty Baker. While Baker would certainly like to win the NLDS, doing it against his former employers would have to be sweet – not to say his memories were bad ones. It was Baker’s Giants who led the Barry Bonds-fueled Giants to the 2002 World Series Giants the Houston Astros only to lose in the seventh and final game of that series.
Then Baker went to manage the Chicago Cubs, and learn the name “Steve Bartman.”
Now, he’s back with the Reds, and playing the first two NLDS games in San Francisco. The Reds won the first one Saturday, 5 to 2. Today’s game finds the Reds up again, this time 4-0 in the fourth inning.
Wow.
All we can do is cheer and pray. If this holds, Tuesday could be a red-letter day in SF Bay Area Sports History.