Waking up from a New York Nightmare

Sunday’s series win over the New York Yankees, represented a rarity for the Athletics. The city that never sleeps, has historically left the A’s deprived of much more than forty winks. As apparent by the 7-15 record since the 2009 opening of the House that George Built, the A’s just haven’t had a lot of luck playing in the New Yankee Stadium.

Granted, the 2009-2011 editions of the Athletics weren’t exactly anything to write home about. The Yankees have continuously overwhelmed, and outplayed our East Bay heroes. It hasn’t been fair, really. While the A’s trotted out band-aids such as Adam Kennedy and Lenny DiNardo, the Yankees have composed a veritable All-Star team season after season. With that established, the 2013 version of the Bronx Bombers doesn’t quite hold the same fear factor at the present moment.

Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

I suppose the argument could be made that they’re still an All-Star team. With a middle of the line-up highlighted by Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, and Ichiro Suzuki; one would be impressed if the year were still 2006. However, the 2013 Yankees appear to be biding their time milking what they can out of the former stars and waiting for nearly 95 million dollars of their injured payroll (Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez) to return in the future. At a record of 18-12, manager Joe Girardi has impressively held his team together during the early portion of the season and it would not at all be surprising to see them playing in October, once again.

Until then, Girardi is playing cut and paste with his roster of marginal players and past-their-prime sluggers. Nevertheless, the Yankees are the Yankees. To avoid falling to the pratfalls of intimidation, and the history of classic failures from last season extra-inning home run bonanza, to the playoffs failures of 2000 and 2001 is huge even at the fledgeling stage of the 2013 season. As Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” played on cue after the recording of the final out, as it does during every Yankee Stadium home game, it signified the A’s had made a successful escape from New York. With Sinatra’s ode to the greatest city on earth ringing hollow through the depressingly empty stadium, the A’s can finally relax and maybe even catch some much deserved sleep on the flight to Cleveland.