The Alteration of the Oakland Athletics Narrative

Jul 25, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester (31) reacts as he looks on during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Help me, I’m stuck in some sort of fantasy/nightmare daze.

For the entirety of the day I’ve existed in some sort post-deadline cloud. Since the events of this morning I’ve been trying to rise from the ashes of perhaps the most monumental trade of this generation of Oakland Athletics baseball and failing miserably. Under a spell, I’ve tried to convince myself that Yoenis Cespedes – A man so unique in talent and physical prowess that he contained no equal is now a Boston Red Sox. In his place, the mighty Jon Lester and old friend Jonny Gomes head west to Oakland seeking to claim their second championship in as many seasons.

I’m thunderstruck.

Needless to say this was jarring news to digest upon rising this morning and made for a day of lost conversations, dizzy spells. and forgetting to eat. While losing a personal favorite is nothing knew in Oakland, the mid-season departure of Cespedes has created a previously alien feeling of emptiness within me. For all his shortcomings, it was a pleasure watching the Cuban grow and capture the hearts of the Athletics community with his herculean feats at the plate and in the field. In many ways he was too good to be true, and he his Oakland light was always meant to burn out quickly.

Now Lester enters the fold, a 30-year old star with two rings and a victory over cancer under his belt. With him comes the expectations of something brilliant – a World Championship. The stakes are high, this deal was meant for this remainder of this season and more importantly October. It’s now or never, and this will either end in unparalleled joy or cries of anger and regret.

For better or worse, the narrative has changed. Is this real life?