The 2015 Oakland Athletics season did not bring a lot to be thankful for. The offseason so far has not given fans hope for the 2016 season either. Despite all of that I feel thankful this Thanksgiving for the Oakland Athletics.
Why do I feel thankful? Well for one, I am thankful to even have a team. There are cities like Montreal that are yearning for baseball. There are cities like Charlotte that have proven that they can support football and fought to get their basketball team back after it left, but are deprived of a MLB baseball team. There may be some speculation about the team leaving the East Bay Area, but for now they are here and that is plenty to be thankful for.
While the team may have missed out on their window to win a championship and do not appear to be ready, at least as of right now, to compete, I am thankful to have seen them compete rather regularly during my lifetime. There are cities like Kansas City who went decades without a playoff team. There are cities like San Diego, Arlington, Tampa Bay, Houston, Colorado and Milwaukee that have yet to see their teams win a World Series, ever. There are cities like Seattle and Washington D.C. that have yet to even see their team play in the World Series. I was only 7-years-old, but I have seen my team not only play in, but win a World Series in my lifetime.
While the team may look bad, I am thankful to know that I will still see exciting players like Sonny Gray, Billy Burns, Sean Doolittle and more. No matter how bad the team gets, no matter who they trade away, the Oakland Athletics always seem to find players who are exciting to watch. Since the beginning of the 2012 season, we as fans have watched guys like Bartolo Colon, Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Donaldson and more walk away that were a joy to watch in the green and gold. However, when they leave, others pop up to take their place. They may not have the same impact right away, but they are just as much fun to watch – if not more.
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They may be lacking a shiny new stadium like their cross town rivals. There may be doubt about if they will remain in Oakland. There may be questions regarding how long it will be until this team competes again. No matter what, though, one thing will remain constant, they will still put a product on the field for all of us to enjoy. Thank you Oakland Athletics!