Don’t you dare try and make the Oakland A’s season out to be a failure

The 2018 season ended on a rough note for the Oakland A’s, but that doesn’t change the fact that this team had a remarkable year.

If you’re a fan of the Oakland Athletics, you’re in a difficult spot right now.

The only thing circling around in your mind right now is the fact that your team just got smacked by the New York Yankees, 7-2, in the AL Wild Card Game on Wednesday night. This wasn’t how you wanted to see your fairy tale 2018 season come to an end.

You wanted to see your team go to the World Series, or at the very least, play in a postseason series. Instead, their season has been stopped dead in its tracks in the heart of the Bronx, at the ever-famous Yankee Stadium.

There’s no doubt about it. It hurts. It stings. If you’re an A’s fan, take your time and mourn for this season.

But when you feel like you’re ready, lift your head up and be proud of the fact that you rooted for a team that accomplished something incredible in 2018.

Anybody who knows anything about baseball knows that the Oakland A’s have arguably the thinnest pockets in all of Major League Baseball. They aren’t looked at in the same manner as the Yankees, or the Boston Red Sox, or the Chicago Cubs — teams that are famous for spending money because, plain and simple, they have the money to spend.

The A’s don’t have that money. Go watch the movie Moneyball and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Oakland doesn’t spend millions and millions of dollars on big name free agents. You can bet that Bryce Harper or Manny Machado won’t be taking their talents to the Oakland Coliseum in 2019.

The Athletics don’t have a roster lined with superstar players that lead the league in jersey sales. They don’t have a Mike Trout, or a Mookie Betts, or an Aaron Judge. They have a few players that general baseball fans know, like Jonathan Lucroy, and Khris Davis, and Jed Lowrie. But they don’t have anybody that’s going to jump out to a casual fan.

And yet, the A’s still did what nobody thought they could do. Last year, they finished dead last in the AL West with 75 wins. This year, despite having just about all of the odds stacked against them, they won a remarkable 97 games and almost stole the division title right out from under the feet of the defending world champion Houston Astros.

Obviously, the goal is to win the World Series. The A’s won’t be doing that this year. They won’t even be playing in a postseason series, and that has to be what stings the most.

But despite a lack of deep pockets, and despite a lack of pure star power, the Oakland A’s are a very good baseball team. Winning 97 games to reach October is no small feat, and the A’s did just that, even though they had absolutely no business being here. If nothing else, that alone should give the fans a reason to be excited for 2019.

Right now, there is nothing but pain in the Bay Area. But when the pain subsides, chin up and look at the positive side, A’s fans. Your team played an incredible season in 2018, and that’s something to celebrate.