Idiots Write About Sports

From the Notes section of this wire story recording the A’s latest bout with ineptitude for posterity:

Oakland has not lost nine in a row since July 21-29, 1998.

This factoid caught my attention because just a few days before this nine-game slide began — July 17, 1998 as a matter of fact — I went to an A’s-Twins game at the Oakland Coliseum. Your starting pitcher for the A’s that evening: Jimmy Haynes. Batting seventh for the green-and-gold: a slender, non-villainous Jason Giambi. The shortstop: a defensively inept rookie by the name of Miguel Tejada. The lineup also featured a current Hall of Famer (Paul Molitor), a future Hall of Famer (Rickey Henderson), a future World Series MVP (David Ortiz), and a guy upon whom the Cincinnati Reds would one day shower with undeserved riches (Eric Milton). Plus, Bip Roberts and the immortal Mike Blowers!

The Twins won a sloppily played game between two last-place teams 8-7. I sat in the third deck. I nearly lost fingers and toes to hypothermia. My father loudly booed Rickey Henderson’s every move.

So why is this game so memorable? Because the next night, I had my first date with the woman I’m currently married to. And as nice a run as the A’s enjoyed in the ensuing six seasons, things have worked out even better for me.

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