Miguel Cabrera Achieves the Triple Crown, Athletics Win the AL West, Baffoonery and Mediocrity in Bean Town
by Kaylyn Thornal, Founder & Contributing Writer
An enormous day in baseball, here’s the Fanzooloo Sports Daily Top 3
1. A Mighty Oak. The Oakland A’s surge past the bombing Texas Rangers to win the AL West. Wow who saw this coming back in July? The Oakland A’s 
were 13 games out of first place June 30th, and unlike the $173 million budget Boston Red Sox, they didn’t give up. They didn’t divvy out their star players in hopes of a better future, they didn’t quibble with their manager, and most importantly they didn’t throw in the towel. They did what a franchise can do with a limited budget by today’s standards and who play on a football field – they put their heads down, appreciated they get to play baseball every day for a living, and they won. The A’s did have some help from the suddenly bumbling Rangers (3 errors), who seemed to lose any all steam after Josh Hamilton dropped a routine pop fly which would have ended an already brutal 4 run 4th inning. That drop lead to 2 additional runs (A’s leading 7-5) and the Athletics never looked back. Instead, they pounded, opening it up in the 8th with an additional 4 runs, and winning the AL West title with a booming 12-5 win. As a Red Sox fan, I love seeing the unlikeliest of circumstances happen because it gives me hope that the BoSox ownership will shut up and learn. And in this particular year when they traded some of my favorites – Youk, Gonzo and with Papi on the chopping block – where I have basically no one to look forward to returning in the Spring, I get some pleasure watching this little engine mowing down the big boys. It makes it even sweeter that a few former BoSox – Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick – are in the mix. The Oakland A’s 2012 payroll was $ 55,372,500. Only one team made less – the San Diego Padres – but at least they have a killer ballpark.
2. Triple Crown! A triple crown in baseball is when a player leads in batting 
average, home runs, and runs batted in. It is such a rare feat that Carl Yastrzemski’s Triple Crown in 1967 is the most recent. That was before most of us reading this was born. Miguel Cabrera accomplished that rare feat last night in Kansas City after being pulled in the 4th inning and walking off the field to a standing ovation, and ending the regular-season hitting .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs.
3. Flag! When you are already considered the baffoon of baseball, don’t prove it 
further in public and almost take down a couple of tourists with you. That loveable baffoon Bobby Valentine wrecked his bicycle in Central Park Tuesday and nearly ran into a two French tourists while texting BoSox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia apparently was requesting to play that day despite having a broken finger. Valentine was just excited someone text him.
Side Note: Hey hey hey, goodbye. The $52 Million dollar man, Daisuke Matsuzaka started as pitcher for the final Boston Red Sox game against the New York Yankees this season yesterday, 
and likely his final time pitching in a Red Sox uniform. Like clockwork, the Yankees tore him a new one quick and he was gone in the 3rd, leaving the game losing 1-5. Can we just take a moment to try to remember the last time this guy won a game? It actually was August 27th of this year against the last place Kansas City Royals, but of course no one was watching at that point. He’s 1-6 this year alone and he’s been injured most of the last 2 years. ESPN calculated his win-per-worth ratio at $2million a win. Here’s some more great Dice K statistics from ESPN.