Here is the opening to my Friday column about the A’s 18-inning victory over the former New York Yankees:
OAKLAND — Nate Freiman had mixed emotions after he got the game-winning hit, a bloop single to left with the bases loaded off all-time great pitcher, all-time great guy, for-sure-first-ballot Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Freiman, who grew up a Red Sox fan, said he never could root against Rivera, now in his last big-league season. This season is Rivera’s victory lap.
I, on the other hand, could root against Rivera. I wanted Freiman to murder him. No nostalgia for me. I was desperate.
I had sat through 18 innings at O.Co. Coliseum. The game was so long I’m sure the Coliseum had a different name when the game started. Heck, when the game started — it seemed like years before — I was a young man with hair and I had my whole life ahead of me.
To read the full column click here
