Outfield assist of another kind

In a sense, there has been an air of spring training atmosphere around September baseball in Oakland for a while now. Only without the hope part. The weather is great. The games don’t really decide anything. And not too many watch them to start with. So, when Jeff Francoeur and his 59-83 Royals rolled into town to take on the 64-77 Athletics last September, the world wasn't exactly holding its collective breath. But what the world was thinking didn't matter one iota to the Oakland crowd, if you’ll excuse the loose use of the word. And why should it? In a sense, a September game that decides nothing is what baseball is all about. It's about watching a game with your friends, enjoying a slow-paced timeout from the pressures of the everyday life. It's about hearing the crack of the bat, watching them run, slide and dive, knowing both your players and the opponent's ones. It's about jumping up and cheering during a rally, sharing a hope for a win, even if it...