OAKLAND, Calif. - Although no manager in 55 years has led a teamon such an epic winning streak, Art Howe's perspective on the OaklandAthletics' 19 straight victories doesn't stretch beyond last week.
"I'm just happy people are talking baseball again," Howe said. "Wespent a long time talking about the strike. We're doing somethingreally unexpected and special, and it's great to focus on what'shappening on the field."
What's happening on the field has been somewhat magical. TheAmazing A's just might be the perfect antidote to weeks of laborstrife in America's pastime.
With peerless pitching, Miguel Tejada's emerging superstardom andan uncanny knack for late-game heroics, the A's have turned thedated, half-empty Coliseum into the most happening building insports.
Oakland extended its streak to 19 on Monday when Tejada's ninth-inning single beat the Kansas City Royals. The A's tied the 1906Chicago White Sox and 1947 New York Yankees for the longest winningstreak in AL history. The major league record is 26, set by the 1916New York Giants.
After resting on Tuesday, the A's will go for their record-breaking 20th straight victory night, with Tim Hudson pitchingWednesday night against Royals ace Paul Byrd.
"We realize this is something for the record books," A's pitcherBarry Zito said. "It's so big that it's not going to set in for awhile. Maybe when we're in the playoffs, we'll look back and say,'Man, we were hitting on all cylinders for a long time there."'
Each time Tejada raps a game-winning hit or one of Oakland'spowerful starting pitchers beats an overmatched opponent, the A'sremind the baseball world that it doesn't take a big budget to do bigthings.
Their payroll and fan support are among baseball's smallest. Andtheir success - along with the startling run of the Minnesota Twins -contradicts commissioner Bud Selig's assertion that low-budget teamscan't compete.
The issue was at the center of labor negotiations that endedFriday with a tentative agreement, averting a strike.
The A's draft well and sign their young players to long-termcontracts as often as possible. But after making their secondstraight playoff appearance last season as baseball's winningest teamafter the All-Star break, they were big losers in the annualmigration of talent to deep-pocketed teams.
Oakland lost Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen, but the key losswas Jason Giambi, their unquestioned leader and top run producer lastseason. He signed with the Yankees, whose opening-day payroll of $126million was more than three times Oakland's.
"We had to learn that one guy couldn't do it all by himself,"outfielder Terrence Long said. "There were times in the past when wewould look to Jason to put us on his back. Now that he's not here,we're learning to carry each other."
Oakland has moved from third place in the AL West to the top ofthe league during the streak. The A's have outscored opponents 129-54, and they've trailed in only a handful of innings.
"It's really like a playoff climate now," Howe said. "I think theenergy in the air is outstanding."
Tejada, the undersized Dominican shortstop, has assumed Giambi'srole as the big bat and most reliable clutch slugger. New acquisitionRay Durham has become a strong leadoff hitter. What is no surprise isthe pitching - the starting rotation of Mark Mulder, Cory Lidle, Zitoand Hudson has been the best in baseball.
"There's not one guy carrying the team," Hudson said. "Guys arejust doing their jobs. It's a lot of fun, though. Except for theplayoffs, it's the most fun I've ever had in baseball."
Oakland's streak is the third longest since 1900. The Giants'record 26-game streak actually included a tie; the only team with alonger streak and no ties was the 1935 Chicago Cubs, who won 21 in arow.
Even with one of the greatest runs in major league history, theA's are far from sewing up a playoff spot. The Anaheim Angels remaina handful of games behind Oakland in the division race, and theSeattle Mariners are within striking distance as a wild-cardcontender.
After a weekend series in Minnesota, the A's finish the regularseason with 20 straight games against division foes, including eightagainst the Angels and six against the Mariners. The winning streakwill almost certainly be over by then, but the A's hope to take thesegood feelings all the way to October.
"It's going to end one of these days, but we're doing things thatare amazing," first baseman Scott Hatteberg said. "We're going toenjoy this forever."
AP-ES-09-04-02 0232EDT
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