Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

10-20-90 . . . My disbelief has been growing since Tuesday, when Cincinnati [the Reds] beat Oakland [the Athletics] in the first game of the World Series. Now it is maximal. This evening the Reds swept the Athletics. That’s right: The team everyone has been calling a “dynasty” was beaten four straight times by the upstart Reds, twice in Cincinnati and twice in Oakland. Dave Stewart, one of the toughest pitchers in baseball the past few years, was beaten twice. I tell you, the older I get and the more I watch and think about baseball, the less predictable it becomes. I never dreamed the Reds would beat the Athletics, let alone sweep them. The story was Cincinnati’s pitching, defense, and clutch hitting. The Athletics just didn’t hit. Oakland has now lost two of the past three World Serieses [sic; should be “Series”] (to Los Angeles [the Dodgers] in 1988 and to Cincinnati in 1990). Of course, it’s significant that the Athletics made it there three straight years, but far from being a dynasty, this team is rapidly getting a “choke” label. It’ll be interesting to see how the Athletics respond next season. Will they be their usual arrogant selves, or will this fall’s experience make their desires burn even stronger? Alas, the season is over. I feel like part of me died tonight.