For A's fans, however, last night's game was not business as usual. Milton Bradley became a big league star last night with his prime time base knocks off Justin Verlander. If there is any consolation, Bradley showed that Verlander and Zumaya are mere mortals who can be slapped around with the right mental approach. Whether other A's players noticed is another matter. Big Hurt, are you listening? They should be emboldened by his fearlessness, as well as Mark Kotsay's gamesmanship. Is there hope for a turnaround this weekend? Probably not! But the real measure of a team is how they deal with adversity. And this weekend, we will all bear witness to how the Oakland A’s of 2006 conspire to tempt fate and redirect the flow of destiny.

SFist Kevin contributing