As folks paying attention to postseason baseball know, last night the Oakland A’s lost both their game and the American League Division Series to the Detroit Tigers. The Athletics’ 2012 season is over. I am disappointed, but I am, in fact, still in awe. Not only am I savoring their remarkable season, but I keep thinking about and feeling my heart warm when I remember something extraordinary which happened at the Coliseum last night. A nearly full house of fans (unusual at the end of a 6-0 loss by the home team) briefly booed the last out, and then they got on their feet and applauded. They waved their yellow towels and broke into chants of ‘Let’s Go Oakland!” The A’s came onto the field, tipped their caps to the crowd, and hugged each other right there with their fans. Some of the Tigers players tipped their caps to the A’s before going inside to celebrate. I’ve seen estimates that the crowd’s ovation lasted for 5-10 minutes.

This team touched a lot of people. I love that at that moment the appreciation outweighed the disappointment, and 35,000 or so people gave it expression. Reports today indicate that the A’s players took this the outpouring of acknowledgment into their hearts.

Thank you to Athletics Nation, where I read many firsthand accounts of last night’s ovation, and for being a great source of insight and connection to other fans. And a big thank you to the 2012 Oakland Athletics players and management for an awesome, inspiring season.

Here’s a fan’s video of the last night’s post-game scene.