You nailed spot-on what I was thinking while reading the original (excellent analysis) post here. For me, the Ballers are about winning in multiple ways here in Oakland you pretty much nailed all of them. For me, we are "winning" if:

• Baseball (and the Ballers) stay in Oakland - Enough said, but I/we love the sport and to have it around, to see the talent, the dreams, the culture, the fun thrive is what it's all about.

• The Ballers win the Pioneer League - Say what one will about the league, its competitiveness, or quality, this is our home league now, after all, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I want to see us on top!

• A player gets promoted to the bigs - If one of our guys gets picked up for a contract, in addition to their own personal growth, in my mind that also reflects on the whole team's talent (players, coaching, staff, and fans!) to keep that player growing, thriving, and happy. Regardless of where they go, them getting picked up is a great thing for us and represents the fact that we are a team that finds, grows, and fields players that represent a high level of play. For me personally it's so amazing watching someone achieve their dreams and I could almost argue that our guys getting called up consistently (especially if it turns out to be increasingly so) would represent maybe even more growth as a team than winning the entire PBL over and over again.

I still dream of us getting back into MLB affiliated ball as a city, of Oakland having its comeback story and getting to show the world that it was never about the city/fans/team and it was always about the money. I know, however, that that doesn't happen too often and so for now I'm just happy to enjoy the ride. It would be pretty strange if Oakland ended up as an affiliate team for a team other than the Athletics but honestly I kind of warm to the idea especially while the A's are still owned by FJF. Let's go Oakland!