Disco Apparently Isn't Dead.

Ahh, the 1970s. I have no personal recollections of the decade, as I was born in 1990, but believe me, I've studied baseball history ravenously (if you hadn't noticed), and to say the least, the 1970s were quite an interesting era. It was the time of Mr. October, the time of Hammerin' Hank shattering the home run record, the time of the creation of the DH, further solidifying the AL as a different brand of baseball than the NL, the time of revolutionizing (and for the first time, clearly defining) the closer role, the time of the true inception of free agency. But we're not here to talk about any of that. There are strong 70s overtones in today's game, and not just because of the lasting effects of many of those events. For nearly the entire decade, the Orioles, Pirates, Reds and Athletics dominated the baseball landscape, each team appearing in at least 2 World Series and winning at least 1 between a man walking on the moon and the creation of the moonwalk, with those pesky Yankees sneaking in a few championships as well. And beginning with last season, we may shortly see a repeat of those crazy times.

The Orioles have had a tough go of things since Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence in 1996. Since then, they hadn't even sniffed a postseason until last year. Cal Ripken, Jr. eventually ascended into the ranks of the all-time greats, and it's no coincidence that the O's quickly became wholly irrelevant after that. Gone were the glory days of Jim Palmer and the Robinsons (Brooks and Frank, no relation), with the late Earl Weaver also a relic of the past. Seemingly out of nowhere in 2012, they miraculously sprang back into baseball relevance, going 93-69 and clinching a Wild Card spot in the first season featuring two. They beat the Rangers to advance to the ALDS against the Yankees, where they put up a good fight but ultimately went down in 5 games. There's so much to love about this team, though: Adam Jones is becoming an all-around stud that has an ongoing love affair with the Baltimore faithful; Chris "Crush" Davis set the baseball world on fire by sending baseballs flying out of Camden Yards at a potentially record pace; speaking of record paces, 21 year old Manny Machado could possibly break the single-season doubles record while quickly becoming one of the best players in baseball under 25. Their rotation is comparatively weak, but holdovers like Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez have kept the starters steady while Wei-Yin Chen works back from an injury and recent addition Scott Feldman gets reacclimated to the American League. Their bullpen has looked good as well, with Jim Johnson's 9th inning dominance from 2012 continuing into this season. For a team that's rivaled the Pirates in mediocrity for the last 15 years, it's nice to see them rise back to the top.

The Pirates gave their division rival Cubs one of the greatest gifts: over the past two decades, they made even the pathetic North Siders look like contenders. I have a younger brother who just turned 20 and a younger sister who's a few weeks shy of 17, and when I visited my family this weekend, something dawned on me...neither of my siblings have been alive for a season in which the Pirates actually posted a record over .500. Hell, I've only been around for a few myself, and I was too young to realize that this once-venerable franchise was about to implode spectacularly. For the past 5 years, Andrew McCutchen has been doing his best to put the team onto his back, but it hasn't done much to stop the bleeding. In both 2011 and 2012, the Pirates were leading the NL Central at the All-Star break, only to record losing records down the stretch both times. There were a few bright spots, of course: Starling Marte proved he could help Cutch secure the outfield while providing similar power at the plate; Pedro Alvarez continued to show tantalizing signs of life; the trade that sent A.J. Burnett from the Bronx almost immediately revitalized his career; and the combination of Jason Grilli and former closer Joel Hanrahan made the bullpen a black hole for opposing teams' offense. That being said, this year's Buccos team has a chance to end the futility. Hanrahan left for Boston, but Grilli hasn't missed a step and has become one of the best closers in the NL, Russell Martin has solidified the team's catching dilemma, and Cutch/Marte/Alvarez are mashing again. A playoff run this year might be a little much to hope for, but it's encouraging to finally see the Jolly Roger being raised with high frequency.

The Reds are one of baseball's longest-running franchises, but let's not kid ourselves. They're most famous for one period of time, and for one collection of men that made things very difficult for the entire baseball world. I'm speaking, of course, about the Big Red Machine. There are plenty of viable options for the best team in baseball history. The 1927 and 1998 Yankees generally take top honors, with the 1907-08 Cubs and 2001 Mariners usually settling for runners-up. For my money, though, I'd want to see a team of Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Pete Rose and Joe Morgan over nearly any other team in history. Today's Cincinnati club is threatening to make the Big Red Machine look like a Smaller Red Plaything: OBP monsters Joey Votto and newly-acquired Shin-Soo Choo have combined with masher Jay Bruce to strike fear into the hearts of all opposing pitchers; Homer Bailey and Mat Latos keep throwing strikeouts and shutouts to cover up for Johnny Cueto's bad luck this season; and Tony Cingrani is acting as a pitching jack-of-all-trades, both starting in Cueto's place and securing the bullpen behind flamethrowing closer Aroldis Chapman. Just like every other team in this post, the Reds experienced a period of irrelevancy, not reaching the playoffs from 1995 until Bruce's walk-off homer in one of the last games of the 2010 season, although they were swept by the Phillies in the NLDS that year. After getting edged out in 2011, they also fell to the Giants in the first round last season. With any luck, they could push through this season in a similar way to the aforementioned Big Red Machine and regain their throne.

The Athletics are another of baseball's most storied teams, experiencing much success in both Philadelphia, where they began, and in Oakland, where they've been since the mid-1960s (with a mostly forgettable stop in Kansas City). From Connie Mack's fabled "$100,000 Infield" that won pennants and World Series left and right to the dynasty that saw Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter and Rollie Fingers dominate the early 70s to the artificially-created prominence of the "Bash Brothers" in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the A's hadn't had many seasons in which they found themselves out of the mix, but for most of the last decade, they have squarely been outside the realm of contention. Even the Academy Award-nominated revolution of Moneyball instituted years ago by a frustrated, sabermetrically-minded GM in Billy Beane, had done little to assuage the team's woes. Coming into 2012, they were expect to hold steady to last place in the AL West. Someone forgot to tell them that, though, as they managed to clinch the division on the final day of the season, and this year, they've wasted no time defending their title: Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes are powering a young offense full of no-namers quickly making names for themselves; Bartolo Colon, the ageless wonder, is blowing fastballs by opposing hitters confused by how his unassuming repertoire is still so effective; and Grant Balfour gives the bullpen an extra ounce of swagger with his cocky demeanor (and an increasing reliance on sliders and curveballs to trip up opponents in the later innings). Every self-respecting baseball fan wants to see Moneyball finally deliver a championship title to Oakland, and 2013 could be the final step in that direction.