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Daily Madden: A's Finale Offers Playoff Appetizer

OAKLAND (KCBS) - If the A's win their last game of the season against the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum Wednesday afternoon, they'll be the champions of the AL West.

"You can play 161 games and stuff still comes down to the 162nd. That's the great thing about it," John Madden told the KCBS morning crew. "Baseball has real meaningful games (at the end of the season) and that just adds to it. It's like a little appetizer before the playoffs... They got that thing right."

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland may sit star third baseman Miguel Cabrera for Wednesday night's finale in Kansas City. With the Tigers headed to the playoffs, Cabrera is on pace to win baseball's first Triple Crown since 1967.

"Do you just do something by default, by taking it off, or do you play it all the way through?" Madden asked. "I may be in the minority on this too, but I would be a guy that would say play it all the way through. Now if I was the coach or the manager, I'd let the player make the decision, I really would. I wouldn't force it upon the guy either way." (8:15)

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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