Oakland Athletics Monday Trend Meter

As the team began their game tonight, we decided to create our own weekly recap of the latest happenings with Oakland Athletics' fan culture.  So if you find yourself asking, "Who or what are the A's fans talking about this week?" Stop by on Mondays and look for it here!
 

Number One: The Rally Possum

It's grammatically correct to say "opossum" but since the account has named itself "@RallyPossum" that is going to dictate what I call those things from now on. Sorry, grammar police! Our furry friend once again made an appearance during last Friday night's game, but this time it showed up farther down the left field line by the foul pole. Our Sean Doolittle even seemed mesmerized by the wildlife phenomenon that seems like it's here to stay. I will say for scientific purposes that it looks as though this particular opossum looked like a baby while the one from last Monday looked like a full-sized adult but that doesn't matter. It's shown up two times, and both those times the Athletics have won so even the green and gold fans who are creeped out by these creatures will be happy to be in their presence. This became evident to me by the few stuffed opossums that were seen around the Coliseum this past week. I myself am curious how long this particular phenomenon will last but I think the end of the season is far from a stretch. As you read from my last post, and I'm definitely onboard the Rally Possum bandwagon but all good things will have to come to an end at some point, unfortunately. 

Number Two: Stephen Vogt's NBA Referee Impersonation

If you haven't seen this VIDEO, I suggest you stop what you're doing right now and enjoy this hilarious display of showmanship. During an episode of MLB Network's "Intentional Talk," our own Jonny Gomes was the guest and he decided to bring along Stephen Vogt, who decided to bust out his NBA referee impersonation that was so hilarious that one cannot simply put it into words. Basketball referee symbols are so exaggerated and ridiculous it's hard to believe that Stephen was the first to real take a stab at this. Stephen Vogt has become an increasingly popular player since his return to Oakland a few months ago and he's certainly become my favorite player. As a guy who was once labeled a career minor leaguer, you have to love Stephen Vogt. He's enjoying every moment he can in the big leagues and with all the divas and entitled characters that are flooded across the league, Stephen Vogt is that breath of fresh air. 

 

Number Three: Jon Lester

Not the most exciting trend from a pure pop culture standpoint, but it's still worth noting how great Jon Lester has been since being traded to Oakland to don the white cleats. It's been so far, so good for this cancer survivor, as he's had one game where he wasn't at his best but still got the job done and the other, on Thursday night, was a masterpiece. A complete game, shutout against the Twins where he blazed 8 strikeouts was just the statement he needed in order to show the Athletics fans what he's capable of doing. Things won't get any easier for Jon Lester, he'll need to put in these performances in the postseason in order to repay the Oakland fans but he knows that and he's the right man for the job based on his track record. Jon Lester may not seem like a guy who'd wear anything other than a plain t-shirt, but there is a beauty to that approach because he's all business. 

Will these trends still be standing by the beginning of next week? Check back here next Monday to find out! 

-- Wes

Get your Champion Gear at www.Section148.com

Section148 Welcomes Olmedo, the Rally Opossum

Have you ever wondered how such a spontaneous symbol could represent a team so well? Well, unless you've either been off social media/Athletics broadcasts or under a rock for the past week, then chances are you've heard about the furry friend who made himself known on a cold Monday night at the Coliseum.

The greatness that is Olmedo the Opossum has captured, not just local coverage and media, but national attention, too! During a tightly contested game, the Athletics were tied 2-2 against the Tampa Bay Rays when suddenly the CSN California camera crew came across the critter who scurried behind the advertising boards and was never seen again through the night.

Oakland fans who saw the opossum blurted out many reactionary tweets: some were freaked out, some were amused, and others found it hilarious. Suddenly, a new hashtag was created "#RallyPossum" which became the theme for the rest of the night, and with Derek Norris' walk-off single to bring the good guys home happy the phenomenon became timeless. A twitter account "@RallyPossum" was created and a few fans named him "Olmedo" after former A's player (and Giants killer) Olmedo Saenz.

Then Jeff Samardzija was asked about our good friend, Olmedo, and he told the media that he comes around during warmups and we need to get him in a green and gold jersey. Certainly, there can be a way to arrange that, right? Opossum size jersey/t-shirt FTW!

Couldn't agree more with Shark.

Some are a bit turned off with a furry friend becoming a battle cry for the Athletics, mostly because of our noisy neighbors across the Bay with their own zoo of mascots but I have a different take.

An animal like an opossum is a perfect symbol for the Oakland Athletics and their current stadium situation. The O.co Coliseum has well documented issues with sewage, and just being flat out old. An opossum gives us a chance to laugh at ourselves and have fun with what has become a sore spot for many fans like myself who love the Coliseum and its quirkiness. And as 95.7's Damon Bruce said, "The A's need to take advantage of every social media trend that slaps them in the face." Couldn't agree more.

Embrace the awesome possum, because he can kick that Rally Monkey's a*s and then sleep for hours and hours after he's done.

-- Wes
Get your Champion Gear at www.Section148.com

Owning The Bay Bridge Series

Victory Selfie from Monday's game. Credit to Ethan Kassel.

It was glorious. Beating the Giants always is.

Everyone likes to ask who our rival is? And that always seems to be an interesting discussion. Is it the Angels? They're in our division, they've had some success over the years, and they're close in proximity to us. Certainly 10 years ago, I would definitely say yes. Fast forward to present day and they really aren't our rival since it's been so one-sided with A's dominance and Angels mediocrity. I'm of the belief that a rivalry must have two teams that are good.

Is it the Rangers? They were the team to beat going into 2012 and we've had some instant classics with them over the past few years. I think if you talk to Rangers fans, they'll definitely say that we're their rival. On our side though, they're not. It's been so one-sided, with A's besting the Rangers year in and year out. And I'm aware of the Rangers success prior to 2012, but at that time the A's were mediocre so it's never really been a contest where both teams are at the peak of their powers.

So who is our rival? It's the Giants. I know, we hardly ever play them, but no team is easier to dislike as an A's fan than the Giants. Close proximity and media coverage can do that. That's why winning over the Giants is so great. 

So there we were, the first game of the series on Monday night. Our 1989 t-shirts were gleaming in the Coliseum lights and the Lights Out crew had all their K's out, and little did we know that we were in for a treat. Jesse Chavez tied a career high with 9 strikeouts and shutdown the Giants and by the 5th or 6th inning, we knew we were in dreamland. A 5-0 shutout win sent the good guys home, happy!

The next night was supposed to be a pitcher's duel with Bumgarner starting for the Giants and Sonny Gray starting for the A's. Once the A's took a lead early on, it was clear that the Giants were not going to make a comeback. The real story came when Giants Right Fielder Hunter Pence started to taunt all of us in the RF Bleachers. We've had plenty of interactions with opposing RFs over the years and that one was definitely the one that provoked the biggest reaction. Pence went from taunting us one inning to flashing us a heart sign 2 innings later, as if he was conceding defeat. A 6-1 win for Oakland was once again a party like atmosphere at the Coliseum.

The Giants went on to take the next game in a sloppy game, but the next day, Scott Kazmir pitched a wonderful gem to really show why he's an All-Star this season. Later on in the game, it seemed like the A's fans had really taken over the park with the score being all lopsided. It was the second time in two years where the A's fans had completed a sort of "invA'sion" like that and it was beautiful.

The A's won't be home for another week, but beating up on the Giants certainly has left a lot for us to ponder and celebrate going into this Seattle mini-road trip as well as the All-Star Break.

Making Burgers and Sweeping Blue Jays

We had an absolutely incredible time tailgating with you all this past Saturday at the Coliseum parking lot. Everyone enjoyed burgers, sausages and tacos courtesy of some fabulous grilling by Mike! Thanks Mike! The mini cheesecakes and cupcakes samples from talented bakers from within our fan base, were a huge hit.  We all danced, played games, talked recent trade acquisitions and made some new friends. Was really cool to meet some new people!

Was awesome to see so many of you sporting our newest t-shirt and getting ready for the Bay Bridge Series games against the Giants! Looking good guys!!! 

And a huge CONGRATS to Shirene Bell for winning the autographed Dave Stewart ball! For those of you that didn't know, Mr. Stewart was the 1989 World Series MVP! 

Finally, the icing on the cake to an already amazing day was cheering together in the bleacher seats while our A's dominated in a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays!  

This was our 2nd tailgate party of 2014. We will be having another tailgate party in August.  More raffles and prizes to come! Hope to see you all there!   

Its beginning to look a lot like ... 1989

Its hard to believe that its already the middle of June! July and the midsummer classic will be here before you know it! But July isn't just about the All-Star game or trade deadlines,  July 7 - 10 is the "Battle of the Bay' inter-league series games against the Giants, and then on the July 19th game against the Baltimore Orioles, many players from the 1989 World Series team will be back to celebrate the 25 year reunion.  

On Saturday, July 5, 2014, we will be debuting our newest t-shirt design, a tribute to the 1989 World Series Champs, in Kelly Green.  This stylist two-sided shirt arrives just in time for the Bay Bridge Series against the San Francisco Giants (July 7 thru July 10)!  

Let's rock this design and show the Giants fans just how dominate we were in October of 1989! 

Also, on Saturday, July 5th, we will be having a free tailgate BBQ party before the Oakland A's host the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:05 pm.  If you don't already have one, get a ticket to the game and come join us beforehand in the O.Co parking lot for some free food, drinks, and fun.  We'll be setting up our tent in B lot around 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm.  We would love to enjoy some BBQ, talk baseball, make some new friends and cheer on our favorite team together from the bleacher seats at the game. 

If you would like to wear this new t-shirt with us on Saturday July 5th or for the Bay Bridge Series games the following week, make sure to order by Wednesday July 2, 2014 to ensure timely delivery, or shoot us an email at info@section148.com and we will bring your order to the game.  

Plus, one lucky fan who purchases the new 1989 t-shirt as a pre-order (before July 5), will receive an authenticated Dave Stewart autographed baseball.  If you didn't already know, Dave Stewart was the 1989 World Series MVP!!! 

We will announce the winner of this fabulous giveaway before the start of the game on July 5 (you don't have to be at the game to win).  

We hope to see you at O.Co soon! LETS GO OAKLAND! 

The Angels Series

Coming into this series, we heard a lot of things. We heard a lot about how the Angels were playing great baseball and that they had a great chance to send us into second place.

Well now as I write this on Monday night, the Oakland A's are now 4.5 games up, still in first place. A clean sweep. The first, at home, and against the Angels since 2004. This blogpost details all the great moments from the sweeping of our Disneyland rivals.

Game One: A cold night in Oakland was not the greatest sights for eye but that clearly was going to be no indication of how the A's would play that night. For those of us who only wore t-shirts, we weren't so lucky. Angels' pitcher Garrett Richards was chased from the game in the first inning and a blowout would ensue. The numbers in Section 148 were a bit dim thanks to the miserable weather but the numerous amounts of earthquaking made the lack of numbers far from disappointing.

Game Two: The 1974 reunion combined with the Catfish Hunter bobblehead giveaway marked the scene for the Saturday night contest of this series. Yoenis Cespedes and all his five tools carried the A's in this game in an incredible display that goes right up there with great individual performance in Oakland A's history. Tyler Skaggs pitched well for the Angels, but the Angels' infamous "Blowpen" mixed with "Buttercup Magic" (more on that later) once again created a recipe for collapse as the A's once again blew out the Angels in an electric atmosphere. A frenzied crowd fueled the A's performance that wasn't at all tired from standing all day in line for bobbleheads.

Game Three: The brooms were out in Oakland and so were the Sonny G t-shirts as Sonny Gray took the mound against perennial A's killer, Jered Weaver. Today would be the day where the A's would finally get to Jered Weaver as he was chased from the game early, Gray pitched well and Jed Lowrie's home run ended up hitting Bryanne in the face off a deflection. Luckily, Bryanne was okay. Another great crowd in Oakland produced on a beautiful afternoon created a wonderful atmosphere. In the bottom of the 8th, Section 148 began to start serenading the Angels with the song "Buttercup" which is their infamous song that signals a bullpen collapse at every Angels home game. Many knew the song, and we were able to get two verses through it. Definitely trolling at its best.

A clean sweep to cap off an interesting home stand, it's clear that more home stands like this are still to come and the A's are just simply a step above the rest of the American League West and under this current pace, the A's will run away with the division.

Hot Bats Stomp the Nats!

Last Friday, May 9th was the first of three inter-league games against the Nationals.  It was the first time that the Nationals have ever played at the Oakland Coliseum, and the first time these teams have squared off since 2005.  Although we shouldn't expect them back anytime soon, with a long cross-country flight to reflect, you know the Nationals won't forget getting swept in Oaktown anytime soon!

The Nationals-A's inter-league series was a reunion of sorts for players formerly of the other team.  Former Nationals prospect Tommy Milone, part of the Gio Gonzalez deal, took the mound opposite Doug Fister to start the series on Friday.  Milone did not disappoint - best pitching of the season against his former team.

Also, the Nationals and A's indirectly swapped Jerry "the gentlemen" Blevins and Fernando Abad this offseason, so some of the fans from Section148 took the opportunity to welcome Mr. Blevins back to the ballpark in gentlemanly fashion..... by wearing business suits!

"Suit night" in support of the Blevins' return, took on a life all its own because Friday night also was the #nerdpower night.  The A's stadium give-away for Friday night's game was 10,000 black rimmed plastic glasses, without lenses, to the first 10,000 fans in support of the Oakland's favorite nerd and true winner of the Face of MLB contest, Eric Sogard!

In the 6th inning, Wes saw some face time on CSN's television coverage!! When the famous A's commentator Mr. Ray Fosse saw Wes and the rest of the guys dancing in the right field bleachers on the big screen, Mr. Fosse annointed Wes and the Section148 guys as the "real nerds" of #nerdpower night.  What fun!! It was an incredible night and the A's never looked better in the 8-0 victory!

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, Journey performed an awe inspiring national anthem and post game fireworks to the music of Journey promised a packed stadium crowd.  The fans from Section148.com showed up early for a tailgate BBQ and release of the new "Oak town business" gold shirts....

We had a blast and hope to see more new faces at the next BBQ in June.  We had fun meeting some new friends, giving away free bracelets and stickers, and enjoying the beautiful afternoon weather.

But Saturday night belonged to John Jaso.  He knocked in the winning run with a double that hit high off the right-field wall, scoring pinch-runner Nick Punto from first base with two outs in the 10th inning, giving the A's an awesome, come from behind 4-3 victory over the Nats right before the fireworks show!  

It was already such a great weekend... but there was still one more game to be played.  We came out on Sunday for a combination of mother's day and breast cancer awareness day!  It was very touching to see the A's honor 350 breast cancer survivors on the field before the game.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Day, A's fans came out  in droves of pink shirts and pink jerseys.  Even the players got in on the action; Jed Lowrie, Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Moss, Nick Punto and Josh Reddick used pink bats.  

The weather was beautiful, the crowd was energized, and the A's bats stayed hot to the tune of a 9-1 victory!  LETS GO OAKLAND! 

We are looking forward to many more adventures this season and hope to see you at the games soon.  

Come sit with the "real nerds" and lets cheer our boys to victory!