The game and season was over for the Oakland Athletics. Right fielder Josh Reddick walked on to the field from the dugout, but it wasn’t to shake his teammates hands quite yet. He simply faced the crowd at O.co Coliseum and pointed to the fans (who were giving standing ovations and Bernie leans) in appreciation. You could see it in his face he was thankful.
To see an ALDS elimination game with so much heart, almost felt like the season was starting over again, not concluding. It was in this moment you could sense the passion of the Oakland Athletics fans.
Major League Baseball fans are unique in their own right, but what separates a Major League Baseball fan from an Oakland Athletics fan? Is it the one-of-a-kind terms only A’s fans can appreciate? The Balfour Rages, the Ingesanity, the Reddickulous, the Green Collar Baseball?
Perhaps it is the noise that amounts of crowds ranging from minute to massive still shakes up The Coliseum? Could it be witnessing a Dallas Braden perfect game? A Scott Hatteburg walk off homerun? A web-gem catch by Seth Smith? The answer is yes, and so much more.
“There are a lot of qualities that A’s fans share with a few other teams around the league in regards to upbringing and culture,” stated Benjamin Christensen, MLB Cave Dweller and Athletics fan, “However, like the Athletics of recent years, we are always counted out, and with that, will fight on until the end. That’s the code of green collar baseball.”
“I think it’s the bond with the players we have,” says Wes Mills, a right field section regular at O.co. “The players seem like just normal guys and aren’t superstars so they bond with the fans real well. We are kind of that rock band that no one has heard about but is awesome.”
Social media also plays a major role in keeping the fan spirit alive between players and fans during the off season. Whether it’s a Jerry Blevins “Can’t look tough while…” hash tag on twitter, or following your favorite A’s baseball wife (my personal favorite is the always adorable and entertaining Kaycee Sogard), and sometimes you realize Brett Anderson is kind of funny, even if he does tweet about "Les Miserables."
“We did more in Section 149 to promote the A’s experience than many departments of the club and were rewarded with a team that cared and knew the regulars by name, face, and twitter handles,” says Antonio Caminado-Cogley, an A’s season ticket holder and cancer fighter.
The players, whether it is on the A’s or the opposing team, know when the fans are there and feel the electricity all around them.
“They’re awesome,” said closing pitcher Grant Balfour in an interview. “You saw how loud they were how pumped they were.”
Let’s not forget how much the Detroit Tigers were blown away by the noise coming from your green and gold fans during the ALDS series in Oakland. I know Justin Verlander gets to go home to the babe Kate Upton, but I digress, it still makes you a little happy knowing you were probably in his dome for a minute.
“The A’s fan base is truly one in a million,” states Hailee Miguel, a student at San Jose State University and big Reddick fan. “We develop special bonds with players and support the team no matter what, and we are loud whether there are 10,000 or 36,000 fans in the stands.”
I went to an Oakland Athletics game over the summer. It was the middle of the week, midday and there were maybe 7,000 fans in attendance. I still could barely hear myself think. It was that loud. The fans in right field backing up Reddick were electric when it was time to Balfour Rage and Bernie Lean. I have been to many ballparks across the United States, some were filled to the rim with spectators, but the amount of energy that day at O.Co Coliseum was something to be seen and felt.
There was something distinctive about this season. I interviewed fans that have been a part of the green and gold for decades and they have said the 2012 season is a season to be topped.
Steven Luke, a long-time Athletics fan, “By far the most memorable. I've been going to games with my boys since I moved back to California in '04 and nothing compares.”
“The A’s will always be my team no matter where they play or where I live in relation to them,” says Alan Torres, an A’s fan since 1991 and writer for Athletics’ Nation. “I watched part of a Spring Training game this year from a small Swiss Alpine Village at midnight, and I’ll watch a game when I’m 100 too.”
The Oakland Athletics Fan Fest is scheduled for January 27th, it will be my first Fan Fest ever, but if it’s a fraction of what I know it can be, it certainly won’t be my last. The fans of the Oakland A’s are unique and I can say this as a fan, and a friend of the fans, I’m so blessed to be a part (even a small one) of this organization. I will see you at Fan Fest, and cannot wait to join you all in a Bernie Lean.