Current:Home > ScamsOakland A’s fans are sending MLB owners ‘Stay In Oakland’ boxes as Las Vegas vote nears-InfoLens
Oakland A’s fans are sending MLB owners ‘Stay In Oakland’ boxes as Las Vegas vote nears
View Date:2024-12-23 14:47:04
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Boston Red Sox owner John Henry will soon receive a special “Stay In Oakland” box from Bay Area fans packed with a green Athletics cap, a baseball card featuring his likeness and a note telling him all the reasons he should vote no on the team’s planned relocation to Las Vegas.
They will try to sway Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, too — another owner identified as someone who could be convinced to vote against Vegas.
They hope Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno might be an ally. Or perhaps Ray Davis of the World Series champion Texas Rangers. Maybe the Seattle Mariners’ John Stanton.
The devoted fan group chose 15 owners to receive the box, selected because maybe — just maybe — there’s one more chance to keep the A’s in Oakland.
This last-ditch effort includes a big assist by clothing company Last Dive Bar, a loyal A’s supporter. It made the boxes and a snazzy, colorful “Keep the Athletics in ... OAKLAND” postcard.
“This project has been a culmination of our collective works and we hope it shows the owners what we all know to be true,” Paul Bailey, one of the three owners of Last Dive Bar, said in a message to The AP. “The fans are not the problem.”
Oakland clothing company Oaklandish provided the hats, while the box also features a DVD created by “The Summer of Sell” group, a USB flash drive and a personal letter from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao along with a photo of her in an A’s jersey. The boxes will arrive from her office address.
“The box is everything that’s been done before in Oakland and why they should vote no,” explained lifelong A’s fan Stephen Lucero, an artist and firefighter in nearby Alameda who made the custom cards for each owner.
Some 200 people crammed the Oakland City Council chambers for a standing-room-only meeting Tuesday and chanted “Stay in Oakland!” in yet another unified effort to keep the team from moving. The City Council unanimously passed a resolution that reaffirmed its support of the A’s staying in Oakland.
MLB owners are expected to vote on the proposed relocation next Wednesday or Thursday during their annual meetings, to be held this year in Arlington, Texas.
The A’s reached a tentative agreement for a new stadium in Las Vegas in May, spurring outrage and frustration during what may have been a lame-duck season in Oakland.
On June 13, furious fans showed up at the Coliseum and implored owner John Fisher to sell the team with what they called a reverse boycott. Thousands wore green “SELL” T-shirts and chanted “Sell the team!” throughout a 2-1 victory against Tampa Bay. A season-best crowd of 27,759 was the largest for an A’s game on a Tuesday since they drew 33,654 against the Dodgers on Aug. 7, 2018.
After the season, A’s pitcher Trevor May ripped Fisher during a video message announcing his retirement. May implored Fisher to “Sell the team, dude. ... Sell it, man.”
“Let someone who actually, like, takes pride in the things they own, own something,” he added.
Lucero and wife Chrissy, also his business partner at Steevow Custom Cards, spent hours at City Hall on Tuesday as A’s fans rallied once more to try to save their team.
“Extremely proud,” said the 41-year-old Lucero. “Everybody came together and they continue to, and it’s not going to stop.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
veryGood! (96887)
Related
- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had mild stroke this month, team says
- Searching For A New Life
- Strong thunderstorms and tornadoes are moving through parts of the South
- Climate change makes heat waves, storms and droughts worse, climate report confirms
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- California's system to defend against mudslides is being put to the ultimate test
- Brittany Mahomes Calls Out Disrespectful Women Who Go After Husband Patrick Mahomes
- Climate activists want Biden to fire the head of the World Bank. Here's why
- A list of mass killings in the United States this year
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $330 Backpack for Just $83
Ranking
- UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight card, odds, how to watch, date
- Survivor’s Ricard Foyé and Husband Andy Foyé Break Up After 7 Years Together
- 10 Amazon Products That Will Solve Life's Everyday Problems
- Vecinos en Puerto Rico se apoyan, mientras huracanes ponen a prueba al gobierno
- NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
- The White Lotus Season 3 Will Welcome Back a Fan Favorite From Season One
- Love Is Blind’s Marshall Glaze Reveals He’s Related to Bachelorette’s Justin Glaze
- Here's Why Love Is Blind's Paul and Micah Broke Up Again After Filming
Recommendation
-
Vegas Sphere reports revenue decline despite hosting UFC 306, Eagles residency
-
The Scorpion Renaissance Is Upon Us
-
How electric vehicles got their juice
-
Love Is Blind's Paul Reveals the Cast Member He Dated After Micah Breakup
-
Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
-
Glaciers from Yosemite to Kilimanjaro are predicted to disappear by 2050
-
3 tribes dealing with the toll of climate change get $75 million to relocate
-
Charli D'Amelio Enters Her Blonde Bob Era During Coachella 2023