Fans rally as A’s look to playoffs
on October 3, 2013
Mayor Jean Quan and members of the Oakland city council joined local fans at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Oct. 1 for “A’s Oaktober Rally” – a free public celebration honoring the 2013 Oakland Athletics. The A’s clinched a playoff spot this season by winning the AL West Division and will host the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series on Friday and Saturday at O.co Coliseum.
“The Oakland A’s have, bar none, the greatest fans in baseball,” Mayor Quan said. “The dedication and excitement that A’s fans showed the team in their astonishing season last year is on full display again this year. I can’t wait to help celebrate the team, the fans and the great city they call home! Let’s go Oakland!”
A large group of loyal fans from all over the Bay Area came out to support the A’s on Tuesday.
A’s outfielder Josh Reddick surprised some fans by making an appearance at the rally. Reddick answered questions from fans and energized the crowd with his charismatic personality. He encouraged fans to attend every home game and thanked them for selling out game 1 of the series.
“The tarps are coming off so we want everyone to fill those seats,” Reddick said. “We are ready for the Tigers. I feel like we are a better team than last year.”
The Tigers defeated the A’s last year in the AL Division Series 3 – 2. Although the A’s shocked the baseball world by winning the AL West Division in 2012 and finished with a 94-68 record, this time around they have greater expectations.
The A’s finished the regular season with a 96-66 record and sealed home field advantage for the series against the Tigers.
“The A’s are going all the way,” said Vince Hernandez, who’s been an A’s fan since 1968. “It is not going to be easy, but I’m excited because they are going to win the World Series.”
Friday’s home game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and is sold out. There are still some tickets available for Saturday’s game, which starts at 6 p.m.
-
- Oakland A’s right fielder Josh Reddick attends “A’s Oaktober Rally” at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
-
- Mayor Jean Quan told A’s fans that the city has received new investors to help fund Coliseum City and as a result, help keep the Raiders, Golden State Warriors and the A’s in Oakland.
-
- A large group of loyal fans from all over the Bay Area came out to support the A’s on Tuesday and were thrilled to partake in the activities at the event.
-
- Vince Hernandez (holding a Swingin’ A’s blanket), 48, has been an A’s fan since 1968.
-
- A’s fans demonstrate the proper way to do the “Balfour Rage” – the punch-throwing motion whenever Australian closing pitcher and Metallica fan Grant Balfour enters the game.
-
- “A’s Oaktober Rally” ends with fans imitating A’s players’ home run celebration.
-
- A’s fans joined in on the celebration of the team’s 2013 season.
Oakland North welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Oakland North assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Oakland North
Oakland North is an online news service produced by students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and covering Oakland, California. Our goals are to improve local coverage, innovate with digital media, and listen to you–about the issues that concern you and the reporting you’d like to see in your community. Please send news tips to: oaklandnorthstaff@gmail.com.
