Two A's Fans in the Walmart Garden Center

by easyraider on Sep 10, 2006 10:34 PM PDT Comment 18 comments

So yesterday I am in the Walmart garden center with my wife and two sons waiting to purchase a bicycle for my daughter...as well as a bunch of other stuff I do not need.

I look behind me and see an A's cap. I ask my older son if he sees it - he is turning into a huge A's fan. While it is not uncommon to see other A's fans in SoCal, it is still nice to run into one nonetheless.

I say to the A's fan behind me, `Still up 5 ½,'
Now, I am not the most social person in the world, however it sure helps when there are common interests involved - baseball...and the A's.
We talked about where we grew up - he in Livermore and me in San Jose.

I mentioned that I have be lucky enough to attend quite a few games this year - just about every game in Anaheim, a game at Petco, a game in Seattle a few weeks back with my son, and a few games in Oakland when on business.

I can see his eyes light up, `I miss going to games in Oakland,' he says.

I mention in the last series that I was fortunate enough to get to sit with the drummers in the left field bleachers (thanks again Saint and Duke). I told him it was one of my best experiences ever at a game in Oakland. It is so nice to be able to talk to someone in person who knows what I am talking about.

I ask if he is going to any games in the final series in Anaheim. I said I had tickets to Friday and Saturday. He had tickets to all four.

Well, before I knew it, 10 minutes, a line of about 10 people, and a lot of A's discussion had passed. We paid for our purchases and headed off in our separate directions...but with the same team in our thoughts.

My wife said it was nice that I had an A's fan in line to talk to. Yeah, it was.

The only thing I forgot to ask was if he knew about AN....or if he was a member. Maybe I will see Dude at SoCal AN Day.

So, a lot of you may be thinking, `So what, you talked A's baseball with another fan.' Well, I guess it is just the realization that most of my A's discussion is online. Most of the time I talk baseball with live people is with Angel fans. It was nice to have a discussion with one of my own.
Then again, maybe a lot of you do know what I am talking about. Quite a few of us `ANers' are not in the Bay Area...but our hearts are...with the A's.

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In Canada in July...

All we saw were the ubiquitous Yankee and Red Sox hats. My kids always wore their A's gear (minimum hats. Often jerseys or shirts). One day we were walking through Whistler Village and heard "Let's Go Oak-land!" That was unexpected and cool.

by indigo on Sep 10, 2006 11:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Easyraider

I know exactly what you are talking about. In fact before AN Day Anaheim :the original, I didnt think there where many if any A's fans down here in southern cali. Boy was I wrong! and Im glad I was, being around fellow A's fans is something words cant explain. Also glad to hear the little guy is getting into the A's, would that be young man we met in Anaheim?

"Be in first place, then come and talk to me!!!" Erik being Erik to Angels fan at Anaheim Stadium.

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 10, 2006 11:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That would be the same little guy

Grooming my two year-old as well. He thinks the word 'baseball' is 'A's baseball.' Every time he sees a game on tv or his older brother playing lettle league, he points and says 'A's baseball.'

It was nice to meet you back in Anaheim. That was pretty cool all of us A's fans getting together. I heard from other folks that they could hear our 'Let's Go Oakland' chants over the broadcast.

Hope to see you at the final series.

by easyraider on Sep 11, 2006 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

AN Day Anaheim Part Deux?

how could I miss it? I will be there for thursday and saturday, and I believe both of my little brothers will be with me as well. Hope to see you and lileasy there as well.

"Be in first place, then come and talk to me!!!" Erik being Erik to Angels fan at Anaheim Stadium.

by Amnesiac727 on Sep 11, 2006 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This reminds me of my all time favorite...

...random A's fan encounter.

It was late summer of 1989 and my Uncle Bill took my brother and I to Disneyland.

Of course we were walking around in our green and gold hats the whole time we were there and it didn't really occur to us that people in Anaheim might not appreciate it. I distinctly remember getting on some lame ride, I think it was the little ski lift type things that take you through the Matterhorn and into the Tomorrowland or whatever, when the guy getting us in our little basket tied to a wire made a comment about the hats. We argued about the A's and Angels as we pulled out of the "station."

From that point we noticed how all the people that worked there gave us the evil eye on a semi regular basis and had been for the whole time. It made sense finally.

I can't remember exactly, but I think the ride was Star Tours (it was still relatively new and our first trip to Disneyland sense it had debuted) and while we were in one of those lines that wrapped around more times than the Centipede at level 57 in the old Atari 2600 version of the game, two guys (I would guess they were in their early 20's) just started going crazy.

I was fairly certain we were about to get our hats ripped off when out of no where one of the dudes yells... "GIVE ME A BASH!!!!"

Everytime we passed each other there were more bashes. These two guys were as loud as you coudl imagine, it was great to ahve the whole line turn and look everytime we passed each other.

It was the best part about Disneyland, just ahead of the aforementioned Star Tours!

www.myspace.com/jeffaugust

by jeffro on Sep 11, 2006 2:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A's fans around the world

I can totally relate to the comments of easyraider- although my instances of running into A's fans are far less. Living in the Southern U.S., I'm always surprised to find that there are indeed A's fans scattered here and there, and when we happen to stumble across each other- it's like re-uniting with some long lost cousin. It doesn't matter what political party we belong to, or what our race, gender or religion might be. Discovering that we are fans of this special team creates a bond. I'm know many Braves fans, many Red Sox fans and a whole hell of lot of Yankee fans in this region- but none of them seem to have the coolness of A's fans. Go A's!

The greenmachine

by greenmachine on Sep 11, 2006 5:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I love A's chatter.

I've talked with more random people around Oakland about A's games. People you would ordinarily never really have a conversation with, or would just exchange pleasantries with. Like the old people with canes who hang out outside of the Albertsons near my house, or the cashier at the corner store, or people in line behind you at the ATM. The A's are the great equalizer, man. It's friggin' beautiful!

"Folding chair. Right to the base of the HR guy's spine. Incapacitates a man in seconds. Next question." --Catfish Stew

by tankerraid on Sep 11, 2006 9:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Remember SOCAL TV Watch on the 20th

Those of you who want to share the love with fellow A's fan in SoCal are invited (no, commanded) to come to the 2nd SoCal TV watch on Wed. the 20th at Grunion's in Manhattan Beach. I will be posting another diary about it in a few days so we can all get together and watch what may be Zito's last home outing!

As for encounters with A's fans, I teach at a small university in Orange County---and I love it when some of my students and fellow faculty talk about the A's with me! It's great!

"It's a cookbook!"---The Twilight Zone

by Buck18 on Sep 11, 2006 12:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Where do you teach?

...if you don't mind me asking

by easyraider on Sep 11, 2006 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mind you asking? Of course not!

I teach at Chapman University in Orange, CA---right in the heart of Angelsburg! And even there, in that poor benighted land, there are A's fans, both teachers and students and even one of media guys (we used to call them the AV Squad)! As I posted on another thread, I even have Garrett Anderson's wife in one of my classes. She is in big trouble---well, maybe not, she's actually a pretty good student and a nice woman. Are you SoCal or NoCal or where else, exactly?

"It's a cookbook!"---The Twilight Zone

by Buck18 on Sep 11, 2006 9:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A's fans in college in SoCal

I used to go to uc irvine. there were tons of A's fans around. I remember when the a's were in the playoffs in 2003, I counted six students in A's gear on my short five-minute walk in between classes. that was surreal.

by uci anteater on Sep 11, 2006 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Surreal.....

....but wonderful. What can you say---there really is an A's Nation. We are everywhere!

"It's a cookbook!"---The Twilight Zone

by Buck18 on Sep 12, 2006 8:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fail

Mrs Anderson now!

by Larry E on Sep 12, 2006 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In SoCal

Grew up in NoCal but have lived down here in Huntington Beach for past 24-25 years.

Funny, I was thinking Chapman when you said a small university in Orange County. My Angel-fan boss' duaghters went there and played soccer. I think one still goes.

CSULB alum myself.

by easyraider on Sep 12, 2006 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

C'mon Up....

....for the SoCal A's tv watch on the 20th. The bubbly BBG will be there and there will be lots of good cheer and positive A's vibes to go around. Chapman is a pretty good place to work.

"It's a cookbook!"---The Twilight Zone

by Buck18 on Sep 12, 2006 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice diary

Although I confess that when I read the title, I was thinking this was a "Two A's fans walk into a bar..." kind of joke thread :-).

"The first night, we were right there," Bradley said. "All we needed was a couple of touchdowns, and we would have had them."

by jeepers on Sep 12, 2006 2:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Billy Beane walks into a Walmart

during the bullpen's early struggles ... a fan recognizes him and asks, looking for some cheap bullpen help? Beane responds, no, it costs too much to import them from Asia ...

No, see, you don't get it ... everything at Walmart is imported, mostly from Asia (anyone remember their Made in America campaign from the 80s?) and it always costs so much to bring over decent Japanese players ... yeah, see, now you get it ...

Wait, so why aren't you laughing?

Another project of Devo's

by devo on Sep 12, 2006 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs