They are also entitled to a standing ovation before their 1st AB in Oakland. Certain FA's (like Tejada) who were told they would not be getting an offer from the A's are also entitled to this treatment.

I still consider Huddy an Athletic, but he was one of my absolute favorite players.

achieved the most in their career with the A's compared to any other individual team they played on. So for me, Reggie Jackson and Mark McGwire are A's. Johnny Damon is obviously not an A. I guess he's technically a former A, but that's not important to me.

then they become former Yankees, Red Sox, or Angels

Miggy, Haren, Scutaro, Swisher: Still former A's.
Damon, Giambi, Kotsay, Kendall, Byrnes: Nope. Good riddance.

In order to remain an A, you mustn't trash talk the A's, and I had to like you when you were an A.

where ya sittin for a hello there?

I just know when it happens.

I think Swisher will be associated with the A's for years to come simply because of his prominence in "Moneyball" and what he represented in that book (the one guy that stat heads and scouts could agree on). Add to that the fact that most fans always liked him as a person and that he had his best season with the A's when the A's had their best season in 20 years (2006), and you'd have to think that a whole lot of Green n Old fans will keep Swisher in their hearts for a long time.

quicker than disdain. It took a long while before fans stopped booing Giambi, but I don't recall someone ike Miggy getting standing o's other than his first at-bat back. And really that's as far as it should go, more or less regardless of circumstances. Nostalgia works in settings like these, but during a game? Again, go ahead and give him his due for that first at-bat, or before his first pitch, but after that he's just another guy we need to get out or get a hit off of. Then when all is said and done, we'll evaluate him and decide if he's still part of the family.

I'll probably become more apathetic when it stops hurting to see him in different colors. I seriously feel physical discomfort when I see him in a White Sox uniform, which is sad for a 24-year-old man.

they stop being former A's after their first at-bat or first inning pitched in the Col. After that, they go into the class of opposing players you like/respect, and get the corresponding treatment.

Unless, of course, you disliked/disrespected them when they were A's; in that case, you're allowed to spew slightly more vitriol than you would toward another player you disliked/disrespected to the same degree who never played for the A's in the first place.

We are working to get these slightly's and to the same degree's specified more precisely, but it takes time.

Are you picking out names yet? ANthea and ANthony? Plaza and Field? Hegen and Berger? Beane and Beanne?

Louis and Wife...are going to clap for Nick. He did a great job for us and he didn't pick to leave.
As for how long we think of players as former A's...it depends on the impact that they made in our hearts. Guys like Swish and Tejada will always have my affection . A Johnny Damon not so much. He doesn't feel like an ex-A.
Some players you remember for a special moment like Kendall with K-Rod...but the affection just isn't there...and some guys like Hatte ...you just love always for the way they played in a general way.
I tend to care about players for lots of years...and I always clap for the guys even if it's Zito wearing orange.

...when Giambi left. It felt like I just got dumped or something. Especially seeing him crying and talking about "what a dream it was" to be in pinstripes. I thought the A's run in the playoffs was over, and that the Yankees would win every world series thereafter.

That was before I knew who/what Billy Beane was. Now I understand that fast turnover is part of the A's MO.

Since then I don't mind when players leave, be it trade or free agency. I'm a fan of the "laundry" I guess...

There's not really a timeframe for me, just more of how much I liked them when they were on the A's and the circumstances of their departure. Swisher will be an A for life in my mind, he was such an Oakland guy and that trade hurt, even if we had to do it. Same with Miggy, he was a lil pimp. I liked Zito a lot the whole time he was on the A's and hold some good memories of the Big Three, but hes definitely didn't get cheers from me when I saw him sucking it up with the Giants for countless millions, in large part due to my inability to cheer for anyone while laughing so hard at that horrible horrible contract.

because he signed with the giants? Get over it.

i would root for him to this day. still my all-time favorite

I'm easy. If they do well enough on (and for) the A's to win my respect and affection, then I'll keep on rooting for them as individual players after that, no matter what team they are on. Mulder, Hudson, Swisher, Byrnes, whoever, I have fond memories of them and wish them well.

But, like I say, I'm easy. Keeps my blood pressure down.

Gave us all he had and at least he never went down with a serious injury and took his sweet as time to get back and help the team like Harden, Crosby, Chavez, Milton Bradley, E. Loaiza, Mark Kotsay, Duke, and etc....

I always feel like apart of him will always be as an athletic during his successful career, and he will forever be a member of the 2006 ALCS Oakland A's team.

And much props for fighting Fat Boy Lackey during the Bean war!!!

The Angels make me sick to my fucking stomach and I'm sure in 2006 Kendall felt the same way about those sorry ass fags!!!!

He's and "A" forever that reason especially!!!!

One that often gets overlooked, and is certainly also a Harden moment, but I think Kendall deserves quite a bit of credit for his role in it.

July 14, 2005, the first game after the All Star Break. Rich Harden's on the mound against the Texas Rangers, and totally dealing, to the effect of a perfect game after six innings. Into the seventh, Harden sets down the first two. Then he goes to 2-0 on Teixeira. Then he puts his hand to his mouth without stepping off the mound: 3-0. Harden looks like he's coming slightly unglued, a little bit rattled. Kendall jogs out to the mound and they talk: We're gonna get this guy. Next pitch, a called strike, Teixeira taking all the way. He fouls one off, now 3-2. The payoff is grounded weakly to second: Perfect game intact (for the time being).

I usually make the decision to refer to them as ex-A's on a case by case basis. Generally, if a player has more service time outside of oakland than he did while with the A's, i don't refer to him as an ex-a's player. Then again, there are cases in which this rule of thumb does not apply. such as players like Giambi. I hated him as soon as he signed with the Yankees. Although, in the case of Nick Swisher, i will always be a fan of his. Regardless of how long he is away from the Oakland organization.

... shouldn't we consider everyone in the organization to be "Not Yet Former A's"?

It will be at least this entire season that I will think of him as an A in the wrong uniform. Some guys will always be A's (not even former) to me no matter how many other teams they're on. It's the connection I feel to them while being at the ballpark. I had more fun sitting in the right field bleachers when Canseco was there. That was when I first became an A's fan and I'll always remember how I felt about him and all the other A's that moved to other teams (McGwire, Bordick, Eck, etc). Of course it's easier to think of them as A's now that they are no longer playing. But even when they were with other teams, it just didn't look right. Ever. I'm just so frigging nostalgic.

I suppose every team can look back at particular periods of glory and whim away about the "good ole days", but I think anyone would agree that the A's have been more than blessed to have many bountiful years in the 40 years since they've been in Oakland. We've had a slew of great players, from the uprise dynasty of the early 70's to the razzle dazzle play in the early 80's - the bash and smash era of Canseco and Mac and then our most recent bronze period of 2001-2006. I have no doubt that this team will soon be in another golden period and sure we'll keep on shipping All-Stars and HOF's to other teams. They will all always be former A's in my mind.