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Saying goodbye to Josh Reddick

No matter your feelings on the always controversial A's, you probably loved Josh Reddick in the green and gold. You were right to do so.

By Inactive User 139616
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Trades are hard and trades are sad. It doesn't matter how much time you've had to prepare, nor how obvious the conclusion may have seemed, watching Josh Reddick head down south is a gut punch. He has been the heart and soul of the A's since 2012 when he arrived from Boston, and watching him leave the team is an unfair end to a pretty dang great story.

Prior to Reddick's arrival, he was just a wee boy, looking suspiciously like Mark Canha.

He was unproven, making the front page of a just dreadful Bleacher Report article about the game's most overrated prospects and he was joining an A's team that was bad. Er, was supposed to be bad.

Instead, he lead the surprising Oakland A's to the 2012 AL West championship in what was easily the most satisfying season in recent A's memory. Through thick and thin, good and bad, and even Jemile Weeks, Reddick was a huge part of the crew that made three straight playoff appearances.

Reddick wasn't perfect, though. Pitchers started to expose his flaws and he slumped from a first half star to a merely pretty good player. So what did he do? He reinvented himself offensively to firmly plant himself as one of the better all around right-fielders in the game. In doing so, he endeared himself to fans who probably already owed him their love.

The love for Reddick was created well beyond the baseball field. Off of it, Reddick was always outspoken, expressing his disdain when things didn't go his way while showing an obvious desire to win. He was a rare player who never hid his desire to stay in Oakland, nor did he always hide his balls (NSFW obviously).

The goodbye

Here's what Josh had to say to the Oakland community upon being traded.

If you shine a blacklight over your computer screen, you can see that Reddick wrote a secret message to the A's front office. I won't spoil what it is.

The reaction

Reddick is clearly a foodie, as evidenced by Doolitte's goodbye.

More Doo:

The great moments

The first time he used Careless Whisper as his walk up music.

That time he stroked a walkoff by way of Eric Sogard's beard.

That time that he dressed like Spiderman to pie Coco Crisp in the face.

That time he threw out everyone, including about a billion Angels.

That time he smoked a shot to walk-off against the 'stros.

That time he robbed two Giant dingers in Spring Training cause Josh Reddick always gives 110%.

Goodbye and good luck, Josh Reddick

It's rare for an Oakland Athletic to make his way into our hearts and last as long as Josh Reddick did. It's rare for a player to embrace playing in the Coliseum like he did, and he'll forever be at the front of our memories when we think about the playoff run of 2012-2014.

Without Josh, the A's are down their pie-man. While it'd be nice to see everyone pied by Semien, it's a ritual that may leave with Reddick. They lose a very good right-fielder, and most importantly, they lose an awesome Oakland Athletic. Happy trails, Josh, and feel free to sign back with Oakland in the offseason. The 2017 World Series Championship would be a lot sweeter with you in tow.

Feel free to post your favorite videos, pictures, and links of Reddick below!

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