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Happy Tuesday, Athletics Nation!
During the weekend the Oakland Coliseum featured Angels against Athletics, but in another alliterative note it also had possums pestering press boxes. After all the fuss has been made around the Coli’s new population of feral cats earlier in the season, a return of a resident marsupial has some talk stirring again.
This all started during Sunday’s game, as recorded by writers Michael Wagaman and Matt Kawahara on twitter:
writing my story, look up and pic.twitter.com/zzB1S5xFkn
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) May 16, 2022
This isn’t the first time the Coliseum’s possum population has shown up; in the summer of 2014 one possum made its presence known. Dubbed the Rally Possum by press and fans, it first appeared during extra-innings on an August 4 game against the Rays, trotting through foul territory in right field. During the next season, Rally Possum appeared again on July 21 2015, hanging out by the visiting Blue Jays’ bullpen. Then, almost exactly a year after its debut, Rally Possum decided to take a seat on the left field wall to watch the late innings of an August 3 game against the Orioles. In all of these clips note Glen Kuiper’s vehement reaction to the marsupial, stating time and time again “I do not like those animals”.
There have been possum sightings in the Coliseum since Rally Possum first appeared on camera, largely by fans seeing the nocturnal animals pass through parts of the concourse.
Rally Possum in the house!! @Athletics @jennifertru07 @ everybody!!! pic.twitter.com/5kl8U1uh0y
— Veeve Detmer (@AsBrandFan) August 17, 2019
Glen and Dallas Braden didn’t comment on the new possum during Sunday or Monday’s games, but you can expect Glen’s reaction to be the same. Dallas did catch a glimpse of his new broadcast partner on Monday.
Comin’ into the office today & just gathering some paperwork & I caught the “tail end” of the stay of our little visitor. What does a possum in the press box mean? Don’t sleep on the A’s , THATS what that means! #PlayinPossum pic.twitter.com/qKnK0lYwgb
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) May 16, 2022
As of Monday afternoon the press box was temporarily evacuated to allow animal control to try and remove the visitor according to longtime Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer:
I've just been asked to leave the visiting broadcast booth so an exterminator could come in to try to catch a possum...a series of words that, I'm guessing, has never been connected before. Hope you can join @LaTroyHawkins32, me and ????? for Twins/A's tonight from Oakland.
— Dick Bremer (@dbremer_pxp) May 17, 2022
With such a quick action for removal, you have to assume that the possum simply didn’t have the right press credentials to be in the booth.
A’s Coverage
- Ashford: Game #38: Offensive woes continue in 3-1 loss to Twins
- Hall: A’s try some small-ball to spark slumping lineup
- Kawahara: From bashing to bunting? A’s turning to the sacrifice more frequently ($)
- MLB.com: Not a stunner as Tony Kemp wins Play of the Week
- Brown: Yankees’ Bernie Williams returns to Oakland for anthem, recalls when the A’s were rockin’ ($)
- Kawahara: How A’s left-hander Zach Logue uses deception to his advantage ($)
- Snowden: Paul Blackburn’s Changes Leading To Success for Oakland
MLB News & Interest
- Shusterman: Albert Pujols on the mound: Position players we want to see pitch
- Doolittle, Schoenfield: MLB Awards Watch: An early look at the battle of the Angels for AL MVP and a tight NL Cy Young race
- Law: 2022 MLB Draft prospects scouting notes: Arkansas’ Cayden Wallace on the rise? ($)
- Jaffe: Hunter Greene and the No-Hitter That Wasn’t
- AP: Struggling Kansas City Royals fire hitting coach Terry Bradshaw, promote Alec Zumwalt to role
- Today in Baseball History
Best of Twitter
Cristian Pache doesn’t stress about tricky catches
80-grade casual approach on this grab by Cristian Pache in center field pic.twitter.com/3QoMyv2Edi
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) May 17, 2022
Elvis Andrus brings us the latest incarnation of the A’s double dance
us:
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 17, 2022
elvis: pic.twitter.com/Kf2VumnFBn
I see the resemblance, do you?
People say Daulton Jefferies and Sonny Gray look alike. Not sure about that, but they’ll square off against each other Wednesday at the Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/yyvh2qKXVq
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 15, 2022
Cats, possums, now roving gangs of little-leaguers in the stands
ANARCHY pic.twitter.com/yUZFeGZjds
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 17, 2022
Add another to the bad ceremonial first pitch pantheon
alright fine here’s the video of steve aoki’s first pitch. must’ve hit turbulence.
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 16, 2022
( : @JoshLinsenberg) pic.twitter.com/EMLXh065xr
Welcome to the A’s org, Bjay Cooke!
Dreams really do come true!! I am proud to join the Oakland @Athletics . Words cannot describe the feeling that it brings to call myself a professional baseball player.
— Bjay Cooke (@bjay_cooke) May 15, 2022
Can’t wait to get to work!! #DrumTogether #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/WbWCC1bLaf
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