OAKLAND, Calif. — Every one of the 27,759 fans at the A’s reverse boycott was on the same page. Literally.
A cheer card created by grassroots organizers and passed out to fans roaming the Oakland Coliseum gave directions for how the night’s protest would go. A “sell the team” chant when the first batter steps up to the plate in the top of an inning and a “stay in Oakland” one for the first batter of the bottom inning.
In the fifth inning, everyone was to stand up in silence to honor the 55 years the A’s have been in Oakland before erupting into another “sell the team” chorus. That’s when Stu Clary, standing up from his seat in the sixth row of Section 230, couldn’t help but smile.