Operation #FillTheColiseum

On Friday, June 28, your Oakland Athletics take on one of the best teams in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals. How does a sellout crowd for this game sound? I know, it would be amazing.

Well, about a week ago the Oakland A’s Pie Guy contacted me about this great idea to help encourage A’s fans to show up for the Friday night game against the Cards and sellout the O.co Coliseum. He told me it was officially called “#FillTheColiseum” and that he wanted me to help spread the word — so, I am trying to do just that. Here is the link to the Oakland A’s Pie Guy’s blog so you can get more information on how this all started and get his thoughts on the operation. Follow him on twitter: @OaklandAsPieGuy.

Oct 11, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans acknowledge the team after game five of the 2012 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers at O.co Coliseum. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics 6-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Lets backtrack to last year. Remember the crowd for the ALDS games in Oakland? The atmosphere was remarkable, it was hard to describe to someone what it was like — you had to be there to experience it for yourself. From the first pitch to the last pitch, A’s fans were on their feet chanting “lets go Oakland,” yellow rally towels were being waved above every fan’s head, and you couldn’t hear the person next to you unless they were yelling in your ear.

On Father’s Day I was sitting in the right field bleachers and after Seth Smith hit a home run into the second deck in right field I took a second to analyze the crowd. Everyone was standing up and everyone was cheering loudly. The Coliseum was completely filled. Every seat seemed to be taken, the suites were filled with fans, and there were even people in the standing room only sections to watch the game. It was a beautiful spectacle. High volumes of energy buzzed through the Coliseum.

I couldn’t help but think about how much it reminded me of sitting in the right field bleachers for the first ALDS game in Oakland. It made me think about how the O.co Coliseum, the home of the “loudest fans in baseball,” was deservingly recognized during the most important time of the year, October. Many of the opposing players told the media it was the hardest place they had ever played and national media members made it major news. The Athletics fans gained national recognition for how great of fans they were. But besides all of that, the A’s players constantly mentioned how much they fed off of the loud crowd’s energy and how much it helped them.

Despite what everyone has to say about the quality of the O.co Coliseum, it is time that A’s fans showed up in full force to support their team. The Oakland Athletics are one of the best teams in baseball and there is no reason to doubt their legitimacy. Come to the Coliseum to support your team and show everyone that the A’s belong in Oakland. Oakland has a winning product taking the field everyday and that product deserves to have the energy of a sold-out crowd to support their efforts. Give the team what it deserves; help keep the team in Oakland; come see one of the best and most fun teams in baseball.

I hope to see you at the game on Friday! And I hope to see you at every game after that.

Lets go Oakland!

StAy!