Brett Lawrie Brings a New Fan to Oakland

When Brett Lawrie was acquired by the Oakland Athletics many fans, myself included, were very excited. We looked forward to seeing what a powerhouse player he could become with Oakland’s coaching staff, ample foul zone, and real grass. What we didn’t think about, because we’re all such selfish baseball fans, is how the Brett Lawrie trade might affect the fans he already had back in Toronto.

Thankfully, as is the norm whenever our children are upset or doped up from the dentist, one young fan’s parents recorded their daughter’s heartbreaking meltdown upon receiving the news that her favorite player wasn’t playing for her favorite team anymore.

Naturally, the video went viral among baseball fans, even making an appearance on a very important A’s podcast, and eventually caught the attention of Brett Lawrie himself. Proving that he’s a class act and going to fit in great here in Oakland, Lawrie surprised six year old Amelia while she was dining with her parents and showered her with Lawrie/Blue Jays toys, jerseys, and “googleheads”. Reacting to a simple 40 second video and taking a little bit of time out of his day, Brett Lawrie has given Amelia, and no doubt her parents, a memory that they will never forget and cemented a lifelong fan in the process.

What a nice little story, right? Well, it keeps going. It turns out that the Oakland Athletics have followed Brett Lawrie’s lead and shipped a nice little goodie basket of A’s gear for Amelia to enjoy along with a cute letter welcoming her to the family.

I hope Amelia can make it out to Oakland next year to sport some of her new gear, which includes a NerdPower tshirt and a couple of hats and watch her favorite third baseman have a great game.

A lot has been written and said about “classy” teams and “classy” players recently. In a profession riddled with cheaters, abusers, and egomaniacs it’s nice to see an athlete take a little time out of his day to do something special. Whether they want to admit it or not, they are role models and every parent would prefer their child grow up idolizing a hard working athlete who does good on the field and good in the community over an ego driven wife beater. Seeing things like this reminds us all that for every athlete that you see in the news doing something horrible, there are 50 who are working for charities, donating time, and making dreams come true.

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• Luis Barrera heading to familiar foe in Los Angeles Angels
• Looking back at Ruben Sierra with the Oakland A’s
• San Francisco Giants showing Oakland A’s offseason could be worse
• Lucas Luetge what Oakland A’s need in bullpen

Amelia, welcome to the family. You are now and forever a famous A’s fan and shall enjoy all the perks that go along with that. When you come to the Coliseum, drop me an email and we’ll make sure you get all of the hot dogs and Stomper toys you want.

And to Brett Lawrie, welcome to a classy team filled with classy guys just like you. You’re going to do well here and make a lot of young fans cry if you ever leave.

All of that being said, I’m not sure why the A’s sent Amelia a voodoo doll.