OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) 鈥 Boston Red Sox owner John Henry was sent a special 鈥淪tay In Oakland鈥 box from Bay Area fans packed with a green Athletics cap, a baseball card featuring his likeness and a note telling him all the reasons he should vote no on the team's planned relocation to Las Vegas.
They're trying to sway Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, too 鈥 another owner identified as someone who could be convinced to vote against Vegas.
They hope Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno might be an ally. Or perhaps Ray Davis of the World Series champion Texas Rangers. Maybe the Seattle Mariners' John Stanton.
The devoted fan group chose 15 owners to receive the box, selected because maybe 鈥 just maybe 鈥 there's one more chance to keep the A's in Oakland.
This last-ditch effort includes a big assist by clothing company Last Dive Bar, a loyal A's supporter. It made the boxes and a snazzy, colorful 鈥淜eep the Athletics in ... OAKLAND鈥 postcard.
鈥淭his project has been a culmination of our collective works and we hope it shows the owners what we all know to be true,鈥 Paul Bailey, one of the three owners of Last Dive Bar, said in a message to The AP. 鈥淭he fans are not the problem.鈥
Oakland clothing company Oaklandish provided the hats, while the box also features by 鈥淭he Summer of Sell鈥 group, a USB flash drive and a personal letter from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao along with a photo of her in an A's jersey. The boxes were sent from her office address.
鈥淭he box is everything that's been done before in Oakland and why they should vote no,鈥 explained lifelong A's fan Stephen Lucero, an artist and firefighter in nearby Alameda who made the custom cards for each owner.
Some 200 people crammed the Oakland City Council chambers for a standing-room-only meeting last Tuesday and chanted 鈥淪tay in Oakland!鈥 in yet another unified effort to keep the team from moving. The City Council unanimously passed a resolution that reaffirmed its support of the A's staying in Oakland.
MLB owners are expected to vote on the proposed relocation Wednesday or Thursday during league meetings, to be held this year in Arlington, Texas.
The A鈥檚 reached a tentative agreement for a new stadium in Las Vegas in May, spurring outrage and frustration during what may have been a lame-duck season in Oakland.
and implored owner John Fisher to sell the team with what they called a reverse boycott. Thousands wore green 鈥淪ELL鈥 T-shirts and chanted 鈥淪ell the team!鈥 throughout a 2-1 victory against Tampa Bay. A season-best crowd of 27,759 was the largest for an A鈥檚 game on a Tuesday since they drew 33,654 against the Dodgers on Aug. 7, 2018.
After the season, during a video message announcing his retirement. May implored Fisher to 鈥淪ell the team, dude. ... Sell it, man."
鈥淟et someone who actually, like, takes pride in the things they own, own something," he added.
Lucero and wife Chrissy, also his business partner at Steevow Custom Cards, spent hours at City Hall last Tuesday as A鈥檚 fans rallied once more to try to save their team.
鈥淓xtremely proud,鈥 said the 41-year-old Lucero. 鈥淓verybody came together and they continue to, and it's not going to stop.鈥
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