Maybe, Maybe Not

The A's days in Oakland are numbered.  It's been a rough road and a bumpy ride, but I'm starting to accept it.  It's not like I have a choice.  There's nothing A's fans can do or could have done to keep them in Oakland.  I know there are those who will say we should have attended more games and shown more support for our beloved team and they would have stayed.  They might be right, but I think they're wrong.

In my humble opinion... John Fisher wasn't interested in staying around.  Could the city of Oakland have done a better job at trying to keep the A's here?  Definitely.  Would selling out games made a difference?  Probably.  But if ownership truly wanted to fill seats... trading away their best players year in and year out wasn't a great strategy.

So what now?  Will I still support the team when they officially start playing in Las Vegas?  Maybe, maybe not.

What I do know is that I will continue wear my Oakland A's jerseys, hats, hoodies, and t-shirts proudly.  Heck... you might even catch me wearing this cool belt that Bob over at The Best Bubble purchased for me:

It's a custom belt made out of sports cards produced by a company called Card Belts.  It contains a variety of cards ranging from a San Jose Sharks checklist to the goofy Rex Hudler "milking the cow" card.  However the majority of the cards feature Oakland A's.

The oldest card on the belt is Mike Edward's 1979 Topps record breaker card, which highlights his two unassisted double plays as a second baseman against the California Angels on August 10th, 1978.  Luis Alicia also did it 18 years later... but they are the only two to accomplish the feat in American League history.

I'll never know when or where my first MLB baseball game took place, but it was during the 70's and there's a good chance it took place at the Oakland Coliseum.  That's why no matter what... I'll continue to collect 70's Oakland A's cards like the Edwards.

My all-time favorite Oakland Athletic, The King of Steal also makes an appearance on the belt and there's no chance I'll ever stop collecting his cards.

Bob even made sure to include a bubble blowing Athletic... and yes I'll continue to collect copies of this card as well.

Isn't this one of the coolest belts ever?  It's by far the most unique piece of Oakland A's memorabilia in the collection and I can't wait to wear it out.

In addition to apparel... Bob also sent me a separate package that contained a variety of items.  In an effort to keep my posts straight to the point, I'm going to share three specific A's cards.

First up are these two 1993 promo cards featuring two Oakland A's hall of famers:

1993 Fleer Ultra #NNO Paul Mullan & Dennis Eckersley

1993 UD B.A.T. Triple Folders

All-Star FanFest Baltimore

Heroes of Baseball Previews #HOB-3

Yup.  I'll continue to collect cards of both of these guys.  And I do enjoy me some 90's promo cards.

The final card I wanted to share with you guys is this beauty:

1952 Red Man #12

It's crazy to think that this card came out the same year as the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle.

The A's didn't arrive in Oakland until 1968... four years before I was born.  But I've never had a problem of collecting Athletics cards from their days in Philadelphia and Kansas City.

As for Vegas... I'll eventually figure out my allegiance to the Las Vegas Athletics.  Right now I'm not happy with their ownership nor do I want to put any money into his pockets.  The wounds are too fresh.  But maybe with time.  Then again... maybe not.

Thank you Bob for all of these cool A's items.  No doubt about it... they are all truly appreciated.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!