Boston Red Sox Owner Receives “Stay In Oakland” Box from Fans
By Janie McCauley
OAKLAND, Calif. – In a last-ditch effort to keep the Oakland Athletics in their beloved city, Bay Area fans have sent a special “Stay In Oakland” box to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry. The box is packed with a green Athletics cap, a baseball card featuring Henry’s likeness, and a heartfelt note urging him to vote against the team’s planned relocation to Las Vegas.
The fan group is also targeting other MLB owners who could potentially be convinced to vote against the move. Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees, Arte Moreno of the Los Angeles Angels, Ray Davis of the Texas Rangers, and John Stanton of the Seattle Mariners are among the owners they hope to sway.
The group carefully selected 15 owners to receive the box, holding onto the hope that there might be one more chance to keep the A’s in Oakland. The effort has received significant support from Last Dive Bar, a clothing company known for its loyalty to the A’s. They provided the boxes and a colorful “Keep the Athletics in … OAKLAND” postcard.
“This project represents the collective works of our fan community, and we hope it demonstrates to the owners what we all know to be true – the fans are not the problem,” said Paul Bailey, one of the owners of Last Dive Bar.
The box also includes a DVD created by “The Summer of Sell” group, a USB flash drive, and a personal letter from Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, accompanied by a photo of her wearing an A’s jersey. The boxes will be delivered from the mayor’s office address.
Stephen Lucero, a lifelong A’s fan and artist/firefighter from nearby Alameda, played a crucial role in the project by creating custom cards for each owner. Lucero emphasized that the box represents everything that has been done before in Oakland and why the owners should vote against the relocation.
The fan support for keeping the A’s in Oakland was evident during a recent standing-room-only meeting at the Oakland City Council chambers. Approximately 200 people attended the meeting, chanting “Stay in Oakland!” in a unified effort to prevent the team from moving. The City Council unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming its support for the A’s staying in Oakland.
The MLB owners are expected to vote on the proposed relocation during their annual meetings in Arlington, Texas, next week. The A’s reached a tentative agreement for a new stadium in Las Vegas in May, which sparked outrage and frustration among fans during what could potentially be the team’s final season in Oakland.
On June 13, passionate fans gathered at the Coliseum and staged a reverse boycott, urging owner John Fisher to sell the team. Thousands of fans wore green “SELL” T-shirts and chanted “Sell the team!” throughout a 2-1 victory against Tampa Bay. The game drew a season-best crowd of 27,759, the largest for an A’s game on a Tuesday since 2018.
After the season, A’s pitcher Trevor May publicly criticized Fisher in a video message announcing his retirement. May implored Fisher to “Sell the team, dude. … Sell it, man.”
Stephen Lucero and his wife Chrissy, who is his business partner at Steevow Custom Cards, dedicated hours to support the A’s cause at City Hall. Lucero expressed his pride in the community’s