Once upon there was Bat Day. Only Bat Day. Then came Ball Day. Then Cap Day, then Helmet Day. Then (Your City Here) Night. Then came Picture Day, where you could snap photographs of players as they milled around between the foul lines and the grandstand.
Anyone else jonesing for the ’70s right about now?
It was a simpler time. Not necessarily perfect. I visited relatives in Southern California one summer. We went to a few Angels games. At one, I was too old to get a bat. At another, I was too young to get a helmet. I’m over it now. Mostly.
Those days have gone the way of the flannel jersey. Now you’d have to work to find a date for any Major League Baseball team that doesn’t have some kind of come-on.
Case in point: The A’s have released their 2019 home schedule, and it is chockablock with promotions and special events. Check out the first three games in Oakland (the A’s open the season against the Mariners in Japan). On March 28: a rally towel. On March 29: a Bob Melvin Manager of the Year pin. On March 31: It’s Youth Baseball and Softball Day (the first of three) with a pregame festival and parade on the field.
There are giveaways (bobbleheads, rally candles, unicorn fanny packs), awareness events (autism, breast cancer, prostate cancer), appreciation events (nurses, military members), fireworks nights, heritage nights (Greek, Pacific Islander, Portuguese, Native American).
You get the point. The team has something going at every home game. Rather than overwhelm you with a comprehensive list, let’s just cut to the chase and one self-appointed expert’s top five A’s promotions of 2019 (in chronological order).
June 16: You’d think Father’s Day would be enough. You’d be wrong. Also on the schedule: Khris Davis Bat Day. Because kids are kids, some teams have tweaked Bat Day, giving kids a coupon redeemable for a bat after the game, the better to mitigate a potential three-hour, bat-banging cacophony. This video suggests the A’s distribute the swag at the door.
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June 20: Oakland Larks Cap Night. A cool bit of history, celebrating the short-lived West Coast Baseball Association Negro League team, which debuted and disbanded in 1946, the year before Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Former Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson was a left-handed hurler for the Larks.
July 28: It’s a simple and wildly successful recipe: Baseball. A sunny Sunday afternoon. Root beer floats. This will mark the 20th annual A&W Root Beer Float Day.
Aug. 24: The 1989 World Series team reunion convenes before an interleague matchup against the Giants. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that magic season in which the A’s and Giants met in the Bay Bridge World Series. The Loma Prieta Earthquake? Take it from someone who was there — it wasn’t their fault.
Sept. 21: The penultimate home game of the season includes a Jersey Off Their Backs promotion. Question: What if the A’s clinch a postseason spot that day and all their jerseys wind up drenched in champagne?
