Kensington Blues

Is that a t-shirt yet? I coined it this morning, which feels like months in Internet time. The beat goes on for Bring Your A’s Game (I promise I’ll write about something else here soon), notching yet another friendly post from Philly guy Dan McQuade over at the hilarious, awesome Walkoff Walk.

I’ve got more in store with this. Yes, it’s verging on — no, totally is — insanity, but I think that as silly as it is, there’s too much fun to be had not to keep pursuing it just to see where it goes. I’ll keep you in the loop if and when anything happens.

I wish I were joking when I said that this scene from Step Brothers was the inspiration for Bring Your A’s Game. It’s been a pretty amazing day for the project. Great write-ups at Geekadelphia and Philebrity, great people reaching out, and even more people joining the cause on Facebook!

I’m amazed at the level of interest that’s already been generated. If you know anyone who loves baseball and the City of Brotherly Love, then let them know about Bring Your A’s Game!

While I’m eternally grateful to Brad Lidge for making Eric Hinske a household name here in Philadelphia, I feel that after two consecutive bases-loaded saves he should at least consider changing his entrance music to the Beastie Boys’ thrash track, “Heart Attack Man.”

Remember how I posted that thing about bringing the Athletics back to Philadelphia this morning? Well, it’s kind of becoming a thing. I just registered a domain for Bring Your A’s Game, a site dedicated to bringing the Athletics back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Where does this rank among my quixotic pursuits? Somewhere between my childhood wish to become President at 35 (still have two years to get that together!) and swimming in the ’96 Olympics, which is to say, it’s pretty far out there. Does this sound completely insane, yet strangely appealing to you? Be in touch!

As an aside, do you think I should start a Kickstarter account to raise the $295M to buy the team outright?

The Athletics are one of baseball’s most nomadic franchises. After originating here in the late nineteenth century and then becoming a modern club in 1901, the A’s have moved twice: first to Kansas City in 1954 and then on to Oakland in 1968, as baseball fans moved west in droves. Now the club is threatening to move away from Oakland. They’re threatening to move to — wait for it — Sacramento, of all places.

Now maybe the people of Sacramento would like a professional baseball team, but so did northern Virginia and what did they get? The Expos. How’s that working out? Have you been to a Nationals game? The crowd they claimed was starving for baseball would appear to appreciate the diet. Even with pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg the Nats struggle to draw a crowd. I have my doubts that Sacramento would be able to support a major league baseball team any better than Oakland does. Lots of love for Tyreke Evans, but even the Kings don’t rule.

Here’s my solution: let’s bring them back to Philadelphia! I’d have to double check, but I’m pretty sure Philadelphia’s the largest television market that doesn’t have two teams. Is it an impossible pipe dream? Probably, but I’m not ready to give up the slim hope that some wildly egotistical entrepreneur couldn’t embrace the romantic notion of returning the A’s to their hometown, the birthplace of professional baseball.

I’ll grant that there are many seemingly insurmountable practical concerns, first and foremost being where they’d play. Could Philadelphia even support two teams? We’re baseball rich right now, but what about when the Phillies inevitably slide? Will baseball fans retreat into their homes? Would people support both teams? How does Chicago manage?

If the A’s are planning to move anyway, why not at least try to bring them back to Philadelphia? Can’t the City of Brotherly love make a pitch to win them back?