If you’re an A’s fan you know it well: “Let’s go, Oakland (pum pum PUM PUM PUM!)” It has a cadence, it has a rhythm. It can be replicated and customized in other towns, from “Let’s go, Royals” to “Let’s go, Boston”.
All you really need is a city name or a team name that fits the 2-syllable meter. Which is where the A’s suddenly have a problem.
You can’t plug in “Athletics” or “A’s” as one is overly syllabic and the other syllable deficient. “Sacramento” is doubly problematic, as it has 4 syllables and the A’s aren’t even identifying Sacramento in their team name.
And yet the A’s are going to have home games beginning on March 31st and undoubtedly the home crowd is going to want to resurrect a partisan cheer. What will they do? Here are my personal top choices…
First Choice:
“Let’s go, Oakland!”
How awesome would it be if the home crowd in Sacramento decided to chant “Let’s go, Oakland!” as their cheer? It would a beautiful middle finger to John Fisher and Rob Manfred, a clear statement that “You can take the A’s out of Oakland, but you can’t take Oakland out of the A’s.”
It’s familiar, recognizable, and linked to cheers that helped the A’s often to have exceptional home records and to be the “walk-off capital”. May as well bring a winning cheer to the state capital while you’re at it.
Second Choice:
“Let’s go, nomads!”
Why not embrace the absurdity of a storied franchise that is being relegated to transience in a minor league venue as a presumed stopover on the way to an ill-fated destination in a community that isn’t even excited at the prospect of having them?
“Nomads” fits the meter and currently describes the franchise, and also offers a bit of a middle finger to Fisher and Manfred.
Third Choice:
“Let’s go shopping!”
No comma this time. Another middle finger to Fisher and Manfred, acknowledging that nothing really fits after “Let’s go” other than some generic, non-baseball related end to the sentence. I would like to hear national broadcasters try to explain it as it permeates the crowd mike.
Sadly these are my best ideas so far. So I offer them in the poll for voting, but also hope many of you will serve up alternative ideas you might like best. All I know is that in 65 days there will be a sold out crowd (otherwise known as 14,000 people) and it’s going to be electric and the fans are going to want to start a cheer.
What will it be?