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Oakland A’s fans to throw tomatoes at effigy of owner John Fisher

A group of fans with a merchandise line has organized a ‘tomato tailgate’ before the May 12 game.

A man in an Oakland Athletics jacket and green Athletics cap stands to the left of a man in a blue shirt.
Oakland Athletics Managing Partner John Fisher, left, and President David Kaval, right, talk in the stands during the game against the Seattle Mariners at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 21, 2017. | Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images | Source: Getty Images
By Ethan Kassel

Oakland A’s owner John Fisher hasn’t been spotted at the Oakland Coliseum since the team announced plans to purchase land for a stadium in Las Vegas.

With the reclusive owner nowhere to be found, a group of fans has come up with a way to release their anger toward him by chucking rotten tomatoes at a cardboard cutout of Fisher before next Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

Baseball’s Last Dive Bar (opens in new tab) hosts themed tailgates at each A’s Friday home game, and the men behind the operation took to Twitter to share plans of their demonstration for the May 12 game. Their theme is “Coliseum Cookout,” which will include a tailgate that begins just after 4 p.m. in Lot A. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40.

The tailgate will include a DJ and hot dogs (opens in new tab), though it is a BYOT (bring your own tomato) event. Cutouts of team President Dave Kaval and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will also be available as targets.

READ MORE: Oakland A’s Owner John Fisher Has a Knack for Enraging People With Business Deals

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Last Dive Bar will also have special pins made for the occasion. The group sells clothing and pins on its website, including a one-of-a-kind Coliseum trough pin (opens in new tab), an homage to the venue’s bathrooms.

Ever since the initial Las Vegas announcement, public discourse has shifted from wondering why fans don’t turn out in Oakland to calling Fisher out as one of the worst owners in all of professional sports. During Thursday night’s NBA playoff game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, color commentator and Bay Area native Jeff Van Gundy stated his hopes for Alex Rodriguez to buy the team and keep the A’s in Oakland (opens in new tab).

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BaseballLas VegasOaklandOakland AthleticsSports