Good morning, Athletics Nation!
Hey, have you heard about Bitcoin? It’s an exciting new opportunity and I’ll tell you all about how it can—
Nah, just kidding friends, I wouldn’t do that to you. If you’d like to know more about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, there are several people in your life who are aching to explain it to you in great detail, or you can search online beginning with this link.
What’s important here is that the Oakland A’s are hopping on the crypto train. The team announced Sunday that they will accept Bitcoin as a payment for full season suites, at a price of one Bitcoin per suite.
Coliseum suites are allowed to hold up to six people this season, under the state’s current pandemic safety guidelines. Regular seats are offered only in pods of two or four people, so suites afford a higher capacity for a slightly larger group.
“We invite our fans to become the first Bitcoin suite holders in sports. We’re excited to be one of a handful of teams to accept cryptocurrency for payment and the first to price tickets in crypto instead of US currency. The price of a season suite may fluctuate depending on when it’s purchased, which adds to the excitement!” said A’s President Dave Kaval.
The price of a suite for the full 2021 season in American dollars is $64,800, as listed on the team’s website. At the moment, the going rate for one Bitcoin is $55,999.90 according to Google, but it changes constantly and has already gone up and down by several hundred dollars in the time it’s taken to write these paragraphs.
The A’s have a habit of being on the cutting edge of just about everything in baseball, both on and off the field, and they’ve done it again here with crypto. Don’t get too many ideas about alternate payment methods, though …
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BEHOLD!
Manaea’s velocity is finally coming back!
Sean Manaea was hitting 93, 94 mph on the radar gun today. He hasn’t seen that consistently in a while, so obviously he was happy with that.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) March 14, 2021
Fiers update
Mike Fiers’ MRI showed inflammation in hip area, Bob Melvin says. He’ll have an injection later this afternoon. “Typically takes a couple days to calm down and then we’ll proceed accordingly.” #Athletics
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 15, 2021
Early idea of who might step into Fiers’ spot if needed
More Melvin on Jefferies @DJefferies66: “I think this is really a good time for him. We seem to be a little full in the rotation right now. But right on the cusp of maybe being that first guy as far as depth goes.”
— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) March 12, 2021
… unless it turns out to be a different high-ceiling top prospect. First place problems!
Bob Melvin says A.J. Puk would ideally be the top option to fill the rotation slot if Mike Fiers is unable to make the Opening Day roster, though still unsure if he’ll get enough innings under him this spring. Daulton Jefferies another candidate.
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) March 14, 2021
Frankie Montas looked good!
… But no roster move yet for Frankie after all
This is being treated as essentially a rehab assignment for players recovered from COVID/cleared by medical officials as there aren’t other ways to get similar game experience right now. The A’s can reinstate Montas to the 40-man later and make a corresponding move then. (2/2)
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) March 14, 2021
The Buddy Show continues!
Gonna be fun watching Tatis the next couple decades, and even more fun knowing he’s locked into the NL basically forever (barring a trade to the Yankees in around 2029, which is customary for players with contracts this big)
Bob Melvin on Fernando Tatís: “He looks like he’s playing in the park. He’s always got a smile on his face, laughing and enjoying himself. In a game that can sometimes be stoic, he’s pretty against the grain as far as that goes.”
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) March 12, 2021
Best of Twitter
Putting a number on Coliseum capacity instead of a percentage
Hope to see these classic follicles in the Fall Classic
Manaea is more than just pretty hair, though. He nasty.
Here’s Sean Manaea’s theory of A’s pitchers’ nastiness:
“I know that I have that mentality that I’m nasty, I think every other one of us believes, individually, that they’re nasty, too. Which, in turn, makes the group nasty.”
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) March 14, 2021
Lawyerball!
Blue is now spelled B-e-a-u
… Background of Beau Taylor tweet: The umps didn’t stick around for the unnecessary bottom of the 9th (fair enough, have you ever been to Arizona?), so the Giants and Indians played on without them. But it sounds like the Giants were being nice, ugh alright fine, whatever they still suck.
Kapler said the Giants agreed during the game to playing the full nine because Cleveland brought pitchers who needed work; Sandy Alomar had asked during the game and the Giants had no issues with it. Kapler also thought Beau Taylor did a good job calling balls and strikes.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 14, 2021
