Tagged: Gio Gonzalez
Tweetup with the A’s
We hosted our inaugural Tweetup last night. It’s like a “meetup” except it’s Twitter.com users (who “tweet”) that follow the official A’s feeds @Athletics and @ticketservices. A special Plaza Level ticket allowed early access to the Eastside Club before the evening’s game where guests were treated to question and answer sessions with A’s players and personalities, hosted by Kara (@karashotcorner), while nibbling on inclusive food and beverages. 
Two of the A’s most savvy social media users, pitchers Gio Gonzalez (@GioGonzalez47) and Brad Ziegler (@bradziegler), sat down with Kara in front of the crowd to answer questions that fans tweeted us before and during the event. A few off-the-cuff highlights from the players… When asked what other position he’d play besides pitcher, Gio said he couldn’t play infield because he doesn’t like wearing a cup. Asked about their uniform choices, Brad doesn’t wear stirrups because it’s too much gold for his taste, to which Gio replied he wants to go with an all gold uniform. Brad was asked and talked about the importance of his foundation Pastime for Patriots.
After the player panel, A’s radio voice Vince Controneo (@vincebaseball), Comcast SportNet California on-air personality Kate Longworth (@KLongworthCSN), and the Twitter sensation/wife of the night’s home team starting pitcher Amanda McCarthy (@Mrs_McCarthy32) all sat down with Kara to discuss how Twitter enhances their daily lives. Vince claims he doesn’t know what he’s doing on Twitter, but clearly, as one of the few MLB broadcasters on Twitter, understands how to harness the power of social media. He uses Twitter to interact with fans and stay on top of breaking news around the league. Kate, both a reporter and A’s fan, appreciates the personal viewpoint that Twitter provides fans. She recounted a recent connection she made with an out-of-state A’s fan that coined the term “Fosse Posse” and then attended his first home game in Oakland, where he got to meet Ray Fosse. Twitter provided the platform to make these connections happen. Amanda discussed the thrill of tweeting with people and then coming face-to-face, realizing the person you’re tweeting might be seated right behind you at the ballpark.
Even Stomper (@Stomper00) rolled through the Tweetup a couple times to visit with fans, assist with the giveaway raffle, and to try and push his Twitter followers over 1,000. By the end of the game he reached his goal!
Thank you everyone that came out to the A’s first Tweetup. If you attended, we’d love to hear what you thought. Write us in the comments area below so that we can make the next Tweetup even better.
Take a walk down Tweetup memory lane with additional Tweetup with the A’s photos…
Predicting the Future
As mentioned on our @ticketservices Twitter feed, Gio Gonzalez was on last night’s Season Ticket commemorative ticket stock. Every offseason, shortly before the thick of the holiday season, a few of us in the Ticket Operations Department pour over photos, creating a theme, and assigning each photo to specific games throughout the season. We want each ticket to be unique and we hope that each ticket will be memorable. Consolidated Printing, the company that prints the tickets, then helps with the design. We recently placed Trevor Cahill on a night that he pitched, similar to Gio’s ticket last night. Boy, did Gio pitch a gem last night or what? A leadoff hit by the Marlins and then not another the rest of the night. A’s win 1-0. We called that one in December.
Season Ticket Holder Party Recap
We want to give a HUGE thank you to all A’s Season Ticket Holders that attended the private party on Saturday, September 11. The special event, strictly for Season Ticket Holders, welcomed guests with a red carpet entrance to the Eastside Club. Once inside, children had an area for coloring, complete with face painting and balloon art. Adults had a DJ for dancing and karaoke. Everyone was able to dine on complimentary food. Legendary A’s pitchers Vida Blue and Dave Stewart posed for photos with fans at the World Series trophies for nearly an hour. Ray Fosse lead Question and Answer sessions with Andrew Bailey, Craig Breslow, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, as well as with Blue and Stewart. Even Executive Director of Ticket Sales and Operations, Steve Fanelli, and In-Game Host Kara Tsuboi graced the stage to thank the guests.
Did you smile big for your photo when entering the Eastside Club? These photos will be on your 2011 Opening Night ticket! How cool is that?! You’ll have to renew your plan in time for the commemorative ticket stock. Get a jump on next season by calling the A’s Ticket Services Office at (510) 568-5600. You can even request seat relocation now by phone or online here.
Thank you all again for what continues to be a fun season of A’s baseball!
Early Bird Sweepstakes Kickoff
As part of our 2009 “Season Ticket Holder Sweepstakes”, Ticket Services hosted a Holiday Reception for fifty 2009 Season Ticket Holder’s at Pyramid Ale House in Berkeley on December 3rd. The winners of this unique prize in the sweepstakes enjoyed the company of A’s starting pitchers Dana Eveland and Gio Gonzalez, as well as broadcaster Ray Fosse and several members of the A’s front office staff.
The night began with appetizers and a rousing welcome from Steve Fanelli, Senior Director of Ticket Operations. Ray Fosse then officially christened the 2009 baseball season with a warm introduction of Dana and Gio. Whenever you hear Ray on the microphone, one can only think of warm summer days spent in the sun at the Coliseum, even if it is one week after Thanksgiving. Player’s and front office staff dined with Season Ticket Holders, who caught up on off-season plans as well as what is in store for the 2009 season. The highlight of the evening was the private chalk talk session with Ray, Gio and Dana where Season Ticket Holders had the chance to meet the players and interact on a personal level in a private locale.
Some interesting quotes from the chalk talk session:
Dana Eveland on earning the starting job at the beginning of the 2008 season:
“Bob (Geren, A’s Manager) and Billy (Beane, Vice President & General Manager) didn’t tell me throughout Spring Training that I was going to be starting. Actually, not until after the Japan games did I find out I had the starting job.”
Gio Gonzalez on his outlook on the 2009 season:
“I’m coming into this season with the mindset of us not only just reaching the playoffs, but winning a championship. On a personal basis, I wish I was thinking like this last year, but now that I have a year under my belt, I understand how focused I need to be.”
Dana Eveland on his childhood idol:
“As a kid I loved Nolan Ryan. I watched other pitchers but Nolan Ryan, the way he was such a warrior out there, I loved him. Even in Tee ball I was like ‘man I need to pitch like that.’ You know he’s got the raised arms and the high knee kick.
Ray Fosse jumps in:
“I faced Nolan Ryan; and that’s all I can say is that I faced him.”
Dana Eveland on shaking off A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki:
“I shook him off maybe three times all year. He’s probably my favorite catcher that I’ve thrown to in my entire life.”
We were happy to show our guests a great evening, and A’s staff look forward to opportunities such as these where we are able to speak to our fans on a more personal level in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. We’ll be selecting more winners throughout the off-season, so be sure to renew your plan by the Early Bird deadline. Stay tuned to the blog for more information, and good luck!
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