OAKLAND -- The celebration continued in Oakland on Friday evening with an elaborate ceremony honoring members of the A's 50th Anniversary Team preceding the club's Opening Night matchup against the Angels.
Following Thursday's exhilarating walk-off victory on Opening Day, the A's of past and present converged for a special affair. Rickey Henderson strutted with swagger, Carney Lansford and Terry Steinbach shared conversation, The Big Three of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito reunited, and Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue and Bert Campaneris, among others, caught up. Jason Giambi mingled about, while Jose Canseco drew plenty of attention, per usual.
Nick Swisher, Coco Crisp, Eric Chavez, Mark Ellis and Jermaine Dye were also spotted in a sea of A's favorites.
"We want our younger guys to know the history of the organization," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "We have a great history here, and to actually see these guys up close I know is going to be cool for everybody.
"Some of these guys I'll even be nervous around based on the fact that they were such a big part of my youth. It's going to be a great night. It'll be really cool, not just for myself but for these younger guys, who can learn a little bit about the history of the Oakland A's tonight."
Even Melvin played a role in the pregame festivities. Steve Vucinich, A's equipment manager and the longest-tenured employee in A's history, threw out the first pitch, with Melvin receiving behind the plate.
Fans were invited to vote for the A's 50th Anniversary Team during the 2017 season, and 27 of the elected members were present for the ceremony, which also included video messages from many absent members, including Yoenis Cespedes, Sean Doolittle, Josh Reddick, Stephen Vogt, Sonny Gray, Josh Donaldson, Dennis Eckersley and Curt Young.
The A's rolled out the yellow carpet for the big event, before the 2018 squad took center stage donning the club's new alternate Kelly green jerseys, which will be worn every Friday home game.