'I'll never run on Reddick again': A's give out 'Careless Whisper' cheer cards

Athletics give out 'Careless Whisper' cheer cards

By Mike Bertha

May 27, 2014

In case you haven't had the pleasure of soaking in the smooth sounds of Josh Reddick's walk-up song, it might do you well to pay attention the next time the Athletics outfielder makes his way to the plate at O.co Coliseum. Earlier this season, Reddick switched his intro to "Careless Whisper" by Wham! and A's fans couldn't be more thrilled.

The classic soft rock jam has regained popularity thanks to a YouTube prankster who plays it on a sax … shirtless … in public.

When Reddick approaches the batter's box at the Coliseum, the Athletics faithful rise from their seats, play the air sax and sway along to the glorious harmony. To help spread the word about Reddick's musical selection, the A's teamed up with artist and Cut4 friend Ian Sagabaen, aka @Gr8estSignMaker, to create a "Careless Whisper" cheer card that they handed out to fans on Memorial Day.

We managed to track Sagabaen down while he was vacationing in Alaska (must be nice) to chat about his latest creation:

I happened to be at the game in the right field bleachers in Oakland when Reddick premiered his new walk-up song. Since then, we've been #CarelessWhisper-crazy out in Oakland and we all knew it was going to be a hit. Soon after that game, I drafted a few iterations of ideas until I finally settled on a sign concept that involved some dramatic clouds in the background, a pensive portrait composite of Josh Reddick and George Michael and the iconic "Careless Whisper" saxophone.

Here's Sagabaen himself turning his own cheer card into a makeshift saxophone:

When Sagabaen saw A's fans playing the air sax, he felt compelled to give them something tangible to use:

I've always wanted to create an interactive sign similar to the one made by my buddy and fellow right field bleacher creature Omar and his Coco Crisp Afro sign. After seeing fans in the stands playing invisible saxophones during Reddick's walk-up song, blow-up toy saxophones were bound to be next. As the sign guy, I came up with the idea of using a printed version instead. It's easier to carry and requires less inflating.