In their ongoing efforts to support victims of last week’s Japanese earthquake disaster, the Oakland A’s have announced plans for a silent auction of signed and game-used baseball equipment with 100% of the proceeds raised going to relief efforts now underway in Japan, where a deadly earthquake and tsunami have left much of the country’s coastline in peril.
The auction will take place before and during the team’s Sunday, April 3 game with the Seattle Mariners. The team will also donate $1 for every ticket sold to the Red Cross.
The auction will include signed, game-worn jerseys from Japanese baseball icons Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui, both of whom will be playing that day. A limited supply of signed 8×10 color photos of Matsui will also be sold for $50 each.
In addition, the A’s have established a new web site, www.oaklandathletics.com/japan, which will allow fans to make tax-deductible donations to the A’s Community Fund, with 100 percent of those proceeds-along with money raised from the April 3 game — given to the Red Cross.
The benefit game, which will showcase Japan’s two greatest modern-day players in Suzuki and Matsui, is also Japanese Heritage Day at the Coliseum, featuring pre-game ceremonies and entertainment.
Beyond the $1 per ticket commitment by the A’s organization, corporate sponsors for Japanese Heritage Day, including title sponsor Capcom and presenting sponsors NetSuite and Fujitsu, will also contribute thousands of dollars to the cause.
