East Bay legends Too Short and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong have joined the ranks of Oakland Ballers fans who own a portion of the local minor baseball league team, which launches its second season with the Independent Pioneer League on May 20.
The Oakland Ballers (a.k.a. the Oakland B’s), which was the first team in league history to have a female pitcher, proved to be a hit in its inaugural season, with over 92,000 fans attending games at the team's home base at the newly renovated Raimondi Park in West Oakland. According to KQED, Ballers founders Bryan Carmel and Paul Freedman raised over $1.2 million in support of the inaugural season with the help of 2,200 investors, and they hope to raise $2 million this year.
In a press release, co-founder Paul Freedman said that Too Short and Billie Joe Armstrong were big supporters during the Ballers's first season before coming on board in a more formal capacity.
Too Short said he was excited about the impact the Ballers will have on the community and in the sports world:
Oakland has produced some of the best athletes and sports fans in the world and The Ballers commitment to feeding that competitive fire is exciting for me as an Oakland native.
Armstrong spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about the Ballers:
[A]fter the A’s left, the town was heartbroken. The Ballers are going to bring good vibes back to Oakland and the broader East Bay.
Image: Genie Gratto/Wikimedia
Previously: Oakland Ballers Introduce New Mascot, Which Is a Possum, as Another Way to Troll the Oakland A’s
