A's movin' like Bernie

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OAKLAND -- They do it in the clubhouse, they do it in the dugout, they do it on the field, and they even did it in celebration at first base immediately after capturing their MLB-leading 11th walk-off win Sunday.

The A's move it like Bernie.

You may have noticed the weird dance that A's players keep doing. It's called the "Bernie." It's a dance that got started when a rapper known as ISA released the song 'Moving like Bernie' back in 2010. So why in 2012 has this caught on with the A's?

"We started playing it in the clubhouse a couple weeks back and Brandon Inge loved it," reliever Jim Miller said with a grin. "He changed it to his walk-up song. We've been having a good time with it."

Figuring there had to more to the story of how a song based on the late 1980s movie "Weekend At Bernie's," became the A's go-to celebration dance -- the quest went straight to the source.

"Yeah, I like the song, I like the song," Inge said while trying to keep a straight face. "It was Coco Crisp that put it on. I think Jerry Blevins showed me the video of the guys dancing to it and I was just dying laughing."

"I can't take credit for that," Coco Crisp said. "It was Jerry Blevins who brought the Bernie inside the clubhouse."

"It started because I make fun of today's hip hop, it doesn't have any message whatsoever," Blevins said. "Then the Bernie song came out and I heard it this past New Year's Eve for the first time and I love it."

Upon hearing the song, Blevins brought it to Crisp's attention. In the past Crisp has come out to dance songs like 'The Dougie' or 'The Cat daddy,' so Blevins thought it was perfect for him. Crisp, however, liked his current walk-up song and instead put the Bernie on his iPad and started mixing the song into his clubhouse rap rotation. Inge then made it his walk-up song as an inside joke. That's when the Bernie started going viral.

"Someone told Inge that the right field caught onto it, and they are doing the Bernie over there too," Crisp said. "I told Inge he should point up there like Babe Ruth. He didn't do it, but he did hit a home run."

It's goofy reasons like these that the A's have won five straight games and nine out of their last 10 contests. In a game of intense pressure and failure it apparently helps to keep it loose. No one is ever more at ease than when leaning back, letting their arms go limp, and doing the Bernie.

"It kind of relaxes everyone a little bit and puts everyone in a good mood," Miller said. "It's a lot of fun around here right now. We are playing good baseball and enjoying it."

Gon' let it sink in, we do this every weekend, we move it like Bernie. There might be one more connection that no one has realized. Weekend At Bernie's came out in 1989 -- the last year the A's won the World Series. So next time you are watching an A's game and you see the boys on the field doing the Bernie do it with them. Just remember to "Hold yah head back like a nosebleed comin' through."

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