If Tuesday night was the last meaningful night of Oakland baseball, it was one to remember.
On Wednesday morning, Casey Pratt of ABC7 joined 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” to discuss his takeaways from Tuesday’s fan-organized reverse boycott, where more than 27,000 fans showed up and voiced their displeasure with A’s owner John Fisher.
“The vibe out there was absolutely electric, eclectic,” Pratt told hosts Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky. “A’s fans brought all their soul, all their passion into the building.”
Making things sweeter? The lowly A’s ran their win streak to seven, which is currently the longest in baseball. And they did it by winning their second straight against the Tampa Bay Rays, who have MLB’s best record at 48-22.
The event came against the backdrop of Nevada legislators considering Senate Bill 1 (SB1), the A’s proposed $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat stadium on The Strip. Just about an hour before the tailgate kicked off Tuesday, the Nevada senate passed SB1 by a 13-8 margin. The Nevada assembly could vote on SB1 Wednesday, and if passed, it just needs the signature of Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and MLB’s owners.
“Last night, as far as I’m concerned, could have been the last night for Oakland baseball in any meaningful way,” Pratt said.
Fisher became majority owner of the franchise in 2005 and has failed to make any serious investments in his team – as Yoenis Cespedes’ four-year, $36 million free agent deal in 2012 was the richest contract Fisher ever OK’d. The team has also failed to find a new home since Fisher took over, fumbling stadium deals in Fremont, San Jose and at Laney College in Downtown Oakland, before walking away from the Howard Terminal ballpark project in April.
“When they needed to put up or shut up here (in Oakland), they took their ball and went to Las Vegas,” Pratt said. “I think that when you look at A’s ownership group, they’ve been looking everywhere but their own wallet for money this entire time, especially down to the end. You can’t make a deal with anyone that’s willing and reasonable to be a good partner. Frankly, you can’t buy a team from somebody that’s not willing to sell it either.
“That’s the problem, you have an owner squatting on this Major League Baseball franchise and taking it to Las Vegas. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it – except for what they did last night, which was take a Tuesday night game that would probably have 2,000 people at it, and pack in 27,000-plus.”
If the A’s-to-Vegas deal is pushed through, it could be a wholly awkward season in 2024, as the team still has a lease at the Oakland Coliseum until then. The A’s have said they’re open to playing at the 10,000 seat stadium of their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, if needed until their ballpark on The Strip opens up.
“If I were the City of Oakland, if I were running the Oakland Coliseum – I don’t know what the legal ramifications are, I’m just speaking passionately here – I would kick them out,” Pratt said. “Go ahead. You wanna be in Vegas? Have fun. You go play in that minor league park in 110 degree heat in the summer with no roof. That’s you now, that’s what you chose.
“Enjoy three years in a minor league park in the dead of the summer and let’s see how the players union feels about Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani playing in a minor league park in 110 degree heat in Las Vegas.”
