After 57 years based in Oakland, the Oakland Athletics will play their final home game in the Bay Area on Thursday, September 24 against the Texas Rangers. To express his gratitude to the Oakland fans, team owner John Fisher sent an email thanking the fans and attempting to explain the situation.
This was not well received by fans.
Throughout the whole effort to get the Athletics out of Oakland, fans had made it clear they wanted the team to stay in Oakland. The team’s ticket sales had been consistently low, in large part due to the owners’ unwillingness to renovate the outdated Oakland Coliseum or acquire quality players to make the Athletics a competitive team. We received a letter from Fisher claiming to have “made an effort,” but that was not the intention. For many fans who have been waiting for the owners to “try” to do something, it feels like a slap in the face.
But no one was more upset than ABC Bay Area reporter Larry Vail, who was quick to air his thoughts on the letter on local television. He didn’t mince words, saying what many Oakland fans are feeling:
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Anker’s complaints about John Fisher
Bale began his tirade by reading out the meat of Fisher’s letter. Fisher wrote that when he and a partner bought the team in 2005, he wanted to win championships and build a new stadium. He claims he did his best to make that happen, but that he “tried” and “fell short.” He goes on to say that staying in Oakland was his ultimate goal, and that he regrets not achieving it.
Bale then went on to dig into Fisher’s comments, claiming that Fisher had proposed five sites for a new stadium in the Bay Area, but that each proposal was deeply flawed and “never got as far as putting a shovel in the ground.” He also disputed Fisher’s claim that winning championships was his number one priority. He compared Fisher to Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, arguing that “you have to spend money to make money,” just as Lacob did with the Warriors.
Bale also made the shocking statement of denying Fisher’s statement that he wanted to “speak to each and every one of them individually.” Bale claimed the network had tried to interview Fisher for years, but that he always chose to “remain hidden,” only giving interviews when he wanted to beg politicians for public funds.
Bale ended his initial rant by doing what every Athletics fan wanted to do when they read the letter: ripping it up. He then went on to blast Fisher for his incompetence in moving the team to Las Vegas. Fisher said that while the move was considered a done deal, the Athletics hadn’t presented any plans for the stadium and would play in a minor league stadium in Sacramento each of the next three seasons. Bale believes that Fisher and the rest of the Athletics’ ownership team will screw this up too, which could force Major League Baseball to force Fisher to sell the team.
John Fisher’s Letter: Reactions
Absolutely. Most notably, the former Oakland Athletics player actually took up arms against Fisher and fought back.
Trevor May recorded the final out of Oakland’s infamous “reverse boycott” game last year, in which fans flooded the stadium to prove that if the owners cared about their team, the fans would come out to the games.
“Grow up. Stand up in front of the camera and say it with your head held high. Publishing a letter that was obviously written by someone else and including a bunch of names you will never know is just disrespectful to the people who love their team,” May wrote.
But May wasn’t alone. Former fan favorite Josh Reddick also wholeheartedly agreed with May’s sentiments.
Why is the letter so bad?
The most infuriating part of the letter is undoubtedly the statement, “we tried.” Many Oakland fans would argue that Fisher didn’t try, and it’s hard to argue with them. When it comes to keeping star players with big contracts, the Athletics have never done it. In 2004, the Athletics signed third baseman Eric Chavez to a $66 million contract. This remains the largest contract the Athletics have ever signed, even though Fisher bought the Athletics in 2005 and contracts have increased exponentially since then.
The Athletics have made a few playoff appearances over the years but have never made it past the division round other than an appearance in the ALCS in 2006. The Athletics have had a number of young players over the years who could have helped them win a championship if they had stayed with the team: Josh Donaldson (MVP winner with the Toronto Blue Jays), Matt Chapman, Matt Olson (fourth in MVP voting with Atlanta in 2023), Yoenis Cespedes, Marcus Semien, Sean Murphy, etc. These are just the most recent players, by the way.
Other than acquiring Jon Lester (in the Cespedes trade) and Jeff Samardzija at the 2014 trade deadline, the Athletics haven’t made a big splash on the trade market since 2010. Perhaps the infamous Matt Holliday trade that ended up being a disaster for Oakland in 2008 inspired Fisher to try something like that again.
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