What’s next in A’s-to-Las Vegas saga and how did we get here? Four experts weigh in
How to make sense of A's move to Las Vegas? Casey Pratt (ABC7) and Brodie Brazil (NBC Sports California) have been on the story since it started. Dave Newhouse and Andy Dolich wrote a book about leaving Oakland.
So what’s next for the Athletics?
They intend to move to Las Vegas and have approval from the Nevada Legislature and the governor on a $1.5 billion stadium deal. Owner John Fisher does not speak to the media. But hurdles remain and questions are unanswered.
To get some answers, four people came to mind immediately:
— Dave Newhouse, a former Oakland Tribune sports columnist and author of 19 books. The latest, “Goodbye to Oakland”, details the exodus of the Raiders and Warriors while setting the table for the departure of the A’s.
— Andy Dolich, co-author of “Goodbye to Oakland” and a former A’s executive specializing in marketing from 1980 through 1994. Currently a sports consultant.
— Casey Pratt, an ABC7 reporter who has been at the forefront of coverage through the A’s stadium saga and a go-to on social media when it comes to information on the proposed move.
— Brodie Brazil of NBC Sports California, who hosts A’s pre- and post-game shows and who like Pratt has been a steady source of reliable information on the proposed move.
Here’s what they had to say in interviews conducted this week, with answers edited for brevity:
Q: Do you see a path to where the A’s could remain in Oakland?
Newhouse: It’s scary because John Fisher doesn’t talk to anybody. We don’t even know if his heart beats. The man is an enigma. Oakland has not been made whole by the Warriors leaving and the Raiders leaving twice. I don’t see any hope for baseball.
Pratt: I see a path where the A’s remain in Oakland but I think it would require the sale of the A’s to a local ownership group.
Brazil: It would take a lot of dominoes to fall in the right place. Either from the A’s, or the city of Oakland being more proactive, trying to jump back into the conversation. Nevada has taken big steps, but it there aren’t shovels in the ground, it would take some twists and turns that we have not yet seen.
Dolich: Until heavy equipment is digging out gigantic clods of earth at the Tropicana site, there’s a long way to go and tons of money – in the billions – that is going to be allocated.
Q: Can you see a scenario where the A’s would remain in Oakland with John Fisher as the owner if the Las Vegas deal implodes?
Newhouse: They’ll never stay in Oakland with John Fisher as the owner. The only chance I can see is if Fisher would do the right thing and sell to Joe Lacob. He could sell it and make a fortune.
Pratt: Sure, if they turned face and did everything it took to get Howard Terminal built correctly and actually invest in the roster, people would probably forgive them. The odds of them actually doing that are slim to none.
Brazil: I think it’s extremely slim. And it would take a lot of people to bridge the gap of where the A’s are at and their intentions and where the city of Oakland has stood firm.
Dolich: Absolutely no. That would be capital ‘N,’ capital ‘O,’ exclamation point.
Q: It’s been a week since the “reverse boycott”. Do you believe that night will have any impact on the proposed move?
Newhouse: It was wonderful to see, but those things, they just disintegrate and fade away.
Pratt: Financially, no. But I think that what happened with the reverse boycott was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen. I think it got everybody’s attention nationally.
Brazil: In terms of the Nevada side of it, it had no effect. They were going to do what they were going to do. But I think that message was way more aimed at Major League Baseball and the owners and how they might vote.
Dolich: I take great interest in the grassroots movement. However, what I take seriously and what A’s fans have been really active is a boycott of the Oakland A’s owned in the last few years by John Fisher. That is A’s fans saying, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Fisher? You want to reach into my pocket and (for me to) give you my money?’
Q: Did you feel Howard Terminal was a viable option or would the franchise be better served by remaining at its current Coliseum site with a new stadium?
Newhouse: Remaining at its current site. Oakland has the sixth-biggest port in the country. It involves 84,000 jobs on its chain which stretches all the way to China and it’s 24/7. It would interfere with cargo in and out of port. The Coliseum has BART on one side, a railway and a freeway, two giant parking lots and an airport five minutes away.
Pratt: I thought Howard Terminal was a much better option than the Coliseum. Jack London Square and the waterfront is a spectacular place. Bringing people back to that location would be valuable for the city. The Coliseum is the most practical site, but it’s not the sexiest site.
Brazil: Howard Terminal was very viable. Adding 3,000 residential units and two hotels, it complicated things. It was a little more difficult to do. I think it’s way easier if it’s just what the A’s are proposing now in Nevada, which is just a stadium.
Dolich: I’ve been a proponent of knocking the ballpark down, and you could have already been playing at a wonderful new stadium if you didn’t discount it.
Q: The A’s have stated publicly they will be in Oakland one more season until their lease runs out. How would a “lame duck” year would play out at the Coliseum?
Newhouse: It’s going to be devastating and humiliating for a town that doesn’t deserve it.
Pratt: Sparsely attended and disappointing. A massive, depressing bummer for everyone involved. I don’t have the legal background to tell you if this is possible, but I’d kick them out.
Brazil: You’ll have people who will say ‘I’m done’ after 2023.’ I can also see people being sentimental and taking that one last trip. And you have some people that are oblivious. Not everyone pays attention to this stuff to the level that some of us do.
Dolich: How do you have the hubris of giving someone the largest digital middle finger that anybody has had and go to ‘Enjoy us next year’?
Q: Assuming shovels go into the ground in Las Vegas, do you think current ownership will still be in place when a new stadium opens in 2028?
Newhouse: John Fisher hasn’t shown himself to be a financial genius even though he was handed a fortune on a silver platter. If they’re gone, that’s Las Vegas’ problem.
Pratt: I’ve long thought this ownership group is in this solely for getting the deal and getting out. I can see them selling an ownership stake in the team. But I would not be surprised if they got this thing turn-key ready and flipped the franchise.
Brazil: It’s possible alterations will be made to their ownership structure. Even adding somebody from the Las Vegas perspective might assist in their efforts. It could be a partnership that turns into partial ownership and then the ownership becomes more broad and specific to Las Vegas.
Dolich: John (Fisher) has never spoken once about strategy. He does not seem to be affected by any negativity that’s come his way. He bought it for $180 (million). The value now is $1.2 billion. He could keep his asset, or nor would it shock me if he said, ‘I doubled the value and I’m selling it to somebody else.’
Q: With a temporary home in either Summerlin or Reno minor league parks needing players union approval, what other options are there following this season if the Las Vegas deal continues forward? Is a short lease agreement to stay in Oakland a possibility?
Newhouse: I could see it happening if the city would make it hard on the A’s. You can’t keep being jacked around and beaten up and look like a model city. Why would you expect Oakland to be kind to you?
Pratt: To develop the Coliseum site you need the A’s out. All plans for the Coliseum site are being held back by the A’s if they’re staying any longer. If the A’s have an agreement to Las Vegas, they should go play in Las Vegas and play in a minor league park in 110-degree heat. If the Giants granted a lifeline at Oracle Park, fans from both teams would be upset. Sacramento has been kicked around.
Brazil: I’d expect Oakland to understand the bigger picture and realize the sooner that this contract is over after 2024, the sooner they can move on to what’s next. The MLB Players Association is going to have a lot of questions about potential sites like Reno, Summerlin, Sacramento. I wouldn’t even cross off Oracle Park. That would be a huge sign-off for the Giants, but it would make them revenue.
Dolich: Do they become the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey, we’re here for one week, somewhere the next week, put up the tent? How do you build a fan base if you do that? If you’re moving to a new market, you want to be all-in in that market.
Q: Official statements from the A’s have yet to mention Oakland. Is that a slight upon the community they’ve been in since 1968 or does it even matter considering the current public sentiment?
Newhouse: It doesn’t matter because you would never expect to hear any kindness coming out of the A’s that you could believe. It’s a travesty how bad you can treat a municipality. No city has been victimized like Oakland.
Pratt: It’s extraordinarily tone deaf, and I’d extend that to Commissioner Manfred’s comments as well. None of it makes sense.
Brazil: I wouldn’t speak for the A’s, but I think they would not include Oakland because it would incite Oakland even more. Maybe it’s easier to say nothing than to approach a difficult conversation.
Dolich: In a fight, you don’t have to tell somebody you just punched them in the gut and knocked their teeth out. That’s what they’ve done. It would be unbelievably hollow.
Q: Considering the exit of the Raiders, Warriors and the A’s agreement in Las Vegas, is it realistic to think Oakland could be in line for a baseball expansion franchise?
Newhouse: The last city in America anyone wants to make whole is Oakland. It’s been proven over and over. We’ve lost all of our franchises. It’s a pipe dream to think otherwise.
Pratt: They would try, but I don’t think expansion is the way you want to go. The best way is to make Vegas the expansion franchise.
Brazil: This is Oakland’s time to say to baseball ‘We understand the A’s are going to do what they’re going to do, but right now they have the eyes of baseball owners’ and a chance to lay out exactly what the offer from Oakland is. It’s disturbing Commissioner Manfred and Mayor Sheng Thao haven’t even talked.
Dolich: Once baseball has its stadium situation sorted out with Tampa and the A’s, the two best expansion markets that I would look at are Oakland and Mexico City. I think this mess could be turned around in a year and I don’t think baseball would ever allow that to happen.