“It’s just not right. They have so much history in Oakland…I see the A’s as Oakland. I don’t see them as Vegas.”[1]
Bryce Harper, Las Vegas native and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, June 15, 2023
Some will be surprised to learn that the Oakland A’s are one of only two franchises to win three World Series in a row—the other being the New York Yankees. Most will be surprised to learn that the city of Oakland—at the time that John Fisher pulled up stakes—had produced more first-ballot Hall of Fame players than any other city in the world: Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, and Rickey Henderson.[2] This is to say nothing of the other All-Stars and major leaguers who grew up in Oakland. The list is too long to go into here. The World Series three-peat and the Hall of Fame careers aren’t San Francisco accomplishments. They aren’t Fisher family accomplishments. They are civic points of pride belonging to Oakland.
And let’s not forget the enormous cultural contribution the Oakland A’s have made to baseball, a body of work that puts them in a class of their own. Long hair, colorful uniforms, clubhouse brawling, forearm bashing, winning on a shoestring—you name it. Reggie Jackson and Rickey Henderson—the sultans of swagger—made names for themselves playing baseball in Oakland. In short, the Oakland A’s are the counterculture franchise whose corrupting influence has made baseball better. Yeah, let’s get rid of that brand—that’s a fine idea, Mr. Commissioner. MLB is pissing on the crown jewel of its baseball cities. This is the sort of thing that causes the baseball gods to pull their hair out. Bald gods. Things have gone too far.
[1] Bryce Harper, as quoted in Joon Lee, “MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred feels ‘sorry’ for A’s fans in Oakland,” espn.com, 15 June 2023, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred feels ‘sorry’ for A’s fans in Oakland – ESPN.
[2] With the recent induction of Joe Mauer into the Hall of Fame, St. Paul, Minnesota is the only other city to produce three first-ballot Hall of Fame players: Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, and Joe Mauer. Daniel Kramer and Do-Hyoung Park, “Every first-ballot Hall of Hamer in MLB history,” mlb.com, 25 January 2022, First Ballot MLB Hall of Famers.