OT: The Oakland A's are moving to Vegas.

[bcspsu]

They just purchased land in Vegas to build a stadium.

You have to feel sorry for the Oakland area, as they now are going to be without any pro sports teams, as even Golden State moved to SF recently.

As a Pirates' fan, the Swingin' A's were my American League team, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them.

 

[Cletus11]

I went to an A's game about a decade ago. The stadium is pretty horrible for baseball. Attendance at the game was less than 10K. not surprised they moved. surprised it took so long.

 

[fkkkjm]

Home to the largest foul territories in the majors right? Batters won’t miss that.

 

[psulongago]

They just purchased land in Vegas to build a stadium.

You have to feel sorry for the Oakland area, as they now are going to be without any pro sports teams, as even Golden State moved to SF recently.

As a Pirates' fan, the Swingin' A's were my American League team, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them.

Anyone remember the Philadelphia A's, Eddie Joost, Pete Suder and of course Bobby Schantz, how about Elmer Valo. i saw Al Kaline, believe it was called Shibe Park at the time.

 

[Obliviax]

CA doesn't care about pro-sports unless they are winning championships then that bandwagon gets pretty full. Pro sports needs CA more than CA needs sports. I mean, if you live in SD, LA, or SFO you've got plenty of options for entertainment that are a) cheaper and b) more interesting. Vegas, on the other hand, gets TONS of people to attend events who are from out of town. I LOVE going to LV Knights games and feel like it is one of the best pro sports environments I've ever attended.

It will be interesting to see how baseball plays in Vegas. Football, Hockey and basketball are much more high energy. I am not sure Baseball matched the high-energy feel of Vegas.

With Las Vegas Land Deal, Athletics May Finally Leave Oakland

After years of tense negotiations to remain in the Bay Area, the A’s said they had reached a deal to acquire a stadium site near the Las Vegas Strip.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Obliviax]

This brings a whole new meaning to "Moneyball"

 

[tlbakernc]

Who the heck wouldn’t want to move out of Oakland? CA cities have become pockets of hell holes.

 

[Obliviax]

Who the heck wouldn’t want to move out of Oakland? CA cities have become pockets of hell holes.

No state income tax for home games (half their salary)

 

[bcspsu]

CA doesn't care about pro-sports unless they are winning championships then that bandwagon gets pretty full. Pro sports needs CA more than CA needs sports. I mean, if you live in SD, LA, or SFO you've got plenty of options for entertainment that are a) cheaper and b) more interesting. Vegas, on the other hand, gets TONS of people to attend events who are from out of town. I LOVE going to LV Knights games and feel like it is one of the best pro sports environments I've ever attended.

It will be interesting to see how baseball plays in Vegas. Football, Hockey and basketball are much more high energy. I am not sure Baseball matched the high-energy feel of Vegas.

With Las Vegas Land Deal, Athletics May Finally Leave Oakland

After years of tense negotiations to remain in the Bay Area, the A’s said they had reached a deal to acquire a stadium site near the Las Vegas Strip.

www.nytimes.com

I hope that they retain the name A's and the iconic color scheme; after all the "Athletic" name goes back a very long time in baseball history to Connie Mack, although the great Philly A's did not wear green and gold.

 

[Obliviax]

I hope that they retain the name A's and the iconic color scheme; after all the "Athletic" name goes back a very long time in baseball history to Connie Mack, although the great Philly A's did not wear green and gold.

yep. I don't know why they'd change. Great uniforms and history. The bright colors feel like they match the southwestern Vegas colors too. I am sure it will be a domed stadium as they can't play in 110 Degree heat.

Vegas A's? Vegas Athletics? I guess they take "Oakland" off the front and script "Vegas".

 

[Fac]

I remember going to Cleveland Municipal Stadiam to see the Indians, yes the Indians, every summer when I was a child (little league age). We always went in August and we always caught a Indians/Kansas City A's doubleheader.
The A's wore some color to their uniforms while the Indians were mainly grey. The A's always change their uniforms in between games.
Some of my highlights of visiting that stadium:

Saw Mantle play late in his career.
Had my first foot-long hotdog there.
Saw a person fly a one-man jet pack
Still have a Go Indians baseball bat from bat day (yes, they used to give out bats, imagine if they did that today).
Got to walk around the warning track before a game for little league day when I was 8.
Left a game early and while in the parking lot the Indians hit 3 homers. The fireworks were constantly going off.

Always think of my Dad when I think of Cleveland baseball.

 

[Online Persona]

This is no different than most Californians trying to move to Nevada, Arizona, etc. California was once a great place that attracted new opportunities. But now everyone just wants to leave.

There is a lesson there. How do you drive people to want to leave sunny southern Cal? Those paying attention know.

 

[Obliviax]

I remember going to Cleveland Municipal Stadiam to see the Indians, yes the Indians, every summer when I was a child (little league age). We always went in August and we always caught a Indians/Kansas City A's doubleheader.
The A's wore some color to their uniforms while the Indians were mainly grey. The A's always change their uniforms in between games.
Some of my highlights of visiting that stadium:

Saw Mantle play late in his career.
Had my first foot-long hotdog their.
Saw a person fly a one-man jet pack
Still have a Go Indians baseball bat from bat day (yes, they used to give out bats, imagine if they did that today).
Got to walk around the warning track before a game for little league day when I was 8.
Left a game early and while in the parking lot the Indians hit 3 homers. The fireworks were constantly going off.

Always think of my day when I think of Cleveland baseball.

it is a great experience now. Different from Munny and the old "Tribe" but still very good. One thing they've done is to create several porches or patios where you can get beer and mingle. Of course, the food and beer is now very eclectic and of high quality. The stadium looks really nice. I love going to games in the summer and try to take in two every year.

My best experience was my brother and I took my elderly mom to a Pirates game in the new stadium on a whim. When we got there I asked for tickets and told them my mom was elderly and couldn't walk very well. They sold us tickets, facing home plate, behind third base on row AA. I asked, "AA, like in the first row?" And the guy said, "no, like AA on the field". On the first pitch, a batter rocketed a ball about ten feet over our head. My two sons, about 12 at the time, get the heck out of there. We watched a good game, talked to a ref and a player, the pirate parrot bit my mom's head off while it was on the big screen, and we got three foul balls. A complete blast and one of my fondest memories with my mom. She was a HUGE Clemente and Stargell fan when I was a young kid.

 

[bcspsu]

it is a great experience now. Different from Munny and the old "Tribe" but still very good. One thing they've done is to create several porches or patios where you can get beer and mingle. Of course, the food and beer is now very eclectic and of high quality. The stadium looks really nice. I love going to games in the summer and try to take in two every year.

My best experience was my brother and I took my elderly mom to a Pirates game in the new stadium on a whim. When we got there I asked for tickets and told them my mom was elderly and couldn't walk very well. They sold us tickets, facing home plate, behind third base on row AA. I asked, "AA, like in the first row?" And the guy said, "no, like AA on the field". On the first pitch, a batter rocketed a ball about ten feet over our head. My two sons, about 12 at the time, get the heck out of there. We watched a good game, talked to a ref and a player, the pirate parrot bit my mom's head off while it was on the big screen, and we got three foul balls. A complete blast and one of my fondest memories with my mom. She was a HUGE Clemente and Stargell fan when I was a young kid.

Although I'm from Pittsburgh, I've attended many Indians games both at the old stadium and Jacobs Field (I know that it's not called that anymore), which I love. I was at the first ever game at Jacobs Field, which actually was a preseason game with the Pirates in 1994. I also saw the Red Sox there when Clemens pitched on a Saturday afternoon the day after the O.J. Simpson chase; that had to be one of the hottest sporting events that I ever attended. If you recall, the U.S. Open was at Oakmont that same weekend, and the World Cup also was being played in the US.

 

[Wandering Spectator]

I grew up in NEPA and became an A’s fan in the early 70s because of the Amazin’ A’s days of 72,73,74. I would follow them through the newspaper and scour the box scores. Occasionally I’d see them on TV. It was my dream to travel across the country to visit the Coliseum.

Finally, in 1997 I got the chance to see a game in person. I was meeting some friends there after I did a presentation in Squaw Valley. By the time I got to the stadium, it was late in the game against the SF Giants.

As I walked through the tunnel to view the field for the first time, Rickey Henderson hit a HR! It was surreal.

 

[heckmans]

They just purchased land in Vegas to build a stadium.

You have to feel sorry for the Oakland area, as they now are going to be without any pro sports teams, as even Golden State moved to SF recently.

As a Pirates' fan, the Swingin' A's were my American League team, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them.

FWIW, I give this a giant, meh.
Minneapolis and St Paul are known as the twin cities. St Paul has no sports teams. Do you feel bad for them? Or do you correctly recognize St Paul as part of the Minneapolis metro area? What about Dallas-Ft Worth? Poor Ft Worth residents?
What's the difference between SanFran and Oakland? One bridge across the bay. Oakland will have no sports teams because the SF-OAK metro area can't support multiple teams. There is a reason the Raiders have left multiple times.
Oakland is part of the SF metro area and they have the SF 49ers, Giants, and Warriors, along with the SJ Sharks to root for.

 

[bcspsu]

FWIW, I give this a giant, meh.
Minneapolis and St Paul are known as the twin cities. St Paul has no sports teams. Do you feel bad for them? Or do you correctly recognize St Paul as part of the Minneapolis metro area? What about Dallas-Ft Worth? Poor Ft Worth residents?
What's the difference between SanFran and Oakland? One bridge across the bay. Oakland will have no sports teams because the SF-OAK metro area can't support multiple teams. There is a reason the Raiders have left multiple times.
Oakland is part of the SF metro area and they have the SF 49ers, Giants, and Warriors, along with the SJ Sharks to root for.

One correction: the Minnesota Wild actually play in St. Paul.

Also, I just read a book about the California Golden Seals and, based on that book, there is a reluctance for people from one city to travel to the other city; the book portrayed the two cities as almost being in separate countries rather than in the same metro area as far as the way the citizens of each city feel.

 

[Obliviax]

One correction: the Minnesota Wild actually play in St. Paul.

Also, I just read a book about the California Golden Seals and, based on that book, there is a reluctance for people from one city to travel to the other city; the book portrayed the two cities as almost being in separate countries rather than in the same metro area as far as the way the citizens of each city feel.

In my youth I used to do a lot of seminars. I was always amazed that someone in PA would drive two hours to attend but would not drive a half hour to attend one in MD, OH, NY or DE. We always had to consider the state line when planning and inviting guests.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Emancipation for the players.

 

[OaktonDave]

I went to an A's game about a decade ago. The stadium is pretty horrible for baseball. Attendance at the game was less than 10K. not surprised they moved. surprised it took so long.

I went to a Pirates/A's game a few years after the Raiders moved back and had the same reaction. They had made a number of changes to appease Al Davis and the result was a ugly facility that was lousy for baseball that didn't seem to offer much for football, either.

Through family connections (my wife is from the Walnut Creek area), I have been following the efforts to get the A's a new stadium in NORCAL for over 20 years. There has always been something that stopped it - objections by the Giants over territorial infringement, financing, and the inability of the team and various local governments to get on the same page. The failure of the last effort to include a new stadium in a redevelopment plan in Oakland was the final blow. Once that happened, with three teams in SOCAL, A's were leaving the state; the only questions were where they would go and when it would happen.

 

[heckmans]

One correction: the Minnesota Wild actually play in St. Paul.

Also, I just read a book about the California Golden Seals and, based on that book, there is a reluctance for people from one city to travel to the other city; the book portrayed the two cities as almost being in separate countries rather than in the same metro area as far as the way the citizens of each city feel.

Fair points, but I bet almost no one on this board could have told you the Wild had a st Paul address, b/c they are the same metro area.

As far as Oakland/SF goes, if people were reluctant to travel between the 2 cities, there wouldn't be a need for a bridge across the bay. Guess it can be demolished and tons of tax dollars saved. Win win!!!

 

[GregInPitt]

They just purchased land in Vegas to build a stadium.

You have to feel sorry for the Oakland area, as they now are going to be without any pro sports teams, as even Golden State moved to SF recently.

As a Pirates' fan, the Swingin' A's were my American League team, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them.

I don't feel sorry for anything in California. It's broken. It is starting to crash and burn. That's what out of control government yields.

And so is baseball.

I grew up a Pirates fan and attended many games. But haven't even watched a Pirates game in 5 years.

 

[LandoComando]

Fair points, but I bet almost no one on this board could have told you the Wild had a st Paul address, b/c they are the same metro area.

As far as Oakland/SF goes, if people were reluctant to travel between the 2 cities, there wouldn't be a need for a bridge across the bay. Guess it can be demolished and tons of tax dollars saved. Win win!!!

They may travel across the bridge for work but may not want to for work. It's like people in Pittsburgh that tend to avoid anything that requires travel through a tunnel. It's odd.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

They just purchased land in Vegas to build a stadium.

You have to feel sorry for the Oakland area, as they now are going to be without any pro sports teams, as even Golden State moved to SF recently.

As a Pirates' fan, the Swingin' A's were my American League team, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for them.

You can bet your life on it! 😂

 

[19333lion]

Anyone remember the Philadelphia A's, Eddie Joost, Pete Suder and of course Bobby Schantz, how about Elmer Valo. i saw Al Kaline, believe it was called Shibe Park at the time.

Not many folks naming their kids 'Elmer' these days. I think Elmer Fudd killed that name off.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Poll. Who would like to move to Oakland and prefer it over Vegas or even Newark, NJ?

 

[Obliviax]

Poll. Who would like to move to Oakland and prefer it over Vegas or even Newark, NJ?

Funny, there is a small town named "Newark" just south of Oakland.

Oakland is a mess. But if you get out of Oakland to the suburbs and surrounding areas it is really nice. I am talking about Walnut Creek, Fremont and Milpitas. You get into the foothills and a lot of horse country.

Look for the Sacramento Kings or OK Thunder to be looking at Vegas as well. the NBA is perfect for Vegas in that it is high-energy and a winter sport. Some franchise is going to move there (or the NBA will expand) within the next couple of years.