The divorce always seemed inevitable. But even the Athletics' final week in Oakland had plenty of twists and turns.
John Fisher's moment. It was a cold and rainy morning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, with the microphone glitching whenever Kings owner Vivek Ranadive tried to heap praise upon theowner, but this was the place -- the single, solitary place in the entire known universe -- where people gathered to willingly extol the virtues ofFisher.
By early February, with no movement from the A's, the city's representatives assumed the team had found somewhere else to play. The MLB scheduling deadline for 2025 loomed, and commissioner Rob Manfred had decreed only that the A's would play "somewhere in the West." A's president Dave Kaval floated possibilities with varying levels of feasibility: Oakland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, the A's Triple-A stadium in Las Vegas, Oracle Park in San Francisco.
"This is above market rate," Kaval said, and Hanson agreed. "It is," she said, "and your deal now is criminally below market." The city receives no parking revenue from the Coliseum, no cut of the food and beverage sales, only a small share of ticket revenue. The extension fee, Hanson emphasized, was not to be misconstrued as rent; it was simply the cost of staying in Oakland. "The goal," she said, "is not to make this the cheapest deal possible.
The "Raiders' deal" was the only negotiation tactic Kaval employed, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. There was still some vigorous back and forth, though. Kaval took exception to the city's offer of a five-year lease, since the team believes its future Vegas ballpark -- start date unclear, financing undetermined -- on the 9-acre site of the yet-to-be demolished Tropicana Casino and Resort will be ready for the 2028 season, maybe even a year earlier.
At 7:15 that night, Hanson called Kaval with the new offer. She said he seemed interested -- although he would later say the two sides remained "far apart" even with the revision -- and he thanked her for the call. Within 24 hours,filtered out through the Twitter feed of "Carmichael Dave," a Sacramento radio personality well-connected to Ranadive and the Kings. The next morning, Kaval called Hanson at 7:36 a.m. to give her the news.
The condemnation of Fisher has been widespread. Former Athletics pitcher and current Mets broadcaster Ron Darling said, on air, that he is "appalled" by Fisher's behavior over the past six months. Broadcasters from the Tigers and the Angels -- team employees -- have publicly condemned the abandonment of Oakland.
None of that mattered within the owners' fraternity, where patience eroded and Oakland, an easy target of scorn, became nothing more than a problem to be solved. "After 15 years of this, owners are on Rob," the league source said. "They want to know, 'What's happening in Oakland? Let's go, it's time to s--- or get off the pot.'", there are logistical questions that remain outstanding.
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