Sacramento River Cats owner Vivek Ranadive (center) and A’s owner John Fisher (right) shakes hands over the Oakland A’s moving to Sacramento for the 2025 season (AP News photo)
By Stephen Ruderman
SACRAMENTO–The Oakland Athletics announced today that they have agreed with the Sacramento Kings, the owners of the Sacramento River Cats, to play for three years at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento with an option for a fourth year, as they await for their supposed new ballpark in Las Vegas to somehow open.
The A’s supposed ballpark in Las Vegas is scheduled to open for 2028 Season at the very earliest if they can clear many of the hurdles that still remain. One of those hurdles is ‘Schools Over Stadiums,’ a potential ballot measure that could kill the stadium deal.
According to sources, Schools Over Stadiums will be in the Nevada Supreme Court arguing against the funding of SB1, the bill that gives government funding to the A’s ballpark. Another hurdle is the fact that A’s Owner John Fisher has not made any indication that he has the money to cover his part of the stadium.
Meanwhile, the A’s lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires at the end of this season. With at least three years of the A’s not having a permanent home, they have looked to multiple locations to fill that gap. Those have included Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Oracle Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants. The A’s also looked at the possibility of signing one last lease at the Oakland Coliseum
This announcement comes just three days after negotiations between the A’s and the City of Oakland stalled. Oakland offered a five-year lease through the 2029 Season with an opt-out after the 2027 Season.
Oakland then came out with a new offer of a three-year lease with a $96 million extension fee with the stipulation that Major League Baseball would facilitate the A’s to an ownership group in Oakland; that Oakland would get to keep the team’s names and colors; or that Oakland would be considered for a future Major League Baseball Expansion Team.
It is quite a remarkable move for Sacramento and the Kings, considering the Kings nearly left Sacramento on several different occasions under the ownership of Joe and Gavin Maloof, two irresponsible clowns with the same level of ethics and trustworthiness as John Fisher.
“I told you Sactown that great news was coming!” tweeted Grant Napear, the former TV Play-by-Play Announcer for the Kings, who signed off what was possibly going to be the Kings’ final telecast in tears on April 14, 2011 when the Kings appeared headed for Anaheim the following NBA season.
This alone makes it all the more hypocritical and cynical of the Kings, Sacramento and Napear to celebrate this horrible occasion. What makes it even more infuriating is that the A’s will not even use Sacramento in their name while they bring Major League Baseball to the city for the first time. In fact, they won’t use any city’s name; for at least the next three years, they will be referred to as just the “Athletics” or the “A’s.”
For example: “Good evening, fans, and welcome to game one of this three-game series between the Seattle Mariners, and your A’s!!!”
Sacramento has long been considered as a potential home for a major league baseball team. The city has long supported the Kings, and has turned out well to watch the River Cats, who were the Triple-A affiliate of the A’s from 2000 to 2014, and who have been the Triple-A affiliate for the Giants since 2015.
I, as a resident and native of Sacramento, have always wanted this, even for just a few years. I’m getting what I have always wanted, but yet, I couldn’t be more angry and disgusted at the Cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento for allowing this repulsive charade to transpire, for doing business with clowns like John Fisher and Dave Kaval and for allowing the City of Sacramento to get flat-out used like this.
Vivek Ranadive, the owner of the KIngs, who also kept the team in Sacramento, was at today’s press conference at Sutter Health Park, and was the one who introduced John Fisher. Ranadive also bragged about his new relationship with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.
“John, thank you for this opportunity to be part of the A’s legacy and show the world why Sacramento is a destination city for major league sports,” Ranadive shamelessly said. “I also want to thank MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. It’s an honor for West Sacramento to host Major League Baseball at Sutter Health Park.”
“When I bought the Kings over 10 years ago, I said that Sacramento would never play second fiddle,” Ranadive ironically said as he allows Sacramento to play second fiddle.
“We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing in this beautiful ballpark, but also being able to be able to watch some of the greatest players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others launch home runs out of this very intimate, the most intimate ballpark in all of Major League Baseball for the next three years,” said Fisher, with his foot in his mouth.
It’s amazing that a major league is planning to play at least three years in a minor league ballpark that has a maximum capacity of 14,014. It will be interesting to see if the Major League Baseball Players Association and its executive director, Tony Clark, will do the right thing and fight this, or whether they’ll just bend over and take this.
“On behalf of all of MLB, I want to express my appreciation to West Sacramento, Sutter Health Park, the Kings and the greater Sacramento region for their excitement to host the A’s for interim play, as the A’s new permanent home is built in Las Vegas,” chimed in Manfred in a statement this afternoon.
As you see, folks, the fix is in. It is now up to the MLBPA, the City of Oakland, A’s fans and Baseball fans everywhere to keep making their voices heard, and demand that Fisher do the right and honorable thing and sell the team, so they can remain in Oakland where they truly belong.
Stephen Ruderman is a MLB beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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