According to multiple reports, the Oakland A's are preparing for Thursday's finale at the Oakland Coliseum by beefing up security and urging players and staff to not interact with fans out of fear of violence.

USA Today reports that manager Mark Kotsay was urged to scrap his plan to address fans postgame and to instead retreat to the clubhouse. Outfielder JJ Bleday told ESPN that players were advised by the team to "get on out of there," instead of gathering for postgame photos on the field.

This, of course, does not sit well with an already spurned fan base. A's fan group "Last Dive Bar" issued a response to the reports via social media on Saturday.

"Can you all have even one sliver of decency or an ounce of respect for a fanbase that’s loved this team for 56 years?" the post reads. "You have done absolutely nothing to honor the fans or celebrate the history of this team this year.

"Just shut the f*** up and let the fans say their final goodbyes. Quit manufacturing bulls*** to serve your make believe narrative that the fans were the problem."

Fisher's letter was met with similar responses from fans on social media.

"I’ve seen AI responses with more sincerity," one fan wrote. "Absolutely insulting to the fanbase," another added.

Former MLB pitcher Trevor May, who played his final season in 2023 with the A's, issued a similar sentiment.

"Dear John,

"With all due respect, which is more than you likely deserve, save it," May wrote on social media. "Be an adult. Get in front of a camera and say it with your chest. Releasing a letter, clearly written by someone else, and including a bunch of names you DEFINITELY do not know, is just disrespectful to those that love the team.

"'We tried.' lol. The fact that you STILL think that anyone cares about that at this point shows, once again, your lack of understanding of WHY people love the game. You love owning stuff, just not your actions. Either stand up with pride or keep hiding. Pick one, we're tired."

https://sports.yahoo.com/as-owner-john-fisher-claims-we-did-our-very-best-to-keep-team-in-oakland-in-parting-letter-to-fans-before-final-homestand-233108544.html

Edited September 24, 20241 yr by caulfield12

What Fisher is doing is FAR FAR worse than what Jerry is doing. He is ripping the team away and being an absolute asshole about it.

3 minutes ago, PaleAleSox said:

What Fisher is doing is FAR FAR worse than what Jerry is doing. He is ripping the team away and being an absolute asshole about it.

The only actual difference here is he is moving the team.  Jerry is equally an asshole for all of the other stuff 

Wilson Betemit

This is just incredibly sad. 

The whole structure of major sports and how much deference individual owners get to torch an entire market like this is so silly to me. This is bad for major league baseball, but every owner will just avert their eyes and is cheerily happy that they can still ruthlessly leverage a communities passion for a team for their benefit. 

Great job mlb, once again showing contempt for the dwindling population that still supports you.

24 minutes ago, Quin said:

Wilson Betemit

Swisher would be a lot more fun...someone Sox fans already hate.

Smardzija.

Lynn Pham Middleton AJ Burger not  enough.

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

The only actual difference here is he is moving the team.  Jerry is equally an asshole for all of the other stuff 

Well sure, but “moving the team” is about the worst thing you can do to a fanbase. 

1 minute ago, PaleAleSox said:

Well sure, but “moving the team” is about the worst thing you can do to a fanbase. 

Sure, and the second worst thing is forcing the worst product down our throat and also asking us to pay for a new  stadium.  Jerry has 2/3 going here and has already teased Nashville (even though I don’t think that will ever happen)

it’s all bad.  None of this is better than the other, just a different kind of bad 

3 minutes ago, PaleAleSox said:

Well sure, but “moving the team” is about the worst thing you can do to a fanbase. 

Our d-bag owner just threatens it to get what he wants.

3 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Sure, and the second worst thing is forcing the worst product down our throat and also asking us to pay for a new  stadium.  Jerry has 2/3 going here and has already teased Nashville (even though I don’t think that will ever happen)

it’s all bad.  None of this is better than the other, just a different kind of bad 

TLR/Dave Stewart connected to that Nashville group fwiw.  

33 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Swisher would be a lot more fun...someone Sox fans already hate.

Smardzija.

Lynn Pham Middleton AJ Burger not  enough.

It wouldn’t make me hate anyone even more. In fact, it would do the opposite and make me hate them less.

28 minutes ago, Bob Sacamano said:

It wouldn’t make me hate anyone even more. In fact, it would do the opposite and make me hate them less.

Well yeah Trevor May struck the perfect tone there...sounded more like a fan than a "privileged" former player.

8 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

 

"Can you all have even one sliver of decency or an ounce of respect for a fanbase that’s loved this team for 56 years?" 

"

The team had actually been around for 120 years dating back to Philly. 

Oakland ripped the team away from Kansas City who ripped it from Philly. If history follows there will be a new franchise in Oakland. 

Thinking about stadium profits, if we agree that Jerry values profits over anything else, and was assume he's a decent real estate guy, perhaps owning a stadium isn't a huge money maker. 

If it was a money maker, then we would want our municipality to build a stadium, make all that money, and lower our taxes. 

 

 

 

Ozzie maybe 🤔 

1 hour ago, Texsox said:

The team had actually been around for 120 years dating back to Philly. 

The statement is in regards to the team being in Oakland since '68.

1 hour ago, Texsox said:

Oakland ripped the team away from Kansas City who ripped it from Philly. If history follows there will be a new franchise in Oakland. 

Thinking about stadium profits, if we agree that Jerry values profits over anything else, and was assume he's a decent real estate guy, perhaps owning a stadium isn't a huge money maker. 

If it was a money maker, then we would want our municipality to build a stadium, make all that money, and lower our taxes. 

 

 

 

Oakland ripped it away. Sure...

1 hour ago, Texsox said:

Oakland ripped the team away from Kansas City who ripped it from Philly. If history follows there will be a new franchise in Oakland. 

Thinking about stadium profits, if we agree that Jerry values profits over anything else, and was assume he's a decent real estate guy, perhaps owning a stadium isn't a huge money maker. 

If it was a money maker, then we would want our municipality to build a stadium, make all that money, and lower our taxes. 

 

 

 

That's why owners don't want to use their own money.   There's always this so called extra offseason revenue.  It's a myth.  I'm in eye distance of the AZ Cardinal's stadium. My brother use to work there.  There might be an event once a year. 

3 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

That's why owners don't want to use their own money.   There's always this so called extra offseason revenue.  It's a myth.  I'm in eye distance of the AZ Cardinal's stadium. My brother use to work there.  There might be an event once a year. 

Just because the Cardinals ownership doesn’t use their stadium as an event hub doesn’t mean that others all do the same thing.  The colts stadium is always doing something 

 

https://www.lucasoilstadium.com/events-tickets/

34 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Just because the Cardinals ownership doesn’t use their stadium as an event hub doesn’t mean that others all do the same thing.  The colts stadium is always doing something 

 

https://www.lucasoilstadium.com/events-tickets/

I have been in Lucas Oil like 10 times, and only once for a Colts game.

4 hours ago, PaleAleSox said:

Well sure, but “moving the team” is about the worst thing you can do to a fanbase. 

The only fix is an expansion team and it becomes a winner.  The Colts had a long NFL history of greatness and it became the Reinsdorfs of the NFL into the 80's.  Most of the fans from the Unitas generation are into their 80's so the younger generations have no clue of the Baltimore Colts.

Oakland seems to lose its sport teams.  LA wasn't great with NFL teams.  I guess in CA it's hard for a MLB franchise to compete with 3 other teams.  I think Vegas is going to be a long term mistake.  I think it's more of an experiment.

 They way baseball is going with enough bad owners I think the WNBA will be more popular than MLB.   If the Sox weren't such a soap opera how much media coverage would they get?  

40 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Just because the Cardinals ownership doesn’t use their stadium as an event hub doesn’t mean that others all do the same thing.  The colts stadium is always doing something 

 

https://www.lucasoilstadium.com/events-tickets/

Most of those aren't major revenue events.  What I mentioned before is the game owners play to politicians  The reason why is there is no penalty for failure to produce. That just isn't a sports thing.    I guess the solution is governments giving loans instead of funds. 

1 minute ago, kitekrazy said:

Most of those aren't major revenue events.  What I mentioned before is the game owners play to politicians  The reason why is there is no penalty for failure to produce. That just isn't a sports thing.    I guess the solution is governments giving loans instead of funds. 

Aren’t major revenue events?  Taylor swift eras tour and pink tour aren’t major events?  Doesn’t Lucas Oil host March madness events through Final Four?

im not trying to argue that stadiums are not boondoggles, they certainly are, but a lot of these stadiums are hosting concert tours year round as well as tennis/soccer/basketball/pro wrestling events, even your cardinals stadium hosts a monster truck rally next week.

they can make money on those stadiums and a lot of them do, it’s not a myth 

2 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

Aren’t major revenue events?  Taylor swift eras tour and pink tour aren’t major events?  Doesn’t Lucas Oil host March madness events through Final Four?

im not trying to argue that stadiums are not boondoggles, they certainly are, but a lot of these stadiums are hosting concert tours year round as well as tennis/soccer/basketball/pro wrestling events, even your cardinals stadium hosts a monster truck rally next week.

they can make money on those stadiums and a lot of them do, it’s not a myth 

Concerts for sure. Charity evens not so much. The promises are rarely fulfilled so I stand with myth.  It's the same nonsense Casinos use.

Maybe the asking price is much to high to use a stadium?

3 hours ago, MEANS said:

The statement is in regards to the team being in Oakland since '68.

I get that. I was just pointing out the fans in KC where saying the same thing 56 years ago when the team left for Oakland. That team seems to move every fifty years of so lol