‘Worst owner in sports’: Bay Area writers, fans jeer A’s move

Oakland Athletics fans and writers in the Bay Area aren’t pleased with the A’s plans to move to Las Vegas. Here’s a sampling of their opinions on owner John Fisher and the team:

Ann Killion, columnist, San Francisco Chronicle:

“(Fisher’s) only real interest seems to be leveraging the team to make a massive real-estate-development deal. So, congratulations to Las Vegas, if this deal actually gets done. With Dan Snyder’s decision to sell the Washington Commanders, Vegas would become home to the worst owner in sports.”

Jorge Leon, a lifelong Oakland native who once ran a booster club to keep the team in town, in the East Bay Times:

“If somehow the Las Vegas deal falls through, I won’t want them back. They’ve caused so much damage; there’s no way it could be fixed.”

Dieter Kurtenbach, columnist, Bay Area News Group:

“I can continue to point out that A’s owner John Fisher is a soulless ghoul or that team president Dave Kaval is a charlatan, but, let’s be honest, it’s becoming reductive. And besides, there is plenty of blame to go around. When the A’s move to Las Vegas, there will be green blood on more hands than just those two mountebanks.”

Dave Newhouse, a lifelong Bay Area resident, former Oakland Tribune columnist and author of “Goodbye Oakland,” a book about the city’s relationship with major sports, in the East Bay Times:

“What’s sad for me is the kid who got into Stanford football games for free because I was under 12. I’m now in my 80s, and it’s like sports have just unraveled. I didn’t want it to be like this going out the door.”

Henry Gardner, who heads a joint authority between Oakland and Alameda County overseeing the Coliseum site, in the East Bay Times:

“None of these franchises — not the Raiders, the Warriors, nor the A’s — have produced net revenues to the city and county since 1995. Not a single one.”

David Peters, an Oakland resident and community activist known among A’s fans as Bleacher Dave, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“I’ve been going to the Coliseum for 50 years. This is a way of life for me. This is an anchor. … So I’m gutted. But I’m grateful. I think the mayor did the right thing ceasing negotiations at this point. The mayor’s got a lot of stuff to do rather than fool around with the A’s, who are fooling around.”

Delvin Washington, fan, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Baseball has always talked about how important tradition is, and you slap this community in the face, the community that loves the team. Maybe there were some challenges with the elected officials. But they were trying. They were trying their hardest to keep things going. And (the A’s) were just not doing their part.”

Casey Pratt, reporter for ABC7 News in the Bay Area, on Twitter:

“The more I hear about the #Athletics Las Vegas situation, the more half baked it feels.

— No Legislation Passed

— No design architect

— No ballpark renderings

— Asking for $500M

— Upset power players in LV

— Needs MLB owners’ approval for waived relocation fee.”

Anson Casanares, fan, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“We’re at a point where it’s like, make a decision. Stay or leave. If they stay, I’m all about it. If they leave, the day they’re gone from Oakland, I will not be an A’s fan. It’s going to suck. Because they’re a huge part of my life. But it won’t be the same.”

Scott Ostler, columnist, San Francisco Chronicle:

“To match the indignity to which the players are being subjected, Fisher should be required to attend all A’s games in a Bozo the Clown outfit. The A’s players aren’t simply losing, they are being sacrificed at the altar of Fisher’s greed.”

Tony Duncan, owner of the 2101 Club in East Oakland, where fans watch A’s games, in the East Bay Times:

“The important part of all this was Oakland pride. Having the team here and the fans who watch them, it feels like family.”

Nina Thorsen, one of the longtime drummers in the outfield bleachers at A’s games, in the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Until a shovel goes in the ground, I’m not going to give up. But it certainly isn’t a good sign that they clearly want to go to Vegas.”