September 27, 2024

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The A’s bade Oakland farewell yesterday, ending an era that spanned nearly six decades. While fans honored the franchise and legends like Rickey Henderson, this goodbye carried a disconsolate tone for one major reason: It was entirely avoidable.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]]

A’s Say Goodbye to Oakland After 57 Seasons: ‘It’s Like a Wake’ [[link removed]]

Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

A wave of sadness washed over the Oakland Coliseum and the A’s fan base Thursday afternoon as the team played its final game in the Bay Area after 57 seasons, an occasion that was well-known and has been approaching for months [[link removed]] but still carried a massive emotional punch.

The A’s beat the Rangers 3-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 46,889 on a bright, sunny day in the Bay Area. But the on-field outcome or the local conditions hardly mattered as A’s fans still are coming to grips with the club’s move to Sacramento for a three-year interim stop before ultimately relocating to Las Vegas [[link removed]]. The turnout marked the largest home crowd in Oakland in more than five years, and by far the highest attendance figure for an MLB team playing its final home game in a city.

Regional coverage Thursday on NBC Sports California redistributed to large parts of the U.S. through the MLB Network, used the word “funeral” multiple times, and the game broadcast and shoulder programming indeed carried an overtly downbeat vibe.

A’s legends and memories of four World Series-winning seasons in Oakland were a prominent part of the team’s final series at the Coliseum, including former star pitcher Dave Stewart and franchise icon and Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson taking part in pregame ceremonies Thursday. But again, the presence of the stars and Oakland natives was hardly a heroic homecoming.

“It’s kind of like you go to the wake, view the body, talk about memories, and then have the actual breakdown,” Stewart said during pregame coverage on NBC Sports California. Stewart and Henderson, however, were quick to absolve the fans in any of this, calling them “the greatest fans in baseball, and don’t let anybody tell you anything different.”

Coliseum security and local police presence were heightened for the entire final home series. During the game, there were a few minor disturbances including a fan running onto the field and some thrown objects. Following the game, A’s players, coaches, and on-field staff saluted the fans as manager Mark Kotsay gave a brief address to a crowd that stayed in the ballpark well after the final out.

“I think we should all pay homage to this amazing stadium that we’ve had the privilege and pleasure of enjoying for 57 years,” he said.

All About the Owner

A’s owner John Fisher, though not publicly part of any of the on-field ceremonies, was a central figure in the final game. Fisher was the one who struck the deals to move the franchise, the one who chronically underspent on the club relative to its market size, and the one who helped drive A’s attendance to by far the worst in the league. An open letter to fans posted by Fisher [[link removed]] earlier this week did little to quell any of that fan anger.

Others, including former A’s managing partner and longtime Fisher partner Lew Wolff, have instead pointed their anger toward the neighboring Giants, who engaged in a long-running territorial dispute that ultimately precluded the A’s from pursuing a stadium deal in the San Jose area.

As has been the case for much of the past two years and particularly this week, T-shirts and signs reading “SELL” were a common sight at the Coliseum on Thursday. Fan chants of “sell the team” [[link removed]] rang out repeatedly as well.

“There’s a lot of people here who invested their lives and their souls into this organization and into this stadium and into the game of baseball,” Kotsay said.

Despite fan requests to open up “Mount Davis” [[link removed]]—the Coliseum’s large outfield seating section built in the 1990s for the NFL’s Raiders—for additional capacity, the A’s ultimately declined to do so.

WNBA’s First Round Sweeps Highlight Odd Playoff Format [[link removed]]

Mark Smith-Imagn Images

On Sunday, the WNBA playoffs tipped off with four first-round series. And in just four days, all of them were over, with each ending in a sweep for the higher-seeded team.

While it’s not exactly out of the ordinary for the WNBA’s opening round to finish in less than a week—teams compete in best-of-three series—the abrupt end to the W’s opening round highlights a problem in the league’s first-round playoff structure.

Conventional wisdom suggests the format of a best-of-three series would give the higher-seeded team the advantage by hosting Game 1 and a possible do-or-die Game 3. However, the W gives the ostensibly better team homecourt in the first two games, making the possibility of a sweep more likely.

It doesn’t help that eight teams make the playoffs in a 12-team league, so the one-eight and two-seven match-ups are often lopsided. This year, the top-seeded New York Liberty won more than twice as many games (32) as the eighth-seeded Atlanta Dream (15).

The Rationale

Since the format was instituted in 2022, there have been 12 first-round series. The higher-seeded team has won every time, with only three series going into a decisive third game.

The W instituted this format largely due to the league’s travel restrictions. Prior to this season, the league had yet to provide season-long charter flights to all teams, so instead, the W seemed to sacrifice parity to limit travel.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced in May, a week before the start of the season, that the league would provide charter flights [[link removed]] to all teams. However, the W did not follow the charter flights with the change to the playoff format.

Change Is Coming

Timing may have factored into why the league couldn’t make an otherwise obvious change. A playoff format change is decided through a board of governors meeting which usually happens months before the regular season. That is exactly what happened when it changed to the current playoff structure in November 2021 [[link removed]].

It’s very possible that these changes could be made as soon as next year, and Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides said as much before Game 1 of their series against the Connecticut Sun [[link removed]].

“I think there’s going to be some changes,” Sides said. “The last time I was in this position, it was the one-game elimination. … Now, we have charter flights. We can get back and forth. I’m sure it’s something they’re going to talk about.”

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Farewell, Oakland A’s

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The A’s played their final game in Oakland on Thursday, with fans pouring into the Coliseum for one last time. Front Office Sports Today host Owen Poindexter was on the scene, speaking to fans about the move. He also spoke with A’s broadcaster Brodie Brazil about the team’s departure, and what it means for the city of Oakland.

Also, David Samson joins for an MLB whip-around as the regular season comes to an end, discussing the White Sox’s historically bad season, the Pirates’ choice to cut Rowdy Tellez, and why the Padres are facing big financial troubles despite high attendance.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Saban’s Presence Still Felt

Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

“I feel like he’s still in it.”

—Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, on Nick Saban’s role in college football, ahead of the Bulldogs’ first matchup against Alabama since the legendary coach retired in January [[link removed]]. “He’s announcing. He’s still involved. He’s still trying to make things right in our game, with Congress or whomever,” Smart said [[link removed]] in an interview with ESPN. “He ain’t going nowhere. This dude loves it, and he is going to be part of it for a long time.” Smart was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama before taking the Georgia job in 2016.

Saban and ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning ahead of the primetime clash between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama. Georgia’s only two losses since 2021 have come against the Crimson Tide. Ticket prices for the sold-out contest start at more than $250 [[link removed]] on secondary markets. ABC is broadcasting the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, which may have a chance to top the season-high 9.35 million viewers who watched Texas’s 31-12 victory at Michigan on Fox in Week 2.

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Tee Off With Taste at the TOUR Championship

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This year’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta wasn’t just about world-class golf—it was also a celebration of local flavors [[link removed]].

Mastercard’s Foodies & Fairways [[link removed]] program in partnership with Capital One Business highlights the city’s dynamic culinary scene, featuring small businesses like Guacamole by Freddie and T’s Coffee & Brews. This unique experience offered fans a chance to savor the city’s best while witnessing top golfers in action.

With mentorships and $10,000 grants on the line, these businesses showcased their creations at The Landing, adding a delicious twist to the championship experience. Plus, get the scoop on other local East Lake staples like Poor Hendrix.

Learn more [[link removed]] about Mastercard’s Foodies & Fairways and the fusion of sport and cuisine by signing up for the Mastercard Small Business Community [[link removed]] to access the latest resources and support to protect, manage, and grow your business.

Conversation Starters As NIL (name, image, and likeness) continues to change college sports, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said he would pay $3 million [[link removed]] to help his alma mater, Michigan, land a top-10 quarterback. NFL and college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit is on the move between New York, Tuscaloosa, and Ohio this weekend. Check out [[link removed]] his globetrotting plans. There’s a lucrative new opportunity in women’s track as Athlos launches, but one of its stars, Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell, said it’s “sad” it took this long for something to come along. Listen to her comments [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Mountain West Schools Have Signed a Retention Deal [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The seven members of the Mountain West signed an agreement to stay with the conference. UCLA Baseball Shut Out of Stadium Amid Veterans Lawsuit [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]UCLA leases land from the Veterans Affairs, which was recently ruled illegal. Former Milwaukee Buck, Fast Food Mogul Junior Bridgeman Joins Team as Part-Owner [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Bridgeman built a fast food empire of more than 450 chain restaurants nationwide. Question of the Day

Do you think the A's should have stayed in Oakland?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Thursday’s result: 67% of respondents think Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are the NFL’s biggest draw.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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