Brian Smith

The final series of the A’s playing in both Oakland and the Coliseum begins tonight. Here is what EVERYONE needs to remember ⬇️ Never forget the A’s would’ve had a new stadium in Oakland 20 years ago had Bud Selig not blocked the sale of the A’s to Andy Dolich and Bob Piccinini in 1999. Never forget Selig also blocked sales to Joe Lacob, Peter Guber, Reggie Jackson/Bill Gates, etc. Never forget Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann made zero effort to build in Oakland from 1995-2005. Instead they commissioned a study on Vegas and then invested all their time in Santa Clara. Never forget the A’s are only owned by John Fisher because they were sold to him and his business partner Lew Wolff only because Wolff was a college buddy and old friend of Selig. Never forget Lew Wolff’s 2005 plan for a ballpark in Oakland was nonsensical and would’ve required evicting 80+ tenants and building a new BART station. The plan was immediately abandoned by the A’s. Never forget the A’s wasting the remainder of 2005 all the way to 2009 on Fremont and then 2010 to 2016 on San Jose. Never forget the A’s nonsensical Peralta site plan in 2017 where the A’s failed to talk to the college board prior to the announcement. Never forget the A’s choosing Howard Terminal in November 2018, and insisting on the most complex project possible ($12 billion with TONS of ancillary development). Oakland did everything that was asked of them, yet the A’s moved the goalposts every time. The A’s also dragged their feet and missed deadlines. The A’s also refused to compromise on anything, including with their potential maritime neighbors. Never forget the Coliseum site was an “assured backup route for a ballpark in Oakland”, and MLB threatened to relocate the A’s if Oakland didn’t sell their half of the site and didn’t drop their lawsuit against Alameda County (who had violated Surplus Land Act with their sale of their half), but when Oakland dropped the suit, Oakland began talks to sell their half with the A’s, and Alameda County’s sale went through, the Coliseum was suddenly “not viable”. Never forget there is PROOF the A’s made up their mind to go to Vegas in 2021, and wasted 2 years of Oakland’s time and money on the Howard Terminal project. When the A’s realized Oakland was close to a deal, thanks to Oakland’s hard work on the project, the A’s ran away from the negotiating table and did so in the most unprofessional manner possible. Never forget ancillary development was always a must for a Oakland ballpark, but it isn’t for them in Vegas. Never forget the A’s had to own the site & ballpark for a Oakland ballpark, but they don’t need to in Vegas. Never forget Fisher wasn’t willing to sell a stake in the team in Oakland to get a ballpark done there, but he’s willing to do so for Vegas. TLDR: It’s always been John Fisher, other A’s owners, and MLB at fault. Theres MOUNTAINS of evidence! If you are still blaming Oakland or A’s fans, you are being willfully ignorant!