Sean Manaea of the San Francisco Giants plays the Kansas City Royals in the second inning on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO — Left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea recalls starting for the Oakland A’s in the 2019 American League wild card game against the Tampa Bay Rays, looking around and seeing the Coliseum with a rabid crowd of 54,005 almost to the capacity limit was filled.
“That’s the crazy thing,” Manaea said. “It’s usually never crowded, but when it is, it’s one of the coolest places in sport.”
That’s what made the A’s announcement earlier this week that they had landed a Las Vegas land deal as a precursor to a possible move to that city so heartbreaking for Manaea, who spent six mostly successful years in Oakland before being sold to the US San Diego Padres last April.
The A’s could be out of town by the end of next season when their lease at the Coliseum expires.
“It’s very unfortunate,” said Manaea, who is now in his first full season with the San Francisco Giants. “The thought of them moving to Vegas makes me sad. I mean, I love Oakland.”
The Giants issued a brief statement Friday to NBC Bay Area regarding the A’s Las Vegas real estate deal, saying, “The A’s are such a big part of the baseball history of the Bay Area, the East Bay and the greater community. If that happens, it’s not just a loss for the fans of A, it’s a loss for all baseball fans.”
NEW: #SFGiants response to #Athletics’ proposed move to #LasVegas. “The A’s are such a big part of the baseball history of the Bay Area, the East Bay and the greater community. When this happens, it will be a loss not just for A’s fans but for all baseball fans.” @NBCSAthletics
— Raj Mathai (@rajmathai) April 22, 2023
The statement mirrored what Giants CEO Larry Baer told KNBR on Thursday afternoon.
Baer said his first job in baseball was with the A’s during Charlie Finley’s tenure as owner, and noted that some Giants employees also have ties to the franchise.
Play-by-play voice Jon Miller was the announcer for the A’s in 1974 when they won their third straight World Series, and Farhan Zaidi, president of baseball operations, served in the Oakland front office from 2005-2014.
“The whole thing with the (A’s) franchise, if it all comes together, it’s really, really sad,” Baer said. “Because the franchise itself is so strong and has long been such a big part of the East Bay community and the community at large.”
Of course, the A’s could already have a long-term home in the Bay Area if the Giants had allowed their Cross-Bay rival to move to San Jose over the past decade.
The A’s showed serious interest in moving to the South Bay, securing a site for a new ballpark, and passing an environmental impact report about 10 years ago. However, the move was opposed by then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig because the Giants did not want to give up their territorial rights to Santa Clara County.
In June 2013, San Jose sued MLB, challenging its longstanding antitrust exemption. But the lawsuit failed, as did an appeal.
“I feel like I’m kind of desensitized to all the news that comes out,” said New York Mets outfielder Mark Canha, a San Jose native who played for the A’s from 2015-2021.
“Probably just because I was with the A’s and lived in the Bay Area while I was with the A’s and they’ve been talking about it for years. So I think I have a unique perspective of being really inundated with this information.”
Canha said he never met John Fisher, the owner of A, but spent time with his family at a benefit bowling event.
“I feel for the fans,” Canha said. “Those fans, those lifeguards, those people that come out every day and are sitting in the right field or behind the dugout. I know some of these people personally and they’re always so good to themselves and so good to the players and they’re so devoted to the team. I feel with you.
“It’s hard to grapple with the fact that Oakland — I don’t know if it’s a fact yet — but the idea that Oakland might not have a sports team in a few years, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Manaea said he came to appreciate the run-down Coliseum, where the A’s have played since 1968.
“It’s not the prettiest ballpark. It’s not the cleanest or anything,” Manaea said. “But it has a lot of love, a lot of character and it’s a very homey place. I loved every aspect of it. The cramped quarters and not so nice facilities but for me that makes it cool and special.
“When you’re surrounded by cool people, you don’t really need much of anything else.”
The A’s made the playoffs three times from 2018-2020 when both Canha and Manaea were on the roster.
“It was fun to be part of these teams,” said Manaea. “A lot of lows, a lot of highs, but that was incredible. It kind of felt like a high school team, but at the big league level. Nobody ever expected us to do anything cool, the stuff we did, and I think that appeals to (Bob Melvin), David (Forst) and Billy (Beane). That’s a kind of culture that we’ve built. It was fantastic.”
“I just liked the atmosphere in the Colosseum,” Canha said, “even though there were only 5,000 people in the stands.”
