A's Putting Horse Before the Cart in Las Vegas

Jason Burke | Aug 28, 2024

Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign on the Las Vegas strip. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A's are making sure there will be fireworks this October. Not on the field, and not necessarily for their fans in Oakland, but the team will be throwing a drone and fireworks party to celebrate the implosion of the Tropicana hotel, which is set for October 9 at 2:30 a.m. The party, complete with fireworks, will be on October 8.

The dates and times are still not completely finalized, per the Review-Journal, with "Clark County still [needing] to approve a permit application from Bally’s for the implosion." The Tropicana is where the A's plan to build their proposed Las Vegas ballpark, and while some will see this unofficial date and time and point to it as progress on the A's ballpark plans, the Tropicana was always going to come down.

While the team on the field has been playing much better since the All Star break, A's executives are still making interesting decisions, like announcing that this will happen before the dates have been approved by Clark County. It's also a bit humorous that the fireworks and drone show will come before the implosion. Both of these are examples of putting the cart before the horse, and are very on brand for the organization.

The show is also another instance of doing things that make it look like something is happening, while the only thing that people are waiting for is some proof of financing for this proposed ballpark. The fans in Oakland want to see if John Fisher is actually going to spend his own money, or if there is a hail mary shot that this all falls apart. The people of Vegas would like a baseball team, but they haven't been shown anything of substance. No, Armadillo Park doesn't count.

What we keep getting instead are hopeful quotes from unregistered lobbyists about how well the project is going, and firework shows, when all that everybody wants to see is something that is tangible. Something that is real. Something that starts to quiet the naysayers.

Until John Fisher shows everyone exactly how he plans to pay for this ballpark, there will always be questions. In the meantime, enjoy the shiny distractions.