Dodgers Pitchers, Broadcasters Have Plenty to Say About A's Leaving Oakland

Jason Burke | Aug 5, 2024

Oct 2, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Fans cheer during the second inning of the game between the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of baseball's powerhouses, and premier franchises. While the Dodgers and Oakland A's have their history, mostly in the 1988 and 1974 World Series, there haven't been as many links between the two franchises in recent seasons. One link that does exist, however, is current pitcher Tyler Glasnow with some of the rowdiest crowds in recent memory at the Coliseum.

Glasnow was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Dodgers during the offseason, and was part of the Rays team that saw 54,005 fans pack the park for the 2019 AL Wild Card Game. He was also in attendance for last year's "reverse boycott" game on June 13. Not many players can say they were there for both events, so we asked Glasnow what that was like as a visiting player.

"I think it's cool. Just being from California and knowing the history of this place, it's awesome. I like playing here a lot. There's a lot of foul ball territory, it's a pitcher's best friend. It's just a good experience." When asked more specifically about the crowd noise at the Coliseum, Glasnow said that it kind of depends on what the crowd size is. "If there was 20,000 people at every single ballpark, it's probably on the louder end."

Glasnow wasn't the only pitcher on the staff that spoke about playing at the Coliseum. Former Oakland A Blake Treinen was interviewed by SportsNet LA prior to Sunday's game, and talked about when he came over to the A's at the 2017 Trade Deadline, and seeing the team grow. He also spoke about the fans.

"Probably one of the more passionate fan bases you'll see. It might not sell out every night, but that 13-20,000 on a busy night was just as ruckus as anybody's sellout. The people here were great."

He then pulled out the heavy-hitting quote when asked if it was tough knowing that the team was on their way out. "It's hard to say that there was a legitimate effort to try to stay here, and I think that's the hardest part."

He even talked about how big the A's fan base is around the country. "It's crazy. You can go anywhere, and there's a massive A's base. It kind of blew my mind when I played here. Then you start thinking about the phenomenal talent that's been here over the years, like Hall of Famers. It's too bad. It's too bad they didn't find a way to keep [the A's] here. Because I think sometimes nostalgia is a little bit more important than selling out and moving to a different city." He then added "some of my best memories are here."

That wasn't it for the Dodgers, either. Their broadcast also had some words about the A's plans for relocation.

"That ticket for the [final game at the Coliseum] is a hot ticket. A ticket that has been jacked up in price. Not surprising for this regime." They also talked about the A's relocation later in the game, during the ninth inning, saying that relocations are a part of the game, and that both the A's and Dodgers have relocated in the past. Yet, "the way this one has happened is shameful. It should be anyway, but because the people running it are apparently shameless, they are experiencing no embarrassment in any facet.

"You slash payroll 50%, boost season ticket prices 30% and you wonder why people aren't showing up? No, they don't wonder. It was seemingly intentional. Insidious in fact. [To] tell fans 'you think you've had it bad, I've had it worse." That is a real quote from A's owner John Fisher when fans traveled to the owner's meetings to attempt to dissuade them from voting to approve relocating the franchise. "Really? What about hundreds of families, the thousands of people that will be impacted by the work that will be lost from this move? Using the wrong logo for a promotinal video."

Gotta say, they did their homework and picked out just a few of the embarrassing moments from this relocation saga.

"Every step of the way this thing has been fumbled. How this has happened is hard to comprehend." One of the last things they said was that the A's should make the games over the last couple of months free, or at least affordable for the community to celebrate the time they have left.

The Dodgers are viewed as a model franchise for how they build a baseball team and treat their players, but after how they handled this final weekend for their club at the Coliseum, from manager Dave Roberts, to the players, to the broadcast, they're a class organization from top to bottom.