Bad day in Oakland; traffic stays, A’s don’t

This was Oakland on Thursday. Some jerks shut down the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge, keeping many of us from going to work or leaving town.

Some others—dare we also call them jerks?—were in the process of making sure the Athletics baseball team would not be staying in town.  

True, those who Wednesday tossed their car keys into San Francisco Bay (anybody got a fit for a Rolls Royce?) and caused chaos had little to do with the A’s receiving permission to flee to Las Vegas.  

Other than a massive degree of inconvenience.

Life is timing, we’re told, and although we had been advised (warned? threatened?) that the departure of the Athletics was inevitable, who could imagine approval would come on the very morning of the massive protest on the span?

You want a ticket to Gaza or Opening Day?

Now we’ll have a landmark, of sorts, to remind us about the uncaring lords of baseball (sorry; they do care about dollars.)  

How often have we heard from the hypocritical owners who so often tell us they are merely caretakers and that the game belongs to the guys (and ladies) who cheer the teams?  

In the East Bay, the fans and the team were kicked around and forced to take refuge in a stadium designed for football, and forced to play where the dugout was full of furry little animals and the stands were empty of humans.

It reached a point with the A’s where the roster was comprised of ball players who were either barely out of the minors or still belonged in. Sure they lost more than 100 games in the seasons of 2022 and 2023. It was as if the majors were intent on having the A’s move. The NBA calls it tanking.

The A’s were kicked around and mismanaged after years of winning championships. We are told the game supposedly belongs to the fans. Well, check out the words that merge with the actions of the man who is the prime owner of the A’s, John Fisher. 

After the baseball meeting down in Texas, said without a dissenting vote, Fisher had the A’s office in Oakland issue a letter of apology. For what? Leaving a city that used to break records (three consecutive World Series triumphs)  sobbing with a broken heart.

Indeed the A’s may not have a legitimate ballpark in which to play in Las Vegas until 2028, but Fisher doesn’t care. He’s worth more than a billion, and that’s not in poker chips.  

They used to say sport is the opera of the poor, since those without wealth couldn’t afford to go to The Met. These days you’ve got to have a bankroll to attend almost any event.

A’s fans spent many dollars and all of their hopes on the team which let them down and soon headed to a new locale.  

So sad. So lousy.