Logan Webb grew up going to the Coliseum to watch Raiders and Athletics games. Pretty soon, there won’t be any teams to root for there.
Webb’s Raiders already moved to Las Vegas in 2020. The A’s, now that they’ve purchased land with the intention of building a new ballpark, will almost certainly follow them to the desert.
“It’s definitely hard for all the fans,” Webb, a Rocklin native, said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to upgrade a little bit. It’s not secret the Coliseum is outdated. I saw a possum was living there. I fully understand it, it just kind of stinks that it’s gotten to that point — with all three teams (will) have now left.”
Webb was pulling for the Howard Terminal option — a $12 billion infrastructure project that the city of Oakland and the A’s never fully pushed across the finish line. A’s president Dave Kaval announced Wednesday that the franchise is fully focused on moving to Las Vegas.
It’s unclear when exactly the A’s will leave Oakland. But when they do, the Giants will be the only MLB team left in the Bay Area. No more Bay Bridge Series.
“It stinks,” Giants veteran Alex Wood said. “I like tradition and history. Seeing a team like the A’s — I guess it’s done now, right? — moving to Vegas, it’s tough. There’s a rich history of baseball there. Deep-rooted in the San Francisco area. It’s tough.”
The A’s have played in the Coliseum since 1968, when they moved to the Bay Area from Kansas City. The ballpark, which also used to house the Raiders, is universally regarded as the most dilapidated stadium in the sport. Wood said he played in nicer parks in college.
But despite the Coliseum, and despite an often limited payroll, the A’s brought home four World Series rings. Legendary players like Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco donned green and gold.
That history will remain, even when the A’s ultimately — barring a last-minute change — leave the Bay.
“It’s just a reminder that it’s a business,” Wood said. “It stinks, though. As a fan of baseball, it stinks to see the Oakland A’s not be the Oakland A’s anymore. But having a more optimistic view: Vegas is a big market. They should probably have no problem filling those seats.”
A’s fans have clamored for the team to stay. The Warriors moved across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco, the Raiders left for Vegas and now the A’s imminent departure will leave Oakland with no teams in the four major professional leagues.
“I do feel for them,” Webb said.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler played 32 games in the Coliseum — mostly when was a member of the Texas Rangers in the American League West. He remembers taking BART across town to the Coliseum as a player.
Once, when he was playing for the Red Sox, Kapler lined out to Eric Chavez at first base; he viscerally remembers the energy in the Coliseum crowd in that moment.
“I’ll never forget how gritty and tough and raw and, just like really working class I saw that stadium as being,” Kapler said. “And how important it was to not just the Bay Area, but to baseball in general. Sad for Oakland-based fans who want to see their club stay in Oakland. Also know it’s an exciting time for the franchise and for Major League Baseball. So I can certainly see it from all angles.”