“It’s a Shame” - ESPN’s Jeff Passan on the A’s Leaving Oakland for Las Vegas | The Rich Eisen Show

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan tells Rich Eisen if there’s a sliver of a chance the A’s remain in Oakland instead of moving to Las Vegas and reacts to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of the Astros cheating scandal.
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[@sdeepj]

I am of that age group who grew up with the Bash Brothers of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It would shock young people to learn the A’s of that time were bigger than the Yankees. The A’s had that swagger because they had an owner who loved the team, Walter Haas.

[@AdamB34]

Go look at the attendance even when they are good. It's abysmal. Blame the fans for not showing up

[@805fillmore]

Yea I don’t think so. That was when the Yankees were bad.

[@mthystrup]

I’ve been a A’s fan since 1979. What this owner has done to the team and what Manfred said has killed my interest to ever follow the MLB.

[@P31B]

Same. Bye MLB

[@tonyc8752]

Lol. Sure. Oakland never showed up for any owner even when they were good. Oakland is the worst sports city in America. And the deservedly have no more teams as proof

[@B_radicals]

Oracle arena was always packed for Warriors, not Oakland it’s team owners.

[@JeffBart]

When the Jets left Queens I mean

[@theoriginalsurferbob]

Now A’s fans know how KC fans felt in 1968. What comes around goes around.

[@leonardstudley184]

A's management did everything they could to kill that team in Oakland and justify a move.

[@Maske002]

And let's not get it wrong. This has been over a decade in the making.

[@tonyc8752]

Lol. They won 97 games in 2019 and Oakland ranked 24th in attendance. Horrible fans. Worst in sports history. They have to move because of fans like you

[@AdamB34]

@@Maske002 a decade ago they won 96 games and they were still in the mid 20s for attendance. When the fans don't show up, they don't get to keep the team

[@Maske002]

@AdamB34 And that time, Fisher was still trying to crash the team, still refusing to pay for facilities, still jacking up prices of everything.

[@AdamB34]

@@Maske002 hahahaha!! They've had bottom 5-10 attendance for decades. Fans don't support the team, they don't get to keep the team

[@mgjonesdad23]

Passan is 100% accurate describing Fisher and A’s owners. When was the first time he went after a free agent and/or held onto home grown talent?

[@elisemariecollinsyoga5905]

Sad that Rob Manfred has alienated so many fans!!

[@imandan1966]

Not that many. We are talking about the A's

[@tonyc8752]

He hasn’t. Oakland doesn’t have fans.

[@stewgotz1]

Yes we do, but when a team ownership tears down the team year after year, double ticket prices, you’re just gonna sit back and say ‘I’m good with this?’

[@antioch1975]

A's were doomed as soon as the Haas family sold the team. Every owner they have had since(Schott, Hofmann, Wolff and Fisher) have been cancer for the team. Selig takes some blame for this issue as well, not just Manfred.

[@ronvorpe1891]

100% accurate

[@ronvorpe1891]

Manbred is a hand puppet for the owners and human garbage

[@tonyc8752]

Fake News. The A’s have have been really good since then… under Schott and Fisher. Oakland fans don’t show up when the team is great. Worst fans ever: thank God every pro league left that third world left wing shithole city

[@B_radicals]

It also doesn’t make sense finically, they could have just built a stadium in Oakland.

[@TheNichq]

No one wants to live or have a business in Oakland. Crime it out of control. Its why they are moving to a triple A field instead of staying in Oakland.

[@User69-699]

Rob manfred worse commissioner in sports ever.He is a joke

[@michaeltamares7974]

Umm..not really!! Oakland is a dump. He gave a shortcut to leave a sh#$thole city

[@brentduanefoster]

Man, if what Rich believes is true, and it’s damn hard to argue against it, then all I can say to my hometown of Oakland, California, Hold your head high!!! Sometimes, in order to receive future blessings, some old things have to be removed. One thing I know about my hometown is that it’s RESILIENT!! Never count Oakland out.

[@bdbd1390]

As soon Manfried gave Fisher the okay to look at other cities to relocate. I knew it was done in Oakland.

[@michaelbayha5557]

Oh, the A's will never have those mostly empty stadiums in Vegas again, that is a given. Problem is, like the Raiders games, it will consist of visiting fans using the game as a springboard to hit the Vegas strip.

[@tonyc8752]

Vegas will draw more in a week than Oakland in a year. They were easily the worst pro sports city in America. And now they aren’t a pro sports city anymore

[@jaimegalindo172]

@@tonyc8752You’re a clown !!!!

[@jaimegalindo172]

@@tonyc8752You’re a clown !!!!

[@georgescott6124]

No thay will have plenty of fans supporting them in vegas

[@polumathes9729]

One of my least favorite things in sports is when teams pack up and leave. It’s unfair to the fans, and I always felt it was stupid from the perspective of the new city as well. Being a Nevadan, I was absolutely stoked when Vegas got a professional hockey team because it was OUR hockey team. It was unique to us. But when the Raiders moved to Vegas? It felt fake. That’s not our team, it’s Oakland’s. Their culture is Oakland’s, their history is Oakland’s, their entire vibe is Oakland’s. They’re not Vegas. Idk anyone else fell like that?

[@805fillmore]

Well the raiders left to LA once before and won a Super Bowl there. Growing up being a huge NWA fan, I always associated the Raiders with LA. The way eazy and cube and Dre would all rock LA Raiders gear. I never once thought they were Oaklands team.

[@wimbledon5353]

Give it time. Before Oakland, the A's were in Philadelphia and were considered THE TEAM of Philadelphia, even over the Phillies...

[@Jackfargo91]

Man the bash Brothers Rickey henderson, Dave Stewart,Bob Welch and Eckersley got me watching baseball as a kid, and i live in Cleveland hahahaha Hahahaha Sad state of affairs

[@chrisweidner4768]

I’m still holding out with David Samson. Manfred is an embarrassment. A selected fool way out of his depth. Now where have I seen that before.

[@smorr4817]

If Oakland fans weren't so cheap and help build new stadiums arenas ect. You would still have all your teams. No 1 wants to play or watch games In those dumps. Vegas is a no brainer

[@reddeadren351c8]

Oakland granted them a new stadium by the airport though.

[@hippolytabaker9559]

The only way, *only* way, that this situation differs from what happened to the Sonics is that the city has had a stadium deal ready to go this entire time, and the ownership is blatantly obfuscating. They don't even have the excuse of dealing with a taxphobic city and government like Clay Bennett did.

[@austinblankenship7631]

As went from "Moneyball" to "Major League"

[@veganpenguin9857]

I live in the Bay Area and been to many a’s games. Tickets are about $10-$30 and you can about sit anywhere cause the coliseum is always empty

[@bobbleheadbob]

I like how the talk is about Manfred not punishing the Astros enough, rather than discuss the fact that they knew teams were cheating and didn’t crack down before it became a problem. Astros cheated was in response to other teams doing it.

[@supremeb3563]

Manfried, a man who believes sparely populated Metro Nashville, should get an MLB team.

[@ohmygonzalez]

Save the A’s

[@ohmygonzalez]

@@Fuckhippies find god

[@joerhinehart2980]

Manfred should have been fired , or just had the conscience to quit , after the astros bull jive . If it wasn't the A's going to Vegas, another team would have- too much money to pass up , I feel for the Oakland fans - 2 teams gone to Vegas, but I understand why stadiums aren't being built , the money is unreal to try to recover.

[@TravisLA89]

i wonder how the other three citys the A's have been to feel??ha

[@kenbrown438]

Baseball seems to do everything they can to ruin the "original game" !!!!

[@Matthew456E]

I used to be a huge baseball fan, now the game has changed so much and not for the better. I don't watch it anymore. my team is not any good anyways.

[@evilamo]

the whole A's situation should be investigated from the moment Joe Locab was denied the purchase even though hood bud was higher. Cronyism from MLB.

[@Relayer6a]

Where will they make more money? That's where they are going to go.

[@reddeadren351c8]

Maybe in hand outs. I don't see a fanbase moving to Vegas. Owner is going to sell.

[@Relayer6a]

@@reddeadren351c8 So Cal has the worst NFL fans in the country.

[@reddeadren351c8]

@@Relayer6a southern California?

[@Relayer6a]

@@reddeadren351c8 Yes.

[@georgescott6124]

No one talks about the city of oaklands part in this

[@slamdunk406]

That's because Oakland has put forth a legit plan to build a stadium with an ownership group that would want to keep the team in Oakland. The A's moron of an owner never wanted to keep the team in Oakland. That's the truth.

[@mrdpdjr]

MLB is completely over for me and my family

[@kenbrown438]

I'd much rather watch a highschool baseball game or a college baseball game !!!! I'm not planning to ever go to a professional baseball game !!!! Even Lady college softball is more interesting than professional baseball !!!!

[@mrdpdjr]

@@kenbrown438 now I feel that way I’m heartbroken 💔

[@805fillmore]

Good

[@805fillmore]

Ahh no wonder Jeff pesan has been writing all these pro-Oakland articles.

[@anthonyjones7848]

Oakland has one of the great fanbases in all of pro sports. The A's have a rich 54 year history there. To move that team to a 30,000 seat stadium in a transit city makes absolutely no sense to me.

[@NoName-cq7gy]

They do not have a great fan base. You have to show up to games to have a great fan base. 2018 and 2019 the team won over 95 games each year. Attendance ranked 27th and 24th in MLB. That's why they are leaving and why they could never get a new stadium. Noone goes to the games. A bad fan base very bad in Oakland

[@anthonygarcia6229]

😂😂 The Vegas Valley has a population of over 2 mill and is literally called the, "Entertainment Capital of the World." Granted 2 other cities use that moniker, but still to call Las Vegas a, "Transit City," is being disingenuous

[@whalesequence]

You said it, look at how the local fans treat the Raiders, that 49ers game crowd was an embarassment

[@jmommy881]

It's really not that surprising, many of people and companies are leaving California, why not a baseball team? Yes, the Raiders left.

[@olamilekanYT]

The bay area to be precise.

[@LouieKaboom]

@@olamilekanYT And a lot of the rest of the state as well.

[@letsgowalk]

That's a tired narrative. People have always come and gone from CA. It's a very transient state. The reason why population decreased the last few years is because immigration was shut down due to the P word.

[@timmanto1022]

Either get a new owner (Warriors or others) or institute a salary floor of a $100 million. The way you destroy a team in the sunbelt is by having zero interest in investing to win. I hope Samson is right in that the Vegas relocation is a bit of a smokescreen for a new arena. Sell high when the hype is there and get new investors in there to get a new Oakland ballpark.

[@medicman5278]

I grew up in the East Bay and have been to MANY A's games. I hate to see them go BUT I can hardly blame them for wanting to leave the city of Oakland. Oakland offers nothing but poverty and crime. The Raiders and the Warriors left know its the A's turn. Its a sad end of an era but we all saw it coming.

[@elisemariecollinsyoga5905]

There was a stadium plan.

[@stefanbrown5872]

The warriors left to sf less then 15 miles away…. In arguable a city just as dangerous and falling off. It’s not the reason they left…. They raiders left due to an owner and team who has a history of moving - no surprise…. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they move again….. The A’s have no reason to move - they failed in multiple cities over 20 years it’s not just Oakland it’s literally an incompetent owner. Fans support the team - the team has a history worth keeping in Oakland.

[@HistoricallyRomantic]

Absolutely. Oakland is a complete joke.

[@AndasBrown]

Gtfo, stay in your suburb, then if that's what you think that's all Oakland has to offer.

[@stefanbrown5872]

@@Fuckhippies considering I live in San Lorenzo less then 2 minutes from the stadium and have followed the team over 35 years I think I know a thing or 2. Don’t be a casual

[@jacobball8422]

You are THE BEST DAD EVER Rich. Youre show feels like home to me. You and Pat

[@samuelfrick3475]

I hope Rob Manfred is terminated for his alienation to the game of baseball and his shady snarling business and moral decisions. Worst speaker to the owners in the history of sports

[@60zeller]

Is hard for fans to want to pay to watch a crap team play in a crap stadium. But, they still have the Giants

[@mrdpdjr]

We love OUR A’s 🤮🤮🤮 😭

[@ronaldmarbut8104]

I blame politics the economy and the owner for this Oakland fans are legit but everywhere in California is expensive and everything is expensive you can't go to games if you can't afford it I feel bad for Oakland fans

[@td2456]

It’s a shame that rich can’t get anyone else better than Jeff Passan for this idiotic and obvious opinion

[@inst4rmin.x4_onYT]

As much as I understand that the public funding part is difficult maybe especially in California.. But Oakland has made its bed there a looong time ago. But well, at least they still got their Warriors

[@bdbd1390]

Warriors left Oakland also lol. They are in San Francisco now. At least they didn't move far tho.

[@kryten09]

The public funding is already at half a billion dollars to be used for a new stadium/infrastructure improvements to the bay front area.

[@tonyc8752]

And that money wasn’t for stadium construction. It was for infrastructure improvements. Oakland politicians and media lied - cause that’s what third world left wingers do

[@teemusid]

Fisher demanded that Oakland help him develop property that also included a stadium. He asked Vegas for a stadium. Manfred and the current group of MLB owners are the worst thing to happen to baseball since the 1919 World Series.

[@georgescott6124]

What about the city that’s so bad thay lost 2 ather teams

[@caderatliff3712]

Major League IV?

[@perezflorenzo6430]

Having a hedge fund manage your portfolio is still one of the most guaranteed way to make enough profits in the forex market. When you can’t trade due to emotions and lack of discipline then it’s best you allow professional to manage your portfolio and that’s why I will always recommend Bullhedgefund to amateur traders before they loose their whole money in this crazy market

[@leno2347]

What I love is that they do completely different from what others are doing and they’re dedicated. Made about €30k from them.

[@aurieloo4558]

I heard a lot about them how can I reach them?

[@perezflorenzo6430]

0N telgam apk

[@perezflorenzo6430]

@BullHedgefund

[@stefano7706]

have watched that Bullhedgefund company grow since 2019. I think they are getting the credit they deserve. kudos

[@PaulA-dc3dh]

Rich … Vegas doesn’t even want them. They want basketball more. Only so many teams that market can support.

[@wadedagoat1939]

I’m so tired of hearing about a deadbeat team call the Oakland A’s 🙄

[@auburncatfish417]

This is the story that everyone needs to be talking about more. Manfred has failed baseball and its loyal fans. Every other market, especially small markets, should be playing attention. I would personally support an mlb wide boycott of Manfred, and in support of the Oakland A's.

[@michaeltamares7974]

Its a shame just living in Oakland!! A dump site!!

[@rainbowmade1880]

Where do you live? Are you really from Oakland? I live in one of many great Oakland neighborhoods. Is Baltimore better, or Philly or South Chicago? The fan base comes from all over the Bay Area and far beyond but you would know that….

[@gregusjay]

Most A's fans are from the suburbs of the Bay Area ...

[@matthewgreen8628]

Oakland never drew more than 30000 fans per game usually are next to last. They should move

[@justiceom5991]

No team draws 30k every (per) game game bud. I think you mean average, and yes they have.

[@matthewgreen8628]

@@justiceom5991 right once or twice in the 80's

[@805fillmore]

@@justiceom5991Dodgers average over 50k a game.

[@justiceom5991]

​@@805fillmore average does not mean every game, its an average... a

[@805fillmore]

@@justiceom5991 my bad dodgers average 48k a game/

[@imandan1966]

Who cares? They can't draw flies in Oakland. Aa a baseball fan I'm looking forward to a team in Vegas!

[@Maske002]

They don't try to draw fans. They've been jacking up ticket, food, parking prices year after year, all while gutting the team. This was the Major League plot, plain and simple.

[@stevew3421]

‘Who cares’. Really? You want to go there?

[@rainbowmade1880]

⁠ So many vile heartless a-holes from LV. Your facts are correct. This is a coordinated removing of a team by a completely biased commissioner helping a buddy. WTF

[@Beardownsports]

We don't want the A's here in Vegas

[@reddeadren351c8]

​@@stevew3421I wanted to go

[@Reloadeez]

The bay is a complete dump, looks like the movie escape from New York. It's dangerous for the public to attend games there, Oakland made the right decision to move, they put the safety of the fans and players first.

[@user-my1gg5yz3l]

every team should sign something to keep the A’s in Oakland they basically want to be in every city in the United states, make them commit to a city and a state

[@805fillmore]

Lol you live in fantasy land. The owners hate Oakland.

[@williamserio7970]

Rob Manfred needs to go he's embarrassment to baseball

[@curtisdavis8261]

Ah, Baseball In Vegas, Keep Doing What You Doing!

[@Dubmcbogie]

Oakland has proven again and again they aren’t a big league city….not any more. I hated Al Davis as a sports fan…and a San Diegan.. but he was right.