Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:00:59] Yesterday, fans celebrated and mourned the A’s final game in Oakland.
Jeironemo Thomas [00:01:07] It’s not just the closure of the A’s and psyche. This is a closure of that generation.
Jenneane Rocha [00:01:13] If you just want to see good baseball, Oakland fans are the kindest and the sweetest, and it’s just a sad day.
Gilbert Banuelos III [00:01:20] This was home. And now it’s just going to be a memory.
Erin Marquez [00:01:24] I feel like the city of Oakland actually has like an excellent fan base. Everybody puts their heart and their soul into it, you know, And losing the Raiders was really upsetting. And now that we’re losing the A’s, it’s it’s it’s heartbreaking.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra [00:01:39] The A’s spent almost six decades in the town winning four World Series titles while playing in the Oakland Coliseum. The iconic green and gold, a symbol of pride and grit and eventually heartbreak for fans. The team has been inextricably linked to this city. Famously, when people cheered for the A’s. They cheered for Oakland. Starting next season, the A’s will play in Sacramento before eventually heading to Vegas. Defiant fans sold out the Coliseum for the A’s grand finale, tailgating and putting up with long lines as yet another major sports team leaves Oakland. Right now, we’re in the middle of prop fest, but we know this story was just too big to ignore. So today, we’re going to take you to the A’s final Oakland game through the eyes of KQED reporter and lifelong A’s fan, Joseph Geha. That’s coming up right after the break.
Joseph Geha [00:03:44] It’s about 840 in the morning now. And when I’m outside the stadium gates at security, waiting for the gates to open to go into the coliseum. I arrived here about 20 or 30 minutes ago. My brother is here with me. He was here even earlier in the morning since about 6 a.m.. And, you know, we were both anticipating large crowds and that has been the case. The parking lots are already filling up. People are in line. People are tailgating. It’s a classic Coliseum vibe, but just a little bit more crowded than usual, especially in the last few seasons.
Andrew Johnstone [00:04:23] What are your what are you going to help? Are you going to sing? All right.
Unidentified [00:04:28] All right. All right.
Andrew Johnstone [00:04:42] My name’s Andrew Johnstone. And yeah, it felt like a good time to play a lament. I mean, this is there’s some sadness today, but let’s, let’s do a fighting song as well. And I came here 30 years ago. It’s my cricket fix – I used to love cricket. And this is as close as I can get to cricket.
Erin Marquez [00:05:10] Yeah.
Joseph Geha [00:05:20] You know, I’m wearing my classic A’s hat, but I’m wearing a sweater from a playoff run that says Oakland Athletics on it because I’m trying to wear more things this past season that actually say Oakland Athletics on an Oakland A’s as opposed to just the A’s. Knowing that the team could take those logos with them, but they can’t take Oakland with them. And you know, it’s been an emotional week. I’m very tired after last night. I was at the Coliseum late last night, watched another loss and, you know, stayed late to linger and take it all in. You know, I’ve been an A’s fan my whole life, so it’s been a huge part of every spring, summer and fall for my entire family to come to A’s games, to watch these games on television and to sometimes go to spring training. I mean, the team is wrapped up in so many different facets of our lives, and the Coliseum is a huge, huge part of that.
Erin Marquez [00:06:14] My name is Chinzalée Sonami, and I’m born and raised in Oakland in East Oakland. I feel like I grew up at the Coliseum in elementary school. My friend Joey Hammond’s mom would drop us off in the morning with a bag of snacks and pick us up in the late afternoon. We’d run around the top doing whatever we wanted. One of my first dates was under the fireworks on the 4th of July game back when you used to be able to lay down on the field and the fireworks would just explode above you. I brought my kids here when we moved back to Oakland and yeah, I feel and I grew up being able to see all of the 4th of July fireworks every summer. So it’s it’s just feels. I feel so happy to be here on the last day.
Brian Watt [00:07:04] Live from KQED news at the Oakland Coliseum. I’m Brian Watt. The Oakland Coliseum is starting to fill up with fans, but also with lots of emotion. The A’s are just 2.5 hours away from the first pitch of their last game in Oakland.
Debra Piper [00:07:24] Originally from Alameda, grew up as an A’s fan and a Raider fan as well. So I’ve been through the ringer not once but twice now, and I’m not going be able to control my emotions. I know I’m going to cry. You know that the only thing that keeps me going is that we live in Auburn now. So this will get us seen for a little while in Sacramento. But my whole family, we’re A’s fans and now.
Joseph Geha [00:07:50] It’s almost 1125 this morning, about an hour from first pitch. And there’s just like a lot of energy in the stadium, a lot of people buzzing around. And this is way more people than would normally be here on a day game before the game. Right. They’ve opened the gates early and people are taking advantage. People have these signs that are like, we love our Oakland A’s and we’ll miss our beloved Oakland A’s. And people are taking so many photos and there’s hugs between fans and family members. There’s players on the field, you know, warming up, but also tossing balls out to the to the fans in the stands like a lot of baseballs are thrown out because it’s the last chance to do that for a fan in Oakland.
Jenny Cavnar [00:08:38] Game 4493 will be played right here in Oakland between the athletics and the Texas Rangers. We welcome to the broadcast booth here at the Coliseum one last time.
TV announcer [00:08:59] The second baseman. Number two, Marcus Simeon.
Jenny Cavnar [00:09:03] And. Langford coming home, Lawrence Butler coming home, it’s 2-0.
Joseph Geha [00:09:21] So we just finished the bottom of the third hour. And you just heard, you know, big cheers for a little girl who did the Steal a Bass challenge where she runs in from the outfield and takes third base and runs back across the finish line. It’s been a pretty good game so far. We’re starting the fourth inning here and the A’s just took a two run lead in the last inning. So we’ve got the fans really excited. And almost every play is taking on like a playoff type atmosphere. So every time somebody gets a base hit, there’s just a huge cheer for it. And any time the pitcher throws over the first from the opposing team, there’s a loud boo from the crowd and everybody’s just really into the flow of the game.
Jesse Slater [00:10:08] Yeah, it’s sort of taking us here in the 90s back in like 98, 99, the team was so bad. Bleacher seats used to be $0.98. So he’d take me and my brother. We come here for like ten bucks for parking. And so we were kids. We came to, you know, sat in the left field bleachers for games and games and then team we get a little bit better. And, you know, we come to more games, get season tickets.
Jewels Hanson [00:10:31] I liken it to a divorce. Like, I feel like I’m getting divorced from a man I’m still in love with. Like, this is the longest relationship of my life as I grew up as 18. So, like, A’s is a part of me, a feeling.
Mia Benavidez [00:10:51] Kind of confused because it’s like, why would they want to leave? Like there’s such a popular crowd here. So it’s just sad.
Lorenzo Benavidez [00:11:00] I like going to eating nachos at games and trying to get some balls.
Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman [00:11:09] Are you an A’s fan?
Mia Benavidez [00:11:10] Yeah.
Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman [00:11:11] What do you like best about the A’s?
Miz Benavidez [00:11:13] The people here.
Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman [00:11:15] What’s special about the people?
Miz Benavidez [00:11:18] They’re just really kind. They’re kind and they like, they help you and we just have fun together.
Ken Korach [00:11:32] And the delivery now and that’s going on a fly ball left field that’s playable. Langford coming on toward the line fighting the sun. And he drops it and scoring is Wilson. The A’s take a three nothing lead. And the old Coliseum sun. It is so appropriate after all this year. We talked about it. Day baseball. Last game, however, at the Coliseum and the Coliseum, the sun strikes again.
Joseph Geha [00:12:03] So it’s top of the sixth inning now. And the A’s just changed their starting pitcher out for a relief pitcher. And you heard a a big ovation for the pitcher coming out of the game. You hear some Andre. Nickatina in the back. There’s been a lot of bad music out here today. You know, it’s been a really emotional day. And I think that’s to be expected a little bit. But like anything where you might be feeling grief or sadness, it’s kind of come in waves and unexpected moments. And earlier in the game, I got a chance to speak with one of our colleagues, Brian Watt, and we were speaking about my dad and how much I’m connected to the A’s through him and his memory. And he passed away last October. It’s just been kind of a whirlwind of a day emotionally. But that was kind of to be expected. I just don’t know when it’s going to arrive and when it’s going to when it’s going to subside.
Jeironemo Thomas [00:13:01] And then I think it’s just tough because a lot of people, when they think of the Bay Area, it’s very specifically San Francisco and we love Frisco, but the town is something different. And so, like the fact that, you know, it appears that the world and the powers that be are trying to erase what’s always been in the Bay Area, kind of that blue collar, gritty history, it sucks.
Brian Watt [00:13:24] I am joined here in the press box now by someone who’s been here a lot in the past, Melissa Lockard, senior editor and staff writer for The Athletic. Hello, Melissa.
Melissa Lockard [00:13:35] Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Brian Watt [00:13:37] Now, we saw that there was a letter that A’s owner John Fisher wrote to people. It he was apologetic. He said he did all he could and he did. The A’s did all they could. How did you receive that letter as a member of the press and as a fan?
Melissa Lockard [00:13:56] Way, way too little. Way, way too late. It was it felt heartless. You know, it was a lot of the same sort of soundbites that didn’t really mean a whole lot. He had 20 years to talk to everybody, and he didn’t talk to anybody until it was too late.
Joseph Geha [00:14:13] So it’s the top of the seventh now. And they just have the, you know, oversize caricatures of Dennis Eckersley, Rickey Henderson and Rollie Fingers do their race that they always do at this time of the game. A footrace all the way around the field. And Rickey Henderson usually wins and he won again today. And the metal music that the team is playing in the background is a song they used to play when a a relief pitcher named Grant Balfour, who used to pitch for the A’s. So they’re just kind of doing a lot of nostalgic things like this today at the stadium. And it does pull on your heartstrings. And throughout the day, I’ve just felt a lot of emotion. But it’s come at different times. You know, a little bit of tears in the morning because it’s just sad looking at the stadium, knowing you’re not coming back to see more A’s games. And then later on, after getting in here and getting some food and hanging out with my brother a little bit, you notice that, you know, it’s starting to get very emotional and sad about what’s being lost. And the cheers are starting up again.
Radio announcer: [00:15:25] 2-2. Ripped into the gap, left center on the run. Bleday dives big on it. What a catch by JJ Bleday. Spectacular effort toward the warning track and left center right in front of the NBC…
Joseph Geha [00:16:27] The seventh inning stretch for the last time, you heard Kara, the broadcaster, the in-game broadcaster for several seasons here, getting a bit emotional.
Joseph Geha [00:16:38] She’s telling fans to soak it in for the last time this hour. And you know, right now it’s a close game. It’s a really good baseball game. You know, if you take away the context of what’s happening, it’s a 3 to 2 A’s lead. The Texas Rangers have two runs. It’s bottom of the seventh. The A’s are trying to add on runs to make this a victory at their last game at home. And pretty soon there’s the sell, the team chants starting up again. Now, basically, the whole stadium is chanting, Sell the team right now. It doesn’t last for too long, but when it’s happening, it’s really powerful.
Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman [00:17:21] Favorite anecdote?
Todd Schwenk [00:17:24] All good things in all good time. Game 162. It was like a rock concert. We were never supposed to get to the playoffs. We fell behind by five. The whole place got quiet, and then we came back. Got first place, if only. But for one day. And it was the very last day of the year. I was 2012. I’ve never been to such a rock concert baseball game in my life. The last day. That’s so Oakland A’s. We’re like the walk off Wonderland here. Everybody waits to the ninth because we come through. We come through.
Radio announcer [00:18:11] Now 1-2 pitch. Here it is by Mason. He turns, he’s ready. He throws and is swung on and hit the third. Was left up with that Schumann. He turns. He throws and the A’s have won it. Mason Miller slams the door on the Rangers. As the curtain comes down. On 57 incredible years of A’s baseball at the Coliseum. It’s over. It is over after 57 years. Love, thrills, heartbreak, but always a sense of community. Fans belonging to something, something bigger is something special. It was baseball. It was Oakland A’s baseball that brought so many people together.
Mark Kotsay [00:19:13] On behalf of myself and myself and. This team team, all the past players. And coaches everyone who’s worn the green and gold. There are no better fans than you guys. Thank you all for loving the game of baseball. Thank you for your lifelong support of the Oakland A’s. And I ask you for one more time for me to start the greatest cheer baseball. Let’s go Oakland!
