A's fans welcome 2023 season amid uncertainty of team's future home
OAKLAND – Fans of the Oakland A's were thrilled to celebrate Opening Day at RingCentral Coliseum as tailgaters camped out for hours ahead of the first pitch Thursday. But the excitement of a new season is overshadowed by the unclear future of their home and a potential move.
Thursday was a bittersweet opening day for Hal Gordon, who returned to the coliseum with a different point of view than previous seasons.
"Opening day! Let's do it!" he told CBS News Bay Area as he mounted an Oakland flag on his home.
But with the excitement came anticipation. Gordon knew it could be one of the last opening days for the A's in Oakland.
"The only thing people are talking about in Oakland these days are: ' Are they gonna stay? Can we keep them? Is there going to be a new stadium?" Gordon said. "It's tough. It stinks. It would be a lot more fun to talk about the game."
Gordon is also known as "Hal the Hot Dog Guy" and spent five seasons charming fans with his impressive tricks and A's spirit.
"I'm excited to see friends, but it'll be bittersweet. I'll miss leading chants and squirting ketchup onto hot dogs," said Gordon.
Although it was his first opening day in Oakland that he's attending just as a fan, he said he planned to bring his beloved flair to counter the uncertainty of the team's future.
"What fans love about going to the ballpark you know, their memories, intergenerational memories, you make the feeling of civic pride to have a team you know, that's not you know, that should be a business," he said. "Oakland doesn't own the sports franchise, but I feel like the A's belong to Oakland."
The 2023 season could be one of the last for the A's in the coliseum. Their lease is set to expire after 2024. It remains unclear whether the team and city of Oakland will renew the contract after MLB deemed the coliseum unfit for a major league franchise.
"Right now it's hard to look beyond the fear that this might be the last year or next year might bn be last year," Gordon said. "It's tough."
For Gordon, the coliseum is like a second home and he — along with many other fans — are prepared to make major concessions for the team to solidify their home.
"Any fan here would trade any amount of wins for staying here for the next 50 years," Gordon said. "I'd rather have them sign a stadium agreement than win the World Series this year. Definitely, no question."