Rumors of the A's playing in Oakland next year fan fans' flickering hopes
OAKLAND -- Rumors are flying out of the park as A's fans are put on another emotional roller coaster. In the latest curve ball of this baseball saga, there may be a possibility the Athletics will stay at the Oakland Coliseum next season.
Tim Betts is an Oakland baseball fan. He loves the new Pioneer league team the Ballers but the A's were his first love.
"I bleed green," he said. "I bleed green but you can only bleed me so much."
Betts says he had four sets of season tickets last year. He considered going to Sacramento but doesn't have enough green to support his team.
"We went out there and did the tour," Betts said. "It's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous -- $10,000 worth of shares here, I can sit back and watch it grow. Over there, I can't buy one seat."
Like many other A's fans, his heart has been broken time and again. As Betts sees it, the game is not over for Oakland quite yet.
"Unless you see a shovel in the ground, don't believe what that man says," Betts said.
Rumors started flying about the A's staying in Oakland after a prominent sports agent made some comments on a Sacramento radio station Thursday morning.
"There is a new party that owns the Coliseum that is now ready and willing to negotiate with the A's that wasn't before," said Scott Boras.
The African American Sports and Entertainment Group is now the sole owner of the Coliseum after the city finalized a deal to sell its 50 percent share earlier this month.
Along with a new owner, there are lingering concerns about whether the Sacramento ballpark will be ready for major leaguers to play ball next season.
The Players Association hasn't signed off on playing on artificial turf in triple-digit temperatures and facilities at Sutter Health Park are still being built. The MLB said in a statement: "It is a certainty that the A's will play their 2025 season in Sacramento as planned. MLB is continuing to work productively with the MLBPA on the details of the transition."
Some fans though aren't convinced. They believe the A's will remain rooted in Oakland, at least for now.
"Until something is official," said baseball fan Sam Montez. "Until something is definitive, they are all just rumors. I've said it the whole time -- until the A's are officially gone, I don't believe that they are leaving."
"They're coming back," Betts added. "They don't have anywhere else to play."
