May 5, 2025 • 18 mins
Evan Giddings from 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area joins Dave Softy Mahler and Hugh Millen to talk about the upcoming series between the M’s and Athletics, the A’s move to Sacramento, the fallout for Oakland, the team’s future home, and their play on the field.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Monday afternoon, right here on ninety three to three KJARFM
from the game and the Bay Area. Evan Giddings is
with us to talk about this big, gigantic series tonight
between the Mariners and the Sacramento A's.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Evan, how are you how what's going on? I'm doing fantastic, Suffie,
Thanks for having me on. Yeah, it's good to have you, man.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And first of all, let me just get your thoughts
on this team. I talked to a bunch of people
down there, most of them that worked for your radio station,
by the way, all of them said they got no
clue what the hell is happening with the A's and Sacramento.
They've jumped off the wagon, they've given up. But here's
the thing. This team has only moved eighty miles north
of Oakland. How is this being played in the Bay Area?
(00:44):
Are A's fans Oakland A's fans? Are they done with
the team? Do they follow the team? Do they drive
up and watch the team? How much of a connection
still today even with the move? Is there between Oakland
and Sacramento?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I would say for a lot of they put the
a in sabbatical. How about that they've taken a sabbatical
from the now West Sacramento ways, and I can't really
blame them. There's a lot of fans that have obviously
that connection to Oakland, to the East Bay, to the
Bay Area, and you're right, it's not too far away,
but it feels worlds for a lot of people. So
I think a lot of fans are still dealing with
the hurts, you know, kind of the back turning, if
(01:20):
you will, from ownership. But I got to say, you know,
if you've been paying attention to this team, they're playing
some ball, and obviously the Mariners have been too. So
I'm excited to see what's going on over the next
couple of days between these two squads and Sacramento.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And how has it been playing at that Triple A stadium,
I mean, in any respect, the confines, the facilities just
kind of give us an update.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Now a few weeks into the season.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, I mean, number one, it's a freaking bandbox. If
you're a fan of overs, if you're a degenerate, this
is the place for you. There's gonna be a lot
of runs scored. And I know that the Mariners, maybe
you're a team that might be a little more often
challenged in the A's, but the ball flies there. The
one thing that, of course, I think made major headlines
over the first couple of weeks was just, you know,
(02:08):
all the kind of I don't know if it's lack
thereof of you know Wi fi. The locker rooms are
in left field. If you see someone ejected or thrown
out over the next couple of days, they're gonna have
to take the long walk through left field to get
back to the clubhouse. The facilities have not been top notch,
(02:28):
to say the least, and attendance has not been as present.
But overall, if you're a fan of offense, this is
a place where, compared especially to the Oakland Coliseum, there's
a lot of runs scored here. So it's a spot
I think that benefits both sides who were swinging hot bats.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Well, let me just go back to the kind of
whole way that Oakland has embraced or not embraced this.
So you're you're saying that there still are some A's
fans in Oakland that will eventually make the drive up
there to watch them play. They're still chatter like on
your radio station. For example, Evan ninety five to seven
of the game in the Bay Area. Is this team
being covered at all by you guys down there.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, No, honestly, And it's not a team that necessarily
has been for some time, and I think it's just
been because of the way that ownership has dealt with
a lot of the fans in the area. I think
a lot of fans have maybe watched from Afar, but
that that heartbreak is a little bit too recent for
them to make the trip, you know, an hour and
a half two hours north. So I think a lot
(03:29):
of fans in Sacramento have obviously embraced them, and that's
been fun to watch from Afar. But here in the
Bay Area, you know, just just speaking as an East
Bay resident, someone who grew up love in the A's,
it's it's too difficult, I think, to go up there
and spend harder money to watch this team that essentially
turned its back on you.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Right Well, Evan Gettings again ninety five to seven of
the game, and I'd be with you, because, Hey, the
Sacramento thing, fine, whatever for a couple of years, but
eventually they're going to Vegas and and here's the thing
about Oakland, and I don't think people really understand. The
Warriors have moved over to San France, so they're out
of Oakland. Obviously, the NFL went from Oakland to la
and then back to Oakland and then to Vegas, so
(04:07):
they're gone. You lost a hockey team in the mid seventies,
which is way before your time, with the Seals moving
to Cleveland to become the Barons. So this is now
technically from Oakland proper, the fourth major league franchise that
that city has lost, and there's now nothing left. I mean,
tell us about that, man. The amount of heartbreak that
(04:28):
your city has had to deal with pale.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Well, it's been terrible to see, really, and honestly, the
writing on the wall for the A's is when they
couldn't keep the Raiders. Like, let's be honest. You know,
baseball is obviously a great sport. All of us appreciate it.
If you can't keep an NFL team, you ain't keeping anything.
I mean, the Warriors were bound to get out of there.
They'd been talking about the moment that Joe Nikab bought
the team. He had this vision of this acropolis in
(04:52):
the San Francisco water and to his credit, he was
able to privately finance it and then eventually bring the
team over there, and they've been successful since. But baseball
is one that's been left in the rear view. And
I think Oakland's a city that, while it's had plenty
of history in decades of winning teams and obviously championships
and even a dynasty so to speak in the seventies,
(05:12):
they have not been able to get their arms around
the idea of being second fiddled to San Francisco if
you're a businessman. I'm not speaking for the fans obviously,
but the businessmen that have owned these teams have said,
all right, we would rather be number one in a
different market, in a growing market where we can accumulate
the bees the billions, and not be second filled to
(05:34):
whatever happens across the bridge. So I think a lot
of fans have basically taken that to hard and said,
we'll find if you guys want to take your money,
if you want to take your toys and go play elsewhere,
that's fine, but you have none of our support as
a result of that, and it sucks for Oakland and
a city that's had a lot of a rich amount
of not just teams in general, but athletes that have
come from there for going back one hundred years. But
(05:56):
as a result, we're kind of left with nothing. At
this point, a lot of fans have, i think, just
come to the realization that Oakland is no longer going
to be a sports town and everything that in the
future people read about it in regards to being a
sports town is going to be in the pages of history.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Well, yeah, and you still have the issue. You're looking
at the payroll. You got the Astros and Rangers both
in the top seven right at about two hundred and
twenty million. There are the athletics. Now usually they're dead last.
Now they're second to last at about seventy three million.
The Marlins are at sixty seven. What about that? It
(06:34):
seems like eternal frustration. I mean, you know the Billy
Bean moneyball. It's a cute story, but doesn't that just
get aggravating for the people involved to constantly be so
far below your competitors from a payroll standpoint, and nothing
seems to change with ownership in that regard.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, and that was to be honest that the other
major slap in the face on their way out. It
wasn't just that they moved It wasn't just that they
turned it back on the side to call a CM
the city. But then the moment they get to West Sacramento,
they shell out a massive contract for Luis Severino, who
you're going to see tonight. You shell out a six
year extension for Lawrence Butler, who's a great young player,
and you give out a three year deal to Brent Rooker.
(07:16):
All of these things in Oakland would be welcomed, would
be fantastic. But you've watched trade Matt Chapman. You'd watched
them trade Matt Olson. You've watched them give just just degrading,
honestly disrespectful contracts to the like of a local legend
and Marcus Simmon. You've seen them get off of so
many players in the past and be unable to retain them.
That now, the fact that even though you're right they're
(07:37):
still on the lower end of payrolls, they're now beginning
to spend money just signal of the fact that they
never wanted to be in Oakland in the first place.
In the firms, I think everyone's distrust of ownership in general.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, I was gonna say, before you go, Mariners and
a starting a three game series in Sacramento tonight. I
think it'd be fun as hell to watch a game there,
just to see a major league game in a minor
league ballpark. I remember going to the how We Classic
a long time ago, watching Kentucky Virginia, UW Michigan State
and that little gym they have there in line. It
was freaking awesome. So I bet the atmosphere is probably
(08:09):
fun as hell. But remind people, Evan before you go
for me, why not play until they go to Vegas
in the colisseum. Why were they forced to go play
in a minor league baseball stadium when they're major league
stadium in Vegas isn't ready yet.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, and this is where it gets a little political, Saffie,
it's you know, the the A's. Essentially, they their lease
was up, you know, their renters, and just like anybody else,
they faced the landlord who wanted to probably get a
little a couple more coins out of them, and they
just said no, and so we'll take our team go
up to Sacramento. They knew they were on their way
out anyways. Oakland felt like, you know, we might as
(08:49):
well just push them out. It was I don't want
to say a mutual parting. But at the same time,
Oakland saw where this was going. The city had no
reason to believe that ownership had any sort of honesty
on their end to keep this team, to try and
make things work, and to be fair, the A's are saying, well,
we're not getting any support here locally anyways, and the
(09:11):
argument is that they've just pretty much tanked the product
at the point where no one would want to go
to games. But the support was there from local diehards
and it just wasn't enough for the team. And I
think that the city of Oakland saw what they were
trying to do, knew that they wanted to get to
Las Vegas no matter what, and I'm honestly not so
sure they're going to be able to get there. There's
like this three year grace period where they got to
get stuck in Sacramento. But until I see a shovel
(09:33):
in the ground in Las Vegas, I think the A's
might just be stuck in Purgatory and Sacramento. And that's
why Sacramento made the risk that they did to try
and potentially grab a major league baseball team. It's a
big swing and I think a big miss for the
A's in general, because they might just end up stuck
in Sacramento with nothing in their hands. In regards to
a future destination.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Well, for this series, obviously, Mariner fans are going to
hope that all the games are put away early. But
many baseball fans, you know, maybe the purists or whatever,
they might be hoping for a real, low scoring close
game because you might have a matchup of the best
closers in baseball, Mason Miller obviously, and Andres Munios. What
(10:16):
about that part of it? For people who love baseball,
the matchup that we made, we're probably going to see
at least once in this series.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
No, in regards to the X's and o's. On paper,
it's a great series. The Marriers are playing fantastic baseball.
Cal Rawley's probably the best catcher in baseball. Jorge Polanco
has had a resurgence, I mean from afar. That's a
damn good baseball club. Even with the likes of Locan
Gilbert going down. And then on the A's side, if
they get any sort of pitching both on the starting
(10:45):
side and then the bullpen not named Mason Miller, they're
a team that's formidable. But those two flame throwers are
ones that I think a lot of fans are going
to enjoy. Mason Miller is a guy that basically sits
one oh one. He just blew a save against the Marlins.
But as someone that has been virtually unhit prior to
and then Munnos has been someone that Okay, I don't
know how this guy continues to throw as much as
(11:06):
he does with the kind of effectiveness that he does.
He's used more than just about every other closer in baseball,
and the Mariners really rely on him. So I think
in regards to flamethrowers, it is you're a fan of
quality pitching, of high octane. This is absolutely a series
for you.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Well, you mentioned the era at home. The A's have
a five to two nine ERA at home and a
three seven four ERA on the road. Uh, Louis Severino,
by the way, Uh, five point one one at home
and zero point ninety five on the road. So you're saying,
play the over, whatever the over is tonight, play it.
That's your advice.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, And I would say, if you know, if you
want to go down those lines, it's it's pretty much
the entire series, right. I think the some of it
has adjusted, but in general that that place is closer
to a little league park and than just about any
other plays in baseball. Okay, expect some hits, expect some
home runs.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, I'm betting Dan Dibley's next check on the eight
and a half, by the way, on the over for
two night's game. So all right, man, good stuff, Buddy.
I appreciate the history. Less in the background, and we'll
talk down the road.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Palth. Thank you, Bud, Take it easy. Enjoyed the series, guys,
anytime you bet.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Evan gettings with us on the radio show ninety five
to seven of the game, which technically is in the
Bay Area San Francisco, but he's an East Bay guy.
I mean, dude, just imagine Hugh being of our ilk,
which means old. By the way, you've lost a hockey team,
you've lost the NFL, you've.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Lost the NBA.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Now they're just across the Bay, but they used to
be in your backyard. And now you lost a baseball
team to Sacramento going to Vegas. I think if I
were all for four, and I'm all for one now.
Obviously with the thunder and all that crap that went
on there, you know, you if I'm all for four
and you tell me I'm losing three more teams after
losing them, I might just be freaking done, like done, okay,
(12:48):
done with sports.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Well, and of course the market's a little different because
they do have all the San Francisco teams.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
It would be you.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Know, sure, you know, in very loose term, so you
could thinking of it as San Francisco as Seattle and
Oakland is Bellevue, right, and and and please don't email
me all the differences in that regard, but you know,
it is an East Bay you know, team in Oakland
that you know is obviously horrible. It's it's a populated region,
(13:19):
certainly a depressed region, and and and and in that regard,
it's not an app comparison to Bellevue. But just in
terms of just looking at a map, you got the
big city on the on the west of the mountains,
and then or excuse of the west of the water.
I'm just trying to think of all the things that
they have similarities. And the Bay is like Lake Washington
(13:39):
and Oakland. Yeah, anyway, most people know the freaking map
of the Bay Area.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I think it's uh, it's got to be hard for them.
I don't know. Do you then turn and and you're
a Giant fan? Are you? Do you just turn pivot
and become a forty nine er fan?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I mean, yeah, I don't know, man, I mean I
think it's possible. I think at that point. Look, I
mean my rule thumb is you lose the sports team
and you get to do.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Whatever the hell you want to do.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Man, you make the call.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Sorry, hit the wrong button. I meant to hit this again.
You thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
You can you can do whatever you want, right, I mean,
you lose the Sonics, you want to adopt an NBA team,
adopt an NBA team.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I mean some people rooted for Portland right away.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
They tried to gravitate to the Blazers, and it kind
of matched up a little bit with Brandon Roy being
down there. I wasn't able to do it. It's just
not in my DNA to root for the Blazers, so
it was impossible for me. I can't really root for
the Lakers. Rooted too hard against the Suns and the
Utah Jazz all those years.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I mean I just turned out to be a guy
that would just root for whoever was playing Oklahoma. That's
my favorite team. But I think if you lose a team,
you do whatever the hell you want.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
To get to the difference between Portland and Seattle is okay.
So you had the going back to the Pacific Division.
You know, that was always a rivalry, whereas in the
you had Okay, the Raiders were an AFC team, the
Niners were an NFC team. The A's or an American
League Giants our National League. So I think it might
(15:11):
be possible if you're an Oakland fan to just kind
of pick up and become a San Francisco fan. But
I might be completely, you know, a sleep at the
wheel on that proposition.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
I just think it's hard for a fan base to
lose teams, and particularly when you consider I mean, I
don't know, I'm old enough to remember when the A's
had Vita Blue and Reggie Jackson. I mean, they were
the most colorful team. They won the championship. In fact,
in nineteen seventy two, the Oakland A's won the World Series.
(15:46):
They had a payroll of just under a million, not
average aggregate, the whole payroll was just under a million.
The Yankees were at about three hundred and eighty five
thousand aggregate. And so then in nineteen seventy three you
had George Steinbrenner buy the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
He had made his money and shipping in the Great
Lakes area.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
He went to New York and he said, hey, I'm
going to use all of my advantages owning the Yankees.
You got the Yankee network and what have you. And
then since that time we've seen the imbalance in the
baseball structure. So if you're a guy my age, having
been an A's fan and can remember winning those titles
(16:27):
when everybody, you know, money, the discrepancy in the payroll
didn't seem to play a big part. And now to
see the Yankees sometimes are upwards of ten times the
payroll of the A's, Like that's legit, they ten ex them.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
How could you possibly feel you can compete?
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well, there needs to be a floor, right, I mean
there may not be a ceiling, but there's got to
be a floor in baseball where you have to spend
x amount of money or you got to sell the
damn team. And that's obviously not been the case for many,
many years. And I would like to see that one
day be implemented.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
But it's funny, Hugh, just before the break.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
If you look at the attendance numbers of Major League Baseball,
the Rays in the A's have the worst attendance in baseball.
They're both under ten thousand fans a game. You know
why they're both under ten thousand fans a game, the
Rays in the A's because both of them are playing
in a minor league.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Stadium this year.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
The Rays are playing in Steinbrenner Field when the hurricane
took the roof off the dome in Tampa and they
had to move. And the A's are playing in Sacramento.
So that's what major League Baseball gets, two teams drawing
less than ten thousand people of the game because they're
playing in freaking minor league ballparks. All right, we're gonna
break the NHL draft lottery. By the way, is happening
(17:43):
right now. The Kraken or as of today, as of
this second excuse me, are one of seven teams left
to draw. They currently have a nine percent chance of
landing the top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. Hopefully,
when we come back after the break, we'll be able
to tell you where the Kraken will be picking, and
if they landed the number one pick in the NHL Draft,
(18:05):
that's next on ninety three three KJRFM
Monday afternoon, right here on ninety three to three KJARFM
from the game and the Bay Area. Evan Giddings is
with us to talk about this big, gigantic series tonight
between the Mariners and the Sacramento A's.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Evan, how are you how what's going on? I'm doing fantastic, Suffie,
Thanks for having me on. Yeah, it's good to have you, man.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
And first of all, let me just get your thoughts
on this team. I talked to a bunch of people
down there, most of them that worked for your radio station,
by the way, all of them said they got no
clue what the hell is happening with the A's and Sacramento.
They've jumped off the wagon, they've given up. But here's
the thing. This team has only moved eighty miles north
of Oakland. How is this being played in the Bay Area?
(00:44):
Are A's fans Oakland A's fans? Are they done with
the team? Do they follow the team? Do they drive
up and watch the team? How much of a connection
still today even with the move? Is there between Oakland
and Sacramento?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
I would say for a lot of they put the
a in sabbatical. How about that they've taken a sabbatical
from the now West Sacramento ways, and I can't really
blame them. There's a lot of fans that have obviously
that connection to Oakland, to the East Bay, to the
Bay Area, and you're right, it's not too far away,
but it feels worlds for a lot of people. So
I think a lot of fans are still dealing with
the hurts, you know, kind of the back turning, if
(01:20):
you will, from ownership. But I got to say, you know,
if you've been paying attention to this team, they're playing
some ball, and obviously the Mariners have been too. So
I'm excited to see what's going on over the next
couple of days between these two squads and Sacramento.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And how has it been playing at that Triple A stadium,
I mean, in any respect, the confines, the facilities just
kind of give us an update.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Now a few weeks into the season.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, I mean, number one, it's a freaking bandbox. If
you're a fan of overs, if you're a degenerate, this
is the place for you. There's gonna be a lot
of runs scored. And I know that the Mariners, maybe
you're a team that might be a little more often
challenged in the A's, but the ball flies there. The
one thing that, of course, I think made major headlines
over the first couple of weeks was just, you know,
(02:08):
all the kind of I don't know if it's lack
thereof of you know Wi fi. The locker rooms are
in left field. If you see someone ejected or thrown
out over the next couple of days, they're gonna have
to take the long walk through left field to get
back to the clubhouse. The facilities have not been top notch,
(02:28):
to say the least, and attendance has not been as present.
But overall, if you're a fan of offense, this is
a place where, compared especially to the Oakland Coliseum, there's
a lot of runs scored here. So it's a spot
I think that benefits both sides who were swinging hot bats.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Well, let me just go back to the kind of
whole way that Oakland has embraced or not embraced this.
So you're you're saying that there still are some A's
fans in Oakland that will eventually make the drive up
there to watch them play. They're still chatter like on
your radio station. For example, Evan ninety five to seven
of the game in the Bay Area. Is this team
being covered at all by you guys down there.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, No, honestly, And it's not a team that necessarily
has been for some time, and I think it's just
been because of the way that ownership has dealt with
a lot of the fans in the area. I think
a lot of fans have maybe watched from Afar, but
that that heartbreak is a little bit too recent for
them to make the trip, you know, an hour and
a half two hours north. So I think a lot
(03:29):
of fans in Sacramento have obviously embraced them, and that's
been fun to watch from Afar. But here in the
Bay Area, you know, just just speaking as an East
Bay resident, someone who grew up love in the A's,
it's it's too difficult, I think, to go up there
and spend harder money to watch this team that essentially
turned its back on you.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Right Well, Evan Gettings again ninety five to seven of
the game, and I'd be with you, because, Hey, the
Sacramento thing, fine, whatever for a couple of years, but
eventually they're going to Vegas and and here's the thing
about Oakland, and I don't think people really understand. The
Warriors have moved over to San France, so they're out
of Oakland. Obviously, the NFL went from Oakland to la
and then back to Oakland and then to Vegas, so
(04:07):
they're gone. You lost a hockey team in the mid seventies,
which is way before your time, with the Seals moving
to Cleveland to become the Barons. So this is now
technically from Oakland proper, the fourth major league franchise that
that city has lost, and there's now nothing left. I mean,
tell us about that, man. The amount of heartbreak that
(04:28):
your city has had to deal with pale.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Well, it's been terrible to see, really, and honestly, the
writing on the wall for the A's is when they
couldn't keep the Raiders. Like, let's be honest. You know,
baseball is obviously a great sport. All of us appreciate it.
If you can't keep an NFL team, you ain't keeping anything.
I mean, the Warriors were bound to get out of there.
They'd been talking about the moment that Joe Nikab bought
the team. He had this vision of this acropolis in
(04:52):
the San Francisco water and to his credit, he was
able to privately finance it and then eventually bring the
team over there, and they've been successful since. But baseball
is one that's been left in the rear view. And
I think Oakland's a city that, while it's had plenty
of history in decades of winning teams and obviously championships
and even a dynasty so to speak in the seventies,
(05:12):
they have not been able to get their arms around
the idea of being second fiddled to San Francisco if
you're a businessman. I'm not speaking for the fans obviously,
but the businessmen that have owned these teams have said,
all right, we would rather be number one in a
different market, in a growing market where we can accumulate
the bees the billions, and not be second filled to
(05:34):
whatever happens across the bridge. So I think a lot
of fans have basically taken that to hard and said,
we'll find if you guys want to take your money,
if you want to take your toys and go play elsewhere,
that's fine, but you have none of our support as
a result of that, and it sucks for Oakland and
a city that's had a lot of a rich amount
of not just teams in general, but athletes that have
come from there for going back one hundred years. But
(05:56):
as a result, we're kind of left with nothing. At
this point, a lot of fans have, i think, just
come to the realization that Oakland is no longer going
to be a sports town and everything that in the
future people read about it in regards to being a
sports town is going to be in the pages of history.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Well, yeah, and you still have the issue. You're looking
at the payroll. You got the Astros and Rangers both
in the top seven right at about two hundred and
twenty million. There are the athletics. Now usually they're dead last.
Now they're second to last at about seventy three million.
The Marlins are at sixty seven. What about that? It
(06:34):
seems like eternal frustration. I mean, you know the Billy
Bean moneyball. It's a cute story, but doesn't that just
get aggravating for the people involved to constantly be so
far below your competitors from a payroll standpoint, and nothing
seems to change with ownership in that regard.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, and that was to be honest that the other
major slap in the face on their way out. It
wasn't just that they moved It wasn't just that they
turned it back on the side to call a CM
the city. But then the moment they get to West Sacramento,
they shell out a massive contract for Luis Severino, who
you're going to see tonight. You shell out a six
year extension for Lawrence Butler, who's a great young player,
and you give out a three year deal to Brent Rooker.
(07:16):
All of these things in Oakland would be welcomed, would
be fantastic. But you've watched trade Matt Chapman. You'd watched
them trade Matt Olson. You've watched them give just just degrading,
honestly disrespectful contracts to the like of a local legend
and Marcus Simmon. You've seen them get off of so
many players in the past and be unable to retain them.
That now, the fact that even though you're right they're
(07:37):
still on the lower end of payrolls, they're now beginning
to spend money just signal of the fact that they
never wanted to be in Oakland in the first place.
In the firms, I think everyone's distrust of ownership in general.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, I was gonna say, before you go, Mariners and
a starting a three game series in Sacramento tonight. I
think it'd be fun as hell to watch a game there,
just to see a major league game in a minor
league ballpark. I remember going to the how We Classic
a long time ago, watching Kentucky Virginia, UW Michigan State
and that little gym they have there in line. It
was freaking awesome. So I bet the atmosphere is probably
(08:09):
fun as hell. But remind people, Evan before you go
for me, why not play until they go to Vegas
in the colisseum. Why were they forced to go play
in a minor league baseball stadium when they're major league
stadium in Vegas isn't ready yet.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, and this is where it gets a little political, Saffie,
it's you know, the the A's. Essentially, they their lease
was up, you know, their renters, and just like anybody else,
they faced the landlord who wanted to probably get a
little a couple more coins out of them, and they
just said no, and so we'll take our team go
up to Sacramento. They knew they were on their way
out anyways. Oakland felt like, you know, we might as
(08:49):
well just push them out. It was I don't want
to say a mutual parting. But at the same time,
Oakland saw where this was going. The city had no
reason to believe that ownership had any sort of honesty
on their end to keep this team, to try and
make things work, and to be fair, the A's are saying, well,
we're not getting any support here locally anyways, and the
(09:11):
argument is that they've just pretty much tanked the product
at the point where no one would want to go
to games. But the support was there from local diehards
and it just wasn't enough for the team. And I
think that the city of Oakland saw what they were
trying to do, knew that they wanted to get to
Las Vegas no matter what, and I'm honestly not so
sure they're going to be able to get there. There's
like this three year grace period where they got to
get stuck in Sacramento. But until I see a shovel
(09:33):
in the ground in Las Vegas, I think the A's
might just be stuck in Purgatory and Sacramento. And that's
why Sacramento made the risk that they did to try
and potentially grab a major league baseball team. It's a
big swing and I think a big miss for the
A's in general, because they might just end up stuck
in Sacramento with nothing in their hands. In regards to
a future destination.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Well, for this series, obviously, Mariner fans are going to
hope that all the games are put away early. But
many baseball fans, you know, maybe the purists or whatever,
they might be hoping for a real, low scoring close
game because you might have a matchup of the best
closers in baseball, Mason Miller obviously, and Andres Munios. What
(10:16):
about that part of it? For people who love baseball,
the matchup that we made, we're probably going to see
at least once in this series.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
No, in regards to the X's and o's. On paper,
it's a great series. The Marriers are playing fantastic baseball.
Cal Rawley's probably the best catcher in baseball. Jorge Polanco
has had a resurgence, I mean from afar. That's a
damn good baseball club. Even with the likes of Locan
Gilbert going down. And then on the A's side, if
they get any sort of pitching both on the starting
(10:45):
side and then the bullpen not named Mason Miller, they're
a team that's formidable. But those two flame throwers are
ones that I think a lot of fans are going
to enjoy. Mason Miller is a guy that basically sits
one oh one. He just blew a save against the Marlins.
But as someone that has been virtually unhit prior to
and then Munnos has been someone that Okay, I don't
know how this guy continues to throw as much as
(11:06):
he does with the kind of effectiveness that he does.
He's used more than just about every other closer in baseball,
and the Mariners really rely on him. So I think
in regards to flamethrowers, it is you're a fan of
quality pitching, of high octane. This is absolutely a series
for you.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Well, you mentioned the era at home. The A's have
a five to two nine ERA at home and a
three seven four ERA on the road. Uh, Louis Severino,
by the way, Uh, five point one one at home
and zero point ninety five on the road. So you're saying,
play the over, whatever the over is tonight, play it.
That's your advice.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah, And I would say, if you know, if you
want to go down those lines, it's it's pretty much
the entire series, right. I think the some of it
has adjusted, but in general that that place is closer
to a little league park and than just about any
other plays in baseball. Okay, expect some hits, expect some
home runs.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Well, I'm betting Dan Dibley's next check on the eight
and a half, by the way, on the over for
two night's game. So all right, man, good stuff, Buddy.
I appreciate the history. Less in the background, and we'll
talk down the road.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Palth. Thank you, Bud, Take it easy. Enjoyed the series, guys,
anytime you bet.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Evan gettings with us on the radio show ninety five
to seven of the game, which technically is in the
Bay Area San Francisco, but he's an East Bay guy.
I mean, dude, just imagine Hugh being of our ilk,
which means old. By the way, you've lost a hockey team,
you've lost the NFL, you've.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Lost the NBA.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Now they're just across the Bay, but they used to
be in your backyard. And now you lost a baseball
team to Sacramento going to Vegas. I think if I
were all for four, and I'm all for one now.
Obviously with the thunder and all that crap that went
on there, you know, you if I'm all for four
and you tell me I'm losing three more teams after
losing them, I might just be freaking done, like done, okay,
(12:48):
done with sports.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
Well, and of course the market's a little different because
they do have all the San Francisco teams.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
It would be you.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Know, sure, you know, in very loose term, so you
could thinking of it as San Francisco as Seattle and
Oakland is Bellevue, right, and and and please don't email
me all the differences in that regard, but you know,
it is an East Bay you know, team in Oakland
that you know is obviously horrible. It's it's a populated region,
(13:19):
certainly a depressed region, and and and and in that regard,
it's not an app comparison to Bellevue. But just in
terms of just looking at a map, you got the
big city on the on the west of the mountains,
and then or excuse of the west of the water.
I'm just trying to think of all the things that
they have similarities. And the Bay is like Lake Washington
(13:39):
and Oakland. Yeah, anyway, most people know the freaking map
of the Bay Area.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I think it's uh, it's got to be hard for them.
I don't know. Do you then turn and and you're
a Giant fan? Are you? Do you just turn pivot
and become a forty nine er fan?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I mean, yeah, I don't know, man, I mean I
think it's possible. I think at that point. Look, I
mean my rule thumb is you lose the sports team
and you get to do.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Whatever the hell you want to do.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Man, you make the call.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Sorry, hit the wrong button. I meant to hit this again.
You thank you.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
You can you can do whatever you want, right, I mean,
you lose the Sonics, you want to adopt an NBA team,
adopt an NBA team.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I mean some people rooted for Portland right away.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
They tried to gravitate to the Blazers, and it kind
of matched up a little bit with Brandon Roy being
down there. I wasn't able to do it. It's just
not in my DNA to root for the Blazers, so
it was impossible for me. I can't really root for
the Lakers. Rooted too hard against the Suns and the
Utah Jazz all those years.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I mean I just turned out to be a guy
that would just root for whoever was playing Oklahoma. That's
my favorite team. But I think if you lose a team,
you do whatever the hell you want.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
To get to the difference between Portland and Seattle is okay.
So you had the going back to the Pacific Division.
You know, that was always a rivalry, whereas in the
you had Okay, the Raiders were an AFC team, the
Niners were an NFC team. The A's or an American
League Giants our National League. So I think it might
(15:11):
be possible if you're an Oakland fan to just kind
of pick up and become a San Francisco fan. But
I might be completely, you know, a sleep at the
wheel on that proposition.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
I just think it's hard for a fan base to
lose teams, and particularly when you consider I mean, I
don't know, I'm old enough to remember when the A's
had Vita Blue and Reggie Jackson. I mean, they were
the most colorful team. They won the championship. In fact,
in nineteen seventy two, the Oakland A's won the World Series.
(15:46):
They had a payroll of just under a million, not
average aggregate, the whole payroll was just under a million.
The Yankees were at about three hundred and eighty five
thousand aggregate. And so then in nineteen seventy three you
had George Steinbrenner buy the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
He had made his money and shipping in the Great
Lakes area.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
He went to New York and he said, hey, I'm
going to use all of my advantages owning the Yankees.
You got the Yankee network and what have you. And
then since that time we've seen the imbalance in the
baseball structure. So if you're a guy my age, having
been an A's fan and can remember winning those titles
(16:27):
when everybody, you know, money, the discrepancy in the payroll
didn't seem to play a big part. And now to
see the Yankees sometimes are upwards of ten times the
payroll of the A's, Like that's legit, they ten ex them.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
How could you possibly feel you can compete?
Speaker 1 (16:49):
Well, there needs to be a floor, right, I mean
there may not be a ceiling, but there's got to
be a floor in baseball where you have to spend
x amount of money or you got to sell the
damn team. And that's obviously not been the case for many,
many years. And I would like to see that one
day be implemented.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
But it's funny, Hugh, just before the break.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
If you look at the attendance numbers of Major League Baseball,
the Rays in the A's have the worst attendance in baseball.
They're both under ten thousand fans a game. You know
why they're both under ten thousand fans a game, the
Rays in the A's because both of them are playing
in a minor league.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Stadium this year.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
The Rays are playing in Steinbrenner Field when the hurricane
took the roof off the dome in Tampa and they
had to move. And the A's are playing in Sacramento.
So that's what major League Baseball gets, two teams drawing
less than ten thousand people of the game because they're
playing in freaking minor league ballparks. All right, we're gonna
break the NHL draft lottery. By the way, is happening
(17:43):
right now. The Kraken or as of today, as of
this second excuse me, are one of seven teams left
to draw. They currently have a nine percent chance of
landing the top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. Hopefully,
when we come back after the break, we'll be able
to tell you where the Kraken will be picking, and
if they landed the number one pick in the NHL Draft,
(18:05):
that's next on ninety three three KJRFM
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