A rare public exchange between Oakland A’s fans and team owner John Fisher may have finally allowed Fisher to get something off his chest.
According to the USA Today, three A’s fans dressed in green T-shirts with “STAY” written across it camped out at the hotel lobby of the MLB owners’ meetings in Arlington, Texas, for 12 hours until they finally saw Fisher enter the building.
Before the fans could make their move, Fisher approached them at the hotel bar and shook their hands.
When they pleaded for him to find a way to keep the team in Oakland, Fisher explained he’d been trying for 18 years and he didn’t expect the A’s would get a new ballpark until 2031.
“It’s been a lot worse for me than you,’’ Fisher told them, according to the report. “Anyway, I just want to let you know I appreciate you guys being here, I appreciate the passion you have shown.’’
One of the fans requested that Fisher answer just one question.
“There’s never one question,” he reportedly told them. “I’ve got to go.”
The fans also approached other executives and handed them gift boxes pleading with them to keep the A’s in Oakland.
Of course, their efforts won’t change what is likely to happen on Thursday, when the owners are expected to approve the A’s relocation to Las Vegas and signal the end of an A’s run in Oakland that began in 1968.
