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MLB commissioner angers A's fans with comments

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

MLB commissioner angers fans with comments on A's move

By Tommy Fradenburg | Last updated 6/15/23

One day after the Nevada legislature passed a bill to fund a stadium for the Oakland A's in Las Vegas, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred upset fans with his comments to The Athletic's Evan Drellich.

"I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland," Manfred said. "I think the real question is that, what was it that Oakland was prepared to do? They never got to a point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site. And it's not just [A's owner] John Fisher. The community has to provide support and at some point you come to the realization it's not going to happen."

The comment comes on the heels of a "reverse boycott" held by A's fans earlier this week, where nearly 28,000 fans (almost 20,000 more than their per game average this season) packed the stadium to voice their wish for Fisher to sell the team rather than relocate.

Manfred also responded to the protest.

"It was great to see what is, this year, almost an average MLB crowd in the facility for one night."

As planned A's fans were standing and silent during the first batter of the fifth inning

They then broke into "sell the team" chants so loud that the pitcher thought his earpiece was broken pic.twitter.com/NI2sRLmPjV
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 14, 2023

Unsurprisingly, neither comment was well received by A's backers.

Julie Edwards, spokesperson for Oakland's mayor, addressed Manfred's claim that there wasn't a proposal for a new stadium. "This is just totally false. There was a very concrete proposal under discussion and Oakland has gone above and beyond to clear hurdles," relayed Drellich.

Local politicians aren't the only one's upset by Manfred's comments, with fans and media chiming in, too.

One of the coolest / most inspirational fan moments in league history. We’ll be talking about it for …ever? Emotions are extremely high, and a pillar of the community is being ripped away.

Manfred: “oh totally, it was great to see them *almost* hit league-average attendance”
— Levi Weaver (@ThreeTwoEephus) June 15, 2023

Rob Manfred is one of a kind: his career batting average on “making things worse when he speaks about them” is 1.000. https://t.co/U6uo75rtz1
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) June 15, 2023

This is not the first time Manfred's mouth has gotten himself into trouble.

Following the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, Manfred was asked if he's consider vacating their 2017 championship. He said that wouldn't happen and that World Series trophy (ironically called the Commissioners Trophy) is "just a piece of metal," per ESPN.

In response, then-Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said "The only thing devaluing it right now is that it says 'Commissioner' on it. It's just unbelievable. Does he not know how much work we dedicate to winning that piece of metal?"

The A's got off to a putrid 12-50 start this season, but are 7-1 in their last eight games, a stretch which included a win on "reverse boycott" night against the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

With the A's set to follow the Golden State Warriors and Las Vegas Raiders out of the Bay Area, some of the country's most passionate fans will find themselves without a team to cheer for.

That stinks.

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