OAKLAND – Rickey Henderson observed the Oakland A’s clubhouse with profound nostalgia during the final homestand at the Coliseum. Nothing encapsulates Oakland baseball more than Rickey. He was raised here. Showcased his skills in high school here. Gave stellar performances for the A’s in this historic venue countless times throughout his extensive career.
His revered No. 24 is immortalized on the tarp shielding the upper deck of Mt. Davis alongside five other esteemed A’s legends—Reggie Jackson, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, and Dave Stewart. Only Stewart remains uninducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Unless any unforeseen changes occur, the A’s will conclude their last home game in this aging, 58-year-old structure on Thursday against the Texas Rangers. Following that, they will temporarily relocate to Sacramento and ultimately to Las Vegas.
“It’s truly lamentable,” lamented Henderson. “Heart-wrenching. I hail from Oakland and we are losing everything. It feels almost as if it will turn into a deserted place. That’s the sorrowful reality of it.”
Henderson now serves as a traveling coach for the A’s and indicated that he will continue in the same role next year when the team relocates 90 miles to the northeast to a minor league ballpark that is the home of the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
“Yes, I’ll be accompanying them,” affirmed Henderson, now 65. “My responsibilities will remain unchanged. I oversee the minor league system and come here. I’ll persist in this role until I feel it’s time to call it quits.”
Amidst the daunting final season for the A’s at the Coliseum, fans and players are gearing up for an even more chaotic offseason, despite a public apology issued on Monday by A’s owner John Fisher.
“Our intent was to remain in Oakland,” his statement read. “It was our mission, and we fell short. For that, I offer my sincere apologies.”
Fisher also added, “We attempted. Attempted and missed.”
Now, the A’s will be sharing a field with minor leaguers from their former cross-Bay rivals.
The A’s are scheduled to compete in Sacramento next season and for at least two more seasons afterwards until a ballpark is established in Las Vegas. Sportico recently visited Sutter Health Park to assess the facilities.
Our visit revealed a pristine, intimate 14,014-seat ballpark with excellent concessions, offering a lovely view of downtown Sacramento and the aged yellow bridge linking it with West Sac across the Sacramento River.
We also discovered a minor-league ballpark requiring substantial investment to reach Major League standards before the A’s inaugurate their first home match there against the Chicago Cubs on March 31.
Significant upgrades are essential for the dugouts, clubhouse, lighting, press box, and field turf to meet Major League requirements for a demanding schedule encompassing 81 A’s and 75 River Cats games. Complicating matters further is the escalating summer heat. From late June to the end of July, Sacramento experienced its hottest period on record, with an average daily high temperature of 95 degrees.
To accommodate the intensive game schedule during the scorching summer, Major League Baseball is contemplating installing an artificial turf field with a cooling system underneath. Day games will be avoided during that period.
Efforts are underway to construct a new A’s clubhouse in left field, situated between the foul line and the current structures housing the River Cats and visiting minor league teams.
Currently in the preliminary stages, the clubhouse has a rebar foundation in place awaiting a concrete pour. The usage of the existing out-of-town clubhouse by visiting MLB teams remains pending a decision.
The vicinity around these clubhouses is congested and offers limited bus accessibility. With only 38 parking spaces available, the main lot is located on the home plate and first base side of the ballpark. Therefore, it’s probable that visiting players and even some A’s players will need to walk or utilize golf carts to reach the clubhouse. Similar to the old Polo Grounds in New York, players will have access from center field to the dugouts, a feature that will undergo enhancements, necessitating another lengthy walk in the heat.
Upgrade of field lighting to meet Major League standards is imperative. Plans include the installation of a new and modern video board. A computer system will be implemented to allow MLB to utilize Statcast advanced tracking technology and metrics for compiling statistical data across all 30 big-league ballparks, including the Oakland Coliseum.
The ballpark currently boasts 10,624 permanent seats and a shaded grassy berm in right field to accommodate an additional 3,500 spectators. A’s ticket prices are significantly higher than those of the River Cats, who averaged 5,177 attendees per game in 2023. The average ticket price for minor league matches this year stood at $48.29. A’s ticket prices are anticipated to range between $183 and $244 per game next season. Major league prices in a minor-league arena.
The press box on the suite level behind home plate includes eight seats for the editorial media and two adjacent compact radio booths. The front row accommodates five seats, with an additional three in the second row. Among the occupants in the front row are River Cats and minor league statisticians. During our visit, the second row was occupied by the head of baseball operations and a team photographer.
Adjoining this area is the control room for the current video scoreboard. This facility will be relocated and expanded to house television booths and extend the existing press box. However, these plans are in the initial planning phases.
Arrangements need to be made for accommodating the significant media contingents that follow teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Giants, and Cubs. The local Sacramento Bee does not regularly cover the River Cats.
While the costs of these upgrades have not been finalized, they will be divided between the A’s and MLB, as confirmed by Commissioner Rob Manfred in July following his annual media briefing with baseball writers.
During the past two seasons when the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes played at Mullett Arena, a 5,000-seat college venue in Tempe, Ariz., it entailed costly expenditures.club more than $10 million to construct separate locker room facilities and upgrade the building to meet league standards. The team has relocated to Utah.
The recent conclusion of the minor league baseball season saw the River Cats missing out on the playoffs. There remains a five-month window until the commencement of the home opener to complete all these tasks.
The A’s are in for a hectic offseason ahead.
Heading into the final year of his contract is Manager Mark Kotsay. This season, his team performed unexpectedly well, achieving a 67-89 record despite playing in front of the lowest home attendance average in the league at 10,515.
In his first three seasons, he holds a .369 winning ratio, all of which have been overshadowed by the relocation and declining performance on the field. He is optimistic that any progress made this year will not be derailed by large-scale relocations of players and on-field staff.
“Change is certainly challenging for everyone in any walk of life,” he remarked over the past weekend. “These players will experience more changes ahead.”
The current plan is for the A’s to regroup in Mesa, Ariz., next February. They will then depart for Sacramento collectively for the first time and assemble at Sutter Health Park the Tuesday before the commencement of the 2025 regular season, starting in Seattle. They will then come back for the initial home series against the Cubs. Kotsay confirmed that he has reviewed the schedule.
Meanwhile, the players will need to search for new accommodations in the interim. It’s a transient lifestyle that most of them are accustomed to. Kotsay played for seven teams during his 17-year career in the major leagues, with four of them based in Oakland. Each of those transitions brought significant changes.
“That’s the essence of baseball and the baseball way of life,” he expressed. “You’re never truly settled.”
Image Source: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock
