OAKLAND, Calif. — Ryan Thibodaux arrived in the Bay Area in 1995 from Texas and instantly became a fan of the Oakland Athletics.
The one-time Astros fan cheered slugger Mark McGwire, who hit 52 home runs the following year. He saw the glory days of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley; of Eric Chavez, Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada; of $2 BART rides and bargain bleacher seats in the third deck. The A’s “converted me over pretty quickly,” he said.
All these years later, Thibodaux and many Oakland fans already were heartbroken about the state of their struggling team — small crowds, bad baseball and dismal winters watching top players being traded away or lost in free agency.
Now, the greatest disappointment yet: Yes, the A’s are leaving for Las Vegas.
“This has seemed to be inevitable for a year or so, at least,” Thibodaux said Thursday. “I’m still more saddened than I thought I would be.”
The news came Wednesday night from team president Dave Kaval, who said Oakland signed a binding agreement to buy land on a 49-acre site near the Las Vegas Strip to build the intimate ballpark they’ve always coveted but couldn’t pull off in the Bay Area.
“This really is one of the saddest days,” said lifelong fan Jason Bressler, 40, who grew up in suburban Alamo and now lives in Los Angeles. “Some of my best childhood memories were in Section 216 of the Coliseum with my friends and family, and when they were on the road, Bill King was the soundtrack of my youth.
“Attending Game 4 of the 1989 World Series with my dad is an experience I’ll cherish forever.”
Even after moving out of the Bay Area and starting his own family, Bressler kept his allegiance, making it a “point to take in multiple games a year whether in Oakland or on the road.
“Now that they are leaving I can’t help but feel like a big piece of my childhood is going with them,” he said. “It pains me that I won’t be able to share those same experiences with my kids moving forward.”
Oakland’s last professional team lost its luster long ago for many supporters who were increasingly frustrated and furious about a rise in season ticket prices and $30 parking fees — not to mention the carousel of players.