Elephant Rumblings: a New, Dark Age for Bay Area Baseball?

I don’t get the sense that there a lot of fans of Scott Ostler at the San Francisco Chronicle among you, but like virtually everyone else not named Ostler views the A’s ownership’s course as high treason against the team, the city of Oakland, and John Fisher or Dave Kaval, among others.

Ostler is unrelenting in his criticism of the A’s and Giants’ management this season, despite the fact that both teams are presently residing in Major League Baseball’s basement. The teams were on pace to collectively lose 223 games as of Tuesday, which is significantly more than the previous low of 199 games lost in 1979.

I would take issue with one of Ostler’s comments: that the A’s roster is “made up almost entirely of players not quite ready for the big leagues.” That’s a little over the top. Off the top of my head, I’d estimate that more than half of the A’s roster belongs in the majors, and some players might even be on the verge of stardom. However, it is difficult to argue that the 2023 A’s are designed for success, and it is a sad fact that the A’s payroll is the lowest in the league.

Rob Manfred, the MLB commissioner and a supporter of Fisher, is also the target of harsh criticism from Ostler. Manfred has given cover for Fisher’s destruction of the proud tradition of Oakland A’s baseball, fooling fans and local officials in the process. Instead of making up for the mistakes made by former commissioner Bud Selig, who led the A’s into Fisher’s hands in the first place, Manfred has defended Selig’s actions.

The Giants’ roster management is also criticized, so I don’t feel particularly bad for them, but they do seem to be doing pretty poorly. And if that gives you comfort, I’m delighted for you. Anywhere you can, try to find solace.

Reference: www.athleticsnation.com