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A's Embracing Front Office's Effort To Reconnect With Former Stars

Henderson (l) and Stewart are just some of the former A's mentoring the current teamGETTY IMAGES

A's President Dave Kaval has "made a big push to re-connect with the A’s most notable" former players, and manager Bob Melvin is "happy to see the trend," according to Daniel Brown of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. The A's on Wednesday added Baseball HOFer Rollie Fingers as a special assistant, joining fellow HOFers Rickey Henderson and Dennis Eckersley as "official alumni ambassadors." Former P Dave Stewart is "in camp as a special instructor" and former 3B Sal Bando "spoke to the team." Melvin said, “For a younger group, to be part of the 50 years with us, I think it’s good for them. They can pick their brains. They are very passionate about Oakland and their history there. And I think it rubs off on them.” A's P Chris Bassitt said that he "appreciates the A’s keeping the connection alive." He said, “These are the names from the history of the sport, so it’s really cool to see them and interact with them. It’s hard not to get a kick out of guys like Dave Stewart or Rickey Henderson. They were not only great A’s players, but great baseball players in general. Any team would be like, ‘Holy crap! It’s Rickey Henderson!” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 3/9).

FAN FRIENDLY? THE ATHLETIC's Steve Berman writes fans "will come back" if the A's "build a nice ballpark, particularly on the water at Howard Terminal" and start winning. But there is "no guarantee that even after they get what they've wanted so long, they'd be able to erase the last 20 or so years." The A's have a "payroll so blatantly low that they were one of four teams named in a grievance" filed by the MLBPA. The team has played several seasons with "upper deck tarps that were supposed to add ambience." The A's roster is also "routinely devoid of established stars." But by all accounts the A's "seem a little more marketing-motivated these days," and the team is also "stocked with more than a few young, talented players who can hit the ball a long way." Things will "get better for the A's once they get a new ballpark, and they may benefit from being the only game left in Oakland once the Raiders and Warriors leave." But they are "probably going to pay for all of these years when they cried poor and pushed the team into relative obscurity as the Giants attracted kids and casual fans with recognizable players with familiar faces and the cutesy animal nicknames that hardcore A's fans just cannot stand" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/9).

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