Despite boasting a 94-62 record, the A's rank 27th among MLB teams in overall attendanceGETTY IMAGES
The A's are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot this year, but a look at their "anemic attendance" at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum will "tell you why the team is looking to move" to the Howard Terminal site, according to Matier & Ross of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The A's may be 94-62, but they rank 27th out of 30 teams "in attendance." A's President Dave Kaval said that the team's 50% growth in TV viewership this season, which is tied for second among MLB teams, is a "leading indicator" that the team can grow the fan base. The A's are currently "negotiating with the Port of Oakland for a ballpark plan at Howard Terminal that they hope to announce" by the end of the year. They also are "working on plans" for the Coliseum property, and have "offered the city of Oakland and Alameda County" $137M to buy the 111-acre site. However, sources said that the team's "real plan is to win control of the site for a mixed-use development to help finance the proposed Howard Terminal ballpark" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/23). In San Jose, David DeBolt noted the A's are "no closer to deciding" whether the new ballpark will "rise at the site of the club's current home" or Howard Terminal. Kaval said that while discussions with the port are "moving along," Oakland officials have been "slower to release information to the team about the Coliseum." Kaval has "repeatedly said" that the A's would choose between Howard Terminal or the Coliseum by the end of '18. Now, Kaval said that he is "optimistic" about fulfilling that commitment (MERCURYNEWS.com, 9/22).
GOOD CROWD TO END THE YEAR: In S.F., Susan Slusser reports the A's regular-season home finale against the Twins yesterday drew 35,754 fans, a "good-sized crowd" for the club (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/24). MLB Network's Fran Charles said when the Coliseum "is full, this is an unbelievable place to watch baseball." MLB Network's Eric Byrnes, who played parts of six seasons for the A's, said, "It's a giant concrete toilet bowl, but it's their toilet bowl and it's a special toilet bowl." He added, "We used to call them the best 12,000 fans in baseball, but there's a lot more A's fans. It's just you're typically not going to get 30-plus thousand on each night because of the facility. It's as simple as that. But the fans are there, the passion is there" ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 9/23).
