‘You deserve better’: Oakland Ballers pen letter to fans on eve of A’s departure

( KRON ) — On Wednesday, the eve of the Oakland Athletics’ final game in the city they’ve called home for 57 years, the Oakland Ballers sent a letter to fans. In the letter, which was addressed to “Oakland Baseball Fans,” the Ballers laid out the history and legacy of baseball in Oakland, which predates the A’s arrival by more than 100 years.

“Oakland has hosted baseball games since 1866,” the letter begins. “Since then, it’s been home to the Commuters, the Oaks, the A-26 Boilermakers, the Larks, and of course the A’s.”

The letter also noted that Oakland was the birthplace of many A’s — and Major League Baseball — greats, including Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersly, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, and Curt Flood.

“Anywhere you look in the baseball history books you see Oakland and Oaklanders,” the letter continued. “Some of the first integrated games in America were played here, free agency was invented here, and the wave was started here.”

The letter went on to highlight the A’s time in Oakland.

“For the better part of their history in Oakland, they did us proud,” the letter stated. “We will never forget the 4 World Championships, the Swingin A’s, the steals record, the Bash Brothers, the 20 win streak and countless other memories both on and off the field. More importantly, we will never forget the role that the A’s played in bringing joy and pride to our community.”

“However, somewhere along the way it all went wrong,” the letter continued. “While we have no interest in relitigating the past, we do want to state one incontrovertible fact to Oakland baseball fans: You deserve better.”

While the Ballers are clear that they “never set out to replace the A’s,” the team expressed empathy, comparing the major league team’s departure to “a death in the family.”

The A’s will play their final game at the Oakland Coliseum against the Texas Rangers Thursday. At the close of this season, the team will relocate for West Sacramento for at least three seasons ahead of a proposed relocation to Las Vegas.

The Coliseum, home to four World Series, the Bash Brothers, Rickey Henderson, and so many other classic moments , will no longer be home to professional baseball, leaving an uncertain future for the people who work there .

“Friday morning we will wake up to the beginning of a new chapter in the rich history of baseball in Oakland,” the Ballers letter stated. “This week hurts, And while we will never forget what we have lost, at the same time we will never underestimate what we can build together.”

The letter from the Ballers, who have just completed their inaugural season in the Pioneer Baseball League, comes on the heels of a letter from A’s owner John Fisher. In that letter, Fisher said he did his “very best” to keep the team in Oakland.

The letter was not received well by fans or players .

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