The Unofficial (And Somewhat Incomplete) Timeline of the 2023 Oakland A’s
On my iPhone, I have a notes app where I jot down all my Oakland A’s thoughts, content ideas and the like. Early on in the season, recognizing the historic nature of what was to come — both on and off the field — I began to write out a timeline of each and every ridiculous thing that happened. At a certain point in the summer it became too dispiriting to keep the updates going, but what follows is a lightly edited version of that running timeline.
*April 9: A’s lose 11-0 to the Rays for the 2nd time in as many days; Drop to 2-7
*April 13: A rival exec says the A’s are like the movie “Major League”
*April 14: 17-6 loss to the Mets whose broadcast team was forced to switch booths because a possum shit in the usual one
*April 19: 12-2 loss to the Cubs — including a Mark Kotsay ejection — capping an 0-6 home stand; Then at 9:40pm the news leaks that team has reached an agreement to buy a Las Vegas ballpark site
*April 22: Rob Manfred finally talks, admitting there’s still “wood to chop” in Vegas; The 1st suggestion that already this deal could fall through
*April 28: 1st home game since Vegas (11-7 loss to the Reds); MLB.com edits the video to cut out the SELL banners in the right-field bleachers
*May 3: Las Vegas Assembly Speaker says A’s already in danger of “run(ning) out of time” on a deal; Back in Oakland, chants of “SELL THE TEAM” echo through the cavernous Coliseum as 2.6K fans watch as a 2-1 lead turns into a 7-2 loss to Seattle
*May 7: A fan with a SELL shirt sits directly behind the plate in Kansas City as the A’s lose 5-1 to the Royals
*May 8: Another fan in a SELL shirt pops up behind the plate at Yankee Stadium; A report emerges that the A’s are already checking in on other Las Vegas sites
*May 9: The A’s pivot to new Las Vegas site
*May 15: A’s reach a binding agreement; This one (their second) is at the Tropicana site
*May 17: A “Fuck John Fisher” chant can be heard on the club’s TV broadcast during the game against the D-backs
*May 22: Glen Kuiper is fired 2 weeks after an on-air racial slur
*May 26: A’s release first Vegas stadium renderings; Generally panned as bad photoshops with all sorts of issues; Team also releases a flimsy statement from Dave Kaval
*June 5: Nevada legislature session ends without approving ballpark; Oakland baseball lives to die another day
*June 7: Vegas deal goes to special session; Former A’s exec calls Kaval a “walking, talking bobble head”
June 12: Suddenly 6 wins in a row for the A’s with the Reverse Boycott looming in a day; Meanwhile Las Vegas deal still in the perpetually delayed special session
June 13: Right about 3pm — hours before first pitch of the Reverse Boycott — the senate approves the Las Vegas $380 million ballpark bill
June 15: Manfred disparages the Reverse Boycott saying it was “great to see what is, this year, almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night”
June 19: Bob Melvin, at Oracle Park with the Padres playing the the Giants, says it would be “sad” if A’s move to Las Vegas
June 28: Yankees throw perfect game in 11-0 win at Coliseum
July 25: Very loud SELL the team chants at Oracle Park, Ken Korach acknowledges them on radio broadcast
July 27: A’s “dynamically” price tickets so cheapest ticket for 2nd Reverse Boycott is $44 when tickets usually as low as $10
Aug. 2: Dodgers broadcast calls it the “Summer of Sell” as “Sell the team” chants sweep through the stadium in LA
Aug. 3: A’s get swept by Dodgers, drop to 50 games under .500, first time they’ve been that bad since 1979
Aug. 5: Ken Korach and Vince Cotroneo acknowledge the “Sell” chant during the Bay Bridge Series and credit the fans for their “passion” in an in-depth exchange
Aug. 11: “Sell the team” chants at Nationals Park in DC
Aug. 21: A’s announce they’re hiring the same construction manager as the Raiders for Allegiant Stadium
Aug. 24: John Fisher finally does an interview and says it’s “hurtful” to see fans wear “SELL” shirts
Sept. 21: A’s get crushed for giving Miguel Cabrera a $90 bottle of wine as a retirement gift
Sept. 26: A’s become losingest team in Oakland history after losing their 109th game
Sept. 28: Lobbyists with ties to A’s sue group of school teachers in Nevada
Oct. 1: A’s end the year with a 7-3 loss to the Angels to finish 50-112; The 112 losses in the most in Oakland history and the 2nd-most in franchise history