Those people are going to hate Vegas.Bryce Harper was nearly traded to the Houston Astros in 2018 at the July 31 trade deadline. If they want to do OK here, they better put a better product on the field, spend a little more money, and show the fans that they are committed to winning, not just being here. The people here love their hometown teams. “This is a small city with a big city vibe. “I feel like Vegas should have had an expansion team,’’ Fowler said. The 30,000-seat stadium helps out a little bit, but at the same time, I’m going to be pretty sad they’re moving because of all of that history and all of the greatness they’ve seen there.’’įormer All-Star outfielder Dexter Fowler, a Las Vegas resident who won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs, shares the same sentiment, telling USA TODAY Sports that he wishes the A’s would have just stayed in Oakland, letting baseball place an expansion team in Las Vegas. “I’m not sure what they’re going to be, or how they’re going to be in Vegas, but it won’t be the same. “Those fans are so passionate, they bleed green,’’ Harper said. Who knows, it could be the last time Harper and the Phillies play the A’s again in the Coliseum. The A’s have a lease through 2024 at the Coliseum, but who knows where they’ll be until a ballpark can be built by 2028? The Phillies will see the fans’ heartbreak first-hand this weekend when they play a three-game series against the A’s at the Oakland Coliseum. Those 5-and 6-year-olds are going to grow up as Raiders’ fans or A’s fans, so by the time they are 16-, 17-years-old, they’re going to have fans. Maybe they will be, but you have to build a fanbase. People thought the Raiders would be successful. “It’s just going to be tough for those guys. They were Vegas-born, as people would say. “Look at the Knights, they won the Cup, but they were an expansion franchise. “That’s why it should have been an expansion franchise, not the A’s,’’ Harper said. And they are years away from being remotely close to a playoff team. They have MLB’s smallest payroll at $58 million. The A’s are tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in baseball. You’re selling tickets, but you want your own fans in the ballpark.’’īesides, it’s not as if Las Vegas is inheriting a winner. “It’s at best, 50-50 Raiders fans and whoever they’re playing. “I went to a lot of their games,’’ Stott said. Stott points to the Raiders, who averaged 62,045 fans last season, which ranked just 30 th among the 32 NFL teams, playing in the 40 th-largest market. I’m sure they’ll sell tickets for visiting fans, which is probably all they care about.’’ It will take a few generations before they have a real fandom in baseball. “But baseball, you have people in town liking the Dodgers, and the Angels, and the Padres, and the Diamondbacks. It was kind of easy for people to gravitate towards that. “That’s why fans are so crazy about the Knights. “We would rather see an expansion team than a relocated team,’’ Scott said. It will become official once MLB owners vote on the relocation plan, which is expected to be unanimously approved by the 30 owners. Joe Lombardo, a strong proponent of the bill. The bill is now awaiting the approval of Gov. The A’s relocation plan to Las Vegas became almost a formality when the Nevada State Assembly and the State Senate approved the bill of spending up to $380 million in public money towards the construction of a new baseball stadium on the Las Vegas strip. I’m pretty sad because of all of the history and all of the greatness they’ve seen there. “I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland,’’ Harper told USA TODAY Sports. They’re skeptical, even cynical, that the franchise will have any chance of succeeding in their hometown. Well, pardon Phillies MVP Bryce Harper and shortstop Bryson Stott for not sharing in the excitement of Nevada residents over the news Wednesday night that the Oakland A’s are all but officially relocating to Vegas. Soon, they’ll be able to have their friends and family watch them play in person, too, when the Philadelphia Phillies come through their hometown. They have become avid fans of the Vegas Golden Knights, the city’s first professional franchise, frequently attending the NHL games during the winter, and wish they were in attendance Tuesday night to celebrate with the rest of the city when they won the Stanley Cup. PHOENIX ― They were born in Las Vegas, raised in Las Vegas, and still are Las Vegas residents. View Gallery: MLB 2023 season: One great photo from every game day
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