The Athletics don't intend to play their home games at the Oakland Coliseum for much longer, but that doesn't mean they're willing to let other professional baseball teams take over the place, either -- if only for one night.
The Oakland Ballers, a newly formed member of the independent Pioneer League, had reached an agreement with Coliseum's authorities and paid a deposit to host a game there on Saturday, June 29 (the A's are playing in Arizona against the D-backs that weekend). The A's, whose lease at the Coliseum runs through next season, shut down that idea by declining to grant consent, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press. Here's more from the AP:
For now, the A's have exclusive rights to play professional baseball at the Coliseum and declined to grant consent for the Ballers based on their license agreement with the Coliseum Authority. It is a joint powers agency established by the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda.
The A's received approval from the rest of Major League Baseball's owners earlier this offseason to continue their relocation attempt to Las Vegas. Estimates have construction of a new stadium taking until Opening Day 2028, making it unclear where the A's will play the 2025-27 seasons.
The Ballers, or B's for short, came into existence in late November. Longtime big-league manager and coach Don Wakamatsu will serve as the baseball operations head. Former big-league pitchers Micah Franklin (manager) and Ray King (pitching coach) are also involved. The B's will play their home games at Laney College Baseball Stadium, located about six miles from the Coliseum.
Oakland's fan base has, predictably, not taken the A's relocation efforts kindly. The AP reports that, in a spiritual continuation of the "Sell the Team" movement, the fan base intends to boycott the A's March 28 opener. Fans are expected to show up and tailgate in the parking lot without entering the stadium.
