New York Mets announcer "appalled" by A's recent actions
New York Mets announcer Ron Darling began his playing career with the team he now works for, had a brief stop in Montreal, then ended his career with the Oakland A's from 1991-95, re-signing as a free agent twice.
On Thursday, as news of the A's announcement to play at least three interim seasons in a Triple-A ballpark circulated, the Mets were the first game on tv. In the top of the second inning, while the broadcast was talking about this new venue for them to visit, Darling said, "I have to say, being a guy that wore that uniform, I'm just appalled at the things that have happened the last six months in that organization."
The A's announced today that their long-anticipated interim home will be in Sacramento. They will be sharing the home of the River Cats with the San Francisco Giants affiliate for at least the next three seasons, but there is a fourth year option if the proposed ballpark in Las Vegas is not ready by 2028.
Over the course of one year, the A's Vegas ballpark has gone from a timeline that ends in 2027 to 2028, and now we could be looking at 2029 before the spherical armadillo is ready for baseball.
It's also worth noting that the Major League Baseball Player's Association did not have a statement ready to go, and it looks as though the players are just getting looped into the discussions about playing on a minor league field in 100+ degree weather with no roof, among other missing amenities. While it would be foolish to hope for a huge reversal here, it would also be foolish to believe that A's ownership has their ducks in a row given how this process has gone.
Yesterday, I talked with a couple of A's players about what getting a minor-league ballpark "big-league ready" means to them, and the common thread was space. It will be interesting to see how the A's create more space at this new venue.
Darling was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2021 and has been part of the SNY team since 2006.