Jeff Van Gundy Talks A-Rod and the A's During NBA Playoffs
Over the years, I have found that the Oakland A's get brought up during a decent amount of baseball games even when the Oakland ball club isn't one of the teams playing. When the team is doing well, announcers talk about them. When the team is trading away their stars, the likelihood of a former A playing in a given game increases. When the team starts talking relocation, they get talked about.
It's not very often that the A's are talked about on the broadcast for another sport--especially in the playoffs. Yet that's exactly what happened during Game 2 between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers when Jeff Van Gundy, who grew up in Martinez, California, needed to fill time during the Warriors 127-100 win.
Here is what he said: "...And I hope Alex Rodriguez is here partly to try to buy the Oakland A's. The greatest baseball dynasty from '72-'74 that Major League Baseball has ever seen. To see them at six wins now, it's so disappointing."
The other broadcaster at this point cut in and asked "Have you ever heard of the Yankees? You could just say it was a wonderful dynasty--"
Van Gundy: "No, it was the best three year team of all time. Dick Williams, Gene Tenace, Sal Bando." Then after a pause, "I hope he buys them."
It would seem as though all A's fans, and a lot of fans of baseball would welcome a new owner for the Oakland franchise. How happy A's fans would be with A-Rod as that owner may not be quite as clear cut, but at the very least John Fisher wouldn't be the one writing the checks.
The A's have the lowest payroll in baseball and are 6-26 to begin the year. The team's attendance is also last in baseball, but with everything going on with the teardown of the roster combined with increased admission prices and the very real threat of relocation on the table, the low attendance figures are to be expected.
If A-Rod spent on this team, A's fans would support him.