The DHC Podcast
Ever wondered what it’s like to be truly involved in sports? Wonder no more!
On this podcast, I’ll sit down with players, GMs, owners, and passionate fans like you to uncover how they fell in love with sports. We’ll dive into their unique journeys, explore the business side of the game, and discuss the endless possibilities that the sport offers.
From behind-the-scenes stories to deep conversations about the sport, I’m here to explore it all—while having a ton of fun along the way!
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The DHC Podcast
Voices from the PA Booth: An A's Fan Speaks Out on Relocation and Resilience
Could the Oakland Athletics' potential move to Las Vegas be a game-changer for fans? We sit down with Will McNeil, the PA voice of the Stockton Ports and a devoted A's supporter, to unpack the tidal wave of emotions surrounding this possible relocation. Will provides his unmatched insights, juggling roles as both a Marriott employee and a passionate stadium announcer. Fans have endured a storm of uncertainty and frustration over the stadium negotiations and management decisions. Emotional turmoil, from social media outbursts over management missteps to the grin-and-bear-it resilience of a fanbase that's seen its fair share of setbacks. The spirit of the Oakland Athletics continues to burn brightly, fueled by the unwavering devotion of its fans hoping for a future filled with triumph and stability.
Journey with us to the PA booth, where the perks of watching baseball up close come to life. Will shares his personal experiences and the camaraderie that defines the A's fanbase, even as we brace for potential protests at the season's end. We also take time to savor the lighter side of baseball with some banter about ballpark food and drinks, like a refreshing watermelon wheat beer to cool down those heated fan debates. Don't miss our closing call to connect with us on social media for more engaging conversations and sneak peeks into upcoming episodes.
The Dad Hat:
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedadhat216?lang=en
Stadium Food Girl:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stadiumfoodgirl/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stadiumfoodgirl
Curved Brim Media: https://curvedbrimmedia.com/
Make sure to follow the Dad Hat Chronicles: https://linktr.ee/TheDadHatChronicles
okay, for those who are unable to see, I thought I was doing the guy justice by wearing at las vegas aviators hat. And then I jump on here and I'm like, oh wait, not every oakland ace fan is thinking the way I'm thinking because I live in las vegas and don't, don't close your phone on me, but I'm excited about the move. Okay, you see anybody there.
Speaker 3:All right, all right and welcome everybody yet to another episode of the DadHat Chronicles podcast. My name is Ed, also known as the DadHat, and with me my co-host, my good friend Val Stadium Food Girl, how are you today?
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm good. Happy it's Monday, happy for a new episode. I know this is going to be a fun one.
Speaker 3:It's going to be a good one. It's going to be an interesting one. It's going to be on the theme that we've been talking about for a while now, right, oakland Ace, the move, like we've been talking about, you and me. We wanted to get people who are on both sides of the conversation right, because, you know, I want to make sure that I'm being fair to everybody, everybody. But today I'm very excited because we have someone who lives over on the West Coast. You know, as I am, I'm on the East Coast. Will, excuse me, will, I can't even speak today. Will, jesus McNeil, how are you today, my friend?
Speaker 2:Doing great. Just got off work a little ago, had to rush over to help my parents with something. Now I'm out here doing a fine interview with you folks. I'm happy to do it.
Speaker 3:All right, All right, so Will. Can you do me a favor Tell me what you do right now as far as your job? What do you do, my friend?
Speaker 2:Currently I work in season. During baseball season. I do two different jobs. My main job is working at Marriott as a hotel front slash sales guy. Try to fill up Oakland hotels, the Spring Hill Suites, oakland Airport, try to help them out, try to sell it out every night. And then my fun job, a job I really enjoy, is a stadium announcer for the Stockton Ports. Fill in for them as a single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. And I've seen a lot of guys come for the big leagues already that I personally have had a chance to announce, such as Zach Gelof, lawrence Butler, tyler Soderstrom. So I mean it's a pretty cool gig. It doesn't pay a lot but it's minor to baseball. But hey, I get paid to watch baseball. There's nothing better than that.
Speaker 3:Hell yeah, you know what dude I? You know what dude I'm actually on your Instagram page right now. Okay, doing a little small stalking here, just so I can see what you're all about. You know what I mean, my man. You've had some cool people there, man Dennis Eckersley, come on now, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Hey, that's Coliseum life right there, just getting a chance to see I know a lot of those guys through the, I mean over the years, the Coliseum, and I mean they get to be there. I mean we've had some cool stuff with the Stockports too. Some alumni like Bruce Maxwell has been there Over the years. We've had like Mark Ellis, rich Harden, vida Blue was there, so I mean we've had a lot of legends come out too and I've had a chance to interview them. I mean the best of all is Grant Balfour Love that guy.
Speaker 3:Here's one that and this is not Oakland A's but you've got to meet this person. I'm very jealous. Kelsey Whitmore.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. She was pitching for one of the other teams I really enjoy watching. I might do some work for them next year. The Oakland Ballers they just got eliminated in the playoffs the other day, unfortunately. They've been a lot of fun too. I mean, sadly, it's our replacement for big league baseball, since, yeah, we'll get more into that, I guarantee it.
Speaker 3:That's right, but okay, so you know what? So I want to start with really quick. Do you do not have a voice for PA announcer? I'm sorry, I don't know, I don't, I can't see it, I don't hear it, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't hear it either. People I, yeah, I don't know what it is. I guess the reason I got the pa job is they're trying to hide this face. So because this has a face for radio, so they're trying to hide me. I guess they want to help and it's not lower it, so maybe they'll just use my voice and that's fine hearing you talk right now and and then yeah, I knew you did had this pa job.
Speaker 1:And now, hearing you talk for the first time, I'm like, wow, like you, it's the PA voice. I have a couple of friends that do this as well and it's like it's the same all across the board. It's perfect.
Speaker 3:I appreciate it. Thank you, I wish I could do that, but I can't.
Speaker 2:Your voice is fine, man. You're doing a hell of a job. You got your host of the great podcast. You're doing a good job in your own regard there.
Speaker 3:So you're doing just fine, keep doing so. You're doing just fine, doing what you're doing. Appreciate you. All right, my friend, let's get started this, all right. So let's, let's just jump right in. You know, you live on, you live, you live in the west coast and everything. How did you like, all of a sudden, like, is it, like you know, by birth, like it's a birthright to become an athletics fan? How did you, uh, become a fan of your ball club?
Speaker 2:uh, I mean a. A lot of my family were fans of the Giants, so they were trying to push me to be a fan of San Francisco. Well, I was watching the game on TV and I saw the A's colors and I was like these are amazing green and gold, it just sold me to that. And I saw Mark McGuire when I was watching that game on TV, at all home run. I'm like I'm an A's fan just because of that and just I an ace fan just because of that, and just I've been ace fan ever since because of the colors. I mean green and gold, kelly green and gold. I mean there's yeah, there's not much better color scheme in baseball in my opinion okay, listen, my brother will tell you the exact same thing.
Speaker 3:He grew up watching canseco um and he said it on the podcast as well canseco mcguire, he watched all of those players. That's how he became a fan. I'm a guardians fan, but he goes like nope, I'm oakland, no matter what, I'm sticking to that team and you know, to his credit, he's stuck with it I respect that.
Speaker 2:I mean, I honestly I respect your team opinion. Cleveland guardians. My good friend, steven vote is the skipper. I love hearing what are you doing. So that's one of my really good friends. We uh were very upset about the 49ers yesterday but, uh, that's a totally different subject for a totally different time that's a totally different.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you this, my friend, I'll tell you this I'm not, I'm not gonna lie. I was one of those uh fans that I was like I don't know what they're doing. Okay, I don't know what cleveland is doing hiring beau. You know, I held my, held my opinions to myself for most of the part, just because I didn't want to talk out of place, but I've been pleasantly surprised of how good he's done replacing a Hall of Fame coach.
Speaker 2:He's a great man. He's a great manager. He's always had a good mind for this game. He's learned from a lot of good people over the years, such as Bob Melvin, Mark Kotze, a lot of other good managers, so he's a.
Speaker 1:He's a smart man. You, you guys are lucky to have him in cleveland. You guys are, as you guys are talking about teams, I'm I'm a rangers fan and so I'm like he probably likes you a little more, ed.
Speaker 2:So uh, I have no issues. I have no issues. The r range. I mean I love Marcus Simien, I love Jonah I'm. I still can't believe they won a world series as quickly as they did after they were being mediocre for years, went to world series and not have gone back to beating a. Not great, but still they got a world series out of it. So I know you got to enjoy it. You're old enough to be able to enjoy it, I to enjoy it. I was five, six years old when the A's won theirs. I really didn't truly get to comprehend what it was like to really enjoy a World Series. Also, it had an earthquake in the middle of it which was not enjoyable. I didn't really get to enjoy mine very much as a youngster.
Speaker 3:That's something that the two of you have that we don't have. We've been to a couple of World Series Never been. It's one of those things that has eluded cleveland for so long, for hopefully, one of these days before I die, I want to see them win a championship. That's, that's it. I mean, that's just one. I'm not asking for much, you're not being greedy at all.
Speaker 2:I'd love to see one more as an ace fan, but um, yeah, I don't know. I don't know how I'm gonna feel about they when the next year or two. I think I actually might be a little more upset than anything else.
Speaker 3:So let me ask you, my friend, because this has been going on for a while, right, with the Oakland Athletics. It's been going on for years, to be honest with you, right, because at first, vegas wasn't the first place that they were looking to move, right, it was San Jose for a while, like I mean, they were trying to move to different places and I don't know if it was rumors or not. I mean, you are over there, you're closer to that, to where I am, but like that's what we always kept hearing, like you know, like this uncertainty throughout the years, I'm sure it didn't make it for you, as a fan, to be comfortable with all of this.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's been a disaster for a long time. I mean even when they were winning the American League West in 2000,. The next year they came out in the newspaper. They were talking about contraction almost at the Oakland A's, like six, seven teams came up on the contraction list. So I mean we've dealt with that. And then we've dealt with all the years. I mean trying to go to Fremont, san Jose, oh, we're going to stay in Oakland. Oh, it's finally going to happen, we're going to stay here. We're going to try to go to the Peralta site. And then they're like, oh, we're going to finally go to Howard Terminal, which we were all yelling about Howard Terminal for like 10 to 15 years to do that. So then, um, yeah, then also not a nerve.
Speaker 2:We saw dave cavill, our one, our wonderful team president, in the golden knights game. We're like what is this? What is happening? Why is this happening? And then they basically oh, now we're going on a parallel path. So it's been a basically I was a high school, like basically high school junior, when all this nonsense started. Now I'm a going gray, 40 year old, uh, bald headed guy. That's why I'm wearing a hat, so I don't blind you guys and just it's. Uh, I mean yeah, I mean, what can you do?
Speaker 3:hey, man, bald is good baby, don't, don't you know, I get it bald is beautiful, but no, it's just been.
Speaker 2:It's been an ongoing saga and it's just.
Speaker 3:I trust me is, uh, it wears on you honestly honestly, I got to hand it to you because you know, to you guys, as fans of the team, you guys are resilient. My man, like I mean you guys have stuck with it no matter what, through the ups and the downs, and that's true definition of fandom, right there, man, Like it has to wear on you guys.
Speaker 2:Oh it's. I mean mean a lot of my friends this year haven't gone as much. I mean, honestly I don't blame anybody for not going the past couple years. I mean it's just you only take so much time just getting beat beat down, beat down, beat down, trying to get right back up. I'm gonna be resilient to get back up again and again and after every just swift kick to the groin or whatever you want to call it, it it's just it wears on you.
Speaker 2:But I just basically had the attitude of this is really going to be it. I need to be there, ride it out as long as I can and hope for a miracle. I mean it is John Fisher and company. They have a way to mess anything up, so it's still not a 100% done deal. I mean, heck, you probably heard this past week in the news how sacramento is not really a true done deal for next year, so you never know. It could. It could result in a positive or we'll see.
Speaker 3:I mean, if anybody can screw up, it's john fisher um, this whole, this whole situation with, like the, the, there was a deal in place with oakland and then, oh then you know, I don't know what's true, what's not, you know better. Then the ownership said no, there was never really a deal with Oakland to build, you know where they were going to be. What happened there?
Speaker 2:Honestly, what I gather is Oakland was I guess they needed like so much public subsidies or like the privately financed stuff, or Oakland had to pay for improvements for the area because there was a lot of railroad tracks in that area. It was if you're trying to go to a game, it'd be a really kind of it would have been interesting trying to, uh, get into the ballpark. But honestly, the a, the city of Oakland, did everything they do with bond measures and everything else financing. They were so close to getting it. I guess between Oakland, the, the A's and the city they were maybe $90 million apart, which also, in the grand scheme of things, and the project they were talking about was very, very minuscule In a $1.2 billion project. They were $90 million apart and that's what fell apart.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what makes me think that John Fisher was just using the city of Oakland to leverage the move Again. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 2:No, that's what I, that's what we all gathered too, Cause he basically was like oh crap, they're actually to get this done. Oh, I don't have the financing to do this because I'm a $1.2 billion trust fund baby on paper. I don't know, he didn't really, I don't know. We don't think he had all that financing himself. So he basically just bolted, which is for $350 million in public funding, which I still don't agree with. No billionaire should be using public funds to build a stadium in my opinion.
Speaker 3:Oh, I agree, I agree.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been a joke, but let's see what question you got for me here wearing that hat of yours.
Speaker 1:Okay, for those who are unable to see, I thought I was doing the guy justice by wearing a Las Vegas Aviators hat. And then I jump on here and I'm like, oh wait, not every Oakland A's fan is thinking the way I'm thinking because I live in Las Vegas and don't close your phone on me, but I'm excited about the move, okay.
Speaker 2:No, you're good. Look, I love the Like we were talking before we went live. I love the Aviators. I have no problem with the Aviators. I've enjoyed seeing, like watching the videos online of their games, seeing them in the road when they come to Sacramento. But yeah, the big league club, go to Las Vegas. I'm not really happy about that. But but yeah, the big league club go to Las Vegas. I'm not really happy about that, but you're good, I'm not mad at you at all, you're good.
Speaker 1:Ask away I'm going to wear a hat. And I'm like, oh, I'm going to wear a hat. He's going to think I'm so cool and then I guess You're cool.
Speaker 2:You're cool, just that hat choice. It leaves a little to the desired, but that's okay that feel different, that are excited about the move or oh no universal feeling oh, no, no, no one's excited about it at all.
Speaker 2:We uh, we have no ill will towards of like I don't think that really any ill will towards the rest of las vegas. I don't think there's anything in that. It's just more of the the public funding getting used for it is just, uh, that makes no sense whatsoever. We don't understand that. I mean, again, I know a lot of people in Las Vegas actually would have been more excited if it was an expansion team coming to the area. Because you're stuck with an owner who when he got to the Earthquake Stadium in San Jose MLS soccer he was like I will spend more money, I will do this. He's still in the bottom tier of payroll in soccer, even with a new stadium, even with more revenue bottom tier of payroll in soccer, even with a new stadium, even with more revenue. He's just pocketing it. He is not putting any money into it. So I mean it's if everybody thinks, like Steve Yeager, whoever the guy is in Vegas, was one of the guys like we only accept winning in Las Vegas, we all bookmark that. We can't wait to just rub it in his face in a few years.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of the politicians in Vegas, I think, got bought off by Fisher, very corrupt. But for the people in Vegas, I hope they first off. I even hope the stadium gets built. I don't know if that legitimately is going to happen for you guys. I mean, if it doesn't get built, that means they stay in Sacramento or back to Oakland. So I mean I could roll with that any day of the week as long as they're still close-ish. I'd love them to be. Sacramento will maybe occasionally do if they build a ballpark. But no, I mean for the people in Las Vegas. I feel like they're probably getting a lot of ridicule, a lot of crap on Twitter from fans of us because we're upset and angry. But it's not on the fans. We know it's not your guys' fault, you have no say in it, but it just sucks as a whole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it makes total sense because football's gone, basketball is, I guess gone right.
Speaker 2:It's on the other side of the bay, which they were originally. A San Francisco team came to Oakland and went back to SF, so that one doesn't hurt as bad. But the Raiders they leave, go to LA, come back, ruin the stadium, then leave again, and we're still. We're still paying off the Raiders improvements. As Alameda County taxpayers, we're still paying that off and that thing's not been happening in a long freaking time, to say the least. I think we still. I think I think the County still owes 22 to $21 million left on it on the improvements on the bonds, and all that for a renovation that just ruined the ballpark and for football's not even used.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, and I remember that last rate Oakland Raiders home game.
Speaker 2:I saw fans tearing up the seats and I was like, yikes, that will not happen at an A's game. Wink, wink. I might be trying to get my seat. I know a few people might be trying to get my seat. I know a few people might be trying to get their seat. Maybe We'll see At least the back of my chair. I've sat in that chair for 20 years. I at least want the back of it or the number plate of it.
Speaker 2:At least a number off the seat. I just want something to remember 20 years of sitting in the same spot, being with all my friends living it up, having a good old time. I just want at least a little Coliseum memento besides the Coliseum dirt I have, which I'm glad I got that, so we're good.
Speaker 3:Bro, nobody's going to stop you. What are they going to do? They're going to stop all the fans from taking their thing.
Speaker 2:I've already got some people from OPD who are going to like we'll try to help you out. So I'm like, oh thanks, guys, appreciate it. Some of them are going to play there and it's full, so I don't want to. All I hope is people are respectful and don't do anything too crazy. That's my hope for the last day.
Speaker 3:I'm with you there, yeah, like I mean, there's a difference, right, there's a fine line between you know taking what's yours, because 20 years, dude, that's 20 years. That's your C, bro. That's your C compared to someone who's going to go and vandalize just for the sake of vandalizing. I'm not with you there, I'm not with them on that Will you brought it up earlier.
Speaker 1:We were talking with Ed's brother last week who's an Oakland A's fan and I was telling him I kind of knew it was a wrap when your guys' president was at a Golden Knights playoff game and the videos were going viral of him being at that playoff game. It was kind of just like whoa, this is kind of the environment he's looking for. What did you think when you saw videos, talks, going viral on Twitter, on the internet, before anything was about?
Speaker 2:it. I was pissed Because, first off, the aviators were actually at home. It was like, why don't you go watch your AAA ball club play? I was more pissed off about that. And then, as a Shark fan, after the A's between stuff, I was like good luck, sharks in the playoffs, da-da-da-da-da. And also we seen him in a Golden Knights playoff. He was like oh, this is amazing. We're all sitting there like son of a bitch, like we all wanted. Oh, I blew up. I blew up at him on social media. I was furious. I let him know that he was dead. I basically told him he was dead to me and I wished he would have food poisoning that night or something. I was pissed. I let it fly. I was probably a few beers in, so my temperament was probably a little different.
Speaker 3:Just a little bit on the. You know the thumbs, you know on Twitter. I'll say this Dolph, I mean, that's disrespectful. First of all, you don't do that, you know, as someone who's dude. Why are you first of all, why are you that big of an idiot to get caught doing that? You know what I mean. Like all of these rumors are flying around and you get caught in Vegas at a hockey game. Come on, bro, you've got to be smarter than that.
Speaker 2:He did it to himself. He tweeted it out himself. I think he had to have known what he was doing. By doing that, he knew he was going to fire up and rile up the fan base. My gosh, all my friends in the bleachers. We were all screaming and yelling like did you see what that guy did? I'm cleaning up a little bit so you guys don't have to edit anything out or nothing, but we let it fly.
Speaker 3:We were all there. He's a shithead. Go ahead. It's okay, I'm with you.
Speaker 2:He is a piece of shit. I wish him a For sure.
Speaker 3:And I'm torn, right, because my good friend and my co-host lives in Vegas, right. And then I know a lot of good people from Oakland that have been fans from the very beginning. Hey, my own brother is a fan right From the get-go, and to see what the ownership and management have done to the fan base is actually very disgraceful. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:After the pandemic we all thought, okay, our ticket prices. Before the pandemic, let me go to that point. They started doing like a half off. They gave us concessions. We had season tickets. We got like half off beers, half off food. I mean that was incredible. Free parking If you had like a certain ticket package. I mean our tickets. My season tickets were maybe 1100100 for 81 games. Then the pandemic came. We had to do pod seating. Okay, yada, yada, yada, we got it. Then we're like, okay, next year won't be that bad for ticket pricing. It went up 50%. It was almost $2,250 for my season tickets. No free parking, no half-off, whatever.
Speaker 2:They took all the stuff away from us and right before the season they traded like Chris Bassett, sean. Those seasons they traded like Chris Bassett, sean Minaya, matt Olsen, matt Chappell. They traded all those guys. So you're basically doubling our season ticket prices and basically telling us oh yeah, you guys aren't going to have your best players, congratulations, thanks for buying our season tickets. And they did the same thing those past couple years and I know that's why I've made a lot of people stop going. So that's why people kept saying, oh, the A's fans don't show up, we don't show up. Well, I mean, how do you, how would anybody else feel if you get your best players traded away constantly and your ticket price is jacked up 50, I mean man okay, because last week I was telling ed's brother why weren't they showing up, and I totally forgot that sean mania was no longer on that team.
Speaker 3:The whole. No, that's what got me mad is that you saw it. You saw what Manisters was doing and you know again, I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but it was like this is quadruple A what they're doing. They're putting nothing but a quadruple A team.
Speaker 2:Quad A was almost being generous last year. Yeah, last year I mean the 51 team. We were basically almost barely a passable triple a team. It was rough some of the. I mean you have a lemon, you give 12 million dollars a lemon's diaz. What the hell? That guy couldn't get his way of a paper bag. He's freaking terrible. That's why he got released by the a's and I mean they ate his contract, which is a miracle that john fisher would eat anything besides. I was stunned.
Speaker 3:Yep, yep, yep, yep. That's where I'm like, and I was talking to my brother about this. I'm like man, what are they even doing? Like I mean, you know, they're getting rid of all their players, like all their popular players, and then they're not getting anything in return. And that's what really made me angry is like what are you guys getting in return? That's going to say okay, I can see this happening, but it's nothing. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:No, it was intentional sabotage by the owner. I mean, they were intentionally trying to sabotage them, make them move. All we have to do is ace fans don't care. Ace fans aren't going to show up. We had a playoff, the 2019 playoff game. In the wildcard game, we had almost 55,000 people at the Coliseum. Yeah, ace fans don't care. 55,000 people at a game. Come on now they're sitting in Mount Davis seats. If a ball gets hit out of the field in Mount Davis, you can't see the damn ball. You have to basically rely on the crowd to tell you where it's going. But 55,000 people were at that stadium. It was. The tailgate parking lot was open early. We were having a good old time. The fans care. If 2020 did not get turned into the crazy disaster that it was, I think the A's played the full season. The A's would have been the World Series champions and I still wholeheartedly believe that.
Speaker 1:I will say I think it's so gangster what the fans are doing with I mean the protest part. That's kind of rough. But just how you guys are able to rally a bunch of people together and go on social media and sell out games on your guys' own with just a few posts and retweets and the signs and the matching shirts. And then I've always thought like the drum line in the left field was cool. I just think there is something special about that fan base. But I'm going to be honest, if there's baseball in Las Vegas, I won't be upset about it.
Speaker 2:No, I don't look, I don't expect anybody to be upset about it, I don't. I mean, don't blame a soul, I just will be. Uh, I, I will never attend a game in Las Vegas. I will only go to the. The only game I'll ever see in that stadium would be the All-Star game. That's the only time I'll ever go to that ballpark. I'll travel on the road still watch the guys play, but I will never go to a game in Las Vegas. Just because I just that would cut too deep. It would hurt too much. Sacramento I might go occasionally, but I saw the ticket prices. It's going to look like it's going to be. I'm like, uh, I mean, I did it at my buddy's boat.
Speaker 3:Is he out of his mind? Yeah, is he out of his mind in Sacramento, really?
Speaker 2:200 bucks a game to sit like, oh, you get free beer, free food or whatever occasionally, man, you have to guarantee a three-year contract to get those tickets. So you're basically paying 60K to get tickets to watch a. I mean, the a's are getting better, but still 60k. I'm like, damn, that's uh like I got. Look, I love the eggs. I can't do that yeah, no, neither.
Speaker 3:I don't know anybody that could. Uh, it's like me and the cleveland browns right, I remember the cleveland browns art model to his day. I wish he, you know, nothing but ron's in hell for this. He moved the team to baltimore. I will never in my life will ever root for Baltimore, ever.
Speaker 2:No, I don't blame you for that either? Not at all, that's I mean I don't. I know people in Baltimore like Colts fans, like people in Baltimore never rooted for the Colts after they got moved in the middle of the night, it's just yeah.
Speaker 2:Owners need to realize. I mean, yes, it's theirs, I guess, because they put that much money, but really they should put a lot more love into the fans, like the fans are the reason why they are what they are. I mean they got lucky off Baby making money off some big company. John Fish got gifted a lot of money because he's a trust fund baby. He hasn't worked. Every business he's started on his own has failed. So it's just. I wish the owners would kind of think about the other people, because I feel terrible to call them workers. So many people have worked there 20, 30, 40. Basically, the team's been there Out of a job. I know they're firing one of our radio announcers because I guess they're trying to find a cheaper option. I mean, if you guys have been trying to watch games, I'm not trying to make fun of her at all, but I mean, look, we've had to suffer Jenny Kavnar on commentary this year. She is absolutely brutal. They're going for cheaper hires and it's just rough right now as a fan.
Speaker 3:What are you going to do? I mean, this is the one question that I've been wondering for myself, and I asked my brothers the same question. I was like when they move right if they move right, because who knows what the hell is going on at this point will you still be a fan of the oakland a's or will you be like you know? I don't know if I can become a fan, I oh I'll. Would you become a fan of a different team?
Speaker 2:or is that something?
Speaker 2:too early to discuss I'll probably still be an a's fan. Just because I know a lot of these guys personally, like I'm really close with a lot of these guys from them playing in stockton and watching them make their ways up through either the minor league system or seeing, like the Arizona Fall League play for the Mesa Solar Sox, I'll still be a fan, just I don't. I know I won't be going as much as I do now. I basically almost see 100 A's games a year between the home and road. There'll, um, yeah, I really don't know it's. I'll still be a fan, I'll still watch, but probably not as actively or like not as passionately as I do now. But yeah, I just don't know how to turn that switch off. I know some people are going to give up on them. Cold turkey, like for new teams. I just, if I do have to pick a new team, I'll probably if I do, it'll probably be cleveland because, again, steven vote, so that's probably where I'd probably end up going is probably cleveland.
Speaker 3:And I get it. Listen, I'm with you. If my team in Cleveland was to leave, and all that because of the ownership fault, now for any, the fans fault or anything like that I would be very hard-pressed to still be a fan. You know what I mean. It's tough, right. I don't want, because here where I live in Raleigh, north Carolina, raleigh has been in a discussion to have an expansion team. It's one of those cities that have been floated Nashville and Utah and it was Vegas for a while. Right, I'll be very excited to have baseball, major league baseball, because we have a lot of minor league baseball here.
Speaker 3:But I'll be very excited yep, charlotte knights the right, all of this. Now zebulon is losing their carolina mudcast. They're moving to wilson uh, still in here. Um, so the downies wood ducks are moving down to spartanburg, south carolina. So, like I mean, there's been a lot of movement lately when it comes to, uh, baseball here, but it's I I don't know if I could stop being a Guardians fan to become a team fully of in North Carolina.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I don't blame anybody for that. Everybody's going to handle it their own, different way. I know I'm going to handle it my way. Some will handle it their own way. There's no wrong way to do it, though. If people want to give up on it, I don't blame a person for it. If people want to keep doing it, I don't blame them for that. Just, honestly, this one just do what makes you happy, just, uh, try not to let it destroy your life completely, though. That's all I hope people don't. I mean, trust me, it's gonna, it's gonna eat at me for a while. I know when it hits it probably won't be that bad. So also, they hit its opening day next year and I'm like man, I'm not there. I'm not at the coliseum, I'm gonna. Yeah, they'll be playing at sac in front of 10,000, 12,000 fans. It's just a mess. It's a black eye for baseball, honestly, that Rob Manfred has allowed this to occur.
Speaker 3:Well, don't get me started.
Speaker 2:The other owners honestly, have been in the department too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, don't get me started on Rob Manfred man.
Speaker 1:Ooh-wee Gosh, I have to say. Talking to somebody this week who lives in Oakland, why do I feel so bad about my thoughts from last week? I was so excited last week. No, this week I'm like oh, I feel so fake.
Speaker 2:Let me just be quiet no, it's like I told you what he's yeah, he's.
Speaker 3:You're entitled to your excitement to have a new team. It's not your fault, it's not his. It's not his fault, it's the ownership fault.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the ownership. Honestly, I mean again, if I was in your predicament there would probably be some excitement too. I mean I would feel bad for a certain city. I mean especially the fact you guys got the Raiders from Oakland. Also, I was glad when the Raiders left. I'm not going to lie to you, I was kind that didn't work the way I wanted. But in all honesty, you have a right to your excitement. Everybody in Las Vegas has a right to their excitement. All of us at Oakland have a right to either be the way we are. But we just don't take it out on you guys because, again, it's not your fault, it's ownership.
Speaker 1:But I love what the Oakland ballers and I feel like they threw correct me if I'm wrong I feel like a little shade was thrown when they first came up and about on social media and try to restore some hope for baseball in oakland. So I love what they're doing. It's a shame that they were eliminated officially from playoffs, but I really hope that if oakland goes where they go wherever it is and it's not in oakland that the ballers can continue to grow and get so much love I mean they're getting a lot of love.
Speaker 2:I mean it really caught on here towards the end of the year and I think it's going to do even better next year, knowing that they're not going to be. A lot of their home games were competing at the same time as A's games, so it was really one of those where I know a lot of my friends were torn which game they were going to do. I was just trying to write out those. I'll be going a lot more of those. It's independent balls. It's not as crisp or as clean as big league baseball, but it's not bad. It's a good time. Ticket prices are fairly reasonable, the beers are cold, so life is good.
Speaker 2:Cold beer is a good beer, damn right, Hell yeah, it's a good beer hey.
Speaker 1:I got to come visit you in Stockton. I've been wanting to go to that stadium for so long and you guys gave out that Nate Diaz bobblehead about a month or two ago and I was so upset I couldn't make it.
Speaker 2:Well, here's what I can probably do for you. I'll find a way to get you one. I'm like the GM and I are really close. I'll see if they have any left, or I'll snag you one, that's not a problem. Listen to last week, but I'll still snag you one. Anyway, you're good, that's not a problem. If they have any left, I'll get it for you, not a problem well, let's talk about the team that you work for.
Speaker 3:You know that your your dream job being a pa announcer for the, the stocks and ports man.
Speaker 2:I mean I, that has to be a cool gig, dude I looked into that job because the a's had a competition, or not a competition, but a twitter thing in 2019 called april no fools retweeted out something you wanted to do and I was like I want to be the pa announcer for the night. Well, they're like third inning, that sound good. I'm like, hell, yeah, that sounds great. You have to be the pa announcer for a half an inning. First batter I announced was ramon loriano and he had a home run out to the center field. I was like all right, this is good. So they poured for me to do that.
Speaker 2:The guy was in charge. The other full-time guy needed a bit of a break here and they're like all right, well, you're hired, you're gonna be our backup pa announcer. I was like I just got hired without even interviewing. Like you're hired as the backup. I'm like cool. So I did that in 2019 and then I've done games 21, 22, 23, and this year in 24. So I've done I do about 15 to 20 a year. It's an awesome gig to be able to get paid to watch baseball.
Speaker 3:Dude, that's an awesome job, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not too shabby. I mean it's something I get a chance to. I've seen some good players come through the minor league system already when it was high A and then it got jumped down to low A. That sucked. Obviously High A quality ball was a lot better than low A, but still I've seen a lot of guys come through already and it's a great time to be out at the ballpark watching, getting paid to watch baseball On some days, 200 degrees out there, and be in the air conditioning in the PA booth. It helps.
Speaker 3:Yeah, just be nice and crispy Again. You can't drink while you're on the job, but afterwards cold beer, good beer.
Speaker 2:I'll be honest, the first year I tried doing a little more of the drinking. While doing it, oh, it was a bad idea. There were some games I had to do. I didn't realize my microphone was on and I was yelling at the umpire. Thankfully it didn't go across too loudly, otherwise I could have probably got myself or the team in some trouble. You suck at life. Yeah, I could have got myself in a lot of trouble, so thankfully I learned that through the first year. Yeah, no beer in the PA booth, I'll do it after work.
Speaker 1:I want to give a quick shout-out to Junior Triple B Baseball Bubbleheads Brewise for you referring? Me to you. No, this is awesome, junior's awesome. I can't wait to meet him. I know he's over in Lansing near your guys' low end.
Speaker 2:He's in the high A team. Absolutely I'm hoping to get back there and see him next year, hopefully, because, yeah, I've missed that guy. He's a good dude.
Speaker 1:Yeah, shout out.
Speaker 3:Junior triple b shout out to you, good man well, let me ask you this one last question before I go into what is called my favorite, not so famous questions. I didn't tell you about this, but it's just. These are very hard, tough questions I'm telling you right now, but let me ask you this as a fan, a group of fans you know in oakland.
Speaker 3:What do you guys have planned for the end of the year as far as, like you know, any celebration or or protests or anything like that for that last game of the season for you guys?
Speaker 2:I know a lot of them may ask them is I try not to really get myself wrapped up into it because I'm, because I'm going to try to process that last day almost on my own and try to see what it's like. I mean we'll have a big tailgate, probably before, probably after, but after that we'll see. I mean I'm even going to Seattle the last three games. I'm going to torture my heart even more and go watch the last three games of Oakland on a chess. I mean I'm a glutton for punishment, so let me just rip my heart out even more and uh, go watch those games, be right above the dugout and probably get caught on tv bawling my eyes out. But I'll wear my.
Speaker 1:I'll wear my sunglasses here to try to uh hide it as best I can yeah, I'll look out for you we will look out for you I mean if, if it makes this whole situation like better, at least there's a cool giveaway that last home game. I mean it's probably a bad time to say that.
Speaker 2:We'll see how hard that is to get. I think that's going to turn into a. There'll be some fights, I think, trying to get that.
Speaker 3:That's going to turn into a shit show.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's going to be a shit show. Or my biggest concern last out of the game people are going to be so pissed on they're going to start hucking them on. I mean hope they don't do that, hope nobody throws anything on the field. But I saw what happened during the reverse boycott game the first one and people threw stuff. So I'm just like, yeah, I'm worried about that, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1:That's tough.
Speaker 3:That's tough. And again, I don't blame anybody for being mad. I don't blame anybody for being sad, as you should. You know what I mean. And the one thing is just the vandalism. That's the one thing I'm not about that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, don't do that. No, that's not the way to do it, folks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, Because then the ownership wins at that point. See, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 2:Exactly, that's very true right there, so you're not wrong at all All right.
Speaker 3:So so here's the. This is the game. Okay, so this is called my famous not so famous questions. Uh, these are very, you know, I, very I did a lot of research on this. So the very first question I'm going to ask you is when you're, when you're at the ballpark hanging out, you know, not working uh, what is your food and your drink of choice?
Speaker 2:Let's see Drink of choice. Obviously it's a beer. Uh, depends on. Let's see Drake of choice. Obviously is a beer. Depends on the beer If they have a good beer. Basically I think right now at the Coliseum is Drake's. Juicy Hoot is a beer at the Coliseum. My beer at Banner Island Ballpark is I wouldn't stop because I keep running out of stuff usually during the games. But I'll probably go with a 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat. It's hot out there. Watermelon beer is just nice and refreshing. Food-wise, I'm always a big chicken tender guy. Chicken tender and fries. You got to go with that. I mean, if somebody messes up their chicken tender and fries it means you may have to look somewhere else to find food.
Speaker 2:But the chicken tender and fries are usually the best option.
Speaker 3:That watermelon weed, that sounds delicious.
Speaker 2:It's 100 degrees out. I think you could crush many of those, and it sneaks up on you, though, so be careful, real good, real quick.
Speaker 3:Alright, my friend, here we go. A couple more questions here. First, celebrity crush.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's a weird one. I gotta think about that. It's gonna sound really weird. People are gonna look at her like what the hell? Why is this a celebrity crush? It's a girl on the Weather Channel way back in the day named Janetta jones. I don't even know if you find even real photos of her. I don't know why. I was like a eight-year-old kid.
Speaker 3:I thought she was attractive as hell oh, I'm gonna look it up now, so you know, uh, I'm trying to think of a big celebrity too, and I can't really think of one.
Speaker 2:Um, you know what? Uh, maybe I was in. I was in middle school for this one jenny mcc. There you go, that's more of a bigger name.
Speaker 3:I get that one Favorite Halloween costume.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, Dressing up as the Undertaker of WWF.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 2:Okay, the Undertaker mask put on the whole like made a black thing, like black robe, like he wore. Kind of deal, it was fun. I enjoyed being the Undertaker A very short undertaker, Not a very, very short undertaker but yes, he's like what?
Speaker 3:6'8 or something like that. He's massive 6'10,.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm like 5'6 on a good day, so yeah.
Speaker 3:I get it All right. Worst job you've ever had.
Speaker 2:Oh, let's see Ooh working at Big Five Sporting Goods. That was not a fun job. I had to wear a dress, shirt, tie and slacks for $7.50 an hour back in 2004. It was a little rough.
Speaker 3:Well, that sounds gross.
Speaker 2:Climbing up ladders with a tie dangling in your face and a dress shirt and all that. Yeah, it sucked. Big Five, sporting Goods and Livermore.
Speaker 3:Last movie you watched.
Speaker 2:This is going to sound so damn stereotypical as an Ace fan, Moneyball.
Speaker 3:I had an idea of stereotypical, I was like yeah. As soon as he says stereotypical, I'm like yeah, Moneyball, All right.
Speaker 2:I'm torturing myself getting ready for the last couple games.
Speaker 3:The soundtrack I'm just torturing myself getting ready for the last couple games.
Speaker 1:I'm at the soundtrack.
Speaker 3:I'm trying to see if I can hold myself together. That's not fair. Yeah, I get it All right. Is it wrong for?
Speaker 2:a vegetarian to eat an animal cracker. I mean, that's the only animal we can eat, so no, eat away, have fun.
Speaker 3:Enjoy the animal crackers I guarantee they're going to eat.
Speaker 2:So no Eat away. Have fun, Enjoy the animal crackers. I guarantee they're going to bite the head off first. I mean, that's what that's exactly the thing.
Speaker 3:I was thinking, too. Dude, Favorite ice cream flavor.
Speaker 2:Ooh, that's a good one. Spumoni I'm sorry what Spumanti or Spumoni? The one where it's like all different flavors, you get like an old spaghetti factory at the end.
Speaker 1:The one that has like three different flavors like cherry, almost like that.
Speaker 2:It's like cherry, pistachio and chocolate. That thing is like Spumone or something. I told you how long ago I eat ice cream, but yeah, I like that, okay. Or a more traditional flavor vanilla bean.
Speaker 3:Okay, vanilla bean is good. What color is your toothbrush?
Speaker 2:Black because I have a black heart. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised you didn't say green and yellow honestly.
Speaker 2:Honestly, I'm surprised I don't have a green and yellow toothbrush no, it's black just because I don't know why I needed a toothbrush. I needed a toothbrush. It was cheap, but I grabbed it, good man.
Speaker 3:Two more questions Sounds good. What animal, in your opinion, is the biggest party animal?
Speaker 2:What animal? These are some weird ones. I like these. These are deep thinking. Biggest party animal. Honestly, I'm going to say this. They just they're clumsy as hell and I would love to see what they look like when they were drunk pandas oh yeah, give them some, uh, some alcohol, and then I mean they're clumsy enough as it is. I'd love to see how crazy they get when they're a little sauced up some watermelon wheat yeah, there we go, see, there you go, oh there you go.
Speaker 3:Okay. In your opinion, what is the most boring sport?
Speaker 2:oh wow, let's see this is gonna get some interesting reactions. Let's, maybe not. Let's see. Honestly, the sported picks pisses me off the most. I enjoy it to an extent, but it makes me so mad. It's like the last few minutes is basketball. Basketball infuriates me because the foul calls are so ticky-tack and everything else. Basketball just pisses me off.
Speaker 3:It just all of a sudden the game schools so fast and then it takes an hour for the last five minutes of the game.
Speaker 2:So like basketball, just basketball doesn't have to be boring, it just infuriates me in a way, boring, I would say boring, I will say that's tough.
Speaker 3:Uh see, I don't mind if I watch that I'll take a good nap on a golf game.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you that much. That's true. See, I'm a nascar fan and most people hate that. I love nascar, so I'm I mean, I'm good with that, like like, I like vegas motor speedway and all that, so I love nascar. Or most boring sport though, I'll just say with basketball, that's fine all right, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 3:I'm an indycar and F1 fan.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 3:I'm a fan of road courses. That's what I like the road courses.
Speaker 2:I do respect that. I love to ask on the road courses. I love all of those. I just enjoy it. It's fun for me.
Speaker 3:Although I did enjoy the last Indy race in Nashville, that was a good one at the end.
Speaker 2:Yes, it was Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you so much for doing this. I know it's not an easy conversation to have, but I do appreciate you coming on and giving your opinion on. You know what is a tough subject to have right now.
Speaker 2:No, you're very welcome, very happy to do it. I was a little stunned to see that LV hat right off the bat, but you're okay, I'll listen to next week's show, see what I think about things. Okay, I'll forget that I'll work on that Diaz ball. Remind me which Diaz it is and I'll try to get it for you.
Speaker 3:Will is going to be definitely campaigning to get you off the podcast now for doing such a thing.
Speaker 2:She's got a nice smile. She looks like a sweetheart. I wouldn't do that to anybody. I don't want anybody getting kicked off the show.
Speaker 1:I will just add this to the Rangers hat Pick your favorite, it's green and gold, so you're good.
Speaker 2:So you'll get a 50-50 on it, you're okay.
Speaker 3:There you go, Will. Where can people find you on socials?
Speaker 2:They can find me on X, instagram or Twitter, whatever you want to call that.
Speaker 3:RFWill149. Rfwill149, my friend. Thank you again so much. And then, for everybody that is interested, make sure to follow not just myself, but Saving Food Girl. We are on all the socials Twitter Threads, youtube, and, oh yeah, tiktok. Yeah, we're there. Until then, guys, thank you so much. Make sure you guys follow this wonderful person right there. He has a great voice for radio. Face for it sure you guys follow this wonderful person right there. He has a great voice for radio.
Speaker 2:Uh, yeah, that's right, gold man gotta stick together, my friend, oh yeah, and we will see you guys again.
Speaker 3:Uh, next episode with someone else that we're talking about, maybe baseball, football, basketball, I don't know. We'll figure it out. We'll see you guys then. Bye. Hey, this has been a curb brand media production.
