Elephant Rumblings: Susan Slusser leaves Oakland A’s beat after two decades of reporting

Good morning afternoon evening, Athletics Nation!

Happy New Year! If there’s one thing that everyone across the U.S. can agree on, it’s that 2020 was just awful, and we’re all glad it’s over. Of course, we said the same thing about some other recent years, only to find out that it can in fact always get worse, but at least the dawn of a new calendar always offers some hope.

Unfortunately, 2021 is already off to a rough start for Oakland A’s fans. Just 15 hours into the new year, longtime beat writer Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle announced that she is switching to covering the San Francisco Giants. Per her Twitter thread:

New Year’s brings many changes, so it seems like as good a time as any to let you all know that after two-plus decades covering the A’s, I’ll be moving over to the Giants beat, with my wonderful colleague Matt Kawahara taking over primary A’s coverage.

It won’t be easy replacing my friend Henry Schulman, who is one of the best in the business, and it will be even more difficult leaving a beat I have absolutely loved covering for so long. I can’t adequately express how much I’ve enjoyed my time with the A’s, and much of that is because of Oakland fans. You’ve been wonderful to interact with and I count so many of you among my very good friends. I’ve learned a ton from A’s fans and you’ve brought a lot of joy to my life, so this is a very bittersweet move, I’m leaving a chunk of my heart at the Coliseum.

However, it’s time for a new challenge after so long in one position and I hope to keep learning and growing – but I’m still here, and I’m sure I’ll still chip in on A’s coverage from time to time, and you can continue to ask me anything any time and stay in touch. I will always treasure the A’s fanbase and readership.

I have so many people to thank in and around the A’s, starting with the front office, the support staff, all the managers and coaches I’ve covered, everyone in development and scouting, and of course the hundreds of players.

Thanks to the many fine PR people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, to all the broadcasters, and to the great beat writers I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside. Special thanks to Billy Beane, David Forst, Bob Melvin and all the rest of the A’s leadership, who’ve been marvelous to cover, true pros, and to Mickey Morabito, Steve Vucinich, Ken Korach, Mike Selleck and David Feldman for decades of help and friendship. Covering the A’s has been a privilege and an absolute blast.

Slusser has covered the A’s full-time since 1999, and there are more than a few Oakland fans who have never known a time when she wasn’t delivering the team’s news. During that tenure she proved to be the very best in the business, and even got to take a turn as the President of the Baseball Writers Association of America. She’s also written two books about the A’s, both of which are highly recommended (“100 Things A’s Fans Need to Know and Do Before They Die,” in which one of the things to do is to join Athletics Nation; and “If These Walls Could Talk”).

Thanks Susan for two amazing decades of top-notch reporting! And also for being friendly and welcoming every time we crossed paths in the press box. It will feel weird not writing “reported by Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle” five times every day. Giants fans are lucky indeed!

A’s Coverage

• Athletics Nation presents 2020 Player Awards
• Gallegos: 5 questions facing A’s heading into 2021
• Gallegos: The best A’s player to wear each number

MLB News & Interest

• Footer: Here are the 1st Power Rankings of 2021 (A’s are higher than I would have guessed)
• Salisbury: Phillies sign former ‘big bonus’ pitcher Michael Ynoa to minor-league contract
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter

Historic contract

Quick explanation of the KBO posting system