Elephant Rumblings: Dave Stewart talks about A’s potential move

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

Legendary A’s pitcher Dave Stewart went on the record with John Shea at the San Francisco Chronicle, sharing perspectives on the current state of the team, its potential move, and various other matters. Some of his takes surprised me a bit and are pretty far afield of the mode opinion here in our AN community.

Stewart is disappointed that the A’s seem likely to relocate to Las Vegas. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, as Smoke was born in Oakland and raised just blocks from the Coliseum. He is genuinely home grown talent, as Rooted in Oakland as they come.

Stewart also commented that he approached A’s owner John Fisher on a couple of occasions about “buying into the team in some capacity,” but that Fisher seemed uninterested in Dave’s pitches.

Stewart blames both the A’s and the City of Oakland for the failure to reach a deal on a new ballpark. He stated that he doesn’t “know what [the A’s] could possibly gain in Las Vegas.” He doesn’t provide a lot of specifics in terms of how the A’s and Oakland failed to get results after years of failed proposals and negotiations, but he does allude to “bad politics” impeding not only the stadium initiatives, but his ownership group’s efforts to purchase a stake in the Coliseum site, as well.

There’s plenty of implied—and some explicit—criticism of the A’s in Stewart’s interview, but he also went on to speak highly of Fisher as an individual:

“I personally have an affection for Mr. Fisher ... he’s coming out of this as a villain. I can only speak from personal experiences with people, and I’m speaking from personal experiences with Mr. Fisher. I like him, and I think he’s a good man.”

Most of us would disagree with Stew on the basis of Fisher’s stewardship of the A’s. Few at most of us have interacted directly with Fisher as Dave Stewart has, and at the end of the day, you can’t fault someone for calling it like they see it, assuming Dave ain’t just blowing smoke.

Stewart delves into other matters in the interview, such as the A’s on-field performance, the rule changes, and announcer Glen Kuiper’s dismissal. Check it out if you can! Have a wonderful weekend, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Ashford: A’s swept by Seattle in finale 3-2
• Shea: Dave Stewart opens up on A’s, Las Vegas, John Fisher and Oakland expansion ($)
• Slusser and Kawahara: MLB’s Rob Manfred says A’s relocation vote could happen by June ($)
• Espinoza: What is the end game for A’s owner John Fisher?

MLB News & Interest:

• Bowden: Top 25 potential MLB free agents in 2023-24: Ohtani, pitchers rule Bowden’s early rankings ($)
• The Athletic: MLB All-30: As Memorial Day nears, giving out grades as teams begin prep for trade deadline ($)
• Sarris: What’s up with that guy, Pt. 2 — examining seven struggling hitters ($)
• Adams: Brewers Sign Julio Teheran To Major League Deal
• Polishuk: Cubs Release Eric Hosmer
• Adams: Rockies Release Fernando Abad
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

Roster moves.

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Almost forgot that Paul Blackburn is still in the organization.