How die-hard A fan Tom Hanks reacted to the team’s departure from Oakland originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s been an emotional past few days for the Athletics, A’s fans and the entire Bay Area with the team’s official departure from Oakland.
Heartbroken fans continue to weigh in on the team’s departure from the place it called home for more than five decades, including award-winning actor and Bay Area native Tom Hanks, who recently spoke with The Athletic about the departure of his children’s team from Oakland.
“How on earth can Major League Baseball turn one of the most storied franchises in the history of the game inside out?” Hanks wrote in an email to The Athletic. “The Oakland A’s – not the East Bay Athletics or the California Golden A’s – the Oakland A’s could have been Northern California’s version of the Cubs at Wrigley, the BoSox at Fenway, Pittsburgh’s Buccos on the Allegheny, Cleveland’s Guardians on the banks of Erie – beloved ball teams with eternal hope every opening day until the millennium arrives.
“I don’t blame that loss on the city officials of Oakland, nor on the taxpayers of Alameda County. The owners and baseball have lost the lead.”
Hanks was born in Concord, California, but attended Skyline High School in Oakland, about five miles from the Coliseum.
The A’s moved to Oakland when Hanks was twelve. A lot has changed since then, but his love for his favorite baseball team never faded. And he will always cherish the memories, with Game 3 of the 1972 World Series being one of his fondest.
“When the A’s were in the World Series, the world came to Oakland,” Hanks wrote. “Not San Francisco. Oakland.”
Not only was Hanks a die-hard fan, he also served as a vendor at the Coliseum, selling popcorn in the stands during hot East Bay days and cold nights.
“Vida Blue. Joe Rudi. Mudcat Grant,” he wrote. “Campy Campaneris. Sal Bando. Ray Fosse. The original Reggie Jackson. Thanks, guys!”
But now Hanks and other Oakland fans are saying goodbye to the A’s and Major League Baseball — at least for now.
Sacramento will temporarily house the team for the next few seasons while the new stadium in Las Vegas is built.
