Athletics’ Fisher disputes doubts of team’s Las Vegas move

SACRAMENTO — The idea seems random because it was: To spend an inning with A’s owner John Fisher during an A’s game in Sacramento. Pick an inning, any inning. It turned out to be the fifth inning of a 7-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Sutter Health Park.

It also went into the sixth inning. We surpassed the pitch count.

The A’s share this park with the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League, their home until their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028. The chat was Aug. 27, a month before Sunday’s season finale against the Royals. The setting was an open box just outside the park’s owner/VIP suite, Fisher wearing a throwback Athletics-elephant ballcap. The highlights:

Johnny Kats: The team is missing the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. Las Vegas likes a winner. How can you assure locals and potential Las Vegas A’s fans that they’re going to see a contending team?

John Fisher: First of all, I would say we have have always been committed to winning. It’s not always easy when you’re a small-market team, to win year in, year out. But up until the last rebuilding period, the A’s were one of the winningest teams in the American League. We made it to the playoffs six years, going back to when the period of ownership, when Lew Wolff and I were involved in the team, and and and did it with a fraction of the resources of the bigger-market teams.

Kats: So how do you get back to that point?

Fisher: The reason that we’ve spent 20 years working on a new stadium, and the excitement that we have now that we’re two (now three) months into our construction project on the strip in Vegas, is that it’s going to help us be the team that our fans deserve. It’s going to allow us to have a much more robust payroll.

Kats: The team is better than it was last year. There is at least some optimism, some great young talent. Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom have shown a lot of promise.

Fisher: Frankly, as you’ve seen on the field today, even though our overall record has not been what wanted it to be, we won 20 out of 30 games at one point. You can see the makings of a great team.

Kats: What about the fan base you’re coming into in Las Vegas? I go to Raiders games and even Golden Knights games, and see a sea of opposing teams’ jerseys in the stands. The overtake of visiting fans is like a chronic concern for big-league teams in Las Vegas.

Fisher: I think that the Golden Knights have done a great job, and felt like there are mostly local fans at (T-Mobile Arena). They are loud and they are great. Football is just in a world of its own, and when you have 70,000 fans, you are going to have a lot of visiting fans.

Kats: Are there enough A’s fans to fill seats?

Fisher: It’s our goal to build our local fan base who don’t know that this is a 124-year-old franchise with the third-most World Series wins than any team in baseball. We have had incredible characters, all the way back to Connie Mack, who was the owner and manager, through to Charlie Finley, with his mule mascot. Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, The Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco/Mark McGuire), Jason Giambi, the World Series teams of ‘72, ‘73 and ‘74. Our team has been incredibly fun.

Kats: The conversation around the team coming to Las Vegas often centers on financing. We’re here now, are you going to be able to pay for this stadium on Trop and the Strip?

Fisher: As I’ve said, we’re fully financed, so financing is not an issue here. I’m still interested in bringing in outside investors who can add value to our brand and our team.

Kats: Money from Las Vegas?

Fisher: Whether they be locals, which has been an important part of my outreach. But whether we bring in any other investors or not, we’re fully financed to build this.

Kats: The Aviators are going to continue to play at Las Vegas Ballpark. How is the market going to be tested with a PCL team and Major League team playing in the same city?

Fisher: Traditionally, when Major League teams went into new markets, the minor league team would leave. But we didn’t want them to leave, and they didn’t want to leave. We sat down with (Aviators GM) Don Logan, and the folks from Howard Hughes Corporation (the land owners) and how to make us both stronger. The ideas of families being able to watch Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof play for the Aviators, and then come up to the A’s — you’ll be able to drive with them as they make that move (laugh).

Kats: The Aviators-Athletics Caravan. You could find a sponsor for that.

Fisher: They’ll be able to follow their favorite young player as they go from Triple-A to the big-league team. That’s unique. But I think the market in Las Vegas is very strong and will support both teams.

Kats: What do you see your relationship with Mark Davis right now. He’s made his opinions about the A’s ownership group clear in the past, related to the contentious issues while sharing the Oakland Coliseum. Are you optimistic you’ll be able to get into some kind of working relationship with him, and the Raiders?

Fisher: I have nothing but great things to say about Mark. He’s been a real gentleman to me. We shared a stadium in Oakland. They left before we did. It hasn’t always been easy, for sure. But he’s been very generous with me as we’ve come into, you know, his town. And the other thing I would say is they’ve done a truly fantastic job — Mark Davis and Marc Badain — of creating Allegiant Stadium, one of the great football stadiums in the league.

Kats: You mentioned to me that you and Mark Davis met for coffee a few weeks before the groundbreaking of the A’s stadium. Will we see more of these summits?

Fisher: I’ll just say he was very generous and very nice to me. Has shared his perspectives on the market, what a great place Las Vegas is, what a nice place it is to live … I really appreciate that.

Kats: You’re personally invested in Las Vegas now, right?

Fisher: I’ve bought a home in Las Vegas. I’m moving to Las Vegas. The people have been incredibly positive and welcoming. I’m really excited about it.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.