Friday newsletter time: A’s coming to town amid news they’ll be leaving their town

(AP photo/Jeff Chiu)

The idea of public funding for a professional sports team can be a hot-button topic.

I once saw a supposedly unbiased TV reporter lose his cool with former Arlington mayor Richard Greene about five years ago over the construction of Globe Life Field.

The argument is taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund a billionaire’s hobby, even if it means losing the team and its economic impact to another city in the state or elsewhere.

Such is the case with the A’s, who are in town to face the Rangers in a three-game weekend series that begins today. The Rangers will be wearing their City Connect uniforms.

The A’s, it appears, need City Disconnect uniforms.

A’s ownership has purchased land near the Las Vegas Strip with the hope of having new stadium ready by 2027. The team has received permission to play regular-season games in the nearby ballpark that houses their Triple A team beginning in 2025 even though it holds has fewer than 10,000 seats.

Of course, the A’s don’t get 10,000 fans a game to Oakland Coliseum, the worst ballpark in baseball. The playing surface is fine, even nice now that football is no longer played there, but the rest of it is unsuitable for a major-league team and a major-league fan base.

There has also been a damn possum in the press box.

This is, no doubt, a sad time for A’s fans. Yes, the A’s have fans. The A’s departure would follow the Raiders and Warriors leaving Oakland. The Raiders went to Las Vegas, whereas the Warriors went to San Francisco.

But this also seemed unavoidable. The A’s have been trying to get a new stadium for decades, and recently they worked with the Oakland city council to build at the Howard Terminal site near downtown Oakland.

The plans, though, became caught in bureaucratic red tape, and the A’s were working simultaneously working with Las Vegas in the hopes of reaching a deal to relocate.

Oakland, with land purchased, appears to be on the move.

Some perspective

The tweet below is an incredibly useful reminder that MLB season is incredibly long.

The MLB season is 11.11% complete.

some examples equivalent to how far along the season is

sorry if this makes no sense pic.twitter.com/5TfaEcL0qS

— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) April 19, 2023

A lot can happen in the course of 162 games. Your favorite team might be surging in the early going, but will be hit a few key injuries. Your favorite team might be struggling, but will find its footing and take off.

The best teams could loose three, four or five games in a row. Forget could. They will.

The minor-leaguers are barely into their seasons, too.

That’s a baseball season for you.

So, enjoy the Rangers’ early success, but don’t become outraged when they hit a stretch where they lose 4 of 6 (which has already happened this season) or even worse.

In NFL parlance, it’s the fourth quarter of the second game. The Rangers probably have all of their timeouts, too.

Card of the Week

The Rangers prospect just about everyone wants to see in the majors right this second is outfielder Evan Carter.

The 20-year-old is batting (stats from a suspended game Thursday not included) .381 in 42 at-bats for Double A Frisco with a 1.138 OPS. He has 12 walks and 11 strikeouts.

Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

He’s also advanced in his routine and game preparation, which impressed Rangers veterans during big-league spring training.

Carter, a two-time guest on the Rangers Today Baseball Podcast, also gave my son his autograph. The proof is the Card of the Week, Carter’s 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome.

It’s looking like there will be more on Carter later today in Friday on the Farm. Hint: He isn’t the prospect I want to see in the majors the most.

That distinction belongs to left-hander Cody Bradford, who allowed one run in seven innings Thursday night for Triple A Round Rock to run his record to 4-0 with a 0.77 ERA.

I’m not sure where the Rangers would put him, but he might be at the top of the pecking order if the Rangers need a starter or long reliever.

Doggy video!

If you’re going to do something bad this weekend, make sure there isn’t a cat around. Enjoy.

Look human, here's your culprit… 📹🎮😅 pic.twitter.com/Ll647pOCqO

— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) April 20, 2023

Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com