Whenever there’s a controversy in Major League Baseball, we’ve seen SportsNet New York’s (SNY) announcers, whether Gary Cohen or Ron Darling, step up to the plate and take the league or a specific team to task. Last season, it was Cohen who took aim at the Baltimore Orioles for suspending play-by-play voice Kevin Brown for innocuous comments made on-air. And Thursday saw Darling throw shade at his former ballclub.
While Darling is more associated with his time with the New York Mets, he spent a good chunk of time in Oakland during the twilight of his MLB career. So, it was only fitting that he commented on what transpired overnight and into Thursday, with the A’s announcing that they would be headed to Las Vegas via Sacramento.
The A’s will now call Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats, their temporary home from 2025 to 2027, with a possible extension to 2028, while their Las Vegas stadium is under construction. And while playing in Sacramento, the Athletics will shed their city nickname and simply be known as the Athletics or A’s. A spokesperson told The Athletic’s Evan Drellich that this rebranding is intended to be temporary for the duration of their stay.
Adding to the team’s string of unpopular decisions, Darling, who played with the A’s from 1991-95, weighed in on the recent turmoil. The highly criticized move to Las Vegas has put Oakland owner John Fisher in hot water, with criticism coming even from ex-players like Darling.
“I have to say, being a guy that wore that uniform, just appalled at the things that have happened in the past six months with that organization,” said Darling.
While Ron Darling is known for his time with the New York Mets, he played for the Oakland A's from 1991-95. And having worn the A's uniform before, Darling said he's "appalled" by the organization's transgressions in the past six months. pic.twitter.com/mpn5vAdAS9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 4, 2024
Darling joins the chorus of broadcasters who have echoed disgruntled fans’ criticisms of ownership’s handling of the Las Vegas move.
Relocating a team is never easy for fans. And the A’s move to Las Vegas is a bitter pill to swallow for their loyal Oakland fanbase. Years of neglect have left them with little hope for a celebratory final season under ownership that seems to have already abandoned them.
[Awful Announcing on X]
