SAN FRANCISCO — The Oakland Athletics have returned to the Bay Area, albeit briefly. The team is in town for a three-game face-off against the San Francisco Giants that kicked off on Friday. With plans already set in motion to relocate from their traditional Oakland home to a minor league stadium in Sacramento during construction of a new stadium in Las Vegas, the Athletics’ presence in the area has become a noteworthy event.
The team’s general manager, David Forst, made the trek across the Bay Bridge, a trip that stretched from what was once a quick 20-minute journey into a longer 90-mile venture. Lamenting the traffic, Forst humorously commented from the visitor’s dugout at Oracle Park, “I thought I would have an easier commute today than I’ve had earlier, but the bridge traffic is terrible.”
To spare manager Mark Kotsay from being the center of attention regarding the team’s return to the Bay Area, Forst took the opportunity to engage with reporters. Originally known as the Bay Bridge Series, matches between these two northern Californian teams have considerably long-standing significance. More recent fixtures have adopted a new moniker with some fans donning shirts that proclaim it as the Highway 80 Battle of the Bay.
Despite their move to Sacramento, Forst is convinced that the rivalry between the Athletics and the Giants will persist. He remarked, “A’s-Giants, I think, will be sort of the same rivalry for a while. There’s obviously generations of fans who will see A’s and Giants and think of it the same way, but it’s definitely different. We’re not right across the Bay.”
He further added, “There are enough people remaining who have seen it this way for 15-20 years. (Giants manager and former A’s skipper Bob Melvin) is on the other side. Our coaches all played in part of this rivalry, so yeah.”
In previous encounters, players had only to cross the Bay Bridge for the Bay Bridge Series. This time, the Athletics are coming off a road trip from Los Angeles and arrived in Oakland late Thursday night, planning to stay at a San Francisco hotel for the duration.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay remarked on the competition, saying, “The rivalry, it’s been fun to be a part of. Having Bob on the other side isn’t necessarily a rivalry. I look at him as a mentor. I look at him as a friend. Do I want to win? Yes. Does he want to win? Absolutely. In terms of it not being the Bay Bridge Series, there’s still a lot of excitement around this series.”