This morning I woke up before dawn to the cacophony of rumbling diesel engines and banging. When I looked outside a wave of relief – no, catharsis – washed over me because I saw this:
Greetings from the Oyo Hotel and Casino, just east of the A’s ballpark site on the Strip (formerly the Tropicana). I’m in Vegas for a family trip. Some flexibility allowed me to spend Monday night and Tuesday morning at Oyo, previously the Howard Johnson/San Remo/Hooters. If you’re not aware, Oyo is a multi-national hotel brand based in India. When I checked one of the signage displays behind the front desk briefly showed a promo for ballpark construction workers.
Anyway, my plans were to head out to the Athletics Ballpark Experience Center at uncommons in the southwest part of Las Vegas Valley. Unfortunately those plans were foiled by more important matters.
According to MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos, the press conference for the Soderstrom signing will be held at the Ballpark Experience Center, so they literally have bigger fish to fry. At least we’ll get to see video of Sodey in the virtual ballpark. I’ll be back later, when it’s fully open to the public. For now, I’ll settle for progress in the form of working construction crews on December 30, 2025. I spent twenty years on this website waiting seemingly in vain, plus ten more since the Raiders moved back to Oakland and destroyed the Coliseum. I can say with great certainty that I’ve been waiting my entire adult life for this moment as the A’s haven’t had a proper home since they left Shibe Park. I only wish the moment was in Oakland, San Jose, or Fremont instead. Alas.
I’ll spend the rest of the morning here before I meet with the fam at Treasure Island. I observed how fleeting this moment is.
My intent was for this post to be a year-in-review as you typically see after Christmas. Instead I’m going to have breakfast and coffee, enjoy this view and the noise for a few hours, then take the monorail to see my niece and nephew. I’ll do the wrap-up post later. I’ll have plenty of comments about the state of pro sports venue financing, the NBA in Vegas, and the future of pro sports in NorCal. It’ll be a doozy.
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P.S. – In June 2023 I wrote about how MLB effectively seized the best real estate landing spot at the Tropicana instead of the NBA. It’s worth a revisit considering Adam Silver’s recent comments about expansion and the NBA’s attitude towards the Vegas market. Relocation of the Dallas Mavericks, who are now owned by Miriam Adelson, seem far from a certainty at this point. Even the NBA (Emirates) Cup might not make a permanent home in Vegas.
newballpark.org 
Bittersweet. Thanks for following it all these years. I knew Oakland wouldn’t work out a year early because of you.
Great stuff! Can’t wait to see a game there
Not sure about the NBA in Vegas. I know that it’s been rumored for awhile and the league seems intent on expanding there when they make their decision next year but I think 4 teams may be a bit much regardless of revenue created through visiting fans. The leagues need to remember the value that sports teams have to their respective communities and not just how much revenue they can create through visitors
The NBA knows, as does Rick Welts (former Warriors president), that Vegas is a serious downgrade from DFW from a metro/market standpoint. That’s far different from say, the A’s moving to Vegas from a minority share of the Bay Area.
Oh yeah, the Mavericks will never move. Apparently, Rick and the team have their sights set on two locations within the Dallas city limits
Expansion would be better for Vegas but again, 4 teams is a stretch regardless of how many visitors you get. I like Montreal as a 2nd NBA market instead of Vegas. Interesting side fact is that France and Canada produce the largest amount of foreign players to the league so what better market than a French speaking Canadian city that also happens to be the biggest market in the US or Canada without a team and would be the biggest arena in the league at least until they fleece the taxpayers for a new crib
Las Vegas Athletics??? Are you serious??? Let the taxpayers decide!!!
That comment would’ve had some weight 2-3 years ago. It’s too late now.
Give John Fisher a round of applause as he is getting his new stadium done and it is ahead of schedule. As a lifelong Giants fan first (A’s fan second and no longer) I will never buy season tix to the Giants for locking the A’s out of my hometown San Jose.
Dubs and 49ers I have tix and have been a Sharks one until I moved from SJ to SF 8 years ago or so.
The A’s are locking up their guys and have a deep farm system and finally will thrash the AL West for years to come as they once did being limited by the Giants….who suck so bad it is almost impossible to watch them struggle with all this payroll and bad baseball.
Vegas I now realize works even with 4 major teams because of one reason over versus DFW and East Bay. Even though the latter two are much more lucrative markets on paper…..tourists and other teams fans.
Raiders get half other teams fans every game. Golden Knights are organic and never have been bad (that day will come)……While the A’s? Will just get a full stadium with a small capacity and opposing teams fans. If the A’s get good? Which I predict, they will a hot ticket for locals.
As for NBA? Will be organic and Las Vegas is a sports town while the East Bay by evidence of all 3 teams leaving no longer is. The fans will rally around the new expansion franchise…..Vegas has a come a long away and I once argued the East Bay by itself was more lucrative….I was wrong