oakland – Dugout Tales

When we last saw our heroes, they were in a tight race to potentially win the first half of the Pacific Coast League Championship and secure a berth in the PCL Playoffs in late September but they then ran into the force that were the Round Rock Express and losing four of their last six along with any hopes of winning the Division. Despite this, the River Cats would end the first half with one of the best records in all of Minor League Baseball in the first half.

The River Cats would start the second half of the season looking like they had righted the ship by going 3-1 against the Las Vegas Aviators before hitting a nine-game losing streak, and losing 11 of their next 12. While the River Cats have fared much better since then by going 23-18 the damage has been done and they sit at the bottom of the PCL West Division with a record of 27-30.

The Reno Aces on the other hand are 32-24 for the second-best record in the PCL behind none other than Sugar Land. Should the Aces keep going we are looking at a potential Reno Aces vs Sugar Land Space Cowboys playoff series September 24-26 with the winner advancing to the Triple-A Championship in Las Vegas on September 28. Should the Aces advance from there, it would be their second appearance in three years.

Speaking of Las Vegas, the River Cats closed out a six-game series this week against the Aviators with a come from behind walk-off courtesy of Cavan Biggio. I left the game early because I was not feeling well. The Aviators had the lead of 8-4 in the 8^th when I decided to leave, and were being carried by their catcher Carlos Perez who was having an amazing three home run game. This was only the second time since 2005 that an opposing player had hit three home runs against the River Cats here in Sacramento.

It was on my way home that the River Cats began to make their move. A two run double by Trenton Brooks, a three run home run by Hunter Bishop to tie it, and then a walk-off two run home run by Biggio and what a way to end a game and a series.

I have not written a story for this page in about six weeks, and I stopped, because like the River Cats I hit a wall. It seems to happen to me almost every year around June or July since I first started writing my book back in 2019. It really goes to show how much the game of baseball itself can wear on your mentally and not just the day in and day out of its physicality.

In this time off from writing I have had a lot going on personally and have been overwhelmed with the day job that I lost track of how the rest of the River Cats season had been going. I was noticing how well the team had been doing after that slow start until I started to write this. I saw the loses and the blown leads but nothing else was registering and that was how I was viewing my life outside of writing as well. So, I am grateful for this outlet, and hopefully this can spark something to get me back on my feet. No, like the River Cats, this season probably will not end on a playoff run, but there is hope for a better tomorrow, and in the words of Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

I love Vegas and I’m there at least once a year, especially now that the Triple-A Championship will be taking place there for the third straight year you’ll definitely find me there on September 28th. This past week though I was there for a work conference, and I was excited about taking in a Las Vegas Aviators game; the Aviators are the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas A’s. Unfortunately, when I looked up the Aviators’ schedule, I saw that they were on the road this past week, and not only that, but the Aviators were in Sacramento, where I live! I had a laugh, and few tequila shots and all was well.

When I got back to Sacramento, I was able to catch the last two games of the series, including Saturday night’s game in which Oakland’s fans drove up from the Bay along with the Last Dive Bar, and the Oakland 68’s as they brought their “Sell” movement to Sacramento as part of “Sell Meets Sac”. As I pulled up into the parking lot, I noticed a sea of green as fans wore their A’s gear with bright yellow lettering with the word “SELL” across their chest. There was a van with a flag raised high to match the shirt and a bright yellow flag with “LDB” signaling that it was the crew from the Last Dive Bar. There were probably about 100 or so Bay area followers who made the trip to Sutter Health Park, and there was an air of levity yet solidarity among them. Inside the park, the vibe was way much more tense.

Not much was said by River Cat employees although I did hear a couple of remarks about the “protestors”, but the organization made sure to add a few more security in the outfield where the Oakland fans seated themselves. “Better to be safe because you never know” is the word I got, but there was nothing to fear, and no incidents that caused alarm; just baseball fans, and an obviously concerned organization who is stuck in the middle of this latest ordeal. This whole situation seems a little shady if you ask me; the ownership situation in Oakland, the dealings with the cities of Oakland, Vegas, the MLB, and Sacramento all just rub me the wrong way and something seems off and dirty. The timing of Vivek’s purchase of the River Cats two years ago, the back and forth as to where will the A’s play until their home in Vegas is ready, the upgraded clubhouse in Sacramento, and now here we are. Is Sacramento the long-term goal for Oakland, and is Vegas nothing more than a distraction? In my opinion, and in a way, yes. Art Savage, the man who brought the River Cats to Sacramento, had always dreamed of bringing Major League Baseball here, even hoping it could be the A’s. Sutter Health Park (Raley Field) was always designed to be built up to hold a Major League team and now that Sacramento has that opportunity it would be silly of the city and organization not to take it. Setting aside the drama and emotions of this all, I think it will be a great way to showcase what Sacramento has to offer and I’m looking forward to covering it all as it unfolds in real time.

In the end, the most excitement we got from the “protestors” was in the fifth inning the group in the outfield started with their chant of “Sell the team” which got two of those outfield security guards to stand in front of them as menacingly as they could. All in all, it was an uneventful experience. To be concerned over the group’s arrival seemed a bit much as more seats were filled this night than I’ve been used to seeing the past few seasons, and more media attention has been brought to the River Cats and Sacramento as I’ve heard talks about this protest by the Last Dive Bar discussed on various podcasts, and even heard a blurb on NPR this morning.

The River Cats would split the series with Las Vegas 3-3 and come into their next homestand which starts tonight against the Tacoma Rainers who are tied with the River Cats atop the Pacific Coast League West as both teams have a record of 17-10. It’s going to be an exciting week of baseball here in Sacramento, and its only just begun.

Tag: oakland

When Going Through Hell…

Sell Meets Sac