Bob Melvin Reflects on Oakland Athletics’ Final Season in Oakland

Bob Melvin managed the Oakland Athletics to sustained success during his 11-year run with the organization from 2011-2021. That included six trips to the playoffs. He’ll now be the last manager to lead the A’s to the postseason in their 57-year run in Oakland. The Athletics announced on Thursday that they are playing out their final season in Northern California. The MLB team will temporarily relocate to Sacramento for the next three seasons before setting up shop in Las Vegas in time for the 2028 campaign.

Now the manager of the cross-bay rival (for now) San Francisco Giants, Melvin was asked about the situation ahead of Friday’s home opener against the San Diego Padres. He tried his best to keep it civil, but Melvin knows the situation at hand. In particular, he talked about the end of the famed Oakland Coliseum.

“It’s sad. I really enjoy the Coliseum,” Melvin said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “If that’s the case and that’s where they’re going, it’s too bad. You’d like to see them finish up in the Coliseum, but at least they’re within fairly close proximity where the A’s fans can still drive and watch them, but it seems like it’s gotten pretty dramatic here recently.”

The A’s and officials in Oakland could not come to terms on a lease extension that would enable them to play at the Coliseum from 2015-17 before ultimately relocating to Southern Nevada. It was the latest and final nail in the coffin when it comes to negotiations between the two sides.

Melvin has been a manager at the MLB level since 2003. He made his debut at this level as a player all the way back in 1985. He’s a baseball lifer. He knows exactly what’s happening.

“Things are changing with the A’s, and not only are they playing in a different venue these next few years, but they’re going to be moving out of the Bay,” Melvin said. “So I think this year, really experience what the Coliseum’s all about. It’s had so many great teams and great players there that this should be a special year and I’ll try and enjoy it as well.”

The A’s tenure in Oakland has included four World Series titles, countless great memories and some of the greatest players in modern baseball history. As Melvin later noted, the Coliseum has also proven “electric” at times due to the support of the fans.

That was not the case last season after news of relocation broke. It will not be the case in the A’s final season playing at the Coliseum. That’s the harsh reality of the situation, one that Fisher himself helped create. And in reality, Melvin knows that more than us in having to work under the owner for more than a decade.