Jun 17, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics fans in the bleacher seats during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Over the weekend, the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants battled at AT&T Park - but the Giants wound up sweeping the A's, who enter play Monday 44-56 and with a comfortable hold on last place in the AL West.
Maybe it's due in part to these circumstances, as well as the Giants' three World Series titles in the past five years in addition to the A's lack of October success and an always-murky future in Oakland that a fan has launched a Change.org petition asking for changes.
The pledge drive, posted under the headline 'Sell the team, or invest long-term in building a championship caliber team', is directed at A's co-owners Lew Wolff and John Fisher...even though Wolff maintains the organization is not for sale.
As of Sunday evening, the petition had close to 450 supporters out of the 500 necessary to push it to the next level (whatever that level would be), and many have left passionate notes regarding their discontent with the way things are at present for their beloved green & gold.
A petition, of course, will realistically have very little impact on the A's situation, but it is already effectively demonstrating the frustration felt by vocal Oakland supporters online.
Fans aren't the only ones expressing their discontent with ownership, too. After the A's dealt Scott Kazmir to the Houston Astros late last week, Bruce Jenkins of the SF Chronicle penned a column condemning Wolff's and Fisher's handling of the organization, featuring passages such as the following:
Here's a selection from the Change.org petition's statement, which lays out its concerns regarding the organization's methods of business, Wolff's and Fisher's duties as owners, the stagnant nature of the A's relationship with Oakland and the developments (or lack thereof) regarding the club's need for a new facility to replace the outdated O.co Coliseum:
While it's unclear if these developments will lead to any concrete changes in the state of the A's, it's at least more than apparent apparent that frustrations are starting to boil over among the fan base and certain members of the media.
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