Video: Local News Anchor Slams A's Owner John Fisher over Farewell Letter to Fans

A Bay Area news anchor had no interest in Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher's goodbye letter to fans as the team prepares for its final home series of the season before the franchise leaves the city after 56 years.

Larry Beil of KGO-TV called Fisher's letter a "great work of fiction," criticized him for surrounding himself with "incompetent yes men" and being "a serial penny-pincher"

Fisher's letter touched on the history of the franchise in Oakland before stating it "proposed and pursued five different locations" over the years to build a new stadium that would keep them in the Bay Area, but a binding agreement with MLB to find a new home by 2024 forced ownership to explore a move to Las Vegas.

Fisher closed the letter by saying he hoped A's fans would join them as they "move forward on this amazing journey."

It was the latest in a series of attempts at public relations spin for Fisher. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has spoken publicly about his bad-faith negotiating tactics to use the city as leverage to get a deal for a new ballpark from Las Vegas.

The city of Oakland had a full proposal made up for a new waterfront ballpark that also would have added up to 3,000 residential dwelling units and a hotel located at the Port of Oakland.

The A's wound up rejecting that plan and entered into agreement to purchase a 49-acre site near the Las Vegas strip in April 2023 with the intention of building a new stadium.

Per Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, construction on the stadium is expected to begin in the second quarter of next year with a completion date of 2028.

The Athletics are set to play the next three seasons in Sacramento at the home of their Triple-A affiliate.

This is the final week of the 2024 MLB regular season. The A's will host the Texas Rangers at the Coliseum on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in their final home games before wrapping up the year with three games in Seattle from Friday through Sunday.

Fisher has been the majority owner the A's since 2005. He took over full ownership of the franchise in 2016 when Lewis Wolff sold his 10 percent interest in the club.