What about the San Jose Earthquakes? As Oakland A’s owner John Fisher was going on his mini-media tour last week, none of his handpicked interviewees asked him that straightforward and pertinent question. Who needs that bum when the answer is already out there for all to see? And the answer exposes what will really happen to the A’s should they move to Las Vegas.
What about the San Jose Earthquakes?
Lew Wolff and John Fisher received a new stadium for the San Jose Earthquakes after years of moaning about how the team wasn’t making any money. This was often cited as the reason why the club had a lower payroll by MLS standards and wasn’t able to field a consistently competitive soccer team.
It was all supposed to change with the opening of Avaya Stadium, or what is now known as PayPal Park, in 2015. The team would finally have the resources to secure high-profile signings or perhaps build a deep roster capable of navigating the MLS grind. Neither happened.
Apart from being more willing to fire head coaches, nothing has changed for the San Jose Earthquakes under Fisher’s watch in a new stadium. Never once has the franchise boasted a payroll inside the top half of the league and it has routinely finished in the bottom third.
The Earthquakes’ spending rank per season since their new stadium opened is laughable.
Earthquakes spending rank in MLS by year:
- 2015 (20 teams) — 15th
- 2016 (20 teams) — 11th
- 2017 (22 teams) — 16th
- 2018 (23 teams) — 19th
- 2019 (24 teams) — 19th
- 2020 (26 teams) — 17th
- 2021 (27 teams) — 24th
- 2022 (28 teams) — 22nd
- 2023 (29 teams) — 21st
Of course, none of that would matter if San Jose was able to develop prospects internally while signing overlooked players from overseas. That hasn’t happened either. Instead, the Earthquakes’ recruitment policy over the past nine seasons would make Mick McCarthy blush.
The team made the playoffs twice in the first eight seasons of playing in a new stadium. They did not advance past the first round on either occasion. In all fairness, San Jose should make it back to the postseason in 2023, although it’s a low bar considering 9 out of 14 teams will qualify this year. What was MLS thinking there?
That’s not the takeaway, however. New stadium or not, John Fisher has done absolutely nothing with the San Jose Earthquakes apart from pocketing profits and ignoring fans. Don’t take my word for it. Here are the team’s season finishes over the past eight years.
Earthquakes season finishes since PayPal Park opened:
- 2015 (20 teams) — 13th
- 2016 (20 teams) — 17th
- 2017 (22 teams) — 12th
- 2018 (23 teams) — 23rd
- 2019 (24 teams) — 15th
- 2020 (26 teams) — 16th
- 2021 (27 teams) — 21st
- 2022 (28 teams) — 26th
If winning matters to Fisher, something he claimed as recently as last week, why is his soccer team so terrible? Why has he never invested in it?
Sure, it is nice that Chris Wondolowski was allowed to stick around for as long as he wanted to, but he was never surrounded with enough talent to mount a serious challenge. And why the Quakes continued to roll out a well past his prime Shea Salinas is a mystery I’ll never fully understand.
The story of John Fisher, the San Jose Earthquakes and PayPal Park does offer us some insights into what we can expect should his other team be allowed to move to the desert.
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Here’s what will really happen to the A’s in Las Vegas
Anyone expecting a different outcome for the Athletics after their proposed move to Las Vegas clearly isn’t paying attention to Fisher’s actions with the Earthquakes. We are witnessing what appears to be a shot-for-shot remake of a movie no one wants to see but are, for some reason, being forced to watch.
One of the key takeaways from Fisher’s softball interviews was his insistence that a new stadium would allow the team to retain its best players. That will help but won’t solve competitiveness issues. After all, what good did keeping Wondo do for the Earthquakes? Not a whole lot in terms of wins and losses…and draws.
New stadium or not, we know there is no way the A’s payroll will ever make it into the top half of MLB spenders. The best-case scenario would most likely be the 20-25th highest in the league. That doesn’t equate to a whole hell of a lot.
Sure, the Athletics could keep some homegrown talents but not all of them. And the rest of the roster would still be filled out with a random collection of flawed players who get on base. Relocating to do the same thing you’ve already done for two decades doesn’t make sense.
Unless, of course, you happen to own the team and are pocketing that extra revenue. All of those Las Vegas personal injury attorneys buying club seats and overpriced Bud Lights aren’t helping support the ball club. Nope, they will be helping Fisher prop up his rapidly declining fashion empire.
He can do all these peculiar off-camera interviews saying otherwise, but the proof of what will really happen to the A’s in Las Vegas can be found back in San Jose and his other team. A hopeless, uncompetitive soccer club that fans have long since soured on. Playing in a new stadium doesn’t mask the failings of a crap owner. Just ask the Miami Marlins about that.
I’ve said this before and I will say this again. My beef here isn’t with Vegas. And by and large, Oakland fans have no issues with the city getting an expansion team. The problem is some of you, such as Mick Akers, seem to think your city is somehow different and special. For some reason, this man who has done nothing but lie since the day he was born is, for some reason, being honest with you.
The question I have for you is this: Why? Why will your situation with John Fisher be any different than what has happened to the San Jose Earthquakes? And, a follow-up question. Why won’t this guy allow people to ask him about that scenario?
Oh, that’s right, because there is no plausible explanation. There is no amount of spin in the world that could portray this in a better light. Believe what you want to believe but don’t cry when Fisher gives you the proverbial middle finger just like he has done to so many others. The writing was on the wall. You chose not to read it.
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