Heard on ESPN: 'John Fisher is the Worst Owner in Sports'

It's not very often that the Oakland A's are seen on ESPN, whether it be a game they're playing in or just as a topic of discussion throughout the course of the day. However, on Wednesday on Around the Horn, they did a segment on the Las Vegas mayor's comments from Tuesday and were asked whether they were buying or selling what she said. 

Tim Cowlishaw poked fun at the team. "I think [the mayor] forgot momentarily that Paul Blackburn might be the Opening Day starter. There's a lot to be excited about this club moving into the future." While the statement is true, Blackburn may very well get the nod for the A's to open the 2024 campaign, he shouldn't be the butt of the joke here. If you're mad about the roster construction, that starts at the top with the guy that signs the checks. 

Many A's fans are likely rooting for Blackburn to get the start, too. Blackburn is a local guy, growing up in Brentwood. If this is the team's final season in Oakland, it would be a huge deal to start the team's final Opening Day at the Coliseum. That should be celebrated, not belittled. 

The biggest haymakers were thrown by David Dennis Jr., who said "[Fisher] turned the actual team into a hypothetical squad that barely exists right now. They barely have a roster, the lowest in terms of salary in the league. They may or may not have a tv deal. They have no home for the next three years. There's no blueprint for the place they want to go. They have a mayor in Vegas who says 'go back home' and they have a home that says 'we don't want you back here any more.' That's about John Fisher and what he has done to destroy this. He's the worst owner in all of sports." 

Dennis later went on Twitter to clarify his statement, saying "Point of clarity: 'Oakland saying we don't want you here anymore"=don't want John Fisher there anymore.'"

Was this the most thought-provoking segment of the A's relocation process on television? No. But Dennis did a good job of bringing some facts to the conversation and making his 30 seconds about more than a couple of talking points or jokes like the other panelists. 

Still, the fact that the A's relocation was covered on ESPN at all is kind of a big deal. The network doesn't talk about baseball much these days, and they not only talked baseball, but about the A's. Add this to the fact that Jeff Passan published a rundown of the A's to Vegas timeline just over a week ago, and we're starting to see more national news coverage focusing in on what's happening. 

That may not be something that MLB was counting on when they threw their weight behind the move in the first place. If public pressure from outside of the Bay Area begins to mount as the season draws closer, it will be interesting to see how the league responds. 

If you'd like to see the full clip, the A's talk begins around 10:42.