Oakland Athletics fan Pepito Mendez, 3, of Pittsburg, plays cornhole on a John Fisher board during the Reverse Boycott event at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. - Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
Every year around Thanksgiving, Minneapolis Star Tribune sports columnist Patrick Reusse announces his sports Turkey of the Year. This usually goes to a Minnesota sports related individual who has done something incredibly stupid or illegal during the course of the year. Think Norm Green moving the North Stars to Dallas or the Vikings giving away the store in the Herschel Walker trade.
With apologies to Mr. Reusse, I am going to start my own tradition of naming a national sports turkey of the year. And once again, there are many deserving candidates. Michigan coach John Harbaugh’s sign stealing scandal comes to mind. Or what about the player hazing controversy that cost Pat Fitzgerald his job at Northwestern. Or maybe Charrisa Thompson’s admission that she sometimes mails in her coaches’ interviews. So may worthy candidates.
They’re Both a Turkey
But my choice(s) this year represent the epitome of being a turkey. Their behavior has been so despicable and evil, I could not see awarding this prize to anyone else but them. So, my Sports Turkey of the Year for 2023 is: Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and Oakland Athletics’ owner John Fisher. They of course are the winners of the turkey award this year due to their unscrupulous and underhanded negotiations that ultimately led to the impending move of the A’s to Las Vegas Nevada.
The fact that they ripped the heart and soul out of A’s fans and the City of Oakland definitely put them in rarified turkey air. But the fact that they negotiated in such a shameless, duplicitous, and conniving fashion sealed the deal me. And because of all of this, they were unanimously chosen as the recipients of the 2023 Turkey of the Year Award. Here a little background on these two pillars of society.
Rob Manfred. What a guy.
Rob Manfred is one of my favorite individuals in the sporting world. For not only is a corporate shrill for the baseball owners, but he legitimately hates the game of baseball and its players. In the case of the Athletics relocation, he stated “The real question is, what is it that Oakland was prepared to do? There is no Oakland offer. OK? They never got to a point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site.”
To which the Office of the Mayor of Oakland responded “This is just totally false. There was a very concrete proposal under discussion and Oakland had gone above and beyond to clear hurdles, including securing funding for infrastructure, providing an environmental review and working with other agencies to finalize proposals.”
Well Deserving Turkey
He even ridiculed the Oakland fans’ reverse boycott where instead of boycotting a game they actually packed the park. Ya that Rob Manfred. He’s quite the turkey. But take my word for it, ask former MLB pitcher David Wells and superstar Philadelphia Philly Bryce Harper what they think of Manfred.
The Other Turkey
And what about Mr. Fisher. He is a person destined for a place south of heaven. Why? Let’s examine how he treated the loyal A’s fans. He created a payroll for a Major League team that was worthy of any Triple-A franchise. He refused to make even minor improvements to the A’s home ballpark, the Oakland Coliseum. And what did the fans receive for all of this neglect. Elevated ticket prices.
Want further proof of how big a turkey this guy is. He was the lone owner who refused to pay minor leaguers during the 2020 cancelled minor league season. Fisher finally relented to do so after public outcry. He is also the turkey who allowed the San Diego Padres to steal the A’s respected manager Bob Melvin from their organization.
All of this to keep fans away from the stadium so that he could relocate the team to Tropicana Boulevard. Former A’s owner Walter Haas is spinning in his grave over the disrespect that Fisher and his minions have shown the A’s fans and the City of Oakland.
And another group of turkeys. The rest of the MLB owners who last week unanimously approved the relocation of the A’s to Las Vegas. Complicity in a crime will still get you the infamous turkey award.
Next Year’s Candidate
So, there you have it. Rob Manfred and John Fisher are the initial recipients of Greg’s Sports Turkey of the Year award. Who will take home the honors next year. Be on the lookout sports world. Greg will keep a keen watch, looking out for his next deserving turkey candidate.
