Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times took advantage of the All-Star break to ask a few players from Las Vegas what they thought about the Athletics\' proposed move to their city.
\"I think it\'s a terrible idea. The whole thing, I fear, is going to be an abject disaster,\" Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald said.
Sewald went on to note that Las Vegas is already a very crowded market when it comes to professional team sports, especially once you consider its small population base and similarly small media market size.
Tommy Pham also had something to say about Fisher\'s reluctance to spend and how it could doom the club in Vegas if it carries over to the new home. \"These owners are profiting, you know?\" Pham said. \"They cry broke.
\"I do the same thing. I cry broke when people ask me for money but, deep down, I know I got it. It\'s what people with money do.\"
Perhaps the most famous Vegas native, Bryce Harper, says he would prefer the city receive an expansion club.
\"Everybody is still locked in on the Golden Knights,\" Harper said. \"It\'s a tough thing to see the A\'s go away from Oakland. They have so much tradition and history there: the green, the yellow, the white cleats, Eric Chavez and all those guys that played there, Barry Zito, [Mark] Mulder, Huddy [Tim Hudson], the teams they had.
\"I see it in Oakland. I don\'t see it in Vegas.\"