A’s break fans’ hearts again with Vegas relocation news – The Denver Post

By JANIE McCAULEY (AP Baseball Writer)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Thibodaux arrived in the Bay Area in 1995 from Texas and instantly became a fan of the Oakland Athletics.

The onetime Astros fan cheered slugger Mark McGwire, who hit 52 home runs the following year. He saw the glory days of Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley, and cheered on Eric Chavez, Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada. There were $2 BART rides and bargain bleacher seats in the third deck.

The A’s “converted me over pretty quickly,” he said.

All these years later, Thibodaux and many Oakland fans already were heartbroken about the state of their struggling team — small crowds, bad baseball and dismal winters watching top players being traded away or lost in free agency.

Now, the greatest disappointment yet:…