I actually know who Jon Heyman is. He covers all MLB happenings for CBS and is an insider for the MLB Network. He is a national writer. He seems to be pretty good at his job.

But then he tweeted that.

I have a few theories as to what he was trying to do here. Maybe he thought the A’s were hosting a four-game set against the Giants rather than two in Oakland and two in San Francisco.

But I think he really believes that a series like this should be played in AT&T Park only. Apparently to him, such a series can only be played in a nice shiny park. Sure, the Coliseum isn’t like AT&T Park but to put it down like that shows how very little he knows about the fans in Oakland.

Actually, it also shows how unprofessional he is to insult a fanbase based on his own prejudice.

Here’s the thing. I am an A’s fan but I won’t try to defend the Coliseum as a great park. The park is old and the A’s need a new one. What the Coliseum has that AT&T Park doesn’t have is a better passionate fanbase that shows up. Unfortunately because the Coliseum is a dump, not many people show up.

AT&T Park is a great park but it’s filled with a different kind of fanbase. But just because a park is better looking, that doesn’t mean that this Battle of the Bay must be played in San Francisco only. That’s not fair and it makes no sense.

I get that Heyman wants to say that a series like this could generate more revnue if it was played in San Francisco. At least I think that’s what he’s saying. But saying something like that publicly doesn’t make sense. That wouldn’t be fair. The A’s deserve to have their home games even if their stadium isn’t up to Heyman’s glorified standards.

It seems to me that Heyman doesn’t get the Bay Area at all. It happens when national writers cover the entire league and just get a generalization of fanbases. I mean, the Coliseum drew more people than Yankee Stadium. But Yankee Stadium is prettier so that must mean their fans are better, right?

Whatever Heyman’s agenda was is probably going to change when he reads all the negative reactions he’s gotten from the A’s fans on Twitter.

Personal prejudices aside, it would have been nice if he tweeted something that made sense. But he didn’t and it was fueled by his own bias. Now he just looks like an idiot who really doesn’t get the Bay Area fanbase or how baseball scheduling works. A #shame.

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Heyman declined to be interviewed with a Bay Area sports radio station. Here’s his reasoning:

So essentially he says AT&T Park is a nicer stadium than the Coliseum. True. And 2+2=4. But no apology for poorly chosen words in tweet that did offend people? A cop out in my opinion.

A’s fans love the Coliseum because of the atmosphere with fans, not necessarily for the gimmicks and ambiance. That’s something I don’t think Heyman will ever understand.

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Here are some tweet updates from Heyman, showing that he doesn’t really know the situation with the A’s himself. He assumes EVERYBODY in the organization wants out of Oakland:

He’s a smart writer, but making assumptions like that is something he should have looked into instead of just generalizing things. Probably since he is a national writer, he doesn’t get a chance focus on all the details of major issues in certain areas. I understand that, but still not an excuse to generalize things.