Familiar Coliseum staff members are bracing for what comes next when the A's move to Sacramento

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sometimes Leland Anderson takes a quick look up into the stands above left field and finds his wife, Sandy, in section 237, waving and smiling.

This is how they sign in to guest services at the Oakland Coliseum during their shifts as ushers.

“She's the hottest,” Leland, 79, said with a grin as he worked his usual sections 122 and 123 for an Athletics game.

The Andersons have always loved baseball. When their four sons were grown and they retired, the couple from California's Central Valley started thinking about what they would do next. And as it turned out, the A's were hiring in 2013 – the perfect time for them.

Like the Andersons, many longtime Coliseum employees have built lasting memories of the stadium, which will be sold out for the A's final scheduled game on Thursday. The club has played in Oakland since 1968 and plans to make Sacramento its home for at least the next three years before a planned move to Las Vegas before the 2028 season. The NFL Raiders left the Coliseum and moved to Las Vegas in 2020.

In the third-base box, 95-year-old Sam Moriana is one of those familiar faces that fans recognize. He charms them with his quick wit and warm welcome, then leads people to their seats.

Maybe he'll even reveal what he calls “the key to longevity” to a complete stranger.

“Olive oil, garlic, red wine, humor and classical music,” jokes Moriana, probably the oldest employee at A's – he even asked the human resources department.

“I am the oldest goat,” he said.

Visiting teams have also built relationships with these ushers, security guards, food service staff and clubhouse employees.

“You come here and see the same people, it's like family,” said Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who made his major league debut for the Mariners at the Coliseum on April 3, 1989, and had his first career hit here. “They've seen me grow up, they've seen my kids grow up, so it's tough. Next year, all the faces are going to be new, and it's not going to be the same. And for the people of Oakland, it's not going to be the same.”

Many of the employees are still working in their 70s, 80s, even 90s because they love being a part of the games and appreciate working at a place with such history, not only for the city of Oakland, but for baseball. Many will now be retiring.

Others are starting to look for jobs elsewhere, like 35-year-old Derrick Smith. He has been with the A's for the past four years and will soon move across the country to join the Heat and Marlins franchises in Miami for a bittersweet “fresh start.”

“It's kind of sad to leave my friends and family, but I'm so excited for a fresh start,” he said.

Some employees are still unsure if they will be allowed to work games in Sacramento – if they will even be asked and considered. Employees say communication has been minimal.

The Andersons, who celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on July 3, raised their sons in nearby Hayward and regularly attended games.

Leland and Sandy come from Modesto, a few hours away, and live with a colleague of the A's who takes them into her home when they work at games.

“We've always loved baseball,” Sandy explained. “When we were together, it was either movies or baseball, and baseball usually won. The night we got engaged, we went to a Giants game because the A's were out of town. It was just always part of our nature. He always played baseball, I always watched, and we have four sons who all played baseball.

“So we've always been Little League parents. It's in our DNA.”

People like the Andersons are the faces of the Coliseum.

“Some are sad about the guys who aren't going and happy about the ones who are going,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said during Tampa Bay's last visit in August. “It's been a unique group of employees here. It seems like they've been pretty consistent as an organization in terms of hiring their employees. Hopefully opportunities for their future are being seriously considered. I hope some of them get a chance to play some games in Sacramento.”

Clyde and Derek Williams, a father-son security team at the Coliseum, also work Golden State Warriors games at Chase Center in San Francisco, but the A's loss will hurt.

Clyde Williams lives 44 miles north in Fairfield, practically halfway to Sacramento, so he could commute to California's capital if asked. He has worked Bill Graham Presents' “Day on the Green” concerts at the Coliseum for more than 25 years.

“Well, it was everything for me. I've been here on the job site for 25 to 27 years,” he said. “It makes me sad that they're going to leave, but that's part of the business, so we have to go where the big guys send us.”

He knows they will all deeply regret the absence of the Coliseum's glory days.

A's catcher Shea Langeliers has always enjoyed dealing with all of baseball's well-known greats.

“The people who work here feel like family, we're all close, all nice,” he said. “They look after each other, they look after us. It's really nice to be here with these people. They do such a good job and they're really fun to talk to and they're just good overall.”

Clyde Williams describes his most memorable moments as those “when fans come in and give them a great experience.”

“It's been a pleasure,” he said. “I love this job. I love this place.”

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