- Programming note: Watch "All A's" with Mark Kotsay on Tuesday, May 17 at approximately 10 p.m. on NBC Sports California after the conclusion of "A's Postgame Live."
It didn’t take long for Athletics first-year manager Mark Kotsay to turn into a Warriors fan.
That was partly because of his close relationship with Golden State's Steve Kerr, who he referred to as “one of the best” coaches in the NBA.
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Kotsay, who grew up in the Los Angeles area as a Lakers fan, joined the A's organization in 2015 and was promoted to manager for the 2022 season.
It wasn’t a bad time for Kotsay to move to the Bay Area as the Warriors began their championship endeavors in 2015 and made an appearance in the NBA Finals the next four years.
Some may say Kotsay was the good luck charm for Golden State.
Perhaps.
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But Kotsay shared a funny story on NBC Sports California’s “All A’s” about a Warriors game he attended that was far from lucky or charming for Golden State.
“I reached out to [Kerr] and wanted to have an opportunity to spend the day with him in his environment,” Kotsay told NBC Sports California's Brodie Brazil. “We came up here, my son and I, we attended a Warriors game together and it just so happened to be one of the games where they were leading by six or eight.
"I was going to get escorted down into the press conference. My son said, ‘Hey dad, let’s just hang on here.' I think they were playing Denver, and sure enough, buzzer-beater, they lose, and I’m sitting in Steve’s press conference with my son just shaking my head. He walks in and we both make eye contact, and it’s like 'Aw, man.’”
The game Kotsay is referring to was the Warriors' gut-wrenching 117-116 loss back in February when Nuggets guard Monte Morris made a 3-pointer as the clock expired.
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Golden State was able to get its revenge in the first round of the NBA playoffs as the Warriors cruised past the Nuggets in five games.
And hopefully for Kotsay, he will someday be able to enjoy a game and press conference where his buddy Kerr is in a much brighter mood.