The community of Oakland gathered at the Coliseum on Thursday to celebrate its connection and history with the Athletics.

The Texas Rangers have struggled defensively for the past week, including in Thursday's final game against the moving Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum.

Manager and former Oakland outfielder Mark Kotsay fought tears as the Athletics bid an emotional farewell to their beloved Coliseum they’ve called home since 1968, complete with all its quirks like plumbing problems and rally possums.

The Rangers’ hopes of an AL West three-peat slipped right through the fingers of Josh Hamilton on the last day of the 2012 season, Texas blowing what had been a 13-game lead over Oakland to fall into the AL Wild Card Game. They would lose to the Orioles, ending their season.

The Texas Rangers’ long history of battling the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum came to a sad end on Sunday with the A’s being forced out of Oakland.

A crowd of 46,889 attended the game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the largest crowd ever to watch a baseball game in a ballpark’s final game.

Thursday’s game at the Oakland Coliseum is expected to be rowdy, and Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy ensured that his team is ready for whatever happens. The Rangers will play the Oakland A’s at 12:37 p.

This is an open finale, and the two teams have a very good chance of winning. However, the Texas Rangers look a bit trustworthy looking at their performances in the first two games. While Oakland Athletics could prove stubborn, I do not see them stepping up their game. Therefore, I am backing the Texas Rangers to win.