Happy Thursday/ Friday, everybody! I have no work tomorrow thanks to Veteran's Day so it is indeed my Friday! =)

Hot Stove

First bit of A's Hot Stove rumor of the season (i think):

Two different major-league officials believed Sheffield will end up with the Cubs or Athletics.

What the ...? Sheff in the green and gold? I love him as a player but as a person, not so much. Then again, that's how I felt about Milton Bradley before he came to Oakland and I heart that guy now!

Manager Search

If you didn't hear yet, another candidate is gone from the list. Bud Black is the Padres' new manager.

Orel Hershiser interviewed with Billy Beane and Co. yesterday.

Orel Hershsier met in Arizona with general manager Billy Beane and his staff and said it would be a "dream come true" to get the A's job.

"It was an exceptional day, whether I get the job or not," Hershiser said in a phone interview. "These are intelligent, passionate, down-to-earth people, and it was a solid day of talking baseball."

He also said:

"There would be bridges to cross," said Hershiser when asked about A's fans accepting someone who dominated their team two decades ago. "It would be news for a day, then it would be about getting the job done."

Other candidates that are still on the A's managerial candidates list: Bob Geren (A's bench coach), Trey Hillman (manager in Japan), Jamie Quirk (Rockies bench Coach), Manny Acta (Mets third-base coach) and possibly Don Wakamatsu (Rangers ex-bench coach).

More on Hershiser's interview: link.

Comeback Player of the Year

Frank Thomas was voted AL Comeback Player of the Year by his peers! Congrats, Big Frank! Your award is well deserved!

And now introducing the A's future ballpark ... Cisco Field!

The announcement about the move to Fremont and the new ballpark will be on Tuesday at Cisco in San Jose. These are some of the interesting rumors from different articles about Cisco Field.

- Some articles say it will be a 32,000- to 35,000-seat ballpark. (link)

- Other articles say it will be a 30,000- 35,000-seat ballpark. (link)

- Wolff told city officials that the proposed Cisco Field "is going to be the most modern, most advanced technological facility in the country." (link)

- There's also a possibility the team could be renamed. Wolff offered "Fremont A's" and "Silicon Valley A's" as possibilities, council members told the newspaper. (link)

- "I emphasized that I need to see 'Fremont' in there somewhere," Cho (Fremont's Vice Mayor) said. "He (Wolff) said they would come up with something satisfactory to us." (link).

- There are still lots of issues that need to be discussed before the project is finalized. Those issues include financial negotiations, traffic and transportation, environmental mitigation, land-use questions and offsetting impacts to public safety services and resources, City Manager Fred Diaz said. (link)

- Wolff has said the development would surround the ballpark and include restaurants, stores, housing and a hotel adjacent to the stadium. "No numbers were discussed, but (Wolff) showed us designs of the ballpark," Cho said. "He said the development would be kind of like Santana Row in San Jose." (I LOVE SANTANA ROW!!!) (link)

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DON'T FORGET TO KEEP VOTING FOR BILL KING!!

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