DLD 7/31/08: Fremont In Flux?

... and theremin for Autopsy in college

Since I can’t watch Rich, I need something nice to look at.

Not gonna happen. Relocation anywhere is hard-why move to a smaller market with bigger obstacles-and moving to Vegas has the further burdens of MLB’s gambling sensitivity. In addition, the longtime pro-sports-to-Vegas backer Mayor Oscar Goodman is in the decline of his health and influence. The Vegas pipe dream-and for the most part all relocation fantasies-remain handy levers to pressure existing locales, and that’s about it.

First I thought Favre looked like an ass. Now the Packers look like complete morons. ESPN is saying Favre is actually considering taking the money, which makes him look like more of an ass than before.

Those teams really aren’t that good anyway, and if they get the right players in return, they can weaken those opponents further at the same time. The Pack is still the class of that division, with or without Favre.

but couldn’t it be a hint to any players who might want to get in the game that there still is a game to get into.

It sounds to me like a hint dropped to tell Oaknald they still have a chance, SJ should start a protest movement, and Fremont should get off it’s butt (even if they aren’t on it already-EIR’s dont happen overnight.).

And it harms Lew in no way. He maybe gets more interest from other cities, maybe gets timeframes sped up, but it is very unlikely anyone would say “well that comment is the straw that broke the camel’s back, we are out of this!”.

But I’d hazard the guess that Lew’s trying to pressure the Fremonteers in advance of what may be more sweeping EIR concerns/mitigation requirements than expected, at least publicly.

Or, as Marine Layer suggests, Lew’s once again using the easy straw man of the EIR process (“oppose a cure for cancer!”) to cover up the more real financial concerns.

Monkey

A major part of how this thing was to be funded was real estate (I’m still saving for one of those left field condos). With that now less profitable, either Lew has to find a way out of the Fremont plan, or push Fremont into being more amenable to him.

That’s my couple of pennies, anyhoo.

Today’s Tribune follow-up suggests that Lew was talking to local Fremont companies who might be getting cold feet, and to the Fremont politicians who might lean upon them:

Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman said Wolff asked him at Tuesday’s A’s game to talk to nearby property owners ProLogis and Pacific Commons to appease them about various concerns. Wasserman wasn’t clear on the details. But he thought the obstacles concerned ownership of some land and parking. Pacific Commons operates a large retail shopping center next to the proposed A’s ballpark site.

Three of the larger Pacific Commons retailers have expressed concerns with the A’s parking plan, team co-owner Keith Wolff said. Although the retailers can’t block the project, the team wants to make sure they’re satisfied. They want clarification and mitigation, Wolff said. One possible solution, he added, is a pedestrian bridge over Auto Mall Parkway that would link the ballpark to the largest parking lot.

Wasserman said he hadn’t come up with a plan on how to approach the companies yet, but would meet with Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty – another A’s supporter – to figure out what to do.
“To Lew, I think it seems like they’re delaying things,” Wasserman said. “In Lew’s mind, I think he thinks they’re not being entirely reasonable. I’m not super worried. But I’m concerned. I think it’s important that we get the issues resolved so that we can move forward.”

Officials for ProLogis and Pacific Commons was not immediately available for comment.

Lew Wolff denied he asked Wasserman to talk to the companies. He said he requested the mayor remind all interested parties that the ballpark village will bring a much-needed economic boost to the city.

Now I’m in your camp. I fully expect never to see it, and I think it’s 50/50 that the A’s will either move sometime in the next 5-7 years or simply get stuck in the Coliseum with nowhere else to go.

You say the buyer was a wealthy Canadian with ties to Victoria?

probably figure out, that with the A’s Payroll, Raley Field seating less than 15,000, and what they have to pay, because I don’t think Raley Field is completely paid for. Would the A’s make any money.

Since the owners of Golden Gate Fields are not getting their shopping mall.

but it will never happen, for a multitude of reasons;

a) Sierra Club has bought the City Council seats (literally) and wouldn’t let any development down at the waterfront happen (with the exception of a Sierra Club Owned and Operated Hotel-hey, the Sierra has to make money somehow to pay off all those politicians)!
b) The area where the Ballpark could be built (Golden Gate Fields/Albany Bulb/Gilman Track) is under THREE different jurisdictions; Albany, the East Bay Regional Park Service, and worst of all, Berkeley (who if the A’s ever managed to build and had any part into it, would have to end up paying approximatley $340,000,000 in taxes and inspection fee’s… and no I don’t think I am exajurating).
c) Part of that area, the Gilman Track, is being developed by a group of Youth Sports Programs (for several years now, mainly due to Berkeley levying million dollar fee’s and demanding that the field complex be named after their mayor) including Youth Soccer, Albany Girls Softball and Albany Little League.
d) Traffic would be a nightmare, as that part of 80 is a very bad traffic zone to begin with.

Any former military base is going to have major environmental cleanup issues.

why Charlotte doesn’t have an MLB team? Probably wouldn’t make sense now with both the Nats and O’s relatively close.

I am a lifelong A’s fan, although I just moved to Sacramento (and CA itself) two years ago. I expected the A’s to be pretty popular in Sac, because they were one of the “local” MLB teams and because the Rivercats are here. I was disappointed to find that there are more Giants fans here. Sure, it’s just my experience and maybe I am wrong, but it sure seems to be true.

I don’t think the A’s would ever move to Sac, but – if were to happen – I think this city would ultimately embrace them, simply because it would be “their” team.

and have for many years, even when they weren’t good. They finally ended their streak of 300+ sellouts this year.

A. That’s one of my favorite movies ever! And 2. LOL!

The last song I downloaded onto my iPod: Handle Bars by Slow Boss

WRONG. I wonder if Hunter or SI got this wrong.

He basically didn’t answer 3 of the questions—not even, “I never met a …. I didn’t like.” Such an easy one.

I like that Hunter Pence said he never misses “Saved by the Bell”... although as far as I know, it’s one of those old sitcoms that’s only on in the early morning hours. That takes dedication.

90% of decent blogs have horrible comments sections. Not even worth looking.

Same 90% for newspaper stories that allow comments.

Assjack’s new nickname: “Baty”

Tangentially, this reminds me of when Ramon used to change his hair color all the time. And for the record, I really like Ramon (although sometimes his hair did look awful, but nowhere near AJ-bad).

Then again, who does?

Still effed up.