Rediscovering newballpark.org - THE DEFINITIVE source for the A's search for a new venue!

by ST on Jul 5, 2010 8:55 PM PDT

I've been here a while at AN (probably one of the first 250 or so to sign up) and lived through most of the trials and tribulations here through the Oaktoon days, when Urban was actually popular, and through the various stages of A's ownership and venue search, but i had forgotten all about the jewel of a site that our own vertig0 has created:

http://newballpark.org/

Only the recent discussion of a Mr. Jorge Leon and his "interpretations" of his encounter with Lew in the owner's suite (lucky bastard!) did it draw my attention to the site again. In there you can see some first hand actual accounts of Mr. Wolff in his suite (i guess being an "Oaklander", one can't fathom leaving the nice confines of a suite for a "regular" seat):

Now, I’ve been in the owner’s suite twice. I’ve also talked to Wolff about how he likes to attend ballgames. The fact is that he doesn’t like being in the suite unless he has to be there. He only goes there to entertain guests. He shows up in the 2nd or 3rd inning and leaves in the 7th, bidding the guests adieu and allowing the guests (who are generally there to party, game being secondary) to finish eating the free food and drink. I distinctly remember yelling out the suite window at Sean Gallagher, cursing his inability to throw strikes. At the other end, Wolff looked at me and smiled, surprised. I guess he doesn’t see too many bleacher creatures up in the hermetically sealed confines.....Anyway, Wolff would much rather sit behind the A’s dugout, though at times he might be in the Diamond Level or linger behind those seats. He may also head down to the clubhouse if he chooses.

While this is good anecdotal evidence on the this "event", that is not the heart of the site. After perusing through the headlines, I glanced on the newest development in favor of the SJ stadium: Neukom's hardball tactics to block SJ via lawsuit (a very good read). It also has indepth reporting of other teams that are going through similar transition (i.e. Tampa Bay). It even has a line by line first hand account of the SJ City Council vote to certify the revised EIR:

7:18 PM – After a few ceremonial items, Council is mercifully doing item 11.6 first.

7:24 PM – Public speaker time. Two appellants: Stand for San Jose and Marc Morris (who tool issue with the traffic analysis from the original ballpark EIR).

I would highly recommend this site if you're as concerned about the A's future as I am. Thanks again to vertig0 for a great site!

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Agreed

It’s a great source for the latest ballpark news. I just hope that the A’s get a new park somewhere, anywhere and rediscover their winning ways enroute.

by ksinha on Jul 5, 2010 9:00 PM PDT reply actions

perspective

Maybe its just me, but I find the new ballpark blog to be very pro-San Jose.

by HCF from Oakball on Jul 5, 2010 10:38 PM PDT reply actions

The pro-Oaklanders will..

probably think this, because there’s certainly a lot more news brewing around the development of the SJ site. If Oakland were to have equivalent activity, I’m sure vertig0 would cover it in depth as well. As a matter of fact, there’s several Oakland nuggets as well including:

Play ball: They may not get a new ballpark, but the Oakland City Council has come up with a creative way to make $3 million for just trying.

Buried deep within the city’s lean, cop-cutting budget is a single line item to allow the Redevelopment Agency to buy the city-owned fire training facility and other parcels near Jack London Square.

City Hall insiders, however, tell us the proposed $3 million sale is less about sending a signal to Major League Baseball and very much a way to infuse some quick bucks into Oakland’s fast-hemorrhaging general fund.

“If the A’s do come through, that’s how we would use it,” said City Council President Jane Brunner. “If (the stadium deal) doesn’t come through, we would use the site some other way.”

A’S EXERCISE 2011 COLISEUM OPTION
Marine Layer06.06.10, 10:4115 Comments
No drama here, as Eric Young of the SF Business Times reports the A’s decided to stay at the Coliseum through at least 2011 by exercising their year-to-year option in the stadium lease. Two additional yearly options remain in 2012 and 2013 before the lease runs out. Yet when asked, Lew Wolff focused instead on San Jose, a clear indicator of where he thinks the team’s future lies.

Heck, it even covers tangent related issues including Texas RAnger’s owner bankruptcy, the potential relocation of the TB Rays, and even the Niners movement to the South Bay.

"Twenty minutes," says Jack Sr. "Thank god for Billy Beane."

"Any fan that wants us to do that is going to be disappointed because that just isn’t us." - Wolff

"Just play for the name in front of the uniform.." - Dallas Braden

by ST on Jul 5, 2010 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Or you could link the reviews of the sites in Oakland

but I only suggest that because I did them :)

by jeffro on Jul 6, 2010 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions

It's been ver upfront about support

First for the Fremont plan and now San Jose. I have no problem with that. Better to acknowledge a preference than falsely claim neutrality.

by OaklandSi on Jul 6, 2010 5:16 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

I've followed the newballpark blog for years in its various manifestations, by the way

Other sites i follow that deal with similar issues include the following that favor keeping the A’s in Oakland:

Baseball Oakland

Let’s Go Oakland

and a more general site on new ballpark plans and politics, not specifically the Bay Area:

Field of Schemes

by OaklandSi on Jul 6, 2010 6:00 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

You missed one

I also supported the Coliseum North/66th-High plan when it was first released.

by vertig0 on Jul 6, 2010 4:19 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

that plan came and went so quickly

by OaklandSi on Jul 6, 2010 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Not my problem

Give credit where credit is due.

by vertig0 on Jul 7, 2010 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

sorry, a plan that came and went that quickly

and required a new Bart station between Fruitvale and Coliseum BART, plus removal of over 100 small businesses, can’t reallly be considered serious. I’m sure you understand that.

by OaklandSi on Jul 7, 2010 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

That wasn't my point

You’re misrepresenting the site’s coverage to indicate that there was an omission of Oakland, when that clearly wasn’t the case. You can call bias or no bias all you want, the blog will cover all news as it comes.

BTW, I consider Wolff’s efforts on that project about as serious as Oakland’s current efforts to keep the A’s in Oakland.

by vertig0 on Jul 7, 2010 2:19 PM PDT up reply actions

so no effort?

Toothball.com

by Zonis on Jul 7, 2010 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks ST

We’re in a quiet period until early August, when the SJ City Council will decide whether or not to put a ballpark measure on the ballot. To fill the time, we at the blog will be covering:

- A comparison of salary/payroll structures among MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, EPL
- Hypothetical scenarios if MLB used those other models
- Either a California or Midwest-based ballpark trip
- (if time permits) A comparison of the Bay Area’s market dynamics with other markets

Does anyone here have suggestions for topics we should cover? In the back of my mind, I always feel like I’m not getting to everything.

by vertig0 on Jul 5, 2010 11:25 PM PDT reply actions

I love how even though the focus is on the A's and their future home,

it also discusses the other happenings in sports that are related, even if tangentially. I love the posts about other stadiums, whether it’s business, design or historical, and I’d like to see more of them.

by LoneStranger on Jul 6, 2010 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions