A's Owner Wolff Bad for Bay Area Baseball

I was expecting a page 2. It's like half a column. Brutal but unfinished.

"Feel so bad, feel like a ballgame on a rainy day"-Lightnin' Hopkins

by justANotherAsFan on Jun 10, 2011 8:38 AM PDT reply actions

its almost written like a fan post

just needs a “Fire Wolf and BEAN now” line in it.

by buddahead9 on Jun 10, 2011 8:47 AM PDT up reply actions

finally, even mainstream columnists like dickey are getting the big picture

not that billionaires listen to media or fanbases, but it’s nice to hear the truth repeated as often as possible

by oaklidiot on Jun 10, 2011 8:52 AM PDT reply actions

Well

Can’t say I’m really fond of Wolff.

by Jason James on Jun 10, 2011 8:54 AM PDT reply actions

We can only hope its only a matter of time before he sells.

When you've played this game for 10 years and gone to bat 7,000 times and gotten 2,000 hits do you know what that really means? It means you've gone 0-5,000. -Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson

by Geronimo Berroa on Jun 10, 2011 8:58 AM PDT reply actions

maybe that's what selig is waiting for

even though, according to monte poole, he’s the one who brought wolff in in the first place (presumably to move the team and chase the fabled riches of san jose— a city now as broke as the rest of them)

by oaklidiot on Jun 10, 2011 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions

San Jose may be broke

But they’ve already bought everything they need to for the new stadium down there ;)

And yeah if Wolff sells it won’t be because of Selig wants it. He brought him in. If Selig is involved at all it’ll be Wolff tired of waiting for Selig to give him the go ahead on San Jose that will lead to him selling.

by athletics68 on Jun 10, 2011 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions

You have to wonder, at this point,

what’s in it for him. The real estate market has taken a dive since he bought the team and his dream of a ‘baseball community’ with retail shopping and residential properties around the new ballpark will probably never come to pass. Without the ability to make a killing developing the area around the new ballpark, what’s left for a wealthy real estate developer? I guess pocketing revenue sharing is all that’s left, but that isn’t the kind of money he’s used to making. Let’s hope he sells.

by coffee roaster on Jun 10, 2011 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions

totally. i wish reggie jackson's ownership group could regroup

but having been spurned before, that’s not too likely

by oaklidiot on Jun 10, 2011 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions

Reggie Wanted to move the A's to Las Vegas

and admitted as much after his ownership bid was spurned…thank god.

by plrraz on Jun 11, 2011 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions

I read this article this morning

Wolff Getting His Just Deserts in Media

The common theme amongst writers (suddenly) is that our Owners are not only rich (4th richest I think I’ve read), but at this point are just cashing in on revenue sharing funds they receive, hoping to drive attendance down so much that Bud Selig is forced to make a move.

Now I live in Sonoma County, so making games is a trek for me, but I make my fair share and most certainly watch on TV. But for the fans who live in Oakland, to be dwindled from 2 Million annual attendance, down to 1.4 Million annually, speaks volumes of our current owner’s “strategy”.

Call me optimistic, or even ambitious, but I see no reason why, with the right product we couldn’t fill the Coliseum (maybe even Mt. Davis) for a majority of our games (It’s been done before). The Ownership’s goal should be filling that stadium and winning. It’s an odd business plan, if you ask me, to alienate your fan base and display a poor product in the window, all in the hopes of getting a new park? Wouldn’t you want to open your new park under different circumstances?

When you've played this game for 10 years and gone to bat 7,000 times and gotten 2,000 hits do you know what that really means? It means you've gone 0-5,000. -Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson

by Geronimo Berroa on Jun 10, 2011 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions

it's the movie major league....except in real life....that means the we're gonna make a huge comeback and win the division!!!! :)

by andyland on Jun 12, 2011 12:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Good

Let’s keep this “drumbeat” up. It’s time to drive these whining, out of touch with reality, deadbeat owners away.

by J Canseco on Jun 10, 2011 11:14 AM PDT reply actions

A lot of columnists are saying how bad everything is, but they don’t say what he should do. What should he do? Is untarping the upper deck is going to bring people to the park? Having fan fest again is going to raise attendance? How can you convince good players come to your team in that ball park. I don’t know what Wolff selling the team will do for you. In fact it may be worse because a new owner may move the team out of the area. I believe if he doesn’t get San Jose he sells the team, but I don’t know what a new owner does to make the product better. This is Selig and Neukoms fault, and I think at some point San Jose will have to fore Seligs hand by having the vote.

by Slide Giambi on Jun 10, 2011 11:17 AM PDT reply actions

How about the opposite of everything he did do. That'd be a swell start.

"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."

"He's chicken curry right now. He'll become beef curry a little later on."
-Keith Smart

by kenntoe on Jun 10, 2011 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions

LOL

by Billy Frijoles on Jun 10, 2011 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions

He's the George Costanza of baseball owners!

There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.

by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 10, 2011 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

So lie about Oakland and say how great it is to go to the Coliseum

Got it.

by athletics68 on Jun 10, 2011 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Here's a start

He bitched and moaned about the Coliseum for years before a new facility could be opened. Yes, everyone knows it’s a dump and that the team needs a new stadium. But driving away the casual fans for the years in which they’d have to play in the Coliseum was just ridiculous.

He also could have made a minimum investment in the Coli – again, given that they’d have to play there for 3-4 years into his ownership before anything else would open – but he’s done nothing. Even a small investment in upgrading the facilities in the clubhouse would have made a positive impression on the players, but they’re still in a dump that smells like sewage. I don’t expect him to make a Kauffman Stadium-like improvement to a rental facility, but he could have at least thrown a few bucks into some of this stuff. But his relentless drive to trash the facility has left everything frozen in place.

by coffee roaster on Jun 10, 2011 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions

We all know what happened

The point isn’t rehashing the past, or second guessing what Lew should have done differently. The point is, Lew and Fisher had their chance, and for whatever reason, they failed. Since they obviously aren’t baseball minds in the slightest, and have completely alienated the entire fan base, and allowed the overrated GM to put a terrible team on the field for five years straight, they should probably gracefully pack their bags and go. Beane should step down as well.

I don’t think it’d be such a terrible thing if the franchise left the Bay Area. As long as the Athletics survive and flourish, well, that’s business. It’s probably not in the cards to have two teams here anymore. And if it is, I’d love to be wrong about that.

by J Canseco on Jun 10, 2011 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Also

Coffee roaster, I wasn’t disagreeing with you or trying to refute your post. I was just rambling and sort of going along with your thought.

by J Canseco on Jun 10, 2011 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Only thing this article missed on was Cohan.

The ONLY thing he cared about was definitely not winning. He only cared about profit margins and to keep the stupid fan coming to the games even when he’d do nothing to proactively get us the right players. You go 16/17 years without making the playoffs and this writer has the audacity to say, at least Cohan tried to win? Bull-Muthafuckin-Shit.

"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."

"He's chicken curry right now. He'll become beef curry a little later on."
-Keith Smart

by kenntoe on Jun 10, 2011 11:22 AM PDT reply actions

yeah I get that he's trying to make a point, but that is a bald faced lie

Cuban cares about winning. Cohan never cared about that, he just sat back and enjoyed his monopoly on bball in the bay area.

by Billy Frijoles on Jun 10, 2011 11:47 AM PDT up reply actions

Pretty much.

"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."

"He's chicken curry right now. He'll become beef curry a little later on."
-Keith Smart

by kenntoe on Jun 10, 2011 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Another terrible article about the A's

These days writers are blaming everyone except those actually at fault…… the players. Wolff and Beane put together a decent team this year but too many players have been struggling worse than anyone predicted.

by McBain on Jun 10, 2011 1:43 PM PDT reply actions

What a terrible article.

Correlation doesn’t equal causation, Glenn Dickey. Wolff came aboard at the same time we needed to rebuild. And because of the rebuilding, attendance suffered when the team stopped winning. The rebuild period coincided with Wolff’s arrival, but come on, you can’t point to that and say that Wolff caused it.

by danmerqury on Jun 10, 2011 2:08 PM PDT reply actions

how's that rebuilding coming along?

In my view the article is spot on (if a little short)…

I don’t believe Wolff (or Beane for that matter) have any interest in putting a truly quality product out on the field. Building a team just good enough to keep the Athletics brand recognized and avoid any serious talk of contraction, whilst waiting for the inevitable move to San Jose is all Wolff is doing.

Sure the players should always carry the majority of responsibility for poor short term results, but as the lack of success (or even being competitive within the division) continues the buck stops further and further up the org.

by As_Reb on Jun 10, 2011 2:15 PM PDT reply actions

I don't understand

looking at the moves Beane made, how people believe this. Apparently the whole Beltre thing was a lie (btw, I’m happy he didn’t come here). The A’s never wooed Furcal. Beane never traded for Matt Holiday, thinking he would give a damn. The A’s signed and traded for quality bats this past season thinking that it might boost our run support just enough to help our amazing pitching. I don’t see how people can believe that Beane and Wolff did not attempt to put a winning product out there. As for the trashing of the Coliseum…it’s a fact! The place IS terrible. I don’t mind the owner of my team pointing out the obvious in order for to get the venue the A’s deserve. As long as that venue is driving distance from my house, let’s get it done.

by asyouwish33 on Jun 11, 2011 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions

Once Selig steps down after next season(I believe that’s when he plans on stepping down) Wolff will probably have a tougher time moving the team. Hopefully he gets frustrated and sells the team because he is just hurting the value of the franchise and has made hardly any progress since he has taken over.

by duballers23 on Jun 11, 2011 11:18 AM PDT reply actions