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Do You Know the Way to Fremont A's?

One thing you can say about the Athletics is that their offseasons are never, ever dull.  They don't sit around wringing their hands for news.

It appears like the inevitable will finally soon be announced.  The Oakland Athletics are going to be moving to Fremont, California. (can you believe they misspelled Lew Wolff's name?)

This will obviously disenfranchise many an Oakland resident, but ultimately, we all knew this was coming.  Many of us didn't want it to happen, but the truth is that Oakland has much greater problems to deal with than whether or not they can keep our Athletics.  On the grand scale of societal issues, placating a major league team was way down on the list with many thanks due to how Al Davis screwed the city.

Any way, I feel much the same way about this as I do about Ron Washington leaving.  A legacy will be lost, and likely a bit of soul along with it.  At the same time, the opportunities for the A's (don't know whether to call them the "Oakland" A's now or not) will be abundant in Fremont.  They should be able to draw quite a few businesses from the Silicon Valley just because of the team's proximity to those businesses now.  And we all know in this new sports world where the real money is...it isn't from John Q. Public and his measly season tickets, it's from huge corporate sponsors and luxury boxes.  The Coliseum, while it's a nice home, was essentially destroyed by Mount Davis.

There are many different ways this can work out.  This can wind up being a Pirates situation where the new ballpark doesn't do much for the team in terms of attendance OR as I think it will probably go, a new ballpark is a drawing card for Californians.  Californians are a different breed.  While many of us here on AN live and die with every single move our A's make, the majority of those who follow baseball casually in the Bay Area probably don't realize Macha has been fired and Ron Washington is now the manager of a rival team.  In order to fill a stadium regularly, you need to get those people there.  And I'm sorry, but the Coliseum was woefully inadequate on nights when it was full.  I remember going to the ALCS game and not being able to move in the walkways just to go get a freaking soda.  It would take 20 minutes to a half an hour just to get to the front of a line and order a Mountain Dew.

I'm hoping that the A's work some elements of the Coliseum into the new stadium, like I love the  excessive foul ground because it shows off players amazing abilities (like Chavez), but the truth is that I'm going to miss that old concrete bowl.  It's given me a lot of great memories.

Again, I know many of you are going to be pissed off about this, but I'd like to think that the A's being able to stop losing players like Tejada, Giambi, Hudson, Mulder and Zito will help alleviate your pain.  More revenues from a stadium means more long-term Athletics.  Fortunately, many of those players broke down after they left the A's, but many fans are still attached to those players.

I'm excited about the concept of a new stadium and what it could do to help the A's in the long-term.  I don't think it means that they will be more likely to re-sign someone like Zito this year, but when some of the other contracts come up down the road, like Nick Swisher and Milton Bradley, perhaps the A's open the wallet a little more.  It also puts a little needle right into the Giants because the A's are essentially moving right next door to where the Giants draw the majority of their fanbase.  The tide may turn in the Giants/A's casual fan battle just by simple geography.  

Any way, right now, it still remains speculation until we see it in multiple places.  It's funny, I told an AN member as we were leaving our last game this year, I think the A's are going to announce a move to Fremont this offseason.  I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

What do you think, AN?  Good move?  Bad move?  Could the A's have done anything to remain in Oakland?  Or was this destiny?

I can say this, I'm just happy the team is staying in the East Bay.  Hopefully they retain the name "Oakland Athletics" as well.  Hell, if the Pistons can do it, why can't the A's?  Then again, calling themselves the "San Jose Athletics" might be advantageous to garnering additional business support.  Just don't call yourselves something silly like, "The Bay Area Athletics of Fremont."

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Oh and for anyone wondering
why I deleted the diary on this...the diary was copying and pasting an entire article.  Don't do this, please, fellow ANers.  That's copyright infringement and I don't want to get a cease and desist letter from KCBS.

Thanks.

by Blez on Nov 6, 2006 11:12 AM PST   0 recs

sorry bout that
completely slipped my mind when i posted it. i know its no excuse, but i guess i got caught up in the news at the moment

by fadedash on Nov 6, 2006 11:30 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

No apology necessary
I know a lot of people don't realize it so there isn't malicious intent involved.

by Blez on Nov 6, 2006 11:43 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Good or Bad is sort of pointless.
It was inevitable.  The Coli's time has come and gone.  The A's were not going to be a viable franchise in that paticular venue much longer.  Hell, truth be told, the A's have struggled in Oakland for years.  If it weren't for the excellent caliber of baseball that they play, the Oakland experience may have ended long ago.  It really comes down to money, as it always does.  The team will enjoy success in Fremont.  Especially with our GM, who is perhaps the Branch Rickey of his day.  The owners seem intent on loosening the purse strings, so perhaps the team will see dividens before the new park ever opens.  Lets hope so.  I for one believe it will be the San Jose A's.  The money makes it inevitable.  
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Nov 6, 2006 11:16 AM PST   0 recs

I say they'll still be the Oakland A's
By moving to Fremont, they A) still have ties to the East Bay AND B) are closer to San Jose to get those corporate dollars.  I like the fact that moving to Fremont sticks it to the Giants by drawing from SJ without actually moving to SJ.

The Giants can't do anything about the A's moving to Fremont, but since SJ is their "territory" still, they have a say on whether or not the A's can re-name themselves the San Jose A's.  Therefore, I still see "Oakland A's in their future."

Lance Armstrong can make homophobic jokes on ESPN, yet Harold Reynolds pays the ultimate price? Explain that to me.

by gmoneymcg on Nov 6, 2006 2:45 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

like blez said
if the Detroit Pistons can do it, heck if the "New York" Giants/Jets can do it (isn't their stadium in the wrong state?), then Oakland Athletics it shall be.

Keep the legacy of 4 championships alive.  Even though the "franchise" officially has 9, those Philadelphia ones don't count in my eyes.

by smash on Nov 6, 2006 6:41 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

I've probably been to my last A's game
It was a nice ride while it lasted.

But all my childhood experiences and emotions are tied up with the team being in my hometown.

Fremont is another country to me. I think they have a Fry's, right?

And before you tell me I'm a fairweather fan, save it for all those who wouldn't go to the Coliseum because of Mt. Davis. WTF? The Coliseum was a fine place to a game.

I've been to Pac Bell or whatever they're calling it, and the cutesy beauty of it was fine for an inning -- but I was still bored out of my mind.

Watching sports is all about emotion for me. A's, Raiders, Warriors. As each team moves or dies, my life as a professional sports fan dies with it.

When the Raiders move back to LA, I'll be down to the Warriors. How pathetic is that! But more time for my kids...

by billy north hitting the wall on Nov 7, 2006 7:30 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Totally respect
your feelings biily....the wall. Although, I'm glad the A's are finally getting a much need new park in a good location. I always liked the view of the real Mt.Davis in the old days--there's a lot of fantsastic memories in that old park.

by Salvatore on Nov 7, 2006 10:10 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

CONSPIRACY!!!
Actually, thanks Blez, we don't want you or AN to get into trouble. There were just so many brilliant things written, it will be too hard recapture the passion of the moment.
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Nov 6, 2006 11:18 AM PST   0 recs

Maybe there is one...
There is no real reason for the Fremont story to be news this morning, except that someone leaked it this morning.

Maybe someone wants the current A's story in the local media to be about the move to Fremont, and not about grumbling that the A's let Wash get away.

by socal on Nov 6, 2006 11:38 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Mixed emotions
I attended my first game in oakland in 1971. I attended hundreds of games throug the late 70's to present. The apex of attendance in the early 90's was remarkable to see since I was used to 1000 to 5000 attendance per game. But since the football team returned the stadium has not been as good. I hate to see the team leave, and so many memories there. But it is better than a move to another state. I have lived through that spector several times, Portland, Denver, Washington DC, Las Vegas etc. So make the best of it, I will. Go A's.

by billyball1981 on Nov 6, 2006 11:21 AM PST   0 recs

how about the Fremont Mutineers?
Works nicely with the town's namesake, and with the coup d'Macha.
but jesus--rhyming is a pain in the ass! -- Rubin Sierra @('.')@

by monkeyball on Nov 6, 2006 11:22 AM PST   0 recs

fremont mutineers
they should hire kotsay as the new manager.
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Nov 6, 2006 11:41 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

I love it...
Anything that gets this team a brand new state of the art stadium away from football and keeps hem in the area is great in my mind.  Eliminating the Sacramento, Portland, Las Vegas worries is just huge.  I sure hoope this ends up going through.
Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Nov 6, 2006 11:23 AM PST   0 recs

As a relatively new Portland resident,
it would have been cool to have the A's come here... the name would still have the same flow too... the Portland A's has a nice ring to it.

Plus... Fremont kind of ... um... sucks.  Almost anything is better than the colliseum, though.  

"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser" -- Vince Lombardi

by HugeAthleticSupporter on Nov 6, 2006 12:09 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Portland is a minor league town
Former Portland mayor Vera Katz wanted the Expos to move there, but the hippies weren't into it because baseball is too "competitive."

My condolences on your move to the foggy Northwest.

The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 12:59 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Nice to see you don't generalize much.
Did you used to post as reztips?
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 6, 2006 1:11 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

There is life after Portland
I-5 goes in both directions, luckily.

And no, I didn't.

The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 1:31 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

In any case
I'm growing tired of the increasing invocation of politics on this site.  
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 6, 2006 1:50 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

What politics?
The subject was the City of Portland's efforts to attract an MLB franchise.

I observed that Portland is a minor-league town, which it is (home of the Portland Beavers, a Padres farm team), and you accused me of "generalizing."

Are you having a bad hair day?

The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 4:38 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

if having a minor-league team...
in but one sport, even limited to baseball, is how you determine if a town is "minor league", well, that's pretty absurd.  I guess my hometown of Buffalo is a minor league town then, since they're home to the AAA Bisons in addition to the Bills, which sell out their 80,000 seat stadium every week despite the team's mediocrity and the economics of the area, and the Sabres, who are poised to dominate the NHL/sell out all 41 home games each season for years to come.  Charlotte, home to the AAA Knights, would be a minor league town, despite having the Bobcats and Panthers.  

And here's the best one: NYC would be a minor league town, because Brooklyn and Staten Island have single-A teams from the NY-Penn League.  

A better example of a minor league town is Rochester, NY, home to the AAA Red Wings and the Sabres' AHL affiliate, the Americans.  No major league teams, multiple minor league teams.    

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Nov 6, 2006 11:27 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

LOL
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 7, 2006 11:02 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

A statement
doesn't have to be overtly political to be political.
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 7, 2006 11:08 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Trust me
There's a lot worse places to live than the "foggy Northwest," bud.  I'd know, I used to live in Santa Rosa (zing!)
Zito: I would never bet against this team. First of all because it's against the rules...

by Joey C. on Nov 6, 2006 5:57 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Exiled in Portland
I spent 2 1/2 yrs of exile in Portland, and didn't care for it. Not only is it 800 miles from the Oakland Coliseum, but they don't have In-N-Out burgers or decent barbeque, the hallmarks of  advanced civilization.

Living there will make you realize how special it is to be in a place where you can cruise on down to the BART station and be carried to the ballpark with a plate of baby back ribs from Willy's 81+ times a year.

The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 6:12 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

barbarian
Tomato-based bbq sauces are a scourge on mankind. Give me hickory-smoked, vinegar-based Carolina 'q (Piedmont or valley style) or give me death.
but jesus--rhyming is a pain in the ass! -- Rubin Sierra @('.')@

by monkeyball on Nov 6, 2006 6:38 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Real BBQ
Don't need no sauce - just a nice dry rib and the pig speaks for himself.
The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 6:57 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

zactly
but jesus--rhyming is a pain in the ass! -- Rubin Sierra @('.')@

by monkeyball on Nov 6, 2006 7:26 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

With that being said
I'm partial to the mustard-based sauces they use in the Carolinas for pulled pork.
The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by Mossback on Nov 6, 2006 7:57 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

if it's a minor league town...
then how do you explain the huge, loyal fanbase for the Blazers that thrived until the Jail Blazer incidents finally caught up with the team?  The Blazers long had one of the most passionate, rabid follwings in the league.  It might be the only game in town, sure, but PGA pro Peter Jacobsen and the rest of those "hippies" in Portland filled the Rose Garden to capacity night in, night out.
"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Nov 6, 2006 11:18 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Think they would go Bay Area Athletics?
Probably would cause too many issues with the Gigantes.
Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Nov 6, 2006 11:23 AM PST   0 recs

Do you really think they give a sh*t...
what the Giants think or want?

I'll answer my own question:  No!

"When I got injured, I felt disrespected. Waaannnh!" - Mark Kotsay

by FoolshGame22 on Nov 6, 2006 11:26 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Of course not....
But I imagine they dont want to deal with any kind of lawsuit either.
Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Nov 6, 2006 11:44 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

If a team can appropriate a name like...
the California Angels or the Texas Rangers, the Giants would have zero chance of success with such a lawsuit.
"When I got injured, I felt disrespected. Waaannnh!" - Mark Kotsay

by FoolshGame22 on Nov 6, 2006 11:46 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Moreno did it, and he has
even less a right to use L.A. (see as how his team doesn't play there) than the A's have to Bay Area (a region in which our team does play).
Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Nov 6, 2006 11:41 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Golden State Athletics
What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do? If your numbers go up, you're having more fun.

by AlwaysSweatin on Nov 6, 2006 11:45 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Don't Know
If the A's were just getting it, just in case they want to go this direction or something. But I heard they registered the rights to this name a couple weeks ago.

by Athletix Man on Nov 6, 2006 1:31 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

If they have to change the name--
Bay Area Athletics I guess I could support. East Bay Athletics would be nice. Fremont/Silicon Valley/San Jose... all that shit would make me burst into burning tears of hatred.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."

by Kyli on Nov 6, 2006 2:50 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

It won't be East Bay A's.
For the same reason it won't be the San Jose A's - when you say it, it's all A-A's..

It'll stay Oakland, at least for a while, which will help take the sting out for the longtime fans.

"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Nov 6, 2006 3:27 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

I like the East Bay A's
It has a nice sound to it... This is only of course if they want to change it - because Oaktown is the name that I definitely prefer.

by SD Erik on Nov 6, 2006 3:28 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

How about
The 510 athletics

by billyball1981 on Nov 6, 2006 6:02 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

i'm sad and excited at the same time
but i'm starting to get more excited than sad!

THE A's ARE FINALLY GETTING A NEW BALLPARK!!!!

IN THE BAY AREA!!!

by gotgreen on Nov 6, 2006 11:27 AM PST   0 recs

Goodbye Raiders
As long as the name and uni's stay the same I think this will be good for the A's.  I'm sad to see the memories of the coliseum go, but it was time.  Since the twins had a new stadium coming it would have been only us and the Marlins sharing with an NFL team.  Here's to a new era that hopefully includes retaining class A free agents!
"That dude's out of his tree." -Zito

by SacTownAthletic on Nov 6, 2006 11:27 AM PST   0 recs

the name should still be "Oakland"
and I believe that it will be kept that way as well...

Blez mentioned the Pistons, but a few weeks ago I was thinking of all the pro teams that play in different cities than their team name reflects; let's see how many I can remember:

Pistons play in Auburn Hills
The Jets and Giants play in a different STATE (East Rutherford, NJ)
The Lakers used to play in the Forum in Inglewood
Dallas Cowboys play in Irving, TX
The Buffalo Bills play in Orchard Park, NY

go Frank go...500 > 756*

by money baller on Nov 6, 2006 11:28 AM PST   0 recs

Two more...
The Texas Rangers in Arlington
The Washington Redskins in Landover, Md.

The only other one from the past that I can remember is before the NFL Cardinals were Arizona, they were called Phoenix, but they played in Tempe.

"So, whatever, Ozzie." -- Nick Swisher

by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Nov 6, 2006 3:17 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Miami Dolphins/Florida Marlins
their stadium is exiled off the Florida pike, northwest of Miami, much closer to Ft. Lauderdale.  Don't know where it's officially located.  I think I also used to see bylines of Sunrise, FL for the Panthers...sounds like a suburb of Miami.  

The Ottawa Senators play in the middle of nowhere; their arena, the Corel Centre, is apparently pink and in the midst of cornfields.  Quite the venue.

Lions used to play in Pontiac, Mich, back in the glorious days of the Silverdome.

The Arizona Cardinals' new stadium is, if I remember correctly from the MNF game a few weeks ago, 40 miles away from Phoenix...yeah, they're not the Phoenix Cardinals anymore, but that's quite a distance away from a big city.

Foxborough, MA may be the strangest location for a stadium in pro sports.  Small town that's none too close to either Boston or Providence...

that's all I've got

   

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Nov 6, 2006 11:47 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Silicon Valley Athletics
That has to be the leading candidate among the possible new team names. The A's want the team to be Silicon Valley's team, and they want SV companies to buy season tickets and luxury boxes. The city of Fremont would be delighted to have a team name that reinforces the idea that Fremont is in Silicon Valley. The south bay media would embrace the name as well.

by socal on Nov 6, 2006 11:29 AM PST   0 recs

It sounds like a soccer team name.
"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."

by Kyli on Nov 6, 2006 2:51 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Never happen.
Oakland A's for the next three seasons, then when the Oakland fans get over the move...

Then, and only then, will they change it to the San Jose Athletics.

"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Nov 6, 2006 3:29 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Anyone still believe Oakland was Plan A?
That Lew Wolff was being sincere when he said he was going to try his hardest to get a deal done in Oakland?  That the 66th Ave/Swap Meet plan, with 100 owners to be bought out at market rates, without eminent domain, after announcing an intent to build there, was anything but a cover story?

Whether one loves or hates the Fremont move, we should all admit the reality that Wolff et al decided Oakland wasn't going to happen from before the day they bought the team.  I will forever despise Wolff for blowing off Oakland and lying about it along the way.

All that said:  I may still support the Fremont plan when more facts are in.

I threw that horseshoe into the weeds to see what luck can bring

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Nov 6, 2006 11:30 AM PST   0 recs

but at the same time
how hard was the city of Oakland trying to keep the A's here? it didn't seem to me like keeping the A's in oakland was one of their top priorities (which is understandable with so many other things going on in the city).
"I truly think the A's are out of here in three or four years," Reid said, adding that he did not think there was the political will to subsidize a new stadium for the defending American League West champions.

by gotgreen on Nov 6, 2006 11:33 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Agreed
"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Nov 6, 2006 11:36 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Cart/horse
No doubt, Oakland's civic will started to wane, and is difficult to get focused even in the best of circumstances.  But the City started giving up on Wolff after he started giving up on Oakland...cancelling meetings, rejecting proposals without offering alternatives, and negotiating with Fremont and SJ (via territorial rights talks with Giants which apparently were going on the whole time, Wolff's denials notwithstanding) in direct conflict with the public pledge to focus on Oakland for a year.

Larry Reid was the guy who said he'd stake his political career on the 66th Ave site working out.  His words on Oakland will or anything else are especially hollow.

I threw that horseshoe into the weeds to see what luck can bring

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Nov 6, 2006 11:39 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

The die was cast...
when Schott blew off Robert Bobb's presentation on the Uptown site.  Subsequently, Jerry Brown fired Bobb, the A's biggest governmental champion, and awarded the site to his in-laws at Forest City.

by BleacherDave on Nov 7, 2006 3:09 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

agreed (that's a-"greed"), but ...
... to be fair, your "et al" elides the fact that the City wasn't exactly dispatching uniformed teens from Jerry's Shining Path Academy with shovels at lunch break, either.

Not that they should have, IMSO.

but jesus--rhyming is a pain in the ass! -- Rubin Sierra @('.')@

by monkeyball on Nov 6, 2006 11:34 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

I always thought Fremont was the plan...
and it was a better plan than Oakland from the start.  Oakland politicos had neither the sense nor the will to build a new stadium for the A's.  The new ownership group knew this from the outset.
"When I got injured, I felt disrespected. Waaannnh!" - Mark Kotsay

by FoolshGame22 on Nov 6, 2006 11:36 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

You should be angrier at Jerry Brown
that you are at Lew Wolff.  The A's had a viable downtown solution and Brown did everything he possibly could to kill it.  
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 6, 2006 11:54 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

In other words
Yes, Wolff probably thought from the beginning that Oakland had no chance, but what sane person who observed the interactions between Oakland and the previous ownership would?
"Next thing you know, they'll have me taking an overdose of pills."--Milton Bradley

by jeepers on Nov 6, 2006 11:56 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Jerry Brown has no soul
He long ago traded his moral compass for one based on his never-ending quest for elected office, presumably because votes offer validation his parents never gave him.  (Small example:  this Jesuit seminarian is now pro death penalty) I despise Jerry for a host of reasons which include but go well beyond the Oakland A's.

But while Jerry killed a great possible site, he did not himself move the A's out of Oakland.  Wolffish consciously chose a period of political flux in Oakland (lame duck, polarizing successor candidates, Raider-caused negatives to pols in favor of stadia) in which to give the city a one year ultimatum...and then Lew stopped meeting with Oakland and started meeting with other towns within six months.  So while Jerry gets a lot of my anger in other forums, in matters Athletic Brown is the Otis (Ned Beatty) character to Wolffish's Lex Luthor.

I threw that horseshoe into the weeds to see what luck can bring

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Nov 6, 2006 12:22 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Let's be honest here.
Wolff didn't want to stay in Oakland, for obvious reasons, but the city didn't want to do dick in changing his mind.

If you're going to hate anyone, hate everyone, but also be sure to take into account that Wolff could have made a shedload of cash moving the team to Vegas, and instead he sent it 30 minutes down the BART line.

As someone who has to cross an international border and travel four hours to see a Major League ballgame... wear it.

"It's time to blow this team up." - Oaktoon, July 2006

by Ozzz on Nov 6, 2006 3:32 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Vegas?
Vegas was never going to happen. It was a bogeyman used to scare the gullible.
Some are sabermetricians.

by andeux on Nov 6, 2006 3:41 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Ladies and gentlemen, your Las Vegas Husseins!
but jesus--rhyming is a pain in the ass! -- Rubin Sierra @('.')@

by monkeyball on Nov 6, 2006 4:15 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Brown deserves more blame than you are giving him
Don't forget that a deal was all but in place to keep the team downtown - a deal manuvered by former Oakland City manager Robert Bobb, who previously had done a deal to get a AAA stadium built in a Virginia city he was the city manager of prior to coming to Oakland. But instead of a stadium, Brown wanted to build housing and the next thing you know Bobb is out the door. With an alarming lack of historic sensitivity or long-term vision, Brown made it clear over and over that he didn't give a shit about sports in Oakland. I'll never forget the night several years ago when Brown showed up at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Jack London Square wearing a 49ers jacket. Oakland will forever be kicking itself for letting this happen, and I hope history will report that it was Jerry Brown who was the lead culprit in allowing a piece of the city's soul to leave without a fight.  

by willcmatthews on Nov 6, 2006 10:06 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Let's remember...
that it was Schott/Man that didn't bother to show up for Bobb's presentation.

by BleacherDave on Nov 7, 2006 3:12 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Wolff has been involved for a long time
Let's not forget that Wolff was also involved for a lengthy period of time prior to his ownership group taking control of the A's so it isn't like this suddenly all happened overnight.

The city government of Oakland has made it clear that it has bigger issues than dealing with a sports team (which if you live in Oakland you should praise at least at face value) and hasn't hidden that fact.

The economics of baseball forced the A's to complete this process in a timeline that Oakland could not meet.  The timeline was addressed up front, the need was obvious, and Oakland couldn't move forward.  Pretty simple business decision.

by titaniumaardvark on Nov 6, 2006 4:18 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

uptown site in 02
i remember in 02 the uptown location was the one robert bobb (the city manager at the time) was pushing and had worked out with the company that designed pacbell. finally jerry killed it cuz he had the development deal for condos in that location (dvlopers that funded his campaign). Ultimately robert bobb left oakland, and I think this had a lot to do with it. He's now helping DC build a park for the nationals.

this is probably a bit reductionist, but it was 4 years and several brain cells ago (spent on lack of sleep...and keeping track of youngins.) So there are probably some details that complete a more detailed picture...

by giambizombie on Nov 6, 2006 5:09 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

I disagree 100%, FSU--
I feel this news vindicates those who supported Wolff's motives as pure and sincere. Oakland was Plan A--a pipe dream given the city's lack of cooperation, but one to be explored nonetheless. "Close by" was Plan B, and appears to be happening. Vegas, Portland, etc. was Plan Z. Thank you, Lew.
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Nov 6, 2006 1:20 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Just to properly calibrate my credul-o-meter
are you saying you believe Wolff fully and sincerely explored the Oakland options, only to be thwarted by City gov't?  Because to me that seems grossly at odds with the facts in evidence.  Even the hyperbole averse Marine Layer/vertig0 agrees that Wolff wanted Oakland out of the picture to focus on greener pastures.  Whether that's good or bad is a different discussion.  

Lew's motives are pure and sincere:  pure dedication to maximizing his asset value, and sincerely not giving a fuck about Oakland and the working class fanbase.  Again, that's entirely his right.  Doesn't mean I won't hold it against him.

I threw that horseshoe into the weeds to see what luck can bring

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Nov 6, 2006 1:45 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Uh...
working class fanbase

While it makes a nice us vs. them story -- and one that I've subscribed to over the years -- is this really true?