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Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!
A’s fans are pinning their hopes on a new ballpark at Howard Terminal to light the way to a better future for the team and ensure it can remain in Oakland. Previously, the organization had other ideas such as building at Laney College, or moving to San Jose or Fremont, but over the past couple decades these various proposals failed to gain traction. The Howard Terminal project is no done deal, but it’s much closer to being realized than the proposals that came before it.
Well, according to Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, he would already have built the ballpark at Howard Terminal if his deal to buy the team from former A’s owner Steve Schott hadn’t been rejected by then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig in favor of his friends John Fisher and Lew Wolff.
In a piece published yesterday, John Shea at the San Francisco Chronicle recalled discussions he had with Lacob in preparation for an autobiography of Schott that Shea co-authored. Both Schott and Lacob confirmed that they had a solid verbal agreement for the team’s sale that would have come to fruition if not for Selig.
Lacob said he tried unsuccessfully to sell Fisher—also a friend—on Howard Terminal in the past, and that had he been the team’s owner, he’s confident his vision would already be realized because he would have simply put up all of the funding required himself rather than negotiating with the City of Oakland for hundreds of millions of dollars in public infrastructure dollars. Lacob said he doesn’t think it’s unfair for the A’s to seek the funding, but that he would have recouped the added investment expense many times over by now in completing a waterfront ballpark to rival the Giants’ Oracle Park “a long time ago.”
Lacob continued that his failure to acquire the A’s taught him that he needed to build stronger relationships to pave the way for success in the business of professional sports—and he successfully applied that lesson to buy the Warriors and quickly transform the team into the modern-day NBA dynasty it has become.
It’s easy to play hindsight-armchair-quarterback as Lacob may appear to be doing, but it’s also hard to deny his track record as a franchise owner.
Lacob says he still has a standing offer to buy the A’s from Fisher as long as they stay in Oakland. He’s also rooting for the Howard Terminal project to succeed under Fisher. It’s tempting to imagine what the state of the Athletics franchise would be today under Lacob’s stewardship, but probably best to keep our eyes on the hand we’ve been dealt and press for a completed deal for the Fisher-owned A’s on a new waterfront park this year.
A’s Coverage:
- Hall: Game #87: Another quiet loss for A’s
- Hall: A’s roster moves: Dermis Garcia, Domingo Tapia called up
- Hall: Paul Blackburn named 2022 All-Star
- Grover: Oakland Athletics 2022 Draft Preview
- Hall: A’s trade Christian Bethancourt to Rays for two prospects
- Hall: Game #86: A’s win a weird one over Astros
- Gallegos: Blackburn is elite ... away from the Coliseum. ‘I have no clue why’
- Shea: Joe Lacob once had a deal to buy A’s, still has vision to keep them in Oakland ($)
MLB News & Interest:
- Polishuk: MLB Announces 2022 All-Star Reserves
- McDonald: Yankees, Royals Have Discussed Andrew Benintendi Trade
- Polishuk: Rays Place Wander Franco, Kevin Kiermaier, Jeffrey Springs Injured List
- Blanco: Weems trying to prove worth in Nats bullpen
- McDonald: Astros Place Yordan Alvarez On IL With Hand Injury
- Polishuk: Braves Acquire Robinson Cano
- Today in Baseball History
Best of Twitter:
Hey Paul! You’re an All-Star! Hearty congrats.
Punched his ticket to LA!
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 10, 2022
Congratulations to our 2022 MLB All-Star, Paul Blackburn! pic.twitter.com/D8jsHVkMkT
Alex seeing a pattern...does this mean Paul wins a Cy Young award next year?
Liam Hendriks:
— Alex Hall (@AlexHallAN) July 10, 2022
- DFA'd in 2018
- All-Star in 2019
Paul Blackburn:
- DFA'd in 2021
- All-Star in 2022
Pitchers DFA'd by A's so far this year who cleared waivers and remain in the organization:
- Sam Selman
- Adam Kolarek
- Miguel Romero
We don’t want no snubs!
Most egregious All-Star snubs: Carlos Rodon, Will Smith, Ty France, Tommy Edman, Dylan Cease, Zack Wheeler, Brandon Drury, Josh Bell, Devin Williams, Aaron Nola, Kevin Gausman, Austin Riley. Many more belong (Nimmo, Reynolds, Schreiber, King). And plenty will be added this week.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2022
Latest callup Dermis Garcia, a member of the 500 Club.
Garcia, 24, signed a Minor League deal with the A’s this spring and is slashing .251/.338/.444 with eight homers, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs in 54 games at Triple-A. A lot of power, including this 502-foot homer in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/Hll7bhvPY0
— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 10, 2022
Zach Logue gives credit where due—but he was solid in his own right against the Astros on Saturday.
Logue gave major props to the A’s bullpen for closing out today’s win pic.twitter.com/AARRkLUO0K
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 9, 2022
A shimmy worthy of his name.
Stew thinks the A's should take notes from Andrus' second-base shimmy pic.twitter.com/zSBHrnz9fj
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) July 10, 2022
Nice cap! Love the detail under the visor.
Today is African American Heritage day at the Ballpark & these are the sweet lids the @Athletics are giving away! pic.twitter.com/KJM3gw6ERZ
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) July 9, 2022
Stephen and son.
Aiden Piscotty, 15 months old, takes a few swings under the supervision of his father Oakland Athletics' Stephen Piscotty (25) after their MLB game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, July 10, 2022. #DrumTogether #oaklandathletics pic.twitter.com/uoLF58OBYs
— Jose Carlos Fajardo (@jcfphotog) July 10, 2022
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