Adventures in re-signing
- 09.26.11, 23:17
- 95 Comments
If you weren’t convinced the A’s “stadium or die” stance regarding re-signing Josh Willingham was real, get ready for confirmation. Now it’s Coco Crisp’s agent, Steve Comte, who’s breaking the bad news thanks to tonight’s Susan Slusser article:
Comte… said he also believes the A’s spending will depend on the speed and the outcome of a stadium decision. Last week, Josh Willingham’s agent, Matt Sosnick, told The Chronicle that he’d gone to the A’s with proposals for a multi-year deal but was told the team is in wait-and-see mode while Major League Baseball continues to examine territorial rights issues that affect where a potential new stadium would be built – currently two and a half years of deliberations and counting.
Comte said that he hasn’t spoken to Oakland general manager Billy Beane recently, but he said, “The reality is that we knew in spring training that the situation with the stadium could impact their long-term spending.”
Slusser goes on to describe the Giants as Crisp’s #1 suitor. Crisp projects as a Type B free agent, meaning he’s worth a supplemental first round pick (a.k.a. “sandwich pick”) if he is offered arbitration, declines (as would be expected), and signs elsewhere.
Again, I have to say that I think we’re talking about the difference between a $50 million payroll and a $70 million payroll, not a gutting of the young talent (at least not right away). I can’t say that it’s a good idea to involve players and agents in this stadium business, but as long as everyone’s aware of the factor(s), I suppose it’s better to be above board than to couch everything in euphemisms.
At least the A’s made one key re-signing today: Ken Korach has been extended through the 2014 season.
Update 9/27 12:00 AM – Another down note – the deal between the A’s and the City of Phoenix for improvements to Phoenix Municipal Stadium is apparently dead, with the A’s probably on the move after their lease expires in 2014. That is, unless something miraculous happens to bring the A’s and City back to the table. The A’s aren’t alone in abandoning Phoenix, as the Brewers are prepared to leave Maryvale even sooner (2012).
@eb – What does that have to do with anything? Al has played Oakland/Alameda County, LA, and Irwindale in his quixotic quests. Wolff is trying to self-finance a stadium. You really want to talk class or the right way of doing business? If Al had a land deal in Camp Parks in Dublin (which he tried to do last year), he’d be out of Oakland faster than you can say “Mayflower.” He’s the guy who called Oakland “a depressed area” earlier in the year. Al Davis may command loyalty from his followers, but that doesn’t mean he deserves anything more than begrudging respect from the rest of us. And yes, we can lampoon him if we see fit. If it makes you angry, tough.
Al tried to go to Dublin but the mayor said something to the effect of no way did she ever want the team there. Al’s used to cities bending over backwards trying to get his precious team (LA, Oakland, Irwindale, can’t remember the others) and the had the door slammed on him (or more accurately, it was Al’s son who made the presentation) in Dublin….
@ML- You just negated everything you said about your football injury in high school and the seriousness of brain injuries. Consistency is key to objectivity!
Paz
@David – I’m not too worried about a guy calling me biased when he has clearly an agenda of his own to color his opinions. As for my own injuries, they occurred when I was broadsided by a car. On Christmas Eve. My head hit the windshield at 30 mph. I was lucky to be alive, and because of that I couldn’t play football. Now if you still want to quibble about that, go ahead. Be that guy and keep digging.
I am with ML 100%. Al Davis is just as bad as the Alameda County/Oakland officials are for screwing the A’s and forever killing the relationship between them.
In the end you need a public-private partnership to succeed in building any stadium, Oakland/Alameda County chose sides years ago and there is nothing that will ever repair that relationship.
The A’s, have only gone above the median in attendance 7 times in 43 seasons in Oakland. That includes 15 playoff teams and 4 title teams, even 2 who lost in the WS.
Look at the 49ers, they have had 1 foot out the door in San Francisco for Santa Clara since 2006 yet they sell out every game in that dump known as Candlestick Park.
So for those of you Pro-Oakland fans always getting mad at Wolff for having “one foot out the door”, look at the 49ers and you will see your argument is flawed since they are moving to Silicon Valley as well and have made it public for 5 years almost.
SF voters in 1997 agreed to 100M bond of public money for the 49ers which is unheard of in SF. They shot down the Giants 3 times for public handouts….It shows how much “the city” loves the 49ers.
You don’t think San Francisco people are mad at the owners that the 49ers are leaving 30 miles south to Silicon Valley? Of course they are but they still support the team despite 8 years of losing in the worst stadium in the NFL.
They know the freeway goes both ways and the team is not leaving the market. They are simply moving to a different location 30 min away….no big deal.
They will still support the team in Santa Clara but like San Francisco there is no place to build in Oakland period.
San Jose like Santa Clara has room to build in a good location, has a corporate base that is untapped (only 25% do biz with the Giants) and it is only 35 miles from Oakland. In other parts of the East Bay going to San Jose is opposite commute.
Although I still have no faith in Selig to ever see the A’s in San Jose it is the logical choice…..Wish logic ruled MLB’s world.
I will say as a “football man” Al Davis is a legend and he helped bring my 49ers to existence. Too bad he has made several bad business decisions in the past.
ML, I was addressing your main issue, which was that Al ruined the coliseum as a baseball venue, thus he should be the target of insults that make fun of his appearance. I never said Al is the picture of a moral business man (if such a thing exists), but you really believe he should have halted construction of Mt. Davis because it would ruin the aesthetics of a baseball venue? All I’m saying is that if you are playing the moral responsibility card, Wolff is just as guilty, privately funded ballpark or not. Believe me, I’m not a Al Davis “follower” but to see someone who has done so much being mocked because of his old age/poor health just seems classless. As to being angry, I’m far from it. If you want to continue calling elderly people ugly that’s up to you. Al’s wife Carol had a heart attack, maybe you could make fun of that too.
@ML–i’d figure you’d go to the Baseball San José showing of Moneyball, passing on the Oakland version. TonyD will be camping out in line all day and night in his Cisco Field logo tent, making sure he gets a good seats. Have a good time and give us a full report on what came down.
As for the Coliseum: if Al never came back and there was some improvements to the place for baseball, i can just see Schott or Wolff bitching a few years later that it’s still antiquated compared to the newer parks, that they need a completely new venue to maximize profits, where fans are closer to the action, in a better area, blah, blah, blah, and SJ is the only logical place to go, even though almost every other team has built their new parks in almost the exact same area, next to the older park, IN THE SAME CITY.
Wow, what a concept? Seems to work, and it could work here.
re: As for the Coliseum: if Al never came back and there was some improvements to the place for baseball, i can just see Schott or Wolff bitching a few years later that it’s still antiquated compared to the newer parks, t
…but that’s NOT what happened. Oakland agreed to do baseball-only improvements and did football-only improvements, instead. Oakland wants its Raiders, we get that. But don’t keep a leash on the A’s when the city can’t accommodate them. Let them go 30 miles south so Bay Area A’s fans can keep their team. Unfortunate that to Oakland-only folks, A’s to San Jose = A’s to San Antonio or A’s to Vegas…A move to San Jose means the games are played in San Jose, and “San Jose” replaces “Oakland” in the published MLB standings and on the road jerseys. That’s it. Everything else about their identity – even the baseball cap – stays the same.
Robo, like it or not that is the reality of spring training in Phoenix these days. Everyone wants or has one of the new mega complexes that started with Peoria and have not evolved into the monster that is Salt River Fields. The Cubs are jumping on the bandwagon next in 2014. Odd thing is the A’s and/or Breweres are now rumored to be the beneficiaries of the Cubs moving out of their current home HohoKam (which was built in the early 90′s). The Phoenix city council expects the A’s and Brewers will be leaving their respective homes in the future either into a new complex (which would be possible on the Gila Reservation as the Gila have offered up land for such a project) or into Hohokam Park which would be an upgrade for either team.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/09/27/20110927phoenix-spring-training-baseball-losing-grip.html
@ jk-usa : “TonyD–please, PLEASE grow up. You’re getting like Anon now.” This coming from an old senile delusional guy who lives in the past and is all talk? Yes, please grow up and do something about the situation in Oakland and living pipedreams where unicorns will save the a’s to stay in Oakland…/yawn. I guess that’s the main difference form us SJ “suburbaners”….we talk the talk and walk the walk. EIR? Check. Funding? No problem. Land acquisitions? Almost completed. Support from the owner. Absolutely. I get it that you’re a union guy and expect everyone to give you everything for free as an entitlement, but seriously you need a reality check. As I stated before, your time as an A’s fan will be up shortly….for me, regardless of city, players, or decrepit venue, i’ll still be a fan….
@eb – I had no intention of going there until David brought it up. These things are called jokes, satire. Are you going to take him to task for making light of head injuries or those with mental issues? I can point to Al Davis as being partly responsible for putting the A’s future in jeopardy. I can’t think of what Peter Gammons has ever done to David. Call me mean if you think it helps. I’ve been called much, much worse.
@ Anon – “Support from the owner. Absolutely.” I would rephrase that as agenda by the owner since inception.
@ Anon “you’re a union guy and expect everyone to give you everything for free as an entitlement”
Christ, it never ends. Feel free to tell the next firefighter, police officer, teacher, nurse, construction worker etc. you run into this opinion. Give us an update on the response you get, I’m sure many of us would be eager to hear about the outcome.
@Ml, I think we have both made our opinions known. I’ll give you credit for at least not censoring posters. And if it makes you feel better I don’t think you’re mean.;)
@Anon – That was really uncalled for. Watch yourself.
yes, i am biased. But i’m not trying to make a name for myself as a journalist. I told you a long time ago that you do a good job as a journalist. Your biases were hard to detect, until recently. I am a musician. I have chops. If i didn’t – no one would listen to me play. Journalists with no credibility, tend to work for the tabloids. Also, I made no fun of the mentally ill… Tony did that. My wife is a therapist. I would never make fun of the mentally ill.
@David – That’s where you’ve misread me again. I have no designs on turning this blog into a permanent, professional gig. I’ve had talks with friends recently about wanting this to be over so that I can go on with my life. Frankly, you have no place calling me biased. You have no idea who I am or where I’m coming from on this. Spare me the hollow patronizing compliments. I used to think you had an open mind. Now I know I’m wrong on that count.
@ eb – ask me about my feelings about government motors any day….
you are “spared”. I don’t throw compliments around without cause… anyway, have fun with ol’ man Lew tomorrow.
@Anon Not interested. I’m sure most people aren’t. Thanks though.
@eb – thanks for asking and caring…. <3
Damn this getting downright silly. Al Davis? I am not a Raiders fan (mainly because Al made the great decision to go to LA and win his last Super Bowl and left menwith only one choice for a local football team) but I think it is very debatable to say that he “did what was best for his football team” by coming back to Oakland. I don’t blame him, just the folks in Oakland/Alameda County who brought him back.
Hmm, some posts were removed, and the Al Davis pics remain. Whatever?..it’s not my site.
So, A’s Postgame show just said there will be a major announcement on Thursday at 1pm, with Billy Beane and Bob Melvin.
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Could this be it?
Wow – a meta-thread. BTW, I’m a big Raiders fan, love Al Davis for what he’s done in the past, and still thought ML’s pic post was hilarious.
I sure hope so, LS, if for no other reason than to just put an end to it all.
Those aren’t the two people you’d put up front if it was a stadium announcement, Selig would have to make it with Lew Wolff standing by proudly.
@baycommuter – You’re right, but they can always change who the people are at the announcement table.
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It’s probably about Japan, but again, that would probably not be Beane and Melvin by themselves either.
That’s true, it could be a red herring. But if MLB was involved, they wouldn’t put the announcement on Thursday, in all likelihood there will be at least one wild-card one-game playoff that day.
Yeah, I think it’s about the Japan opener as they’ve been teasing that all week as coming soon.
if anything the announcement would after the world series
yeah i heard that press conference too that they announced on tue’s telecast that will happen the day after the season ends. doubt it will be anything big, isn’t the speculation some sort of announcement could be made during the winter meetings. if i had to guess it’d be the status of the team on the field.
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wonder when cisco field gets built what will happen to this blog? been a visitor since probably the same year it started so i’d be mostly reading until maybe in the past year and will continue to do so for potentially close to a decade.
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will it end come opening day 2015 or the months following so us a’s fans can talk about such and such about the new park. course even if the decision is a go for sj, pretty sure there will be fights and arguments thru out the next 3 or so years before the park officially opens.
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hopefully it deals with the park itself instead of where the parks should be built.
….f the A’s get the go-ahead for San Jose, even under the best circumstances I don’t see the ballpark opening until 2015. The A’s lease in Oakiand expires after the 2013 season. Could be a tense situation, figuring out where to play those two years if Oakland is not interested in a lame-duck baseball team. Although the NJ Nets have been in NJ something like 6 additional years since announcing their planned move to Brooklyn…San Jose Muni seats about 4,000 people. if it’s even that much
@letsgoas, I can’t wait for the day when we can start debating the specifics of the ballpark, regardless of where it is built.
@pjk, Perhaps negotiations surrounding a lease extension will not be as tense as many would expect. If the City of Oakland realizes they were never in a position to get a ballpark built, I don’t think they would hold much resentment against the A’s, at least not as much as most fans would think. If that time comes, you can bet the A’s will make it known that they were very much interested in signing a lease extension, thus putting the ball squarely back in Oakland’s court. By refusing to negotiate, Oakland would be cutting of their noses to spite their face.
@pjk – Money talks. The logical conclusion is that the Coli authority would take an extra few million from Wolff or MLB as a sort of Golden Parachute for the A’s leaving. If not, unfortunately, the Giants would probably be coerced into taking the A’s in for a few years.
When did acknowledging reality equate to being bias? @David, I never made fun of the mentally ill. I stated I work with many who have MH issues; committing awful crimes yet blaming everyone for their ills, problems except themselves. That’s the problem I have with many Oakland-only folk who blame everyone for the A’s eventual departure except for the main culprit: the city of Oakland itself. They also constantly ignore the financial, economic realities on the ground and constantly harp on super secret ballpark plans that will save Oakland’s day. Alas, everyone is entitled to their own opinion; no matter how outrageous or detached from reality. I’m now choosing to ignore such posts from here on out. In other words, I’m not bringing my work home. That is all.
@fc, agree wholeheartedly.
Negotiation of a lease extension at the Coli will not be a problem. No way the city and county leave millions of dollars in lease payments on the table out of spite. The vast majority of people in Alameda County who are not big baseball fans and not that emotionally invested in this would have the politicians’ heads, and rightly so. You’re going to fire a few hundred extra cops and teachers just to try to inconvenience Lew Wolff?
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If they’re smart, the city/county will use their leverage to try to up the lease rate, but that’ll be noise in the big picture.
Dan, Thanks for the link on the A’s and Brewer’s spring training situation. I would consider Hohokam Park and Phoenix Muni to have about the same setup. Of course I don’t know about the differences in locker rooms/team offices/weight training facilities etc..They have similiarities though.They both have practice fields that are down the street a little bit from the main stadium. Papago Park for the A’s appears to have a few more practice fields than Fitch Park does for the Cubs. Of course the Papago complex is in a very scenic area as well.So I am not sure why HoHoKam would be an upgrade.
I am not against the A’s moving there or having a new complex built. I guess my real concern, in general, is that some of these older ST parks continue to have baseball played in them for many years, as they are pefectly fine ballparks. Idle ballparks tend to bring out all kinds of wacky ideas at City Council meetings.
Moneyball has no real affect on this situation and the Giants owners changing hands I do not think does at all.
I will say this, if the Giants owners changing hands needs 75% approval I would like to think MLB would vote for the T-rights to be shared first in the Bay Area and then approve the Giants new owner in that order.
With Neukom out, he probably does not care what happens anymore with San Jose or the A’s therefore he might just sit there and let it happen to spite the Executive Committee who “shunned” him just recently.
Then MLB would approve Larry Baer but it would too late for him to do anything about it.
In the end I just do not see Selig even calling for a vote unless he feels all options have been exhausted with the A’s before he lets them into San Jose.
I have no faith in Selig but if Neukom going down gets the A’s to San Jose that would be awesome.
That is the only way I can see them moving forward on the A’s in San Jose.
i doubt neudom wold spite the team he grew up rooting for. everybody knows how much of a goldmine potentially sj is for the a’s. i’ve said it before but those who run the other team across the bay want the a’s gone or if not gone at least remaining to be irrelevant here in the bay area which they’ll continue to be while playing at the coliseum for as long as they’re here. as much as i would like a brand new oakland park on the waterfront or near downtown, i’ve come with the realization as an somebody who was born in oakland and lived all his life here that a park most likely will never get rebuilt as i don’t think the oakland citizens have the stomach to yet again fund another sports venue here when they’ve see the city spend close to 400 million on both the coliseum and arena and a decade from now could see both empty with no pro team playing in either of them.
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if the a’s land sj then they’ll be on somewhat of a equal footing here financially with all the corporate sponsors that will allign themselves with the a’s and although there was that letter set by svlg, that’s still a lot of sponsors who signed that would only support the a’s because they’re in sj and sf wants none of that happening. if they can’t get into that silicon valley money, they sure in hell don’t want anybody else especially the a’s who could put somewhat of a dent on the monopoly they have here in the bay area where at this time the a’s are struggling at the coliseum and everybody knows it.
Robo, I think the reasons HoHoKam would be an upgrade have to do with both things we can’t see like locker rooms and plumbing, etc… But also things we can see such as having a bit more flair, a roof, a jumbotron, a grass berm, 5,000 more people capacity, more practice fields on site, etc… Most of its advantages come from being a 30 year newer design than Phoenix Muni and it would bring the A’s or whomever moves in more in line with the rest of the teams in the region.
Don’t get me wrong, Phoenix Muni is quaint, but it’s quaint in the same way the Coliseum is quaint in that it’s a basic concrete stadium whose time has past without some major upgrades.
@LetsgoA’s- I agree with you. I just think Neukom is out 100% that may play into him “caring or not”. If I was fired the way he was and forced to sell my shares back and be gone would I care anymore?
Probably not, I would just sit there and let things happen and keep my mouth shout.
Neukom is still the head guy until Jan 1st 2012. So it will be him at the owners meeting in November. I just cannot see him arguing much or caring much at that point being a lameduck owner.
Of course the Giants want the A’s out of San Jose period and want them to leave. That is why the A’s are not in San Jose already. Any other sport it would have happened years ago.
I am just expanding on the theory put out there about the November meetings and the Giants being forced to take a deal to approve Baer from MLB to let the the A’s into SJ.
Otherwise I just do not see anything else happening around this until the Dodgers/Mets messes are resolved.
Look at it this way…. Phoenix games have pretty much become a big money maker in the economics of today’s baseball. If the A’s get a new stadium built in the Bay Area, have a successful rebuild and start selling out… that will also translate to bigger gates in their Cactus League games. They’ll need a bigger/better facility. While I would prefer Phoenix Muni to get another remodel (the views are awesome and the location isn’t great), I can see the team wanting to take advantage of higher capacity and the more modern additions, like a picnic berm or outfield bleachers. Seriously, Phoenix Muni has zero outfield seating, and no way to even just walk past the outfield. No HR shagging at all.