Rosenthal: A’s not on January agenda, push forward anyway + Nightengale scoop
- 12.23.11, 18:06
- 75 Comments
I’ll let Ken Rosenthal’s words speak for him:
In mid-November, I reported that baseball was trying to accelerate a decision on whether to allow the A’s to relocate to San Jose and that a meeting between commissioner Bud Selig and San Francisco Giants officials would take place within two weeks.
That meeting still has not occurred, according to major league sources. The Giants remain adamantly opposed to relinquishing their territorial rights to San Jose and the South Bay region. And the Athletics’ situation will not be on the agenda at the next owners’ meetings in January, sources say.
There is a twist to this. As I understand it, 20 days prior to any owner’s meetings, any owner can bring up any issue and put it to a vote. For a vote on the A’s territorial rights to be on the agenda, that request would have to be made by December 22-23. I don’t know if that was done, but I have heard that the infamous “blue ribbon report” (yes, the one we’ve been waiting over 1000 days for) was made available around the time of the GM Winter Meetings. That report would be good reading over the holiday break before getting into back to business and making a decision in January. I don’t expect this report to be available to the public, only to The Lodge. (Side note: I’ve generally gone away from the “blue ribbon” moniker as it paints the process as more formal than it may actually be.)
Despite the uncertainty regarding the scheduling of the decision, Rosenthal paints a picture of Beane and Wolff as moving forward confidently. Something has to give.
Update 12/24 2:42 AM – In an interview with Susan Slusser, Billy Beane continues to say that “he believes a decision is coming soon.”
Update 9:17 AM – Another similar article from MLB.com’s Jane Lee.
Update 11:49 AM – Now, a tweet from Bob Nightengale
All signs and top MLB# sources say that the #Athletics will be granted permission by Feb to move to San Jose.
We now return you to the regularly scheduled roller coaster ride.
Update 2:18 PM – Joe Stiglich picks up the Nightengale scoop and runs with it.
If they call them the San Jose Athletics of Oakland im ok with that or the Oakland A’s of San Jose even better I’ll take the California A’s or Golden State A’s even the Bay Area A’s would be sweet
For starters as far as corporate support, Cisco Systems already has signed on for a $120 mill naming rights deal and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (featuring major tech companies) endorsing the project. As far as public transit, we have CalTrain, VTA Light Rail, Amtrak, Ace trains, bus service and, eventually , BART right next to the ballpark sight. Our current experience with major sports in San Jose is the Sharks – they sell out every night every year.. You might want to do a little research before posting on here.
…ballpark site.
Please explain how the city bought the land “illegally.” Did we steal it or something? (This ought to be good)
@Jordan Brown
Keep going, you are good.
they’re gonna be san jose a’s. they’re aren’t going to keep the oakland name in anyway like the angels did when they went to their whole laa of anaheim nonsense. heck you don’t even hear people outside of socal using anaheim anymore when mentioning the angels.
The sharks sellout because its the only hockey in Nor Cal so you get help from half of the most populated state in the country and how long have we been hearing about Bart to the southbay? My kids will be talking about Bart down there someday too!! Amtrack and buses are all over Oakland too so your point? The naming rights goes with the stadium no matter where it is Fremont Oakland San Jose it doesn’t matter. And just because a group supports doesn’t mean the companies will. Who cares if a tech company that will go boom and bust like 3/4 of all south bay companies do “support it” (no commitment to buy anything) The real money is in the city and techy transplants want the city not Oakland 2.0! no one at Facebook or eBay or hp is saying hey lets lure top talent and workers with San Jose baseball tickets. NO! They take them to the city because its world class.
City code says you need to have voter support to fund a stadium. Buying land at market then selling it under thus taking a lost in the interest in a stadium is funding it. That is an open and shut case. You can say oh but they are not building it the A’s are doing that. It doesn’t matter the letter of the clearly states ANY tax payers money. Last time I checked a government body is funded by tax payers. Any money the city spend of this “land deal” is tax payer money plain and simple regardless what pot it came out of. The law doesn’t state and identify certain funds it just states tax payer money.
@jb- naming rights are for SJ- Cisco mad that pretty clear when their CEO was one of 75 South Bay CEO’s who wrote a letter to Selig advocating that the A ‘s be allowed to move o SJ- and not sure what your point is on a public vote in SJ- everyone agrees with you and once SJ gets the green light the voters will vote- btw- the SJ deal looks even better for SJ citizens than China Basin was for SF- finally, more fortune 1000 companies are in Silicon Valley than Oakland and SF combined- and SJ is number 2 in the country for average personal income- anyone with biz sense knows where the opportunity is- and by all accounts- so does MLB (not to mention the freaking giants who are fighting tooth and nail to keep SJ)
Jordan, If San Jose will be a major failure, why in the world are the Giants fighting so hard to keep the TR to Santa Clara County?
If San Jose is soooo great why doesn’t Bart already go there ? Why is there no sorts teams there already expect MLS and NHL? Why didn’t the Giants move there in the past? Sure they have tons of companies but so does Portland Oregon. They have Nike and Addias but al they got is NBA. there are plenty of cities arcoss the country that don’t have MLB teams simply because the local population can’t support it ALONE. If you alienate the East Bay then your losing half your support group. SJ alone isn’t enough and that goes into any planning. Why would any company lose a footing in their branding in any region for nothing just help the success of rival competition in your business? That’s why they fighting. It has nothing to do with personal income or corporations and everything to do with why help out competition to your profits for no financial gain? I don’t know if you remember but the Fremont plan had a Cisco field too but then I could be mistaken that Cisco must have been a different Cisco systems.
I’m sure the citizens of San Diego thought Petco Park was good idea or Safeco Field was a good plan for Seattle. Maybe the citizens of San Jose know something they didn’t. For every good stadium plan there is a nightmare and no one can predict if it will sink or swim and certainly no one seeking a stadium in San Jose so badly they are on this website could possible give a neutral perspective to the possible success AND failure of the stadium plan. Even Oakland sites and out of state sites can fail and succeed just as much. Jacksonville looked good to the NFL no so much now or Sacramento for the kings you cannot predict the long term success of a team its foolish to think you can.
@jb- can’t believe I am taking the time tomrespond but since Santa is just finishing up at my house I have a feW minutes- BART is coming to SJ- in fact the first leg to Berryessa is expected to be finished by 2016- second- maybe you missed it but the ’9ers are moving to Silicon Valley- expected to be there in 2014- Larry E has tried to buy multiple NBA franchises to move to SJ- one of these days I am sure he will succeed-and you ask why the giants aren’t in SJ- because voters rejected their publically financed stadium back in 1992- Oakland has never made any announcement about a naming rights sponsor-they don’t have one- and in case you havent heard-SJ is the 10th largest cit in the US- the SJ metropolitan area won’t have a problem supporting a ballpark-if anyone should be concerned it’s the guy who is willing to invest $500M of his own money to build a privately financed ballpark in SJ- and he is ready to go-btw- you mention the SJ land deal yetdon’t mention Oakland proposing 250M just to acquire and prepare a site….interesting
Sorry but it is tough to read JB’s posts. They are not well thought out and are not rich in facts. He appears to be throwing out everything that sounds remotely plausible. To all the JBs out there, I beg you to first read these facts before posting to avoid looking misinformed and overly emotional :
- The city of SJ has done nothing outwardly illegal. In secret is nothing but a wild guess.
- The city of SJ will put the plan to a city wide vote (in what I believe is the best chance for Oakland/SF to derail the move to SJ)
- The city of SJ is not paying for a ballpark. They will be providing a relatively small portion of the funding needed for the whole project (refer to the point about the city wide vote for the legality)
- The A’s have a commitment for Stadium naming rights by a major fortune 500 company
- Support for the A’s in SJ, including the very important corporate support, is a well founded belief based on the Sharks, 49ers, and the Giants playing or desire to play there. The A’s not being supported in SJ has no factual foundation.
- Public transportation to the proposed SJ ballpark is not as good as the Coliseum.There are plans to bring BART to downtown SJ but it is very fair to have skepticism of that happening in a timely manner.
- The city of SJ has put in significant and tangible work on a ballpark plan and site.
- Oakland has almost no tangible work completed on a ballpark site. However, they do have 2 publicly announced ideas on where a ballpark could be located.
Jordan, hopefully Furmam has a class on debating. You should take it…
JB’s post is the usual: Attack San Jose, hold Oakland blameless for doing less than nothing for the A’s for 20 years, except ruin the stadium and firing the city manager for trying to help the A’s..Where does this mysterious $250 mill for site acquisitions come from in Oakland? Redevelopment money that’s going away? An MLB loan that has to be paid back? Will Oakland voters be voting on all this? What would happen if the A’s committed to Victory Court and then couldn’t come up with the $250 million? Pass the expense onto the A’s owners; of course.
and then the city couldn’t come up with…
I don’t think the A’s worry too much about losing the East Bay fan base considering they have about 4k per night, and that’s with the park already there. Maybe JB should just stick with being the Godfather of Soul.
It’s simple. JB= troll. Merry Xmas everyone and be safe!
JB, the citizens of San Diego do think PETCO Park has been a “good idea”. It has helped revitalize an area of the city that was beyond seedy and has provided millions in tangible benefits to the city.
@Transic – The California primary is in June, which would seem like the best time in terms of efficiency for the City. However, since MLB is offering to pay for much of the cost of the election, I think the City will try to avoid the primary and schedule a special election earlier. By city charter, any referendum can only occur at least 88 days after it has been submitted. My guess is that whether the decision occurs in January of February, the election would happen no later than May. City has already put together the ballot language.
If there was parity (= rev sharing) in MLB like NFL I’d like to see A’s stay in Oak. That’s where my heart is.
But it’s not and this is what needs to happen to compete (and stay in Bay). Angels just got what? $3B TV contract. They will push payroll to $175M.
It’s the nature of sports today. I don’t like it but might as well be realistic and get on board.
@JB- The reason why BART does not go to San Jose already was because back in the 1950s Santa Clara County opted to build their expansive expressway system instead of the BART.
It was a big mistake as asphalt is far cheaper today and the cost of steel has gone up considerably. It was a short sided move by the county back then and since there have been two votes to fund the BART with taxpayer money in Santa Clara County that have passed……Only a matter of time now.
Your assessment of San Jose is incorrect. The South Bay itself is a sprawling metropolis with rich affluent people and corporations that Oakland and the East Bay for the most part does not have…..Plus the Giants have cannibalized the corporate sponsors in that area already.
In San Jose, the A’s would be a big market team being 50 miles way from SF in a rich area. Why do you think the Giants protect it with their lives?
The last thing the Giants want is the A’s to be on equal footing as right now they have a distinct upper hand…..A new ballpark in Oakland does not solve the this lack of balance. If you came from outer space and had to place to 2 ballparks in the Bay Area, you would not put one in Oakland.
Even if a meeting occurred between the Giants and Selig it would have been in private with no media knowledge. It is safe to assume they have spoken as the owners meetings are coming up and the fact Billy Beane is making so many trades already is a sign of what is to come.
The Giants are going to get voted of the island…..they know it full well. They will be compensated by MLB and they can pay off their ballpark and add payroll with the free handout.
Stand for San Jose and their frivolous lawsuit is proof enough of them knowing what is coming.
San Jose is a far superior city than Oakland. They are estimating fans will spend 15 dollars per person per game on top of ticket sales. In Oakland they estimate 5 dollars per person per game on top of ticket sales.
Why is that? It is because the South Bay has the highest per capita in the nation and is the richest metro area in the country as well….simple stats.
In the end the A’s needed to build in Oakland years ago when Pac Bell was around the corner. Instead the Oakland politicians betrayed the team in favor of the Raiders and other interests. In the end Oakland will lose all 3 teams because of their ineptitude.
San Jose is “new money”, the people in East Bay can travel to the games or they can abandon the team as if they moved to San Antonio. Either way the A’s will build a new fan base in an area that is largely untapped with no options.
San Jose is too far from both Oakland and SF to go to games consistently. I am a life long Giants fan from SJ and I will for sure buy 25 games a year for the A’s because I can get home without having to drive an hour.
You East Bay people are going to know how it feels to be an hour away like us South Bay people are now…….Or you can just go to Giants games like most East Bay people do now.
more than a few times the pro oakland crowd have pointed out to what the opinions of those at athleticsnation thinks about the whole a’s to sj issue. in the past they’ve said that those at AN want the a’s to stay but over the weekend they put up a poll on whether or not they feel the a’s moving to sj will happen? results at this time are overwhelming that those voted see the a’s moving to sj is pretty much inevitiable?
…
84%…780 votes yes
8%…..76 votes no
7%…..70 votes who cares
I think in every movement there will always be a select group within that movement that is diehard to the extreme. They are very heavily emotionally vested in the outcome the movement is advocating. I suspect a vast majority of the ‘An Oakland Stadium for the Oakland A’s!’ are resigned to the A’s leaving Oakland. They may still hold out hope (it is true that nothing is ever done till it is done) but they deep down know the situation is all but lost (it’s never an awesome feeling to be powerless to do anything about something you believe in). But then there is that select group such as JB. To him/them it is personal, the argument has become almost entirely a right side of the brain function. To that group, keeping the A’s out of SJ is preeminent. Even if they love going to A’s games, if the A’s don’t play in Oakland then they want them to move to the other side of the world (a prime example of right side of the brain thinking). This type of emotional state is what results in the kind of posts that we see from JB. A post that is based in such blatant, and imo purposeful, misinformation.
I believe these type of posts could have been marginally justified a while back due to some of the facts not being so conspicuously evident. However, the facts are now well entrenched in the public domain. Now the only explanation for misinformation is what I indicated above. The only other explanation I can come up with is the JB’s are minions of a clandestine Giants’ operation. I know that seems far fetched and very tin foil hat, but It is known that Microsoft, right and left wing organizations (among others) have used people to troll discussions and insert misinformation as a tactic. I’m not saying that is the case, I am saying that is the only other explanation – as far fetched as it seems — for blatant misinformation based posts such as JBs.
God bless those people with their “Keep the A’s in Oakland” banners. They are truly great fans. Unfortunately, those banners are always surrounded by tens of thousands of empty seats.
Either way, I’m watching the A’s on my flatscreen. As far as the Raiders go, I enjoy the Redzone channel. no commercials. Go to L.A. Go. Who cares?