More news out of Fremont and San Jose. Fremont’s City Council will get a report next Tuesday (7 PM, Session agenda PDF) on potential re-use of the undeveloped northern end (sounds like a contradiction, no?) for an A’s ballpark plus additional development. This is a study session and a completion of the work presented in January. Like the earlier session, no action is expected to be taken at the upcoming session, as no decision from MLB is forthcoming. Once that happens, Fremont can either move forward or drop the effort. As usual, at the core of any discussion is the debate about Fremont’s growth and suburban nature: does a decidedly urban development make sense in a city lacking a downtown? At the very least, Fremont deserves credit for due diligence on its part. The skinny:
7.1 REPORT ON NUMMI SITE REUSE AND REVITALIZATIONReport on NUMMI Site Reuse and Revitalization Activities Including Response to Interest by Major League Baseball in Possible Establishment of a Fremont BallparkContact Person:Name: Brian MillarTitle: ConsultantDept.: City Manager’s OfficePhone: 510-284-4008E-Mail: bmillar@fremont.govRECOMMENDATION: Receive the update of costs incurred to date in support of NUMMI site reuse and revitalization activities. Provide feedback and policy direction on future activities in support of NUMMI site reuse and revitalization.
Update 4/9 10:30 PM: Fremont received a $333,000 federal grant to further study potential uses of the NUMMI site. Among the suggestions: NASCAR track, UC campus. Now before you think certain ideas are crazy, I’ll point out that the entire Mission Bay development in SF is just over 300 acres. NUMMI is 370 acres. There is room for a vast mix of uses.
Down south, San Jose’s Redevelopment Agency may have nearly completed the puzzle for its Diridon ballpark site acquisition efforts by negotiating the sale of two key downtown parcels for $20 million – the same amount as the expected cost to acquire the remaining Diridon parcels. Is it essentially a “favor” from one of the longtime San Jose power families? Maybe. My guess is that the sale was one of the key topics when Bob DuPuy met with Chuck Reed and Lew Wolff on Monday. Assuming that the sale goes through and SJRA buys the remaining Diridon land, there remains the reconfiguration of the PG&E substation, which to date hasn’t been estimated (AFAIK). Additional money will be required to cover the required work, though it shouldn’t be anything approaching the $30.8 million cost to relocate the substation in the 2006 EIR. While it may be technically possible to fit in a ballpark without disturbing the substation, space would be so restricted that it might not be worth it.
newballpark.org 
Agenda is now availble
Click to access 041310%20CC%20Agenda-WEBSITE.pdf
Wolff is not interested in Fremont , he said so himself; and the Fremont community is not interested in having the A’s there too. What a waste of taxpayer resources by Fremont. I smell years of drawn out nasty litigation against the city of Fremont, Fremont Chamber of ConArtists and the A’s if they pursue a Fremont stadium. It aint gonna happen in Fremont. San Jose has got the vibe and welcomes the A’s.
He wasted all those years in pursuing his Fremont ballpark village pipedream. Boring bedroom community was a bad idea from day 1.
I’m still rooting for the city Oakland to pull off a late inning rally.
SJ may have a shot, but starting all over trying to build a whole new fan base won’t be a slamdunk.
“starting all over trying to build a whole new fan base won’t be a slamdunk”
Neither is starting all over with the project development process in Oakland
and someone remind me what the fan base is in Oakland—-oh yeah–usually last in attendance–
The way this ownership has treated it’s fans, I can see why they’ve been towards the bottom in attendance these last few years.
no need to go into the attendance stats that have been displayed and anlayzed numerous times here–regardless of the ownership the A’s attendance is typically at the bottom—
So, at the risk of start8ing a Bartleby v. TPS cage match… The A’s have been the very least attended MLB team one time less than they have been above league median. In 1977, 1978, 1979, 1996, 1997 and 2009 (6 times) they were the last place team in terms of attendance. They were above median in MLB attendance in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992. Their highest charting single was 1990, when they came in 3rd place behind Toronto and the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles.
It is true that the seasons where they were dead last they were a bad team and/or their stadium had just been destroyed by football bleachers.
And it is true, that in 1974 when they won the AL West, the AL Pennant and the World Series they outdrew only the Twins and Giants.
For whatever reason, over the course of 4 decades they have had less peaks and more valleys and the valleys weren’t always associated with on the field performance.
It is what it is.
Attendance for the A’s has historically been a difficult topic to discuss. There hasn’t necessarily been a direct coorelation between the team’s on-field perfomance and their overall attendance. Would they suffer the same results eventually in San Jose? Who’s to say. Personally, I’m in favor or San Jose, but there’s no metric I can point out to indicate that the A’s will ultimately (over the next 4 decades) draw any better there than they have in Oakland in relation to the rest of the league. This is a discouraging prospect. Like Jeffrey said, it is what it is.
I used to cover Fremont city council meetings in college periodically between 1999 & 2002. I know the A’s to Fremont discussion isn’t breaking news anymore, but it’s still surreal to me that the a MLB ballpark is something they’re legitimately discussing at these meetings. I’m not trying to say anything bad about Fremont; nice place and best of luck to them. My mom lives a couple minutes driving from the Auto Mall/NUMMI site, so knockin’ out two birds with one stone (family visits & seeing the A’s) sounds tempting for me personnally. Though, I just don’t think Fremont is right for the A’s and I hope the MLB committee thinks that as well.
Any place we can build near mass transit, highways or a downtown is right.
at a minimum 🙂
My concern with Fremont is that eventually the Athletics will be in the same position they are now with the Coliseum. Fremont doesn’t have a center of gravity. The A’s will remain that team that plays off the freeway. Sure, they’ll build shops and such but they’re essentially going to be sprawl shopping centers. The A’s aren’t in the fabric of the Bay Area like the Giants and it’ll likely continue to be that way. Being in San Jose, playing by the Sharks, overlooking downtown, being next to Caltrain and 880/280/680/Hwy17/101, they could find footing in the hearts of Bay Area residents. I know this sort of thing needs to happen organically, but I think they have a better chance of that in SJ than Fremont.
Not taking anything away from Fremont, but SJ developed into a major city naturally through it’s location. Railroads and airports and highways converge there. They have a university and an active downtown both business-wise and socially– of course not on par with SF– but that’s not the point. A SJ ballpark would be something people see when they drive into downtown– not something they pass on their way to something else. I’ve love to see the A’s enrich the culture and history of a city and SJ is the best place for that to happen.
not being picky though. I’m buying season tickets in Fremont or I’m San Jose.
The Giants aren’t in the fabric of the bay area anymore than the A’s are. The giants just have KNBR to make it seem that way.
I can’t argue with that but with these sorts of things, perception is reality and I’ll venture to say that the average Bay Area baseball fan has fonder memories of Robby Thompson and Jose Uribe than Walt Weiss or even (sadly) Eck. The ’86 onward Giants that squeezed out a couple .500+ seasons is just as embraced as the 3 time AL champs during that same period. I don’t mean this as a inferiority whine/rant, but I agree—the Giants sell the heck out of their history with Mays, McCovey, The Thrill and KNBR is an essential tool for that. The Giants’ neighbor is the Bay Bridge while the A’s neighbors are Raider seats in the parking lot. The A’s need a mouthpiece. They need a physical urban presence. Hopefully in a few years, someone could say, “I’m headed out to The Ballpark” when going to an A’s game. Ricky will need a sweet luxury box and statue out front. Those sorts of things will help the A’s be identifiable to future fans—and ultimately be a team that’s embraced whether they win or lose.
I’d argue that this is not exactly true. By several measures the Giants have firmly taken the mantle of “Bay Area Number 1 Team.” TV ratings, attendance, revenue, etc. In the case of TV Ratings, the Giants have always done better than the A’s.
Since the opening of AT&T Park the Giants have solidified their position as the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers equivalent of the Bay Area while the A’s have stayed the White Sox, Mets and Angels equivalent.
I would be ecstatic if the A’s could become as successful a second team as any of those you mentioned. And I’m not talking about on the field. Those other #2’s blow us away in fan support relative to the #1’s. They are much bigger metros, I know, but here’s the thing: I can’t quantify or prove it, but I also feel like all those teams are much more cherished in their metros than the A’s are here. It’s only one man’s opinion and it may be some type of inferiority complex, but I feel like much of the Bay Area would be fine without American League ball in town and happy to focus on the Giants. It’s not even personal against the A’s. A lot of people simply look down their nose at the AL. I definitely get that sense from the local media, and I hear it when I talk to folks around town (that’s mostly Marin, SF and the peninsula; areas obviously skewed to the Giants).
That’s one reason I think the A’s will do so well in SJ. I think the South Bay is ready to explode with massive support for its own team and would embrace the A’s in a huge way. It’s a large and wealthy enough area to support the team to a point that will equalize much of the imbalance with the Giants and bring us up to the level of those other teams who play second fiddle in their metros. The same could happen with the right location in Oakland as well. I think there are a couple of challenges to be as successful in Oakland, but they can be overcome.
I agree with Dude.
The A’s are going to be the #2 team in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future. That’s unavoidable but I don’t see it so much as a competition with the Giants. They have their thing going and that’d fine and dandy. In San Jose, they really have an opportunity to tap into a fan base that is will to embrace the team as their own and to have them be a member of their community. It’s not about Giants vs. A’s (other than each team’s board squabbling about Dugout Stores at Valley Fair Mall) it’s about getting a region of the Bay Area to truly embrace the team—and that’s up to the A’s. But these are issues they’ll have to face even if they do get a downtown SJ ballpark. A franchise face, reworked radio/TV presentation and self-promoting their 40+ year bay Area history would have to be addressed and would happen over time… lots of time.
I know what you’re talking about with the arrogant anti-AL attitude from Giants fans, but I think a lot of that is defensiveness over the A’s superior on-field success. People are largely stuck with the one team they adopted at some point in their lives, and will invent criticisms of other teams to compensate for the frustrations with their club. You hear a similar defense mechanism from A’s fans, bashing the wine-sipping, casual yuppies at AT&T because we’re frustrated at not having the same kind of attendance.
re: The A’s aren’t in the fabric of the Bay Area like the Giants
here’s the Giants’ record when it comes to votes on publicly funded stadiums: 0-4
Frisco was perfectly willing to have the Giants leave and let the door hit them on the way out. Santa Clara and San Jose also gave thumbs-down to Giants pleas for a new stadium.
I see what you’re saying, but I’m talking about Bay Area baseball fans, not all Bay Area residents.
There are diehard baseball fans, and the difference between those that follow the A’s and Giants is probably not that great. Then there are the casual fans that watch 10 or 20 games a year on TV and go to 2 or 3 or 4. The Giants surely hold a large edge in that niche over the A’s. The Bay Area is a miniature version of the national baseball scene. Instead of ESPN over-hyping the Yankees and Red Sox, making it more difficult for the smaller market teams to keep their local fan interest, KNBR and local Television put the same kind of undeserved pressure on the A’s.
Exactly, and it doesn’t help that Michael Savage is aired when KTRB could be airing a sports talk program showcasing the A’s the same way KNBR puts on Ralph and Tom spinning John Bowker and Aaron Rowand batting lead-off.
The KTRB thing is a work in progress. In the long term, if they choose to stick with sports Savage will be gone, just like Limbuagh is no longer on KNBR.
I hope so. Losing Marty Lurie wasn’t a good start though. But yeah, guess we’ll have to wait and see how this turns out.
re: ESPN over-hyping the Yankees and Red Sox
sometimes, I wonder if the goal of ESPN and MLB in general isn’t to make the Yankees the nation’s team. They become the nation’s Harlem Globetrottrs while the other 29 teams become the Washington Generals, just nightly patsies for the national team.
The Brewers, in struggling to re-sign Prince Fielder, noted the Yankees infield alone equals the entire Brewers payroll.
It’s not that extreme or black and white. For better or worse, Fielder will likely sign a contract at market value. Unless the Yankees want to put him as DH (or whatever, SS) that market won’t include them and therefore his market value won’t be as high. While the Yankees have won the most World Series since the ’94 Strike, they definitely don’t dominate the league. Sure, they’re perennial contenders but other teams aren’t comparatively ‘patsies.’ Things change. CC’s arm might fall off. Jeter could start playing his age. Teixeira could pull a Giambi and struggle to hit the Mendoza Line. The Yankees aren’t immune to being victims of their own success. Bad contracts can happen to any team; Beane or Cashman and every GM/operating budget inbetween.
the difference being the Yankees can absorb a bad contract or 6.
Left off a digit there Jeff. Though its your choice to put it before or after the 6.
In regards to the Diridon site and PG&E substation: why not negotiate with PG&E and have them relocate or reconfigure the substation for “free?” In exchange, of course, for ballpark signage, luxury suites, dedicated seating areas (i.e. The PG&E Party Deck), etc.? Just a thought. By the way, any chance some of the $20 million (or other funds) go towards the Autumn Parkway project?
That would be nice solution. I hope the substation doesn’t become a torn in the side. It’d also be nice if Caltrain got onboard (no pun intended) and worked in some sponsorship. They run commercials for Giants’ games– hopefully the A’s will get the same treatment.
Caltrain needs to find enough money to continue to run actual trains. It’s hard to see them being a big-time sponsor anytime soon.
It is the cities responsibility to handle the PG&E land and substation. I believe signage, luxury suites, etc. is be the teams’ area. So your suggestion would be a great deal for the city, not so much for the A’s.
If this San Jose fanbase is ready to explode, I’d say they should start going to games in Oakland!
What’s in it for them to go to Oakland? Staying home and playing MLB The Show is likely a better strategy for them if they want to really get a major league team.
Very cute.
I think reaction to the A’s in San Jose so far has been reserved because there are so many hurdles to climb before it can actually happen. You don’t schedule the parade until the championship game is won…
San Jose support for an MLB team downtown will explode for reasons which have nothing to do with baseball. For a large city with an inferiority complex and relatively poor national name recognition, nothing will say to the world “we’ve arrived” like having an MLB team. It’s the flip side of the same dynamic making this issue so emotional for some Oaklanders. People who don’t give two s— s about baseball will still be going to games. If they only build 32,000 seats, I see little problem selling the place out for at least a decade.