Having a big laugh over certain reactions to a piece about the 49ers and A’s and their owners in the NY Times. The A’s part comes at the end, in which famed protester/fan Jorge Leon has his long awaited meeting with Lew Wolff – this time in a suite.
For many fans, the teams’ search for new homes has become intensely personal.
On May 9, Lew Wolff , the 74-year-old A’s owner who also owns the San Jose Earthquakes, invited Jorge Leon, a fan, and his friends to watch an A’s game in a luxury box at the Coliseum. Mr. Wolff wanted to explain to them why he was trying to move the team to San Jose. Mr. Leon had been ejected from a game three weeks earlier for holding up a sign that read “Lew Wolff lied, he never tried,” a dig at the owner’s public statements that he had exhausted all efforts to get a stadium deal in Oakland.
That night, the owner told Mr. Leon, a San Leandro lab technician who had “Oakland A’s” tattooed on the inside of his left forearm, that he had wanted to build a stadium in Oakland, but that the city could not come up with the land.
Mr. Leon and his friends talked with the A’s owner from the third inning on, at first hardly noticing that Dallas Braden was on his way to pitching a perfect game. Mr. Wolff left in the seventh inning, pulling on an Earthquakes jacket as he walked out of the suite.
Mr. Leon said he came away from the evening unconvinced by Mr. Wolff.
“I want the A’s to stay in Oakland,” he said. “They bring so much pride to the city.”
Baseball Oakland went on AN and decided to jump on Wolff’s departure from the suite as a sign the he’s not a real baseball fan. Field of Schemes’ Neil de Mause considered it a sign that Wolff is one of the worst owners in baseball. When called out on the idea that Wolff left the suite, not the game, de Mause tried to backpedal and cited a third/fourth-hand report that Wolff left to go to a Quakes game – a game that was actually played the night before.
Now, I’ve been in the owner’s suite twice. I’ve also talked to Wolff about how he likes to attend ballgames. The fact is that he doesn’t like being in the suite unless he has to be there. He only goes there to entertain guests. He shows up in the 2nd or 3rd inning and leaves in the 7th, bidding the guests adieu and allowing the guests (who are generally there to party, game being secondary) to finish eating the free food and drink. I distinctly remember yelling out the suite window at Sean Gallagher, cursing his inability to throw strikes. At the other end, Wolff looked at me and smiled, surprised. I guess he doesn’t see too many bleacher creatures up in the hermetically sealed confines.
Anyway, Wolff would much rather sit behind the A’s dugout, though at times he might be in the Diamond Level or linger behind those seats. He may also head down to the clubhouse if he chooses. The idea that people took a fairly innocuous set of events (leaving in the 7th, putting on the Quakes jacket, everyone not paying attention to the budding no-no) is simply rich. Is that what this has come to? Such is the blogosphere, I guess.
On a tangentially related note, I should mention that among the World Cup hoopla that the Quakes are playing an exhibition against Chivas USA at Raley Field tomorrow. Should I run with that as being a trial balloon to move the Quakes to Sactown? Naw, that would be irresponsible. Oops, I already wrote it.
newballpark.org 
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Nah the Quakes are just giving some love to part of their designated territory. It’s a nice move and it’s smart from a marketing perspective.
Personally don’t find alot of value in FS blog—tries to sensationalize everything and always operates the fine line of stretching the truth—definetely not “reporting” as he uses unsubstantiated information—what I find most interesting is he has yet to remove his erroneous information about LW even though it was pointed out to him that it was in fact in error—says something about him—
Relative to the Oakland individual hosted in the box–shows how you will never win an argument that is based on emotion and not logic—doubt LW expected to win him over but at minimum the dude should be appreciative of the time and expense extended to him-
Actually, I added a link to this item as soon as I received it – and will happily run a correction if someone finds evidence that Wolff left his suite but stayed at the game. (I already checked with the Times reporter – he says he wrote it that way because he couldn’t confirm it one way or the other either.)
@Neil deMause – The old saw goes, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”
The quote below is the only piece of the article that sticks out to me.
“That night, the owner told Mr. Leon, a San Leandro lab technician who had “Oakland A’s” tattooed on the inside of his left forearm, that he had wanted to build a stadium in Oakland, but that the city could not come up with the land.”
So: Jack London Square? Get to it Oakland.
Not really news. That’s been the issue in Oakland all along, they have no land selected and realistically no land purchased. Until Oakland coughs up not just land but good land they’ve got no chance of keeping the team.
ML you’ve been in the owners box TWICE. No wonder you want to defend him so much.
@Jesse – Obviously I got paid off by a bratwurst and a beer. If you really think I can be bought that easily you obviously have little or no respect for me or the blog. I think it says a lot more about you than me.
BTW, The second time I went there, I left in the 5th and stayed in the bleachers the rest of the game. Sometimes you do what you have to do to get a word with the man who holds the fate of your fandom in his hands.
From the Oakland Tribune, Inside Bay Area, support is growing for the A’s to relocate to San Jose.
“The group Pro Baseball for San Jose on Friday released results of a poll in which 79 percent of participants agreed luring the Oakland A’s would be a good investment for the city.”
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_15281714?source=rss
That survey doesn’t really explain how people will vote, but the writing seems to be on the wall unless Stand on San Jose can launch a strong counter-campaign. It’s funny that the co-ownership with the Mercury News requires the Tribune to print pro-San Jose pieces. If Hearst ever gives up on the Chronicle and sells to Singleton, the website will be Incest Bay Area even more than it is now.
BC,
Considering that the greatest example of sports-venue private financing, AT&T Park, is located 40 miles to our north and has been a rousing $uccess for SF, “Stand for San Jose”‘s lies would be a hard sell down here. I can see it now, “You mean to tell me what’s been a God-send for San Francisco would be God-awful for San Jose?!”
Well what kind of stuff do you guys talk about? What’s frustrating him, any misconceptions out there that he would like to dispel? I mean dang ML, I come here everyday to check for a new story and you’ve been holding this back. Why?
My “Tuesday with Lew” post covers much of that ground. Keep in mind that in Lew’s eyes I’m still a part of the media. Alternative, even advocacy, but still part of the media. So he’s pretty much going to tell me what he’s told much of the trad media. The “case folder” he has against Oakland? I’m not the only person who has seen it. It’s just that he’s not going to publish it and thus air all of the dirty laundry. It wouldn’t be productive.
When did Wolff stop compiling the contents of the folder on Oakland, 3 years ago, 4 years ago?
@jesse – Pretty much. The City hasn’t done anything significant since then. The newest study was paid for by Let’s Go Oakland, not the city.
It’s easier for people to cast themselves as victims by assigning blame to the so-called rich greedy capitalist instead of to the incompetent, arrogant public officials that these very same people elected. That way, they don’t have to take any personal responsibility for the problem at hand.
Hey guys! I sit in section 145 (the bleachers). Iam easily found there. Any questions and why Wolff didnt convince me go to my section and i would be happy to tell you. Have a great day everyone!
Jorge Leon
Keep The A’s in Oakland!!!
@Jorge Leon
Thanks for taking the time to come over here. Next time I’m at a game I’ll be sure to look you up. You obviously have a lot of passion and am very interested in what you have to say.
Yes, keep the A’s in Oakland – where they’re almost always at the bottom of attendance league-wide and there is little to no corporate support. But the good news is you can walk up to the Box Office on game day and get tickets when they’re in the World Series.
Easy there pjk…no need for snark. the last time the a’s were in the WS was in 1990…and all games were sold out. in fact the a’s drew 2.9 million fans that year…one of the best draws in baseball.