Stadium news from all over.
- For some reason there are lots of empty seats, even sections, at World Cup matches. It may be a distribution problem. Or no-shows.
- Dave Newhouse reminisces about the Coliseum’s birth. Frank Deford’s piece from 40 years ago is more comprehensive.
- SJ Mayor Chuck Reed is encouraged by the Santa Clara measure victory while Roger Noll considers trading the East Bay for the South Bay a wash (I agree).
- The Merc’s editorial page continues its outlook of cautious optimism.
- Worried about TV blackouts – in New York, no less – the Jets have cut some PSL prices.
- Speaking of the Meadowlands, online adultery site AshleyMadison.com is offering $25 million for five years of naming rights for the new stadium. The company has been engaging in various kinds of publicity seeking activities recently, and this is obviously one of them.
- With all of the big sports events happening over a the last month (World Cup, NBA/NHL finals), it may have been easy to overlook the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman fight held at Yankee Stadium two Saturdays ago. The ring alignment was unusual as it was tucked into the rightfield corner, preserving the infield. The fight itself was also one of the better matches of the year so far, with a wholly unusual ending.
- In case you’re wondering, the Coliseum is the worst ballpark in the bigs for home runs at exactly 1 HR per game. MLB ballparks usually average 2 HR/game. It doesn’t help that the A’s are 13th in the AL in the category.
- 6/15: Ann Killion has an Inside Baseball article for SI.com. It attacks A’s ownership and praises the 49ers even though they are at different stages and have different business models. It also doesn’t provide a hint of a solution, though you could go with the “If only they hadn’t alienated/victimized Oakland angle.” Astute analysis? I think not.
- 6/15: Dave Newhouse hails his old boss at the Trib, George Ross, who helped foster the sports scene in Oakland. Interestingly, they have different stances on the A’s moving south:
Because Ross worked aggressively to get the A’s, is he upset by the idea of their moving?
“Professionally, no,” he said. “Because when they built the Coliseum (in 1966), they didn’t built it for either occupant. Al Davis prevailed on them to convert it for his needs, and baseball is less at home there than it should be.
“If the team moves and stays in the Bay Area — in Contra Costa County, Fremont or San Jose — it will still be part of the Oakland-area sports (scene).”
This is one time I must disagree with the brainy boss who hired me in 1964. The A’s must remain in Oakland, which should make sure that they get first priority on a new place to play over the Raiders, who were rewarded with a renovated Coliseum, at the A’s expense, upon returning to Oakland in 1995.
The Raiders left town; the A’s didn’t — not yet. Make sure they don’t, Oakland.
The difference between the two men appears to be a matter of influence. George Ross could exercise it in a fledgling market with a still influential paper, Newhouse is basically left to plead for action while to some unknown hero while writing for the same paper, which 40 years later is a watered down version of its former self.
On a side note, it is a treat to be able to watch WC matches while I’m eating breakfast every morning. Then I can watch American sports in the evening. Totally rad.
newballpark.org 
I think the A’s mediocre offense has as much to do with the lack of HR’s than anything else.
Pingback: Tweets that mention Odds and ends for June 13 - -- Topsy.com
one more thing thats been bugging me…whats with the topsy.com spam?
Every time there’s a post there’s an associated Twitter update. Topsy does a pingback based on Twitter updates. No big deal.
Stand For San Francisco claims that a “ballpark would drain dollars from city services such as parks and libraries.” Can you say intellectual dishonesty? By the way, what the hell are they going to sue over?! And why is the $74 million for already planned infrastructure improvements/land acquisition costs still be thrown out as a direct public subsidy for the ballpark?! RDA funds can’t be used for city services, parks and libraries!!
A ballpark deal in San Jose would be almost exactly the same as the SF deal for then-Pac Bell Park and a better deal than what Santa Clara is getting for the Niners. By the way, somebody should investigate Stand For San Francisco attorney Todd Smith: is he a Giants season-ticket holder and/or does he regularly attend games at AT&T Park?
TonyD: Clearly, the only solution for San Francisco is to close down and demolish Phonebooth Park immediately. It is taking away from schools, library’s and hospitals. Giants can trade for Roy Oswalt and have him bring his bulldozer.
If the A’s move to SJ, I’m not going to a damn Giants game instead. That’s ridiculous. I think casual east bay fans are already going to the Giants games.
I think everyone by and large is going to Giants games, and frankly that’s what is driving the Giants. Greed. They have the market largely cornered even though they’re supposed to be sharing it. And they want to keep it that way.
Here is one of the worst columns I’ve ever seen from Ann Killion (and that is saying a lot).
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ann_killion/06/15/oakland.stadium/index.html?eref=sircrc
This thing reads like something I would expect from someone from the east coast who took a casual look at the situation out here and spewed out some garbage to make a deadline. Killion, I assume, is still in this area, and should be more informed than this. Instead, we get the usual ‘fear the Mighty Neukom’ and ‘Lew Wolff hates A’s fans, babies, and puppies’ garbage.
As Ann Killion put it, “The A’s aren’t just losing their existing fan base and tradition, they’ve lost an entire Bay Area generation, who think that fun-plus-baseball means going to a Giants game.” Time is of the essence here and Wolff cant see that. The Giants are like Bill Walsh at the end of that Super Bowl XVI contest against the Bengals, they let the Bengals complete easy passes over the middle and then tackled them immediately, and by the time the Bengals scored they had used too much of the clock and couldnt possibly win. The Giants are going to file lawsuits and create problems so that the A’s even with a ballot measure and land and SJ city officials in their pocket are finally breaking ground in 2016 or worse and when they get there, they will have been clearly and obviously made a very permanent second class citizen way down in the southern most corner of the bay area. Good luck with that.
@Jesse,
Giants are going to file lawsuits? Giving credence to the now pathetic Ann Killion? You should quit while you’re way behind Jesse, because you’re sounding more ridiculous with every post.
Hey doctorK, why is it a bad column by Ann Killion? Because you don’t agree her and the truth? It’s a rather great article by Ann. She nailed it. Not hacking for the Mercury News and having to tow the company line, she can express herself without incident.
@jk-usa–she nailed it? she is about the only person around here other than the pro-Oakland folks who won’t admit that the fan base is Silicon Valley–not only corporations but the fan base–isn’t this the gints point also in fighting territorial rights–that’s why AK article is a joke–she knows the area better but is trying to create a perception that wasn’t even true 20 years ago
Around here. You said it. This is a pro-San Jose site that’s for sure. I’m one of the few pro-Oakland guys on here. The others got ran off.
There’s a corporate base that’s for sure in Silicon Valley, but a fan base? Maybe a Giant’s fan base, but not too many for my beloved eastbay boys. San Jose can’t even support their county fair.
I can’t wait till the blue ribbon committee decides Oaktown is the answer. Then what will you guys do?
Would you commit to tickets like I will?
Already committed to tickets jk-and have been since 2008—because I’m an A’s fan and not an Oakland or San Jose fan. So what will you do when territorial rights are taken care of and the A’s build in SJ—oh—thats right your an Oakland fan not an A’s fan…put your money where your mouth is and pony up for season tix right now–the A’s are in Oakland after all—
comparing a county fair to MLB is pretty much drawing from the bottom of the barrell—although probably an accurate comparison for MLB in Oakland. Already been shown that Silicon Valley is pretty evenly split A’s and gints fans…has nothing to do with this site—’49ers are choosing Silicon Valley because its where the bulk of their fans are…more than likely the Raiders will follow….gints claim its the “heart” of their fan base….all facts that AK should have and could have pointed out…
I’ve been going to A’s games since 1971, when I was 9 years old. Have bought season tix (w/family) packages for a chunk of those years averaging from 15-40 games a year.
As for football, the area of the stadium isn’t that important as compared to baseball. Only playing once a week, usually on a Sunday, draws people from all over. It’s those weekday games in April and October, when the weather’s lousy, your team’s lousy and the KC Royals are in town.
jk-usa–when you challenge others as to whether or not they will buy season tix if Oakland is the new location than you should at least be a current season tix holder—the team is in Oakland now and your not even supporting them….but of course you will support them in the future….fans like you are a dime a dozen—–quit puffing your chest out–its full of hot air—
Holy Moly GoA’s did you even read his post?
“jk-usa(Quote)
I’ve been going to A’s games since 1971, when I was 9 years old. Have bought season tix (w/family) packages for a chunk of those years averaging from 15-40 games a year.”
he obviously commits to as many games as he can. i doubt there are many people here that can commit to the full 81 (myself included) we have jobs, families, friends, lives to lead ect ect.
Thank you A’sObserver. I don’t think GoA’s read my post. Oh well. Sounds like he doesn’t like me. No loss there.
I try to see as many games as I can, but work and family takes precedence over baseball. If more people like me saw 20-30 games a year, that would really add up. When the Giants opened up Pacbell, they sold many season tix packages, split 3,4 and 5 ways among friends. That’s what I would do if they build a new yard in Oakland.
The comment thread becomes a huge fail when people start attacking each other’s fandom.
ML–completely agree and I apologize–but when someone calls out someone else as jk-usa did with this comment “I can’t wait till the blue ribbon committee decides Oaktown is the answer. Then what will you guys do?..Would you commit to tickets like I will?” than gotta push back–with that I am done—
For those who are interested, here are some design renderings of the Coliseum from the early 1960’s:
During the Expansion Era, it must’ve been exciting speculating which team the East bay might’ve grabbed. If the stars might’ve alligned differently, we might all be Senators/Rangers fans had they set up shop at 7000 Colisuem Way.
ML and GoA’s , I’m done on the topic at hand too.
Marine Layer:
The Deford article is fantastic, once you condition yourself to reading the word ‘negro’. I’m 51 so he’s commenting on the world I observed growing up in Livermore and visiting the Coliseum and Oakland and becoming a sports fan around age 10. I know you have no love for Newhouse, who is letting his sentiment get the better of him at age 65+. I’m not so far away from that age so I can understand. I once had a card given out in the right field bleachers in 1969 making me a member in good standing of ‘Reggie’s Regiment’. Those memories sometmes blur reality; after all, San Jose is just another 30-45 (or 60) minutes away. No need for biterness, right?
I know that your generation rarely loses sight of the hard reality Deford writes of; that stadiums are money machines wrapped in insincere boosterism, rather than the civic badge of honor they are billed as. But as your site becomes less about the A’s and more ‘all San Jose all the time’ and ‘the daily Oakland/Newhouse beatdown’ I wonder which town has the ‘complex’ now.
@craiger – People often make the mistake of characterizing this blog as some kind of San Jose or South Bay advocacy group. It’s not. I haven’t advocated for the 49ers’ plans, and I’ve always been quick to criticize their viability. If an A’s ballpark deal were structured similarly to what the Niners are trying to accomplish in Santa Clara, I’d be fully against it. Just to be clear, it’s not a matter of pulling for one city over another. It starts first and foremost with following the news cycle. Unfortunately for Oakland, almost all of the news over the past year has come out of the South Bay.
As for Newhouse, I think he has been a very good columnist for many years in the Bay Area. My criticism of him stems from what I sense is a bit of him being an intellectual one-note on this. He seems to go to the same buttons: Haas family, O29, owners disrespecting Oakland. I’m disappointed that there’s such a lack of fresh thinking, the kind of ingenuity that made the Coliseum possible in the first place. It’s ironic to look back upon that kind of forward thinking yet not wonder where it’ll come from next.
ML, I do enjoy this site overall. You put a lot of hard work into it, covering in detail the many issues at hand. But the comments section is 99% SJ cheerleaders, ripping any poster or columnist who differs with their point of view. I feel like an outcast in here.
Just because people are Pro-SJ doesn’t mean they are Anti-Oakland. I think a majority of people just want the A’s to have a better income so that they can raise payroll and compete without as many of these silly stretches of rebuilding years, AND to do so in the Bay Area.
Where would I prefer them to play? Well, selfishly, I’d love for them to be in Fremont, since that’s where I live and it would be a breeze to attend more games. San Jose or Oakland would be good if it was near a downtown area that I could visit before or after the game. What San Jose has that Oakland doesn’t is a larger number of potential corporate sponsors.
What do I see though? Very little other than lip service from Oakland, and Fremont, despite their city council’s willingness, was probably never really a serious target. The San Jose city council is the only group that is actually visibly moving forward, so it’s easy to appear pro-SJ since they’re helping my team. Whether or not the Oakland city council is moving forward behind the scenes, there isn’t anything publicly showing so there isn’t any pull on my heart in that direction.
Marine Layer:
Thanks for the response to my comment of yesterday. I agree with LoneStranger that keeping the A’s within driving distance of all of us and helping them get the kind of ballpark piggy bank they need to compete without turning it into a corporate welfare scam comes before any East Bay/South Bay rivalry. I also agree that Oakland dug their grave as the home of the A’s when Mt. Davis went up. I don’t expect those guys to suddenly become smart enough to get anything done now.
I just hope we can all recognize that it’s hard to get those fond memories out of our heads. Even for professional sportswriters. We East Bay types can’t help but lament a future without the word ‘Oakland’ in the standings, even though Deford taught us, dreamy suburbanites and hard luck urbanites alike, long ago that we’re always being played for saps by the likes of William Knowland or Bud Selig’s frat brother, Lew Wolff. I just guess I don’t want San Jose to repeat Oakland’s mistake. Or, frankly, to ‘rub it in’ when the inevitable move happens.
On the Oakland front:
.
I have been a contributor here for a while now (no articles recently thanks to a new job that is a time sucker) and I have written about Oakland a bunch. ML and I collaborated on site reviews, going so far as creating stadium mock ups to give a vision of what a stadium in Oakland might look like (something Oakland, Let’s Go Oakland, baseballoakland, etc. have not done). I have also contacted people within and around Oakland City Government (I have exchanged emails, voicemails and brief phone conversations with Jane Brunner for example) to try and find the story that isn’t being portrayed in the local media news cycle. I have come to one conclusion:
.
There isn’t a story.
Not a substantive one.
.
I understand that some of these folks won’t want to talk to me, a faux reporter (it’s not like ML and I are Woodward and Bernstein), on the record about the plan. Some have shared things, but nothing I am comfortable writing about because I can’t validate any of it.
.
Oakland has made a conscious decision to not do what San Jose is doing. By that I mean, they have decided to keep whatever process they are using to get a stadium project rolling out of the public eye. Is that good or bad? For our site, and A’s fans, it is bad/frustrating. For the City? Who knows until a decision from MLB comes down.
.
Anyway, I may be too young to have been in Reggie’s Regiment, but I too have scads of amazing memories at the Coliseum. No matter what the outcome, I will miss the Coliseum (I already miss it’s pre1996 form and have for a loooooong time) where ever the A’s play next. I won’t, however, miss Oakland, because I spend more of my free time in Oakland than any other Bay Area city and that will most likely continue A’s or not (depending on how many games I can actually afford to watch in a San Jose stadium, should that happen). I, by far, prefer Oakland and San Jose to San Francisco.
OT: Anyone has any comment on the expansion of the Pac-10? Do you think Utah and Colorado would be good fits?
I’d say from a competition and business perspective the Pac-10 planned on doing better. Colorado was a strategic target and Utah was plan B, on both counts.
.
Colorado comes from a goodish conference, Utah from a conference with some bottom of the barrel schools.
.
I think the Pac-10 added a nice media market in Colorado (Denver). Utah appears to have been a fall back in the event they couldn’t add some Texas schools and the Dallas media market.
I would’ve preferred them snagging the Big 12 South (minus Baylor). That would’ve created a domino effect that I feel would create 4 super conferences, 16 teams each. That structure could be better suited for an eventual playoff system. I’m all for a system that:
– Allows conferences to get as much TV money as possible, yet…
– Gets rid of needless conference championship games
– Replaces the 16 of the 30+ bowl games with a playoff system
– Has allowances for 1 or 2 highly-ranked at large teams every year
– Allows for “eliminated” teams to participate in consolation bowls