I ducked into a Starbucks in downtown San Jose on Thursday afternoon to finish the latest CBA Talk entry. While I was proofreading it (it happens every so often), a gentleman at the next table over caught a glance at my screen and asked me what I was blogging about. I explained to him what this site was and how long I’d been at it. He then introduced himself as Bill Bradley – not that Bill Bradley – the Bill Bradley who formerly labored as the sports editor for the Sacramento Bee. He just launched a sports news site, 27×7.com, only 10 days ago and he’s already quite prolific. Bradley was in town working the Sharks game, and while he’s based out of the Sacramento area, he has expansion plans in the works (the “27” stands for 27 markets). After he headed out to HP Pavilion, it got me thinking about the incredible amount of downsizing in the news industry. Whether it’s columnists getting cut and going cut-rate to cable networks, or entire content providers like AOL Fanhouse going practically belly-up, it’s a rough time to be in the sports news game. Good luck to Bill and all of the others out there, hopefully your hustling will be kept to a minimum. On to the news.
- Added 11:13 AM – The Merc’s Tracy Seipel reports that San Jose is racing against the clock, with a deadline to complete its work (sans vote) coming as early as March.
The ballpark plan in particular could become more difficult if Brown shuts down redevelopment. Last week, San Jose’s agency announced it was selling five parcels of land and using the proceeds to buy other properties within the ballpark site near the main rail station.
City officials said they’re pushing ahead with the plan to assure Major League Baseball they can complete the site regardless of state politics. Redevelopment chief Harry Mavrogenes said the sale of the agency’s parcels should be done by June 30.
State finance officials, however, said Tuesday that if the Legislature were to vote as early as March to disband the agencies, it could issue an order to halt all agency contracts immediately and not wait until the next fiscal year begins July 1.
Even if Mavrogenes beats the state’s deadline — and baseball officials agree that the Oakland A’s should be allowed to move south — voters would have to give permission for the city to use the downtown land for a ballpark. It’s an open question whether they’d be as inclined to bless a park if there were fewer limitations on how proceeds from agency land sales could be used.
Mayor Chuck Reed said the council will fight Brown’s proposal, which state finance officials say will return at least $1.9 billion annually to schools, cities, counties and special districts around the state beginning in 2013.
This paints a worst case scenario, but it shows how serious the redevelopment collapse is, and how its implications are far-reaching. Brown talked about turning off the tap for projects that weren’t already under contract. San Jose is definitely not there yet. Already, LA has allocated $883 million of its own RDA funds to projects in anticipation of a raid and shutdown. LA has also agreed to convert the current RDA into a city-run non-profit entity after the agency is officially disbanded (there is an allowance for a successor, though what form it would take is unclear). I suspect that Wolff has communicated the gravity of this situation to Selig. Will it matter to Selig and the owners?
- There are plenty of reasons to dislike Ignacio De La Fuente, such as his being a career machine politician. His DUI arrest on Christmas Day was not the result of a smart decision. That was followed by a lot of bile, people hoping IDLF would lose his job, people wishing the worst on him – mostly because he dared vote against the Oakland City Council’s $750k expenditure for the Victory Court EIR. Well, now he won’t be charged because of a “lack of evidence.” Officially, IDLF didn’t comment on the matter, but I imagine on the inside he was going, “How ya like me now, haterz!”
- Speaking of the Oakland City Council, Larry Reid was elected Council President. You may not remember that Reid proudly proclaimed that he’d stake his career on the Coliseum North plan. Thankfully for him, when that plan fizzled out Reid’s career was not irreparably damaged. If there’s a person on the City Council who can be described as the most gung-ho about Oakland’s pro sports franchises, it’s Reid. Having Reid lead the charge won’t make up for a loss in redevelopment funds. Can Reid deliver in other ways? We may find out in due course.
- Lew Wolff took time to shoot down rumors – made up out of whole cloth by Buster Olney – that he might be interested in buying the Dodgers from the legally challenged McCourts. The most interesting exchange regarding this non-news came from the Boston Globe:
“Lew was in touch with me as soon as he became aware of the rumor that started to circulate a few days ago to make sure that I knew there was nothing to it,” McCourt wrote in a text.
McCourt saw Wolff at the owners’ meetings in Phoenix and they discussed it again.
“I have no idea where this one originated,” said Wolff from his cell phone at the owners’ meetings. “It’s completely untrue. We’re right in the middle of trying to get the go-ahead from Commissioner Selig about moving our franchise to San Jose. That’s all I’m thinking about. The Dodgers have an owner.”
But we like our conspiracy theories, Lew! /s
- Union Pacific bought 160 acres of land at the north and south ends of NUMMI. Hope all the NIMBYs there like the prospect of a railyard in their backyard. Because if it’s an intermodal hub like in West Oakland, the potential health issues could create a volcano of outrage the size of which will make the ballpark hubbub look like a neighborhood bridge game. Note: South Fremont is home to large warehouse/light industrial area, which makes it prime for such an operation.
- The not final A’s promotional schedule is out. It includes bobblehead days for Rickey (4/30), MC Hammer (7/17) and Ray Fosse (8/13). Remember when the A’s also did collectable figurines for a spell? Did anyone like those?
- I expect to renew my Fielders Choice season ticket plan, though I will be moving to the Value Deck.
The rest of the CBA Talk series will be posted throughout the weekend.
newballpark.org 
Just out of curiosity, was this the Starbucks on the corner of Santa Clara and San Pedro?
“We’re right in the middle of trying to get the go-ahead from Commissioner Selig about moving our franchise to San Jose.” This wasn’t him saying it literally was it (since it was the owners meeting)? One can only hope….
One can definetely hope, but I wouldn’t read to much into it either. Wolff could be saying worse I guess.
R.M., is it possible for the City of SJ to get the land sales completed by March? Paperwork, legal work, etc. Just curious.
@SFP – Yes it was.
@ST – I wouldn’t read that much into it.
Feel free to delete my questions and replies. I simply asked because I live across the street from there and work at a bar on San Pedro square and would be interested in picking your brain over some beer and/or lunch on me next time you’re on the block. You have my email obviously. Feel free to drop me a line.
@SFP – Maybe sometime in the next week or so. I’ll be in touch.
re: Union Pacific bought 160 acres of land at the north and south ends of NUMMI. Hope all the NIMBYs there like the prospect of a railyard in their backyard. Because if it’s an intermodal hub like in West Oakland, the potential health issues could create a volcano of outrage the size of which will make the ballpark hubbub look like a neighborhood bridge game. Note: South Fremont is home to large warehouse/light industrial area, which makes it prime for such an operation.
…this is singing my song. NIMBYs acted like the A’s moving in was the worst possible thing that could ever happen, even though the ballpark would be used 80-85 days a year for four hours a day. Now they can see what else wants to move in instead. Can’t wait till someone proposes a few hundred condos for the Warm Springs site, clogging up traffic, generating garbage and crowding the schools 365 days a year.
Can any one of you say with a straight face that Fremont would be the best place for the A’s to compete with AT&T park and succeed with the Giants? Let’s be glad the Fremont experiment is over and concentrate on areas that the A’s can succeed, San Jose Didiron and/or Victory Ct.
Nothing ties a room together like an MC Hammer Bobble Head. I’m crossing my fingers that the Rev. Hammer will be on hand to bless us with the gift of song & dance. I wonder if they’ll be some promotional tie-in for Moneyball– though they’ll be in Anaheim on the premiere night.
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@ wha?: Fremont would be the best place for the A’s to compete with AT&T Park and succeed with the Giants. (Only you can’t see my face becuz dis iz the internetz.)
I wasn’t a big fan of the figurines, but it was funny to put manly Eck next to Zito, making Z look like a 15 year old boy.
@Tony D. – Sure, if the buyers are ready to go. That’s always been the problem with the City in dealing with developers, they’re always working on the developers’ schedules.
I’d like to this of it this way: as long as the A’s are playing at the Coliseum, they have the cheapest season ticket packages in baseball.
Here is a conspiracy theory for ya: Olney was passed that story by a member of Giant’s front office in an attempt to stave of the inevitable.
@wha?–Fremont would of been the worst place of all the areas to build. A suburban setting out in the middle of nowhere, with no real public trans. and a yuppy village around it. Horrible!! I prefer DT SJ than that, but want VC or anywhere in Oak over SJ of course. And the name of the team would of used Silicon Valley and/or Fremont in it . WTF??
The worst place for a ballpark is the current one- any of the 3 options would be a welcome improvement
Sort of OT but ML, did you listen to the Press Box this morning on Xtra Sports 860? Mayor Quan was on talking about Victory Court. Didn’t really bring anything new to the topic but the interview still had a few interesting tid bits. Maybe there’s a podcast out there.
@LeAndre – Afraid not. Can you synopsize?
Looks like LW plans on buying some of the available parcels in SJ according to an article in tomorrows Merc- also looks like 1/31 is deadline for bids- so timeframe may be picking up-
Unfortunatley I didn’t get to listen to the whole interview, just the tail end. From what I heard she said that the city of Oakland has been in talks with MLB for some time and the city wasn’t suppose to make that public. I’m assuming talks have stalled or something since she announced that on air. She also said she has met everytime line MLB has asked her ( which I find hard to believe). The rest was basically Oakland boosting…I really wish I heard the whole interview. The Press Box plays a lot of reruns so keep your ears peeled for that episode
A Fremont ballpark may be aesthetically lacking compared to downtown San Jose or Oakland, but it still would be a very good site from a business standpoint. If San Jose is not possible for whatever reason, then Fremont clearly would be the best remaining possible site for competing with the Giants.
Fremont is not much different than the Anaheim location, at which the Angels are wildly successful despite only a so-so building. I’m as big a fan of transit as they come, but the “no mass transit” thing is way overblown. Pac Commons would have Amtrak/ACE plus a shuttle to BART, and Warm Springs is within walking distance from BART. Fremont would have better or equal transit access than a number of other teams (the Angels, Brewers, Rangers, Reds, Tigers, Marlins and Rays come immediately to mind). While downtown locations and rail transit are both very nice to have, they are not essential to making the project work.
The Fremont-haters better get used to the idea, because If San Jose doesn’t fly I believe Fremont will come back to life. There simply isn’t going to be a privately-financed ballpark in Oakland (not even the sainted Dolich-Piccinini group were proposing this), so if Mr. Wolff gets a thumbs-down on SJ I believe he’ll be back at the table with the big-box Pac Commons Stores or the NUMMI people.
@bartleby–I think Fremont is dead. Too many Nimby’s, and it’s just too blah out there, no matter how you dress it up. 3 mile shuttle bus ride from Bart to bug box hell not so cool. Oakland’s gonna pull off a Hail Mary on this one. A 1 mile shuttle ride in a street car from Uptown to VC would be cool.
@jk – You continue to argue from emotion and not from logic. Consider:
– The overwhelming majority of A’s customers currently arrive by car, even though a BART station sits at the Coli’s doorstep.
– BART would be even less important in Fremont than it is at the Coli, since the primary target market (Silicon Valley premium seat buyers) is not served by BART anyway and won’t be for a long time.
– The “3 mile shuttle” thing would only apply to Pac Commons. East Bay folk put up with this already when they need to get to the airport, it won’t be that big a deal when going to a ball game. (Warm Springs, of course, would enjoy optimal BART access).
– There are NIMBYs everywhere. You think the big box stores howled when they were worried about their parking? Just wait until you actually try relocating Victory Court businesses.
– Anyway, my personal belief is that if Fremont had really been first choice and the A’s had no other option, they would have pressed on there regardless of the NIMBY’s. Lots of projects get built with NIMBY opposition. I think the A’s saw the “we’ve exhausted all possibilities in our territory” line as an opening to possibly grab the golden apple and build in SJ, and therefore threw in the towel earlier than they otherwise might have. If SJ fails, I think you’ll hear “circumstances have changed, so we’re re-examining the Fremont option.” (And in truth, the circumstances have changed).
– “Blah” is your personal opinion. While most fans might prefer a downtown location, in the end “shiny new state of the art stadium,” “perception of safer location” (whether true or not) and “surrounding entertainment center with options for before and after the game” will be enough. The vast majority of fans will simply be happy they don’t have to go to the Coli anymore.
– You still haven’t explained why Anaheim is so wildly successful, even though it is every bit as “blah” and transit challenged as Fremont (arguably more so) and benefits from none of the three factors listed above.
– In the end, the single biggest obstacle to building a ballpark, far more than NIMBYs or T-rights or anything else, is actually paying for it. NO ONE in the history of the A’s franchise has stepped forward and said they are willing to build a privately financed park in Oakland. The Dolich group didn’t, current ownership certainly won’t, and anyone else is pure speculation and fantasy. The economics just don’t pencil out. If SJ fails, the only realistic options are Fremont or floundering at the Coli with tiny crowds and sub-par teams until economic circumstances improve enough for some metro outside California to build a publicly-financed yard.