Monthly Archives: April 2011

04.21.11
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A’s and Dodgers could be tangled up after all

The McCourt-Dodgers meltdown could have an unusual and for-now unmeasurable impact on the A’s depending on one decision: Who will be brought in to oversee the team now that MLB has seized it? According to ESPNLA’s Tony Jackson, the shortlist has three candidates:

  • Stan Kasten, former Nats president
  • John McHale, Jr., executive VP within MLB
  • Corey Busch, frequent MLB committee member and former team exec

Yes, that’s the same Corey Busch who’s on the A’s stadium panel with Irwin Raij and Bob Starkey. Busch has been all over the West Coast with his baseball involvement, including a key role in the ownership transition between Fox and the McCourts. Supposedly Busch was to stay on after the transition to become the Dodgers’ team president, but the job was offered to then-Red Sox front office man Mike Dee. Dee declined the position, got a raise, and eventually moved on to the Miami Dolphins in 2009. In 2005, Jamie McCourt became team president and executive VP. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was around the time the downward debt spiral began in earnest.

The commissioner’s appointee will have the tough task of sorting out the huge mess the McCourts made. Unlike Oakland, there will be no stadium study. Instead, it’ll be an effort to determine what abuses were made and what the team’s real fiscal health is. That’s important, because MLB will want to get as high a price as possible for the team once it finalizes its seizure. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Raij (law) and Starkey (accounting) brought in soon.

Problem is that the whole rigamarole would take at least a year, probably two. The McCourts’ divorce proceedings are in recess and aren’t scheduled to begin again until next year. Meanwhile, Frank McCourt is considering a lawsuit or injunction against MLB. That would be interesting since as we all know that teams (and owners) are prevented from suing each other or MLB thanks to the covenant known as the ML Constitution. If McCourt sues and a judge decides to allow his lawsuit to move forward instead of dismissing it early, the action would effectively challenge both the commissioner and baseball’s antitrust exemption together in one fell swoop. Which would be, well, is it 2012 yet?

The best thing for Frank McCourt would be to see the writing on the wall, take his lumps, and give up the Dodgers. That would speed everything else up.

Short term, what does this mean for the A’s? It could be interpreted as two possibilities. Either the panel is done with its work, or Selig has seen fit to put the A’s on the backburner while the Dodgers mess is cleaned up. Or both. The crazy thing about this is that the whole strategy about keeping the A’s and Rays in limbo for the upcoming CBA talks has been pretty much blown out of the water thanks to the much scarier impact of the Mets’ and Dodgers’ woes. Neither of those will get fixed before the next CBA is ratified. So, Bud, how about getting the “easy” stuff out of the way first?

More good reading: Dodger Divorce, Biz of Baseball, Forbes

04.21.11
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Isaac and Suke talk Dodgers-A’s-Wolff

Cue the conspiracy theories. Unsubstantiated reports have Bud Selig giving Lew Wolff right of first refusal on bidding for the Dodgers when it comes up for sale. Strange. Apparently this is all because Wolff lives there. Guess what? Brewers owner Mark Attanasio lives in LA, why not him? Discuss.

Update 2:30 PM – Right on cue, here’s a response from Wolff via Joe “Quicktweet” Stiglich (thanks Different James):

Lew Wolff, on being mentioned as potential buyer if Dodgers go for sale: “I’m only interested in the A’s — and getting above .500.”

More from Bill Shaikin:

Although Bud Selig’s takeover of the Dodgers on Wednesday could lead to a sale, Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff said Thursday he would not be a buyer.

“I’m not interested in the Dodgers,” Wolff said.

…

“My focus is deep into getting us a new venue for the A’s,” Wolff said. “That’s where my long term is.”

04.21.11
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Amick: Sacramento may get reprieve after all

Turns out the rosy numbers expected to save the Maloofs may not be materializing as they hoped, according to NBA writer Sam Amick. Hesitance on commissioner David Stern’s part (and the owners’) ostensibly rests on three issues:

  • TV money isn’t as impressive as it could be. A new $20 million/year contract not with Fox Sports, but rather Henry Samueli-owned KDOC, is more than the $11 million/year the Kings are getting from CSNCA, but perhaps they could be getting more considering how large the SoCal market is.
  • Stern and the owners are concerned about the nature of the relationship between the Maloofs and Samueli. Are they spooked about the spectre of massive debt in light of what’s happening with the Dodgers? Is this about setting a precedent, or not wanting an outside bidder to have too much control over the process?
  • Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson claimed he had $7 million in corporate commitments. Amick poses this as a, “Why couldn’t the Maloofs get this?” problem though frankly, we don’t know enough to make a judgment. Is that $7 million for a new downtown arena? An updated ARCO? What does it represent?

The key indicator may be that the Kings’ ticket office is getting instructions to start selling season tickets again. Short term, it would allow Sacramento to keep the team for at least another year while it continues to work on an arena plan. Yet again, that’s what it comes down to. Unless there’s a city/voter-approved plan, all of this is delay, not solution. The most recent NBA arena project, Amway Center in Orlando, required $50 million in cash upfront from the Magic. Shouldn’t that at least be the starting point for the Kings in Sacramento?

Translating that to San Jose, this raises some question as to whether a second NBA team could work in the Bay Area. There’s no way a second NBA team will get $20 million in local TV rights, probably much less. Keep in mind that such a team would probably end up at CSNCA, whether or not the Kings were still in Sacramento. Stern’s goal is ostensibly to get a moving team on a much better economic footing, not a marginally better one.

04.20.11
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The $131 million bargain

An announced crowd of 22,197 braved near-freezing temperatures to catch the inaugural game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, new home of the College World Series. The 24,505-seat stadium, which also serves as the home for the Creighton University Blue Jays, fared well despite the dreary skies.

TD Ameritrade Park’s first game between U. of Nebraska and Creighton U. on April 19, 2011. Image courtesy of White and Blue Review

Designed to be easily (not sure exactly how) expanded to 35,000 seats, TD Ameritrade Park was built for a mere $131 million. Compare that to a $400-450 million MLB park in either San Jose (36,000 seats) or Oakland (39,000), and there’s a $300 million discrepancy. TD Ameritrade Park looks like it could be a major league park at least on the surface. What, then, is the difference between this so-called “hybrid” park and a true major league stadium? Let’s take a look.

First, let’s start with what it has in common with most modern MLB parks.

  • Large upper deck – The upper deck wraps nearly from foul pole to foul pole
  • Wraparound concourse with views – The lower concourse provides unobstructed views around the entirety of the lower deck
  • Expansive outfield seating – Very similar to what’s offered at Kauffman Stadium and US Cellular Field
  • Wide seats (21″) with lots of leg room (36″)
  • Club seats – Most of the upper deck seats are of the club variety
  • Bullpens beyond the outfield seats
  • Large concourses, at least 30 feet wide
  • Large, modern press box – Important for covering multiple teams during the College World Series
  • Highly modern grass surface and drainage system

Sounds like everything a team would want aside from the total capacity, right? Not quite. Scratch the surface and you’ll soon see where much of that extra money goes. To illustrate this, I’ll compare TDAP with last year’s ballpark gem, 39,504-seat Target Field.

Event/Field level comparison between Target Field (left) and TD Ameritrade Park (right).

Event/Field level comparison between Target Field (left) and TD Ameritrade Park (right).

Last year’s review of Target Field did not include a tour, so I didn’t get to see the bowels of the place. However, schematics of every level were made available two years ago, so I made sure to download them for future comparisons like this one. On the left you can see the different kinds of color coding and walls built throughout the sunken event level. The red-orange area behind the plate is the Diamond Club. The adjacent gold areas are the team clubhouses. With only eight acres to accommodate the Twins, virtually every possible space was used and optimized. On the right is the buildout for TDAP. While it’s not as detailed as the other drawing, it’s a clear indicator that not nearly as much space has been built out down below. Perhaps as little as 50% of the available space underwent a buildout. As a result the clubhouses are much smaller. There is no club lounge behind the plate. The commissary is smaller. And it all makes sense. There’s no need for all of the luxury amenities at a place that’s meant to serve college baseball first and foremost. Or at least you’d like to think so.

Plenty of other differences pop up once you start looking around.

  • Fewer levels – TDAP has three levels plus the press box on top. Target has six levels and is much taller, which translates to more than double the amount of concrete and construction work.
  • The missing 8-15,000 seats – To properly add permanent seating, a third deck or significant expansion of the existing decks would be required. That means more concrete and structural steel, more $$$.
  • Scoreboard/Video board – The video board is just slightly larger than the new auxiliary board installed at Target Field over the winter, and one-third the size of the main board. The scoreboard is a refreshingly retro line score job, no frills.
  • Electronic signage – There is no ribbon board or other signage along the upper deck facing, which gives TDAP a very clean appearance.
  • Fewer amenities – No multiple clubs or restaurants, team stores, or team offices. The one club lounge is small compared to most at MLB parks.
  • Fewer suites – The 30 suites is fewer than what you’d see at a MLB facility. They’re also not quite as decked out as comparable suites.
  • Simplified circulation – No escalators and few elevators. That knocks off a few million in capital and maintenance costs right there. There isn’t even a complex network of ramps and stairs.
  • Little flex space – There’s no need to build additional space that could be used to rent out as Omaha has its arena (Qwest Center) and the adjacent convention center across the parking lot from the ballpark.

All the stuff listed above adds cost, and in a manner closer to exponential than proportional. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the price to play in the majors. It’s possible to design a ballpark so that it’s less complex, which is what 360 has been doing. Value engineering also comes into play, though at varying degrees and at different times depending on the budget situation. Could the A’s build a ballpark on the cheap? Sure. That said, once you start ratcheting down you get into dangerous territory. Wolff has already received criticism for downsizing the Earthquakes stadium vision. The last thing he’d want to do is recreate the experience of ARCO Arena, which was built on the cheap. The cheapness would become evident quickly, and it may have done the Kings in as a result. As the definition of a “major league” venue has only grown in cost and complexity over time, so has the gap between good enough and great.

For a level-by-level overview of TD Ameritrade Park, check out this interactive Flash graphic from the Omaha World-Herald.

04.20.11
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Dodgers now under MLB control

Brief, terse press release from Commissioner Selig today regarding the Dodgers.

“Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club. I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt’s ownership. I will announce the name of my representative in the next several days.

“The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future.”

The big clue that this was happening was that Selig rejected a $200 million loan and a new TV deal between Fox and the Dodgers. Fox sent McCourt a smaller $30 million loan last week just to cover payroll, which may have been the last straw. The last thing Selig and the other owners want to see is for the Dodgers to hit such a debt level that it negatively affects bidding on the team. This didn’t hurt the Rangers when Tom Hicks put the team in a similar position, but still, at some point enough is enough. Apart from the messy process of legally extricating the Dodgers from the McCourts, the team is still one of the most valuable in baseball and should attract numerous bidders, none of whom are likely to be Lew Wolff.

04.20.11
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A’s, City of Phoenix agree to extend Spring Training lease, improvements

The Arizona Republic is reporting that the City of Phoenix City Council is set to improvement a lease extension for the A’s at Phoenix Municipal Stadium and Papago Park. The lease will run $425,000 per year to the A’s through 2025. They’ll also pay $50,000 per year into a capital improvements account. Most of the improvements would be at the Papago Park training facility, not Muni.

(A’s director of minor league operations Ted) Polakowski said the improvements are needed not so much at the stadium, which will require ongoing maintenance, but at the training facility. The team is outgrowing the current indoor space, he said, and the parking lot is getting tight. The A’s would like additional clubhouse space for its minor-league operations.

Maybe they’ll build Rich Harden a shed where he can stay during his eternal rehab, amirite?

Total cost of the improvements is slated to be in the $8-10 million range. That’s a far cry from the $30 million that Lew Wolff was looking for, and much, much less than the $100 million spent for the Salt River Fields project. From the sound of things, both Wolff and Phoenix were driven by new fiscal realities. Phoenix was willing to help, but it wasn’t going to make major sacrifices to do it. Wolff probably saw how Salt River’s opening sucked the life out of the competing complexes in the Cactus League, and figured that any really expensive improvements to Muni short of a brand new complex would’ve been futile. At least they don’t have to share.

The piece ends on this note:

Robert Johnson, a political consultant who helped in the campaign for the Cubs facility, said Phoenix should jump on the A’s offer.

“It makes a lot of sense,” he said.

The interim agreement contains language allowing either party to pull out of the agreement with two years’ notice, but Harman does not anticipate that becoming an issue.

“The A’s have been a great partner for us,” he said, “and they are committed to staying in Phoenix.”

In Oakland, someone’s ears are burning. BTW, it would cost $10 million just to fix all of the plumbing problems at the Coliseum.

The great news is that just like before, you’ll be able to fly into PHX in the morning, take the free shuttle and then light rail ($3.50 round trip) to Priest Drive and walk right in. It’s so convenient, one reader and frequent commenter here was able to do this and catch a game during a layover a month ago. How’s that for convenient?

04.19.11
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Isaac and Suke to take ballpark issue on today

Listening to the end of the Monty show, Isaac and Suke came on to tease that they were going to talak ballpark during some part of their 10-1 slot. Monty weighed as an Oakland-backer, saying that the team won’t be the same. Isaac talked about the difficult choices to be made about revenue for the future. Should be interesting, coming up.

Update 10:50 – Awesome call Jeffrey. BTW, still no Victory Court EIR.

Update 11:40 – I’ve liked the discussion so far. Isaac and Suke admittedly don’t know everything about the subject, but they’re giving everyone a shot to give their two cents. If they have people going with the crazy talk on the station’s Facebook page like “These guys are being paid by Wolff” they’re covering it well. It’s not an easy topic to cover and people tend to act more from emotion than pragmatism. Also – good call about the impact of redevelopment. It’s the lengthiest discussion on the radio about the A’s stadium issue ever, and I couldn’t be more pleased. Also, thanks for the plugs callers.

04.17.11
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Townsend on 95.7’s 1-4 PM slot

From Joe Stiglich:

Chris Townsend to host show on 95.7 Mon-Fri from 1-4 p.m. Don’t know rest of the station’s lineup yet. #Athletics

and Susan Slusser:

Chris Townsend will be starting a 1-4 p.m. daily show on SportsRadio 95.7 FM tomorrow. #Athletics

That leaves the morning open and puts Townsend in a very competitive slot. More local programming coming? We’ll see.

04.17.11
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San Jose City Council Session 4/28 Agenda

An agenda for the April 28 (9-12 AM) City Council Special Session was posted recently (PDF) at the City of San Jose website. The relevant stuff:

Note one of the focus items: HP Pavilion. Undoubtedly, the City and the Arena Authority are looking at what’s transpiring in both Sacramento and Anaheim and they’re using that information as a guide for a future NBA team pursuit, if/when the opportunity arises. Honda Center has more square footage than HP Pavilion due to having three concourses, but its footprint is slightly smaller than HP Pavilion (though there’s more room to expand in Anaheim). Should Anaheim get the green light for the Kings/Royals, the cost baseline will be set by the final, league-approved agreement between the team and arena operator.

Beyond that, the City Council is looking to approve the Draft Diridon Station Area Plan. The most recent version was released this month, so if you’re interested in the vision it’s worth a look. Keep in mind that this new transit hub vision isn’t going to get built until at least after the end of the next presidential term. With that in mind, the discussion is expected to be long-range, though there may also be some mention of the impacts of federal transportation funding cutbacks and $4-per-gallon gas.

There are a ton of interesting details in the plan, which if approved would be subject to a lengthy CEQA review.

  • The six-block area between the ballpark site and arena has a 130′ building height limit. That would make it higher than both the arena’s roof and probably higher than the light standards at the ballpark. The area remains small, but having 10-story buildings could make up for that somewhat. All of the development there would be commercial in nature.
  • The Central Zone, which includes the ballpark site and the six blocks between the ballpark and arena, would be slated for up to 140,000 square feet of retail, 1.14 million square feet of office space, 250 hotel rooms, and 920 spaces (all in garages).
  • Montgomery Street is the designated retail corridor and would be closed off to vehicular traffic for special events. Those scenes on Autumn Street outside HP Pavilion during Sharks games? They’ll be moved to Montgomery.
  • The only new venue-specific parking would be the garage north of HP Pavilion that was approved by the City last year. Additional mixed-use parking may be available should new office development occur in the industrial areas north and west of the arena. Total parking for both: 6,832 spaces, almost all of them in garages.
  • Residential development would be confined to the Southern Zone, south of Park Avenue.

It’s probable that much of this stuff won’t get built. The EIR process may dictate lower building heights, and the market for office space and retail may not warrant extensive building even a decade from now. Changes to the redevelopment may curb the scope of development in the area. Even so, city and community have been shaping this for the last three years and if San Jose is going to be less car-centric city, this is a huge step forward. That’s the point of defining a vision.

04.15.11
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The future of radio on 95.7

First, a couple of select quotes from around the industry. From the legendary Ben Fong-Torres:

“The A’s deserve a terrific radio signal to be on,” said Dwight Walker, VP and market manager for Entercom/SF. Weak reception “has diminished their exposure in the past.” He said “The Wolf” and baseball broadcasts are a good fit. “Baseball is the national pastime, and there’s no better place to put that than with America’s original music form, country.”

Before the A’s finalized their deal with KBWF, they needed a local station to air the Giants series and called on KFRC. “They needed the favor and we were happy to do it,” said Doug Harvill, Senior VP/market manager at CBS Radio.

KTRB is carrying on with a barebones staff and, now, without the A’s and Dito’s “Press Box,” which ended Friday. “We’re still programming the station,” said Barr, whose syndicated Sports Byline stable of talk shows fills many hours each day. “The station’s still in play. The A’s could still buy it. Maybe Entercom (which also owns KUFX, “KFOX,” which carries San Jose Sharks games) buys KTRB and puts the Sharks and the A’s on it.”

Next up, Inside Radio suggests that some of the programming could be provided by Sporting News Radio.

(Entercom) is looking to leverage a lot of the lessons it’s learned in Boston where sports WEEI (850) has been a dominant station for many years. WEEI VP of programming Jason Wolfe is working with consultant Rick Scott to develop the new San Francisco station’s line-up. They’ll also use network shows from Sporting News Radio.

My guess is that SNR will be used for the late night/overnight hours and weekends. It’s relatively cheap and a step up professionally from Sports Byline.

As mentioned as an update to the previous post, Sacramento’s Rob, Arnie and Sports Show will fill the 4-6 PM block. That’s important, because a lot of the time that programming will be preempted by A’s pre and postgame, plus games on the East Coast. This applies for the Sharks too. It’s a big deal because there won’t be a local host whose ego could be bruised by constant preemption, a la Damon Bruce.

The rest of the regular weekday lineup is up in the air. Surely some of the talent from Sports Byline wants in, especially Roxy Bernstein. Former KNBR host Larry Krueger, who is currently on Sirius satellite radio, might want a shot. I’m curious to see what Chris Townsend’s regular slot will be.

One thing we might see: one of the current local sports anchors on with a regular co-hosting gig. Here’s a list of current anchors on OTA and cable (CSN):

  • Larry Beil
  • Mike Shumann
  • Dennis O’Donnell
  • Kim Coyle
  • Raj Mathai
  • Laurence Scott
  • Mark Ibanez
  • Fred Inglis
  • Joe Fonzi
  • Greg Papa
  • Jim Kozimor
  • Mychael Urban

There’s also the possibility that some KNBR guys could jump ship such as Gary Radnich, who I believe is under contract at the moment. AN regulars have been calling into the Townsend’s show today. I could see AN radio as a weekly hour if it’s be done right. One thing you probably won’t hear: new A’s ballpark radio. I’m pretty sure that would be the most boring thing ever to disgrace the airwaves.

One side benefit of moving to FM is the availability of HD radio. Until now, the HD1 channel has carried the regular analog signal while HD2 had a Classic Country format. HD1 retains the normal FM feed. Anyone out there with a HD radio who can tell me what’s happening with the HD2 channel? Entercom could keep this as is or deploy different programming if they choose.

I’m geeking out right now. And on tax day, no less!