This is the letter I wrote to A’s P.R. man Bob Rose in light of Dale Tafoya being stripped of his media credentials:
Mr. Rose:
I write tonight in defense of Dale Tafoya and his exemplary podcast, Athletics After Dark. He and his team have done an excellent job covering the A’s with a different perspective, and at times greater depth, than is normally allowed on the radio or via the regular print media. It would be a shame if Tafoya were not granted the access he has been afforded previously, and I fear that his product would suffer as a result. To me this is important as the A’s (as you are well aware) have been historically media-starved. To hamper his work over an issue that does not appear to have much or anything to do with his professionalism seems counterproductive at best, spiteful at worst.
Moreover, I think this is a good opportunity to explain what the role of the internet and new media is in today’s coverage of pro sports teams. I had spent a few years during college working with a professional photographer who had a great working relationship with Debbie Gallas and her counterparts at the other teams in the Bay Area. Because of this experience I can say I have at least a cursory knowledge of how the press box works, and what kind of professionalism it requires. Going back to the internet – I had no foresight back then as to what it would really mean because things moved so fast. Six years ago I started out my blog with a focus on economics and business issues for the A’s and other area teams. Because of that off-field focus, I have never requested a media credential and I don’t intend to start anytime soon. Surely though, there is a place for Athletics After Dark, Athletics Nation, and other good outlets for Athletics fandom. The Cleveland Indians started an in-stadium social media presence last year and expanded it this year.
I write “fandom” because it means more than it used to. No longer does the fan have to rely on daily newspaper reports or even hourly radio updates. News, rumors, interviews, and other content meant to sate our appetites is ever more available and desired. That creates a situation where there could be breaches of professionalism, or at least perceived breaches thanks to less editorial control over instant outlets like Twitter. There can and should be a third way that can allow the new media to operate in a structured, professional manner. I don’t claim to have the answers for this. But I think this is a good time to start figuring it out. It’s not just for now, it’s for the next 5, 10, 20 years. Let’s find a way.
Rhamesis “Marine Layer” Muncada
ml@newballpark.org
new A’s ballpark blog
During the last homestand I spent one game hanging out with many AN regulars, including LoneStranger and emperor nobody. I mentioned that the frequently unused loge seats (suite level near the foul poles) would occasionally be used as auxiliary press seating for Raiders games. It was somewhat inconvenient from a logistics standpoint because someone in media relations would have to run copies of statistics and run them out there every quarter/half. For a blogger, who has this information on a laptop or app within seconds of a play occurring, there’s no need to kill more trees just to run out copies. That makes the loge, or an empty suite as the Cleveland Indians have afforded this year, a good spot for new media. I have a few ideas for this third way of accommodating new media:
- Pay for limited access. A nominal fee of $5-10 per game, per person. Essentially it’s a ticket with perks such as access to the press box but no assigned seating within. Access to players and coaches pre/post-game would have to be negotiable. The nominal fee is important as it buys the individual a license to say anything (within reason).
- To prevent just anyone from obtaining this access, applicants would have to provide some proof of prior journalistic work or a portfolio of existing relevant new media work.
- Wireless internet access is a must.
Personally, I’m glad I had my brief experience working in the regular media. For me, familiarity truly bred contempt, and I found the press box a rather toxic environment, one that threatened to kill my fandom. I think that’s one big reason to separate the regular media from bloggers and podcasters. Now, there may be instances where a blogger or podcaster is looking to cross over into the regular media, and that would have to be dealt with as it happens.
Thoughts?
newballpark.org 
I don’t mean to be lazy, but what did he say or do to have his credentials taken away?
Here’s the Twitter DM he sent me yesterday:
More at AN.
Jeez, watch out Monte Poole, Glenn Dickey, Lowell Cohn and Dave Newhouse for their rather harsh criticism of Lew Wolff.
Seems like the credential stripping would go a lot deeper than just criticizing Geren. And for one thread, can we leave Wolff out of this.
re: Jeez, watch out Monte Poole, Glenn Dickey, Lowell Cohn and Dave Newhouse for their rather harsh criticism of Lew Wolff.
…All East Bay or Frisco columnists, no? Have any of them proposed a funding mechanism for a new $500 million Oakland ballpark other than the “John Fisher is rich and should build the ballpark with his own money regardless of whether he’d make his money back or not” mechanism? Perhaps these guys should get their employers to band together and buy the A’s and build the ballpark with their own money. If a privately built ballpark in Oakland would be the profitable venture these guys seem to believe it is, then they should have no problem getting their employers to make this deal.
@ml
How much would it cost to wire the entire Oco for wireless internet? Many sports facilities seem to be going that route. The new media can buy tickets like other fans and negotiate texting access to the players/coaches. Leave the pressbox and the perks to TV and radio broadcasters and the “old guard” papers. If baseball is anything it’s tradition.
@Dan A. – The Coliseum is already wired. There might be an extra cost to add a router or beef up the existing connection.
@pjk – i didn’t know you felt that way… lol. Keep saying it!
I can pay for the door-mat, to the Manager’s Office @Victory Court.
tittle is i guess doing an audition for 95.7 as he’ll be guest host from 1-3 on wednesday.
Bad move by A’s pr. There’s no way they can realistically win this. It’s not like he’d just started to call out Geren recently. Beane didnt’ seem to have any issues doing his podcast. Unless it was Beane who gave the order to strip his creds. Odd.
It’s hard to give a strong opinion until we know exactly what Tafoya said. This action is certainly within the A’s right, it just doesn’t look good. I can’t imagine what would be said that would garner credentials being taken away, though.
@pjk We are designating columnists by region now?
Has anyone read whatever it is that got Dale booted? I tried to find something on his blog to no avail.
from what i’ve read it’s his criticism of geren and he and rose the guy who took away his press creditials were close friends. rather stupid move by the a’s brass if true. are they gonna take away the creditials of all media members especially those in the print media who thought geren was a horrible manager.
also with tafoya a blogger and not a “legit part” of the media as some would argue, maybe made it easier for the a’s to make such a move.
Jim Kozimor and Bodie Brazil are guest hosting today 1-3pm on 95.7, so Tittle isn’t the only one getting a chance to showcase his stuff.
tittle, kozimor and brazil can repalce rob, arnie, and jackson for all i care.
Like everyone on here, I don’t know what the hec happened, but it’s just adding up to more bad PR by the A’s, like the canceling of Spanish broadcasts, canceling Fanfest, holding the holiday parade in every city but Oakland, ownership bad mouthing the Coli, etc…The on field team is tough enough to watch, but the off-field crap ain’t helping matters.
It’s actually pretty easy to give a strong opinion on this one. Doesn’t matter what he said, as long as it related to the A’s and didn’t get personal. Tim Kawakami has absolutely smoked the Warriors, their coaching, their players, their front office, often all alone, and the Warriors would not dare dream of taking away his press credential. This is plain and simply a case of picking on the little guy. Wrong on every level, and completely unprofessional.
Does it help PR that the A’s offer the best ticket prices in baseball, opened back up the best seats in third deck for $12 with $6 value returned to the ticket for food and merchandise, free parking on Tuesdays, offering Beltre a killer contract, extended Cahill for the next four years and allow signs in right field that refer to the idiotic claims of “slumlord” and the owner being a liar? By the way, are his pants on fire too?
true about kawakami but there is a reason why he wasn’t on a show like chron live for around a year because he was a huge critic of sf and the gsw.
now it’s being announced that former niners cb and newly minted radio color analysts for the niners on knbr will now be a talent on 95.7 starting in aug?
Daveybaby: The A’s offer some tickets as low as $2, charge $100 less for a behind-the-dugout seat than the Giants, allow free parking some nights, allow anybody and everybody into ther stadium’s ritzy club section and have giveaways ranging from bobbleheads to calendars and hats. Yet, it’s the Giants who are the PR darlings of the Bay Area while Wolff and Fisher are demonized for not wanting to become paupers just so Oakland can have a free ballpark it doesn’t deserve. Go figure.
@daveybaby–the signs in the outfield are a very accurate portrayal of the A’s ownership. BTW, where is this billionaire Fisher guy?
JK: It’s probably just a matter of time before Wolff and Fischer throw in the towel and sell, beginning the process of the A’s leaving the Bay Area because no one will be interested in owning them under Oakland’s terms (“Buy the team and then give us a free $500 million ballpark because we’re entitled!”) But I guess San Antonio will be better than San Jose, right?
@pjk–i respectfully disagree. There will be interest in new local owners who will build a new yard in the “O”.
@Letsgoas – He is a newspaper columnist first and foremost. Anything else he does is just icing on the cake. And if a show like Chron live has little to know journalistic ethics (which I don’t agree with by the way), that would be a dumb move on their part. It’s not like any other columnist in the Bay Area was saying how incredible the Warriors were. It might have had a lot to do with the fact that he’s called out Rusty Simmons on more than one occasion on some of his source work. @Jk – Really? A VERY accurate portrayal? I’m not debating that, because that’s a whole ‘nother topic. I really just wonder if he gets credit for allowing the signage, since he got slammed hard for apparently banning the signs a year or so ago? It just seems to continue making the point that there is absolutely nothing Wolff can do, short of donating a $500 million stadium at Lake Merritt Bart station, to get the Pro-Oakland crowd to come around. Then why even try?
@jk “There will be interest in new local owners who will build a new yard in the “O”.”
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Because the East Bay is just crawling with billionaires who got to be billionaires by not caring whether their business ventures broke even or not.
@bartleby–oh man, you’re back to your Debbie Downer thing again!
Puccinini, Zimmer and theirgroup were worth over 1.2 bill back in 1999. Probably a lot more since Piccinini’s grocery empire has grown big time since then. Huge baseball fans, commited to the communnity and the eastbay. I’m hoping mayor Quan is talking on the sideliens with thetse guys. If BS were to shoot them down again, you know for sure the fix was always in for this franchise.
Sorry for all the spelling errors in last post. My new laptop has Internet Explorer and I have to manually check spelling rather than Firefox which highlights it as you’re going along. Gonna DL Firefox i think.
jk—ironic in that you consistently only present one group—and have notably dropped Dolich from the group—because of course he says a privately built ballpark cant be done in Oakland and is now advocating a shared stadium with the Raiders. Interesting enough its this same group who cites the Giants as the reason they were not allowed to purchase the A’s indicating that the giants are trying to get the entire bay area for themselves– always interesting how you fail to mention any of the relevant facts….
@jk Even if those guys were interested, I’m pretty sure they care whether they break even on an investment this size. Go back and do a careful, mathematical analysis of how much of AT&T Park was financed through premium seating and charter seat revenue, and then come back and tell me you think a VC park can be funded without that revenue stream (and with a level of competition the Giants did not face when they financed their ballpark).
wolff will be on with townsend wednesday.
I really hope Chris doesn’t pitch softballs on Wed. I don’t care for Wolff, but it is refreshing having an owner go on the radio to address the fans.
In the world of publicly subsidized ballparks both Oakland and San Jose are in no condition to do such a thing for the A’s or anyone.
With that said unless someone is willing to lose $$ building 12 miles away from the Giants the A’s are done in Oakland.
San Jose is the only logical place that has a downtown site, a city council willing to deal, and does not need major infrastructure changes to support traffic for a ballpark. This plus the corporate support is king in this day and age where public funds will no longer be used for a ballpark.
The phone is a two-way street. Oakland just can easily call Wolff anytime. Wolff had 7 sites in the East Bay looked and VC was considered the “least feasible” of all 7….tells you something right there.
Why would Wolff want to tangle with Selig and the Giants? He doesn’t want to and tried for years to get around this TR problem.
Now his back is against the wall as he did everything he could do. The recession changed things and cities went broke when property tax values dropped and residential market once so lucrative went way south.
The A’s are done in Oakland, accept it and pray San Jose comes through….If not it will be the Giants market alone for years to come…..Wait up! It is already their market!
@sid Thank you for you mystical display of all that is and will be. Oakland is done! San Jose has streets paved of gold! *yawn* Look, you have your opinion, that’s fine, but please spare us the absolutes. Perhaps our differences in opinion stem from the fact that you believe Wolff and I believe no none involved, be it Wolff, Oakland politicians or San Jose. At this point everyone seems to be screaming their agenda. Until then, I just hope the team keeps wearing the yellow jerseys.
@eb You don’t need to believe anyone involved; just look at the public information that’s out there. I assume you would agree that a big part of what’s paying the note on AT&T Park is corporate premium and charter seat money, right? And that there’s way more corporate money in Silicon Valley than in the East Bay? And that income is a big factor in underwriting a loan? (I mean, I know when I went in to the bank for a loan they asked me for pay stubs). Nevermind what Wolff or anyone else says, how could that be anything other than a monumental factor in getting a deal done in Oakland?
the talking points never end …
Talking points=facts…. Be great to see the Oakland only crowd post a few
@bartleby I understand the challenges in getting a stadium done in Oakland and I realize that San Jose has more wealth, which would be a boon to its cause. That being the case, it does not guarantee anything. Both sites have their own unique obstacles to deal with and even if the grass is greener on one side now that could change through any number of scenarios. In terms of taking the major players in this soap opera at their word, it does matter. In the case of Wolff and some Oakland politicians, I’m sorry but I don’t think Wolff has looked over every option in the East Bay AND I don’t think most Oakland politicians even care much about sports. While, yes, finance is the major hurdle in a new stadium the actual effort and personal agenda of those involved also counts.
I feel like I’m repeating myself, but what gets me is the weird chip on their shoulder some of the SJ first crowd has about Oakland. I fully understand wanting more for my city, as Oakland has been in SF’s shadow forever, but to almost gloat about Oakland being “done” as a major league city is plain mean spirited. There are generations now of families who have East Bay green and gold in their blood. It’s just the language that gets me I guess.
@goa’s Don’t mean to be political, but “Talking points=facts” reads like something I’d see on Fox news.
@eb- sounds like you watch Fox- I don’t- what gets me about the Oakland only crowd is the belief that they deserve the A’s and that LW and JF should invest to build a ballpark there evn though no one can provide any talking points or facts as to how it would get done- 15 years and counting since the Oakland politicos ruined the Coli and they still haven’t figured this out…..draw your own conclusions from that- and I will draw mine-
C’mon David, you’re a teacher, you’ve got to have stronger analytical (and math) skills than that. Instead of dismissing inconvenient facts as “talking points” when they come up, why don’t you tell us which of my premises you think is wrong, and why?
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I mean, I left out specific numbers on purpose because we can only take educated guesses on those. But I don’t believe any rational, objective person who’s been following this thing can take serious issue with the underlying points in my last post.
@eb I understand San Jose’s wealth doesn’t guarantee anything, mostly because of MLB’s bizarre politics. But at the end of the day the thing has to be paid for, so I think the absence of that wealth does guarantee it will not happen. Absence of the two funding sources which have paid for every ballpark built in the last sixty years (public funds and corporate premium seat money) pretty well spells doom for the project.
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“but I don’t think Wolff has looked over every option in the East Bay”
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What options do you think he’s missed? And I’m not talking about specific sites, because the merits of any site are moot if it’s too far from the target market. I’m talking about funding sources. Oakland is just too painful to get to for something like 80% of the target market for premium seats.
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“While, yes, finance is the major hurdle in a new stadium the actual effort and personal agenda of those involved also counts.”
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OK, but how can these things surmount the finance piece? Let’s say I walk into a bank looking for a $5 million loan, but I only earn $50K per year. The bank officer may have the best intentions, he may really want to help me out, he may donate generous amounts of his time talking to me, he may even stay up late nights scratching his head trying to think of a creative solution. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, that deal just is not going to happen.
“What options do you think he’s missed? And I’m not talking about specific sites, because the merits of any site are moot if it’s too far from the target market. I’m talking about funding sources. Oakland is just too painful to get to for something like 80% of the target market for premium seats.”
Truly, I have no specific answer. Funding sources aren’t something I would know off-hand. This isn’t my arena and, no disrespect, but do any of us on here know for sure what company or funding source is willing/able to do what. Educated guesses, yes, but in the end it is just brainstorming by fans who aren’t directly involved in the matter.
As for your analogy, it doesn’t work, in my opinion. Wolff and Fischer are in a weird position where even though they are going to be dependent on capital, they also are steering the ship and are able to follow any path they want based on their agenda. You seem to think companies in the Bay Area won’t invest in an Oakland team, if they aren’t located in the East Bay. I disagree. There is nothing concrete that says they won’t. New stadiums are hip. Oakland is a young, urban, hip market. Lower in finances, but way higher on the “cool” factor than SF or SJ. I think it’s possible to woe over investors. Maybe I’m wrong or maybe you are, right now everything is blurred by fog.
Heh, woo not woe. I think that slip represents this whole situation.
Here’s Dale Tafoya’s recent podcast on ADD. His heartfelt message to his listeners: The Show Must Go On. It’s pretty interesting and just under 8 minutes.
http://athleticsafterdark.com/the-show-must-go-on
@eb “You seem to think companies in the Bay Area won’t invest in an Oakland team, if they aren’t located in the East Bay. I disagree.”
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Let’s be clear what we’re talking about when we say “invest” – we’re talking about committing, not just to go to an occasional game, but to buy VERY expensive club seat or suite tickets to all 81 home games, over a period of years. In practical terms, your premise is that Silicon Valley and San Francisco firms will ignore the very glamorous team that is an easy forty-five minutes or less away, and instead endure 90 minutes to two hours of traffic to get to Oakland, not just once in a while, but week in and week out. With all due respect, this defies common sense.
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“do any of us on here know for sure what company or funding source is willing/able to do what.”
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We can take a very educated guess simply by understanding who the target customer is, how they use the tickets, and where they are located. My company, based in Palo Alto, had Giants premium club tickets for many years. Pretty much every large law firm I have worked with (and large technology companies use large firms almost exclusively) in many different cities maintains club seats or suites at one or another local sporting venue for the purpose of “client development.” So what I’m saying is, I have some insight into this subject.
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Premium seat tickets are a favored client development tool for many reasons. Many companies maintain policies which strictly limit receipt of gifts from vendors, but are less stringent when it comes to “business entertainment.” At companies I have worked for, I could not accept a $50 set of cufflinks from an outside law firm. However, I could accept a $100 club seat ticket, dinner and drinks. And the law firm would rather do it that way anyway, because an evening out together does more to build a personal relationship than a mere gift ever could. But it’s not a great start to the “relationship building” to drag the client through two hours of hideous traffic.
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Another purpose companies to which companies put these tickets is employee rewards and team building. The common denominator for where employees live is where the office is. If you’re a Silicon Valley company, the largest proportion of your employees live somewhere up and down the Peninsula or South Bay. Again, you’re not going to commit to someplace that is terribly inconvenient for most of your employees (large numbers of whom are casual fans, at best).
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Bottom line: Most of the Bay Area target market (big companies, law firms, accounting firms, VCs and the like) are in San Francisco and/or Silicon Valley. So are most of their clients. The chance that significant numbers these firms choose long term commitments at Victory Court over AT&T Park is almost zero.
By the way, for those of you who think I’m some kind of elitist because I am speaking favorably about corporate premium seat holders, I’m not. I’m a family guy, and not about to spend $100 per ticket when I’m going to games on my own dime.
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However, I recognize the benefit these premium seat holders are conferring upon me: They’re basically subsidizing my sports spectating experience. If I’m sitting in the upper deck of a new ballpark, it’s not as great an experience as if I were behind home plate. However, it’s a hell of a lot better than if I’m sitting in a hideous rundown old dump of a ballpark with lousy sight lines. And I’m just as happy to have the subsidy come from big corporations rather than my taxes.
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It’s the same principle as when I’m lucky enough to find a great deal on airfare for my family to the East Coast. I recognize that if I’m lucky enough to get tickets for $250 per ticket sitting in coach, it’s possible only because of the people who are paying $1500 per ticket to sit in first class.
@bartleby So you are maintaining that the main obstacle in getting corporations to invest long term is the location of Oakland, the central most point of the Bay Area? It would seem if that is the only major hurdle it can be worked around. Does it prevent corporations from buying Warrior suites? The Giants outdrew the A’s in the mid and late 90’s at Candlestick and yet that place was a pain to get too, the Coliseum was the easier travel destination. Also, the Giants may seem like a “glamorous team” now as they have just come off a world series, but in reality, they have NO superstars besides Lincecum. Posey is a good player, but no superstar. The pixie dust around this team will fade as it does with all teams. Remember, before last year the Giants were not very appealing, aside form their park. If the right park is built, the Giants wouldn’t even have that edge. You may have some personal insight through your company, in terms of corporate sponsorship and the direction a company might decide to invest, but it really is purely anecdotal evidence.
I don’t think of you as an elitist by the way. I understand your reasoning, it just seems as if your mind is made up on the subject. Though to be fair mine might be as well. I really am trying to prevent my bias from tinting information, though it can be difficult.
@ML I’m assuming you’ve not heard a reply since there is no update. I can’t imagine they are going to ignore this issue, are they?
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Also, Tafoya has a new podcast with more info about what happened. He reads letter he got from A’s.
@eb “So you are maintaining that the main obstacle in getting corporations to invest long term is the location of Oakland, the central most point of the Bay Area?”
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Absolutely. The argument that Oakland is “centrally located” must be considered in context, and is ultimately a red herring.
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For the Warriors and Raiders, Oakland’s central location is an asset. For the Warriors, because they are the only game in town. For the Raiders, because collectively the two local NFL teams have a much more limited number of tickets they need to sell than for MLB, and also because NFL games are mostly played on Sundays when traffic is not a factor and when people are willing to drive further to get to games. For the A’s, Oakland’s supposed central location could be an asset if they were the only game in town, but of course they are not.
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Anyway, “central” has to be considered in terms of travel time rather than distance and in terms of the target market. In these regards, Oakland is NOT central. Due to commute patterns, the bridges, and the way local transit is set up, on weeknights (which is when most MLB games are played) Oakland takes twice as long or longer to get to than San Francisco for most of the Peninsula. Because you must travel over congested surface streets, it can take 30 to 45 minutes just to get from Page Mill Road (where a large concentration of big companies, law firms, accounting firms and the like are located) to the western end of the Dumbarton Bridge. As an A’s fan, I know this from many years of hard experience. You can dismiss my experience as “anecdotal,” to which I say come down here some time and try it yourself. This long experience is part of what leads me to say with absolute confidence: You’re not going to be able to persuade large numbers of Silicon Valley bigwigs to do this on a regular basis, particularly with the Giants so much more convenient.
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“It would seem if that is the only major hurdle it can be worked around.”
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On the contrary, it’s pretty much the only hurdle that CAN’T be worked around. There’s not a lot you can do about the traffic to the East Bay.
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“Does it prevent corporations from buying Warrior suites?”
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As I’ve said, the Warriors are a completely different animal because they are the only game in town. This means they can draw from San Francisco’s corporate base in a way that the A’s cannot.
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“The Giants outdrew the A’s in the mid and late 90′s at Candlestick and yet that place was a pain to get too, the Coliseum was the easier travel destination.”
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The Giants always had the bigger local fan base (as evidenced by TV ratings and merchandise sales), so when things were going good they could somewhat compensate for Candlestick’s poor location. Also, they weren’t selling premium seating at Candlestick. The target market for premium seating is different, the commitment being asked of them is different, their behavior is different. I believe even if Candlestick somehow had premium seating in those days, the access issues would have been a significant barrier to their sales efforts.
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“Also, the Giants may seem like a “glamorous team” now as they have just come off a world series,”
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I’m not saying “glamorous” because of the WS or any players. These are transitory things; I don’t really consider them. I’m saying “glamorous” because they play in the more glamorous city, and because they have always been first in the hearts of the Bay Area, for whatever reason.
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“You may have some personal insight through your company, in terms of corporate sponsorship and the direction a company might decide to invest, but it really is purely anecdotal evidence.”
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Some of what I’m saying is anecdotal, and some is not. You can validate for yourself where the preponderance of big companies and law firms in the Bay Area are located. It’s not easy to get hard numbers, but you can get a pretty good gist. One way is just looking where the commute hour traffic is going. The Mercury News published a study a few years ago that said the South Bay had more employees of large tech companies than the rest of the Bay Area combined. You can consider the location of the SLVG, which consists of several hundred very large, well known companies the vast majority of which have headquarters and/or major facilities in the South Bay. You can click your way through the AmLaw 100 list of the biggest lawfirms in the U.S. The vast majority of them have offices in both San Francisco and Silicon Valley; only a handful have offices in the East Bay. (This is very telling, because big law firms go where the clients are).
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As for the part of the my comments that is anecdotal, OK, it’s an opinion, but it’s an informed opinion. You need to consider which of my premises you would seriously question. Do you question my description of the target market and how they use the tickets? In which case, who do you think buys this stuff, and what do you think their motivations are? To give you another anecdote, when you walk around the suite level at AT&T, there are an awful lot of law firm names on the suites….
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“I don’t think of you as an elitist by the way.”
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Thank you for that. I appreciate your willingness to engage me on the substance of what I’m saying, rather than just waving your arms and saying “talking points” if I point out facts that you don’t like.
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“I understand your reasoning, it just seems as if your mind is made up on the subject.”
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I’ve lived in the Bay Area a long time, and feel I have a pretty good handle on where local companies and other premium seat customers are. And based on my understanding of baseball economics, I do believe the park can’t be built without those customers, and those customers cannot be lured to Oakland in significant numbers in competition with AT&T. So my opinion is pretty strong. Still, I’m a realist. If someone came up with hard data showing that the corporate market in the East Bay is bigger than I think, I would consider it.