09.22.13
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Raiders unlikely to do Chargers 10/6 home game swap, could reschedule to Sunday Night or Monday

Word came yesterday that the Raiders and Chargers were probably not going to accommodate the A’s and MLB by facilitating a swap of divisional home games. The current schedule has the Chargers visiting Oakland on Sunday, October 6. That’s an off day during the planned ALDS, but the schedule is still tight because of the time required to do the baseball-to-football-to-baseball conversion.

october2013

American League 2013 Postseason Schedule

Complicating matters is the still TBD seeding of the postseason. If the A’s clinch either the #1 or #2, they’ll open with two games at home (unlike last year) on October 4 & 5. If they get the #3 seed or win the wild card playoff, they’d get Games 3 & 4 at home on October 7 & 8. Until that’s determined, the Raiders and the Coliseum are in a tough spot because they don’t know when they’d have to build in the football seats or tear them back down for baseball.

Apparently the Raiders can opt to play the game the night of October 6, which would allow for some extra time to do the baseball-to-football switch (bet on a daytime A’s slot to help), or a move to October 7, which would work only if the A’s got the #1 or #2 seed. If the A’s clinched a lower seed they could do what was done last week, where a Sunday afternoon Raiders game was immediately followed by the conversion in time for a Monday night A’s game.

The Raiders have been earnest about wanting to sellout the entire season in the new, smaller capacity Coliseum, so they must feel that a swap could jeopardize sales. It would be even worse for the Chargers, who’d have to figure out how many remaining tickets would have to be sold to ensure that there isn’t a blackout for the moved up game. The Chargers are somewhat dependent on Raider fans invading the stadium to get the sellout.

There’s a little flexibility for the NFL, and even though they don’t have to grant any since MLB and the Orioles didn’t do the Ravens any favors for Week 1, it’s nice to see that the Raiders can make some changes to make the switch relatively painless. The condition of the field will be another story, as is always the case in September and October.

09.21.13
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SewageGate, Autumnal Equinox Edition

The Bay Area was hit with a deluge of rain before the scheduled start of the Twins-A’s game today, causing flooding in the dugouts and the A’s coaches’ offices. I brought the snark as usual.

For a more straight news take, BANG’s Laurence Miedema has compiled a bunch of tweets that cover the story and reaction from all over the internet.

[View the story “More plumbing problems for the Oakland A’s” on Storify]

With that, let’s hope there are no more sewage catastrophes today, this weekend, and the rest of the season.

09.21.13
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MLB makes final filing for antitrust hearing, includes ML Constitution

Two weeks ago the City of San Jose made its final filing for the October 4 hearing. Now it’s baseball’s turn to file, making its own submission yesterday. Now that we’ve had the initial filings and the rebuttals, we can see how the two sides are formulating their arguments. Yesterday’s filing continues to assert the antitrust exemption over all, that the Piazza decision was flawed, that the City’s interpretation of the Flood case is too broad, and that MLB can take as much time as it likes to determine where the A’s should or shouldn’t relocate.

The big reveal was that a second document accompanied baseball’s reply brief: the MLB Constitution. PDF links are listed below:

In the City’s original complaint, it argued that MLB’s Constitution expired at the end of last year, which I thought preposterous. Baseball had to approve the Astros’ move to the American League, and some covenant had to reflect that. The new Constitution does show the new divisional arrangement, and continues to show the same territorial assignments as the previous one, with no change in language.

San Francisco Giants: City of San Francisco; and San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Marin Counties in California; provided, however, that with respect to all Major League Clubs, Santa Clara County in California shall also be included;

…

Oakland Athletics: Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in California;

If you’re wondering what the shared two-team market definitions look like, here’s an example:

Los Angeles Dodgers: Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in California; provided, however, that this territory shall be shared with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise in the American League;

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties in California; provided, however, that this territory shall be shared with the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in the National League;

Even if City’s tactic was simply to get the Constitution out in the open, it’s a good thing. It’s not like they were going to win or lose the case based on this.

One thing to consider is the three-fourths rule commonly cited when it comes to franchise relocation. 3/4ths of the owners (23) need to approve any franchise move, whether it’s 30 miles or 3,000. Just as important is that 3/4ths of the owners are needed to do any number of other changes:

  • Control person owner change (ex: Lew Wolff for the A’s, Larry Baer for the Giants)
  • Franchise termination – some may associate this with contraction
  • Expansion
  • Realignment
  • Revenue sharing changes for individual clubs

Keep in mind that the A’s future could include any or all of the above remedies. Sure, I’m referring to mostly extreme, batshit crazy possibilities, but at this stage, I suppose anything’s possible. If the pro-Oakland folks want to get a new ownership group in or depose Wolff, 3/4ths. Want to contract and expand the team a la the Expos/Nats? 3/4ths. Got a unique way of compensating the Giants for giving up the South Bay or the A’s for giving up the Bay Area altogether? 3/4ths. Commissioner Bud Selig’s is supposedly retiring, so it’s unlikely he’d take on such difficult machinations during his lame duck senioritis period. He took care of a bunch of to-dos like replay and an expanded drug testing program in the last year.

Chances are that Selig’s successor will inherit this mess. If there is some jockeying for the job instead of a Selig “appointment” it could be interesting to see if the A’s and Giants try to lobby for one individual over another.

09.20.13
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Olbermann and Justice give Wolff some good advice

Last night Keith Olbermann took Oakland and Alameda County to task over the continuing sewage problems at the Coliseum. Tonight was Lew Wolff’s turn to be flogged. The clip below is a segment featuring Olbermann and longtime national baseball writer Richard Justice, in which Justice chides Wolff for blaming fans for the A’s attendance woes.

Everything’s on point. Olbermann’s sympathetic to Wolff’s plight but doesn’t excuse him. Apparently, the lead-in to this segment was a much more thorough critique of Wolff. For whatever reason Olbermann’s producers chose to leave it out. The show is not available for streaming besides scattered Youtube clips like these.

It’s too bad. I would’ve liked to have seen KO’s take on this side of the matter, if only to serve as equal time.

Justice pointed out that Cleveland manager Terry Francona and some Indians players chose to take the high road regarding the Tribe’s woeful attendance figures. That’s not exactly the same as Larry Dolan or Mark Shapiro talking. Last week Shapiro had an interview with Crain’s Cleveland which was similar in tone to Wolff’s latest quotes. Shapiro blames some of the problems on Cleveland’s market size. Fans countered that the organization has done little to earn their faith. Obviously there’s a different dynamic at work in Cleveland compared to Oakland. Circumstances are very dissimilar except for attendance figures – and one other thing. Aside from the three straight World Series in the 70’s (which Olbermann notes were not well-attended), the A’s most successful era occurred after the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. The Indians greatest success in the last 50 years occurred after the Browns abandoned Cleveland for Baltimore. The Raiders were successful for a period when they returned, and have been mediocre in the decade since. The Browns have been the AFC North’s punching bag since they returned as an expansion team. Both affected baseball teams have been unable to repeat their respective successes since the football teams returned.

—

I was able to watch the last airing of Olbermann for Thursday night/early Friday morning, and have seen the missing 10-minute show monologue. KO ripped Wolff, Horace Stoneham, Al Davis, the Coliseum’s sewage problem (yes, that again), Bo Pelini, Lee Elia, Craig Kilborn, and Olbermann himself for creating circumstances that lead to gaffes like Wolff’s. No, KO didn’t call for Wolff’s head. For your edification, I took a phone video of the segment (replete with poor audio, turn it all the way up) for you to view. If it gets taken down because of copyright/fair use issues, I’m sorry. Can’t do anything about that.

Note that Olbermann didn’t have any sort of solution, other than urging Wolff to not trash fans. Well, it’s nice for KO that he could jump from network to network and sue whenever he got petulant or bored. Wolff? MLB’s constitution doesn’t give him such latitude.

Someday we’re all gonna look back on all of this and laugh. Right?

09.19.13
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Local concern, National narrative

I’ll take the blame. It’s my fault for leaving town.

I’m down in Anaheim again for work, and the antagonism in Oakland has started all over again. First it was Josh Reddick talking about small crowds at the Coliseum on Twitter. Then it was a Bob Nightengale article in the USA Today featuring Lew Wolff, who called the occasional poor attendance at home games “depressing” in light of the team’s on-field success. That begat the usual Twitter furor from defenders of Oakland and some of the A’s fan base. Some called for boycotts of GAP and related stores. Others told Wolff to go f- himself. Ray Ratto defended the defenders and chastised Lew Wolff for the umpteenth time. Then the toilet backed up in the A’s dugout, creating a huge mess and another embarrassing moment for the punching bag known as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Today Wolff spoke again about crowds, while touting the virtues of a downtown ballpark – either in San Jose (his preferred choice) or Oakland (which hasn’t been a considered option since 2006). But before people could start reading between the lines to believe that Wolff was changing his mind, cold water was poured on the notion.

Whining about small crowds, fans whining about the whiners, and another sewage problem, all grist for the very active mill that is A’s fandom. Then there’s tonight’s Worst Person(s) in the Sports World segment on ESPN2’s Olbermann. The Worst Person(s)? The O.co/Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the City of Oakland, Alameda County, and AEG. Check at the 1:35 mark of this video for the tribute.

There was nothing about the small crowds, the myriad issues the City of Oakland faces, San Jose, the Giants, or Bud Selig. It was just Keith Olbermann summing the much-maligned Coliseum in the sharpest way possible:

AN OUTHOUSE WITH SCOREBOARDS!!!!

I wonder if KO got the memo about how the JPA hasn’t bothered to replace the scoreboards yet because it rerouted the money for the Coliseum City study?

Anyway, I’ve touched on how the local and national narratives couldn’t be more different. At the local level, Wolff is often perceived as grandfatherly version of Rachel Phelps, who will stop at nothing to rob Oakland of its team and constantly offends the fans. At the national level (baseball writers, media), Wolff is seen as a get along type of owner who has shown the wisdom to stay out of Billy Beane’s way and let him do his job. Olbermann is a friend of A’s manager Bob Melvin, who lives in New York City during the offseason. Whether Olbermann’s bemoaning of the Coliseum was just to highlight the absurdity of the situation or to support his friend BoMel, the message was devastating. Every local columnist from Ratto to Lowell Cohn to Ann Killion could write angry missives about Olbermann’s video, but it won’t matter. This is the meme. This is the big narrative. And by lumping Oakland and Alameda County (but not the fans or citizens) in with the Coliseum, it’s quite clear what parties KO is holding accountable for this debacle.

Lew Wolff could be as devious as Oakland/Alameda County are bumbling. The former is a small story that no one pays attention to outside of Northern California. The latter is the national narrative. That’s an enormous problem for Oakland, a city already with a major perception problem. If people in Oakland want to change the narrative, they might want to change their strategy from a local one to a national one.

In the short term, here’s the biggest problem. The Coliseum was always a generally poor place to play baseball since Mt. Davis was built. Now the narrative is that it’s altogether unfit to host Major League Baseball. As diehard A’s fans, you and I know differently, that it’s plenty serviceable if not sexy or exciting. The A’s have extended a 5-year lease extension offer, which practically makes them look magnanimous for being willing to endure the conditions. Bud Selig and the Lodge are watching this and seeing how this plays out. And there’s no telling how they’ll react in the offseason if more accidents or bumbling occurs.

09.17.13
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The incredible expanding Coliseum

Division Series tickets went on sale today at 10 AM. As the first two games started to sell out, I noticed something unusual about the seating map.

The Coliseum, now free of section numbers!

The Coliseum, now with no section numbers!

Unlike last year, the entire third deck appears to be available. Even Mt. Davis, which is usually grayed out, is colored brown as if it was for sale. Had the A’s finally changed their tune and opened the nosebleed seats to fans?

Well, yes and no. The original upper deck has been opened up, though the prices went from $15/$22 for the normal Value Deck (316/318, 317 is for media overflow) to $35 for the “new” sections. Standing room tickets are also available for $18. However, Mt. Davis will not be open, leaving the ALDS capacity at 48,146. That would place the Coliseum at the third highest capacity among postseason parks, short of Dodger Stadium (56,000) and Turner Field (49,586).

The A’s also announced that the first two decks are sold out for the series, implying that the only tickets remaining are the remaining original upper deck (300-315, 319-334). As of the time of this post, the oh-so-exclusive Loge Boxes are also for sale ($45), at least for games 1 and 2.

As for Mt. Davis, who knows? Maybe if the upper deck sells out in the next few days the dreaded upper upper deck will also open up.

I’m going to use the opening of the third deck to test a theory I have about crowd noise. Personally, I think the crowds for the 2012 ALDS and Games 160-162 were extremely loud because of a number of factors, including the smaller footprint of the crowd. We were packed into a much smaller space than for most previous postseason games, so the crowd noise had a concentrated effect – or so I thought. The same phenomenon happens in smaller arenas, including Oracle Arena, where the seating capacity is large but the building itself isn’t so voluminous.

To test my theory, I’m going to measure crowd noise on Thursday night. The crowd size will probably be similar to the sparse crowds seen for the Astros and Angels series, so it can serve as a baseline. During my conversation with A’s stadium operations veep David Rinetti, I asked him if I could roam around the Coli to get further readings. He told me to page him once I got in and that he’d help me out. I plan to take readings on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Either of the weekend games could be a division clincher, so there’s potential for big crowd noise, plus Sunday is the final home game of the season. I also plan to do measurements during the Division Series (no, they haven’t clinched yet – knock on wood), though getting roaming access may prove more difficult than for this last homestand.

I look forward to seeing the big crowds and measuring the results. If you would like to chip in with your own measurements, you can download one of the many sound meter applications for your smartphone or bring your own sound meter if you have one. Some app examples:

  • SPL Graph (iOS, $9.99) – This one’s expensive but it provides excellent graphs and lots of controls, including recording capability. Worth it if you do this work a lot IMO.
  • Noise Meter (Android, free) – Easily toggles between graph and dB display mode. Incredibly easy to use.
  • Decibel 10th (iOS, free) – Also easy to use, not very granular or customizable.

We can go over methodology if anyone’s interested. I’ll do a writeup over the weekend explaining how I gather the data. Hooray for big crowds, huzzah for no tarps!

09.16.13
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A’s to implement walkthrough metal detectors starting Thursday (updated 9/17)

Update 9/17 3:45 PM – David Rinetti gave me a call today to straighten out some of the misconceptions about the metal detectors.

  1. There is a league-wide mandate, but it doesn’t call for a specific type of detector. The only requirement is that each park use some sort of metal detector.
  2. The A’s are using the last 4-game homestand as a trial run before the postseason. Ongoing training is happening prior to Thursday.
  3. Walkthrough detectors are being used because they’re already in place at both the stadium and arena, and because they’re faster than wands (which are more prone to human error and slowdowns).
  4. The policy regarding allowed and banned items has not changed.

I pointed out that the press release was perhaps worded in such a way that it could be misinterpreted that the walkthrough detector was mandatory. Hopefully this will clear up some of the confusion.

—–

Surprise press release from the A’s today:

A’s to Use New Security Procedures for Remaining Home Games, Starting Thursday

Team Adheres to MLB League-Wide Mandate in Using Metal Detectors

Adhering to a new Major League Baseball league-wide mandate, the Oakland A’s will begin using a walk-through metal detection system for fans entering O.co Coliseum for all remaining home games beginning Thursday night when the team hosts Minnesota at 7:05 p.m. MLB teams will implement a similar league-wide system that is currently in place for all NFL and NBA teams.

The A’s recommend that ticket holders enter O.co Coliseum when stadium gates first open to allow ample time for this new security procedure. Gates will open at 5:35 p.m. Thursday, 4:30 p.m. Friday, and 11:05 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Similar to airport security, fans will have their bags searched and will need to empty pockets of keys, cell phones and other items before walking through a metal detector. The A’s have not changed any of their current policies on carry-in items, as referenced in the “A-Z Guide” on the A’s web site, http://www.oaklandathletics.com. However, it is suggested that fans minimize the amount of items they bring to the ballpark.

This new procedure will continue through any potential 2013 post-season games, and for all future regular season games.

I’m not quite sure this is happening in the middle of the homestand as opposed to today, especially considering the fact that the metal detectors were already in place for the Raiders game yesterday. In any case, it’s a major inconvenience that, unfortunately, was completely inevitable. Many ballparks – though not the Coliseum – have already started using metal detector wands. Starting Thursday, plan to get to the Coliseum 15-30 minutes earlier than usual to accommodate the extra screening time. I’ll be back from Anaheim on Thursday, so I’ll get the metal detector the first game back.

On a related note, I recall that the two New York ballparks and Atlanta’s Turner Field used wand metal detectors at the gates. Seattle, Milwaukee, and the Chicago parks did not. I suppose it’s convenient for MLB that the infrastructure is already in place at the Coliseum, because if the league wanted to use walkthroughs instead of wands at all 30 parks, the Coliseum could serve as a trial balloon. How’s that for trailblazing?

09.15.13
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Mayor Quan shows up late to Raiders/NFL presentation

According to Matier & Ross, Mark Davis and the NFL held a meeting last week with East Bay pols to talk new stadium. Apparently things got off on the wrong foot when Oakland Mayor Jean Quan showed up late.

People at the meeting – none of whom would speak on the record, because the session was supposed to be private – say their efforts to convince the NFL that there’s still hope in the East Bay weren’t boosted by the tardy entrance of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan.

‘She arrived 20 minutes late,’ said our attendee. ‘he apologized, saying she was held up by a phone call.’

M & R also pointed out the elephant in the room, the lack of funds on either side, and the political reality surrounding the potential for public funds.

And while no one said it at the meeting, everyone knows the chances of voters helping out with a new stadium deal – while they are still paying off $20 million a year for the 1990s renovation of the old one – are slim to none.

Ah, maybe the pols can keep repeating the “no vote needed” mantra. Because that’s helpful.

I don’t know if Mark Davis and Lew Wolff have ever talked about their respective stadium issues. They both live in LA, so they could have lunch without Bay Area gadflies noticing if they wanted to. Even if they haven’t, Davis is doing Wolff a favor by forcing the issue with Oakland and Alameda County. By getting the public side to start moving, we’re finally seeing their level of commitment to the Raiders, and downstream to the A’s. As far as Mayor Quan goes, it’s at best token effort, which is what we’ve come to expect.

09.14.13
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Bending rules instead of fixing them

As the legislative session ended late Thursday night in Sacramento, the assembled pols found themselves at yet another crossroads regarding CEQA. They were getting ready to prove another project’s sidestepping of existing CEQA law, all in the name of making the state more competitive, or jobs, or keeping a team from moving to another state. While Democrats were generally in lockstep about the prospects of the project, Republicans complained about how granting exceptions like this one doesn’t fix the core problem.

Just about everyone including Governor Brown agrees that CEQA makes the procedural environment too difficult to get things built. It’s all too easy to create year-plus delays because of often frivolous CEQA challenges. Don’t get me wrong, many CEQA challenges have real merit. If a contaminated site needs to be cleaned and an applicant isn’t thorough about mitigation steps, CEQA provides the method to keep such abuse in check. But uses of CEQA can themselves be abusive, such when homeowners object to a project simply because it will affect their property values.

CEQA was designed to protect the environment. While it needs to be overhauled to prevent abuse, whatever programmatic changes need to be made must keep the spirit of the law intact. Judging from the debate on the Assembly floor on Thursday, it’s not clear exactly how that will happen.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) did a victory lap Thursday afternoon as SB 743, the bill designed to help streamline CEQA for the Kings’ downtown Sacramento arena, was easily approved in both houses. Previous bills provided similar exemptions for other big projects. Farmers Field received an exemption because it was thought that streamlining CEQA would help bring a NFL franchise to LA. It didn’t. SF Assemblyman drafted similar legislation for the Warriors’ arena (AB 1273). And if Howard Terminal got off the ground for any kind of major project including a ballpark, it’s likely that another bill would be written to benefit that project. Given the amount of cleanup that would be required, bypass legislation is practically a given.

During the debate over AB 852, a last minute gut-and-redraft meant to impose union-backed CEQA protections over certain projects, Assemblyman Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) asked the bill’s author, Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento), if the bill and AB 743 could help a project Fong champions in his backyard, Apple’s spaceship campus headquarters. Dickinson indicated that this was the case.

The problem with providing exceptions for big, high profile projects like stadia and convention centers (or corporate headquarters) is that they chiefly benefit the big money team owners and associated businesses who run such facilities. If we’re going to be serious about real, substantial CEQA reform, we need real legislation to get to the core problems regarding abuse and delay. That way every kind of applicant can benefit, not just incredibly wealthy business interests. Steinberg made some headway by reshaping how some areas of concern are measured, but only after he shelved SB 731, the bill he wrote as a broader approach towards real CEQA reform. Chief among the issues addressed in SB 743 are parking and traffic, both of which will now have a potentially more flexible way to define mitigations. Aesthetics are also deemphasized for certain projects. All in all, these are small but necessary steps that should modernize CEQA. Steinberg did what he needed to do to help the Kings arena, just as he promised to David Stern and the NBA’s Board of Governors. As for properly reforming CEQA? That’s for the next legislative session, I suppose.

09.13.13
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Earthquakes Stadium slips again to 2015

After what has to be considered the most excruciating site excavation ever, the Earthquakes revealed today that their stadium’s opening date is slipping (yet again) to 2015. The stadium was originally supposed to open in 2014 after last year’s groundbreaking ceremony. Then it slipped to midseason as crews encountered difficulties clearing the former defense plant of underground concrete bunkers and various other surprises found on site.

The full scope of the site-related work could only be determined when the work was fully underway, and the site-related work has continued to take longer than expected. Beyond the complications announced in July, there have been additional complexities in connecting the stadium to the city sewer system, and the high water table has slowed the site utility phase.

“Projects of this size and scope often encounter delays, especially with the amount of demolition and site preparation we had to do. What is most important is that we build a great stadium that will stand the test of time for our fans and this community,” Kaval elaborated.

Despite the complications at the site, progress has been made on the project. Demolition and grading are now complete and the site utilities have been installed. Additionally, the footings are currently being placed. The next steps in the process will be the pouring of the foundations for both the stadium and team building, followed by the steel erection. The steel has been ordered through Schuff Steel and is currently being fabricated in Stockton. The team office building is scheduled to be erected in November, followed by the stadium bowl in late December.

Well, at least they’ve ordered the guts of the new stadium. It’s just amazing that the 49ers stadium, which is nearly four times the size and well past ten times as expensive, will open before the Earthquakes’ digs. All because the site was cleaner to start. Beware, all you who think you can build on brownfields quickly. Something lurks beneath the surface.