If "ever a franchise was ripe for relocation," it's the
A's, according to CBS SportsLine's Mark Soltau, who wrote
that the team is averaging only 9,930 for its ten weeknight
home games. Soltau noted that "it's hard to fault the
organization, which has done seemingly everything possible
to attract new fans." The A's, who are in second place with
a 21-20 record, have "fielded a good product," while team
co-Owners Steve Schott and Ken Hoffman have approved a $10M
increase to the team's $33M payroll. Soltau wrote that
although the A's would like a downtown ballpark in Oakland,
they are "more intrigued about moving" to San Jose or Santa
Clara. Both cities "are more attractive [than Oakland] for
many reasons, namely money, weather, a stronger corporate
base and new stadium options." Although Santa Clara
"already has a stadium group in place and could mobilize the
fastest," San Jose, with its larger fan base, "is the
destination of choice." Potential "hurdles" include the
Giants gaining territorial rights from MLB when they tried
to move to Santa Clara ten years ago, but now that they have
a new ballpark, "the league might be more amenable to the
A's relocating" (CBS SportsLine, 5/17). In S.F., Glenn
Dickey supported the A's effort for a new downtown ballpark
in Oakland: "It's up to [Oakland Mayor Jerry] Brown now. ...
A downtown park in Oakland would mean capacity crowds and a
vibrant downtown economy" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/17).
