Oakland Has Opportunity To Keep A's With Proposed Ballpark Sites

Proposed Ballpark Sites For A's In Oakland Show Promise

The city of Oakland last week proposed three new ballpark sites for the A's, and "whether city officials realize it or not, they now have a prime opportunity -- and a plan -- to offer" to MLB and team owners, according to Chip Johnson of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Building a ballpark at the site of the Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland "could be a boon to the city's retail redevelopment efforts." Since A's Owner Lew Wolff is "almost sure to want housing and retail space as part of the deal, a new stadium could do for Oakland's Embarcadero what AT&T Park did for Second and King streets in an underutilized section of downtown" S.F. With BART rail lines, "easy freeway access and ferry service to Jack London Square, transportation to the site is already secured." Under the deal offered by Oakland, the city "would be responsible for acquiring the 50-acre site and prepping it for construction." The team "would be responsible for providing the funds to build the stadium." The proposed ballpark sites signal a "complete turnabout for Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums who in early 2007, shortly after taking office, dismissed any notions that the team would remain" in the city. The ballpark issue is a chance for Dellums to "reinvent himself." Meanwhile, Johnson notes the "chances that Wolff and San Jose city officials will prevail in their attempts to move the team to San Jose "are slim," as the city "falls inside the geographical sphere" of the Giants (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/15). 

MOVING ISSUES: ESPN.com's Rob Neyer noted the Giants "might actually lose a small bit of revenue if the A's moved south," but he added, "What I can't figure out is why anyone else should care." Neyer: "Bud Selig and the other owners are supposed to be thinking about [MLB], not the San Francisco Giants. Wouldn't the best thing for [MLB] be two strong franchises in the Bay Area, rather than one strong franchise and one weak one?" More Neyer: "I'll be shocked if the Giants' claim is voided, and the A's allowed to move. One compromise, of course, would be for the A's to pay the Giants an indemnification fee" (ESPN.com, 12/12).