The A's are "being pitched several potential ballpark sites in and around" the city of Oakland's center, as the team "continues exploring options for a new East Bay home," according to Matthew Artz of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. A 21-page city report submitted to team officials last month "identified five potentially viable ballpark sites, including two on the campus of Laney College and one at a U.S. Postal Service facility in West Oakland." Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who also sits on the authority that operates O.co Coliseum, said, "The A's are going to stay. The exact location is anybody's guess." Artz noted city leaders "have made no bones about their preference that the A's build as close as possible to downtown." Still, the city's report "illustrated just how difficult it might be to satisfy the A's anywhere other than the team's current home, which has ample parking and an adjacent BART station." Several of the proposed stadium locations, including Laney College and nearby Brooklyn Basin, "scored poorly" on a previous '01 study and "would present a new set of challenges" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 12/25).
