"A deal to bring the Raiders back is close to being
finalized, and the Raiders could be playing in the Oakland
Coliseum this fall," according to this morning's SAN FRANCISCO
CHRONICLE. Oakland Coliseum Board President George Vukasin said
that the deal "could still fall apart," but could be made as
early as next week. It "has been widely speculated" that Raiders
Owner Al Davis might be using Oakland (and Baltimore) as
"leverage to get a better deal" on the proposed stadium at L.A.'s
Hollywood Park. Vukasin: "We can offer him a much better deal.
... We already have the 68 luxury boxes that were built for the
A's in place for him here, and within a year, we'll have 175
finished" (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 5/12).
REAX FROM AREA TEAMS: The Haas family, owners of the A's,
"have not been eager" to share the stadium with the Raiders, but
prospective buyers Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann are said to be
"willing" to have the Raiders back. For the Warriors, a Raiders'
return "worries" Owner Chris Cohan because he "thinks it might be
difficult to sell the planned 100 luxury boxes for a new arena on
top of those for the A's and Raiders (SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE,
5/12).
