East Bay officials Monday asked the 49ers to "back off their
thinking of putting a stumbling block in the way of the Raiders
return to Oakland." The 49ers are reportedly considering asking
that the NFL levy "fees" against the Raiders to compensate the
49ers for potential lost revenues. Oakland Coliseum President
George Vukasin: "The Raiders are our team. The East Bay is
their home. There shouldn't be penalties for coming home" (San
Francisco EXAMINER, 7/4).
DEMAND FOR TICKETS IS GREAT: According to Marc Ganis,
Marketing Dir of the Raiders ticket program, "early response to
the Raiders' return has been overwhelming." Over 71,000 calls
have been received thus far on the team's special hotline
requesting applications for Personal Seat Licenses. ... Ticket
order forms are available on the Web today, with two separate
sites due to the anticipated volume. Addresses:
http:/wwww.oaklandca.raiders.html and
http:/wwww.cyberzine.com/raiders (Oakland Coliseum).
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: In San Francisco, Tim Keown writes,
"What you don't understand is, [Raiders Owner Al Davis is] going
to have to do hours of dinner-time cold-calling to scare up a
taker: Part of Davis' deal calls for him to get 50 percent of
the revenue if a corporate sponsor is found for the Coliseum"
(SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 7/1). In Dallas, Rick Gosselin writes,
"Al Davis made a mistake 13 years ago but appears to have taken
the step to correct it this summer" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/3).
Header in San Jose: "At these prices, Raiders must deliver
Ticket seekers mortgage futures" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/2).
