The A's secured a $900,000 payment from the Las Vegas
Visitors and Convention Authority and AAA Las Vegas Stars to play
six games at Cashman Field. The MLB team will receive no
concession, parking or ticket revenue. Oakland and Alameda
County will lose about $21,000 in rent during the temporary move
(Robert Salladay, OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 3/22).
MORE OPINIONS: The A's feud over Coliseum repairs and their
stopover in Las Vegas is criticized in the Bay Area. A's Owner
Steve Schott said "we don't even want to think about moving," but
added the team is "clearly being treated as second class citizens
in the Coliseum ... we clearly are getting dumped on" (S.F.
CHRONICLE, 3/22). Columnist Bruce Jenkins writes: "Unless we're
missing something, Oakland is the Raiders' town now. ... There's
a message in the A's retreat to Las Vegas ... and it has nothing
to do with blackjack, slot machines or the Wheel of Fortune.
It's more like: 'When can they get to Sacramento and be treated
like a major-league outfit?'" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/21). Glenn
Dickey also notes, "The [club's] announcement also triggered
speculation that new owners Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann are
setting the stage for moving" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/21).
HOME IMPROVEMENT: The remodeling of Oakland Coliseum is a
"monetary disaster" for the A's and Raiders, according to Michael
Ozanian, an editor of FINANCIAL WORLD magazine. Ozanian is
critical of the $100M project to "accommodate" football and
baseball into one building, noting that over the past five years,
"virtually all" pro teams which have moved to new buildings have
increased their market value. Ozanian calls it a "quick Band-
Aid. They haven't thought this out" (Edward Epstein, S.F.
CHRONICLE, 3/21).
