MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday prior to Game 3 of the Cubs-Giants NLDS "provided a vague time frame" for a new ballpark in Oakland, a "first for MLB since the A’s seriously began searching" 11 years ago, according to Susan Slusser of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Manfred said, "I hope in the next year we will have a good idea about how the project’s going to proceed.” Slusser notes both the A’s and Raiders are "jostling for priority while trying to find a replacement" for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. But Manfred said that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf "has expressed support for the A’s." Manfred: "Baseball is her first priority. She would like to keep both teams, but that baseball is her first priority. And I think that’s a good spot for baseball.” Manfred said that he has "spent a lot of time working on the issue" with A's co-Owner John Fisher and confirmed that Fisher is "taking a strong lead" with the ballpark push. Manfred: “We will stay engaged with the A’s. We will not have somebody here full-time on the ground. The A’s project is a project that will involve a very substantial commitment from local ownership" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/11). The EAST BAY TIMES' John Hickey cites a source as saying that the A's ongoing study of suitable sites is "pointing to a parcel of land near Laney College if the baseball franchise decides that the Coliseum property is no longer an option." However, the current Coliseum site "remains the first choice." Manfred said, “Right now, the A’s ownership is engaged in an analysis on multiple sites in Oakland. I hope the first piece of news will be a decision as to which site will be the focus of their effort to get their plan and finances together.” Hickey notes there "had been talk during the final decade of Bud Selig’s time as Commissioner that the A’s might move to San Jose, but Manfred has repeatedly stressed that Oakland is the place he believes the A’s need to be" (EAST BAY TIMES, 10/11).
THE FISHER KING: The EAST BAY TIMES' Marcus Thompson II writes with Fisher personally checking out the Howard Terminal site and A's co-Owner Lew Wolff "planning to build a much-needed hotel," it appears the A's "have, finally, gotten serious about finding a solution in Oakland." Thompson: "The A’s brass seem to be all in. Finally." It "doesn’t matter if the reason is that Fisher and Wolff are out of options, or if they are getting pressure from MLB." What matters is there is "more optimism" about a new ballpark in Oakland than ever. What matters is there "might be some redemptive value in the ownership group." If ownership can land a new ballpark, it "legitimizes their chances of being worthy stewards of the beloved A’s" (EAST BAY TIMES, 10/11).
