In S.F., Bruce Jenkins cited sources as saying that the A's "have ruled out" Howard Terminal as a possible site for a new ballpark. Jenkins: "Let’s hope so; It’s just too grim. As an active port, this is a fully industrial, no-charm area." The Lake Merritt site, said to be the A’s "favored location, got a recent boost when Jowel Laguerre, chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, switched his stance and sounded enthusiastic about sharing that property with the A’s." Meanwhile, settling for the "tired, ancient Coliseum site wouldn’t be such a bad thing." Build a 35,000-seat ballpark with "pristine views of the Oakland hills ... and let your imagination take it from there" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/13).
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: Circuit of the Americas will house the USL Austin Aztex starting in '19, and COTA Chair Bobby Epstein said that he "preferred to build a downtown stadium but it wasn’t economically feasible." Epstein plans to build a 5,000-seat facility at COTA, and said, "Our first choice would be a municipal stadium located in the heart of town. ... [But] that takes tens of millions of dollars. It’s just not an option for 2019 and this team” (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/16).
NOTES: Long-time Tropicana Field concessionaire Centerplate, which was responsible for "food safety rating concerns" last week, is in the "final year of its contract and will be replaced" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/13)....The Dickies brand is being sold, but a company spokesperson said that there "will be no impact on the naming rights deal" under which a new 14,000-seat multipurpose arena under construction at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Ft. Worth "will become known as Dickies Arena" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 8/14).
