Comment Archives: stories: News: Opinion: Last 30 Days
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
Nice post. However, I'm always puzzled when people ask "why won't the A's ownership show interest in Oakland?" The Wolff/Fisher ownership group was hand picked for one specific purpose: Get the A's out of Oakland. All other considerations are secondary. Blaming the Oakland fan base for the team's troubles is completely disingenuous and with the media parroting phrases like "small market team" and "perennially low attendance," MLB and the A's owners are succeeding in convincing the world that it is the fans' fault the A's must move. Since taking over the team, the A's ownership has stated loud and clear, over and over: "We Don't Want You Here." Tarping off all the cheap seats in the upper decks was nothing but a direct insult to the fans. When you're hoping to debut a new product (the A's in San Jose), it is typical marketing practice to make the old product (the A's in Oakland) appear as out-of-date and unattractive as possible. So the owners have made the coliseum experience as maddening as they can. Want to go get a hot dog from a concession stand? Get ready to miss an entire inning to do so.
The A's media relations, community outreach, fan relations and overall marketing are absolutely pathetic. The East Bay is most certainly NOT a "small market", especially considering the potential fan base in the rapidly growing cities further inland.
The Oakland A's have three major enemies, all deeply committed to getting them out of Oakland: 1) Their ownership group. 2) Bud Selig (a man who has bad-mouthed the A's for decades and led an all out campaign to convince the other owners that the team MUST be moved.) and 3) Peter McGowan and the Giants. The issue isn't really "Giants territorial rights" in San Jose---it is that McGowan wants the A's out of the ENTIRE bay area so he can have this massive rich market all to himself.
These are the sorry realities. Oakland has made generous offers. Oakland businesses have expressed strong interest in keeping the team in Oakland--even to the point of suggesting purchase of the team by a local group. At no time since they took over the team has the Wolff/Fisher group even listened to any of it. Their tepid feigned interest in Oakland is a complete fake.
If you could catch Lew Wolff in a candid moment, I bet he'd even admit to being angered by last year's division title. The A's winning makes it more difficult to move them.
If the A's do move, it will mean the end of one of baseball's all time most exciting franchises. The A's and Giants are essentially opposite in character. The New York Giants were one of baseball's storied teams. After moving to San Francisco, they have displayed decades of boring, mediocre baseball until their recent success. The A's on the other hand, never flowered to their full glory until arriving in Oakland. They set the tone in their first month here with Catfish Hunter's perfect game. Some of the greatest A's players in history are Oakland or East Bay locals, including the great Rickey Henderson. The A's are the consistently exciting bay area baseball team, in contrast with the perennially boring Giants.
I read somewhere that Lew Wolff, Bud Selig and Peter McGowan were all frat buddies. That figures. The MLB owners are the ultimate "good old boy" network. The truth is that, if it weren't for baseball's anti-trust exemption, the only way to describe what these men are doing to the A's would be CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY. Modern baseball is not about fans. It's not about the cities or the ballparks, or the traditions, the history, any of that. It is solely and exclusively about MONEY. Baseball wants the predictable revenue that comes from long term TV contracts, corporate luxury boxes, and other groups that buy large blocks of season tickets. The LAST thing they want is the unpredictable revenue stream of walk-up, game by game attendance. They don't want us coming to the park! People coming to the park means staffing, restrooms, clean-up, and an array of other services. Unless you're a season ticket holder or are willing to spend $50 or more at the park--they'd really prefer you stay home, watch it on TV, and patronize the advertisers. That's modern sports.
Let's Go Oakland!
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
The o.co stadium is an embarrassment & terrible stadium for the spectator experience. Simply put they need a new stadium. Oakland is broke and ought not contribute money towards that effort, though some contribution of land is reasonable. We're i Wolfe I would doubt whether Colisseum City will be built in the near future. What other proposals are out there? You can say you want the A's to stay but they need a new stadium and taxpayers should not be footing the bill.
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
Yeah, keep our A's in Oakland, but move them to the Waterfront. Get them outta that dump they're in now.
Tho, I do love that dump...
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
Good piece, but Oakland sold out the A's to the greed and ego of Al Davis, and they did it when the Haas family had behaved very generously. Big Al ruined the Coliseum for baseball. As business people the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors couldn't have operated a 7-11 store.
The A's were screwed and they should move. if only to teach local politicians there are consequences.
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
Given the size of events I am in total agreement with the site. All the factors you mention, BART, Freeways, just access, plus the weather is the best in the Bay Area. Today we here the NBA, never an archtype when it comes to public relations in regard to franchise moving, made a statement to the Sacramento owners. That team should stay there as they have buyers for it. The same thing MLB should do to Wolfe and Fisher. Your article captured the fans of the East Bay in particular. We need to keep putting people in the seats, in spite of them moving guys like Gomes, the glue of last years team, which they do every year. The profit sharing agreement makes it profitable for them to lose while not building the team. They said they would keep last years champs intact, but..
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
agreed, but they really should be downtown on the waterfront.
Re: “The A's Belong in Oakland”
Selig is Oakland number one enemy! He has gone puclic stating that he considers bringing the A's to Oakland a big mistake. After the Hass Family sold the team, there have been several groups willing to purchase the A's and keep them in Oakland. Bud Selig has boycotted and derailed any and all efforts coming from any group trying to make the fan's deserving dream to come true.
Bud Selig has handpicked the last and present ownerships with the sole mission of trying to relocate the team ANYWHERE but Oakland! They have not been successful i.e. Montreal but Selig can wait for the right time to extort another city willing to build a new ballpark with taxpayer's money for another corporate wellfare!