We maybe close to seeing the A's as no longer being a relocation candidate... well, at least not relocating outside of the Bay Area. - Maury

Read the entire article here on the Oakland Tribune website

A's see a strong pitch in Fremont
Team, Cisco hashing out deal for 143 acres that ultimately could spell end to pro baseball in Oakland
By Chris De Benedetti,
The Oakland Tribune

FREMONT "” Oakland A's co-owner Lew Wolff is close to completing negotiations with Cisco Systems Inc. for a 143-acre parcel, a deal that could clear a major hurdle in allowing the team to move to Fremont, City Manager Fred Diaz said.

"I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's," Diaz said. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the city of Fremont, then we'll find it and make that happen."

"I have never underestimated the competition ... in this race to attract the A's," he said.

Both Wolff and a Cisco spokeswoman have declined to comment on the negotiations.

When asked about Fremont sites, Wolff said last week, "You can close your eyes and picture that part of the Bay Area 10 years from now. It's going to be a growth area."

Wolff said Fremont has land that could fit "our idea of a baseball village. It will be more than just a ballpark."

In fact, it could include a hotel connected to the ballpark, thousands of houses and a major retail complex. The A's could use money from the mixed-use development to finance the stadium and avoid touching public funds, Wolff said.

Cisco leased the 143-acre property in 2000, and the San Jose tech company has an option to buy the land between 2007 and 2010. Cisco prepaid about $100 million in rent and also paid infrastructure costs on the parcel, Fields said.

Even if Cisco and the A's complete an agreement, there are many details to be worked out. Access to the Pacific Commons site is a potential problem. The Fremont BART station is about five miles from the site, so traffic could cause problems.

By comparison, AT&T Park in San Francisco provides access for fans through a combination of nearby Caltrain and Muni rail line stations, a ferry stop behind the stadium and BART lines several blocks away on Market Street. Oakland's McAfee Coliseum features nearby BART and Capitol Corridor stops. But those details can be worked out, Wolff said.

"Everybody is looking for the negative here," he said. "There are lots of issues, and we'll deal with all of them. I don't have all the answers this minute."

Wolff, a Los Angeles developer, co-owns the team with billionaire John Fisher, son of Gap founder Don Fisher. Wolff has turned to Fremont because he believes the team needs a new ballpark to replace its current, 40-year-old Oakland home.

A Fremont ballpark would allow the A's to tap into the corporate dollars of Silicon Valley without invading the South Bay territorial rights that belong to the San Francisco Giants. In Fremont, the team also would stay close to the East Bay suburbs along the Interstate 680 corridor.

So basically they would be subletting and buying their option to buy, similar to Allens option to buy the team if funding passed for the Seahawks or the option Montreal had on a downtown site for a ballpark, Montreal obviously never used that option. The A's could use this lease/option to buy or let it run out or use it as leverage for something else they may want. Smart move on their part it covers all bases yet they are bound to nothing

And tha't all she wrote. The A's are on their way to Fremont. If The Marlins move it will be to San Antone. The Twins will get a deal done this year, the KC renovation got done and the Devil Rays are stuck with their lease. Hockey anyone?

Will the team be called:

The Oakland A's
The Fremont A's
The Oakland A's of Fremont

quote:

Originally posted by CEDAR MILL MADNESS:
And tha't all she wrote. The A's are on their way to Fremont. If The Marlins move it will be to San Antone. The Twins will get a deal done this year, the KC renovation got done and the Devil Rays are stuck with their lease. Hockey anyone?

I have always maintained that if we knew for sure that MLB is not coming to PDX for a generation, then we would be better served by lobbying for NHL, MLS, and high speed rail to Seattle.

BUT... I'm not there yet. Fremont can still unravel (looks good now though). The Marlins situation is a mess and SA is by no means guaranteed. The Twins stadium situation has been a broken record for a decade now. Plus there are the looming twin pillars of centralized revenue (MLBAM, satellite TV & radio) and the logic of a balanced 32 team sport that may make expansion promising sooner than later.

Oh, and the hope that the local government follies will not last forever.

If all the teams get the new stadiums they need (the A's, Marlins, Twins) in the areas they are now, then relocation is unlikely, and all teams in baseball will be stronger for it. Good for them, and good for baseball. The game will settle down, but it still needs balanced leagues. I'm not discouraged if relocation doesn't happen, but ... We need to cobble together a potential ownership group, work out and/or keep our funding package up-to-date, keep pressing the local political leadership to work with us, and press hard for expansion to balance out the AL and NL into two 32-team leagues. I can easily see Portland and San Antonio coming in as new teams rather soon after the current struggling teams get their issues resolved, but not before. The leagues need to be balanced for scheduling purposes, and expansion fees will be hard for the owners, always eager for more money, to turn down.

An ownership group and a complete stadium financing plan are ESSENTIAL if we are ever going to show MLB that Portland means business when it comes to major league baseball in our town.

Don't ever give up!

quote:

The A's could use this lease/option to buy or let it run out or use it as leverage for something else they may want. Smart move on their part it covers all bases yet they are bound to nothing

Not quite. The land is currently zoned commercial/light industrial. The value will come from Fremont changing the zoning for some of the land to medium-high density residential. The A's could then sell the entitlements to various partners. That won't happen until the A's submit the development plan and the EIR is drafted and finalized. Since the zoning change is really just a procedural vote, it's the one card the city has over the A's.

I have known for some time that the A's will never give up on the Bay area. Way to big and rich compared to all other prospects. Anyways, MLB to PDX will always be a dream!!! Lets put resources where they can be used; NHL, MLS, NASCAR, etc. These are all economic enhancements that will produce tourist and $$$'s.

quote:

Originally posted by CEDAR MILL MADNESS:
And tha't all she wrote. The A's are on their way to Fremont. If The Marlins move it will be to San Antone. The Twins will get a deal done this year, the KC renovation got done and the Devil Rays are stuck with their lease. Hockey anyone?

I think you nailed it. Looks like another decade of Mariners getting crammed down our throats. barffffffff.

I think PDX is on its way to being an NBA w/NHL and possbily MLS city.

I think your right Oil Can. We might as well look for an NHL team to play on nights when the Blazers aren't playing, and then hope for expansion in MLS, which I think is right around the corner....Both would do well in this sports-starved town

Even though are chances to land MLB are very slim to none for another decade, I think we need to continue and look for other faces in the crowd to attract a team; We can't just blame Potter. Where is are very well connected, rich face at that comes out publicly and proclaims MLB should be in PDX (Nolan Ryan for SA?). Since David Kahn has went onto greener pastures their really is nobody within this drive that is out in the public eye or digging up the 1 or 2 faces we need to gain momentum? If so, they must be keeping a very low profile. Is it all about having the city backing a ballpark? No, not all of it! PDX has perhaps one, maybe two faces that can rally the troops in my opinion; Phil Knight and the CEO of Intel. If they backed this campaign full steam ahead then MLB would be here with or without Potters negative behavior. So maybe are attention is focused on the wrong face?

Rockstar,

You are correct. Trust me, the people in Portland Baseball group, as well asthe people at OSC and OSA will continue to push for MLB until it comes to fruition.

That said, How long will a booming market of 2.3 million people (and expected to climb sharply) be a one sport town...answer-probably not long.

My guess is: New Blazer/RG owner will look seriously at NHL in 2007-08. MLS will look at PGE Park with the addition of grass. Taht is a small step to take, and one that will be eventually taken (IMO).

My hope is: I am wrong. I hope, that lots of sneaky backdoor dealing is going on now, and shall continue until we land an MLB team.

A push for NHL could actually help us land MLB sooner than later. Why? Our market can handle one more pro-team, but I do not think we can take on 2 right now, so who wants to be here first? Any serious consideration by the NHL might set something in motion by MLB to beat them to this market. Who would be doing the backdoor dealings on our part if there is something happening?

Did you guys not read the article ITS JUST AN OPTION TO BUY, A LEASE! they are stuck into nothing anymore than the Expos were stuck into a similar deal, I have seen numerous deals ALOT closer to being done than this fall apart. Also dont get stuck on the Bay areas population, its split between two teams and one the A's are not getting their 50% share. If the A's were not aware of all the potential issues of staying in the Bay would they have contacted us, no! As for the NFL we would have to pass a state bill, remember how much fun that was and how easy! then get Potter to approve a bigger more complicated package of financing than the one that is currently sitting in his lap(see financing package at the top of this page), the NFL is alot farther off than MLB, as for NHL its a real possibility if current RG ownership stays in place but if its sold to an owner of the Blazers they will not contemplate the NHL I am sure until the Blazers are a HOT ticket again. Cedar you and Oil Can have been around you know how many DONE deals have collapsed for the Marlins, Twins etc. and this little deal is just a simple lease with an option to buy, dont overreact guys. I realize Potters inaction is causing alot of Doom and Gloom for everyone that supports MLB2PDX but he will not be here forever and besides once the school funding issue is fixed by the state (it looks likely) and the Blazers issue resolved (likely in the next few months) he is likely to be more responsive, he has stated no objections to a park financed by park related revenue as our plan is. What we lack is a local person with some $ to push for this, fund investment bankers, shake politicians hands, make deals etc. We have I believe three ownership groups that have expressed interest according to David Kahn but none are local and thus just want a team, no vested interest in PDX per se to push the effort which is what we need at this point.

CL says:

quote:

I have always maintained that if we knew for sure that MLB is not coming to PDX for a generation, then we would be better served by lobbying for NHL, MLS, and high speed rail to Seattle.

Yeah CL, maybe if we had NHL and true High Speed Rail with the logical transit center near the Rose Quarter we could share our NHL team with the Puget Sound and then adopt the Mariners.

Sorry, I will not support the Seahawks over my Steelers or a local NFL team (Please God, Make it so!)

BB

I hope everyones week (Holy Week for Christians) has been peaceful and good for your soul. Pray for our true citizens now in Iraq.

Happy Easter

It's sad to say, but the Mariners will be our
"local" team for sometime to come. The great thing about going to Safeco is we can watch other teams when they are in town that we truly want to see in person. High speed rail will never happen because believe it or not once you get south of Olympia there is not much out there for some 100 miles, so most Sounders really don't care to spend their tax money on a wasted train. Lets just hope the price of gas goes down to help out the pocket when we do want to make the trip.

FYI - Besides Fisher, some of the other silent partners are old San Jose-based business associates of Wolff. That makes the group's Bay Area ties extremely strong. Wolff and his family been actively marketing to the old money in the South Bay. I expect the A's to keep Portland and other cities on the radar, but it's going to take a near-disaster for them to switch the focus elsewhere. They'd be giving up on the Bay Area completely.

They do have ties to the area mainly SJ and certainly want to be in SJ(they have all along) The fremont thing may just be a piece of leverage to try to force Magowan to accept compensation to let them move to SJ "you let us in to SJ with compensation or we will build right on the border and take part of SJ money without compensation" a bit of arm twisting. I have no idea if Magowan would accept that or if he would not. Are they really willing to settle in Fremont with all the inherent risks. Remember that 7 million is not split evenly among the fan base so the Bay is not as much of a treasure as you think. At least one owner publicly stated "we should have never have let a second team into the Bar area" many owners realize its not the goldmine some think and the current owners have to realize the potential issues also or they never would have contacted us in PDX.

quote:

Originally posted by Rockstar:
High speed rail will never happen because believe it or not once you get south of Olympia there is not much out there for some 100 miles, so most Sounders really don't care to spend their tax money on a wasted train.

The way I see it, the fact that the area between Olympia and Portland is sparsely populated, plus the fact that there is extremely high air traffic between Seattle and PDX (one of only six corridors in the US with 50+ flights between them per day), is what makes high speed rail MORE feasible, not less feasible. High speed rail isn't fast if you have to stop at every little town along the way, and dense population all along the route would create pressure to put in a zillion stops on the route.

quote:

Originally posted by dean:
The fremont thing may just be a piece of leverage to try to force Magowan to accept compensation to let them move to SJ "you let us in to SJ with compensation or we will build right on the border and take part of SJ money without compensation" a bit of arm twisting.

That's a good theory. I recall hearing something similar from our friend marine layer recently. The only thing is, I can't see Fremont allowing themselves to be used purely for leverage (considering the amount of work involved). Is it leverage to try and get into San Jose? Maybe. But it's only leverage if it is serious, and I think the effort in Fremont is very serious. At some point I would think they would need to negotiate a MOU (at least for a period of time) before they do any more serious lifting.

Does anyone know how good that real estate piece would be for other lucrative uses? one of the owners is a developer and could use it in other ways also. If I put myself in the A's shoes and assumed I am a former SJ resident and wanted to relocate there ideally I would use this Fremont property as leverage to get into SJ but also as important back up, all the decent spots in Oakland are gone and besides I cant get financing there, Sactown shows no interest, MLB apparently says no to LV, and Portland has only passed part of its financing package as of yet. In effect in worst case scenerio they could get locked out of all these potential solutions, if I were them I would grab the best property left in the East Bay and hold onto it just in case everthing else falls through, you cant play in the Oakland Raiders home forever. In business you have got to have alternatives and this Fremont site not only works as that alternative but better yet it may help them acheive goal number one SJ.

quote:

Remember that 7 million is not split evenly among the fan base so the Bay is not as much of a treasure as you think.

You make it sound like this is Chicago with its hard split. It's not. They are many more casual fans than hardcore fans of either team. The majority of the South Bay doesn't go to either SF or Oakland games because 1) it can be inconvenient to go frequently, and 2) the South Bay has plenty of entertainment substitutes. Baseball there, whether it's in Fremont or San Jose, would rise to the top of the list.

Caltrain takes fans from SJ to SF for games. The portion of those riders from Santa Clara County accounts for only 1-2% of a typical sellout crowd at China Basin. The majority of the fanbase comes from SF, Marin, and San Mateo Counties.

Other owners can say what they want about the Bay Area. The fact is that Wolff is selling heavily to the corporate interests there, including old and new economy firms, and he's got commitments. The stalking horse concept is highly possible. It's not like Wolff has been secretly working the crowd while Magowan's asleep. At this point Magowan has to be fully aware of what Wolff is capable of doing to his "beloved" territory. I don't expect Wolff to challenge for the rights either. I fully expect him to steal the market anyway. It's not as if Magowan has fully tapped it.

quote:

I first heard this theory from marine layer many months ago. The thing is, I can't see Fremont allowing themselves to be used like this. Is it leverage to try and get into San Jose? Maybe. But it's only leverage if it is serious, and I think the effort in Fremont is very serious. At some point I would think they would need to negotiate a MOU (at least for a period of time) before they do any more serious lifting.

We all know that once a city enters the fray they're being used to some extent. Fremont officials are fully aware that a deal in San Jose could happen. They can't control the circumstances. I would expect a MOU from Fremont around the time the development proposal is made.

The only way to actually get into SJ is to get Magowan to sign off, with comp. obviously, at this point with Bonds retirement etc. I doubt he will do that. Did I read you right 1-2% of Sellouts are from SJ? if that is true that does not show much supprt for MLB amongst potential fans in SJ! You are right that the fans are not as divided hardline as Chicago but in my travels they certainly show allegiances and 2/3 I meet seem to be Giants fans as oppsed to A's, just an impression but I think its fairly accurate. Some have mentioned traffic issues cutting attendance, would not Fremont be just as much of an issue or worse? How close does BART come to the site?

quote:

Originally posted by marine layer:
We all know that once a city enters the fray they're being used to some extent. Fremont officials are fully aware that a deal in San Jose could happen.

Oh, for sure yes. I'm thinking of it more in the context of what local officicals in a thriving and growing suburb would be willing to do without a firm commitment, as opposed to a city that is flat or declining and trying to grab or hold onto something (like Oakland should be, but this is more typical of the Pittsburghs, Clevelands, and KC's of the world). I don't know Fremont but I know that most officials in areas with similar demographics are too busy managing existing growth issues to be spending a lot of time and energy on a "maybe" growth opportunity. Which as we know is where the MOU comes into play.

quote:

The only way to actually get into SJ is to get Magowan to sign off, with comp. obviously, at this point with Bonds retirement etc. I doubt he will do that.

It depends. He will lose a lot of the South Bay with no compensation if the A's end up in Fremont, guaranteed. It's up to him and his investor group to recognize what may be available to use as a hedge.

quote:

I'm thinking of it more in the context of what local officicals in a thriving and growing suburb would be willing to do without a firm commitment, as opposed to a city that is flat or declining and trying to grab or hold onto something (like Oakland should be, but this is more typical of the Pittsburghs, Clevelands, and KC's of the world).

Fremont's in no hurry to develop Pacific Commons should a deal not come to pass. They're in better shape with regard to commercial occupancy rates than almost any other city in the Bay Area. A lot of the city is either SFR or open space. They're focused on more city services than anything else at this point. Like most Bay Area cities they have budget struggles, but Fremont's one of the safest cities in America so it's not that big a deal.

I mentioned before that the value of the deal comes from the zoning change. I doubt they approve the change until some agreement is made with the A's on the ballpark.

Thats why Fremont works in alot of ways, it acts as leverage to try to force Magowan to let them into SJ, I dont think he will but thats another issue, and it works as best available site in East Bay left if SJ does not work out or if other relo cities cant get their act together.

Pictures;

Downtown Oakland: http://www.lcbassociates.com/images/aerial.jpg

The A's park before it was ruined for the Raiders:
http://www.worldfromtheweb.com/Parks/Oakland/40606_26.html

Downtown San Jose: http://i2.tinypic.com/sos3k9.jpg

Note that San Francisco downtown is just across the water from Oakland. If the A's want to encroach on Giants territory they can do it by building a stadium in downtown oakland.

Not long ago I was right in downtown SJ, not much there, I know alot of money but certainly does not have a vibrant downtown core like some cities.

I don't think that Magowan will sell the rights to SJ under any circumstances. I agree with Dean. Two out of three Bay Area baseball fans are Giants fans. Somewhat surprising considering the A's have 4 World Series rings in Oakland. The Giants will lose some fans in the South Bay if the A's head to Fremont. They will also gain some fans in Contra Costa County. So if Wolff is bluffing, I don't think Magowan will bite.

There is one thing that I think we can agree with and that is the fact of Mayor Potter being our Mayor who does not favor MLB in Portland, which clearly takes us out the running for MLB in PDX. We are no longer a viable candidate, I believe Sac, SA, Las Vegas and Charolette are all ahead of us and MLB knows that. For a team considering relocation and mentions PDX in any type of statement they are doing it just because we have been around the longest waiting.

quote:

I believe Sac, SA, Las Vegas and Charolette are all ahead of us and MLB knows that.

Excuse me? What do ANY of those cities or MLB efforts have over Portland, other than a windbag mayor in Las Vegas and the Marlins slobbering all over themselves about San Antonio? Facts, not opinions, please.

BC if I am correct we can voice our opinion without necessary stating fact. Everything I have read and been following on our part as wells as others, gives me the impression that PDX will continue for sometime to be a one-horse town. These other cities are and will continue to be much more proactive and positive about bringing jobs to their communities. So, if all we can do is post fact then this forum will not longer exist because the only fact out their is that the Marlins are serious about SA and not PDX.

quote:

Everything I have read and been following on our part as wells as others, gives me the impression that PDX will continue for sometime to be a one-horse town.

I'd be interested in seeing what you are reading. Please, pass it along. MLB? Maybe not. Another pro team... certainly.

quote:

So, if all we can do is post fact then this forum will not longer exist because the only fact out their is that the Marlins are serious about SA and not PDX.

I set the odds of MLB allowing the Marlins to relocate to SA at 75:1.

Bud simply does not want to give up on a far larger and more lucrative market than SA, at an extremely slim 37th in DMA.

Rockstar - I don't think BC was saying you can't voice your opinion... he's just asking what you base that opinion on.

Personally I think the only city you mentioned that is now "ahead" of us is San Antonio, thanks to the efforts of their local politicians... (they are still $120-$150 million behind us in committed $, but at least they are actively trying) and if our locals pols had 1/2 the will that Nelson Wolff et al had, we would be even or ahead of them.

Sac needs to take care of the Kings before they could even consider going after MLB, and even then it's a huge longshot as long as two teams remain in the Bay Area.

Notice how MLB has fallen silent on Vegas ever since San Antonio became a player? They have a new stalking horse without the messy gambling issues. Vegas is toast for MLB in the near future.

Charlotte is an ideal candidate for weekend sports because of the large population draw within a 2-3 hour drive, but for one they aren't interested, and for two they are far more saturated than Portland is.

Now I say all of this and I think that the reality is that the proposal in Fremont is better than what Portland or any of the other usual suspects can do unless they just completely bent over and gave the A's 100% financing and 100% of stadium related revenue streams - not gonna happen.

The reality in Florida is that if Hialeah steps up with a majority funding proposal, SA (and others) have no shot unless, again, they start grabbing their ankles for Loria and Samson.

But still, your point is well taken in the longer run in that Portland needs to turn the tide in the next few years and show themselves to be more attractive for business, sports and otherwise. The headline article in this Sunday's Oregonian (Oregon's corporate tax burden is the lowest in the nation when added together) is a good PR story for a change.

Maury, with respect: Would you care to put a wager on that ("Another pro team...certainly")...I just do NOT see it in the next, say, 5 years...care to put your $ where your mouth is? ...I've learned nothing if not patience from the pursuit of MLB in PDX...I can certainly wait 5 yrs. for my payoff ...oh, and our securing a team in the NFCL (National Fight Club League) in 2007 doesn't count!

The wild card in this (other teams coming to PDX) is what happens with the Blazers/RG.

For those of us who do not believe we will see another pro-team for at least another 5 years is the same as those who believe/feel that we will. Where is the facts in another pro team relocating or franchising in PDX? Never seen anything from any league in this regard. Your thoughts and/or opinions are just more optomistic than mine. I believe I see things in a realistic manner, not on just the fact we are the largest market with only 1 pro-team (Nashville, Charlotte, Milwaukie, KC, Cincy, are just a few that throws this logic out the door).

quote:

Originally posted by James Stock:
Maury, with respect: Would you care to put a wager on that ("Another pro team...certainly")...I just do NOT see it in the next, say, 5 years...care to put your $ where your mouth is?

I quit making bets on trival matters a couple of years ago. It was childish of me to do so then, and would be so now.

Childish, it's just good humor and topic of discussions. Throughout this whole process everything to some degree is like betting because none of us here do not know enough to say one way or another if we will every get that second pro-team, plus to even know when. We here in PDX only factually know one thing; SB5 passed and that is it, so everything else is second-guessing and speculation. Go ahead and make that bet Maury.