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NEIL HAYES: TIMES COLUMNIST
Hayes: Little Net gain to Selig's yard tour



Bud Selig will tour Network Associates Coliseum tonight, kicking tires. Expect the baseball commissioner to wear a concerned frown and a furrowed brow while drawing the obvious conclusion: The A's home is less than ideal.

Beyond rubber-stamping owner Steve Schott's desire for a new baseball-only facility, it's hard to imagine what Selig hopes to accomplish.

This is no time for grandstanding. It would be insulting to taxpayers for the head of a multibillion-dollar industry to plead for public funds to subsidize Schott and co-owner Ken Hofmann, who are worth billions combined.

He can't claim the A's will be unable to compete without a new ballpark because they are more competitive than teams with new ballparks, including the Selig-family owned Milwaukee Brewers. A new ballpark would help the A's re-sign their players, sure. But they already have proved they can compete.

He could call the Coliseum "outdated, antiquated and obsolete," as Schott did during spring training. The fact is, however, the A's home is a clean, convenient albeit imperfect venue until something better comes along.

This shouldn't be about what Oakland and Alameda County can do for the A's. The question, Mr. Commissioner, is what is baseball prepared to do?

Instead of identifying a problem we already know exists, Selig could offer a solution in the form of a loan. If he's so concerned about the A's stadium, why not void the Giants' claims of territorial rights to the South Bay?

Selig's arrival in Oakland smacks of hypocrisy. Major League Baseball placed the A's on the initial list of teams to be considered for contraction, which tells you what Selig thinks of the Bay Area as a two-team market. If Oakland is so important to Major League Baseball, why does tonight mark his first visit to the Coliseum in nearly a decade? If baseball is suddenly so concerned about Oakland, why does nearly every visiting team stay in San Francisco?

There's nothing an outsider can tell us about the A's current stadium situation that we don't already know. The Raiders' return made it a less attractive baseball venue. Everybody can agree on that. But the A's got $10 million up front, don't forget. They also were given one of the most favorable leases in the industry. As a result of that and other deals, the Coliseum has gone from a cash cow to a money pit that could bankrupt the city and county.

It's easy to envision a new retro ballpark in downtown Oakland. Imagine fans sitting on the rooftops of nearby buildings, a la Wrigley Field. Imagine the view of the Bay or the Oakland Estuary. Imagine the economic benefit of drawing consumers into areas of the city that currently repel them.

But the city and county are ear-deep in debt after remodeling the Coliseum and the Arena, remember. The right project at the right time could be a boon to Oakland. A wrong deal could swamp the city and county.

It's a moot point as long as Jerry Brown is in office. The Oakland mayor shows up at one playoff game a year and astounds everyone with his lack of sports knowledge. If Schott wanted to build a yoga center in Oakland, he might get Mayor Moonbeam's attention. A ballpark? Good luck.

But even if a baseball-friendly mayor were elected, and even if a dream scenario for a new ballpark materialized, there are still questions as to whether there is enough corporate support in the East Bay to sustain a new stadium. Even during the Raiders' Super Bowl season, the vacant suites at their home games looked like rotting teeth and only underline this concern.

Options outside of Oakland also involve risk. It's difficult to imagine a ballpark in Hayward or Fremont that could compete with the Giants' new digs. A stadium adjacent to the 580/680 corridor near Dublin could draw potential fans from the South Bay as well as those from Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

But in this era of urban retro ballparks, are fans willing to commute to a suburban venue on already clogged freeways?

The South Bay is where a new stadium has the best chance to succeed and therefore taxpayers would assume the least risk. San Jose has supported the Sharks devoutly and has the corporate base to ensure suite sales.

Selig himself has eliminated that option by backing the Giants' tenuous claim to Santa Clara County.

Even if Oakland and Alameda County were flush with cash, even if school districts weren't in danger of axing sports and music programs, building a new ballpark is no panacea, as the Brewers and other teams have proved.

The A's need someone affiliated with the city and county who shares their vision. They need a solid plan that reduces taxpayer risk. They need to display the political savvy necessary to complete such a sensitive project.

They don't need Selig blowing in to town pointing out the Coliseum's many flaws; they don't need his lobbying. They need him to start removing obstacles.