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Selig: A's need new stadium to survive

By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
May 6, 2004

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig visited Oakland's ballpark Thursday for the first time since 1989 and declared the Athletics need a new stadium soon to survive.

It's far from the first time the commissioner has said this, but he wanted to see the venue himself. Selig did not offer a timetable for anything getting done, adding that ``there's no question the club will have to make a considerable contribution.''

Selig received a tour from A's owner Steve Schott, who declined comment after Selig's news conference before the A's played the New York Yankees.

Schott later released a statement thanking Selig for his support.

``Commissioner Selig is well aware of our need and desire to construct a baseball-only facility for the A's in the Bay Area,'' Schott said. ``Teams need to play in venues that generate the necessary revenue to compete for a championship year-in and year-out. We need a new facility to insure the A's will be financially competitive for the long term. We can't achieve that goal in our present facility.''

The A's currently rank eighth in the American League in attendance.

Schott would like to move the franchise to nearby San Jose, but the San Francisco Giants own the rights to that area. In spring training, Schott used the words ``cry baby'' in conjunction with Giants' owner Peter Magowan's objections to the idea. The Giants play in 5-year-old SBC Park, a beautiful, modern stadium perched on the shores of San Francisco Bay.

``Clearly for this club to be competitive in the future it needs a new venue,'' Selig said. ``Once people around you start getting new ballparks and generating more revenue, it becomes hard for that particular franchise to compete.

``And to say the owner should dig into his pocket with no chance of that ever changing is just not possible. These people find themselves in a very uncomfortable position of playing in a park that's now 38 years old and just can't generate the revenue to keep its players and be competitive,'' he said.

The small-market A's, who have won the AL West the past two seasons and lost in the first round of the playoffs the last four years, have a payroll of just over $59 million this season, higher than 14 of baseball's 30 teams.

The Giants are ninth with a payroll of roughly $82 million, and they shaved about $8 million from their payroll this season.

Oakland has lost two MVPs in three years.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada left in free agency in December to sign a $72 million, six-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Jason Giambi, the 2000 MVP, signed a $120 million, seven-year contract with the New York Yankees after the 2001 season.

``They can't stay here, so we're going to have to find an alternative,'' Selig said.