From the Oakland Tribune....

Oakland pro teams going ... going ... gone?

GOOD MORNING, Oakland, how are ya? Hey, don't you know him, he's your transient son? On a train they call the City of Los Angeles, Al Davis will be gone 500 miles before the week is done.

Well, Davis, who knows that Oakland-to-L.A. route better than anyone, isn't the only devious Oakland sports owner with travelin' on his mind.

Steve Schott has his shifty eyes on Santa Clara as the A's future home. And we just got a peephole into the muted thoughts of Chris Cohan with the latest rumor about the Golden State Warriors moving back to San Francisco.

The San Francisco Giants revealed plans last week to build a 20,000-seat indoor arena near Pacific Bell Park. San Francisco has failed several times to construct a state-of-the-art basketball-hockey palace, but this attempt is a far more serious threat to Oakland.

If Peter Magowan and Larry Baer could raise the money for Pac Bell Park after four ballpark resolutions failed (two in San Francisco, two in the South Bay), Oakland faces a third attempt to steal one of its franchises.

It's premature to predict a hat trick -- the Raiders, A's and Warriors all leaving -- but Oakland needs a creative plan to stave off this mass raid.

Cohan and his spokesmen won't comment on the Warriors leaving, just as Baer denies the Warriors are the NBA team that San Francisco covets. As if the NBA would place another franchise in the Bay Area. When pigs fly.

Just remember, Oakland, previous Warriors owners Franklin Mieuli and Dan Finanne explored relocating in San Francisco. It didn't happen because San Francisco wasn't capable at the time of building anything but high rises.

So why wouldn't Cohan, if he could, head across the bridge to a city with greater financial opportunities? What's stopping him now is his lease at the Arena in Oakland, which runs through 2016.

But leases are made to be broken if a team can prove legally that it was dealt with in bad faith. The A's lease at Network Associates Coliseum expires after the 2004 season, while the Raiders' lease runs through 2010.

A Sacramento judge ruled that Davis must fulfill his 16-year obligation in Oakland. Davis will try to overturn that ruling in the state capital once he finishes battling the NFL in Los Angeles.

Three times the Raiders and NFL have dueled in court, and all three times in Los Angeles. Fishy? Watch out, Oakland. From all reports, Davis and lead attorney Joseph Alioto have charmed the jury. In contrast, the NFL's legal team has been efficient, but stiff as a starched collar.

If this were poker, the NFL has the best hand, but Davis is the best bluffer. Even juries are enamored by con artists, so don't be surprised if Davis holds instead of folds and still wins the pot.

Wouldn't that be something, Davis extracting millions from the NFL and Oakland for a second time after Oakland bailed him out of a desperate situation in Los Angeles. He was convinced he would own that town, but fickle L.A. began taking Sunday afternoon naps once the Raiders started losing.

Davis contends he was promised sellouts in Oakland before returning in 1995. That's yet to be proven in Sacramento, but the Raiders had five straight non-winning seasons before last year's 12-4 breakthrough. With Oakland the NFL's most expensive ticket, how could a blue-collar area support a loser?

And, yet, Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen used the word "vicious" to describe the team's treatment here after Oakland and Alameda County made Davis even wealthier by saving his dog-meat franchise. Plus it cost $125 million to gussy up the Coliseum to get him back.

Vicious? Wash your mouth out with vinegar, Bruce.

Davis' mission in life is power, and his means to that power, he believes, is money. Hello, Irwindale. He'd rape Oakland for more millions and blame us, the NFL, the Earth's rotation, the cosmos ... anyone and anything but him. Davis never accepts blame for bad coaches, bad drafts, bad teams. His Raiders haven't been to a Super Bowl in 18 years. It's not Oakland's fault.

Oakland and Alameda County fixed up the Coliseum and Arena for their three teams, even though all three were losers at that juncture. The Warriors still are losing -- seven consecutive losing seasons. It's not Oakland's fault.

The A's, like the Raiders, ended a losing drought last year. Schott hasn't ever embraced Oakland, which has given him $20 million in favors. A's fans see through Schott, yet support a young team with projected excellence. Commissioner Bud Selig -- or Bud Lite as Bill King calls him -- rejected the ownership of Bob Piccinini, who embraced Oakland. It's not Oakland's fault.

So good morning, Oakland, how are ya? Unappreciated, for sure. Well, keep on hanging on. You could lose three franchises or none. But, just remember, you're better people than the three owners who treat you like dirt.

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Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser. - Sandy Koufax

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As if the NBA would place another franchise in the Bay Area. When pigs fly.

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Hey! Have they heard of the Portland Flying Pigs, too!