More from Sports Business Daily... Hmmm, maybe Portland needs a team.

Reggie Says....A's Have No Future in Oakland: Reggie Jackson, who took his first steps into stardom with the Oakland A's, believes there's only one way his old team can survive among baseball's high rollers. They've got to pack up and leave according to a report in the San Francisco Examiner.

"I hope they make it," said Jackson, a Hall of Famer who now is an advisor to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, for whom Jackson also starred in the San Francisco Examiner report. "I would love to see them go to a one-team market and have the financial resources to be able to compete. If you don't have a $60 million payroll, I don't think you can."

Jackson pulls for all low-budget teams, such as Minnesota and Seattle, who have found a way to survive against big-bucks franchises like Boston, Atlanta, Texas and the Yankees. But the Twins and Mariners are aberrations.

"It's an unlevel playing field," Jackson said in the San Francisco Examiner report. "So do I hope to see (the A's) get a new park in a new city? Yeah. Not because I'm down on the city of Oakland or root for them to move, but I'm just trying to be practical."

The A's disappointingly low attendance supports his opinion. It surprised Jackson to learn that last season the A's attracted only 1.7 million fans despite having the A.L. MVP (Jason Giambi), a 20-game winner (Tim Hudson) and a 30-home run shortstop (Miguel Tejada). And Tuesday's Roger Clemens-Tim Hudson pitcher's duel drew just 24,351. "That's a small crowd," Jackson said. "You couldn't have a more ideal matchup."

In general, the amount of money spent in baseball today stuns Jackson. He never imagined that anyone could get a contract like Alex Rodriguez' 10-year, $252 million deal, or that a journeyman pitcher like Denny Neagle could command $50 million from the Colorado Rockies.

"I miss that part," said Jackson, who speculated that he'd be in line for his own big contract if he were playing today in the San Francisco Examiner report. "They're giving it away. You don't have to qualify for it. You just have to wait your turn. You don't have to be good." (source San Francisco Examiner)

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

I saw this, too. Hey, wouldn't it be great if the OBC could get Reggie Jackson on-board as a spokesman? He still loves his A's, and he's talking about moving them to a "one-team city," which Santa Clara does not change. Sure, he works for the Yankees, but hey, you never know...

Ron Thomas at The San Francisco Examiner wrote the original story. His e-mail is
rthomas@sfexaminer.com.