Oakland's biggest ballpark booster is fired by Mayor Brown. The city's slim hopes for a new ballpark may have gone with him. From the Oakland Tribune:

OAKLAND TRIBUNE LINK

Bobb's ouster dims hope for A's ballpark
Former city manager one of biggest supporters for downtown stadium

By Robert Gammon, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- It already looked dead. But now it really looks dead.

That seemed to be the consensus Wednesday of fans and proponents of a downtown Oakland A's ballpark, now that City Manager Robert Bobb -- maybe it's biggest backer -- has been shown the door.

"We saw it coming. We knew Robert Bobb was too strong for the mayor," said A's superfan Lil Bartholo. "But it's a setback, there's no question about it."

A's fans and ballpark supporters nearly lost all hope last year when Mayor Jerry Brown overruled Bobb and pushed ahead on a large housing development for the same uptown site identified as the best spot for a stadium in the East Bay.

Then they cried foul when it was revealed Brown's Forest City housing development was going to be built by friends of the mayor who were expecting a $50 million-plus public subsidy from the city.

The mayor defended his plan, saying the housing development was the only concrete proposal for revitalizing Oakland's long-struggling downtown. Brown called the ballpark a pipe dream and noted the A's owners had steadfastly refused to say how much of their own money they would spend on a new stadium.

Then fans took another hit when longtime City Councilmember **** Spees, also a leading ballpark backer, retired at the end of December.

Yet, some fans were still comforted by the fact that Bobb -- who last year led a nationwide tour of cities that had built new ballparks -- was still in a position of power in Oakland. Moreover, they knew A's management liked Bobb.

They also got a morale boost when word came that A's owners were considering selling half or all of the team to a mysterious Silicon Valley investor interested in keeping the team in Oakland. But that supposed deal, like three previous ones, has yet to come to fruition.

Fans also knew that even with Bobb, a new ballpark looked extremely unlikely given the current economic climate and given the current A's ownership.

Now, with Bobb gone, it could be the final nail in the ballpark coffin.

"I'm disappointed. Things are not looking good for a ballpark," said Jennifer Medeiros, co-chair of the Oakland A's Fan Coalition. "The ownership situation has got to change. I think people are pretty clear that (co-owner) Steve Schott is not interested in staying in Oakland."

A's President Mike Crowley would not comment Wednesday on Bobb's ouster.

Still, sports fans don't easily give up all hope. They know all too well Yogi Berra's famous line: "It's not over, until it's over."

And the Forest City housing development, despite the mayor's backing, is no sure thing. City Councilmember Larry Reid -- angry about Bobb's firing -- has vowed to fight it. And City Hall sources said the project itself could be on the ropes, with Forest City possibly coming back soon for an even larger handout. Forest City probably will not even finish environmental work on the site until early next year.

Regardless, an Oakland A's ballpark likely won't happen without new A's ownership or a change of heart from current ownership, stadium proponents say.

"I just think there has be a signal from them, stepping forward and showing interest ... that they want a downtown ballpark," Spees said.

San Francisco Giants - 2002 National League Champions!

Commentary on the Bobb/ballpark situation from Dave Newhouse of the Tribune.

OAKLAND TRIBUNE LINK

Downtown A's park dead but ...

CALL ME a fatalistic optimist, but I'm not ready yet to say ...

It would have been a magnificent jewel to gaze upon, that downtown ballpark in Oakland. An architectural gem. Subtle, yet noble and proud.

The ballpark would have reflected what Oakland is and what it desires to become, a great baseball town with a Hall of Fame tradition and an ensured baseball future, and run by a mayor who cares about sports.

I'm just not going to give up simply knowing that ...

The ballpark would have brought more distinction to Oakland than the housing project planned for the same site -- a project criticized for its cheap construction and its fattening of certain Oakland politicians' pockets.

And the ballpark would have been really downtown. Not by the Oakland Estuary but next to the historic Fox Theater, which was to be fully restored and located behind center field when the ballpark opened in 2006.

It would have been special watching Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito -- if theA's can afford to keep all three marvelous pitchers -- mowing down hitters in a charming ballpark instead of a cavernous football stadium.

I admit it really looks bad now for a downtown ballpark, but I still won't concede that ...

We can only dream now of what a downtown ballpark would have been like. Yes, its concept was buried Tuesday as Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown shoveled the last bit of dirt on the gravesite he dug all by himself.

That's all true, but was it buried for good just because ...

Brown is the enemy of sports in Oakland. He isn't alone -- Al Davis is public enemy No. 1 -- but Brown's an enemy nonetheless. He sees himself as a visionary, but when it comes to sports, he's myopic.

Last July, Brown finally forced the Forest City housing project down Oakland's throat. The project would be built between Telegraph and San Pablo avenues, between 18th and 21st streets. And there went all mental images of Eric Chavez homering off the Fox Theater marquee.

Then whatever hope there was of a downtown ballpark was eliminated two days ago when Brown kicked Robert Bobb out of his Oakland city manager's job.

"The ballpark is totally off the radar screen," Bobb said Wednesday. "It's a memory."

But perhaps not the last memory, or the last hope, even though I know ...

Bobb was the driving force behind the ballpark. It was Bobb who brought HOK Sports of Kansas City -- the Michelangelo of baseball stadium architects -- to Oakland to find the best ballpark site in the East Bay.

And it turned out to be downtown Oakland, which should have been a boon to this city. But the ballpark idea was in immediate trouble because A's owner Steve "I Left My Heart in Santa Clara" Schott refused to commit one penny toward its construction.

"The ballpark is dead for three reasons," Bobb said. "A. Political. B. Financial. C. Clash of the titans. Until the A's come to the table with real interest and real money, there is no common agenda."

Well, again, call me a fatalistic optimist, but whatever ...

I'm not giving up on a downtown ballpark. And I don't mean downtown Fremont, which was HOK's very last option. Fremont doesn't want the A's, and even less so after observing Schott's penuriousness.

But look around baseball. Major league cities are building retro ballparks to replace outdated stadiums. These same cities also have mayors who believe ballparks bring business into the city. And that is true.

I still believe a downtown ballpark project can fly in Oakland. It may take a few more years to get off the ground, but I'm not convinced the Forest City project will be built. It's not a finalized deal by any means.

Surely the Raiders trial could have some bearing on a downtown ballpark. But regardless of who wins in Sacramento, the other side will appeal, and the eventual winner may not be known for years.

Before we know that outcome, the A's could have a new owner who will commit financially to building a ballpark.

And Oakland will have a new mayor in 2006. Could such a person revive the ballpark plan?

"No question," Bobb said. "Depends on the person."

Certainly the next mayor will be more sports-oriented than Brown. A downtown ballpark does seem far-fetched at the moment, but nobody thought the Raiders would ever return to Oakland the day they drove off to Los Angeles.

So there's always hope. And Bobb's not leaving town just yet.

"I'll be at the ballpark tonight," he said Wednesday.

He won't see the mayor there. The mayor thinks the Seattle Mariners are a shipping company.

Dave Newhouse can be reached at (510) 208-6466 or by e-mail at dnewhouse@angnewspapers.com .

San Francisco Giants - 2002 National League Champions!

the A's and the Giants stadiums are too close, and the A's stadium is pretty bad. there are terrible views, and it overall could be one of the worst stadiums in baseball i think.

I still am interested in hearing more about the Santa Clara site.