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Schott heard around park

A's owner slams the Giants on territorial rights, wants new stadium

By Josh Suchon, STAFF WRITER


PHOENIX -- Steve Schott fired multiple shots at his fellow owners in baseball on Saturday, reiterating his desire for a new ballpark, turning up the heat on the territorial rights issues in the South Bay, and hinting that he might sell the team if he doesn't get a new ballpark.

The Oakland Athletics co-owner also announced plans to retire the jerseys of Reggie Jackson and Dennis Eckersley, discussed the dream he had about how to secure his top three pitchers for the future, and made an outreach for more African Americans to come to the ballpark in a lengthy and candid interview with reporters at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

"It's very difficult in this business to stay on top for long periods of time unless you have unlimited money to spend like some of the owners do," Schott said. "They think by spending a lot of money it will give them a winner. ... It's frustrating. It really is. People who don't think I want to win are crazy."

Schott said he was depressed for two weeks after a fourth straight first-round playoff loss in October and didn't bother returning calls of friends who tried to console him.

"Maybe I should be more realistic because we only have a payroll that's one- third of what some of these other teams have," Schott said. "When you get that far, you just hope you get a break or two, or make a break or two yourself. I don't know if I can personally or mentally and physically stay in this job for a much longer period of time because it takes a toll on you."

A new stadium, Schott said later, "would be like a blood transfusion. It would get me energized again."

Schott was most energetic in discussing the territorial rights issue over the South Bay.

The Santa Clara native said his first priority was a new ballpark in the East Bay. But he is clearly still eyeing the South Bay, even though San Francisco Giants managing partner Peter Magowan reiterated Monday he won't give up the rights and he won't sell the rights.

"Obviously, Magowan has his feelings strongly about that," Schott said. "He came out just the other day with a statement. I don't know if it was to diffuse the bigger problems he might have. I'm not sure what those all are, but he said that there's territory rights and blah blah blah."

Schott's voice slowly started to rise as he continued.

"I'm not a history buff by any means," he said. "But I believe that when Charlie Finley moved the A's out here, and the Giants were already here, there was no questions and no discussions about territorial rights. The only way the Giants ended up with territorial rights was because they were going to build a stadium down in San Jose.

"There was no question about whose territory it was," Schott continued. "They had to get permission from the A's. They didn't pay for those territorial rights, by the way. Now, in the meantime, they built a stadium closer to Oakland than they were before. And now, if we talk about another stadium down in that area, they go berserk. It's like my 4-year-old granddaughter says sometimes, 'crybaby, crybaby.' They like to cry a lot about it. They get nervous about it, you know."

Schott said he wasn't planning to take the territorial rights issue to the courts, but it was an option.

"If push comes to shove, I'm not exactly saying what we'll do, but there will be a time when we'll have to do something because we can't exist in the situation we are at," Schott said. "And I don't intend to continue to exist how we are."

Commissioner Bud Selig, who will visit Network Associates Coliseum later this month, was at the Giants game against the Chicago Cubs at HoHoKam Park in Mesa on Saturday and said there was no ambiguity concerning the territorial rights.

"For obvious reasons, we want to have permanence and stability, but I don't want to get in that debate because I'm sensitive to both clubs' needs and their desires," Selig said. "A public debate is not productive in either way."

Schott hired Lewis Wolff, a Los Angeles hotel magnate with strong San Jose ties, in November to study ballpark sites around the Bay Area. The Giants opened what-is-now SBC Park in 2000 with predominantly private money and must pay back $20 million annually in debt.

"We feel that it cannot be built with totally private money," Schott said. "The Giants, I'm sure, without a doubt, wish they hadn't done what they've done. They are suffering. They are hurting. We know any little hiccup there, and they have some serious problems.

"That is one of the things that I hear from the commissioner all the time: 'If you guys build a stadium, you take a market away from them and they will have big hiccups.'"

Schott's idea on keeping pitchers Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito signed through the decade was literally a dream that awoke him one night.

"I thought maybe we could get big-time corporations to sponsor a player," Schott said. "Whether there's enough sponsors ... you might need two or three for what our top players would demand. I'm not suggesting Major League Baseball would allow the players to put General Motors on the back of their jerseys.

"But if there's a way to get a link between a corporate sponsor and a player, that might be one way to help subsidize the salaries that are demanded or commanded. I haven't formalized that dream yet."

It is Schott's hope that if third baseman Eric Chavez gets signed, it will send a message to his top three pitchers the team is serious about keeping its most talented players.

Jackson will become the third A's player to have his jersey retired. The ceremony for No.9 will be May 22. After Eckersley enters the Hall in early August, the A's will hold a day for him at Network Associates Coliseum and later retire his No.43 jersey.

Getting African Americans to ballparks is a problem throughout baseball, but it takes on greater significance due to the racial makeup of Oakland.

President Mike Crowley said the team has players make appearances in Oakland to reach out to minority families. Schott pointed to the price of tickets.

"We have one of the least expensive tickets," Schott said. "I think we do an outstanding job of getting the message across that Oakland A's baseball, you can bring the family out. I'd love to see as diverse a crowd as we can have from all factions.

"I'd love to see a lot more of the local families in our ballpark."

Schott's final shot was pointed at New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as he discussed payroll differences.

"In my opinion, it's like, give me a break, gag me, I'd be absolutely embarrassed to spend that kind of money and not win," Schott said. "Something is wrong. You can quote me on the record about that."

Staff writer Andrew Baggarly contributed to this story.

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