San Jose is actually larger than San Francisco? (San Diego, Fresno: park, area)

[stc888]

This isn't really a fair comparison and population within a city limit does not matter as much as metropolitan area population and economic indicators, and SF and SJ are part of the same metropolitan area (for all intensive purposes) anyways. It's kinda like comparing LA with OC...

With that said, downtown SJ is slowly improving. The condo towers down there such as the 88 and Axis are both selling well, bringing residents to downtown, which is a necessity. The next thing they ought to concentrate on is getting some more retail downtown. It always seemed to me that Valley Fair and Santana Row both get extremely crowded during the weekend and may be at-capacity or over-capacity. I'm sure another higher-end retail option would be welcome in this area. Maybe something along the lines of Pasadena.

If the A's move to San Jose, then that would obviously be a big shot in the arm for that area of downtown. Hopefully some of the things that we've seen next to AT&T Park in SF, Petco Park in SD, etc., can be replicated. How about an ESPN Sports Zone?

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by stc888

This isn't really a fair comparison and population within a city limit does not matter as much as metropolitan area population and economic indicators, and SF and SJ are part of the same metropolitan area (for all intensive purposes) anyways. It's kinda like comparing LA with OC...

With that said, downtown SJ is slowly improving. The condo towers down there such as the 88 and Axis are both selling well, bringing residents to downtown, which is a necessity. The next thing they ought to concentrate on is getting some more retail downtown. It always seemed to me that Valley Fair and Santana Row both get extremely crowded during the weekend and may be at-capacity or over-capacity. I'm sure another higher-end retail option would be welcome in this area. Maybe something along the lines of Pasadena.

If the A's move to San Jose, then that would obviously be a big shot in the arm for that area of downtown. Hopefully some of the things that we've seen next to AT&T Park in SF, Petco Park in SD, etc., can be replicated. How about an ESPN Sports Zone?

I disagree to some extent. Even though San Jose and San Francisco are both part of the Bay area, they are very much different. San Francisco is a very unique city. However, I don't know why people are trying to compare them. Personally, I would much rather live in San Jose but I have friends that prefer to live in San Francisco. It just depends what one's preferences are. As I said, there is no right or wrong.

The Oakland A's will not move to San Jose as long as the SF Giants won't allow it. Because the SF Giants have a minor league team, the San Jose Giants, in San Jose they can block the A's from moving there. It would be great for the A's and San Jose if the A's did move to San Jose. Of course with the change in ownership of the San Francisco Giants, this may change allowing the A's to move to San Jose.

Many argue that because San Jose fans don't support the A's in Oakland, why would they support them in San Jose. I think that argument is incorrect. I think many people will support them in San Jose.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by stc888

How about an ESPN Sports Zone?

Now we're talking.

The Civic Auditorium (Montgomery Theater) is finally picking up steam in terms of shows since the refurb, so the addition of the A's Cisco Field could dramatically turn downtown around as an entertainment destination (it already does well when the Sharks are in town), and the Earthquakes new stadium complex on Coleman would extend that north.

The decision about whether the A's are coming is in the hands of the votes of 3/4 of MLB owners. Bud Selig has probably been negotiating a buyout to satisfy the Giants, which was probably made easier since Neukom left.

[Harrier]

SPORTS! - San Jose has NHL(Sharks), MLS(Earthquakes), they currently have a NCAA FSB(albeit anemic) College Football Team(San Jose State Spartans - and school hosts other sports that attract fans!), and the NFL plans to move to Santa Clara(San Francisco 49ers - plus the 49ers already have their front office in Silicon Valley.) Technology industries are currently "recession proof", San Jose has sports, culture, entertainment, food, and is LARGER IN POPULATION then San Francisco! It has even been a state capitol for a longer period of time then San Francisco! Why is everyone hating on San Jose!

[krudmonk]

That's the sad thing about this forum. Of all the things you could say are great about SJ, being larger than another place is very low on the list.

[stc888]

Originally Posted by JohnSoCal

The Oakland A's will not move to San Jose as long as the SF Giants won't allow it. Because the SF Giants have a minor league team, the San Jose Giants, in San Jose they can block the A's from moving there.

Minor league teams can be (and have been) moved. The agreement between MLB and Minor League Baseball is that if a big league team comes in, the minor league team has to go. If the Giants are arguing that the A's can't move to SJ due to a minor league/short season Class-A team, their argument is going to be very weak. Market territory is another question and that's the sticking point. However, this is not an end-all. When the Montreal Expos were looking to move to Washington, the Baltimore Orioles were protesting left and right because it was their market "territory". That was quickly taken care of with a little pay off. Everyone has their price.

Bottom line is that if the majority of MLB owners think its in their best interest (revenue) to have the A's in San Jose, as opposed to operating at a loss in an outdated stadium in Oakland, they will approve it with or without the consent of the Giants. What they're going to have to try and figure out is whether or not the benefits of the A's in SJ outweigh the expense to the Giants (who IMO, would do just fine if the A's moved to SJ).

Originally Posted by JohnSoCal

Many argue that because San Jose fans don't support the A's in Oakland, why would they support them in San Jose. I think that argument is incorrect. I think many people will support them in San Jose.

I agree that it's a dumb argument. Whether or not most SJ residents are Giants fans or A's fans, I don't know. But the important thing is that tech companies will buy up seats in blocks, luxury suites, and provide corporate sponsorship which is lacking in Oakland.

I'm also not a huge A's fan, but I'd buy a season ticket package if the A's were here. Whether you're a fan or not, it's going to provide for more entertainment options in downtown and I'm all for that. There will always be the casual fans or non-fans who just go to have a good time with their friends or co-workers. And we've also seen how well SJ supports the Sharks... I'm sure the support for the A's would be similar.

Regardless, it'd be nice to go to an MLB game in the Bay Area at a ballpark where it's not cold all the time and hit up ESPN Sports Zone afterwards for drinks and games

[City Dog]

Originally Posted by stc888

This isn't really a fair comparison and population within a city limit does not matter as much as metropolitan area population and economic indicators, and SF and SJ are part of the same metropolitan area (for all intensive purposes) anyways. It's kinda like comparing LA with OC...

With that said, downtown SJ is slowly improving. The condo towers down there such as the 88 and Axis are both selling well, bringing residents to downtown, which is a necessity. The next thing they ought to concentrate on is getting some more retail downtown. It always seemed to me that Valley Fair and Santana Row both get extremely crowded during the weekend and may be at-capacity or over-capacity. I'm sure another higher-end retail option would be welcome in this area. Maybe something along the lines of Pasadena.

If the A's move to San Jose, then that would obviously be a big shot in the arm for that area of downtown. Hopefully some of the things that we've seen next to AT&T Park in SF, Petco Park in SD, etc., can be replicated. How about an ESPN Sports Zone?

Remember, LA and most cities have ESPN Zone. Downtown is so far behind almost all the major cities. It's still the worst downtown in the country, if not the world. Even Phoenix and Fresno have better downtowns.

[City Dog]

Originally Posted by stc888

This isn't really a fair comparison and population within a city limit does not matter as much as metropolitan area population and economic indicators, and SF and SJ are part of the same metropolitan area (for all intensive purposes) anyways. It's kinda like comparing LA with OC...

With that said, downtown SJ is slowly improving. The condo towers down there such as the 88 and Axis are both selling well, bringing residents to downtown, which is a necessity. The next thing they ought to concentrate on is getting some more retail downtown. It always seemed to me that Valley Fair and Santana Row both get extremely crowded during the weekend and may be at-capacity or over-capacity. I'm sure another higher-end retail option would be welcome in this area. Maybe something along the lines of Pasadena.

If the A's move to San Jose, then that would obviously be a big shot in the arm for that area of downtown. Hopefully some of the things that we've seen next to AT&T Park in SF, Petco Park in SD, etc., can be replicated. How about an ESPN Sports Zone?

It's still the dump. It's the worst downtown for a major city. It has a long way to go before it can be accepted for the city of its size, if not ever.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by City Dog

Even Phoenix and Fresno have better downtowns.

Agreed.

[cardinal2007]

Originally Posted by Harrier

SPORTS! - San Jose has NHL(Sharks), MLS(Earthquakes), they currently have a NCAA FSB(albeit anemic) College Football Team(San Jose State Spartans - and school hosts other sports that attract fans!), and the NFL plans to move to Santa Clara(San Francisco 49ers - plus the 49ers already have their front office in Silicon Valley.) Technology industries are currently "recession proof", San Jose has sports, culture, entertainment, food, and is LARGER IN POPULATION then San Francisco! It has even been a state capitol for a longer period of time then San Francisco! Why is everyone hating on San Jose!

Well, it is not everyone hating on San Jose, it is really two trolls, one of which doesn't really have opinions himself, just replies with "Agreed" instead of increasing reputation for the other person.

I've come across people like that, they are probably unhappy in life and just decide that they need to "look down" on somebody or something to feel better, rather than improving their lives. Most people that don't like some place don't move there of if they are there move away, and they never bother to follow up on it. I lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years for college, I liked the college a lot, but didn't care for the city, you don't see me lurking there saying how much it sucks. People there probably don't care about the same things I do, and that is why they happily live there.

Anyway I'm sure people here would follow the A's if it were a local team, most people I know don't care to drive 40-50 miles to go see a game if the team isn't one of the best teams in the league, if it is the local team then it is a different story.