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I lived on the West Coast for a time and spent some time in Oakland, among other places. When I lived in LA I enjoyed listening to Vin Scully announce
for the Dodgers and when in San Diego I loved the city, or well it was a beautiful place but the only MLB team I could ever get interested in out there was the A's. I'm originally from KC so I knew of the A's history in Kansas City going back to Philly, etc. Just always thought of the A's as a scrappy, eccentric bunch of underdogs who played some great ball at times.
I'm not an Oakland basher in the least and know that some parts of the city, believe it or not are good etc but I'd like to hear from A's fans, especially in the Bay area about how they'd feel if the A's left Oakland for Fremont or Sacramento (god forbid Portland)? I understand the importance of having a home team so for the A's fans actually living in Oakland it would seem a no brainer to want the A's to stay. I understand that and also think it's shame that a lot of Oakland is in the state it's in...that is in some ways such a beautiful damned city, the hills, nice weather, neat old homes, history etc just a shame about all the thuggery, mindless murder etc. Anyhow, for the rest of the fans though many of whom I think live in the San Jose, South Bay area, etc what do you think about the move? Would it be good for the A's? They've been in three different cities in their history so far and have weathered it well, retained their identity...I kind of think the A's will be okay wherever they go but of course the town that loses them (as KC did) will mourn it for some time. Any thoughts?
i think it's much more likely that the a's will remain in the bay area (i.e. move to downtown san jose) than relocate to portland, sacramento, or las vegas.
and btw, the fremont proposal is completely dead. san jose looks like the team's best chance for a new stadium.
Hmm, I know there are a lot of A's fans around San Jose and the South Bay in general. I'm almost tempted to think that that might be best for the team economically but I don't know enough about the specifics. How do you think most people in the bay area (outside of Oakland proper) would feel about a move down to San Jose?
If you look at how the fan base splits, the Giants are generally supported by San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties. The A's fan base is generally Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. Santa Clara kind of splits between the two.
Have you looked outside your window recently? That's no recession out there. It feels like a depression. And whatever it is, the age of communities pouring their precious and receding resources into stadiums for fat cat franchise owners and wealthy season ticket owners is pretty much dead.
If you want to build a stadium today, you will need to do it with your own money...not just for the stadium itself, but for all the infrastructure around it, as well. Communities that can't fund schools or highways or even provide jobs for their citizens can't throw their money away on building stadiums for an era that has, quite frankly, passed.
Especially in a place like California where the government is bascially broke.
What does that mean?
IMHO it says no A's stadium in Oakland (which isn't be asked for one), in Fremont, and no competing bid from Sacramento. And since this is only July, the real "recession" still short of one year old and the vote coming up months later when more **** will fly on this economic nightmere, I'll go out on the limb here and against conventional wisdom and tell it like I see it: No 49er stadium in Santa Clara either.
The Bay Area is arguably the most progressive metropolitan area in the United States. That's why in a sea of new ballparks built since Camden Yards led the way, only one stands with private, not public, funds. And it sits on China Basin. So if there is any place where rationality and the reality of changed economic times and scarcity are likely to register, it is by the bay. And that may well mean, at least from the way I see it, the A's and 49ers are on their own in what they construct without the $$$$$'s flowing in as a safety net from any municipality.
I'm a Giants fan personally, but I consider myself a baseball fan first. The problem with the A's is its environment. Simply put, it is not aesthetically pleasing to go to a baseball game in the ghetto.
Before the giants built their new park off of embarcaderro the Giants and A's really had similar attendance, with the edge going to who ever was better. But once the giant built that park, near the bay bridge, bart, and muni. It was over.The A's just can't compete on that level. Much easier and safer to take kids to the park in sf and actually be able to stroll through the neighborhood or go for anight on the town, versus trying to do that in deep east oakland. There is a reason Giants games will draw more fans during a bad year than the A's during a good year.
I do not remember the Colusium before Mt davis, but either way the place is a dump.
I do how ever appreciate the A's history and the fact that there is an AL markert in the area. We are lucky to be a 2 team market. It would be a shame to see them leave nor cal, and this is coming from a giants fan.
I'm a Giants fan personally, but I consider myself a baseball fan first. The problem with the A's is its environment. Simply put, it is not aesthetically pleasing to go to a baseball game in the ghetto.
Before the giants built their new park off of embarcaderro the Giants and A's really had similar attendance, with the edge going to who ever was better. But once the giant built that park, near the bay bridge, bart, and muni. It was over.The A's just can't compete on that level. Much easier and safer to take kids to the park in sf and actually be able to stroll through the neighborhood or go for anight on the town, versus trying to do that in deep east oakland. There is a reason Giants games will draw more fans during a bad year than the A's during a good year.
I do not remember the Colusium before Mt davis, but either way the place is a dump.
I do how ever appreciate the A's history and the fact that there is an AL markert in the area. We are lucky to be a 2 team market. It would be a shame to see them leave nor cal, and this is coming from a giants fan.
Have you looked outside your window recently? That's no recession out there. It feels like a depression. And whatever it is, the age of communities pouring their precious and receding resources into stadiums for fat cat franchise owners and wealthy season ticket owners is pretty much dead.
Not by a longshot, it isn't. The marketing value of a major league sports team is such that any mayor who makes a public comment about the sheer idiocy of using his or her city's precious resources to keep fat-cat owners from reaching into their own pockets can count on one thing: not being re-elected.
That's not to say I don't agree with you. But I don't see an end to the practice. After watching what both the Mets and Yankees did to their ticket pricing after opening new stadiums, I doubt we have seen the proverbial limit yet. There's more--and worse--to come.
Well if there has one thing that Oakland has done to make it worse for the A's, its bend over backwards for the raiders at the A's expense. But it is understandable, the raiders are a cash cow, even when they do bad.
Isn't it sad to see what's become of professional sports franchises? Once upon a time, they didn't move around like knights on a chessboard. Then the St. Louis Browns relocated to Baltimore (1954) and the floodgates were opened once and for all.
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