San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer says his organization would be willing to share AT&T Park temporarily with the Oakland Athletics — provided a new ballpark was under construction.
Of course, that new ballpark couldn’t be located in San Jose, where the Giants have stuck to their claims of territorial rights. But otherwise, Baer says the A’s and Giants could play at the same ballpark. This has been done before: the New York Yankees and New York Mets shared Shea Stadium in the 1970s while Yankee Stadium was being renovated.
“They’ve got to come up with a long-term plan,” Baer said. “Once that’s arrived at, then maybe you’ll take a step back and say, ‘Is there something we can do to be helpful?’ As a neighborly thing.
“Obviously, they’ve got to come up with what their plan is, and we’ll go from there.”
Baer reiterated that the Giants would cooperate with the A’s if they find a non-San Jose solution. He said the Giants are open-minded on more urgent matters, too.
There is one major scenario where the ballpark cohabitation could come into play: a leading proposal, Coliseum City, has the current Coliseum/arena site redeveloped with new facilities for both the Athletics and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. (The Warriors, the main tenant in Oracle Arena, has been working on a new arena plan in San Francisco; that plan has stalled.) The Raiders are also expressing displeasure with the state of the O.co Coliseum, with Mark Davis saying the Coliseum City proposal represents the best chance to keep his team and the A’s in Oakland.
John Fisher and Lew Wolff are hemmed in regarding their future ballpark plans: Oakland has come up with two viable ballpark plans (fulfilling one of Bud Selig’s criteria for keeping the team) and business support for the A’s has emerged. Meanwhile, MLB has held up the Giants’ territorial rights to San Jose, thwarting the attempt by the A’s to build a new ballpark there. Bud Selig has said the issue will be resolved by the time he leaves office — so you can expect some sort of final decision this year.
RELATED STORIES: Appeals court puts San Jose antitrust lawsuit on fast track; Judge: San Jose has no right to the A’s; Selig: We’ll solve Oakland ballpark issue before I leave office; Selig: Oakland Coliseum a pit, but it’s our pit; Legal settlement could pave way for new Oakland ballpark; San Jose suit against MLB a weak one, saye experts; San Jose files suit against MLB in quest for A’s; Selig to San Jose Mayor: Sorry, no time to meet; Progress on new A’s ballpark? Not likely; Athletics propose five-year lease for Coliseum; What drives Lew Wolff?; Wolff: No more delays on A’s ballpark decision; San Jose ballpark land deal under formal review; Could Giants-A’s battle be settled in court?; Waterfront site emerging as new A’s home; MLB committee meets with Oakland, San Jose officials about future of A’s; Developer: I can build new A’s ballpark with private financing; San Jose: A’s ballpark land safe — for now; Wolff meets with Knauss, has clear message: A’s not for sale; Giants: Nothing would tempt us to give up Silicon Valley territory; Selig: A’s can leave Oakland — just not for San Jose; Cal to San Jose: Slow down on new ballpark; A’s expected to push for ballpark decision at owner’s meetings; Today’s A’s/Giants update: nothing new; Wolff: A’s aren’t for sale; Suitors emerge for Oakland Athletics
—-
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Are you a subscriber to the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!
Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!