Smart politicians know the way to sneak in something unpopular to is first run it through a commitee. So it’s no surprise Bud Selig is greasing the skids for an Athletics move to San Jose by first having a committee explore ballpark options in Oakland.
Smart politicians know the way to sneak in something unpopular to is first run it through a commitee. So it’s no surprise Bud Selig is greasing the skids for an Athletics move to San Jose by first having a committee explore ballpark options in Oakland.
The committee won’t address the San Jose situation; instead, the committee will focus on the feasibility of a new ballpark in Oakland. Here’s the public statement issued by MLB:
After meeting with ownership and management of the Oakland Athletics in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that he has appointed a committee to thoroughly analyze all of the ballpark proposals that have been made to date, the current situation in Oakland, and the prospects of obtaining a ballpark in any of the communities located in Oakland’s territory.
Oakland’s current lease expires in 2010 with three one-year club options beyond that date.
The committee will be chaired by Bob Starkey, a stadium expert and financial consultant for Major League Baseball. It also will consist of Corey Busch, a former baseball executive, and Irwin Raij, a lawyer with Foley and Lardner who worked extensively on both the Washington and Miami ballpark proposals. They will work with MLB President & Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy and will provide a written report to the Commissioner at the conclusion of their analysis.
"Lew Wolff and the Oakland ownership group and management have worked very hard to obtain a facility that will allow them to compete into the 21st Century," Commissioner Selig said. "To date they, like the two ownership groups in Oakland before them, have been unsuccessful in those efforts, despite having the significant support of their corporate partner Cisco. The time has come for a thorough analysis of why a stadium deal has not been reached. The A’s cannot and will not continue indefinitely in their current situation."
Note that the focus is on communities in Oakland’s territory. If this plays out the way we think it will, the committee will reluctantly conclude the only community capable of supporting Major League Baseball in the territory is Oakland, but there are no feasible ballpark sites available, forcing the team to look outside its territory. Which, then, would give Bud Selig no other choice than to regretfully tell the Giants ownership they need to come to an agreement for San Jose. Let’s face this: this is scripted more intricately than the average WWE heavyweight battle.
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