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Bud to Wolff, San Jose: I’ll decide when I’m good and ready

Oakland Athletics logoBud Selig finally responds to complaints from Oakland owner Lew Wolff and San Jose officials about the slow pace regarding a decision about a potential move of the A’s. His response: I’ll decide when I’m good and ready.

Not quite the answer anyone was looking for, and it betrayed that Selig ham-handedness when it comes to big decisions where he knows someone will be pissed off. Here’s what Bud said at the annual All-Star Game media luncheon:

“It isn’t a question of holding them hostage. It’s a question of a very serious matter that’s going to affect two franchises, and before you make a reasonable decision, you have to have a comprehensive report that covers everything. That’s all that’s going on….

“This is a very serious matter. Yes I’d like to get it done as quickly as possible, of course. But … my objective is not to get it done as fast as possible but to get it done right.”

Keep in mind Bud Selig asked for a report regarding the future home of the Oakland A’s in March 2009. Keep in mind that human babies gestate in only nine months. It’s getting now to the point where any end result will be slammed because Bud sat on the issue way too long.

The sad thing he’s screwing over Lew Wolff, a former frat brother of his at the University of Wisconsin. Wolff is willing to privately finance the ballpark, and now would be the perfect time to do it with interest rates and construction costs low. But we suspect one big issue for Bud is Wolff’s willingness to privately finance the ballpark: he’s certainly not a fan of privately financed facilities, and every time there’s a privately financed facility it makes asking for public financing down the road that much harder. Bud may be watching out for the San Francisco Giants here on the territorial issue, but he’s also watching out for the Tampa Bay Rays and every other team that will be asking for public money to build new or renovated ballparks down the line.

RELATED STORIES: Wolff, San Jose leaders say deadline is looming if A’s are to move; Whew! Selig says contraction not on the table; Parsing the impact of a new A’s ballpark; NUMMI plant pops up again as A’s ballpark site; Fremont comes back to A’s, MLB with another ballpark site; Wolff: A’s could share ballpark with MLS’s Quakes; Does a San Jose A&’s ballpark make economic sense?; Giants digging in their heels in opposition to A’s San Jose ballpark; San Jose to put off ballpark referendum until 2010; San Jose ballpark committee meets for first time; San Jose to discuss blueprints for A’s ballpark negotiations; Various San Jose groups begin task of landing A’sSelig forms committee to study Oakland ballpark situation; Wolff to Oakland: Drop dead!; Oakland forming new committee to pursue new A’s ballpark; San Jose mayor: We have better than 50-50 shot at landing the A’s; San Jose city committee wants to see poll of residents before moving forward on A’s; Could Oakland Coliseum work as baseball-only venue?Wolff: Goal is team in “Northern California”; A’s officially drop Fremont ballpark plans; Wolff says there’s no backup plan; A’s suspend Fremont plans; will reevaluate future home for club; A’s: No new ballpark until 2014; Wolff: A’s still committed to Fremont ballpark; A’s cancel community meetings as opposition to new ballpark plan accelerates; New A’s ballpark opposed by hundreds of protesters; Oakland admits original plans for Cisco Field are all but dead

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